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Do you see what I am saying?

“And my shoes began to squeak…”

5 points to whomever gets that reference!

I’ve had a lot going on lately, but honestly hadn’t had the energy or desire to sit down and write — or type, as it were. For anyone who hasn’t been reading/following me for a while, the more crap I have going on the more I unplug.

Not fun, but some of the crap has been kind of funny. I think the best way to sum this up would be in a meme-like format, so here goes:

In the last 30 days …

1. I’ve been called a baby killer.

This one is actually pretty funny now, but at the time it was a bit unnerving. Long story short: a website one of the studies that my department maintains experienced some down time. Because of this, a certain doctor involved in the study completely flips his shit and tells me and everyone else that because the website wasn’t up, a certain drug (which had a 50% chance of being a placebo) they are studying couldn’t be administered to a dying baby. The next day, the baby died (from a cause unrelated to the drug OR the study!), and the doctor implies that because of our “inaction” that we’re at fault. There was much panic about lawsuits, audits, and whether or not some of us would have a job …

Anyways, our boss, his boss, his boss’ boss, and that boss’ boss are all furious and said doctor has had his hide handed to him. One of my coworkers joked, “I haven’t been called a ‘baby killer’ since ‘Nam!”

2. I realized that I had erroneously packed up all available liquor in the house.

Funny enough, while the above-mentioned debacle was going on, I came home one day and realized that I needed a drink in a bad way — and couldn’t find a single drop anywhere! For whatever reason, I must have thought it would be a good idea to pack up all the alcohol and keep it in storage.

Good Lord, what was I thinking?

3. I’ve been turned down for a house loan.

Yeah, we were turned down. We’re not completely out of options, but part of me really wishes we had started trying a year sooner. I’d seen places that were practically giving away loans to anyone and everyone who applied.

*sigh*

Oh well, we’ll keep on plugging and I’ve no doubt that it will all turn out in the end — but the keeping the faith part is always hard.

4. I have been asked by a friend to match him up with a mistress.

Uh … do what?

Definitely one for the “sharing too much” category. I was catching up via email with an old friend. He went into great detail about how unhappy he is in his marriage, about how he wished he had married someone else, and so on. I feel bad for the guy, I really do … but when he suggested that I try to set him up with one of my girlfriends so he could “be happy with an affair”, I (as politely and courteously as I could) declined.

And I haven’t heard from him since.

Yikes … so, um, yeah.

5. I have had a new term suggested for Jim’s ex.

A friend of mine was listening to me rant about the latest drama stirred up by Jim’s ex over Jessie (which of course quickly became over me), she exclaimed, “Of course, she’s your stepwife!”

According to Word Spy, a stepwife is (in my case) the ex-wife of my husband.

Funny, I have plenty of other names to call her … but this is probably the most kid-safe!

She has seemed to have been in an uproar about anything and everything lately though. I was talking to Jim about a rather nasty remark she made to me one night and he replied, “You will always be ‘the other woman’ in her eyes.”

Oh give me a break.

Never mind that they ultimately split because Jim caught her cheating on him — REPEATEDLY! That said, there is some truth in what he said. For whatever reason, she has always seen me as her competition. Even now, despite the fact that I have been in Jessie’s life since she was 4, and the woman has even admitted TO ME that she thinks I’m a good influence on Jessie, she still goes off on this “I’m her mother and I will never let you forget it!” bullshit trip every time she has one of these manic (maniac) moments.

But I digress …

So those are most of the reasons why I’ve been burying my nose in a few fave books, catching up on some DVD’d tv shows, and pretty much avoiding the ‘net in general.

How’re y’all?

Seriously. How’s your day/week/month been?

Seriously miffed at WP.org

The release of my newest theme has been delayed. I had submitted it to WordPress.org yesterday for inclusion in the Theme Directory, as I have done my other themes. This morning I received a very vague rejection email and initiated a discussion as to why.

The long and short of it, I’ve posted to the WordPress.org forums, but to be honest I don’t expect anything to come of it. I would however like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

My post to the forums:

I submitted a new theme yesterday. Because I have several other themes listed here, I am already pretty familiar with the requirements, but always give them a quick once over to make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything.

I was a bit dismayed today to get the following in an email: “Thank you for submitting the Black Hat theme, however it has not been selected to be part of the theme directory.”

That’s it. Nothing else explaining why my theme was rejected. That in itself is disconcerting, so I requested more information. I’m then told “Themes from sites (or links to sites) that support non-GPL WordPress themes are not included in the theme directory.”

My theme’s style.css clearly states that the theme is released under the GPL license; this is also stated very clearly on the theme’s URI on my website.

I explained this and was then told: “Go back and look at your credit links, both in theme description and the footer of the theme. Specifically http://www.rubiqube.com/corporate-sandbox/ which has at least 3 ads for sites that support non-GPL themes.”

My theme is based on the Corporate Sandbox framework. I linked to the site crediting its author — not required, but morally the right thing to do IMO.

So my question is this: Has the theme directory submission been changed? If so, this is not listed anywhere on the requirements page. And when did credit links fall under this kind of scrutiny?

I understand that there needs to be some serious cleanup for some of the themes listed here, but this is taking it a bit far, don’t you think?

The man I credited has ads on his site. How many others here to submit themes have similar ads? Or use a premium theme with a link back to its creator?

I understand that if that’s the way the rules are now, that’s that … but for Pete’s sake, list them in detail where theme designers can see it!!!

What kind of Alabama fan are you?

You know, there are times when I just have to say to myself, “You and your big mouth.”

I made the mistake some time ago of telling Jessie’s mother where I get my hair done. Jess and I went up there last weekend to get our hair done, and wouldn’t you know it, she was there. She and a friend of hers were getting their nails done, and the whole time she ran her mouth about how nice the place was and how she needed to start coming there on a regular basis to get her hair done.

I know, I should know better … I was naive enough to believe that she wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually go somewhere she knows that I frequent! The young lady who does my hair quickly realized who she was when Jessie walked up and said, “Hi Mommy,” and raised her eyebrows at me with a surprised “WTF?” expression on her face.

A side note: pretty much all of the staff in this shop have heard me tell stories over the years about this woman. Once the girl doing her nails realized who she was, she grew quiet. A girl who’s normally very chatty and friendly quickly became very intent on trying to quickly finish this woman’s nails.

So, Jessie’s mother sat there and ranted on and on about how big of an Alabama fan she was and how big of an Auburn fan her “boyfriend” was (the boyfriend being a man she’s admitted to chasing for years who’s recently become single), and how she didn’t see how long the relationship will last because she’s “betraying her team”, and how she can see herself becoming an Auburn fan to “make it work” …

Oh give me a freakin’ break!

She then makes a snide comment about my husband and how he’s an FSU fan. Big woop. The woman was in there getting her nails painted orange. ORANGE!!!!

What kind of self-respecting Alabama fan gets her nails done ORANGE???

Oh Good Lord, help me. This is the same woman who lives paycheck to paycheck and stays maxed out on her credit card limits, and complains about not being able to pay the utilities — and apparently just recently QUIT HER JOB! I’m guessing she’s living off her 401K, as she is still unemployed and says she’s going to go to school to become a medical transcriptionist.

And Heaven help me, once someone asked her what she was going to do about money, she starts telling the woman all about the “new job” (that she hasn’t even gone to school for yet!) and how much it will pay and how happier she’ll be.

That’s it, I’m beating my head into the wall until I can’t hear her brainless dribble any longer!

Well, long story shortened, she finally left forty-five minutes later. Once she was gone, the young lady doing my hair said, “OMG, I knew from you talking about her all this time that she was bad, but DAMN!”

LOL … yeah, she’ll make any sane person’s head explode.

Something that bothered me though, I saw a change in Jessie’s demeanor while her mother was in the shop. On the drive up there, Jessie was all bubbly and happy. That changed once she saw her mother. She became very withdrawn and said she wasn’t in a “chatty mood” when her stylist asked if she was OK. For years, my friends had often told me that I behaved the same way whenever my father was around. It was a bit unnerving to see that behavior in Jessie.

About a half hour after her mother left, Jessie finally started brightening up and returned to her cheery little self. Seeing that kind of change in her when she’s around her mother worries me — I fear she’ll grow up and turn out like me.

She deserves so much better.

Sticks and stones …

Remember the old rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? I remember hearing that growing up from school teachers, family members, … I didn’t believe it then, and I don’t believe it now.

This morning Jim and I had a sit down with the school counselor and vice principal. There’s been a group of girls bullying Jessie at school and we wanted to take some steps to address the matter and (hopefully) nip it while it’s still early in the school year. It seems that a handful of girls who were in Jessie’s class last year have formed a clique with a problem child, “Buffy”*, who has bullied Jessie in the past. One of the girls, “Kelly”*, was her best friend last year and I thought she was a very sweet girl!

None of the girls are in Jessie’s class this year, but they share the same P.E. time and stand together in the “car line” waiting to be picked up by parents in the afternoons. From what we’ve been told, the girls have taken to calling Jessie names and making derogatory comments about her appearance the past few weeks. Jessie said that “Buffy”*, “Kelly”*, and several other girls would come up to her on the playground and in the halls and say really mean things to her.

We’ve dealt with “Buffy”* for the last couple years, saying mean things to Jessie, and Jim and I have talked to her about how to handle that. I advised her to just ignore the little shit — but that was one on one. For the most part, Jessie did OK with that, but now it seems “Buffy”*’s got a group of followers, which makes her a little harder to ignore (and the comments a little more hurtful coming from those she trusted).

And, to make matters worse, things have escalated.

Last week, “Kelly”* shoved Jessie hard enough for her to lose her balance — unprovoked. Jessie didn’t tell us about it until the weekend, and also told us that it’s not the first time this has happened this year. While I’m disappointed that Jessie didn’t tell us sooner, I can understand why. Most of these girls were her friends last year and in previous years. She didn’t want to tattle on her friends. “Buffy”* is really the only kid she’s had a problem with, and we found out (a little too late) that by the end of last year, she had taken to retaliating against Jessie if she went to a teacher to report the bullying. This kid started tattling on Jessie for things that (according to Jessie) she simply had not done.

Now, I know Jessie. I know when she’s fibbing. But I believe everything she’s told me about this kid, and I have seen some of the behavior first hand. I swear to God, if “Buffy”* knows what’s good for her, she’d be thanking her lucky stars that *I* am not her mother, because I would wash out her mouth with soap and give her an ass-beating she’d NEVER forget!

But I’m not … and from what I understand, her parents don’t believe she’s a problem and as such, don’t discipline her. So where does that leave Jessie?

A friend at work sent me this from the parenting section of About.com:

What Parents Can Do

If your child complains about being bullied at school, or if you suspect that might be happening, here are some suggestions.

• Make it clear that you accept your child’s reports of what is happening and that you take them seriously. She needs to know she has someone on her side who is willing to help her. Today, you are her hero.
• Reassure her that this situation can be resolved.
• At the same time, let her know that you do not think this is her fault. Her confidence has already taken a big hit, and she already feels like a victim.
• While it is natural to want to protect your child by solving the problem for him, it will serve your child better if you teach him how to solve the problem himself. By learning the skills to stand up for himself, he can use them in other situations.
• Ask your child how she has been dealing with the bullying, talk about what else can be done and discuss what actions you can both take to solve the problem. Reassure her you will consult her before taking any action.
• Teach your child how to respond to a bully in a bold, assertive way.
• Practice with him at home by role playing. Participation in other activities builds confidence and develops social skills, making it easier to find ways of saying, “Leave me alone.”
• Suggest that your child stick with two or more other children when at the playground, the bus stop or wherever she comes face-to-face with the bully.
• Make sure your child knows it is okay to ask for help from a teacher or other adult. Practice what he’ll say so he doesn’t sound like he’s whining or tattling.
• Determine if your child has healthy friendships with other children. If not, perhaps she can benefit by developing better social skills.
• Encourage her to invite friends over to your home and participate in school activities.
• If necessary, meet with school representatives to discuss the problem.
• Remember, bullying is not a normal part of growing up. Help your child develop the necessary tools to stick up for himself and others.

Most of that we’ve done already … so now I’m asking myself what options do we have left? Personally, I’d love to have a sit down with all of these girls and their parents. While “Buffy”* may continue to be a problem child, it is highly possible that the parents of the other girls may have no idea this has been going on.

So I guess we’ll see …

All I know is that I can definitely attest to the change in Jessie that I’ve noticed since the bullying originally started a few years ago. She’s doing better this year than last year, but I’m afraid that she’ll never be the fearless bubbly outgoing little happy girl that she used to be. She’s now more self-conscious, and has extremely low self-esteem.

I was bullied in grade school and some in high school. I understand all too well how she feels, and it kills me that I can’t just snap my fingers and make it go away for her! At one point during the meeting this morning, Jessie was called into the office with us to tell the vice principal what happened last week and to explain a little more about what’s been happening. She shared a lot more than what she had told us at home. It hurt me to see her so upset by all this mess. She cried while she was recalling the names these girls called her, the things they’ve said to her and about her, and the horrible things that “Buffy”* has said to her just this year alone.

What gets me is that these girls have no idea of the damage they are doing — and they are doing it to MY baby!

While I’m hopeful that our meeting today will prove fruitful, part of me wonders if it will really be resolved.

Your thoughts?

* Obviously, these are not their real names, nor promotional products

Another soldier goes unloved

I talk about Soldiers’ Angels all the time. Anyone who has spent any time around me knows how much my volunteer efforts for this great organization means to me. I’ll happily talk the ear off of anyone willing to endure my pestering. Most everyone listens politely. I figure even if they aren’t interested in joining, I want to at least reach them and convey that no matter what side of the fence they are on, they must realize that our soldiers need our support — whether or not they agree with the reason those soldiers are over there in the first place!

There was one particularly group of ladies I spoke with, one told me that she wished she had my energy. I wished she had my conviction. She wanted to help out, but said she didn’t have the time. I used to think that too. If you truly WANT to help, you find a way, you make time. Helping out in SA doesn’t have to mean you spend a lot of money. Sometimes it’s as simple as sending a postcard or a letter to someone thousands of miles away that is desperately waiting to hear from someone, anyone, back home!

Not everyone can do this, I get that … but there are so many OTHER ways to help out!

Anyways, what prompted this little rant was the following image posted to PostSecret this morning:

Click to enlarge

It absolutely breaks my heart to think of anyone over there feeling unloved, forgotten, neglected. You don’t have to agree with why the troops are over there, but appreciate them and their efforts!

Because I’m not her mother

I’ve touched on this subject several times, but never really took the time to go in-depth. It started when Jim and I first started dating and became serious — he introduced me to Jessie. I instantly fell in love with this child (who had just turned 5 at the time) and to this day love her as if she were my very own.

From the beginning Jessie’s mother was averse to the idea of another “mother figure” being in her life and strongly objected to Jessie viewing me as an authority figure. At one point, Jessie called me “Momma”, but her mother pitched fits and would berate Jessie until she stopped. Growing up in a tumultuous household, I understand and can relate — but it does not ease my pain.

I have always tried to remain civil or friendly to Jessie’s mother for Jessie’s sake, and try very hard not to say anything negative against her when she’s around. However, that woman has no idea of the contempt and resentment I hold for her for those actions. To this day, it still brings tears to my eyes and is a very sore subject with me. Her mother saw fit to encourage Jessie to question my authority and if I exerted any, Jessie would quickly counter with “You’re not my mother!”

I never blamed Jessie — she’s a child and had no idea how much that hurt. But her mother is a grown woman and knows better.

Granted, things are getting better with Jessie, as far as my role as an authority figure goes; however, I have found now that there are bigger more serious roadblocks than her mother. It seems to me like little insignificant things — the kind of things that you wouldn’t think would prove difficult for a stepparent (or at least I didn’t until now). For instance, Jessie is on my insurance. I handle all of the paperwork and finances for our family — yet, I cannot even sign a form to check her out of school, approve field trips, find out how many days she’s missed, or even to send medicine when she’s got a cold. (and not sick enough to be out of school)

For example, I had to check Jessie out of school for an orthodontist appointment a few weeks back. Usually I make the appointments for in the morning, but she had a test that day and I had it changed to afternoon so she could be at school most of the day. I went to the school office and told them who I was and why I was there. I was told that because I am not her biological parent or a legal guardian, that I would have to wait while they call my husband to get an OK for her to check out. Never mind that I am the first on the emergency contact list, and that every time she’s gotten sick at school, she has specifically requested they call ME. Never mind that *I* am the one who handles everything in the event of emergencies. I asked one of the office staff why wouldn’t I be able to do anything because I’m her stepmother and was told that it was Jefferson County rules. This turned out to be false, as Jim called the county office. However, it seems we’ll need to meet with the principal to discuss this, as it’s actually HER rule.

No biggie in the grand scheme of things, rules are rules, and the school principal is a very nice woman who has worked with us on various issues before.

But it’s not just the school thing that bothers me. I have been trying for months to get Jessie’s mother to cancel her old insurance because Jessie is now covered on mine. I nagged this woman for the last 6 months straight and she STILL won’t do it! Today I took it upon myself to call the state office — it’s state-sponsored insurance (or “free” insurance, as her mother calls it) — and was told that because I was not her biological parent, they could not speak to me.

I can understand that … I have worked in the health care industry for over 10 years and understand all too well about HIPAA rules and PHI. However, I offered to have my insurance company’s office fax over her current coverage as proof that she’s covered, and that the old coverage could be canceled — which as I understand it, would have to happen, as kids on this insurance cannot be covered by anyone else, or it nullifies the coverage. The CSR refused my offer and I was told flat out that Jessie’s mother would have to contact them — I know that THAT will not happen because the woman is lazy and irresponsible!

So here I am typing up a cancellation request for Jessie’s mother. I’ll leave it for her to sign and I’ll pick it up later this week and fax it in to the insurance office. I figure if I do most of the work FOR HER, then she might help me out a little … but I digress …

I know it differs from state to state, but I have been wondering for a while what my rights ARE as a stepparent. I ran across this article in Time magazine, and though it’s a couple years old, reading it did not give me any new information that I hadn’t come across on my own. Something tells me that I’ll probably have to consult a lawyer to find out exactly what rights I *DO* have (if any!?).

Her mother insisted on splitting legal custody with Jim, but refuses to take any responsibility (financial or otherwise) when it comes to Jessie’s welfare. The fact of the matter is, she lives with us the majority of the time. She’s on my insurance. We buy the majority of her clothing and other needs. We pay all of her school-related costs and fees. We paid for her glasses and will be paying for her braces (the insurance covers only a small percentage of these and even though her mother offered at one time to help out with these costs, she now refuses).

The thought that really scares me is: if something were to ever happen to Jessie, and if Jim and her mother could not be reached, I cannot authorize any medical assistance.

Seriously … how screwed up is that?

I understand why it is the way it is … but it still breaks my heart. Jessie has a mother who has all the parental rights, but refuses to take responsibility — and here I am trying desperately to take responsibility, and I have no parental rights.

Busy weekend and belated ‘thanks’

I swear, I think our weekends are getting to be busier than our weekdays! ;P Friday was pretty hectic, and add the bad weather on top of that, it made for an interesting start to the weekend. Jessie’s karate test was Saturday — she’s now moved up from orange belt to a purple belt! Jim and I took pictures and filmed, so hopefully those will be up soon. We had a chance to talk to Jessie’s senseis for a bit, and both had nothing but good things to say about our little ray of sunshine. I noted that ever since beginning taking karate, she’s shown so much improvement … both in the dojo and outside of it!

Jessie left after the test with her mother. Jim and I went over to see my folks and saw my brother Jeremy and his wife Christy. They had Ryland with them, so I got to spend a little time with my favorite niece.

Isn’t she precious?

Stupidity knows no bounds

Today Jim and Jessie took me to brunch for Mother’s Day. I got a little aggravated earlier because I specifically told her mother that I was picking her up early and that we were going out to eat. Originally it was supposed to be breakfast … I pick Jessie up and find out that her mother had her EAT BREAKFAST right before I was to pick her up!

*beats head into wall repeatedly*

I swear, one of these days I’m bound to say something to this woman that I know I will regret, but that she also fully DESERVES.

So we waited a bit and went for ‘brunch’ … Jessie was hungry enough and Jim and I were starving! There was a slight ‘incident’ with a group that cut in line infront of us and another family. When I said something to one of the party members, she muttered something about us being ‘racists’ — the party members were black. :roll:

They moved on before I could say anything else, but I was fully ready to retort with, “It has nothing to do with race. The color of one’s skin does NOT exempt one from using common courtesy and manners!”

So I fumed a bit, but got over it. We were at Ryan’s and the food and service were great, which fully made up for the inconvenience before being seated. In their defense, it WAS packed, which made it a bit hard for the staff at the front to keep track of who should be where. However, that being said, I find it hard NOT to notice the general lack of manners by people I run across in public nowadays.

To most of these people, I am dying to say, “I *KNOW* your mother taught you better!”

A heart-felt and belated “Thanks!”

If all goes well, it looks like I’ll win this round in the Lunarpages’ WordPress theme design contest. I am completely overwhelmed by the response and surge in votes from family, friends, and extended community. I emailed a few close to me, and just about every one of them emailed their friends and family, and so on and so forth; and I posted on here and you each voted and responded in kind. (thank you!!) My Cotillion sisters rose to the occasion offering support and votes (thank you, girls! I love y’all!). Jim reached out to his guild and the guys have been very supportive with votes and feedback. (thank you!!) And last but certainly not least, the gargantuan legion of members over at the Soldiers’ Angels forums were a tremendous help in attaining and keeping the lead. (thank you very very much, Angels!!!)

Tell me they’re kidding

I first ran across this on Degree of Madness and thought to myself, “You have GOT to be fucking kidding me.”

:shock: WTF?!!? Were they high? Did they seriously think this was a good idea?

Unfuckingbelievable. You know, I love Absolut’s products but I guarandamntee you that I won’t be buying any more!

Billboard shot on SondraK’s site. More on Michelle Malkin’s site here, here, and here.

There’s treatments for all kinds of mental/physical ailments nowadays, from acne treatments to organ transplants. Why isn’t there a stupidity cream out yet!?? ;P

Calling for help for a beloved ‘birdie’

She’ll probably want to smack me for calling her that.

As someone who’s been victim to identity theft, my heart goes out to Raven and her family. She recently posted about her family’s findings about her grandfather (now deceased) who was being abused by his caretaker. That in itself is heinous, but to add insult to injury, his caretaker had also stolen his identity and depleted his savings, writing checks and using his credit cards. Reading her story infuriated me, not only bringing back my personal memories dealing with FuckHead, but also in thinking about how I would feel if my beloved Gramps had been treated that way by one of his caretakers.

An open call for help

Those who have been keeping up with this journal over the past week or so are already familiar with the situation I am in, for the most part. For anyone else, here is an overview. I did not put in a cut, as I really need everyone to see this.

My grandfather died at the age of 94 about 8 days ago. This followed an emergency trip to the hospital, where it was found that he had bled out through an intestinal tear. My parents decided to put him in hospice care rather than subject him to radical or invasive procedures, which was in accordance with his wishes. He died about 18 hours later.

At this point my parents started trying to put his affairs in order. As they filled out the death certificate, a nurse took my mother and her sister, my aunt, aside to tell them that she believed my grandfather had been severely abused by his caretaker, and if they had been able to save him, she would have personally intervened to keep him from being sent back to his caretaker to spare him a great deal of pain. He had bruises in several stages of healing all over his body, and possibly worse injuries as well.

The hospital records, over 100 pages corroborated this abuse pattern over the past few years. However, Texas, the state where he resides does not have a mandatory abuse reporting policy apparently, so no one bothered to report it to adult protective services. Then, as my mother tried to continue putting his affairs in order, she was stunned to realize that this same caretaker had used my grandfather’s credit cards to make purchases and drained his entire life savings to the point where he did not even have any money to live on. Even two days after his death, this woman was still writing checks in his name, obvious forgeries of his signature on each.

This explained to us several references in his letters about being tired of living and wishing God would take him away from his pain. None of us knew this was going on, and apparently even my grandfather’s financial advisors noticed the pattern but did not see fit to notify the rest of the family for whatever reason.

My family contacted the Lubbock, Texas police and were told flatly that they refused to get involved at all and would not pursue the case or try and find the caretaker. They contacted adult protective services and found out that the police should have suggested an autopsy to prove abuse, but it was too late as my grandfather had been cremated. Apparently they can only intervene if there is a live person to question or an intact body. The attorney they found also basically told my mother that this was not a winnable case. After contacting the credit card companies about the theft of my grandfather’s identities, one company told my mother that they too refused to get involved at all.

At this point, we just want to see the caretaker prosecuted for her fraud, have the bills in my grandfather’s name cleared and make sure the woman does not do this to anyone else’s loved ones. The money, my grandfather’s savings that he had been building since just after the Depression, when he first started building his accounting firm is probably not retrievable, though it would be wonderful if it was.

This is an open request for help from me and my family. If you have any suggestions at all of how we can at least get someone to help us on this, we would be very grateful. Please re-post this to lists and pass it along, as any help at this point would be welcome. We are drowning in bills that were run up by this caretaker, and the police, lawyers, and credit company will not help us. The only people who have aided us are the hospital staff, who have come forward with statements. However, this does not really help since the police will not listen and my family does not know where else to turn.

I can’t pretend to know how Raven is feeling. I know it has got to be frustrating as hell when local authorities, credit companies, and legal venues are not helping in even pursuing possible prosecution of the caretaker! That woman took the old man for everything he had (and physically abused him on top of that!!) and left a mountain of bills in her financially destructive wake for the family to sort out.

Anyone with ideas or advice for Raven and her family, please take a moment to leave a comment on her post.

Not the brightest bulb

When I picked Jessie up at her mother’s yesterday, the house seemed a little dark and quiet. I didn’t think anything of it and once Jessie and I were in the car and on the way home, she mentioned that the power had been cut off to her mother’s house earlier in the day. (Biting my tongue very hard at this point!) She said it in such a nonchalant way, you’d think she thought it was something normal that happens to everybody. Last night I told Jim about it and my concerns about Jessie staying over at her mother’s house with no power. It’s cool enough weather now that it’s not a health risk, but I won’t allow her to stay over there in the summer if it happens again!

I swear, her mother is the poster child for irresponsibility. She has the mentality of a twelve year old and can’t keep track of her money worth shit. Her phone is constantly being turned off for non-payment, as are her utilities from time to time, her truck has been repossessed before (a family member helped her get it back), … yet she promises shit to Jessie all the time that she really can’t afford and SHOULDN’T be promising to her. For instance, she keeps telling Jessie they are going to get a dog … she has a cat already and can barely take care of it. She used to have 3 other cats beside it, and she had to get rid of them because she couldn’t care for them or afford the cost of their care (all three needed fixing, and two had health issues).

She’s now promising Jessie a cell phone for her birthday. Jim and I have been adamantly against this and I’ve voiced my concerns repeatedly (not to mention she is NOT supposed to have one at school!), and yet she thinks she can afford everything she has now AND pay for an additional cell. The woman can barely keep HERS on. Jim and I have agreed to get Jessie on our cell plan when old enough, but that’s a few years off.

I stress and rant and bitch about Jessie’s mother … I know anything that woman does shouldn’t surprise me, but I swear she keeps surprising me by constantly reaching new lows. :roll:

After all, this is the woman who was turned down by those “We Buy Ugly Houses” people. For the last couple months she has tried to feed us some cock and bull story about how some cash for settlement place that she talked to. Apparently she received a flyer in the mail from some guy saying he was a buyer of structured settlements and now she’s convinced that some inheritance she had lost years ago they can get for her. I asked her if she understood the concept, and read the flyer saying something about cash for annuities and promotional products. I don’t think she even knows what any of it means … I swear, this woman will fall for just about anything!

*Proceed to beat head into desk repeatedly*

A friend of mine listened to me rant on and on about her one day and laughed. She said, “Not the brightest bulb in the pack, eh?”

Understatement of the freakin’ year.

Anyways, other (more interesting) stuff going on: I ran across a nice WordPress plugin this morning called AWSOM Uninstaller. It’s basically an uninstaller plugin for all of the AWSOM plugins. While I don’t use any of their products, I love the concept and wish many other plugin makers would follow suit!

It would be nice if once in a while, you could uninstall (rather than ‘deactivate’) a plugin and have it remove its files, directory (if applicable), and any tables created in your WordPress database!

And last but not least, I’m feeling pretty special because I can do three of the things on That’s Fit’s “10 Things Most of Us Can’t Do” list. :mrgreen:

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