Money Draw House

I'm trying to squeeze in making more art. These photos are from a new piece called Money Draw House. The photos are of the little palm sized book attached to the fabric strips of the house.

I'm feeling a renewed urge to produce after hearing about Shreveport artist Frances Drew passing away. Four of my pieces will possibly be a part of the exhibit called The Money Show at artspace in March.

I'm trying to convince Charlie to team up with me to submit ideas for the Katfish4Kids project. He knows finishes and loves to paint. (Kathryn)

Forgetting Sickness

How would it be to wake up one day and not have bipolar illness and the costs that come with it in our lives? Sometimes this thing is heavy to drag around and other days it's barely there but it is always lurking.

At least I'm not in denial. My brother was supposed to come here and get help with his alcoholism (but my family of origin (FOO) won't even call it this). Maybe treatment. Instead he's job hunting and has found one where he has to commute two hours a day even though he doesn't have a car. And even though the reason his wife kicked him out was because he was driving drunk with her kids in the car. My parents would have to let him drive one of their vehicles. And FOO people are thinking this is a good idea. (Kathryn)

Sugary Treats

Lately, the only reason I pull into a Southern Maid parking lot is to take pictures, not buy hot pastries. I'm trying to eat healthier and that means donuts are no longer one of my main food groups. Not that I miss them. Although my favorite Southern Maids are the chocolates with cream cheese filling.

This location is in Bossier City near Bossier Parish Community College. I have a crush on Highway 80. I want to write a screenplay that centers around The Strip. (Kathryn)

Discuss

There is a young man in Baton Rouge we are worried about. He's been arrested for arguing with the police after drinking, drugging and driving.

While Charlie and Katee discussed the grief this fella is causing his family I spied and snapped pictures. And while I share their concern, I stood inside the house being thankful. (Kathryn)

Words

We've been writing notes to each other this week. Charlie's (pictured on the left) tend to be nicer than mine. I'm pretty hateful. Katee even wrote me a tender missive and left it on my pillow.

In this time of text messaging and voice mail it was ironic that a chunk of our chosen form of communication involved paper. How retro were are. But still out of touch. Charlie needed stamps today and even though I had them I couldn't tell him what the current rate is for first class post. So we stuck two 33 cent stamps on the front and clipped the the letter to our mailbox.

Negotiations are underway for a nicer version of my note to go on the thermostat. (Kathryn)

Kitchen Update

My brother came over to help paint the kitchen ceiling. He and Charlie used a paint that starts out purple and then becomes white when it dries. I was disappointed because it was a pale, pale purple. I guess I wanted Jolly Rancher Grape.

From the cheap remodel department: Charlie is redoing the floor with tiles he's purchasing from Dollar Tree. I promise pictures this week of the frugal floor. Who needs a $50,000 makeover when you can shop the everything's a buck store? Only the best over here at white trash central. (Kathryn)

Puffy Chair

My new favorite movie -- The Puffy Chair. How can you not love a movie with it has its own myspace page? The makers of the flick grew up in New Orleans.

Besides that movie chair looks like it could be related to a chair we used to own. (Kathryn)

The picture above is not the movie chair. It's just curbside trash in my 'hood.

Gone

People with bipolar disorder are at great risk for suicide if they are not getting treatment. The National Mental Health Association reports that 30%-70% of suicide victims have suffered from a form of depression. Men commit almost 75% of suicides, even though twice as many women attempt it.

It's not that I dwell on those facts. It's just that they hover over my thoughts daily while I struggle to keep my family well.

About the picture: I do not know Elvin Smith. I took the picture of his memorial wreath at the entry way of a local Wal-Mart. I suppose his co-workers displayed the marker to remember him. It seemed strange to see this in a place so all about consuming and exchanging and daily life. While I took this photo the alarm went off when someone exited the store with a high dollar item and the little security thing hadn't been deactivated. Chaos. And there was Elvin looking surprised. (Kathryn)

Paints

Charlie is painting the kitchen. We're not getting rid of the fish theme. Just toning it down a bit. It's a good winter project. Except when the day he paints the back door turns out to be the coldest of the year and we have to turn the heat off while the door stands wide open to dry.

It's a good thing he's doing the work because this is the perfect project I'd start and never finish. Wee, for having handy boys around the house. (Kathryn)

$hopping

I'm spending way too much money at Wal-Mart. I went there yesterday and again today. Funny thing is we don't buy any drugs there. Those we get from K-Mart, Walgreens, QVL and sometimes CVS.

The scary part of today's trip was I thought we were going for enchilada fixin's but Katee had a list. A Katee list. She requires more beauty products in a year than I've gotten in my entire life. I had one Flicker razor that my mom made me shave with for the entire time I was in high school.

When we tally up the order it's over a hundred dollars. Katee pops up and says "I've got twenty."

"Where'd that come from?"

"Gas. Money. You gave me."

"You better keep that for gas."

"Just thought I'd offer."

We did go to the Family Dollar store and buy dog pee pads. Share my wealth with everyone is my motto. (Kathryn)

Please?

Miss Kitty now has to nibble at the center island since we have a new kitchen table and we are actually eating at it. The old table just used to house clutter and Miss Kitty's feeding station.

Orange tabby is not happy about the change. But then when she first came to live with us, she stayed in the back room for over a year before she decided to come out and explore the rest of the house. (Kathryn)

Work and School

House Hunters on HGTV last night had the story of a young woman who was getting ready to buy her first place. She was looking for a condo in the city where she had gotten her first job. During the course of the show it was revealed she was thirty years old and this would be the first paycheck she'd ever earned.

Granted, she was a medical doctor but this makes me rethink how much we're expecting of folks with bipolar disorder. If a "normal" person made it all the way through school and was never required to work, why do we demand a bipolar person get a job? Are we pushing them to be our definition of normal? Are we expecting too much?

Katee starts at LSUS this semester after completing a couple of semesters at BPCC. BPCC is also where she got her GED. The GED program there with Becky Turberville is awesome. All the work is done on computers and she loved that. (Kathryn)

Totally

When Charlie was in a coma in 1993 he got bedsores on his feet that completely ate away the back of his heels. The left foot patched itself up. The right foot has always had an open wound festering on it.

His new doctor has decided to put him into a "total contact cast" to see if that will cause the open parts of the foot to close. The cast helps sores heal because it protects the skin and prevents pressure from being put on the sore.

He gets a new cast every week and has been wearing one for six weeks. When he goes back Friday to have this one removed the therapist says he might have progressed enough and won't need a another one. (Kathryn)

Glowy Like Holiday Lights

Christmas dinner was Monday at mom's house. We did it the day before xmas because I worked Tuesday. Mom, Dad, Uncle John, Charlie, Katee, Aunt Dawn, her six children (Claire, Alyssa, Bentley, Melanie, Kellen, and Amethyst) and myself squeezed into her trailer. Auguste came by after his work and met the family.

A good time was had by all. The children didn't put their feet on the couch too much and mom's glass top coffee table survived. We are hoping the Claire and Alyssa can spend tomorrow night with us. Katee wants to spend some time with her cousins. They leave out for home early Saturday morning. (Kathryn)

The Anti-Antibiotics

Charlie has a yeast infection in his mouth (it's also called thrush). Could be from recent steriod or antibiotics he was prescribed. Anyway, the doctor wants him to take three weeks of antibiotics.

Before ingesting more evil antibiotics he's trying gargling with tea tree oil, eating yogurt, and taking garlic, vitamin C and acidophilus tablets. And we've radically changed our diets. Smoothie, anyone? (Kathryn)

Seeing Out

Our small bungalow in Highland shares a driveway with the neighboring house. That house's kitchen window faces the driveway. Our kitchen window is on the other side of the house. How much more practical would it have been to place the kitchens across from each other so the meal preparers could smile and shout recipe tips across the way?

Some say it was television that killed community, some say it was air conditioning that pulled us inside and halted interaction with neighbors. I say it was putting the kitchens on the wrong sides of the houses.

There a ton of notes on this picture. Click on it and you will see them. (Kathryn)

Tasty

We are not skinny people. Fattening things around our house get gobbled up. But not this cheesecake Charlie made from Philadelphia Ready to Eat Cheesecake filling. It died a slow death in the refrigerator.

I think we all had problems with the texture. When Katee found out it was the filling from the vat-o-cheesecake she informed us that the globby stuff was better eaten as a dip with little graham crackers shaped like teddy bears. Sleepover food she told us. Like cookie dough. Like popcorn with warmed cheese whiz slathered on top and eaten with a spoon.

On the healthy side, I baked spaghetti squash last night and ate it with homemade onion soup. Tasty. (Kathryn)

Pink Angel's Trumpet

In front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse there are bushes with pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers. I take pictures of them while waiting on my walking tours to begin. I can only dream about what I could do with a little bit better camera. In the meantime I'll just work on developing my eyes. (Kathryn)

Light Duty

Two weeks ago I worked in the American Towers building as a file clerk -- part of my week of light duty because of an on the job injury.



On Monday Katee and her betrothed, Auguste, picked me up after work.

At the end of the week I discovered the movie American Splendor. It was a fitting end to a week of toting hanging green files. And to imagine Harvey Pekar spent his work career as a clerk in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harvey even played around with blog back in 2003. (Kathryn)

That Boy

This is Auguste. The one Katee blogged about. He just got a new job at Pier 1 Imports.

Today when he came by to see her after work he was covered in glitter because he unloaded a truck of Christmas ornaments.

Ah, to be young and in love and covered in shiny particles. (Kathryn)

well, hello again, everyone.

So.

It's been a while.

Maybe you remember me? My name's Katee. I used to write in here a loooong time ago?

Yeah.

Too much has happened since I last updated on my life to write about it. I quit smoking. I started hanging around a bunch of people who were first class assholes, but thanks to them I met the absolute love of my life. I started school again. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out and I cried for days. I have an A in math. :D Life isn't too bad, really.

No, I still haven't gotten my license, but that's mostly out of laziness. I drive almost everyday now, so I know how to do it. I just haven't gotten around to going to the DMV and taking the test. I'm pretty much in love with my car, though.

But I fell in love with this boy. He's. . .not the kind of person I thought I'd end up with, honestly. For one, he's younger than me. He just graduated from high school in May and is turning 19 on October 1st. (!!) I know. And he's just so. . .sweet. His name's Auguste (Ah-goost). He's French. Not really French, but he might as well be. He bought me two engagement rings. Why? Because one was more traditional, and one had a big blue heart on it. Look, I don't know, he just does these things. And he's beautiful. I mean, my god. But yeah. . .so he's pretty amazing. He watches cartoons and is 20 kinds of charming.

I'm starting to get my creativity back, and losing trust in certain friends.

I guess it's just me growing up some more. I'll be 20 in, like, a month and it's kind of freaking me out. I have 4 weeks to use the excuse of, "But I'm just a teenager!" And then it just kind of gets annoying because no one will want to treat me like an adult but no one will expect me to act like anything but. Frustrating, but oh well. Honestly, I'm happy. Maybe I'll start writing again. Maybe not. It's just that I'm just now learning how to take life a little slower. It's something that I'm learning from Auguste. Did I mention I love him?

Now I'm going to go take this eye make up off, turn off the lights and TV, and crawl in bed with my beloved. Life really is amazing. :) (Katee)

Travel Size

Charlie and Katee headed south to New Orleans and Baton Rouge for Labor Day weekend. He saw his family and she saw boyfriend Auguste.

When Charlie unpacked he pulled out what I thought was a bag with fish. Turns out that's how he packed his dental partial. (Kathryn)

Vacation is Over

My nine days are up. I go back to work tonight.

Didn't get everything done I needed to do but I knocked out a good chunk.

Also started a new blog for the West Edge Artists' Co-op.

My mother made roast beef yesterday. Delicious. Then I bugged her while trying to get her picture. (Kathryn)

Pink Diamond

Charlie's redoing the front porch.

The platform I had him have his carpenter, Barney, build to elevate the new washer is now on the porch as a coffee table. After seeing how high it would make the washer top, I decided against using it in the laundry room.

So now he has a place for his radio, green leaf, pink diamond and coffee cup. It's looking like a regular living room out there. (Kathryn)

Elite

Meet the Kenmore Elite HE 5t Front Loading Washer.

Never one to miss a "myspace angle" photo opportunity, I shot a picture of Charlie and me reflected in the bubble front of our new time saving device before he and Auguste manhandled it into the house. (Kathryn)

New Washer

Charlie bought me a front loading washer.

What was the first thing I did? Not wash clothes. I covered the top with The Sunday Shreveport Times so I could paint this piece of art, Capulet Crown. It had to be ready by Tuesday for the WEACo show at Centenary College.

Now I have to read the manual so I can figure out how to run the washer the correct way. Good thing I have a week of vacation starting 6 AM Sunday. (Kathryn)

$40 Wal Mart Wardrobe

Five shirts, two pairs of shorts and two pairs of socks.

Buying your husband new clothes is almost as satisfying as playing with paper dolls. (Kathryn)

Hairs Cut

Still haven't gotten my haircut. Charlie went by himself yesterday while I tried catching up on laundry. I'm heading to the barber shop after I drink my orange juice.

Kay charges twelve dollars to cut my hair. No shampooing, no blowing, no upgrading to take more money outta my pocket.

I do leave a nice tip and I get a swell haircut. And it keeps me from attacking my head with scissors after I've had a couple of glasses of burgundy. (Kathryn)

Talking Trash

On the way to get our hair cut Charlie asks, "How many cans of tuna did you have? Did you empty the trash?"

"Four, if you mean the ones sitting on the counter and this is strange conversation."

"I might have thrown them away in the middle of the night."

This is not the first time he's done odd things in a medicated mid night blur.

Later he digs through the kitchen trash and finds only two unopened cans of tuna. Yes, we keep them and yes, I'm a bit steamed 'cause goddess knows where those other .68 cans are. (Kathryn)

Moroccan Furnishings

Charlie's painting the front of the house and redoing the porch and porch furniture.

Some folks travel and some folks make their homes into other worlds...

Katee took the nifty photos. (Kathryn)

The Great Bike Adventure

We huffed and puffed and rode our bikes for about thirty minutes today.

The most exciting part? Charlie zipping down a hill as he realized the brakes on Katee's new bike didn't work. "Good thing I was wearing tenny shoes," he said.

You gotta love a man who's secure enough to ride a pink girls bike. (Kathryn)

Dad

Jerry came over to spread dirt in a new flower bed in our front yard.

I took advantage of the situation to get a picture of his new hair. He usually gets a perm and has funky do-do hair. I like the short cut. However his head is shaped like his grandfather's, my Great-Grandfather Whitener. (Kathryn)

Zombie Boy

So I come home around 5 AMish one morning last week to find Zombie Boy, otherwise known as Charlie, stumbling around in the kitchen. I checked to make sure the glass pot was under the maker in case he was in the middle of making a brew... can't tell you how many towels are stained because Zombie Boy forgot to put the carafe back in... the pot was there but just before I could sigh easily, I watched him wobble around like a butterfly trying new wings as he tried to wake up from his night medicine. He was leaning over a sandwich on the counter trying to eat it. Things were dripping from the bread.

With his eyes closed and his jaws chewing he said, "I thought I was putting jelly on my peanut butter but it turned out to be chocolate syrup." (Kathryn)

We've Bloomed!

Our last post was back in February. Between forgetting our password and working on our other blogs, starting a business, working at a full time job and trying to make art, things have been pretty busy around here. Not that I'm making excuses, just explaining what's been going on.

The photo is of our first grape tomatoes just before we plucked them from the vine. They are growing in pots on our back porch. Charlie waters them. Although with all the rain we've had it hasn't been a tough job to keep them soaked.

Here are our blogs:
www.crazyinshreveport.blogspot.com
www.kathrynandkateebipolarjournal.blogspot.com

Here are our business blogs:
www.tourdeshreveport.com
www.shreveportbooks.blogspot.com

Here's where some of my photos show up from time to time:
www.shreveportfaces.blogspot.com

Here's my art blog (have yet to find that password)...:
www.bottletreeart.blogspot.com

And will soon be working on a blog for the West Edge Artists' Co-op. (Kathryn)

Men Peein'

Skye and Eko and I were walking down Olive Street when I heard a voice say "look at the men peein'."

Disgusting! I look around for the dudes doing public urination (and damn it Mardi Gras is over! Piss in your own house!) and spot the talker. He's kind of red neck looking in a car with an spreddy out H on it (Honda? or Hyundai?).

Well, slap me with a big ol' solar light blub! He said "look at that Min Pin" but with his regional accent and slow Deputy Dog drawl speed it came out "Men Pee-in." (Kathryn)

Cotton Socks

My black cotton work socks are shot. They do that uncomfortable slide-into-your-shoes move. After searching thirty minutes at the red-circle-dot store and not finding any black socks with any more than 80% cotton, I've run out of time because Katee has to get to work.

Then the sock fairy directs me to a display that shows hanging organic blend cotton socks. They even have the soothing mantra of "Simplify" knitted into them. The label reads "Finding the union between mind, body and spirit brings you closer to your true well-being. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY no chemicals, no pesticides, mild dyes..." I've found what I need. Then I see the fiber content is 85% cotton/12% polyester/ 3% spandex. I won't even tell you what the cuff of these organic socks are made of. I buy one pair at $2.99 and will wear them tonight.

Why do I think I need 100% cotton? It's about control. I stand on my feet at work, which means I have no cubicle, which means I have no input over my work environment or my polyester uniform. If you're wrapping me in mandated crappy fibers I'll spend time going natural on the rest. I'll shop for hours looking for 100% cotton pants with pockets (but not too many pockets because a dealer could stuff money or chips into them).

The job forces me to rebel anyway I can.

I get radical by waiting for until the last minute to button the top button of my shirt (I do tuck it in before leaving the house--I'm not for anarchy).

I'm not wild enough to take my cell phone into the pit, even with the ringer off. But then again I don't have a cell phone...

I have gone nearly off the deep end by slipping a notebook and pen into my pocket. A couple of months ago at a "huddle" (that's casino speak for pre-shift meeting) we were told no paper, pens or purses allowed on the casino floor.

All I want is natural fibers next to me as much as possible. So I'll give these impure sock a try. It's a good thing it's winter. It think even with this little bit of polyester in the new socks my toes will get roasty. Even with the all cotton socks there are some nights towards the end of my shift I have to go outside and take my shoes off and cool my feet on the freezy metal floor of our boat. I do this while the smokers are huddled together, wrapped in blankets, puffing away. (Kathryn)

maybe i think too much.

I feel like I never have any time. I'm not even going to school this semester, and somehow I never have time to do what I need to do. I'd really just like to take some time off from hanging out with my friends and getting some stuff done. Our house is a mess because no one cleans because we don't have time. My cat misses me because I'm never here. My body is exhausted. I just need, you know, time to myself I think.

The seventh Harry Potter book comes out on July 21st. I'm really excited, but also kind of sad. It's just. . .the end. But it seems kind of appropriate, too, in my case. I discovered Harry Potter when I was 13, the beginning of my teen years, and now it's ending when I'm 19, at the end of it all. Just seems kind of poetic. You know, in a really nerdy way.

I'm going to try and write in here more. I've been on like a two month hiatus pretty much, so I'm going to try to write maybe three times a week. I'd also like to join a gym or something. And maybe work less. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to do.

Excuse my ramblings. It's almost 2 in the morning and I just got off work about an hour and a half ago. I'm tired. But I'll be okay. I always am. :) (Katee)

Super

We watched the Super Bowl but only after hitting the Goodwill 50 percent off sale. And then calling the gas company because we smelled gas outside when we arrived home. I apologized for calling him out (Katee actually called) during the game. He said his teams didn't make it.

After probing the ground with a long rod like thing and checking in the house he declared us safe. He said we were probably smelling a gas leak that belonged to someone else and it was wafting over. I had no idea "gas the stuff that heats your house" would do that but it makes sense since it is a gas.

By the time we got to watch the game we had to rewind the DVR and fast forward through the actual playing of football so we could watch the commercials. I didn't see them all but my favorites are: FedEx: Don't Judge, GM Stripping guys to wash your car, Bud Light English lessons, Bud Light Gorillas, CareerBuilder: Office Jungle Fight, Taco Bell Lions, American Heart Association, Frito-Lay Enjoy the Game, Meet the Robinsons ("I have a big head and little arms) and Budweiser Beer-Stealing Crabs. (Kathryn)

Damn TV

I had to take Katee to Willis Knighton Quick Care yesterday because she seems susceptible to growing strep throat.

Two things about modern life:

1. While hospitals are set at a nice icy 50 degrees QC was baking in heat. I had to keep going outside because it was so hot in there. It was either that or take my shoes and socks off 'cause when my feet get hot, I'm toast.

2. There was a TV blasting in the waiting room. Why? I'm a major remote flipper but there are some places you shouldn't be forced to watch television. What's wrong with nice and quiet? Or even elevator music? However, since this is Louisiana, all ours should be Cajun zydeco.

No strep for Katee. We just had to buy some nice cough medicine with codeine. Only ten bucks. I can't complain about that price. (Kathryn)

Will This Party Never End?

Who doesn't love those goofy paper party hats Brits wear? I've been remaking some long duster vest things and have an abundance of sleeves scattered about. I took them to mom's house Sunday and made everyone wear them while we ate chocolate cake and danced for four minutes to the song Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright from the Shrek soundtrack. This was the only photo that didn't have Katee's picture and she said the only way I could take a picture was if I didn't post one with her in it.

I then regaled them with my Samuel L. Jackson story:

On my birthday I was in the high limit blackjack pit on a fifty dollar table. I was shuffling the cards when a black man wearing a cozy hat approached my table. He didn't make eye contact. I said hi (in my friendly casino employee voice). It was after greeting him that I realized it was Samuel L. Jackson.

He switched directions after seeing the minimum bet was fifty and went to the twenty-five dollar table. I only had two players. The quarter table was loaded. Mr. Jackson came in with a white man and a white woman. The woman juggled a notebook. Both stood around while he settled down to play.

Seconds later there was shrieking and then the general yahoos started scrambling in from the regular part of the casino. The black man and black woman on my table agreed with me that there was no reason to act like you were raised in a barn and resort to hysterics when you spotted a celebrity. Finally, security was dispatched and Mr. Jackson was able to play a couple of shoes with a little bit of peace. I went on break and when I came back twenty minutes later Mr. Jackson had vamoosed. (Kathryn)

Not A Bad Birthday

This is what I woke up to on Thursday. I promised the person with the purpled out eyes I would not publish this picture but I apparently lied so I gave her a little bit of space by keeping her anonymous (I think it's okay that I lied because this was all a part of my birthday celebration).

Chocolate cake and Hy-top ice cream.

Ya-hoo. What more could a gal ask for?

Oh wait I forgot ...Samuel L. Jackson spent part of my special day with me.

The end. (Kathryn)

The End

News reports stated that Monday was the dreariest day of the year. It just punctuated what we've been feeling the last ten days or so. For Charlie the highpoint of sadness came when the tow truck carted away the Blazer last week after the insurance company declared it totaled.

A moment of silence for the music he lost...

While he did remove the stereo from the vehicle he forgot to remove the CDs from over the visor. The next day when he went to where ever they had towed it the CDs were gone. (Kathryn)

adulthood.

When did I grow up?

Somewhere between the mood swings and heart breaks and joy and tears, I grew up. I only say this because I've figured out how to be responsible. I guess it dawned on me last night when my manager from Blockbuster called to ask if I knew how to get a hold of Ken who hadn't shown up, I volunteered to go in. It was my night off and I was going to go in and close, when I had to open today.

I don't know why. I guess it's because I don't want to let people down. I don't want to look like a brat because I'm not. I've been thinking too much about this lately. There's so much that comes with being an adult. It's scaring me a little. I'd love to go back to being 14 again. :
I have too much on my mind to even begin to write down. (Katee)

Not a Military Family

We are not a military family. My father served stateside in the Korean war. None of my siblings served in the military. There was a point where my husband thought it would be a good idea if Katee wanted to enlisted. I nixed that idea. We are not lucky people. We do not win lotteries. But I have a feeling we would be "lucky" when it came to body bags.

The one family memory I have of the military is when a cousin came back from Vietnam with severe facial and brain damage. "He's just different now," was the only thing my mother's family would say.

On KTBS last night there was a story of a Shreveport mother who served in Vietnam and was now proud that her two sons were heading off to war. I watched the young man in the story and saw fear. The mother went on to say "I knew the day they enlisted, that they would face the reality of being in Baghdad." The youngest kid is a senior at Byrd and will be leaving for basic in May.

Faiza Al-Arji is a Baghdad mom who blogs. When bombs started raining down in her city in March 2003 she went to the flower shop to buy roses because she wanted to be happy in the last moment of her life. Al-Arji says the meaning of "Marine" in Iraq is murderer.

What's the chance that these two mothers of sons will ever sit down and chat over a cup of tea? I say this in my most radical feminist voice isn't that what being a woman is all about?

B-12

I forget how good B-12 makes me feel. I've slipped into the habit of only taking two droppers a day when I do better taking five.

This afternoon before Katee and I ride out to run errands, I slick the orange liquid under my tongue and then do it again before 4 p.m. I can feel the quiet in me and enjoy sitting on the porch knowing the litter box needs my attention but for a few minutes I'm connected to the world and not wrestling against it. (Kathryn)

Quick-Mix Concrete for Fortification

I know this is not timely but maybe if I jot this down I'll use it at the end of 2007.

It seems to me that the last two weeks of the year and a zombie attack have a lot in common. Brain dead folks running around in both situations! Especially near malls and big super stores.

My plan is to load up on supplies (food, crafts, kitty litter...) and hole up in a big secure compound 'til the thing blows over. I'll only go out for movies but then in this situation I might turn to movies on demand through my cable provider.

I thought up this plan when my brother and his family came to town to spend Christmas at his in-laws big compound in south Shreveport. They spent a lot of time schlepping supplies back from Wal-Mart. Surely there's got to be some place on the internet where Hot Pockets can be ordered?

I gloated over my brilliant idea of hunkering down for the last part of the year until that lady ran into Charlie on Wednesday -- well into the first week of the new year and proof that brain dead folks are out all the time. (Kathryn)

Goodbye Blazer?

A moment of silence for the little 1988 Chevy Blazer. Charlie was in an accident yesterday while on his way to work in Bossier City. A lady rear ended him and he slammed into another car.

The front and rear ends were damaged. Who knows if it will be totaled. It had 150,000 miles on it and wasn't worth much. Charlie is just sore and missing his little car.

It's been an exciting year for the Blazer. It was stolen and recovered in July. Now we'll have to see if it will survive its latest ordeal. (Kathryn)

goodbye, 2006.

This has been one hell of a year.

No, really. It has. I have gone from being completely antisocial to not being able to sit in my house for more than a few hours. I'm different now. Everyone's different. I've lost some friends, made some friends, and grown even closer with current friends. I got a job and made good grades in school. I went the whole year without falling in love, which might just be a miracle. I also started to appreciate my family even more than I already have.

So now I'm going to wish everyone a happy new year and hope that 2007 is amazing for you. :) I would be out partying, but I have to work tomorrow morning, so I'm being forced to go to sleep no later than 12:30 am. Get good and drunk for me, and kiss someone you love. ^_^

excuses, excuses.

Since I haven't written much at all in any of my journals in the past few weeks, I think I'll update you guys on the month of December. I started working at Blockbuster a few weeks ago. I really love my job, and my co-workers are really great, too. My second day there, this guy started flirting with me. He was kind of goofy and had lovely eyes. Meru decided to get her bellybutton pierced, and since he's into piercings and tattoos and stuff, I invited him along. We all had a bunch of fun, and he was really great.

So we started dating, I guess. But then last Wednesday I was cleaning my room a bit and my phone rang. He was calling to tell me he didn't want a serious relationship. I was little confused because we'd been dating for a little more than seven days, so I wasn't sure when we discussed this serious relationship business. I was pretty pissed the hell off, though. That night I hung out with my cousins (who are fantastically wonderful and I love them a lot omg) to get my mind off of this random occurence. By the time I had to go to work the next day, I was much more calm about the whole situation. He was getting off at 5 and I was working 5-12, so there was a 10 minute window where I would be put into his presence.

I walk into work, smile at everyone, grab the office keys from Krystal, and head to the back to put my stuff up. He then started running after me and said something like, "I got some traumatic news last night." And in a slightly uninterested tone I said, "Oh, what's that?" And he says, "I found out I'm going to be a dad."

Words cannot explain how much of a WTF moment that was. In about 10 seconds I forgave him and acknowledged that he had given me the only excuse that would've worked in this situation. Good luck to him with all that, since I am so not into helping with a baby. I haven't actually talked to him lately since I haven't worked with him since then, but whatever.

I'm actually fairly proud of myself for not freaking out and shutting down and crawling into bed as soon as that happened. A year ago I probably would've stopped working at Blockbuster because of that, but it's so pointless now. I mean, it's not like I fell in love with him or anything. He did have really great tattoos, though. Sad.

Bah Humbug

A picture I took of my dad at Thanksgiving made it into The Times online "Reader Christmas Photos" Gallery. I tried to link to it but the site is being wonky. Jerry is photo number 31.

I'm disapointed it didn't make it into the paper. I think it's a much better photo than the ones selected but what do I know?

I also noticed that there's a "buy this photo" button you can click to buy that picture. So who gets the money? The Times gets paid for a photo I took? Nothing was said about this when I submitted the photo. Geez, I better shut up I'm starting to sound like the Bah Humbug.

New Family Photo

Since we started this blog we've talked about getting a family photo up on the page. So today when we went to the Louisiana Boardwalk, I bugged everyone while we rode the trolley so I could get a decent picture of the three of us. It does have a bit of a myspace angle happening.

Charlie and Katee said I antagonized them too much but now if I'd really wanted to get on their last nerve I would have made everyone wear a red or green shirt. And stop off for a teeth whitening session. (Kathryn)

No Driving with Momma

I've been forbidden to teach Katee to drive. She kicked me out yesterday. So Charlie's taking over the driving lessons.

But really it's not her, it's me. I think she's wounded that I'm stompin' on the floor of the passenger seat side trying to find the brake. She did drive up Thrill Hill (Creswell Drive) yesterday. Did great! However that didn't keep my heart from flickering like a strand of cheap Christmas lights from the dollar store.

work!

Last night was my first night at work, and I had to close. Woohoo.

By the end of the night I was, like, limping. Gonna have to get used to walking around for 8 hours. BUT it's okay because I like getting moneys. :D

Look, I'm sorry about not updating much lately, but it's the holidays, you know? I am so exhausted, haha. I finished all my finals and so now I'm just awaiting the final grades, which hopefully don't suck.

Anyway, just a little update, to anyone who cares. :)

shine on.

So today might have been the best day ever.

A few days ago I put in an application at Blockbuster. Then about 24 hours later, the manager called and asked me to come in for an interview today at 3 pm. So at about 1:45, when I was trying to dry my hair and watching Friends, someone knocked on the door. It was my friend Lydia and a mutual friend Sam. We talked for a little bit, and Lydia let me in on a piece of interesting information.

Apparently, Mike's [ex boyfriend] roommate kicked him out because of Mike was being himself. As in, the world's biggest asshole. They got into an argument of some sort, and the roommate said something to piss Mike off. So the roommate goes up to Mike and attempts to smooth things over and was like, "Hey man, are we cool?" Because, you know, they were roommates and that's an uncomfortable situation. But Mike, who is unable to just let shit go, brought up what the roommate said in what I can imagine as a nasty, bratty tone of voice, and the roommate handed Mike his rent check and told him to get the hell out. So now he's back living with his mom.

Also, I think he lost his job at Exxon. You know, sometimes when I think about that boy it just makes me sad. I'm not really sure why he's so angry. Maybe he's bipolar and manic all the time. I don't know. I just know that when we were together I saw past all of his faults and I know he can be a wonderful person, but he can be so mean and uncaring.

Anyway, so that news kind of amused me. They left and I went off to my interview. And I use the term interview loosely because I talk to the manager for like 10 minutes. Our conversation went something like this:

Manager: Now, you don't seem to have much work experience.
Me: No, but I did a lot of volunteer work for a horseback riding place for kids with special needs.
Manager: Hmm. Did you ever do fund raisers or anything involving sales for them? Because we're a pretty small branch and have to do a lot of sales stuff to stay in business.
Me: Well, not really, but I'm very experienced in selling Girl Scout cookies.
Manager: [laughs] That's sales. Okay well, I like what I've heard, so why don't you come in on Saturday at about 2 and fill out some paperwork and we'll do a little training.
Me: . . .Okay!
Manager: Oh yeah, and khakis.
Me: What? [I thought he said "Kathy" and was not sure if he'd called me that by accident because this happens often]
Manager: You'll need a pair of khakis.
Me: OH! That's fine!

And that is the story of how I got a job at Blockbuster in the span of about 10 minutes. I'm also fairly cute and bouncy so that might've had something to do with it. I went home and climbed into bed because it is so very, very cold outside, and I called Sara back (she'd called during the interview) and will maybe possibly be doing something with her tomorrow night. Then Meru called to see how the interview went and we squealed quite a bit for a few minutes until she her break was over.

Man, I totally live for days like this. (Katee)

[Edit: Sara called while I was in the interview, but it didn't actually ring. Just in case people are concerned about these things. I know when to turn my phone on silent.]

Bifocals and Children's Books

Tuesday the eye doctor told me I needed bifocals (moment of silence for this next step in getting older). Katee also needed new glasses so I did not splurge on the no-line bifocals because I'm cheap even though my vanity really outweighs my cheapness but my brokeness outweighs my vanity (... rock, paper, scissors...).

That same day I went to Betty's Books and bought six children's books: Junie B. Jones, The Boxcar Children and Encyclopedia Brown.

I took Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus to work. I've never thought about putting a cover on any book I've ever read but as I got out of the van I thought "maybe I should've covered these in brown paper..."

On the other hand, you gotta love a book that's only 69 pages long and contains paragraphs like "The bus made a big roar. Then a big puff of black smelly smoke came out of the back end of it. It's called bus breath, I think."

My new glasses with their little lines in the lenses will be ready next week. They are, however, encased in a stylish black and pink plastic frame, almost as swell as my first pair of cat's eye frames with their little sparkly rhinestones. (Kathryn)

almost done.

So Mom decided it would be a good idea to have like 78 blogs or something and is trying to get the hang of managing them all, so that's why she's been neglecting this one a little. I, on the other hand, have been getting ready for finals which are next week. I am so very, very relieved about this semester being over. Next semester I'll be off to LSUS. Wee. That is, if I can ever get a hold of my advisor. I've e-mailed her and haven't gotten a response, so I'm going to try calling her, and then if that doesn't work I'll just go up there myself. I don't get why professors advise us. It's hard enough for them to keep up with all their classes. I find that they're all generally pretty absentminded. They should just have people whose only job is to advise. That'd be a pretty sweet gig.

Oh well. Now, if you'll excuse me, tomorrow is my last class of learning something new in math, so I need to be rested up for that. I've been taking Xanax for sleep because my doctor is a pain in the ass and wrote the wrong amount for Ambien, and if I don't go to sleep soon I'll be a zombie tomorrow. Only without the whole eating brains thing. Ew. (Katee)

watch out for the penguins!

The War on Penguins

OMG YOU LEAVE THE PENGUINS OUT OF THIS, MICHAEL MEDVED.

Wtf @ everyone being pissed about a movie teaching children to not pollute the planet.

Also, "darkest, most disturbing feature length animated film ever offered by a major studio"? Did we watch the same movie? Because I saw it twice and I totally remember everybody in the theatre cheering and clapping and dancing when it ended both times. Dark and disturbing it was most certainly not.

Look, okay, I know that you religious nuts are all excited about the end of the world or whatever and think that since Jesus is coming back anyway, you're all going to heaven so what's the point of keeping the planet clean, right? I'll tell you the damn point: Remember that verse from Genesis that talks about God creating the Earth? I don't think she/he would appreciate you lowly mortals destroying this creation. The other point is that there are, believe it or not, other people of different beliefs on the planet, too, who would LIKE TO KEEP IT IN WORKING ORDER, THANK YOU.

Now that that's out of the way, I think if you want to see a truly disturbing animated movie, you need to go watch Bambi ASAP because good GOD there must be a lot of people in therapy over seeing a baby deer watch his MOTHER get shot by HUNTERS who want to eat her. But I guess if that came out today, you people who say that it's liberal propaganda trying to stop people eating meat.

YOU LEAVE THE BABY DEER AND PENGUINS OUT OF THIS. They did nothing to deserve your scorn except want to keep their habitat free of Twinkie wrappers and Coke cans! You people have gone too far this time, striking at children's movies. When will you find something productive to do with your time? D: (Katee)

Where We Been

Holidays and starting yet another blog kept us busy this week.

Red River Blog Jam awaits you.

Plus we shopped a little bit.



About the photo: Shot it this morning while driving to the stores and surrounded by fog.

(Kathryn)

^_^

Happy Turkey Day!

Eat lots and lots of food, don't be afraid of the calories, people! It's the American way! ^_^

Deck the Ice

Big party last night at artspace. It was the opening show for Deck the Halls. Some of my bottle trees and photos were selected to be in the show.

All of us (Charlie, Katee and myself) attended but in separate cars. Katee and Meru flitted through the exhibit and then skedaddled to see Happy Feet. Charlie remained only a tad longer. I almost stayed til the end taking pictures of artists and their art.

On the way back I drove by Shreveport's Festival Plaza so I could see how the prep was going on the outdoor ice rink. I caught the Zamboni in action resurfacing the ice. It opens today and will be open non stop for the next 50 days.

ugh school needs to be ovvveerrr now.

Sooooo I've got a math test at 1:00 p.m., and then an adolescent psych test that's due on Friday, and I'm so very, very ready for this semester to be over. Thanksgiving Break is next week which means a full week to sit around and do pretty much nothing in the way of school. I do have a driving test I need to study for. When we come back from break, I think there are maybe two weeks until finals and I only need to go up to school for one, and then I will have to ability to do nothing omg. Hopefully BPCC will stop being the biggest whore in the world and send my damn transcripts to LSUS, so I'll be able to meet with an advisor and register for classes so that I can see exactly how many classes I'll be having to do over again. I'm gonna be in school forever wtf.

Oh well, it happens. Now that I have to ability (thanks to kick ass medication and the best therapist in the world) to go to school full time, I think maybe things will go a whole lot faster. And thanks to the discovery of Internet courses, school is not nearly as stressful as it used to be. Wee.

Tonight is the Journey/Def Lepperd concert! Yay! Meru and I are gonna be HOT tonight and people will stare at us all like, "WOW THEY'RE PRETTY!" And we will be, my friends. We'll be the hottest chicks there. I suspect will be some of the youngest chicks there, too, so possibly that will have something to do with our ability to wear sexy things and get away with it. :D Sigh okay, I'm gonna go over some math notes and do the review on the computer. ^_^

Off Grid

i'd like to live off the grid. buy a yurt. stick it on some dirt.

but the thing is my house will be paid off in three years. and there's all this crap i'd have to pack. i'd probably have to give up the computer and use an old manual typewriter.

and it could get stinky. i have outhouse experience through my mother's side of the family.

so. instead. i made a pot of black beans.

and sewed a winter cap out of the sleeve of a cotton sweater that was headed for Goodwill. let me make this clear -- i don't shop at Goodwill because i can't afford their high falutin' prices. i buy from church rummage sales.

i have wooden pallets that i'm turning into compost piles so i can make beds. perhaps plant a fig tree. although i don't know if i like figs. i like chocolate. maybe i'll plant some cocoa beans.

i did always want to live in a commune but i was born too late to be a part of that 60's scene so now i just don't shave my legs. although. i do shave my face because i don't want some long hangy whisker to be waving at folks. (Kathryn)

Who's Writing This Thing?

Crazy in Shreveport is about one family with three people in it (we won't talk about the four dogs and the four cats). The daughter and dad have bipolar disorder.

Who puts up these posts? Mostly the daughter and the mom.

How do you know whose post it is (because we were goobers when setting this up and didn't make it a team blog)? Katee, the daughter, usually has longer entries and her titles are normally not capitalized. Kathryn, the mom, usually attaches a photo to her posts, which are pretty short and she uses lots of capital letters in her titles. (Kathryn)

About the photo: Some of my work was selected to be in the Deck the Halls show at artspace. This is one of the digital prints I'll be offering. Big party this Friday night. And then you can shop your heart out November 18th-January 6th. Sneaked a peak at some of the art -- there's lots of cool stuff to acquire.

oh god.

Well, of course it gets all hot and humid outside and a storm front thinks it's an awesome idea to move in and make things terrifying.

I don't like storms.

If you've already heard this story, move along. I wasn't scared of storms until the seventh grade. It was Easter Sunday, I'd gotten my basket full of chocolate-y goodness, and noticed that it was quite cloudy outside. And then the thunder started, and the lightning came around, and the wind picked up. Since it was April, and there's pretty much no such thing as spring around here, it was hot outside. As you can imagine, wind+rain+hot weather=omgwtfscary.

I was sent to the bathtub to wait out the very, very scary winds, and took along Posh (our poodle RIP), and all of my Britney Spears and NSYNC CDs and posters, which were very important things to keep with me, you see. I attempted to bring along Sparkles, but she wasn't having it, and chose to wait out the storm running around the house and scratching people who got too close. Eventually things quieted down and I felt it was safe to venture out of the bathroom. My parents, who are crazy, were standing out on the porch because it is obviously a good idea to stand outside during 70 mph winds. Duh.

I went back inside to call a friend to see if she'd escaped certain death, and she had. While chatting about something completely irrelevent, I'm sure, I heard a loud cracking noise, a scream, and a gigantic THUD! This did not sound good. I hung up with my friend, ran outside, and discovered my mother crying and also a forest had suddenly sprouted in our yard. Luckily, the GIANT HOMICIDAL TREE OF DESTRUCTION was on city property, and I observed the city workers clearing it out as I was leaving for school, trying not to get tree-ick all over my white Oxford shirt and plaid skirt I was forced to wear everyday. Lol @ Catholic schools actually having those.

I wasn't really all that freaked out by the tree falling. It hadn't fallen during the storm, either. There was about a 15 minute period after the straightline winds had disappeared and the tree fell, but I'm still pretty terrified of wind. And there wasn't a tornado where we are, but I know there were a few tornadoes in the area, so I suppose I relate tornadoes with the storm that made me terrified of storms in general.

Damn straightline winds.

The storm seems to have blown over for now, actually, and the freak lightning cloud of doom that I witnessed has gone off to the East, so maybe that's all the terror we'll get for the night. Hopefully. It seems to have cooled off a lot, too. I was outside smoking and attempting to read The Princess Diaries and started shivering. Such a good book. I'd like to read the entire series because I would like to be a princess, and since Prince William has gone and gotten engaged or something, I think reading about it is as close as I'm gonna get.

Unless, of course, some relative I don't know comes to inform me that I'm the sole heir to the throne in some little-known, very wealthy country that has very few tornadoes and lots of snow. That would be pretty peachy in my opinion.

quick update.

This week has been pretty great.

Britney divorced Kevin, the Democrats took back everything ever in the history of government, and I understand math. Kick ass. I attempted to get my learner's permit today, but I failed the goddamn test by one question. Seriously, I don't fail things. This bothers the hell out of me. I may make Ds on things, but by God I don't fail things. I'm a Ravenclaw; failing is not allowed. D:

In other news, I'm exhausted. Stranger Than Fiction is coming out tomorrow. This is important because Emma Thompson (who is the best person ever), Will Ferrell (lulz funny), and Dustin Hoffmann (do I even have to explain why this is a good thing?) are all in it, and it's about novel-writing. Sweet Jesus, did the producers/writers/etc of this movie spy on me and decide to make a movie just for meeeee? Because that's pretty great if they did.

And because I feel like being random: Many people ask me what my goal in life is. And by "many" I mean "none," but bear with me, people. My goal in life is to be on The Daily Show so that I can A) giggle at Jon Stewart being completely awesome/sexy/funny/etc and B) get to answer a random ass question on the Seat of Heat. This means I have to get famous, and we all know I will, because I have fantastical mind powers and seductive beauty.

:D

Total Meltdown

We did okay for the 11 days I was off for vacation but then on Tuesday afternoon there was a big meltdown explosion.

Katee and Charlie were headed to the DMV to get her learner's permit (I know, I know most kids get their licenses when they are 16 or 17 but she's had some major anxiety problems). She comes back in to find her birth certificate -- she needs it now! Okay I know I've got it I just have to find it.

I tell her she has a state issued ID she won't need the document. She doesn't listen. Big fight. Ugly noises. Neighbor passes by and hears (I cringe, I'm still cringing). Charlie comes in. Fight gets bigger. We're all yelling. I'm spewing liquid B-12 everywhere. I find the certificate. Finally we calm down. She doesn't want to go because she's upset. He's upset because he's waited all day for her. Someone gets the bright idea that it's election day and maybe the place is closed. We check the DMV website. It's closed.

Soooo.

Instead we go to the poll to vote and then stand in the cosmetics aisle of the drug store to find a hot pink nail polish that will match Katee's car so Charlie can do some touch up on flaking areas. I wish someone would touch up my flaky bits.

!!!!!!

Britney Spears is supposedly divorcing K-Fed.

Excuse me while I EXPLODE IN JOY OMG.

WE GOT HER BACK HXC BRITNEY 4LYFE!!!!

Vacation

I've been on vacation for 11 sweet days. I could use another week to get caught up on all the house cleaning I started. It was a tender bliss just to hang out at my house for all those nights. Now chin up and back to work in the bowels of a riverboat that never cruises anywhere. (Kathryn)

writer's block.

I am trying so very hard to get my creativity back. I haven't actually written anything that's not a blog entry in months. I don't do poetry well at all, so I can't just write a few verses down and be content with it. I absolutely cannot wait for this semester to be done with so that I can do Christmas-y things, and also write about love and such. Lately I've been feeling like my writing is just not as good as it used to be, and I think I've figured out why.

When I started writing, like really getting into it, I was very much into the flowery descriptions and incredibly detailed dialogue. Everything I wrote was quite melancholy and. . .well, "glittery" is the word that springs to mind. I suppose the reason I never finished anything was because I spent so much time figuring out the prettiest word to describe things. Whenever I read White Oleander by Janet Fitch, I always feel the need to make beautiful descriptions. I can do it rather well, but thinking about everything takes up too much time. Now when I write I try not to make things too complicated. If a metaphor that's beautiful and unique actually occurs to me without too much difficulty, I'll use it, but I really try to keep things from going on and on and on.

Maybe I'll write something about Christmas. Honestly, I have no ideas right now as I've been so busy with math. Numbers constantly floating around in my brain is not conducive to creativity for me, so it's just been hard to think of anything. Sigh. I'm going to try to sleep now, but everyone in my house seems to be coughing loudly, so possibly this won't happen for a while. Really, my mother sounds like a goddamned dragon. :( She needs to get some cough drops ASAP.

:(

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe's seperation is making me sad. I hope they get back together because they were my favorite Hollywood couple ever. D:

harry potter related things.

Daniel Radcliffe is starring in a play called Equus. He's playing the part of Alan Strang, a young man who blinds six horses with a metal spike because he's batshit insane, obv. In one scene Dan will be required to ride a horse naked across the stage and, uh, have an orgasm. Or at least pretend to. When I first read about this maybe 6 months ago, I kind of wanted to blind myself with a metal spike, just to try to get those word to NOT be embedded in my brain because, you know, WHY IS HARRY POTTER ORGASMING ON A HORSE WHO DOES THAT. But then I saw the promo poster for Equus and it freaked me the hell out.

Ohhhh, Dan. WHY?

MY CHILDHOOD.

Also, please go watch Potter Puppet Pals in Wizard Angst. I promise it's a bucket of lolz. My favorite line is, "My parents are dead, my life sucks, I can't hold down a girlfriend, and I'm surrounded by fucking goblins and shit all the time. I mean, WHAT THE FUCK?"

Looolz.

In other news, I have nothing to do tomorrow and it's exciting. Well, I actually have to bake my dad a cake because it's his birthday, but other than that I have no school work to do. It's fantastic. :D I'm gonna sit around and read and listen to music and shit. Maybe even watch a movie. I've pretty much been doing shit nonstop for like three weeks, so the whole thing where I don't have to stress about getting something done is awesome. Yep, anyway, I'm out.

we live!

Uh yeah we're still here.

Just busy being productive!

I'm [Katee] writing an entry, possibly it will be up tomorrow!