About 2 weeks ago we finally bit the bullet and had a whole new septic leach field dug. We have had our septic tank pumped 4 or 5 times since Mother's Day 2009. It's a 5 year old house! That is not normal.
Unfortunately the developer has moved out of state and claimed bankruptcy, so we can't sue him. :angryfire2: He took a lot of shortcuts that are causing us and many of our neighbors lots of money, headaches, and in some instances there are safety issues. :irked:
The guy who did it quoted mom a price of $3,000; but hasn't sent a bill yet, because the cosmetic landscape work isn't done yet. They weren't here 20 minutes before the back hoe hit the buried Comcast Cable line. :irked: He apologized and said he would fix it before he left for the day. I was pissed because we have the Comcast bundle. That meant NO television, NO internet, and NO landline for the 9 hours they were here and working. I had to read a book! :yikes:
True to his word, he fixed the cable line before he left, but some tv's had service and some didn't. I called the Comcast and they came out the next day but since it was monsooning they said they would send somebody later that day. They didn't. I called again and someone came out the next day ran a whole new cable line and checked my modem and made sure everything was online. The cable guy said there might be a fee of $75 on our next bill for the service call and running of new line. Also, and this is the best part, it would take 2-4 weeks for the sub-contractors to come out and re-bury the cable.
Saturday, Chad the septic guy, comes by the house because the toilet in the master bath was having issues. He asks my dad if he could help him out and talk to Comcast because Comcast sent him a $1400 bill for burying the cable. Dad and I are afraid Chad will add that $1400 to the initial bill of $3000. I realize the economy is bad but I don't think my folks should have to eat the cost of Chad's mistake. I appreciate the fact that he tried to fix it. But the cable was cut in like 3 different places. He left exposed copper wire and it was raining when he left. This is probably why the 2 tv's that were working stopped getting reception.
So my question is: Can the septic contractor bill my parents for the $1,400 cost of burying the cable?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Best Tea Party Pick-up Lines
Best Tea Party Pick-up Lines
* My federally-protected wetlands are now open for drilling
* If you dress like a Freedom Maid we can Freedom Kiss while I pull on this Freedom Tickler. Wee wee?
* I can only perform if you rip up a photo of Darwin
you look like a white Michelle Malkin so meet me in the back of my truck
* Hey baby doll, you and I have a rendezvous with destiny. Your shining city on a hill or mine? *LOL! :)
* "I cry like Glenn Beck when I think of us being apart."
* You know i like washing eveything with bleach. sometimes i just want the colored to be white too.
* I'm into you like the bullets in McCain
* You read the newspaper today?? Well the word of the day is legs you tryna come to my house and spread the word??
* Glenn Beck is the real Founding Father & he happens to be my own, personal Jesus Christ. We can find him, tonight.
* If you like small government, I've got something else really small to show you ...
* That three wolf moon shirt is hot. It really goes with your mullet.
* Darlin' you can taste my teabags anytime. If you can find 'em..."
* "I think the first black president is the closet thing to hitler ever! now lets have sex"
* Hey baby, I can see Russia from my house.
* Usually, women laugh when I tell them I'm a Minuteman.
* Wanna see my paintings of an eagle crying over the New York skyline on 9/11?
* "Baby....all these other tramps Palin comparison to you *wink*"
* "I like Bush."
* Your really not too good lookin. Let me throw a flag over your head and we will do it for our country!
* "Don't make a mess on my sheets...I have to wear them at a rally tomorrow."
* It looks like a baby's arm holding a tax cut.
* slides foot under adjacent stall* *waves hand under stall* *clears throat*
* Help find my Weapons of Mass Destruction
*"Let me ask a reasonable question for unreasonable times... are those things real?"
* You had me at being 50 pounds overweight in sweat pants and ur mispelled socialism sign
* Baby, can you whisper "invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity" to me?
* Forget the Four Horseman, I'm hung like the horses.
* Ohh baby, I love chicks with mullets.
* Lets make war, cuz jus like Bush once Im in you I'll never leave.
* Oooh honey....How bout I give you some cash for your clunker.
* How about we have a nice candlelit dinner, then get naked and wait til we're married?
* So umm... I hear the bag part goes like this...
* Hey baby, I bet you know your way around a lynch mob.
* I hear Boston has the best parties.
* My federally-protected wetlands are now open for drilling
* If you dress like a Freedom Maid we can Freedom Kiss while I pull on this Freedom Tickler. Wee wee?
* I can only perform if you rip up a photo of Darwin
you look like a white Michelle Malkin so meet me in the back of my truck
* Hey baby doll, you and I have a rendezvous with destiny. Your shining city on a hill or mine? *LOL! :)
* "I cry like Glenn Beck when I think of us being apart."
* You know i like washing eveything with bleach. sometimes i just want the colored to be white too.
* I'm into you like the bullets in McCain
* You read the newspaper today?? Well the word of the day is legs you tryna come to my house and spread the word??
* Glenn Beck is the real Founding Father & he happens to be my own, personal Jesus Christ. We can find him, tonight.
* If you like small government, I've got something else really small to show you ...
* That three wolf moon shirt is hot. It really goes with your mullet.
* Darlin' you can taste my teabags anytime. If you can find 'em..."
* "I think the first black president is the closet thing to hitler ever! now lets have sex"
* Hey baby, I can see Russia from my house.
* Usually, women laugh when I tell them I'm a Minuteman.
* Wanna see my paintings of an eagle crying over the New York skyline on 9/11?
* "Baby....all these other tramps Palin comparison to you *wink*"
* "I like Bush."
* Your really not too good lookin. Let me throw a flag over your head and we will do it for our country!
* "Don't make a mess on my sheets...I have to wear them at a rally tomorrow."
* It looks like a baby's arm holding a tax cut.
* slides foot under adjacent stall* *waves hand under stall* *clears throat*
* Help find my Weapons of Mass Destruction
*"Let me ask a reasonable question for unreasonable times... are those things real?"
* You had me at being 50 pounds overweight in sweat pants and ur mispelled socialism sign
* Baby, can you whisper "invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity" to me?
* Forget the Four Horseman, I'm hung like the horses.
* Ohh baby, I love chicks with mullets.
* Lets make war, cuz jus like Bush once Im in you I'll never leave.
* Oooh honey....How bout I give you some cash for your clunker.
* How about we have a nice candlelit dinner, then get naked and wait til we're married?
* So umm... I hear the bag part goes like this...
* Hey baby, I bet you know your way around a lynch mob.
* I hear Boston has the best parties.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Black Fashion Magnate Eunice Johnson Dead At 93
Eunice Walker Johnson - (April 4, 1916 – January 3, 2010)By Margena A. Christian
Mrs. Eunice Johnson, producer and director of the Ebony Fashion Fair and secretary-treasurer of Johnson Publishing Company, died of renal failure at her home in Chicago. She was 93.
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will honor her work on January 11 as a philanthropist and fashion icon. The tribute, planned some time ago, was several months in the making.
“Mrs. Johnson elevated the image of Black women being fashion conscious, fashion forward and affluent,” said Kenneth Owen, assistant producer of Ebony Fashion Fair, who was handpicked by the fashion pioneer 26 years ago to work alongside her.
Born on April 4, 1916 in Selma, Ala., Mrs. Johnson came from a prestigious family. Her sophistication and fashion sense wasn’t bought. She was born with it. Mrs. Johnson’s father, Dr. Nathaniel D. Walker, was a doctor who practiced medicine for five decades, while her mother, Ethel McAlpine Walker, taught education and art at Selma University. The institution was founded by Dr. William H. McAlpine, her maternal grandfather, who also founded the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. and was close friends with Booker T. Washington.
Education was important in the Johnson household. She graduated from Talladega College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in art. A master’s degree was later earned in social work from Loyola University in Chicago.
Mrs. Johnson was working as a social worker when she quit her job to support her husband John’s vision of starting a magazine that focused on Black life. When he was having trouble trying to find a name for a new magazine in 1945, he asked her for guidance since she had a degree in art. She chose Ebony because it means “fine black African wood.” The magazine would go on to define generations.
To those on the outside looking in, Mrs. Johnson appeared to be living in the shadow of her late husband John H. Johnson, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. Those who really knew Eunice Walker Johnson understood that she was the wind beneath his wings. She stood by her husband in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, in good times and in bad until his death in 2005.
Mrs. Johnson dined with kings and queens, presidents and musical royalty, yet she remained down to earth. To hear her speak revealed a story. When she opened her mouth, her heavy, southern drawl would make people look twice.
“She was a shy woman. She wasn’t somebody you could approach and talk to right away,” said Audrey Smaltz, the Ebony Fashion Fair commentator from 1970 to 1977. “She was an astute fashion person who had more than just fashion in her background. She was an interior designer. She was a lover of art. She had the greatest art collection you could imagine. Because of Eunice Johnson, I met Pablo Picasso and Giorgio de Curico. She introduced me to luxury, art and culture way beyond what I went to school for. I graduated with an art degree. She took me to a Ph.D.”
Always impeccably dressed and wearing designer fashions herself, everything came back to fashion and education.
What started out as a charity benefit in 1958, turned into the birth of the Ebony Fashion Fair. As the show got underway, the models ran into problems with make-up, unable to find shades to match their skin. The solution? Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
At the inception of the Ebony Fashion Fair, Mrs. Johnson would travel to Europe with her husband to buy clothes. They would “beg, persuade, and threaten to get the right to buy clothes,” Mr. Johnson once said. The resistance came, he recalled, because certain designers thought that White women wouldn’t value their designs if they were worn by Black women.
A few of the leading designers finally agreed to sell fashions to the Johnsons for the show. Among the first Blacks to buy from French haute couture fashion houses, they started out spending half a million dollars annually.
“She was eventually known in fashion circles as the largest buyer of European haute couture,” said Owen. “As time progressed she would spend a million dollars each year on 200 complete ensembles featured in the hour and a half presentation.”
Mrs. Johnson bought creations from designers that others were afraid to take a chance on because they were unknown and just starting out. Valentino, Roberto Cavalli, Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent were among the names. “They were young and in their 20s, just starting out,” said Owen. “They were looking for people to buy their high-end couture. That started her personal relationship with them because she was there before they made a name for themselves.”
Often criticized for not having more Black fashion designers, the Ebony Fashion Fair did showcase throughout the years the creations of Stephen Burrows, Patrick Kelly, Willi Smith and B. Michael. In later years it featured L’Amour, Quinton de Alexander, Kevan Hall, Fusha, Anthony Hankins, and even the Steve Harvey Collection.
Hands on until the end when her eyesight began to fail her, Mrs. Johnson made certain to see a complete run-through of each fashion show with the models before it hit the road. One year when she wasn’t excited about the show’s new direction using rap music, she made the models scrap everything and start all over.
Committed to community service, Mrs. Johnson received many honors from the United Negro College Fund, The Boys & Girls Club of Chicago, Alabama A & M, Loyola University and many others. In 1988, Mrs. Johnson returned to her alma mater, Talladega, to receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. She also had an honorary degree from Shaw University.
Fiercely independent, Mrs. Johnson could be seen driving around Chicago in her two-tone Rolls Royce. She let nothing stop her. Like Frank Sinatra, she did things her way. And she did it with style.
To date, more than 4,000 shows have been performed in the United States, the Caribbean, London, England, and Kingston, Jamaica. Ebony Fashion Fair has raised more than $55 million for various scholarship groups.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
What are you doing New Year's Eve?
I am preparing for a quiet New Year's Eve at home with the folks. My family does the festa dei sette pesci on New Year's Eve; because we are usually too busy wrapping gifts & going to church and whatnot on Christmas Eve to cook.
This time last year dad was in the hospital and we didn't know what was wrong. Mom did the whole elaborate 7 fishes thing and brought it to his hospital room along with a small deli platter, & sparkling cider. I think she was afraid it would be his last NYE. Yes, he was that ill. He went in the hospital 12/27/08 and came out 3 weeks later and 30 pounds lighter. He was home 4 days and then had a relapse and ended up in a physical rehab for 2 more weeks. It's been a rough year healthwise for me and him; and I am ever so grateful he is here for another New Year's Eve.
The festa dei sette pesci menu:
1. Mussels Marinara
2. Alaskan Snow Crab legs
3. Lobster tails and drawn butter
4. Cocktail Shrimp
5. Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo
6. Clams Casino
7. Fried Catfish (hey we're black not Italian)
This time last year dad was in the hospital and we didn't know what was wrong. Mom did the whole elaborate 7 fishes thing and brought it to his hospital room along with a small deli platter, & sparkling cider. I think she was afraid it would be his last NYE. Yes, he was that ill. He went in the hospital 12/27/08 and came out 3 weeks later and 30 pounds lighter. He was home 4 days and then had a relapse and ended up in a physical rehab for 2 more weeks. It's been a rough year healthwise for me and him; and I am ever so grateful he is here for another New Year's Eve.
The festa dei sette pesci menu:
1. Mussels Marinara
2. Alaskan Snow Crab legs
3. Lobster tails and drawn butter
4. Cocktail Shrimp
5. Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo
6. Clams Casino
7. Fried Catfish (hey we're black not Italian)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
To Whom it May Concern:
To Whom it May Concern:
I am not responsible for the banning of CigarBabe or anyone else on that site. I do not have an 'in' with the moderators or the administrators of this site. As a matter of fact, I feel fairly confident in stating that many of the current mods don't even like me. They are NOT at my beck and call and never were.
If I were to hazard a guess as to why CigarBabe was banned she probably did to a few other people what she did to me. She has a bad habit of gaining peoples confidence and trust online and then anything said to her on the phone or in a text message, IM or e-mail goes into her liquor soaked memory banks. She then thinks nothing of posting private information about you, your mate, or your family in a thread.
This is kinda ironic to me. A few years ago she lambasted everyones favorite Arliss, for posting her personal information on a site; and he was banned immediately. Maybe it's like when kids are beaten or phsyically abused some grow up to beat their own children and physically abuse them. She had personal info posted online, so now she does the same to others.
FWIW: She told me things about her life, health, and marriage that I would never dream of posting here or anywhere else. Then again I'm not much for drunk posting.
I am not responsible for the banning of CigarBabe or anyone else on that site. I do not have an 'in' with the moderators or the administrators of this site. As a matter of fact, I feel fairly confident in stating that many of the current mods don't even like me. They are NOT at my beck and call and never were.
If I were to hazard a guess as to why CigarBabe was banned she probably did to a few other people what she did to me. She has a bad habit of gaining peoples confidence and trust online and then anything said to her on the phone or in a text message, IM or e-mail goes into her liquor soaked memory banks. She then thinks nothing of posting private information about you, your mate, or your family in a thread.
This is kinda ironic to me. A few years ago she lambasted everyones favorite Arliss, for posting her personal information on a site; and he was banned immediately. Maybe it's like when kids are beaten or phsyically abused some grow up to beat their own children and physically abuse them. She had personal info posted online, so now she does the same to others.
FWIW: She told me things about her life, health, and marriage that I would never dream of posting here or anywhere else. Then again I'm not much for drunk posting.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Nashville Christmas
I was afraid the trip would be a nightmare because my dad has a lot of trouble walking now, cause of his Parkinson's. Steps are all but impossible for him. Since this was a bus trip run by the Senior Center I was dreading getting him on and off the bus. But the bus driver was really patient and helpful, so the only bad part was when I had to lift his 6'2". 185 lb. body out of the bus seat. Now, my back is killing me. 
The lady who planned the trip did a decent job of it; but we didn't have a lot of information before we got there. So I was very pleasantly surprised to see that we were staying at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel! We got there about 3:30 Friday afternoon, took a nap had dinner in one of the 6 restaurants in the hotel and then we got back on our bus to go to see the Rockettes Christmas Show at the Ryman Auditorium. It was beautiful! I have always loved the live nativity and all the pretty costumes. It always makes me tear up with joy and I am not one of those girls that crys all the time. 
Saturday, we got up early and had the breakfast buffet. AWESOME FOOD! I ate like a refugee. Then we went to a craft show which was in the hotel and the Hall of Trees, Christmas tree display. Mom was kind enough to buy me a nice, little dress with bling on it to wear to the Opry that night at the craft fair.
While waiting for the shuttle bus to the mall I browsed one of the hotel gift shops and found myself a pink cowgirl hat for only $20! When we were at the mall I saw almost the exact same hat for $49.98. I love a good bargain and I was so happy I did a little happy dance.
Then mom and I took the free shuttle to the Opry Mills Mall and shopped! Mom has been on a quest for black flats for months and she finally found a pair she liked and that fit. She wears a 7.5N so finding shoes for her is always a chore. The mall was packed tighter than I don't know what. There was a Subway in the mall so we picked up a foot long FEAST and some chips and took it back to the hotel so we could eat dinner with dad, before boarding the bus to go downtown to the Grand Ole Opry!
I've seen the Grand Ole Opry on tv a million times, but it was such a thrill to be there. I didn't realize it was such a small venue, but the acoustics are excellent and there isn't a bad seat in the house. BONUS: They not only allow but encourage you to get out of your seat and take flash photos of your favorite performers! There were a bunch of acts but the ones I enjoyed most were Jean Shepherd, John Conlee, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, The Whites, and of course Trisha Yearwood. I love her! She sang: She's in Love With the Boy, How Do I Live?, and Your Cheating Heart. Back on the bus and back to the hotel.
We packed and loaded up, and were on the bus by 10:30 Sunday morning and headed back for home.
I didn't see a single motorcycle the whole time we were in Nashville, which I thought odd at first. However, it was unseasonably cold and some areas east of the city actually had 1-3 inches of snow Friday night, into Saturday morning. I've never been on a motorcycle when it's under 50 degrees so I'm guessing riding in the snow and the cold is less than fun.
All in all it was a good trip, mom and I bickered a few times but we do that at home too.
Just Ranting About the Usual
Dad fell twice last Thursday (12-3-09), the 2nd fall landed him in the ER with a mild concussion. His first fall was when I was at my shrinks office. Apparently he fell walking from the driveway into the garage with his 4 pronged cane. He gets nervous about steps. Fortunately, we live in a ranch house with no steps. He got all nervous & shaky due to the 1.5" elevation in the concrete from the driveway to the garage. Mom got hysterical and started crying cause I wasn't there to pick him up, as I did the previous week when he did the same thing. Finally she ran next door to our neighbors house and one of the guys there was able to come and help get daddy up and into the house.
The 2nd fall happend maybe 4 hours later at Captain D's. Mom had decided she didn't want to cook dinner that night so they went out. Dad fell walking out of the restaurant with his cane. The floor in Captain D's was not wet, it's just how he is now that the disease has set in.
I wasn't there cause I had to take the handyman home. I hired a handyman to help me get the 8' Christmas tree that mom prefers out of the shed in the backyard, and into the house. There is also a 6' tree but she doesn't like that one. At this point my life revolves around keeping mom happy so she doesn't bitch at me. Actually that's pretty much the story of my life.
The handyman also had to disconnect the old broken tv in the folks bedroom, take it out of the entertainment center, move it to the garage; and hook up the new 27" flat panel, LCD, HDTV to the cable box. Mom had purchased a new TV on black Friday. Dad as you know has Parkinson's Disease and is unfortuately all but useless to us around the house. I just didn't have the strength necessary to lift that large old television up and out of its perch.
Oh, the handyman is also a bit of a computer geek and he was able to install my new soundcard. He also sharpened my pocket knife. All that for $20! God Bless America.
Mom fell Sunday, getting off the bus, in the parking lot, at the senior center. She made it through the entire trip w/o a mishap and falls getting off the bus 5 miles from home. Her knee went out on her, this happens often . . . like daily. Usually if she wears her knee brace she doesn't fall all the way to the ground like she did on Sunday. She was lucky her only injury other than her pride was to her left elbow. It's a little bruised and the skin was scraped off in about a 2" area. I have been putting Neosporin on it and a clean bandage daily. It is healing nicely.
Tomorrow I have to schlep all the Christmas decorations out of the shed and into the house. Then I have to start writing out moms and my Christmas cards and get them into the mail.
Friday, I have to do the grocery shopping, start decorating the tree and do a host of other junk.
The 2nd fall happend maybe 4 hours later at Captain D's. Mom had decided she didn't want to cook dinner that night so they went out. Dad fell walking out of the restaurant with his cane. The floor in Captain D's was not wet, it's just how he is now that the disease has set in.
I wasn't there cause I had to take the handyman home. I hired a handyman to help me get the 8' Christmas tree that mom prefers out of the shed in the backyard, and into the house. There is also a 6' tree but she doesn't like that one. At this point my life revolves around keeping mom happy so she doesn't bitch at me. Actually that's pretty much the story of my life.
The handyman also had to disconnect the old broken tv in the folks bedroom, take it out of the entertainment center, move it to the garage; and hook up the new 27" flat panel, LCD, HDTV to the cable box. Mom had purchased a new TV on black Friday. Dad as you know has Parkinson's Disease and is unfortuately all but useless to us around the house. I just didn't have the strength necessary to lift that large old television up and out of its perch.
Oh, the handyman is also a bit of a computer geek and he was able to install my new soundcard. He also sharpened my pocket knife. All that for $20! God Bless America.
Mom fell Sunday, getting off the bus, in the parking lot, at the senior center. She made it through the entire trip w/o a mishap and falls getting off the bus 5 miles from home. Her knee went out on her, this happens often . . . like daily. Usually if she wears her knee brace she doesn't fall all the way to the ground like she did on Sunday. She was lucky her only injury other than her pride was to her left elbow. It's a little bruised and the skin was scraped off in about a 2" area. I have been putting Neosporin on it and a clean bandage daily. It is healing nicely.
Tomorrow I have to schlep all the Christmas decorations out of the shed and into the house. Then I have to start writing out moms and my Christmas cards and get them into the mail.
Friday, I have to do the grocery shopping, start decorating the tree and do a host of other junk.
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