I clicked my heels and said over & over. . .

 . . .there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Then six months and eight days later someone heard me and said "Oh my bad, go home gurl!".  Yes that's right I am home...so weird to say but I am finally back in my house.  It was a nightmare of a process and I know there are many others that are still fighting the good fight but I made it to round 6, TKO...mortgage company went down and I am no longer homeless.

Now all I have to do is make it more homey.  I dust daily and there is still a layer of Sheetrock dust on everything (ah the joys of remodeling :P).  I swear I empty one box and turn around and there are 3 more.  How are they multiplying?!  I didn't know my Lowe's boxes were capable of reproduction.  That and my personal items seem to have expanded as well.  I guess they had nothing else to do in the storage unit except make more of themselves.  With that said I am going to have one heck of a haul to Goodwill because all this crap is not coming back in...only the necessities. 

We decided to go with all tile...no carpet.  Which is awesome because our fur babies shed like there is no tomorrow.  But holy cold floor Batman!  I swear our house is 10 degrees cooler which in the summer will be awesome but right now I am on a mission to find my slippers, burr!  We will also be purchasing a few area rugs but we are loving the no carpet thing. 

I am still having one minor fight.  The individual that is still on the loan (which will change as soon as I can refinance) is giving me a migraine.  He is refusing to sign the final check saying he wants proof of work done.  As in detailed invoices from my contractor.  The only reason I can see him wanting this is because he plans on keeping some of the final check so he can profit off of my loss.  What a douche!  As long as the house is repaired and actually better than is was before. . . what is the big deal.  I am not making a profit.  I depleted my savings so that I could get the work completed.  Otherwise the final check would have taken forever and my contractor would have stopped work and I would not be home yet.  I told him this in a few more words and he stopped replying.  I have no idea what that means.  He is not entitled to the check.  I paid for the insurance, I live there, I handled all the BS and I have a gaping hole in my savings.  I'm talking like a $8,000 hole in there.  This is like my life so far savings (so 30 years of saving, whatever).  Its only fair that the $8,000 be put back in there...right.  And whatever is left is going to the stupid sewage problem we recently had fixed, a new fence, new exterior doors and painting the exterior. Oh and part of it is going to the Aunt and Uncle that let us live in their condo for FREE for 6 months.  They are still paying the mortgage and didn't charge us a dime.  I think we owe them something!

So I guess I am still fighting the good fight, my opponent just changed back to the one I've been fighting since 2007. 

That was NOT Alex Cross!!!

I hate when movies BASED ON BOOKS stray so far from the story that you wonder why they even bother to connect it to the book. 

Okay, if you know anything about me, you know I am an avid reader.  A good portion of my free time is spent reading various genres.  Once such genres is Crime/Mystery.  I have read every Alex Cross book and am waiting (not patiently) to be able to justify buying Alex Cross, Run.  Since I enjoyed watching the Kiss the Girls movie and Along came a Spider, I figured this one being supervised by Mr. Patterson would be at least good. 

Side Note - Morgan Freeman is not how I picture my favorite Psychologist/Detective/FBI Agent but I like him as an actor and thought he did a pretty decent job of representing the idea of Dr. Cross. 

When I heard who they cast as Alex, I was leery but I gave him a chance.  He still didn't come close to the image my mind created. . . Alex is slender but muscular...he's tall...he's sexy and he's suave...not to mention he is a freaking genius! 

The scene opens, they are chasing a perp through a warehouse...exciting.  Yea no...it looked like Dr Cross was about to have a heart attack from running.  Look I like Tyler Perry but he just isn't the right actor for the role.  Then the movie went on and I spent 75% of it trying to figure out which book they were trying to portray.  Apparently its supposed to be based on the book named "Cross" and it was so far from the book it wasn't even funny.

Where to start...oh I dunno lets start with it takes place in Detroit...DETROIT!!!  Alex Cross lives in D.C., he has always lived in D.C. And in Cross the book he is leaving the FBI where in the movie he is about to leave the police to join the FBI.  Then there is the whole his wife Maria is alive and she is preggars with little Alex.  Then she is killed by Picasso.  Yes in the book there are flashbacks to Maria but she isn't alive. Its a flashback. . . Maria is dead when the first book comes out.  He is a single father living with Nana Mama and raising his 2 older kids.  Then he meets Christine and SHE has little Alex and gives him to Alex to raise because she cannot.  Plus while in the movie Picasso is a bit disturbing and Matthew Fox did a decent job of portraying that but its not the same killer in the book.  The villain in the book is The Butcher who is just royally f****d up and there are unsolved rapes...and the girls are sometimes left alive but won't speak of said rapes.  And it all somehow links to Maria, sort of.  It seems like a whole different thought process.  Also, Perry just didn't make me believe he was a crime solving genius.  He's more of a funny man, which Alex is not.  Yes he is quick witted but not like what Perry depicted.  Oh and don't forget another pet peeve...John Sampson is his childhood BFF...not Tommy whatever.  Unless I missed something.  I may have to re-read and make sure.  While the books I don't think even say Sampson is black, they elude to him being as tall as Alex and more muscular...not exactly what they showed in the movie.  One more thing, Nana Mama in the books is Alex's grandmother...in the movie it seems the elude that she is his mother.  But part of Alex's personality is created because he was raised by Nana Mama instead of his mother. I know its difficult to fit a whole novel in 2 hours but its almost like they didn't even try.  I thought previous Alex Cross movies paid enough homage to the original stories.  I mean I saw Kiss the Girls before I read the book and Casanova scared the living daylights out of me. 

So if you've never read an Alex Cross novel the movie isn't bad. . . its not great but it's watchable.  Honestly they probably could have shown a better representation of Patterson's famous detective if they would have just made this rated R.  I know they were trying to pull in more audience but the Cross series villains are disturbing to say the least.  To water it down to PG-13 just takes away the suspense created in the stories. Alex Cross the movie is more of a high level summary pulled from various books.  And to be honest, its not done very well.  It's very choppy and doesn't always make sense, leaving the consumer wondering why they are even wasting their time.  If you have read any Alex Cross books DO NOT WATCH THIS!  You will be fuming by the end.  Like I said, this is not my Alex Cross. 

Do you ever want to ask...

...if some people ate paint chips as a child?!? Or wonder if people actually think ...ever.

So here's the deal, a hurricane destroyed my house back in August.  As of today I am still not back in said house.  Why you may ask...well gee where to start?  I have fought with so many  people I can't even begin to explain my level of frustration.  So I will highlight the two main issues for you.  I did everything right...I swear!  The day after the flood, still sitting in my ravaged home with bugs and worms crawling on my muddy floor, I called my flood insurance company and my car insurance company (BRAND NEW car flooded too) and made claims.  Both were very quick to respond and I had a wonderful feeling that things would get back to normal soon.  Boy was I wrong!

I was the second appointment for my home adjuster.  The 2nd out of a hundred or so...I was number TWO. And he was an idiot.  I'm not exaggerating, he turned out to be an utter moron and that is putting it ridiculously nice.  Not only did he not take enough pictures because he "didn't want to go digging in another persons personal stuff" but he also started from the top of his stack of claims.  As in the persons who were seen last were assisted first.  Makes sense right?  I mean being an adjuster you surely don't want to open any cabinets or closets and see what sat in water, no that would be an invasion of privacy.  And that person you saw four days after the storm, sure they can wait a MONTH for you to finally get to their claim.  Now I didn't just sit back and take this, I complained and fussed and lamented until someone higher than moron called me back and got things going for me.  Finally progress, sweet victory you are mine.  And then the bottom fell out and I had yet another mental breakdown of sorts.  You see after supplying pictures of things he didn't take pictures of and submitting my list of contents not once but twice because his "computer deleted my other emails", I got checks.  A mere 3 months after the storm...I should be excited right. . . WRONG, the big check, the one we need to start repairs was made out to a mortgage company I have never done business with in the 7 years I have lived in my home. So begins the process of getting all that corrected...in the midst of Thanksgiving holidays, just shoot me now.

Moving on, in the thick of all of that I was contacting my REAL mortgage company trying to find out what processes I need to go through with them.  They said they will send a packet and I need to return it with the check, etc etc etc.  That was 11/5.  I get a new check at the beginning of December, whoohoo.  I called the mortgage company as instructed previously and asked why I never got that packet.  Wait for it. . .they sent it to the WRONG address.  I'm sorry you "own" the loan on my residence and you don't know the correct address, oh this should be fun.  I get the packet (well over a week later).  I fill it out, sign everything, get the proper pages notarized and send it certified mail back to them before mid month, all while dealing with Christmas stuff, family parties, friends in from out of town and my husbands grad school graduation.  I am super woman.  They cash the check but I hear crickets. . . no calls. . . nothing.  I call and leave message after message after message.  I send emails to generic email addresses, still zilch.  Finally the Friday before Christmas I get a call.  We don't have your paperwork.  WHAT!?!?!  How do you have the check and not everything else?  They don't have it, can't find it, threw it away, who knows.  My only option is to re-sign and re-notarize everything because they need originals.  I got to the notary 30 minutes after they closed for the holidays, not to reopen until after the new year *beating head on door*.

I called them back and had the ultimate freakout on the phone with this poor customer service rep that just had no idea that when she went in to work she would be dealing with a mentally deranged person.  She tried desperately to get a manager on the phone to deal with the hyperventilating psycho that I had become.  No one in the claims department would pick up.  She was so sweet I felt awful for losing it.  She just wanted to help but her hands were tied, she just didn't have access to that part of the system.  She clearly put some scathing note in there about how pissed off/upset I was because before the end of the day I received a call from the Claims Department Manager.  She felt horrible and said once I get the necessary stuff resigned I can email or fax it to her to get things started and then worry about sending in originals.  There is a God. 

And he thinks its fun to watch me go off the deep end.  I sent her the necessary forms THREE times.  That's right three times via email because for some reason she couldn't figure out how to download it or something. After another couple weeks of living with my new found crazy she called. . .she called last Friday and said a check will be issued and mailed Monday.  I saw angels and heard hallelujah being sung all around.  Did that really just happen, have I actually understood?  Nope someone up there is a jokester because come Monday, after business hours, I get a call.  Something about the W9 my contractor filled out is wrong.  WHAT!?  She said and I quote

"the EIN is legit but the legal name doesn't come up."
Well what name comes up with the EIN? 
"I can't see it."
So how do you know it's wrong???
 "It just doesn't match.  Its like a comma or an apostrophe that's missing from the name, the IRS is picky, sorry but I need a new form signed." 

Cue the mother of all breakdowns.  I am ashamed to say I lost it.  I know she has rules and regs she needs to follow. . . I deal with that daily at my job.  If you are missing a comma or have to many periods or abbreviate incorrectly you are declined until the paperwork is corrected.  But I had to get her to my level.  I had to make her see why I was now losing my mind.  I have been out of my house for near 5 months.     I received the necessary check way back at the beginning of December.  If I didn't have to deal with all the B.S. they've been doling out, my house would have been repaired and I would have been living in it well before Christmas!  She says and I quote again "well you can submit a letter stating you will do the repairs yourself and we will pay you based on submitted receipts".  To which I replied great, good to know, I have all the confidence in the world that you will actually honor that and I will get any money from you.  Then she said "well if you don't like that deal with the contractor" or something of that nature, it became hard for me to hear with all the blood pounding/rushing in my ears.  I may have been a bit more rude at that point, I'm not sure, things get a little hazy from this point. 

All I know is that by the end of the conversation I did apologize for going a bit bonkers, she said she understands and said I can send the new paperwork, whatever it is, to her email as soon as I get it.  I hung up, curled up in a ball on my bed and cried...no that's not the right word...I sobbed.  99.9% of the time I manage to stay calm.  I don't "lose my cool" but I have been pushed to my limits.  I had nothing left to do but lose it.

So as of this day I have been "homeless" for 4 months and 24 days, all because of a punctuation error...oh and people who ate paint chips as children...actually I think they still eat paint chips, that is the only explanation. 

Give lips new depth

I'm a BzzAgent.  I received samples of COVERGIRL blastflipstick to try out and give my opinion.  I received 3 of the 13 blastflipsticks shades; stunner (red & gold), minx (brown & copper) and vixen (dark mauve & pink).  Over the course of the campaign so far, I've used all three.  Although all three are quite awesome, I've become quite fond of stunner.   That could be because its Christmas time and I've worn various shades of red which it really goes well with or maybe red lipstick is just my new color.  I thought these were going to be just another lip fad but I truly think these may prove to be a product I could use for some time.  They blend well, aren't overpowering and are somewhat long lasting. 

So what are blastflipsticks.  Well they are 2 lipsticks in 1. You can flip your look with these double-ended lipstick duos. Each stick has a creamy shade on one side and a shimmer shade on the other, it's two wearable, blendable, lipcolors in one. 

I tried using one color at a time but I find they look the best when you blend them.  The shimmer shade really tones down the creamy shade and the creamy shade keeps you from looking like a clubber...unless you like that look then by all means shimmer away.  I do not normally wear dark lip colors so having the ability to tone them down all in one small stick is quite appealing.  I've mainly worn them for parties but I also did a few regular days with them.  I found that the color doesn't really fade which is profoundly appealing.  Its not considered "long lasting" or "color stay" but its better than most other lip colors.  I didn't reapply after Christmas dinner and in pictures you couldn't tell.  My favorite way to wear them thus far is put a coat of the shimmer on the inner areas of my lips and then go over the outter area with the creamy shade.  Then rub your lips together.  It looks fabulous.  It gives your look a new depth that is hard to achieve without complementing colors.  And since these complementing colors come all in one it makes it that much easier. 

They are a little pricey for lipstick, in my opinion, running around $7.99 a set.  But when you think about it being two colors with a myriad of possibilities it is much easier to justify the purchase.  Well, having a coupon doesn't hurt either.  Regardless it is worth the asking price as these are unique complementing colors that give your lips a new depth. 

I personally recommend giving these a try.  I do not think you will be disappointed.  

Why am I awake!?!

So as I sit here at 2AM trying to fall asleep I cannot.  Today was my company Christmas party and while my coworkers still think I'm an angel, I fear my husband my think I'm evil.  Not because I did anything wrong per say but I did get a lil um drunk and may not have been very kind.  I didn't plan on getting so far gone but alas I drank WAY to many dirty martins and well I don't think that was a good idea.  Maybe I just needed to let loose but I never do that.  I had at least 8.... Little me had 8 drinks....that should not happen!!! I remember most everything...which I think is worse than no memory....because I remember being mean for no reason.  I also remember being very upset about the tragedy in Connecticut.  I do not know anyone there but it just about killed me to read what happened.....making me want to forget this world even more by drowning myself in alcohol....not a very noble thing but the more I drank, the less I thought about the horrors of the world we live in....and how scared I am to want to bring children into it.

That is so out of character for me.  I think my conscience woke me up just to make me feel bad.  I know I fell asleep around 11:30 and popped up at 1:30 like it was time to get up and go....uh yea not so much. I thought I might be able to fall back asleep but I couldn't.  My brain keeps running through tonight's events.  I won on the slot machine...woohoo!  I left with out telling my coworkers bye...bad bad bad.  I was a jerk in the car....no idea why.....just raging bitch.  But my dear husband still forced me to get out of the car and get dinner because he was hungry.  I think I was nice to the waitress as I ordered a beer...(wtf was I thinking) and quesadillas.  I paid...probably because I felt bad for the raging B in the car moment.  My husband still got me a coke....still spoke to me....and put up with my loud yabbering and just laughed.

We got home and he still wanted to talk to me....I deserved the silent treatment but no he continued  being awesome.  Oye vey, make me feel worse.  My tummy hurts a bit, maybe that's why I'm awake. Or maybe I had to vent about alcohol....it's the debil! Or maybe it's a combination of both...plus I decided to read more on the tragedy in Connecticut....which will probably give me nightmares....

So here I am sitting on the kitchen floor so as not to wake up my sweet hubs, with my cat irritating me because she is happy I am awake...now what....I should try to sleep but I am not tired....I can't take a sleeping pill, I'll never wake up in the AM but I need rest to be functional tomorrow....what to do what to do.  I guess I'll signs off and hope exhaustion overtakes me.

BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers

I received these for free from Smiley360.  There is quite an assortment of colors and they are very rich colors.   I've done a few projects with them so far and they work nice for the most part.  They work best on paper type textures but they work on smooth and glass as well.  We made Christmas ornaments and they came out ok but not great.  The colors don't look as vibrant.  I think they would look better on a solid white surface, like a light bulb.

We decorated some white wood and that looked nice but I don't have pictures of those.  When I get them I will post some of those pics.  I think these are great products.  They are fun and come in a great assortment of colors.  The only other issue I have is when you start or end an area of the drawing...no matter how skilled/quick you are it leaves a dark dot.  You know like when you pause with any pen  but it isn't that noticeable and its somewhat fixable after it dries.

BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers: Thx BIC 4 the 36-Pack of #BICMarkIt Permanent Markers! Get a $2 off coupon and try for yourself! US only http://bit.ly/RIhigh *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

What happened to common decency?

I swear I sound like an old lady sometimes but I have my morals and I wonder why some parents aren't passing the same morals down to their little girls.  I do not have children yet but I would like to think my little girl/boy would have a good set of morals and understand the term common decency. 

I went to dinner Saturday night with my husband.  As we were pulling up to the restaurant he jokingly said "OMG look at all the 'hookers'!"  Thinking he was making fun of some random women hanging out in the front.  I replied "No babe, those girls are going to homecoming".  When we got a little closer he could see how young they were.  Now we are not THAT old but there is definitely a massive difference between what I consider appropriate for a High School homecoming and what these girls' parents think.  These girls were 16/17 years old and seriously looked like they were waiting to pick up a John on the highway.  Almost every one of them was wearing a sequined mini-dress, that was either strapless or had teeny tiny straps with cleavage peaking out, oh an don't forget the glittery/clear 5-7 inch heels.  I am not exaggerating!!!

One girl I saw was beautiful.  She had very long light brown hair with subtle curls/waves.  She was so cute and then I looked at her outfit and *tsk tsk*.  It was a gold sequin mini-dress the came just below the butt, it was strapless with a sweetheart neck showing some cleavage and it was SUPER tight, which she could pull off because she was 90lbs but still.  Not to mention the glittered 5" heels that she couldn't walk in.  So all in all I think it was maybe a yard of fabric...I might be being generous.  My point is she was so pretty a garbage bag would have looked fab on her but her outfit made her look cheap.  The proudest moment I saw was when her date covered her up with his jacket, good boy!

I'm no fashion guru but there are ways to look "sexy-classy" not that a High School girl should be going for sexy but whatever.  If you are going to wear a flashy dress, tone down the shoes.  Go for a lower heel that isn't as bling bling, since the dress is already bling bling enough.  If you want a short dress to show off the legs than cover up the top a bit.  Pick a looser fit, have some sleeves, cover up that cleavage!  If you want to show more arm/chest, pick a longer dress (not to the floor but at least mid thigh) and maybe not have a dress that is painted on, as in not as tight.  If you want SUPER tight to show off the curves make it a little longer and cover the top.  Trust me people will still notice the ta-ta's even if they are covered in a tight dress.  In all scenarios do NOT wear a 5" heel unless you know how to walk in them!  You look like a baby giraffe learning how to walk, its not attractive. If you want to be a big girl and wear super heels practice walking in them BEFORE the dance.  And if you must dress like the youngins I saw this weekend wear a cardigan to dinner! 

Come on girls, make the guys work for it.  Dressing like that makes you look easy!  Maybe that's what they were going for, the "hey I give it up" look.  What made me cringe even more was I found out the dance they were going to was a CHRISTIAN High School!!!  I went to a Catholic High School and they wouldn't have let me in the door looking like that (good Lord I sound like my mother).  We had to look respectable otherwise we weren't getting in the dance!  I know if my butt was on the verge of hanging out my dress, the ladies at the door would have called my momma to come get me...just saying.  Not that my momma would have let me out in public looking like that...she wouldn't have bought me the dress in the first place and like hell would she have put my in 5" stilettos...much less let me leave the house with out something on my shoulders!!! 

There was just so many things wrong with what I saw.  These young, beautiful girls looked so cheap and trashy.  I know our society glamorizes sex/sexy/slutty but its the parents job to say no...you are too young...when you are 20 something you can dress like a hooker but not while I'm in charge.  Like I said, no need to look like a nun but come on!  Parents step up to the plate and be PARENTS!  Tell your kids no because this is your one chance to mold them into respectable adults.  Being their friend will get you NO WHERE.  It will get you a 16 & pregnant, high school drop out that struggles through college with a baby...IF she even goes to college.  Or something even worse...you know what kind of MESSED up people will be ogling your baby girl.  If the prepubescent boys are getting a hard on, imagine the dirty, sick older men that are imagining doing God knows what to her.  You have ONE job as a parent...do your job!  Teach them right at a young age and they will grow into a proper adult.  If they still choose the wrong path at least you know you did what you were supposed to do as a parent.  If you don't try and they eff up royally you have no one to blame but yourself and it will affect the relationship you have with them as they get older.  They will not respect you for being their friend but they will forever cherish you for setting them on the right path. 

And I know I don't understand it all because I do not have kids yet but I have morals and expectations and I do not want my future daughter(s) or son(s) to live with regrets because of poor decisions on my part.