Busy, Busy, Busy, as usual.....

Hey Barb!!!! Glad to see ya back!!!

Anyway. Let's see..... DD had 2 nights of hockey practice this week. I had to go pick her up from last night's practice because the hubby was volunteering at the concession stand at the local U's hockey rink. It brings in money for DD's hockey fees. Unfortunately not enough parents are willing to do their time in the concession stand (most of them figure "well hey, WE can afford not to, and I don't want to sully my image by stooping to work at a concession stand", evidently), so we may lose that source of fund-raising, if more parents don't pull their heads out of their @$$es and realize that for a few of us parents, this is one of the few ways we can afford to put our daughters in hockey. We really wouldn't be able to afford hockey if not for the fund-raising.

Also found out last night that the coach for the 12-U team enjoys making trips out of state to tournaments. Unfortunately a couple of them are East Coast, and a couple of the parents with older daughters said that Last Year's visit to Connecticut cost them over 4-grand, just for that tournament & travel costs. *shaking head* There is no WAY we could scrounge up that much money, much less 3 trips a year at that cost, and not counting the numerous trips to Anchorage that the 12-U team makes. We may be pulling DD out of the IceBreaker's League next year, if this coach is still intent on our girls traveling that much. *sigh* Which is too bad because we've otherwise loved the IceBreakers.

Again with the wishing that other folks realize how financially strapped some of us are. Not all of us rake in the big $$$$.

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Still volunteering at the school on Fridays. Though I missed last week because the hubby took my car in to be IM'd.

The results of that IM were fantastic. My car's IM emmissions are still so low that they are literally a fraction of the upper limit for allowable emmissions. My car could be doing 75% worse, and finally meet the limit. Of course that's not counting the engine, which seems to be close to giving out. Or the car's body, which is totaled. But for a second time, the IM guy was shocked how low my emmissions are, and commented to the hubby that even BRAND NEW, fresh off the lot cars have higher emmissions that my car does. *shaking head* Dang. Really, really wish the rest of the car was running that good.

And, for that matter, knowing that my car runs so cleanly makes me feel a bit better about the fact that I don't get even 30 miles to the gallon. I know it would still be best if I didn't have to drive so much, but every little bit, huh????

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I'm rather frustrated with my hubby. Watching the news last night he was HAPPY to see that the president veto'd that children's health bill. *shaking head* Said that if families who are making $80,000 a year were going to qualify, then NOBODY should get it. WTF???? What the hell kind of sense does that make?????? Never mind that the cost of funding this wasn't going to come out of his pocket anyway (the tax on cigs was going to be raised to 1 dollar a pack, instead of the 35 cents a pack -or whatever- it is now). I told the hubby that I was disappointed that he'd rather see ALL children lose, just because a handful of parents got lucky by gaining the ability to state-provided insurance for their kids. I think he'd feel very differently if the insurance I get through my job wasn't so good. I'm glad that my one coworker got the full-time library page job at work, so she can now provide her sons with insurance and not have to rely on the president's say-so for health coverage for her sons. Unfortunately, that's just one person. A LOT more children & their families are now SOL. And that just sucks.

And the irony, of course, is that the idiot in the big chair wants 4 BILLION for his war, but won't sign off on 35 MILLION for the health of our kids. Just who the hell does he think is going to be fighting that war for him, in 5 to 10 years, if not those kids he's now denying medical benefits for?!?!?!?!

It makes me so mad I could just scream. I'm lucky, and thankful, that DD has medical. But my niece doesn't. My nephews don't. And those are just the 3 that I'm close to. *sigh*

Childish & pointless, I know, but there's a big ol' part of me that wants to get a piece of poster-board, print on it "BUSH, YOU SUCK" and leave it on my back deck, aimed at the sky, every day when I go to work. All those satelites taking pictures of all of us can see how sick & tired I am of the bull-s*** this president is pulling on our country, and in our country's name. I know it wouldn't do any good, but maybe it'd make ME feel better. I'd be screaming to the heavens. *wry grin*

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Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes for DD. She got kinda embarassed when she saw "that many people are telling me happy birthday?!?!?" *wink* She says she hates it when I post pictures of her on here, but oooooh, she does like reading the responses. LOL

Well. I think that's it for today.

Have a Blessed Day!