Ass Burger Boy and myself were talking about “the Nan”, which is what everyone called my Mom. She had many quirks, as most people do, but we found hers an endless source of amusement.

Ma was a cooking fool. I well remember her baking bread at the same time she had a hoover washer/spin dryer hooked up to the sink. Just imagine piles of wet laundry, and flour flying in clouds. This was a regular activity.

She would make up a huge batch of something to have leftovers which she could freeze. If she had leftovers that didn’t make it to the freezer, and she was suspicious that it might not be at its peak freshness, she was quick to offer food to anyone who visited.

If it seemed a bit off, I would 86 it. ABB has a real problem throwing away food, and sometimes it worked to his detriment. Every once in a while he got the squirts after being at the Nan’s.

Today, we had a decision. I made a shephard’s pie which was yummy, but the next day, we both had the squirts. I wasn’t really sure what caused it, but decided that if we were going to eat the remainder of the very large shepherd’s pie, it was going into the oven as if it were never cooked previously.

I had a large portion, showing no fear. ABB had a smaller portion, which for him, is unusual. That boy can chow down.

I guess we will see what tomorrow brings, won’t we?

Shaddap, Ma. I hear you laughing at me.

I’m running on my last brain cell here, and it’s feeling mighty lonesome today.

Is it Tuesday already? It’s hard to tell when I’ve been working seven days a week. This will continue until I’m all caught up financially.

Frankly, I’m rather tired. I could totally sleep right now, but have to work a few more hours today to be in line with my goals.

Saturday, a friend picked me up to take me out of the house, and I was completely unable to make a decision about where to go. Heck, I even went to the wrong vehicle a few times. I had my priorities straight though. I picked up a pair of polar fleece jammies. They came in handy when the furnace went on the blink. Winter is cold in most parts of Canada.

Yes, my poor little blog has been neglected. I’m sorry. I’m also sorry for all of those comments I just haven’t written on your blogs. When I’m not working, I seem to want to spend very little time on the computer. When I’ve been blogging, it is during a break, on the laptop, so I can be sitting with my feet up and a cushion behind my back. Most of my scheduled breaks involve boring things like making supper, cleaning up, hygenic and metabolic activities. I’m so boring I put my own self to sleep.

Ass Burger Boy ruined his computer the other day by ferking around with changing out motherboards and video cards. He had a kick arse video card, and just had to see if it would work on another system. I suspect the problem is with the motherboard mount. I looked at the stands, and think he may have carelessly installed it. (There were some missing) Now he’s all screw-drivery, and at least, that is distracting him from World of Warcraft withdrawal. The laptop is inadequate for his Warcraft needs, and I need my desktop machine for work. I can’t justify buying another machine right now. He’s very resourceful. He always comes out of a computer problem smelling like a rose.

We’ve had some interesting discussions since the great computer tragedy. He suddenly has time to talk to me. One discussion involved angels who walk the earth.

I was going to write an actual post. You know, like I used to? Telling a story? Instead, when I started writing, all of this unrelated boringness just spewed out of me. I’ll gladly refund you your money if you feel cheated.

I just may have some time to call my own soon. I started this week with the second psychic network, the one I’m not allowed to mention on my website. The one that when I’m logged in, I get lots of calls in a short period of time.

Not enough to get rich on, mind you, but enough to pay the bills and have a treat every once in awhile.

This weekend, I’m transitioning, working both. When the support staff return from their holidays, I will change my schedule at the first network so that I can still service my regular clients, but during a narrower time frame, and also by appointment.

Freedom! I can smell it, just around the corner.

Speaking of smells, I’m simmering turkey carcass to make stock. I made so many mashed potatoes for yesterday’s feast for two that I’m also fixing to freeze me a shepherd’s pie. Because, really, how often can you face left over mashed potatoes?

I was very happy this year that Ass Burger Boy chose to stay at home for the celebratory meal. There was a wee glitch when I upended his wine glass while reaching for the cranberry sauce. His meal was swimming in wine. He wouldn’t allow me to replace it, and even said the extra wine was quite yummy. (He had two more helpings, with only wine in his glass, not on his plate)

He ended up rather intoxicated.

I shouldn’t have refilled his glass.

I hope that you had a lovely, cosy, holiday meal, and happy family times.

The story is recycled, not the toilet. Just so ya know. It’s from a year or so ago, back when I had 300 hits per month.

One of the characteristics of autistic behaviours is obsessions. Come to think of it, I just might be autistic myself. But this isn’t about me. Hah!
Ass Burger Boy was obsessed with toilets ever since toilet training began. I think I may have helped to fuel this obsession, since I was pretty eager not to clean up poop.

This obsession impacted my older sister, who had taken ABB to Sears and was thoroughly mortified when he demonstrated his big boy skills in the display toilet. I don’t think she praised him for it. Encouragement is critical during toilet training. It may have set him back a bit.

By sheer accident, I stumbled onto the “What’s in it for me?” method of motivating ABB. I swear I knew the instant he was toilet trained for real. I could see in his eyes the connection as he made it to being a big boy, toilet training, and another fascination of his, which was beards. Since every time he used the potty, I told him he was getting to be a bigger boy, it really clicked with him when I said that when he was bigger, he could grow a beard of his own, much preferable to feeling up the beards of random strangers. I swear I used all the creativity I could muster to motivate that chile.

During this very long period of time,we lived in a place with air in the pipes, and the toilet made a horrifying noise, which I tried to explain by telling him that the toilet needed to clear its throat. Yes, in hindsight, this was entirely stupid of me, but hey, the kid was terrified. Frankly, so was I. Terrified he would never come near a toilet again. I saw myself changing poopy diapers up to the time I might need mine changed. The noise it made sounded like a screechy ERRRRRR, so we made friends with it, and called the toilet Errr.

This led to a great curiosity about other people’s toilets. He wanted to find out if anyone else had a toilet with personality that he could befriend.

Every time we went to a place he hadn’t been to before, he would ask the inhabitants right away “What colour is your toilet?” followed by “Can I see it?” These are the questions he came up with after I had to hurriedly explain to him that only our toilet was called Errr, because of course, he asked to see their Errr, and they had no idea what the Errr he meant.

A few years after he was toilet trained, he asked less often to see people’s toilets, and he quit entirely asking them what colour their toilet was. I didn’t fully understand the perseverance of his obsessions, but was happy to let it go.

A few weeks ago, I asked him if when he goes to a new place, he makes it a point to use the bathroom.

Yes, yes, he does. He has just gotten more subtle with his obsessions as he has matured. And now, I have more mildly amusing stories, and less explanations to provide.

• You may have noticed that I have a new header. Although it isn’t really chilly here yet, I asked Summer to design me one for fall. I like it a lot. I hope you do, too, as I expect it will be shown next fall as well.

• I have also started the pimping campaign for the Psychic Power Network, where I faithfully log on most days from 11 am to 11 pm Eastern time. I am including an image link at the bottom of each post, along with my Dial-in ID. First time callers get 5 minutes for only 99¢, but I get paid my regular price for it. I really need to build my client base there so that there is not so much dead air time between callers. So, if you’ve been wanting a reading, but not the full meal deal, this is a little snack-sized tidbit to see if I’m any good or not.

• I got some new-to-me furniture for the living room, and it was infused with a chemical smell that a week near the windows and a bathing in vinegar and water did not dispel. I paid $40 to have it delivered, but had to write it off. Good thing that the room is huge, because it held at one time two sofas, three loveseats and an easy chair. Now it’s down to the more manageable one sofa, one easy chair and one love seat. Warrior Woman has new furniture now.

• Ass Burger Boy was moved to actually clean his room. This would be because he saw a mouse cavorting and dropping deadly turds in his room. I counted 6 garbage bags full of unwanted stuff, and he washed every article of clothing he had. Some of them were wool, and they shrunk. Less stuff to put away. Heh. He has a hard time getting rid of stuff. People, I actually saw his floor. It was a special moment, although he preferred to send me pictures of it rather than have me actually go in his room and look at his actual floor. Dillweed. I well remember his sense of entitlement in accessing my room, especially one summer when I was naked in front of a fan. But I musn’t go in his room.

• I won’t be logging on today because I’m having a meal cooked for me by Warrior Woman. Thanksgiving was supposed to be yesterday, but ABB decided to stay after church for a baptism. He had his own feast at the reception. He should be thankful I let him live. I had already determined I wasn’t going to get all wired up for holidays anymore. Last Christmas, he had dinner with his priest and his family. I only cooked a ham. And mighty glad of it too. He would have been wearing a freaking turkey if I had cooked one.

• Andy Bailey won the Wordpress MU plugin contest! He will distribute the prize in a contest of his own, so be sure to register your site at CommentLuv dot com. If you are registered, and have your feedburner URL in your header, people can see where you have clicked, and what your latest posts are. Also, your gravatar will show up, if you have an email address that matches your gravatar email.

• This is the last month to vote for me in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. I don’t know why I want to win this, but I do. They have thrown a wrench in the works by not showing the actual number of votes for the top three, and rotating the top three as well. I have no clue how many votes I have, but you can add yours to the mix. We find out the results at the end of November, and voting is closed at the end of October. Vote. Please. For me.

• Whew. </pimping>

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