A Guy I worked with taught me this trick. Make some tea (preferrably oolong...just cause that's the best tea wohooo!). Throw in a Hall's mentholated lozenge. Drink it down!

Of course, I do like to add some honey and lemon when my throat hurts, so I get the honey lemon halls...but any halls will do.

If that doesn't work, by all means gargle with some salt water!!!!

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Oh while I'm at it, I have the perfect cure for hiccups. It works every time.

Put a little sugar inside your bottom lip. Suck is slooooowly through the sides of your mouth. Those pesky hiccups should be gone in moments.

Anyone else have any sure-fire remedies?

Don't come back another day!!!!!!

Pain

by Glenda

PAIN
the maelstrom of darkness sucks you down
weaving through the obstacles of pain- you try once
again
to make it through, one more time.
the pain gets a life of its own every time
facing it becomes harder and harder
life will go on no matter how bad it is.
whether your life will is another matter
They keep saying it will ease
with the passage of time
You know they lie. It is easy for them.
they are not the ones fighting for their sanity
each night as you battle
the demon which grabs your soul
and wanders until early morning light

I got a letter in the mail today...I have an appointment for a pain management consult (FINALLY) the day before the 1 year anniversary of my accident. One year. Unbelievable.

My Constant Companion

by Katherine

My constant companion comes unbidden,
You can't really see him, he remains well hidden.

But if you look closely into my face,
You may be able to see a trace,

Of the wreckage he has left behind,
In ways that have been so unkind.

Hidden deep behind my eyes,
Past the lashes, and crow's feet and the part that cries,

Beneath the smile I wear for good measure,
Buried deep in my flesh like a poisoned treasure.

You see the ravages of a powerful foe,
Who has decided he's not ready to go.

He's made his home deep in my brain,
He has no plans to leave me,
His name is Pain.

Maybe I'll be getting some of that handy-dandy vicodin I keep hearing so much about!!!

Silence

By: Meg

Hello?
Can you hear me?
Is anybody there?
Help me... Please?
The screams
I can't stop them.
Can anyone hear me?
Help! I hurt so bad.
The screams..can anyone hear them?
Please make it stop.
Can you hear me? I said make it stop!
Silence

Maybe I'll get some shots...for someone with a big time needle phobia to be looking forward to the possibility of shots, well, isn't that something?

Maybe I'll get some lovely therapeutic massage!!! OMG!!

{{{sigh}}} I suspect I'll get crap. Still, even the possibility that I might soon be getting some relief is...producing an intriguing effect. It's making me want to admit that I can't deal with being like this; really I can't. My strong wall of resistence against this demon of severe pain has been cracking lately, and despair has been slipping in. Okay there, I admitted it. I scream and wail inside; I stomp my feet and shake my fists in my mind where no one can see.

Sometimes a "My back is killing me" comment slips out, but even then it's said with little hint of the turmoil that tears at me, because I hate to distress those around me.

When someone asks "How are you?" and I can't for the life of me fake a cheery reply....Oh GOD to hear someone say, "Yeah, my back hurts all the time, too" feels like the person is slapping me in the face. HELLOOOOOO

I call my husband a show off when he turns his head left and right at stop signs...because I can't.  I call son #1 a show off when he looks up at the stars...because I can't.  I call son #2 a show off when he lifts a full gallon of water to fill my coffee pot....because I can't. "Yeah, my back hurts all the time too." HELLOOOOO Uuuuuuuugh!!

Am I happy about this appointment? Yesssssssssssssssss!!!

Do I really think it will help? Really and honestly? Nooooooooooo!!!

But I remain.....

Hopeful...

I think

I thought I'd do a post on how to make the most of VIP grabble making!

First, go to your VIP Lounge tab. Choose Gold Miner Vegas Deluxe.

Play the game until you see a level that looks like this: 

You might have to play the game partway through a couple times until you find it! When you have around $8K-10K in your bank, you should be there.  If you hit the lava levels, you've gone too far. :)

Okay so you've gotten to this screen. Stay put and grab the 4 bags on the side.  

When you have these 2 left, move all the way over to the left side and grab the top bag, then try to get the bottom bag...if you angel just right you can get it no matter what way the claw is swining. I blow it up half the time. :) Oh well.

Just make sure you listen for the warning beeps that you're running out of time! You need to get out of the screen before time runs out so that it saves your game at this screen. You can then go back in and play it over and over again and earn your 10K grabble limit for the game in approx 1.5 hours.

Okay so you grabbed all the bags.  

Hit the main menu button before the timer runs out! If you still have bags left, oh well.   

 You can close the page after you do the step above if you want. Then, any time you come back to GMV, you will follow the steps from this picture forward. If you want to keep playing, keep going with the following steps!

If I don't see a lucky clover, I will hit the Main Menu button and repeat steps instead of hitting Next Level, until I get a clover as a choice.

And that's it!  Drewbaby97 has a YouTube video showing this process in action. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFREIJr2Mzg

 We're starting fresh, and will be making a new invite list, and a few new procedures. Here's what we'll have:

Daily activity  coordinators

Special events coordinators - 1 for birthdays, 1 for holidays, and 1 for special events (anniversaries, births, illness, surgery etc)

Members - you all, hopefully!

The goal is to have a tournament each day paired with an activity at the clubhouse. An invite only tournament will be sent out as an announcement that a coordinator has posted something new for you to do at the clubhouse. This will be the only tourney the coordinator will be posting.

Special events will replace the daily activity they coincide with, with each special event being announced with a tournament.

If you're interested in joining, please leave a comment so we can add you to the invite list!

If anyone is interested in filling a position other than "member" please send me a gmail!

An Invite List will be maintained on the club bulletin board which members can use at any time to host a special tournament for members. If you wish to have easy access to the bulletin boards (rather than saving the link in your favorites) please add Club House Bulletin Board to your profile wannas. http://wannas.grab.com/Club_House_Bulletin_Board

Duties

Members:

   -Must be active in the club! Please don't join solely to get tournament invites!

   -Any members wishing to have a birthday party will post on  the Club House Bulletin Board (put that in your wannas to access the board) so the Birthday Coordinator can add the date to their master list.

   -Any member wishing to request a holiday that is not listed will post their request on the club bulletin board so the date can be added to the master list.

   -Any member wishing to request a special event (please, no minor occurances like "I'm having a bad day") will gmail the Special Event Coordinator with their request. An acitivity will be posted at the SE Coordinator's discretion (not automatically). Remember, this will interrupt the daily activities, so please don't make excessive requests.

   -Members can feel free to gmail any coordinator with questions, complaints or constructive criticism at any time so as not to clutter up the clubhouse. It is my hope that any member to member reporting goes through the coordinators rather than sent to mods, so we can keep the thread friendly ,and everyone happy!!

Daily Activity Coordinators (luvmycritterz, kolohe, snowshoes, dreamymiss, pugabug, drewbaby97):

   -Post an activity to "The Clubhouse" thread on your day of the week.

   -Make a tournament of your choosing to invite all members to participate (with link to the activity page).

   -Occasionally be asked by a special events coordinator to host a special activity for them on your day.

That's all there is to it! No need to choose winners or post a second tournament!

Birthday Party Coordinator (butterfly7954):

   -Keep track of all member birthdays & maintain a list on the clubhouse bulletin board (wannas board).

   -Contact the daily coordinator at least 3 days in advance to let them know you will be taking their day, or to ask them to host the special activity.

   -Post the activity (Help me wish ___ a happy birthday, for example) to "The Clubhouse" thread.

   -Make a tournament of your choosing to invite all members to participate (with link to the activity page).

Holiday Party Coordinator (jagerm7):

   -Keep track of holidays and maintain a list on the clubhouse bulletin board (wannas board).

   -Contact the daily coordinator at least 3 days in advance to let them know you will be taking their day, or to ask them to host the special activity.

   -Post the activity  to "The Clubhouse" thread, preferrably with a short introduction as to why the holiday is celebrated or some small bit of trivia about the holiday.

   -Make a tournament of your choosing to invite all members to participate (with link to the activity page).

Special Events Coordinator (PureMary):

   -Keep track of any events members might gmail to you and maintain a list on the clubhouse bulletin board (wannas board). It will be up to you to decide what warrants an activity and tournament!

   -Contact the daily coordinator at least 3 days in advance to let them know you will be taking their day (when possible), or to ask them to host the special activity.

   -Post the activity  to "The Clubhouse" thread.

   -Make a tournament of your choosing to invite all members to participate (with link to the activity page).

-------------------------------------------------------

Thank you all for reading! Hopefully that wasn't too confusing! If it was, feel free to gmail me with any questions. I look forward to starting up the fun again...I hope you will join me. Again, just post a comment to this blog if you'd like to be added to the invite list and help me spread the word about the club by sharing a link to the blog!

The Special Mother

Written by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it."

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will never consider a "step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!"

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".

"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Any other Dickens readers out there? I once bought this huge leather bound Dickens book...has maybe 3-4 of his books in one volume. I've read that bulky thing more than once lol.

My favorite of his stories is Great Expectations. I love it so much that I won't sully my own imaginings by watching it on TV...it would surely be a let down for me.

One would hope everyone has at least read one of his stories rather than relying on a screen version. If you haven't tried one, get on over to the library.

It's been a few years since I've read anything by him...I'm about due.

I did.....

And for 8 years, this was me...

Why, you might wonder. Weeeeellll, my husband used to think I was crazy when I said this, but people do not like a minivan getting ahead of them in traffic!!! People don't let you pass them on the highway (they won't move over) even though ya just roared up on their slow poke behinds, they don't let you pull out if they even THINK you're going the same way they are, and if they see you coming in the passing lane, they will pull out suddenly so you don't get in front, then proceed to go 20 miles an hour slower than you just were. Aaaaargh!

I loved my mininvan...it was really comfy. BUT, I'm much, much happier now with my new wheels 'cause people don't pull the "Oh no, it' s a minivan!" crap on me anymore! Most of the time, they hop outta the way. It's heaven!

Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love. - Claude Monet 

 Monet's painting - Resting Under the Lilacs

As I said, I love Monet. His paintings just suck me right in. There's always so much to look at, just like when I'm traveling down a new road, and they either make me a little dreamy thinking ,"Now there's a path I'd like to walk down," or a little nostalgic as if I've seen that place before. What's to understand? I love how his work makes me feel when I look at it. The paintings don't leap out at me...rather, I leap into them. I'd reaaally like to rest with them, there under those lilacs. :)