Why he doesn't blog

So, he wasn't actually working all that overtime. He was out racing cars! Go figure. That's a guy for you. They tell you one thing and do another. Yea, now I will have to go out and buy the tshirts and die cast cars and everything. Opening stores, racing cars, it is amazing that he has time for seminary classes, too.

Well, if he gets popular enough, maybe people will stop calling him James Scott.

A store in san diego

It's bad enough I can't go into a restroom without seeing his name plastered all over the place. Scottowels, James River Corporation, Fort James, Scott paper products. Now there is a store in San Diego called Scott James East Village. Too funny. In case I forget about him I can always go shop at his little boutique in San Diego.

Check this out. They have this really cool handbag. Made entirely of seatbelts! Holds up to 5000 lbs. I need to get one for my MIL. She carries that much change in her purse.

Thank you! Thank you!

Thanks, guys, I feel loved. Everyone have a wonderful day. I am going to attempt a marathon clean and get my house cleaned up. We'll see...wait, how did it go? Do or don't do. No try. Okay, do.

I wonder

I wonder if I were to turn off the comments, if I could then convince myself that people are actually reading my blog, but nobody is commenting because they can't. Whereas now, I think nobody comments because they don't read it. Is anybody actually reading it? Am I doing it for me, or you? I guess a little of both. Some feedback would be nice. Otherwise, I might as well do it the old fashioned way, get out pen and notebook and write down something witty that nobody else will ever read. My eyes only. When I was eleven, shortly after my brother died, my mom took it upon herself to read my diary. I was mortified. Angry, hurt, frustrated. Not only because she had read it, but because of what it said. I would never have actually done it, but after my brother's suicide, I spent some time thinking about suicide. I contemplated it. To myself, or so I thought. She sat me down to talk about it. My mother blew the whole thing out of proportion and thought I was suicidal. Nope. I wasn't drinking, taking drugs, dressing wierd, hanging with the wrong crowd. Nothing. My brother had just hung himself in a tree and I had found him there. I was dealing with death the way a pre-teenager would. I went to a private Baptist school and my mother picked me up from school every day, how much trouble could I get into? But from her perspective, she was completely in the right doing what she did. Boy, was I angry. I felt I couldn't trust her. I never wrote in a diary again. I am a writer. I write for me. I would still write, but not in one spot, only bits and pieces here and there, hidden in my purse or other places. When I got a computer, I would write and delete, never printing anything. I became paranoid about someone finding something I had written. I had a lot of secrets then. Not anymore. There are years of my life that I would like to be able to look back on and read my thoughts, but they are gone. They were not saved, to be read and re-read later. They were erased.

When I was about twenty years old, I spent some time going to see a MFCC. I went to see the counselor my boss knew. He wanted me to lose weight and thought that counseling would help. He paid for half the sessions. Actually, the woman was just getting her certification and needed her final hours. Well, I knew that I should have seen someone with more experience when she sat there with her mouth open when I told her all the things I had been through. I have some interesting stories. After going there for a while, and spending a lot of money, I decided to get a notebook and write it all down instead of paying $60 per hour (I paid $30) to tell her a bunch of stuff she didn't really want to know about anyway. At least it would not cost as much. So, even though I no longer lived at home, I would write and hide it. So nobody would find it. I was a closet writer. Not anymore. I write here.

I find it easier to express my thoughts in writing than in speech. I always think of something else to say when I speak, only it is always after the fact. When you write, you can fix it or change it. It's not out there and gone forever.

So, feel free to comment if you would like. I will just pretend that all you people are reading and for one reason or another don't want to write things down. Your secret is safe with me.

One camping experience

We were supposed to spend two weeks at Carpinteria State Beach in our camper at the campsites there. There were two other families there that we knew. SO, we get up at 4:30 in the morning to leave, getting all the last stuff in the camper. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, getting dressed. I stood up and my knee popped out of place. I couldn't straighten it. At all. Severe pain, couldn't stand on it. This happened all throughout my teenage years, but I was always able to straighten it and it would "pop" back into place. Well, this time I couldn't. My parents helped me into the back of the camper, all the while I am hobbling on one foot. So, we get to Carpinteria and throughout the course of the day, I still could not straighten my leg. So my parents take me to the emergency room at Santa Barbara hospital. X-ray. Go to your regular doctor. Okay, so the next day, we go to West Hills. It took the dr. about 30 minutes to slowly straighten my leg out. Childbirth didn't hurt as bad as this. He said any longer and he would have admitted me to the hospital and put me in traction. So now I have this knee brace on my leg and a pair of crutches. Back to the beach. Have you ever tried to get into the back of a camper without bending or putting pressure on one leg? Next to impossible. I spent the next two weeks inside the camper. Keep in mind we were less than two hours away from home. I couldn't get outside by myself, though. And going to the bathroom in the camper toilet in the closet was less than fun. No showers. No getting out. Everyone else got to go out on the beach, have fun, etc. I was stuck in the camper-jail. I got out of the camper one time in two weeks. I don't have fond memories of camping.

Tribute to a Wonderful Woman

To a friend who needs a little pick me up. You are amazing. You do everything. And you do it with a smile on your face. You took your whole family of six camping. And I know who did the washing, packing of clothes and food, organizing, staying up late to get finished the night before, unpacking, setting up, watching the kids, chasing the kids, making the kids sit so they don't run away, calling the kids when they run off, feeding the kids, putting sunscreen on the kids, holding the kids when they got boo-boos, cleaning the kids up when they played all day and got dirty. Yeah, and that is just the first day. You are loved and admired by those around you. And we are in awe of all that you do. You are totally different than our previous priest's wife. Different but equally amazing. Mother Betty was amazing. You are too. I don't know how you do it.

You, maam, truly are Mrs. Incredible. And even when things get you down, you hide it extremely well.

You work your butt off, have people at your house at all hours of the day and night, shlep kids around in your minivan and take teenage daughters to work and the mall. You work a full time job and take care of six at home, plus whoever shows up! You can whip up a great meal in a matter of minutes and everybody thinks it was all planned. Six pounds of ground beef to meatloaf for twenty in thirty minutes. You are Semper Gumby. Do you get thanked for it? They appreciate you, even if they don't show it. I bet they all learned to appreciate you even more when you were on bedrest for a few days, huh?

May I be so bold as to speak for the ladies of the church? We love you and we appreciate you! Keep it up. You are an inspiration to the rest of us. If other people don't appreciate all that you do, that is their problem. They aren't paying attention.

And, if you are crabby, you hide it VERY well.

Too funny not to

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget....
was this particular Sunday sermon...
"Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust." He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter (who was listening!) Leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, what is butt dust?"

Email from the heart

I just read a story about Joe Dobbie, the guy who sent an email to a woman he met at a party. It was nice, very romantic. Having been the recipient of affections that were not reciprocated and also having been the one to write the love letters, I can understand. When I was a teenager, I was "lovestruck". A boy in my seventh grade class. I thought I was in love. He was very nice. He didn't make fun of the love letters I gave him, and, to my knowledge, he didn't share them with others. It eventually faded out.

About ten years ago, not only did I get the "love letter" from the guy who broke into my apt., but also I went on a blind date with this guy I met through the singles ads. I don't recommend doing this. He unscrewed the lightbulb above the table at Coco's for "ambience". We met at a restaurant at dinner time and he told me he had already eaten. I paid for my food. He didn't offer to. He called me on the phone several times after that. I never saw him again. I never intended to. He has called me on the phone every birthday since then. I have been married for seven years and he even tells me to say hi to my husband. No other calls. Just on my birthday.

Joe Dobbie wrote to a woman he was infatuated with. They talked for a few hours at a party. Did she go home and thank her lucky stars that she didn't give this guy her phone number? Did she go home and laugh? Did she go home and think, well, he was nice, but not my type? Apparently, she thought it was humorous enough to forward to her sister and her sister forwarded it, etc. etc. so many times that the next morning he was getting phone calls from all over the world. The email said that she had a beautiful smile and that he would remember it and would she go out with him? What is so wrong with that? It was nice. A little more revealing about his feelings than most people would admit after first meeting someone, but so what? They were his feelings and he is entitled to them. I don't think the entire world is entitled to read them. Not fair. It is one thing for her to tell her sister about it, it is another to forward the actual email.

He seems like a nice guy. I hope he finds someone nicer than Kate. Now at least, the world knows that there are still nice guys out there who aren't afraid to show their emotions. And I think Kate will have a hard time finding a date now. She seems to be the uncaring soul.

Good luck Joe Dobbie! I hope you find a nice girl.

About me. In case you care.

I copied this from Jennie's site. It is fun to meet people through blogland. I have to give her credit. So, here goes.

Besides, Joann will be back tomorrow and will be looking forward to reading some blogs and there are hardly any written! So, write, people!


GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? Italian
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Not sure I have one. Maybe Tommy's
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? anyplace with really good japanese, Benihana, Tokyo Steak (Lancaster, Palmdale), Musashi (Northridge)
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20% unless something is really terrible. 30% for Zeke at Claim Jumper, Valencia. Greatest waiter!
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? bacon, peaches, strawberries, chocolate, ice cream, root beer
Name three foods you detest above all others. Oysters, hmm, I am sure there is something else.
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Do I have to choose only one? Chicken chow mein, yang chow fried rice, sweet/sour pork!
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Ham and pineapple at Numero Uno. Thick crust, with tomatoes.
What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and cinnamon
What is your favorite type of gum? juicyfruit

TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone? About 50
Number of contacts in your email address book? 10-15
What is your wallpaper on your computer? My two girls
What is your screensaver on your computer? Whatever came with the laptop
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? yeah, 2 and 4 year old baby butts in the bathtub! To embarrass them when they are teenagers. Just kidding.
How many land line phones do you have in your house? one, but it is vonage through the computer
How many televisions are in your house? 2
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? My Showtime Rotisserie (think Ron Popeil on TV) It's cool, but I don't lug it off the shelf much.
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? radio? I don't get to listen to radio. I have a 3 and a 5 year old!
How many sex toys do you own that require batteries? Hah, that's funny. Who has time for that? Refer to question above.
BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? Okay, five minutes later, I still can't think of one. Pass.
Are you right handed or left handed? right
Do you like your smile? No, but my husband does!
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? two babies
Would you like to? yes, just one more baby. Maybe it is not meant to be!
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? Maybe. But I am not going to admit it here.
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Smell
When was the last time you had a cavity? About 7 years ago
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? #1 daughter. 51 lbs.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope

MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Nope
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Don't want to. My mom named me after my great aunt. Mom is gone now...
What color do you think you look best in? Jewel tones. I am too pale to wear pastels.
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? I pray I never have to find out.
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Yeah, Palmolive dish soap when I was a kid! Talk about yuck!
If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Okay, ewww!
How often do you go to church? Every Sunday and a few Wednesdays.
Have you ever saved someone's life? No. But I would.
Has someone ever saved yours? Yes, thank you, God!

DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? I’d need more than that, that’s not something you’d want to see. (million maybe?) I must concur. Yeah, I don't see that happening.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? On the cheek, yes.
Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000? No, no money for that one.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Nope, I like my fingers!
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yeah, but who's going to pay me to not write? I'm not that bad!
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Yeah, right. LOL. Again, who's going to pay me for that?
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Is the emergency room visit covered after? Afraid not.Even if I said I would, I wouldn't be able to really do it. Physically impossible. My brother in law would do it, though.
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Who am I to decide when someone else should die?
Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? No, no head shaving. I couldn't do it. How much money was that?
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? I only watch one show now, Whose Line is it Anyway? So, that wouldn't be a problem.

Current temp: 64 degrees

How cool is that? Literally. Yeah, it is 6am and 64 degrees. I didn't use the air conditioner at all yesterday. It never got over 78 in the house.

The girls are both up. Jess was awake when Scott got up and Bekah got up before he left. They are watching cartoons. They aren't supposed to be up yet, but I guess now would be a good time to get them on an earlier schedule. Early to bed, early to rise, or sleep in late and take a nap. I have to take Scott's car to get the maintenance done on it today, anyway. So we have to leave pretty soon. At least it isn't hot out. Maybe I will bake today.

Rebekah just looked out the window and announced, "It is morning now! Look, Mommy, it is morning now!" Jess, who has done this before, was like, "Yeah." Rebekah has never seen the sun come up before. Now, if you think about it, it really is amazing. That it comes up at the designated time every morning. The earth and sun move at the exact right time that they are supposed to. Every day. For thousands of years.

Scott was showing the girls a paper cup last night. "This is what people make. God makes things like flowers, people, what do you think is more difficult?" I had to add that, not only does He make flowers, but they start out this . big as seeds, and then the entire flower is grown out of that. Exactly the way it is supposed to look. The same way, every time. So, the entire instruction manual for the flower, tree, etc. is in a package that is this . big. Amazing. God is amazing. Whenever we think we have it all figured out, just take a look around. Or start counting the hairs on your head. He knows how many there are. And that number changes every day!

Have you ever seen the passionflower? It is amazingly beautiful. The name Passionflower refers to the passion of Christ: the 3 stamens represent his wounds, and the 12 petals represent the apostles. Passion fruit is sweet and aromatic, in fact, the fruit is used in Hawaiian Punch for flavor.




I have one in my front yard. Every time I look at this flower, I am amazed that God made these beautiful, intricate flowers. And everything else. Take a look around and think about all He has made. And enjoy this reprieve from the heat. It is August, it will heat up again. But, we are assured that the cool will come again. Isn't God great?

Useful Sites

www.snopes.com
www.urbanlegends.com
www.truthorfiction.com

What do all of these sites have in common? Well, when you get an email and you don't know if it is true or not, you can look it up before sending something stupid to all your friends. And I have to agree with another blogger I found. That any Christian who sends an email purporting to send you good luck, or bad luck, if you don't send it, well, then, you are not using the brain that God gave you. There's no such thing as luck. Good or bad. So, before you send it, look it up. truthorfiction.com has the best list of emails that have been forwarded. It is fun to go through and find emails that have been sent to you and see them on there. Some of the missing persons emails that get passed around ARE real, so it is a good idea to check before you forward it! Be smart, check it out!

I saw a picture posted in the AV Press two Sundays ago of a girl with all the pull tabs she had collected for minutes of chemotherapy. She will be very disappointed, and the newspaper is going to feel very foolish, for doing so. It is only a myth. So, if you have forwarded any of these, don't feel bad, others, including newspapers, have, too.

And now, what you have all been waiting for...

Disney trivia! I know all of you out there who don't comment on the blog are just dying of curiousity, so I won't keep you waiting a moment longer. Well, maybe another minute.....................................................................

okay. Here it is.

The true ones.

A private club does exist in New Orleans Square. It costs an arm and a leg to join.
Several guests have been killed on Disneyland attractions. Nine to be exact. Six of them were teenage males doing things that teenage males do because they think they are impervious to the effects of mortality.
A cast member was killed on America Sings.One wall moved, the other didn't. Neither did she.
A young girl died while riding Body Wars at EPCOT.
Disneyland used to deny admission to long-haired male guests. And facial hair. And females were turned away for wearing halter tops.
Krushchev was denied permission to visit Disneyland. But not by Disney. His security could not be guaranteed.
Matterhorn mountain houses a basketball court. To give the cast members who climb the mountain something to do in inclement weather.
Women do bare their breasts for the camera on Splash Mtn. And if they think only the people selling the pics are going to see them, they would be mighty surprised to find out they are posted on the internet!

Now wasn't that fun?

Folklore - Disney Style!

Eight of these Disney legends are true. Can you figure out which ones? I will post the answers in a day or two…

A private club exists within New Orleans Square at Disneyland.

A private club can be found near Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World.

Several guests have been killed on Disneyland attractions.

A cast member was killed on America Sings.

A young girl died while riding Body Wars at EPCOT.

No one is ever declared dead while on Disney property.

Disneyland used to deny admission to long-haired male guests.

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was denied permission to visit Disneyland in 1959.

The actual plane from the film Casablanca is part of The Great Movie Ride at Disney-MGM Studios.

The newly opened Haunted Mansion closed after a guest suffered a fright-induced heart attack.

Walt Disney's face appears on one of the singing busts in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard.

The horse-drawn hearse in front of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion is the actual hearse used to carry Brigham Young's body.

Children have been abducted from Disney parks by kidnappers.*

Matterhorn mountain at Disneyland houses a basketball court.

Disneyland's Skyway was permanently closed because a guest fell from one of the cabins.

Women bare their breasts for the camera on Splash Mountain.

Turning Heat into Cash

Thank you God, for this heat. Because of it, Scott will get to work overtime. Don't know how much yet, but the extra income is much needed. The city is experiencing power outages and they need all the guys to work overtime, so Scott will get to as well. I am sure he is not as thankful as I am. He will have to be out in it. But, since we are believing in God to provide for our needs, He is giving Scott the opportunity to make more money. It's just too bad that the overtime is available when it is hot. Why can't the transformers blow when the weather is cool? That would be a neat trick! Well, you know what they say about the gift horse...get on it's back and ride it!

Hot...hotter...hottest

The Christmas Song was written in July.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

No wonder. It is so hot it makes me want to think of cool things and cool places so that maybe, somehow, I will feel cooler. Maybe we will watch the Santa Clause II today and eat icee's. Or stick my head in the freezer and dream about being in a blizzard. Or sit in the bathtub and pour ice cubes in it. It is hot. Yesterday we had a thunderstorm. The sky got dark grey and the thunder was LOUD! Scott drove home in the pouring rain. The lightning was so bad when Dad left, he couldn't even use the radio in the car. Okay, but it was also over a hundred degrees outside. That's disgusting. It should not be raining when it is that hot. The humidity is supposed to be worse back east and that is what is making their hot so much hotter than here. Well, does it get much worse than 100+ and RAINING!? It was awful. We were out running errands and it was like, get out of car, RUN into store, RUN back to car, drive to next place, RUN into store, etc. Miserable. My last SCE bill was $200. This month will be worse. Much worse. And I am forever turning the air off until I can't stand it anymore. Dad said he has never had an SCE bill higher than $75. Yeah, you suck. He is like the only person in his neighborhood that even HAS air conditioning, since you don't need it all that often.

The kids are doing fine. They don't mind the heat as much as I do. If you don't move and suck on ice water all day, it isn't so bad. But as soon as you get up and move, WHAM, you start dripping with sweat. I almost wish I was working in an office, so they could pay for the air conditioning. Maybe we should go someplace cool. Like Alaska. Cause if we go to the mall, I will just have to walk back out into the heat when we leave and I will be tempted to buy all the things they have there for sale. Plus, I have put off cleaning my house for so long that it looks like a hurricane hit it. No kidding. It's bad. Laundry and paperwork everywhere. Between the junk mail, the laundry and dirty dishes, I will never catch up on this stuff. It's my lot in life. It's not a lot, but it's my life. Actually, it is a lot. I have a lot to be thankful for. I really am thankful. I'm just hot.

Blog Challenge #1

It runs in the family...

When my brother was little, my mom put him down for a nap and when he woke up, he complained about a pain in his nose. My mom checked his nose and didn't see anything, so didn't think about it again. A little while later, he tells her there is a wheel in his nose. She thinks he is just messing around, because how could he get a wheel up his nose, they are far too big! Well, he keeps complaining and finally she figures out that it is from a hot wheels car. They were able to get it out without too much difficulty.

Jessica was playing with a sticker one afternoon and I later found parts of it lying around on the floor. I picked them up and threw them away. Well, after a while, she starts complaining about a pain in her nose. I ask her what it's from and she tells me she put the sticker in her nose. I look in her nose and don't see anything. She is still complaining, so I get a flashlight out and point it up her nose. Sure enough, way up there, I see something. I couldn't reach it, she couldn't blow it out, I'm thinking, E.R. Finally, she stayed perfectly still and I stuck a pair of tweezers up her nose and got it out on the first try. It was half of a 2-inch round sticker all folded up. I don't know how she got it up there.

After it was all over, I thought it was kind of ironic.

Blog Challenge #3

#3 You wanted a gross story...

One time I was sitting in a restaurant with a friend. It was a hamburger place. The waitress had just brought our iced tea and cherry coke. The person at the table behind her jumps out of his seat in a jerky kind of quick movement and like bends over at the waist. He is turning around toward us and sort of spins in his heel too far and ends up facing my friend. Well, we were about to find out that he had a burger, fries and a shake for lunch. He has this wild-eyed look and lurches forward while he reaches up to cover his mouth. All of a sudden, my friend is covered in vomit from the top of her head all the way down into her lap. He spewed all over her. She opens her mouth to scream and realizes it is getting in her mouth, too. So, she starts spitting all over the place and, I think, the smell of the vomit makes her so ill as well, that she throws up all over the table. The only thing she had had yet was cherry coke. Well, she vomited so much, the cherry coke was coming out of her nose. All over the table. The guy is just standing there, not knowing what to say and by then there are about four or five other waiters and waitresses standing around watching this whole thing. Only one of them brought over a cloth and handed it to my friend so she could wipe her face.

Needless to say, our shopping trip was over...

And she had a heck of a time getting to the car. She doesn't eat hamburgers or shakes any more.

Too bad it isn't true. That would make a great story!

Frustrated!!!!!!!

Well, we finally got a call from the contractor who worked on our patio. I say worked on, because it was never finished. He started on it in March, 2005. We paid him a large chunk of the money, then all but the last $1000 30 days later, then we were supposed to pay the last $1000 when it was completed.

Do you all remember the horrific rains we had in March, 2005? We remember them well. They had cut off the eaves on the back of our house a week before and had assured us that they do this all the time, rain would not be a problem. Well, at 4am when Scott got up, we heard dripping...in the walls. Our bedroom wall was soaking wet, top to bottom, the other side of which is in the kitchen. The other side of our kitchen was also wet, though not as bad. Also, water was dripping through the top of the window ledge in the bathroom and above the shower. Basically, the entire back of the house. Well, the workers came, ripped up the carpet, brought fans in to dry it up, tore out the drywall, patched and replaced, repainted and continued on. The guys worked on the outside of the patio as well. They almost got it done. It took about a week to hotmop the roofing materials because of our wind that we get out here, but that got done, too. Then they disappeared. Scott got in touch with the contractor. Trying to find the roof tiles.

A month goes by...
two months go by...
Scott leaves a message for the guy.
Three months go by.
Another message.
Fast forward to present day.
At least a dozen messages have been left and not one returned.
I finally call a friend who knows these people (how we found him to begin with) and she calls the wife/office manager and tells her we are VERY upset and ready to sue.
I get a message on the machine!
Scott calls her back last night, explains the situation. She says her husband remembers us! He darn well better! She tells us he couldn't find the roof tiles. And that the problems Scott has mentioned that are wrong with the patio (caulking separating, pieces of the windbreak need to be re-attached, etc.) are no longer covered by the one-year warranty. Scott says, "Well, it hasn't been completed yet! How can the warranty be up?" Reply: "The warranty started when the work was STARTED." Never heard of THAT before. "So, have your husband get back to me."

Scott gets a call this morning on his cell phone voice mail. "I am not interested in coming back to complete the job. The $1000 that is still owed should be more than enough to have someone finish it."

That's it? You leave us hanging for over a year and that's it? No, that isn't it. He doesn't know me very well. When all is said and done, he will likely be sorry he didn't just come over and finish it. But he had the opportunity.

My biggest question is why? I am pretty likeable and agreeable. But from day one, this guy would not return my calls. I would call and leave a message on his cell phone and he would call Scott back. He refused to talk to me. Then Scott would call me and relay the message. I had his workers in my house and on my roof and he wouldn't call me back! I never understood that, but just dealt with it. Then pretty soon he wouldn't even call Scott back. Not good business practice if you ask me!

I made a call to a roofer in the phone book and they are coming out tomorrow to give us an estimate. And she put me in touch with a local roofing supply place that has these tiles. Amazing. The phone book. Who would have thought.

Now all I have to do is find all the documentation on this, contract, checks, etc. Hmmm. I am sure I filed it somewhere...which box?

No Help Here!

I am taking y'all's advice and just saying no! I will not help you, you dumb so and so. Anyway, upon closer examination of the letter, I realized it is in regards to a lawsuit that this dumb.... is filing. Apparently from prison. Because when I did a search on the computer for the name in the v. _________ section, it is the prison warden! He is suing the warden! What a dumb___! And the presiding judge is a newly appointed judge who believes in honesty and integrity. He gave a speech to the USC Law School graduating class and sounds like a good guy. I don't think he is going to give this yahoo the time of day. Good. Serves him right for filing a stupid lawsuit and tying up the courts. The bottom of the letter says that if I send in the letter, "This will keep any further court actions from affecting you in the future." Darn right, I will complain to the court that I am being harrassed by the guy who broke into my home! Thank you very much for giving me all the info I need to report you and who to give it to!

So, now I know where he is. Which prison, that is. In case I care. Oh, and shouldn't he be listed on the Megan's Law site? He isn't. I checked. They do have people listed there that are still incarcerated. Maybe that is for when they get out and then go back in. I don't believe he has been let out yet. He got twenty eight years and it has only been ten. I don't think he could be let out for good behavior yet, especially if he is pissing off the warden! I think he will be there a while.

I do think, though, that I will give "Jane Doe" a call. She has a right to know what is going on, just in case somehow she is contacted.

Oh what fun.

Things From the Past

I got a letter in the mail today. From an investigator in Florida wanting me to mail something to the District Court in Los Angeles. A statement saying I was not the person who was sexually assaulted in February 1996. Apparently the document was written incorrectly and it showed me as being the first AND third victim.

In September, 1995, one week before my birthday, a man broke into my apt and did disgusting things while I slept. He cut the window screen, climbed in through the window, unplugged my phone from the telephone, but not the wall (this makes all other lines go dead), unplugged my nightlights, moved my cordless phone off my bed and locked the door on the way out. I didn't realize until I woke up at 5:00am or so that someone had been there. It took me an hour to convince myself that someone had indeed been there and to call the cops. The only thing missing was a kitchen knife with a five inch blade from the butcher block. I didn't realize at this time that he had performed lascivious acts on my bed while I slept. The cops told me that this doesn't happen in this neighborhood and it had to be someone I knew. I then proceeded to question and fear every man I knew, until I found out who it was.

Needless to say, I did not stay at the apt for the next two weeks. When I did go back, I returned during the day and then left again, then returned at ten o'clock or so for the night. Well, upon my return at ten o'clock, I found a note on the door from the same guy, describing in detail what he wanted to do "for" me, and, if I was interested, to leave the door open and he would be there at eleven o'clock. He knew I had returned because he had been watching. I hightailed it to the sheriff's dept and gave them the note. I never returned to the apt. except to move my things. I spent the next six months in fear for my life, thinking I was being followed, or watched. I didn't know where this guy was or who he was. The second victim, about four months later, was in the shower when he broke in and stole credit cards and watched her. In February, I was very relieved to find out that he had been caught, but, unfortunately for the third victim, his crimes became much more violent. There were numerous sexual counts against him after he cut the phone line outside her apt and she woke up to a guy on top of her. At the trial, in which I testified against him, he got twenty seven years.

This was not one of the highlights of my life. However, even during this time, God was watching out for me. Aside from the emotional trauma, I escaped unharmed. That was enough.

At the time this all happened, my boss had two of the guys at my job help me move. They didn't want to. Someone at the place I worked decided I was lying and had made all of this up to get attention. Huh? I never really understood that one. I guess since it sounds a bit far-fetched, but it was all true and I had to defend myself against all of them thinking I was lying, on top of what I was going through at the time. Nice. When it showed up in the newspaper six months later, I brought it in to prove I hadn't lied. Then they thought I was trying to get attention. Couldn't win.

Well, I met the third victim, Jane Doe (she didn't want to release her name) through all of this and we became friends, and she has told me that when he is released from prison, they will notify her and she will notify me. I didn't expect to receive a letter from an investigator on his behalf. That gives me the creeps.

It stated in the letter that he doesn't know where I am, but how do I know? The investigator is working on his behalf.
I don't want to help him in any way, but am I bound by law to return this form to the court? If I do, am I helping him?
I am pretty freaked out by this, since I have tried to put it all in the past.
Is he trying to get released from prison and they want the record set straight?
Should I write and try to get involved and explain what DID happen? They apparently cannot get ahold of "Jane", since she did not want to be identified. But I know how to reach her. And if they can't get ahold of her, then how will they notify her when he is released from prison?
Should I call "Jane" and let her know what is going on?

My head is spinning...