Oddly enough, I really don't like most people. Maybe I'm a snob, or maybe it's just that there have been too many people traipsing through my life that are not what they seem.

Recently I've realized that I'm blind to a certain extent. I overlook the obvious because I truly care about people, but seriously, I'm freakin' tired of it! I DESPISE people who make shit up to make themselves look better, or to make themselves seem more than they are. It's the same as lying you know. The funny thing is, I am NOT naive you morons. I've been around the block more times than you could possibly count. I have nurtured friendships with intelligent, chic, witty people, and, yes, a lot of them are extremely eccentric. They are interesting. They don't need to make themselves out to be more than they are. They are confident of themselves and happy to share their experiences with those that haven't had those same experiences, they don't make themselves out to be something special, they just ARE. It makes life FUN.

I don't like head games and I don't like people who underestimate me because I'm from Mississippi. My daughter's teacher once made a comment about Mississippi being a third world country. In a way, it's behind the times, there is still racism of ALL forms, it's poor, it's boring and most of it is very rural. I'm not a country bumpkin like some people (actually from MS) seem to think I am. I got the hell out of that run down redneck state and made a LIFE for myself.

Stupid people, there are just entirely too many of them around me!

So, for a while there I was hooked on these GPTC sites and to earn .50 I actually signed up on Classmates.com. Honestly, there was no reason for me to sign up to that site. I've been looking for two of my old friends for a while now and had finally come to the conclusion that it's just not going to happen. Well, wouldn't you know it, I checked my email this morning and there was a message from classmates letting me know that someone had 'asked for my story'. Bingo! That's one down, still need to connect with, but at least I know she's alive & well somewhere!

I wasn't what you might call a loner in school, but I kept my closest friends to a serious minimum. Those that actually meant the most to me have managed to either find me or for me to find them over the years and that's what counts. I don't think my kids realize it's not the number of friends you have, but the QUALITY of friends you have. The twins are super popular in school, much of that is simply because they are twins. Each is different though, so at school Jamie hangs with the boys, Alex hangs with the girls & they have 2 friends that they are super close to and do things with outside of school. Justin, however, I worry about him. He seems to have a very hard time making friends and I really don't know how to help him. This seems to me a problem that a parent should be able to handle without going to counseling or anything like that. The boy has a heart of gold, he's kind, generous and shows empathy toward other children. He's overweight and I think that he gets picked on at school, not that he would ever tell me, but he does have one friend that tell's HIS mom to tell ME. I love that kid and I'm glad he is Justin's friend.

I'm still loving Swaptree. I've made several trades this week, am waiting on my books to arrive, hopefully within the next few days. I also scored reeeally big on my hunt for JA Jance books when I made a quick trip into the Goodwill bookstore on Thursday. It's a great start.

~Ciao

~Multiple Exciting Events~
First & foremost, the twins got their letters today that they passed their Project SOAR tests. That's 4 for 4! I make beautiful and extremely intelligent children, that's my reason for being in this life! Woohoo!

Secondly, My girl is going to come home to recover/recuperate/whatever from this damn stress fracture. She only earned the title of Marine 2 months ago and already she's 'broken' as they say. That was my worst fear when she left for boot camp, what if they BREAK HER??? Everyone said, well, that's kind of what they do, they break them down and build them back up... umm... heh, I mean LITERALLY what if they BREAK her? Now it's gone and happened! Grr.. hopefully by being off her leg for a while it will start to heal.

Third, this is seriously the coolest thing ever IMO. Swaptree.com Trade your used books for books you haven't read yet. This is the best solution I've found since there are no used book stores near me. Fantastic idea. I'm sending out 2 books tomorrow, will get 2 books in trade that I've been searching everywhere for... my cost, media mail postage! Well worth it when you figure in the cost of gas these days.

Another cool site is Book Crossing - Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - only for books. It's a great concept and I'm thinking about a few books I have that I would readily release into the wild.

~Ciao

I've not had the time, nor the inclination to post for a while. Too much going on. My daughter graduated from Parris Island on the 4th of April. That was an AMAZING experience. I was a mess of emotions.

You can not believe how unbelievably proud it makes a parent to watch their son or daughter graduate from Marine Corp. boot camp. In my case, it was simply awe insiring because my daughter is this tiny, petite, little wisp of a thing. My heart swells thinking about it! She is just truly cool.

She got to come home for 10 days before she went to MCT at Camp Geiger, NC. Those 10 days were the fastest I've ever experienced. Needless to say, I was not ready for her to leave again. The Marine Corp, while, I'm not thrilled that my daughter chose them, gave me my daughter back. That in itself is reason for me to support her every decision regardless of my feelings about it.

~Ciao