I noticed lately more frequent hot flashes, an anxiety attack here and there (go figure with a 4 year old that climbs everything) and other assorted yucks like not being able to get to sleep, and being a bit bummed out for the whole week of Aunties visit rather than the previous 1 or two days I enjoyed in my 20′s.

But the thing I’ve noticed the most is that I just have no patience with stupid frickin drivers doing 32 miles an hour in a 45, you know “those people” and the other the unsafe drivers that don’t even bother with a turn signal, the idiots texting instead of making sure they are actually in THEIR lane, the cop that is still sitting at the light right in front of you because he’s on his cell phone leaning half out his window chatting it up with someone like he’s got all the time in the world :-/ Yes they make me a bit peeved, but I take a deep breath and imagine how lovely it would be if the Dovahkiin would appear suddenly on top of my minivan and mistake those darn bad drivers for a dragon :::cackle::::

Wow did I just cackle?  Huh, ya see what I have to deal with?

Anyhoo so I have been researching for some nice healthy herbs and supplements of a good quality for that pesky menopausal crud, so I took a stroll over to iHerb which is an awesome site that I just can’t say enough good things about since they carry all the stuff I usually have to drive across town for but ship it to me free as long as I spend 20 bucks (which is usually what I spend when I restock on my sinus stuff, healthy toothpaste, and tea tree mouthwash anyway) thus letting me stay here away from the bad drivers of Jacksonville

Yeah.  So I discovered GABA  after reading up more on perimenopause and the joys of hormones drifting and shifting more.  Joy. (please note the sarcasm) lol.

 ”GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is a non-essential amino acid found mainly in the human brain and eyes. It is considered an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it regulates brain and nerve cell activity by inhibiting the number of neurons firing in the brain. GABA is referred to as the “brain’s natural calming agent”. By inhibiting over-stimulation of the brain, GABA may help promote relaxation and ease nervous tension. NOW (it’s the brand I’m going to try based on the reviews) provides only the naturally occurring L-form as found in food and in the body.”

Soooooooooo, I’m crossing my fingers.  I also picked up a new thing for Bella while I was there called Yummi Bears D3 since she’s in the middle of a growth spurt and while she’s getting enough calcium with as much cheese, yogurt, and milk she has been asking for…she isn’t getting as much sun as she usually does because it’s frickin cold and gets dark early so the vitamin D3 will help her properly absorb all that yummy calcium for those growing bones of hers!

Now I just have to wait for my order (2-8 days via FedEx) If you’re interested in some healthy stuff check out iHerb yourself if you use my links and you’ll get $5 off your first order. I think I’m going to get some of their coffee next, yummmm, well, maybe I’ll order some of their coffee substitute that is supposed to be yummy since I need to cut back on the caffeine a bit, lol.

My beautiful lovely younger sister Liz Allen of LA Lovely Ink has made the cutest holiday cards and I just had to share!

So I get back from grocery shopping to read this from my daughter on Facebook…

Dear mom,
I’m hungry and your not home with food yet. -__-

My reply was thus

Dear Daughter,

There was chicken, smoked sausage, hamburger, fish, pot pie, chimmichunga, and a single chicken nugget meal in the freezer, the cabinets held odd metal containers that contain other various foods called vegetables, tunafish, and I think there might have been a can of Spam. There was bread on the counter, luncheon meat in the fridge, peanut butter, your favorite grape jelly and other assorted things such as apples, potatoes, etc available. You cook well, I am sorry I was late but I was hunting Walmart for your multigrain tortilla chips, giant rice crispy treat, and pepperoni. BTW thank you again for typing up the grocery list

Love, Mom

The phone rang last evening, I was delighted because it was my kissin cousin from up in Indiana who we have all missed dearly and gosh we wish he and his wonderful daughter would be able to save up for a visit! :::hint hint LJ::: lol.

Imagine my not too surprised ears listening to how a guy came into his shop complaining about the exact same problem I have with the Skyrim text on the television screen :-/  He is attempted to play too but had no idea what the heck he was doing because of course his tv is normal too and was of course frustrated.

Hey I can’t return an opened game so I’m out the $59.99 plus tax, I could get the 30 trade in credit or I could sell on ebay and nearly get my money back but that’s not the point, I don’t want the money

I -want- to- play- my- blinkin- game.

(Pardon my Menopausal outburst) It’s my game, from my meticulously planned day, something that I had actually allowed myself to want.

Maybe after I get the truck fixed and the down payment for kiddos braces out of the way I’ll be able to start saving for a new TV but with the other two things taking precedence… well :::shrug::: it might be another year to two before I can think of a tv because, you know, we are the average normal people, we like to eat and get to work to earn a pittance and all that good stuff.

And there it is for all to see the standard game info from the back of the box

Click photo to enlarge...jeez which I could do something similar in the game so I could read what I'm supposed to be doing huh?

1 player…yeah ok
8 mb to save game….ok
and then it says the tv information but of course everyone knows you can still play the game on a regular tv just not have the high def look… but there is absolutely NO WARNING that you will not be able to read the text for the game on a lower resolution television…

Thank you so much for the work you did for the game, really, I do appreciate it, HOWEVER it is unfair in this economy to expect everyone to own some fancy high def tv, perhaps if you’d at least put some solid background behind text when it came up it might be slightly legible so a person could play the game. I can’t get a refund on an opened game ya know. Am I bitter? Yeah, I am, and if you Bethesda Softworks people had read my email (posted here on facebook for everyone else btw) then you’d know why.

Dear Bethesda,

I watched for updates, saw teaser trailers, read posts, cheered y’all on for working so hard to put out something that was going to be cream of the crop.

I preordered, saved up for this literally, tossed beans in for a crock pot meal for the family for today, because today was going to be MY day, not the kids, not the hubs, not the dogs, not the ferrets, not crazy family members, not a single telemarketer was going to bother me because the phone was silenced, the coffeepot started, no cooking, no cleaning, no watching, no working, my teens schedule set, my youngest going on a play day with her Auntie; today was going to be better than an imaginary spa day.

I waited in line in the cold, got my Skyrim game, defrosted my hands in the car on the way back, got home, took my photo with my new game for posterity and stuck it on facebook, opened my game, started up the 360 the kid got as a gift, popped in my super awesome new game, and can’t play because I can’t read the text … I am just about … I can’t even put an exact word on how I am feeling right now, it’s somewhere between devastated and resigned at the moment since I’ve been waiting years for this, and rarely get anything for myself.  People can snark but not everyone has a high def television when there are so many other things that have to come first and making a game that pretty much requires it to read anything beyond the name of the game…

Do you think the store will give me a refund even though it was opened?

THE bread!  I’m just saying, as soon as I can gather the ingredients I’m going to be all over this bread like white on rice, lol.

Day 9 of the 2011 Great Thank Off.

I am thankful for all thing things I was denied.  There are many things that I had wanted in my life but by the time I was 16 I learned that I would not be getting the things I wanted, so I stopped wanting things.  In not actually wanting anything so much that I could taste it I have learned to appreciate all the more the things that I do have….like my bread machine, lol.