ArchivedAilsa2008

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At Home with Ailsa -- Archived Ailsa, 2008 :) (Yep, still backwards, 'til I put it Jan. - December! :)

December 31st, 2008, Baby!! Man, can you believe another year has rolled by, already?? Where does the time go? (South for the Winter, like me?? lol!) No, I live South, now, year-round. And I think I'm gonna stay here for a while, yet. It was a little iffy there for a while (earlier today! haha!), but then I thought I should go get a pair of those cute little white and pink Roller Skates -- the kind from the 70's, with double wheels in the front and in the back... I feel like I could actually stand up in them, and then maybe even move a few steps! But, alas, I am delusional about many of the things I assume I can do. Earlier in December, I thought I would just jump on a skateboard, and sail away. Oh, it would be so easy, and fun! I never did let go of the shoulder I was leaning on for support! haha! Hope I can move my feet in my new roller skates, should I be able to find them. My job tomorrow is to go along the Coastline, looking for these cute little skates. (I'm on vacation, so I'm creating little 'Make-Work Projects' for myself... sad, but true!)

When I was a kid (in the 60's and 70's, and, I suppose, still a kid going into 2009... (!), we used to go out skating on the creek beside our house, and over on this 'lake', which, when I think of it, now, must have been more of a bog or a jut in the river... anyway, we spent an inordinate amount of time at the local skating rink in Frankford, Ontario, Canada, a great place to grow up. 1200 people, tops. I used to loove the Figure Skating Outfits, with the tiny little skirts. That's probably what lead to my obsession with mini-skirts, which I live in, unless some one makes me change! haha! So my theory is that if I could figure skate, and loved speed skating, why couldn't I just strap on a pair of really pretty white and pink roller skates and sail down the California Coastline? lol! So I'm writing, tonight, on the very offchance possibility that I am sadly mistaken on my abilities, and end up with a problem that prevents me from typing. I hope to God that is not the case, but I'm trying to be a realist, here... but first I have to find the damn things, and then I will try my luck!

So, this is my very first time in 21 years that I have been completely without children. So sad! My daughter Cara is away for the holidays, and my little man, Aidan, is with his Dad, so I'm all on my own. I had no idea that I spent so much time with the kids, because this is bizarre to have soo much free time. And you'd think I would put that to good use, but, no. All I have come up with is the whole 'skate 'til you drop' thing. I haven't even been out drinking, for Goodness Sake! What a terrible waste of time with no need of a babysitter! Now here's the very annoying part... because of some extremely poor life-choices I have made over the last, oh, 20 odd years, I find myself alone at New Years Eve. Dammit. It's my own fault for choosing to go to the gym instead of going to therapy! hahaha! (Okay, that little joke is for my own personal amusement!). Really, I should totally have gone to Therapy to find out why on earth I would choose someone who doesn't readily choose me. That's awful, isn't it? Unrequited Love. It's very annoying. I do not recommend it. It's time-consuming, and for the most part, very impractical. But I really like going to the gym, and now with my Big Plan to Roller Skate along the Coast, that's not gonna leave me any extra time for self-reflection. Maybe I'll meet a 'stand-up guy' who can help me balance myself on my skates... and perhaps even in my life?? haha! If I ever become a good enough skater that I can look up from the sidewalk (I'll be on the look-out for cracks, and whatnot!), perhaps I will meet someone new... wish me luck on that one!

You know what's really funny? When I first moved down here to Los Angeles, I was pretty sure that the Scottish Comedian and 'Famous Talk Show Host', Craig Ferguson, would meet me (a Scottish Girl living in L.A., just like his psychic, Mrs. McGougan -- my Grandmother's name -- told him would happen), and we would definitely be married by now... if my other Love Interest didn't work out. So you can see my level of delusion runs to grandeur, as well! hahaha! Ah, well. The "best laid plans", as they say ... so now I have to live like I just got here, and I am all alone, not having met anyone, yet. Think that will work? Worth a try, I say, and easier than finding the number to call for Therapy!

You know what I think looks like fun? Speed Dating. Or a nightmare. Did I just say 'fun'?? lol! Really, it turns out that I have no clue how to meet new men. I know, I know. I have a whole page on How to Marry Rich (don't worry, it's a jokey article!)... and I'm good at the whole marriage thing, I'm just not that good at the 'meeting' part, unless it pretty much happens by accident, which is how I've met every one of my past loves. Now don't be a Giant Judge... it's not a ludicrous number of past loves! Fifty, tops. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Maybe 100. Nooo. That's silly. Now I feel compelled to count them on my fingers (and toes! hahaha!). Let's see, two marriages, and 6 or 7 loves along the way. I guess that's lucky, right? Hmmm, this has turned out to be a much more personal 'Update' than usual. Hardly a thing about Building!

Okay, now I feel guilty about not telling you about my fantastic new Reno (renovation)... every time I say the word "reno" down here in L.A., people look at me like I've made up a new language, known and understood only by me. But that's a normal word, right? Why say renovation when you can just quickly say reno? You know how I bought this lovely Condo that I'm in, right now, this past July? Well, truth be told, I am thinking about selling it. Because it's gorgeous, and I think I could make a good profit on it... I would never bother selling anything unless I cleared at least $50,000 on the sale. What a hassle that would be. But there's a Townhouse Unit that I've had my eye on for a little while. It looks like total hell, and my daughter, Cara, forbid me from buying it (uh-oh... who doesn't like to be forbidden?? haha!), but it has really good 'bones' (very good structurally), and I know I could do a great job reno'ing it, if I go ahead with my half-plan. (I'm not sure yet) That's the thing -- you have to be really sure of what you're doing before you buy any property. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Unless you are going to sweep in and make it gorgeous, but I always use the rule of thumb (although I hate that horrible old phrase, "rule of thumb"... the amount of something a man could use to hit his wife... disgusting, isn't it? I wonder how many people know it's terrible original meaning?) that if you would walk into your own property and buy it, then you've got a winner, and if you would walk in and say, "Nah", forget it. Always think ahead to your next Buyer.

Same thing when you are doing the renovation, or build, if you are thinking of building a Spec House. Renovate or build it with the next person in mind, not just yourself. Of course, you're going to make it so you love it, but if you happen to be a huuuge fan o' da Pink Walls, plan to paint them before you put your place on the Market. Ixne on the inkpe. (A little Pig Latin, just for fun!) It depends on how long you're gonna live in any particular place, too. One, don't forget about the tax hit you'll take if you sell before you've been there for 2 years, on average (I always look at it this way: if I want to sell before 2 years have passed, then as long as I'm making at least $75,000 or more on the 'transaction', then it's just like being paid for working and getting paid $75 Grand... you wouldn't expect not to pay taxes on money you've earned from a job, so why not just perceive it that way, and move along? See how easliy I can justify my moves?? haha!). And then, secondly, if you are planning to stay somewhere for a long time, go ahead and do whatever you like, and just plan to change it when you are ready to sell. Or, throw caution to the wind and put it on the market, As-Is, just for fun. Maybe somebody else out there looves Sky Blue Toilets and open-concept bathrooms. Who knows??

Okay, well, it's ridiculously late, yet again... 3:00 am, if you must know everything (haha!). I think I write better in the middle of the night, for some unknown reason. Maybe because I'm potentially skating and meeting new people during the day! (Fingers crossed on both of those points!) I hope you have a Fantastic New Year, full of sooo much fun, family, fortune, possibly fame... I really do hope you have a great year! And I want you to know how much I appreciate you for coming in to read my little stories. I love hearing from you, so now that I'm on Facebook, maybe we can all get to know one another even better... won't that be fun? See ya' in '09, Baby! Much Love, Ailsa xox

That's me, Ailsa, with Aidan leaping in front of me and my little dog, Tia, looking on, as always -- I was looking for the other pictures, but I can't find them, so this'll have to do for now -- and, yes, those are my Thigh High Boots, and they are surprisingly comfortable, but not all that great for Vacuuming and doing the dishes -- yuff, yuff! They're fabulous if you haven't bothered to shave yer legs in a while, or if you're heading out to the Club! Or not...

October 15th, 2008. I'm back, Baby, and with a vengeance! Yahoo, my site is fianlly back online, and just in time for the US Presidential Debate!! Why am I soo extra excited about that? Because I can't wait to talk about Joe the Plumber!! Hello, Joe, if you're out there! Say, are you married?? Nothing I love more than a plumber, and not just because I have a bizarre pipe on the outside of the shower in my new bathroom (more on the new place I just bought and have been renvating like crazy in a few minutes... right now, me really wants to talk about Joe the Plumber!).

Okay, so everyone knows I used to be married to a plumber, so, of course, I know very, very well how much they make, and we knew all sort of other plumbers, because they all lived in our gorgeous Acreage Community, because they were all loaded! hahaha! That's right, McCain's shining example of a 'Middle Class, average Joe', was a plumber, perhaps because he has a negative idea of how much a plumber makes, and an assumption that someone in the Trades might make waaay less than, say, a lawyer or a doctor. Now, by no means am I saying that doctors and lawyers don't do well, because often they do, but so do the plumbers and all the other Trades People. I do not like that old stereotype that poor old Joe the Plumber is some poor sod, barely eeking out a living. No, indeed.

Now, I'm not tryin' to make you all jealous, but I happen to own my very own calculator, so I quickly did a little simple math to see how much Joe the Plumber makes if he works 10 to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week... okay, let's say he makes $69./hour, which is much lower than most plumbers make, especially if they own their own business. So lets just go with 12 hours a day, so that's 84 hours a week, times 52 weeks a year, so 4368 hours, at $69./hour. What?? Is my calculator right at $301,392. a year? haha! You go, Joe!! I loves me a man in the Trades!! And I love all the Women in the Trades, too, but in a different kind of way! lol!

You know what's even funnier about the Joe the Plumber situation? Guess who built his own house, and bought all the land around his house, then built all the houses on his newly purchased land? That's right, Baby, Joe the Plumber! People in the Trades build their own houses, because they already have all the contacts with all the other Trades People to get the job done quickly and often under budget, primarily because they can do a lot of their own work. And then we sell to the other Professionals, and that's what makes our little economy go 'round... so I hope that's enough incentive for more people to swing by their local colleges to see what kind of training programs they might have in a Trade that appeals to anyone who is interested. You know what I would really love to see, as a Builder and as a Teacher? I would love to see every single kid coming out of high school, encouraged to develop at least one skill where they can always find a job, and be able to find a job that will pay them well enough to provide for themselves and their family. Now wouldn't that be nice?? Go ahead and get as many Advanced Degrees as you like, but one decent skill that makes you employable at any given minute of your life is essential for flexibility in your life.

And since we're on Education, now, I loved the whole bit in the debate about 'No Child Left Behind', Bush's Big Idea to fix education in America. You know what teachers secretly call 'No Child Left Behind'? "Every Teacher Left Behind". It's true. It's a plan with a lovely name, that makes anyone who sees all the flaws with it look like someone who doesn't support 'every child', but that's crazy, because that's really the only thing teachers do, day in and day out, is support every child. We love kids, and we want them to learn and be the very best person they can possibly be. But wouldn't it be fantastic to have a system that supports the professionals who keep the whole thing moving? I've gotta say, the Voucher System scares me, because it takes money directly out of Public Schools, and that's not good. Dang, I soo wish I were an American Citizen so I could vote for Obama!!

The thing they never say out loud in all these chats about anything that removes students from the Public School System, takes money out of that system and gives it to a Private System, is that Public Schools accept ALL children. Yep. Every last one. Private Schools only take the 'Cream of the Crop', IF their parents allow it. I'm not a fan of Elitism, and that's what Private Schools smack of... and for that to ever be Publicy Funded is a big problem for me. I wish they would give the money to Public Schools, and make them incredible, and open to all children, not just a chosen few. It's easy to have fantastic High Scores on all your tests if every kid in the school is Gifted. All that talk about Special Needs Students (you all know I teach Special Needs Students, and have for 25 years - they are the love of my life, along with my own little family!), but the reality of many Charter and Private Schools is that our Special Needs kids are not included in their schools, or play a much smaller role than in our Public Schools. (Okay, I'm getting off my Soap Box -- it's not that comfortable to stand on, anyway!)

Hey, you know what I would really like to know? (Joe the Plumber's phone number, and if he's married! hahahaha!) No, fer real... I would love to know if you can retrofit an existing building to start using Geothermal Energy. I'll need to ask Dwight, my ex-husband (remember Dwight? He's doing really well, and we just went up to Canada for a wee visit, and did a 'dog-boy' exchange for the weekend... we all stayed in the same beautiful hotel in Vancouver, and our son, Aidan, stayed with Dwight, and Dwightie brought out our sweet little dog, Tia, and she stayed with my daughter, Cara, and I in our hotel room. What a great weekend! It's a very, very Good Thing when you can have a really good relationship with your Ex, right?). Anyway, Dwight knows a lot about Geothermal Energy, and if we had built another house, together, we would definitely have gone with Geothermal Energy. One day I would loove to build a house that is entirely Off the Grid (and if you're not completely sure what 'Off the Grid' is, it's when you can fully supply all the energy you need for your own home).

Wouldn't that be amazing, though, if that were feasible? Here's a quickie example... I just bought a beautiful new Condo (new to me, it was built in 1970), and my Complex already has Solar Panels on our roofs, which I think is very progressive. In fact, I would really like to see one set of the Solar Panels connected to one of the pools at my complex (ironically, I would like the Solar Panels connected to MY favorite pool in the complex [there are 3 -- yippee!], the one surrounded with a zillion plants and trees... like a little oasis in the city!). But aside from my own vested interest in having a lovely warm pool all year long, I think it's fantastic that we could use our Solar Energy to heat it. What if all the pools in North America were heated with Solar Energy? And if there were some way to drill into the earth to access the Goethermal energy to convert into energy to power different aspects of my Condo Complex without disturbing the area too much, wouldn't that be a great use of sustainable energy? The problem would be the sheer initial costs involved, but wouldn't the cost be off-set by the overall savings into the future? Hmm... I'm jam-packed full of questions like that... and quite a few much seedier questions, too, but if you've read any of my other stuff, you already knows that!! LOL!

I can't tell you haw excited (and relieved) I am to have my Site back up... man, that was scary. I was down for over a month, but in my 'downtime', I totally renovated my whole new place! WooHoo! It's gorgeous... vaulted throughout, which is very unusual in a 'City Condo'. Man, I loves me a Vaulted Ceiling! I think they make the whole place feel so much more spacious...if you happen to be in the throes of a Build, right now, and you were thinking of having the traditional flat ceilings,have a look up at the potential in your ceiling to Vault it. You're just going to insulate the roof beams and drywall over that (oh, I have a good link for this... pop into my 'Insulation & Drywall Page', and you'll see some pretty cool pictures of this process). Anyway, the cost is minimal, given how lovely and open your new house will be. I've never looked at the cost of raising the ceilings to create a new Vault in a Renovation, but if you don't have any structural changes outside of raising the ceiling, it shouldn't cost all that much, in the scheme of things... but you know I operate in 'Construction Dollars', so always have more on hand than you think it's gonna cost, to make sure you're still living within your means and don't lose your mind when you get the bill!

Okay, well, it's great to see you, again! Did I mention how great you look? Have you lost another 10 pounds?? Not me! haha! Although I did promise my Nurse-Practictioner that I would lose 10 pounds so I can stay on The Pill, since I'm pretty sure that if I don't keep taking 'The Pill', I'll trade the 10 pounds I'm supposed to lose for a 10 pound baby, and that seems like bad idea for me (since God Knows I think I could get pregnant if a nice looking virile man walked past me...which reminds me of one of my favorite jokes, this year, the "Frank, I dropped the baby" Stork joke, where Frank and his Stork Buddy are 'delivering' babies...), except that the reality is that I am very, very fond of babies, so I am trying to remember that I live in America, now, and as much as I would love to have another baby, I really shouldn't, what with having to work for a living, now, an' all! So my job in the next 2 months is to lose that damn 10 pounds, and make my Nurse-Practitioner happy!Hello, Apple Crumble Diet! Good-bye deeelilicous chocolate.

I am still wearing a bikini, which is a Good Sign, so hopefully by the end of these next couple of months, I'll be sleeker than ever... and I still don't have a drop of cellulite, which is great at 45! Stooopid cellulite! (If you hate it, too, get rid of cellulite with my favorite exercise... but I promise I will try to remember how to put new pictures on my site so you don't have to look at the old pictures of me... I need pictures of the real amount of weight I lift to target that annoying leg cellulite, then we'll all have fantastic legs, right??) (Ooookay, I'm lying about getting rid of my favorite chocolate -- you caught me in my tiny little lie... but I will start eating my Apple Crumble, again, and I am trying something 'new to me'.. I'm having a 'Cereal Diet', sort of. All my 'diets' are 'sort of', in that I like to eat whatever I want (who doesn't?? haha!). But I have a theory that having cereal, especially anything with bran or oatmeal, is a Good Idea, so I will have cereal (I like Raisin Bran, these days) or soup for dinner, the Apple Crumble for my morning snack, and pretty much whatever is available at lunchtime. So far, so good. I'll let you know how it goes. And I'll step it up a bit at the gym, too, and continue swimming every day. I like to swim laps, then jog in the pool for about half an hour... I think I lost an inch off my waist, just with the 'Pool Jogging'.. pleasant and easy. And then I spend an inordinant amount of time in the hot tub, come home and have a drink! hahaha! Now does my 'diet' sound like fun?? Yep! I'm not about to be unhappy at any point in the day just to lose weight -- that's the problem with all those other diets, they forget that people just want to be happy, and lose weight! If I weigh another 500 pounds by the end of next week, I'll let you know that my theory needs a slight adjustment! LOL!

All right, I really am going, now! See what happens when we haven't talked in all this time? There's just so much to say! I will do my bestest to get back in here more often... and I have a new Business that I am starting, so I'll tell you about that, too, when I get that launched... all very exciting!! Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! You know I love to see you! C'ya, Baby!! , Ailsa xox

Monday, June 9th, 2008. Dang, it's almost Father's Day! How does the third Sunday in June creep up so quickly every single year?? It just occurred to me that I might actually already have a 'Father's Day' link page for easy online shopping... the underlined part is, for anyone who has just purchased their very first computer, and this is your very first site to visit, a good place to start your Father's Day Shopping, by magically transporting you to a whole page of ideas for your Dads! I think I'm going to get my Dad (the most wonderful man on the earth!) another Adirondack Chair. That's a very 'Dad' sort of thing to get, right??

Well, as per usual, I am very, very sorry about a great many things I have apparently done(I can't be expected to remember all of the bad things I've done, now can I? No. A resounding 'No!". Or a little 'no'... whatever.. the point is, I can't remember a thing!). But I do remember saying something in here about not taking nearly so long to write, again, and yet here I am, another really, really long time in returning. I'm telling you, if you would just agree to meet me at the bar by the ocean, we could catch up a whole lot faster, and much more often, only I won't be quite so coherent (in case you think this is coherent! hahaha! I'm just amusing myself, now!).

It has been a very difficult month, with a big break-up I didn't see coming (so, lots of heartache, there), then last week my ex-husband, Dwight (we're still good friends, which is very good with an Ex), called me to tell me he had to put our sweet little dog, Tia, down (Tia is all over my site, because I love her so, sooo much!). Well, I was devastated. Through my tears, I said to Dwight, "I'll come back right now. I'll get a flight from L.A., and I'll be back in Canada this afternoon." Dwight says to me, "You can't. You don't have your Passport.".. Ugh, it's true. You have to submit your old Canadian passport in order to get your new one. I was just beside myself with grief, and the children were devastated, too.

Tia is only 10 years old, but she still acts like a puppy. She's a little Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel - Poodle mix... but she looks more Spaniel than Poodle...she's the most beautiful wee dog, ever!). I talked to Dwight about taking her out to our old Country Vet (who doesn't love a Country Vet??), and we both thought it would be better for Tia if the person who had to put her down was someone she already knew. Well, here's where the story takes a wonderful twist. The reason Tia was going to have to be put down was that she had become paralyzed from midway down her back, so the bottom half of her little body was just dragging along. Poor wee girl. The first, very young, vet had advised Dwight to have her put down immediately. Dwightie couldn't do it, so he came home to talk to me. Thank God.

When Dwight went in to see our old Country Vet, Dr. Shacklady, the vet asked him if Tia liked to run and jump all the time, so Dwight says, "Yes, that's all she does". It's true. That girl loooves to run and jump! Well, it turned out that she had been running down the stairs at Dwight's house, had leapt off the stairs and slid across the tiled floor, and had hurt her leg. Dwight said she had been wincing, and was clearly favouring her other legs. That was on Saturday afternoon. By 2:00am, Tia was sitting up in bed, looking at Dwight for help. She could move her front paws, but that's it. Aaaawwwww. Poor girl! So, anyway, Dr. Shacklady has been around the block a few times, so he says to Dwight that he has a treatment that might work. A 50/50 shot, at least! They went ahead with the treatment, some shots in her back, followed by 10 days of steroids. Well, Glory be to God and Dr. Shacklady, because the next day, the very next day, our sweet little Tia was standing up when Dwight opened the door to see her! He must have stepped out for something, because you know how excited your dog gets whenever you leave the house (or go into the bathroom!), and then magically re-appear?? Maybe that was enough for her to manage to get up on her legs!

So now it has been a week, and Tia is walking, although Dwight says she walks like she's had just a little too much to drink (did she learn that from me?? haha!), so pretty cute! And Alive!! Yippppee!! So you can see I've been too busy praying to do much writing! What an emotional roller-coaster it has been, this past month. I am desperate to go back and see Tia, as soon as I can. I loove the road trip from Los Angeles to Calgary, Alberta (straight up Highway 15 through Las Vegas, then Salt Lake City, an overnight in Butte, Montana, where they have the giant statue of Mary, that I love so much - apparently, people make a pilgrimage to this statue of Mary... I know I feel very strongly that when you pray to Mary, especially at this statue, you feel a tremendous sense of connectedness... and you feel that your prays will be answered, in one way or another...). We'll see how our time goes, and when our new Canadian Passports arrive. I am getting better at leaving things in God's Hands, since every time I seem to think I know what's coming up, I'm thrown for a loop. Some giant loops, lately.

Oh, and on a somewhat lighter note, I don't have any problem whatsoever with putting astrology together with my religion. I do not consider them 'one or the other' or exclusionary of one another. Not at all. I think, if you can find some greater understanding of yourself or thers through any source, go ahead and read about it. Learn it. Take what you need and move on... I feel that way about a lot of things. So here is some seriously good advice from Rose Marcus' June Horoscopes... pop in to read your own June Horoscope.

"Don’t force what isn’t coming naturally and put yourself under extra pressure". Yes, that's true. If you are fighting and fighting to force something to work, maybe it's not meant to be. What if you let go for a little bit, and see what happens? Lessen the reigns, so-to-speak. My Mother has a Scottish Phrase that I live by, and Thank God for it, because it really helps me in times of crises, or when things don't happen the way you thought they were going to... "Wha's for ye 'll no go by ye." Translation: "What's for you will not go by you." If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not, maybe there's something much bigger and much better that you didn't even think of, and if the first thing you had wanted so badly had worked out, maybe the truly big thing wouldn't have arrived... you see where I'm going with this... chin up, chest out, shoulders back, walk straight... into your fabulous new life!

Oh, and that reminds me of the new Sex and the City movie... my lovely daughter, Cara, and I went to see Sex and the City on it's opening night. We wore silver and purple, with very, very fancy shoes! Lots of fun, and what a great movie! And I think men will secretly enjoy this movie. I don't foresee a group of guys heading out to see Sex and the City together after watching the Game (Go, Lakers!!!), but when it comes out on DVD, oh, yeah. The men will watch it. haha!

Uh, I've got way more to tell you, like this program I'm looking into, called www.naca.com , that helps people to get into their own home. When I find out more about it, I'll share the info with you, for sure! Right now, I'd better get to bed. Okay, I'll be adding to my favourite little lolcats page on my site... I really do love that site -- really funny. Wonder where I saved the 'Tiger Soup' joke?? Now I'm on a half-mission to find it! See ya', Baby!! Thanks for swinging by! Ailsa

< > Ailsa's Favorite Books - Ailsa's Amazon.com page - I always get the Amazon.com Gift Certificates, especially for Family & Friends who live further away. The Amazon Gift Certificates are delivered in days or immediately by email, and they're incredibly easy for anyone to use. Perfect Gift Idea!

Sunday, April 27th, 2008. Man, I just realized that I am fairly consistent in my lack of writing for my Update Page! Once a month, whether I think about it or not. That not good, say Thor, who has been nominated as Neanderthal of the Year for the 500th year in a row. One year he gonna win, and dat be a Good Year. You know what the lucky thing is? I am the Boss of this Site, and I am very, very lenient with myself, rarely giving myself a scolding, and on those odd occasions that I might gently reprimand myself, it's typically over some sort of delicious alcoholic beverage, so I can't remember exactly what I might have said the night before, anyway, so it's all good. Except for you, my enchantingly lovely Reader, who might be delusional enough to check in every day to see if I've written anything, lately... remember the days when I actually had the time to do that? Were they the Good Old Days?? haha! Oh, and don't in any way be offended by my casual use of the word delusional in reference to you... I am the Queen of Delusion, and I welcome all into my Kingdom. Queendom. Whatever... we meet at the cheapest bars, ever, so come join us, and we'll all be delusional together! The more the merrier, or the more the crowdier... these phrases are very tricky to remember...

I am truly sorry for not writng more often, though. You would be shocked at how lazy, I mean, busy, I am... I really am swamped with a massive amount of work for this District Intern Program I have been placed in, on account a' being foreign, and seemingly desperate enough to want to stay in California to go through with said DI Program. It's designed for Teachers to get their Special Education Credential, so they can teach Special Education in California... but I'm pretty sure I could teach Special Ed. almost anywhere else on the planet, what with already being a Specialist in Special Eduaction, but I see I am now complaining, and I am a little bitter... hard not to be. Many weeks, I have to go to class three nights a week and every Saturday for 8 full hours. Really, that's outrageous. I can see it if a teacher had absolutely no training whatsoever, but there should be allowances when teachers move into new-to-them States. I'm really not sure why the Teaching Profession treats it's people so very badly... why is that? We work hard, love the kids, pour our hearts into our jobs, and are often treated as if we are insignificant and incapable of doing our jobs unless we take course after course after course. You know I have said, before, that no one in Construction would put up with half the crap that is handed to teachers, and if they did, they would expect and demand reasonable payment for their time and efforts. Hmmm. Wonder if I will get into trouble for speaking the truth??

Can you believe it's almost Mother's Day? You know what your Mom would really love, other than many, many gifts of such things as chocolates, flowers, lovely greeting cards, books, (the list is endless!)(Oh, wait... that's MY list! hahaha!) and a great big hug? If you still live at home, clean your room. And the kitchen, too! Can we go so far as to include the Bathrooms?? haha! (I'm kidding... I know we can't take it that far!) And if you live far away, maybe you could arrange to have someone else come in and clean... who knows. The hilarious thing about the vast majority of women I know who have a person come in to clean the house is that they go mad trying to clean the place up before the Maid Service gets there, which is pretty funny! Still, it's something to think about, but if you can do it yourself, all the better... (ooh, I can only hope my own children are reading this! hahaha!)

Are you loving the pictures from icanhascheezburger? Gaaawd, I love that site! I am officially obsessed with it, now. And I love the sister site, icanhashotdog?, because I loves me some dogs! The funny thing about the lolcats site is that I never really was a fan o' da kitteh before, but now with the pictures and those captions, I have a whole new appreciation for da kittehs! I did have a roommate, years ago, who had a picture of three kittens frolicking, and frankly, I thought that picture was hilarious, too, but for all the wrong reasons... maybe if there had been a caption on the painting, I would have seen the glory much earlier! hahaha! Anyway, if you are ever feeling a bit down about anything at all (that was me pretty much all of last week!), or you just want a quick break from your day, pop in there to have a good laugh. I'm using the lolcats and loldogs as part of my reading program with a couple of my older Special Education students, because they get the humor, and any reading is good reading, right?? Anything that makes them want to get on the computer and have a laugh works for me!

Now here's a wonderful wee book I got from a lovely friend of mine, Jeannie, and I just love it. I'm thinking it would make a really nice little Mother's Day present for your Mom (or buy a copy for yourself, as I always do!). It'll give you a whole new outlook on those 'little coincidences' that we all have in our lives, and make you go back and connect the dots of your life.

Okay, it's insanely late, as always, so I gots ta bounce, Baby! I'll see you next time, and I'll try to make it a whole lot sooner! (Can't you just meet me at the bar, down by the beach, so I can just talk to you in person?? hahaha!) Hope you have a fantastic day, followed by a much better night, then another great day... I think you see where that's going... 'til we meet again, Ailsa xox (too soon?? haha!)

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008. Happy Easter! Uh, oh! Does that mean I can only remember to write on major holidays?? That not good, as my favorite Neanderthal friend, Thag, would say. What do I do with my time between holidays, me wonders?? While it away, like everybody else thinks, or am I actually constructive, so-to-speak (on account a' I'm a construction girl... oh, you get it... no need to hammer that one home, right? hahaha!) Okay, so I have been pretty busy, what with turning 45, and the intense amount of extreme 'partying' required for that sort of thing... did you see how I trickily used some youthful vernacular in there, in a veiled attempt at seeming younger?? haha! No, I don't have any problem with my age, at all, since I think I have the body of a 25 year old. A somewhat pudgy 25 year old, but never-the-less... no. I kid because I love that phrase, "A body like a 25 year old', then you look at many a 25 year old, and they look like every one else, and I don't want to have the body that I had when I was 25, 'cause that's the year I had Cara, and God Knows I don't want to be pregnant, again... well, I'm pretty sure! I never want to say anything permanent, any more, since I'm old enough, now, to know better, right?? haha! You never know what's in store for you, and it seems like every time I think I know what's coming up, I'm totally thrown off by the truth, so now I'm livin' in the moment, seeing what comes next!

So, did you have a nice Easter, if you celebrated Easter today? We actually went to two Churches, in my Big Effort to get to sing, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"... I can't even remember if that's the name of my favorite Easter Hymn, but I sang it all week in preparation for singing it, today, and there I was at two, count 'em, two, Easter Services, and not one Traditional Hymn to be had. Dammit! (Is that okay to say right in the middle of my Easter speil?? And is that how you spell 'speil'?? haha!) Why do Churches do that? In an effort to be 'More Modern'? To make sure only the really, really good singers get to sing? (Choir Only! haha!) Don't get me wrong, the Choirs we heard, today, were excellent, and it was lovely to hear them sing, but I wanted to participate in exactly the same way I've participated in Easter Services every single year of my life (45 years, although I am very aware that I sound closer to 90 in this particular rant! hahaha!), and I felt like the Services were more of a Show than anything interactive. (Like singing, oh, let's say one of my other favorite hymns, "Morning Has Broken". Now who doesn't love singing that song, and everybody should get to sing, not just the perfect peoples..! hahaha!)

I noticed this movement in Churches about 20 years ago, when all of a sudden, Churches had a burning desire, so-to-speak, to appeal to the Youth, I guess. I'm not sure who was their exact target 'audience', if you will, because a lot of the stuff turned everybody off, except for the hard-core, "I'll come no matter how often you preach the exact same sermon, verbatim, and force me to sing completely assinine or phenomenally obscure hymns that nobody on the planet likes, perhaps to please the Organist" people. And if you go to Church, you know exactly who I'm talking about! (Don't worry -- I'm pretty sure they don't read my Site! hahaha!) It would be great if they would keep the good old stuff (especially the Good old standard Hymns, that everybody knows, so our kids can know them, too, and we can pass that on), then try the new stuff a little at a time, and treat it like a Marketing Idea, and see how it flies. Keep it if it works, drop it if it doesn't. Ooooh, the Churches are gonna love me for saying that, but I would just like to see Good Services, where people truly want to go back and do it, again and again, and happily bring their children into the Fold.

You know what I would really, really love? Church Services on the Beach. I Googled 'Church Services on the Beach', and came up with someone else asking where she could find an Easter Service on the Beach in Hawaii... now, I wouldda flown to Hawaii for a Church Service on the beach over there! haha! But I don't understand why we don't have Church Services on the beach in Los Angeles... we're living in sunny California, right on the beach, with no Sunrise Service on da beach? Say it ain't so! If any one knows of one (or a lot of them), please drop me a line and let me know... or if there's a Church out there who might like to try this, I'm in! On the condition that we get to sing at least three good Hymns (old ones!) whilst looking at the ocean! That doesn't sound unreasonable, does it? I'd be happy to create a new page just for outdoor Services anywhere, so if you know of one and would like me to post it, drop me a line. I know I'm not the only one who likes to Worship outside, right??

Oh, hey, and I've got this new 'thing' that I'm very interested in, right now... a friend of mine is able to get any type of vehicle through a Dealer Auction, then he can sell it to whoever is interested for a very small mark up, to cover his costs... it's really amazing. We just got a car on the weekend, a 2005 Ford Escape, in fantastic condition (it looks like it's brand new), and it's for sale for $10,500., if you know anyone who is looking for a new-to-you SUV! I have an SUV, and, frankly, I love driving it. That's right, I said it. I love my SUV. I need the room. And I do all sorts of other Good Things for the Environment, so I'm okay with it! And it's surprisingly good on gas, so no worries there... You know what? I have been struggling to remember how to put pictures on my site, again... I know that sounds painfully sad on my part, that basic information seems to just slip on out of my head, seemingly never to be found again, every now and then (is this a 45 year old trait, or just me?? hahaha!). I think I'm gonna try to make new pages for these cars that we come across, then make a link for My Readers (That's You! And you know I love you for it! haha!) on my Site to see if we can get some really good car deals for My Fantastic, Brilliant, and Careful with Their Money Readers! (You know how much I value that last skill, of being extra-careful with yer money!) Okay, let me go try it! I'll add the link if I can figure it out! In the mean time, if you ever want to have us look for a specific vehicle for you, and you want a really great price, drop me a line and we'll see what we can do for you! Could be fun!

Gotta run! (Okay, I've gotta get to bed!) Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! You know I love to see you! Take Care 'til Next Time, Ailsa xox

Sunday, February 10th, 2008. Well, well, well. Here we are, already, at everyone's favorite, favorite week, Valentine's Week. The week to either pledge your love to someone, or wait for someone to pledge their love to you, or dread that someone will utter those three little words, and what are you gonna say back? "Yes, well, you are pleasant enough, too...", which is not really the anticipated response... and herein lies the profuse problems with Valentine's Day. Personally, I really can't remember a Valentine's Day that was truly great. That's terrible, right? I know I've received a lot of lovely gifts over the years, and I'm trying to remember if there was at least one Valentine's that I loved, but nothin'. I got nuthin'! It seems I'm either on my way out of a relationship, but I'm the only one who has noticed my intentions to move on, or something new is happening, but it really hasn't moved on up to the next level, yet... you know what I mean? And the worst part is when you are either approaching a marriage (in the middle of an Engagement, wondering if and how you could get out of it... just meeee?? haha!) or already married, but you're standing in front of all the Valentine's Day Cards, searching for a card that doesn't say "I Love You", on account o' you can't bring yourself to lie in a damn card... is today the day you really get to know me? hahaha! Ain't you glad you swung by?? And now you say you really do need that drink I promised you, earlier?? haha!

Okay, so truth be told, I have already gone out and made my Valentine's Day Chocolate purchases... and I have a series of 'Back-up plans' in case the day rolls around, and I don't think any particular person deserves the deeelicious chocolates, that I might be better served by keeping them for myself, or giving them to someone else... yes, many, many dillemmas on Valentine's Bloody week... I know what you're thinking, right now, because I believe I truly am a bit of a psychic... you're thinking that I have a lovely and open attitude about said Special Day, and that I clearly look forward to seeing what kind of havoc will wreak during this most beauteous week. Am I close? No? Damn. I'm gonna have to go back and do that stoopid psychic training, again, but this time, no drinking during class, 'cause I think I mightta missed a few bits about picking up the insights of others... hmmmm.

Remember the Valentine's Day parties when you were a kid at school? I used to be crazy for those doilies, and the whole gluing of the fancy wee doilies onto those lovely red, construction paper cards we made for our Parents. And the Valentine's Day Container everyone had to make to hold all your Valentine's Day cards from your buddies in class? Now those were fun days! No stress over love and crap like that... oooh, who has a terrible attitude, tonight?? Is it me?? haha! That's okay. This week will be over, soon enough, and then it will be 'Countdown to my Birthday', and I really, really love that day!! I just have to remember not to say anything too mean, or too stooopid, this week, that might put a damper on my Birthday Fun, 'cause that's not debatable! I gots ta have me a Good Time on me Birfday!

Quick Addendum: I was thinking about the whole Valentine's thing, where disappointment and frustration can abound, and you know what I think it all boils down to, really? Expectations. Hallmark Expectations. Everybody has a notion in their head of how this day, that has somehow been blown up into this huuge culmination of love day, should go, and when their Love Interest doesn't come up with anything that even approximates what the other person (usually, the woman) has in their head, all hell can break loose. And for the record, I've had lots and lots of love in my life (Thank God!), it just never seems to come together for me on Valentine's Day. So here's my plan to survive this Valentine's Day... stay in 'The Now' (remember that technique?... Don't think past this very second, focus only on what is actually happening, not what is actively happening in your crazy thoughts... haha!), and let this week pass, as it will, and see where we all are next weekend. There. Oh, and I'm gonna eat a lot of chocolates, and, yes, drink a lot of Red Wine, and I hope you do, too! hahaha!

You know what I have been trying to do with the poor plants on my Balcony that appear to be contemplating suicide? Man, it's like they just don't want to live, anymore... I've been filling them full of 'roids... Plant roids, or at least, that's what I love to call them. I'm roidin' my plants all up, and so far, nuthin'. Not even extra leaves. What's that all about?? I was sure I'd give them all this fancy new plant food, and within a week or so, they'd be big enough to shake my hand and thank me for all the delicious 'juice', if you will...! hahaha! Now, why they no like they new food? That's exactly how I be talkin', now, 'cause I'm tryin' to fit in down here in L.A. Los Angeles, for the Acronym-Challenged. Really, I think there should be an acronym for the word, Acronym. It's only right. And obvious. A.N.M., except for the letters is stuck right in da middle o' da word, so how that gonna work out? Okay, I see the problem. Forget it.

I have some Valentine's Day Recipes from when I was married, and I'm not tryin' to make you jealous, but I had to stay home and make dinner that night, on account o' someone didn't want to "deal with all those crowds". (Yes, I am now happily Single! hahahaha!) The only upside is that I did make a really good dinner, and if you happen to be having a Romantic Dinner at your house on Valentine's Night (should be your very own choice, in order to make it truly Romantic!), you might want to make the Crab Legs and Cherry Cheesecake. My Cherry Cheesecake is sooo delicious, I used to only make it for a man if I wanted to eventually marry him, since it's one of those things that you make and instantly get a Proposal from, so, you know, if you want someone to fall for you, big time, go ahead and make them this unbelievably delicious and light cheesecake. And save some for yourself to have for breakfast in the morning... or, with any luck, for both of you in da morning! hahaha!

Okay, I gots ta bounce, Baby!! You know I love when you pop in for a wee visit! I hope you have your BEST Valentine's Day, ever! And go crazy and buy yourself you very own fantastic box of chocolates, too. It's time to take that old adage, "Love Thyself" to heart, right?? haha! Happy Valentine's Day, Baby! Ailsa

Monday, January 14th, 2008. Happy New Year, Y'all. That's right, I'm takin' that there new English Class for the Slowly Gifted (dat me, dat me!!) that Britney Spears finally has time to teach, now that she's not bogged down by those two kids no more (why yes, that was in Lesson One... you is sooo astute, you might'n wanna take this class, too. Not right now, though,on account'a the course is full, and the 'Prof' sometimes runs a little late, so pretty much every time, you get 'ta go home early, so all in all, it's everything you could ever want in a course, and then some ... haha!)

I know, I'm the worst 'blogger', ever, and I'm reallly stretching the term, 'blogger' to include myself! haha! I still haven't had a second to figure out (successfully, since I've given it a couple of tries, but just couldn't figure the whole thing out... and you know I might have applied myself for a good, oh, 10 to 15 seconds on each try, so it's not like I'm not a hard worker, or nuthin'... If it doesn't work for me immediately, in the tiny window of time I'm willing to learn something new, I gotsta move on. I gotsta bounce, Baby. I got stuff to do, houses to build (with any luck!!). And my schedule is insane, these days, so I feel lucky just to get on da computer, let alone get any work done. I'm motivated today because, thanks to you, my incredibly good looking and vastly intelligent Readers, I had a 30% 'click-through' rate, which I hear is pretty remarkable. Most sites generate a 1% to 2% click-through rate on their ads, but, you... you're amazing. You looove to click on stuff, and me loves you for it! Tank you!!

Hey, you know what would be fun? Nay, 'Mega Fun'?? (I know, now you're really excited! haha!) Now that I'm in L.A., we should arrange to meet in some randomly chosen bar, so we can get to know each other... in a bar. Did I mention that? Well, that's the important part for me. Will you be there? I'll go early, and eventually you'll find me, all slumped over at the bar, but with a really pretty dress on... maybe the Thigh Highs, so's you can recognize me right away... Good Idea? MmmHmmm. I am jam packed full o' Good Ideas. It's just getting them to fruition that's a bit of a challenge for me!

So my School District has me taking an insane amount of courses (considered a full time student life) in addition to my regular Teaching Schedule, just to continue teaching Special Ed in California, which you know I love -- Special Ed and California! It's very frustrating. Thank God I love my job so much, or I'd be buying property in Georgia as I write this (and then again in the morning, because it's unbelievably inexpensive there, compared to L.A.). Almost every day of my stooopid new schedule, I briefly consider Georgia, South Carolina, and one day, Hawaii, but that was because a friend of mine told me about a rumor she had heard that Special Ed teachers make over a Hundred Grand in Hawaii. Of course, I went straight home from yet another course, and Googled it! Dang! It not true. Even Neanderthal Thag is disappointed in that bit of truth. The truth hurts, and I know it now, fer sures! haha!

The irony is that pretty much anywhere else in North America (Europe, the Islands... you name it), I would be considered a Specialist in Special Education, and not be treated like a brand new teacher with no clue how to do anything (can you feel the bitterness, yet? haha!) ... I think that's the part I find so insulting, but when you're an immigrant, you have to put up with a lot of stuff like that just to stay in your New Country, and I love America like nothing else, so I just keep moving forward, and hope I get through it in one piece, still happy. There are a lot of delicious looking Firemen at the place I go for lunch on one of my courses, so at least I get to see a fair bit of 'Male Eye Candy', so you know I like that! haha!

Oh, here's a little trick you can play on your friends... please not to do this at Church, sooo, maybe keep this little joke for your, oh, filthy friends... I don't know, maybe those are your Church friends! hahaha! (You know I'm laughing out loud, now... the important thing is to always amuse yourself, first, that way if all else fails, at least you is still havin' a good time, right?? Reminds me of a 'Blind Date' I had last week, but more on that in a minute...) Okay, so this is really classy. You take a kid's fake tattoo (yeah, just go ahead and steal it from them... you're bigger than them, so it shouldn't be too tricky). Carefully put it above your behind in the traditional 'Tramp Stamp' area... are you still reading? haha! I put on a Skull 'n Crossbones, but the Skull was smiling, so I said "He died smiling". Buh-dum-bum. You can tell as many peoples as you like, for fun, but you have to be willing to show at least one other person for proof of your deed, so I recommend wearing something with an elastic waist, so you can easily and readily share your silliness with a friend! haha! (It was really funny, and we all laughed. Hey, this would be a fun gag for April Fool's Day, too, and you know how much I love that!) Now here's the really funny thing... it looked really good, so now, if I ever get over my fear of needles, maybe I'll get a Tramp Stamp, fer real! Only I keep thinking of what that will be like when I'm Eighty, and on the beach in Florida... are you really forced to move to Florida when you turn 79? I gotta check into that! hahaha!

Still mildly curious about my Blind Date? Oh, man. Makes marriage look good! haha! Let's just start it with you imagining me holding my hand about three inches over my head... "You gots 'ta be this tall to be with me..." My friend, Lovicia, says to me on my way down to The Marina, "I'm gonna laugh if he's 5'5". Well, I got there, and who was towering over her date?? Dat right, it was me! So that's not good, right from the very start. But I'm still hopeful, 'cause maybe there's a great conversationalist in that little body... nope. Not happenin'. I was trying to figure out how I could be polite, not hurt anybody's feelings, but make my earliest escape, possible... luckily, there was a particularly loong break when he went to the bathroom, and an amazingly handsome man sat down beside me, so I told him of my escape plan, and he laughed, so it was good to know that my voice still worked, since I had barely spoken one word since the whole fabulous evening began... hmmm. That not good! Turns out, this fellow was a Football Coach for the NFL, and two of his Coach friends came and sat down beside him before they went for dinner, so that was the best part of the evening (that and I finally did manage to escape early and went to Home Depot, where I saw some fantastic new Sliding Mirrored Doors with beautiful Wood Trim, instead of the old-fashioned Mirrored Sliders...I'm very excited about that! haha!). The really funny part was that I was ridiculously giddy about getting outta there, and going to Home Depot... all by myself! How crazy is that?? I think I might be slightly (but happily) dysfunctional! hahaha!

Okay, I need to go, and you need to get back to your video poker... thanks for swingin' by! C'ya, Baby! Ailsa

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