Election Day in Alaska

Today is a big day for my family.  My awesome SIL, Michael is running for a second term for Borough Assembly.  Here's one of his ads.  I love that he is so well spoken, but then he wouldn't have been so successful in the radio industry if he wasn't, and certainly wouldn't have his own radio talk shows!  And that lovely voice at the end of the ad?  Yep.  My lovely daughter, Terri, who also has a great radio voice and used to do a lot of ads :)
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2257025436426

Hope that link works okay so you can see/listen.  His opponent is  a lawyer that is a serious snark.  He even had a newspaper ad that stated one of the reasons to vote for him is because 'he is NOT Michael Dukes'.  He has taken pot shots at Michael because of his size as well as his adamant support of the 2nd Amendment.  Like either one of those things has anything to do with the local Borough government.  He's a low life scum.  Michael will win by a landslide.  Heh.

At 6:30 AM Alaska time, I sent Michael a text to wish him luck and let me know how many points he wins by.  LOL  He texted me back and said he & his supporters were already on downtown street corners waving signs.  Gonna be along day.....for all of us.  Sure wish I was there to help!  I would keep the donuts and muffins coming and the Lattes and Sludge Cups flowing. 

There is always something exciting going on with my wonderful Alaskan family.  Riley got herself new skates.  Custom ordered.

I am LOVIN the green wheels, but the main 'custom' part is the pink leather.  Pink and black are the team colors.  She saved her tips for EVer so she could order these, bless her heart!  Some of her team mates have this brand and others are drooling :).  Regardless, she got them on Friday and has been counting the minutes until derby practice Tuesday PM so she can seriously get her skate on with these new babies!!  Like her Mama said.....it must be as exciting as waiting to drive ones new car.  Hee hee.

I've had a couple people mention problems with my comments.  I wonder what's up with that?? Let me know if it continues to be an issue {via FB or email.  Time to run errands so I can get home and knit :)

Clearing the Clutter

Well, I started with my computer area and now I'm making a sweep of the whole room.  Cleaning out and attempting to organize.  I tend to 'accumulate' and I never seem to have the 'proper place' for some of my accumulations.  Of course, it was too easy to let things pile up while convalescing from 2 major surgeries.  Just trying to keep the kitchen and dining table looking decent, resulted in a lot of things ending up in "My Room" to be taken care of later.  Ha!

I have to be in the right mood to do this sort of thing, because a lot of 'stuff' just needs to be tossed and it's real hard for me to just toss stuff.  I tend to hoard......like my Dad did :). Today was a pretty good day for it.  But I also have a lot of good stuff that I can't simply toss.  I need to donate it, or box it up for a yard sale or something.  That involves more thought.

So far I have cleaned off the pillows and bears that were living on my nice oak rocking chair and I bought a foot stool, so I have a nice little corner in My Room to sit and read or knit.  I bought that rocking chair 19 years ago, so that I could be a proper Grandma and sit in it and rock Riley when she was born.  I think I did that 2, maybe 3 times.  LOL  It just wasn't comfortable to sit and rock in, but it works good now with a foot stool.

Now for the rest of the room.  My 12 year old Babylock Embroidery machine and the multitude of stuff that goes with it, takes up a good portion of the room.  It's crazy that I have it set up and ready to go on this big ass table in front of my huge bow window and I haven't even turned it on in at least 3 years.  But I'm afraid if I put it away.....I won't ever use it.  How silly is that?!?  The first few years I had it, I embroidered everything I could get my hands on.  I'm sure I got at least 1/2 a life time worth of use out of it! 

My sewing area is way too small, and I really need to put away all the embroidery equipment and make room for that so that I can have room to more easily work on quilts.  I'm far more interested in doing that than I am embroidering.  I've had a quilt in progress for Timmy for EVER that I need to finish, I have the pattern and fabric for a quilt for Riley, and a pattern all set to go for Maggie, plus many others....but those come first.  After my back surgery, I couldn't sit at the sewing machine and do all that reaching forward and such {therapists orders...plus it hurt like crazy} so I just lost my mojo.

Now the knitting fever has struck and I'm acquiring yarn and patterns and have no place to put it.  Well, I have lots of room for it, as we have a huge house, but I have no 'proper place' for it.  I won't even mention the stacks of books tucked here there and everywhere {cuz my huge bookcase is full}

Then there is my computer area, with printer, scanner, copier, fax machine and the dreaded Eagle Construction bookwork stuff!  AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  Because of my {boring} limitations, I am only really able to do a little bit each day.  And sadly, I have to admit, I have been dealing with my 'physical problems' for so long that in the past 3 years I have just spent WAY too much time uninspired and had no incentive.  Just couldn't make myself work on any projects, read any books or do much of anything.  It's been crazy!  I am coming out of it, but still have my days. 

If only...........But in the meanwhile, I need to TRY to make the best of what I have, where I am.  And I do try......but I'm lost without my family.  It's been 8 years this week.  It was supposed to be 2 years.  And that's all I'm gonna say about that. 

Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

Friendship and loyalties......how deep should they run?  I've always had a problem with this regarding both friends and family members.  So quick to go to bat for someone dear to me.  Always too quick to stop and think first.  I just jump right in, defending, supporting, protecting.  I figure if I care about someone, then I should put my 'outspoken' self to good use when I think they are being abused or attacked or otherwise mis-used by someone.  A person should really think it over before getting out their "Poison Pen" {or, these days, their "Poison Keyboard"  LOL}  Because, when the dust settles, just who do you think it is that ends up getting screwed without a kiss, and left wondering........

The first time that I got out my Poison Pen was at least 35 years ago.  My Mom and my Great-Aunt Ethel got into it over something.  God only knows what, because I can't remember to save my life!  But Aunt Ethel was really, really good at stirring things up.  The more hurtful and hateful, the better.  I just remember that she had my Mom SOOOOO upset, that my Dad was about to step in and give Aunt Ethel a piece of his mind (which was totally not my Dad's typical scenario).  So.....I decided to take Poison Pen in hand and I wrote her a letter that would have scorched the Devil himself.  When I got done verbally butchering her for the issue at hand, I tossed in few more of her devilish antics for good measure.  End result?  She and Mom made amends, actually because of some of the things I pointed out in my letter. But Aunt Ethel would have nothing to do with ME til the day she died, several years later.

I really think that was the only family member involved but it has happened numerous times thru the years and my loyalties usually leave me with being the bad guy.  Odd man out.  Go figure.

One of the worst cases was actually a little different scenario.  In an attempt to aid an 'acquaintance' and offset a potentially dangerous situation, myself and a dear friend jumped in right up to our ears.  Round and round it went.  Tons of people involved, twisting and turning and dredging until the original 'cause' was lost in the shuffle and in the very end, friend and I were hung out to dry.  Eventually and ultimately by the 'acquaintance'!  WTF to the max!  Epic Fail..........

Another time, I apparently looked at a long time buddy (with whom I had much in common) cross-eyed one day and she literally tore me a new a$$-hole on the world wide web!  I have never been so humiliated, had such vile, hateful things said about me in my life! And such lies.  That was the worst part.  I'm so not perfect.  In fact, much less so than most people, but really........Okay, so I look back on that and, obviously, realize that this person was never a friend and a thing like that can make you start to look around you.  If you were me, would you feel 'set adrift' if close friends commiserated with you, but went on to continue their relationship with this 'buddy'.  Would you feel hurt to see them together?  Would you think that maybe they believed all the BS and doubted you? How would you feel?  If the shoe was on the other foot, I am the sort of friend that would tend to back away from the buddy for having been so cruel and unjust to my friend.  Probably gotten out my "Poison Keyboard" and made it worse.  But that's just me.  How deeply should the loyalties of friendship go?

I am quick to anger and quicker to hurt, which is a very bad combination, indeed.  I am also quick to trust, but I'm learning.  I need people in my life that I can feel good about and trust with anything and that I know I can count on.....always.  And I have that in my wonderful little family.  I am ever so blessed to have Terri & Mike and all of my wonderful grand-babies!  Without them, life is bursting with insecurities and uncertainty.  I DO have a lot of amazing friends out there, but I am learning that it is a rare, rare friendship that will ever be unblemished.  I am learning never to expect that of others.  It's just not the fair or right thing to do.  But my family????  They better toe the line!!  LMAO