Ten on Tuesday

1. I got my flu shot this morning. I never, ever got a flu shot until I came to work for the Court. The Court arranged for us each to get a free flu shot every year, so I started getting them...until the vaccine shortage we had a few years ago. That year, the Court couldn't get us all a flu shot, so I went without. And I got the flu. And it sucked. I will never again go without a flu shot.

2. I'm not sure which is worse: summer humidity or winter dryness. Either way, good hair days are few and far between for me.

3. Heads up to the lady in the automotive department at Wal-Mart last night: When they ask you what color your car is, they don't need the manufacturer's fancy color moniker. It is sufficient to say "blue" or "red." You don't need to hem and haw around for five minutes saying, "Oh, gee. What is it called? Um, maybe...uh...was it called 'champagne beige,' I think?"

4. In 4 short weeks, we are going to be moved from our offices at the Capitol to temporary offices in downtown Charleston for 6 months while they completely gut our suite and rebuild it. I think I would rather just have my current crappy office repainted and recarpeted than endure the inconvenience of temporary relocation. No, really.

5. I just got an invitation to a New Year's Eve party. Holy crap! Is it already time to make NYE plans?

6. I received my Verizon modem via UPS today, and when I picked it up from the Clerk's Office, the installation CD was hanging out of the end of the box! I wonder if anything else fell out along the way...

7. Sometimes I need look no further than the first name of the child in my abuse and neglect cases to know that the child has been abused.

8. I'm glad Election Day is just one short week away. Living in this part of the state is unbearable during election season. Not only do we get bombarded with West Virginia political ads, but we also have to suffer through Kentucky and Ohio ads.

9. It snowed back home today.

10. I know I must be in love because I'm going to a Marshall football game in 20-some-degree weather on a weeknight just because my new "friend" is a Marshall loyalist. And he and I aren't even going to sit together! I'm just going so that I can be in the same place as him! Lord, deliver me from this evil...

Nice Try, But No.

So I was reading a news headline to my friend that said, "Single Lightning Strike Kills 52 Cows." He said, "And do you know what it smelled like? Bacon!" He was clearly very proud of himself for coming up with that little doozie so quickly. Of course, I laughed -- hysterically! -- but not because it was the funny one-liner he had hoped it would be. No, instead, and in between hiccup-inducing fits of laughter, I said, "Honey, bacon doesn't come from cows!" He looked at me defiantly for a quick moment and then got the shit!-you're-right look on his face. I'll be laughing about that one for days.

Game Day Pat White

I'm heading up to Morgantown today after work for the WVU-Auburn game. I have no idea how it will end, but I don't even care. I mean, what could be better than watching football on a cool, crisp fall evening at Mountaineer Field? Oh wait, there is something better than that...watching Pat White play football on a cool, crisp fall evening at Mountaineer Field!

Random Picture Memories

This picture of Ashley and Lily was taken at the Bickford reunion (my mom's mom's family) in 2007, just before Lily moved to Massachusetts. Ashley is the oldest of my parents' grandchildren at 23, and Lily is the youngest at 3 (although they were 22 and 2 at the time). Of course, I remember when Ashley was Lily's age. I can hardly believe that she's about to graduate with a degree in occupational therapy and get married! I won't say that it feels like just yesterday that she was born because it doesn't. I was only 10 years old then, and that feels like ages ago. But it does seem like just yesterday that Ashley was a punk kid in high school. That makes sense, though, since I'm clinging desperately to 27, which would make Ashley 17...

Ten on Tuesday: The Mikey Edition

It's Tuesday, and it's also the 10th month since Mikey's passing, so today's Ten on Tuesday is all about Mikey...


1. As I've mentioned before, Mikey was a huge WVU football fan. Sometimes, when I'm at Mountaineer Field, I try to "hear" him yelling about the defense or talking about "missed opportunities." God knows there would've been a lot of yelling this season...

2. There is a little writing desk in the back room of the basement at my parents' house that used to belong to Mikey when he was a kid. Daddy offered to let me have it, and I'm going to take it. I have no idea where I'll put it, but I'm going to take it.

3. I'm starting to worry about November and December and how I'll handle those two months. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving that Mikey told me at that football game that he wasn't going to make it; and, of course, it was December when he passed away, scarcely a month later. I keep having these thoughts that maybe I can just sleep through those two months. It worries me that that seems like a workable solution.

4. Mikey took me to my very first concert. It was Debbie Gibson, and it was at the Palumbo Center at Dusquesne University. Now that's the mark of a doting brother -- that he, at 24 or 25, would take his two baby sisters to see some teen queen sing and prance around a stage to the sickeningly sweet tones of "Shake Your Love."

5. Mikey taught me how to throw a football, how to make a lay-up, and how to swing a baseball bat. I have never been very good at any of those things, but I remember exactly what he taught me to do.

6. When Boo and I were kids, Mikey never tried to shut us out of his room. Of course, there wasn't really a lock on his door, but he never even asked us to stay out of his room. I can remember the way it smelled, the pictures and Budweiser mirrors that hung on the walls, the baseball penants pinned over the bed, the knick-knacks on the shelves given to him by girlfriends, even a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus...everything.

7. Mikey did not like Suzy-Qs, which I always found strange. I mean, who doesn't like Suzy-Qs?

8. If ever you complained about something, Mikey would say, "Well, what do you want? Eggs in your beer?" I never knew what that meant, and I guess I never will, but I use it all the time.

9. Thankfully, I can still see Mikey's facial expressions in my mind's eye. I can see his "I got ya!" expression and his "What a rube!" expression and his "What the heck were they thinking?" expression and his "I adore my boys..." expression.

10. I miss Mikey even more after writing all these things.

My Economy, Myself

So the state of the economy affected me in a most peculiar way this week. It hit me, and I felt it in my ovaries. That's right, the economy has taken over my ovaries.

About a year ago, I went off my birth control pill. It kind of happened by accident. I wasn't able to pick up my December pack because I was back home and ended up being there for almost a month. So I decided to just stop taking them altogether. I didn't really need them anyway.

This week, though, I decided to go back on the pill, so I had my doctor phone in a prescription for Yaz, which is what I had taken before. I went to Wal-Mart last night to pick up the prescription, knowing that I'd have to pay full price because I hadn't met my deductible yet for my prescriptions. I remembered that the pills had always been $40 before, and even that seemed like an a lot to me. Yeah, well, apparently there has been a little inflation in the birth control market in the last year because my pills cost me $53 last night! $53! And then I started to think about it...I did have two prescriptions earlier for my sprained ankle and for a UTI, so I had spent some money toward my prescription deductible. I'm guessing, then, that the actual price of the pills was probably $60 or more, and $53 represented the balance remaining on my deductible!

Higher gas prices -- I don't like it, but I can live with it. Bigger utility bills -- what are you gonna do about that? Increased grocery bill -- gas prices always trickle down. But inflation in my ovaries?! It's unacceptable! I protest, and I demand a bailout for my reproductive system! In fact, I'm going to write my Congressman right now...

Taking Another Cue From MountainLaurel...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.


• * Be confident, strong, and direct.


• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.


• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.


• * Give me space to be alone.


• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.


• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.


• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant


• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on


• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest


• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life


• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me


• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to


• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence


• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it


• * never forgetting injuries or injustices


• * putting too much pressure on myself


• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit


• * are sometimes loners


• * seize control so they won't be controlled


• * figure out others' weaknesses


• * attack verbally or physically when provoked


• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted


• * are sometimes overprotective


• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

I Have an Explanation

Some people have been wondering where I've been. I went from posting every day to posting one or two times a week. I have a very good explanation. I do. I just can't really share it with you. But know that I am alive and well and happy. Very, very happy. And when I'm not spending my evenings posting to this blog, I'm spending them with the person who makes me happy. Very, very happy. I can't wait to get to the point to where I feel comfortable talking about him and how wonderful he is. For now, though, I'm playing it by ear...and I'm very, very happy.

A Terrible Day at Mountaineer Field

When this football season began, I believed that WVU could go undefeated. The worst case scenario seemed to be 10-2. Now it seems as if we'll be lucky to go 6-6. And I hate to say it, but there is only one reason for this year's dismal performance: poor coaching. Granted, we lost some great players last year; however, we also returned some phenomenal players. No, it is a case of poor coaching, plain and simple. And it all came to a head this past weekend when WVU took on Syracuse -- one of the worst teams in the Big East conference, if not the country. A 29-point favorite, WVU only won by a score of 17-6. 17-6!!! By the third quarter, fans were standing in their seats, turning toward the press box, and booing the offensive coordinator. Now, I, personally, do not believe in booing in any circumstance; however, I could certainly appreciate the frustration of those booing fans. And I hate to say it -- I really do -- but if Rich Rodriguez had stayed at WVU, this team would be 6-0 right now and ranked in the top 10.

* * * * * *

After taking a pretty bad hit in the Rutgers game the weekend before, my secret boyfriend Pat White did not play this weekend. In fact, he didn't even suit up. Always his teammates' greatest cheerleader, though, he walked the sideline and pushed the team on. Of course, I got a few pictures...


Cheering on your fellow players can make a man very thirsty. Naturally he needed a little Gatorade during this time-out.


He looks a little grumpy here. Maybe it was the bad play-calling, but I tend to think it's because he couldn't find me in the crowd.


Damn that long shirt tail! It's obstructing what would otherwise be a perfect shot of his exquisite derriere!

Things That Make Me Happy

I posted not long ago about things that make me want to cry; and that day, I did want to cry. Today, though, I'm happy. Why, you ask? Well, there are several reasons...

Hearing Lily sing every word of every verse of "Country Roads" in perfect pitch and at the top of her lungs, even if it's over the phone and from hundreds of miles away...that makes me happy.

Having Lily ask when I can come to her house again...that makes me happy.

Knowing that I get to spend another Saturday afternoon at Mountaineer Field with family...that makes me happy.

Driving up the interstate to my real home on a clear, blue fall afternoon...that makes me happy.

Coming back from lunch and finding a sweet, blonde, smiling baby being passed around between my co-workers and knowing that I'm going to get to take a turn...that makes me happy.

Spending an evening with someone who I genuinely like and who can make me smile with very little effort at all...that makes me happy.

Knowing that I am loved...that makes me happy.

Ten on Tuesday

1. This weekend will be my third weekend in a row at home in Kingwood. Not only am I getting tired of driving up there, but I'm pretty sure my mom is tired of having me up there.

2. When I was home last weekend, my parents took me to the basement, pointed to three boxes and said, "This is all your stuff. Take it with you when you leave." So I sat down and started to sift through it; and in it, I found letters that the kids had written to me when I was in college. One said simply, "Dear Lara, We miss you. Won't you please bring us a present?" It wasn't signed, but I think it was from the Arthurs kids. The oldest would have been 8 then, and the youngest was only 2.

3. A friend and I have decided that Tuesdays are overrated and Thursdays are underrated. Therefore, we have renamed Tuesday "Monday Lite" and Thursday "Friday Eve."

4. Gas is down to $3.39 in Huntington right now. Wouldn't it be incredible if it got back under $3/gallon?

5. Looking around my desk at work today, I realized that I need to update my photos of the kids. The most recent photo is still well over a year old!

6. One of my carpoolers got a new vehicle. Now I want her to drive everyday...but I guess that would defeat the purpose of her being in the carpool...

7. I got an e-mail forward today that actually made me chuckle. This was the attachment...


8. Rye bread undoubtedly makes for the best grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

9. The older I get, the more I think I look like my dad. The bridge of my nose is definitely his, and I think the eyes might be, too.

10. I ate a dinner of pizza and bottled beer off of a picnic table in the back of a slightly shady convenience store/pizza parlor last night, and it was the best meal I've ever had.

The Great Mystery

I surmise that at this very moment, my mother is sitting in her bedroom, trying to finish today's crossword puzzle, but incurably distracted by a single burning question: Why didn't Lara go to communion last night? It's true. I didn't go to communion last night. Now don't even bother asking me why. If I still believed in confession, I would tell my priest. I don't still believe in confession, though, so I'm not telling my priest, let alone anyone else. Don't worry -- I haven't killed anyone or stolen anything. It isn't that dramatic; it's a mild indiscretion in comparison (or at least that's what I'm telling myself). But I knew it wasn't right for me to go, so I didn't. I stayed in the pew while 2 of my sisters, 2 of my nieces, and my parents all trotted off like the dutiful, non-sinning Catholics they are.

Truth be told, there have been several weeks when I've wondered if it was right for me to go to communion. I sit there during Mass -- my head swirling with questions and doubts -- and think, I shouldn't go. It's not right. But I can't not go. What would everyone think? Last night, though, I didn't care. I felt that it was wrong for me to go, so I didn't.

I know, I know...it doesn't make any sense. I don't believe in confession anymore, so I won't ever confess what it is that I "should" confess; yet, eventually I will go to communion again. So why not just go last night? I can't explain it, but it just felt wrong. What can I say? It's part of this spiritual confusion that's been playing out since Mikey passed away.

In the meantime, my poor mother is now taxing her brain, wondering whether to just call and ask me out-right or to just let it go. I hope she just lets it go. I'm no more ready to tell her why I didn't go than I am to tell anyone else.

Birthday Bust?

Sunday...the end of my exhausting weekend at home. We went to have buckwheat cakes and sausage for breakfast, something that I never really ate until about three years ago. This was Fred's first Buckwheat Festival, so it was also his first time eating buckwheat cakes. It did not go well. But in defense of the buckwheat cakes, he didn't put anything on them. No butter, no syrup...nothing. I like buckwheat cakes, but (a) I am a firm believer in plenty of syrup on my buckwheat cakes and (b) it took me 30 years to acquire a taste for them. Needless to say, Fred was not impressed.

Later in the afternoon, we went to my sister's house for a birthday party for Lily (3) and Elizabeth (6). Andrea made both girls' cakes. Lily's was Boots (from Dora the Explorer) and Elizabeth's was Hello Kitty. Andrea has always made amazing cakes, and these were no exception.


Here's the Boots cake...


...and here's the Hello Kitty cake. She didn't use a pattern for either. Andrea has mad skills when it comes to decorating cakes.

Lily was so excited...that is, until we started singing to her. Much like Janice's son, Cameron, Lily...not so much a fan of the birthday song.


It started off well enough.


As soon as we started singing, though, her little hands flew over her eyes.


We're talking full-on tears.


It got ugly...very ugly.


When we finished singing, she managed as much of a smile as she could. (I wish this one was clearer -- it's so cute!)


But a little cake can make anything better.

I actually had to leave the party early because it started so late, and I had a 4-hour drive ahead of me. I was so tired by the time I got home. So tired. In fact, I'm still tired...and I have to drive back home tomorrow for another football game...and then again next week! There's no rest for the wicked.

And, yes, Susie, I met up with a hot guy in Morgantown, but I'm going to sit on this one for a while. I don't want to jinx it. Suffice it to say, he is really incredible, and I like him a lot.

Still Recovering from the Weekend

Sheesh! You'd think I had gone on a 3-day bender or something! So if Friday was busy, Saturday was even more busy. I might have had a touch too much to drink Friday night, so I spent the night in Morgantown. While I woke up around 7am, I didn't get moving and on the road until after 9am. Two words: Hang. Over. When I got back to my parents' house, my dad was literally standing at the garage door waiting for me! Yes, that's right...he was at the door. Now, just to review, I'm 27...ish. OK, OK, I'm 33. But that just makes it even worse! I deflected his questions about my whereabouts by throwing out some line about something being wrong with my car as I walked past him to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the shower. As soon as I finished getting ready, it was time to head back out to Morgantown for the WVU-Marshall game.

The game didn't kick off until 3:30pm, but we had a tent party to go to, so we arrived in Morgantown around 1:30pm. I was dead on my feet. In fact, I fell asleep in the car on the way over. The game perked me up a little, though. I mean, I love watching Mountaineer football; plus, WVU won! (Did you hear that Herd fans? WVU won!) As an added bonus, the great Owen Schmitt came back to Mountaineer Field to cheer on his old teammates. Here's a picture of his back. Sorry, I couldn't do any better...


That's Mark Magro to his right. Johnny Dingle was also in attendance, but I didn't see him.

While I was snapping pictures of the sideline, I got this lovely view of Pat McAffee's ass. I mean, of Pat McAfee...



And this one of my secret boyfriend, Pat White. Oh, how I wish he had turned around...


A friend of mine happened to have an all-access pass to the field. I begged him for it, but he said he just couldn't do it. He said he'd lose his job if I ended up groping Pat, and we both knew that I'd end up groping Pat. It's probably for the best that he didn't give me the pass. All I need is a restraining order, right?

Anyway, after the game, I met a friend for dinner downtown, then we hung out in Morgantown for a while, and I ended up not getting home until 2:30am or so. Yet another long night...and I still had a long Sunday ahead of me.