to the a**holes that live above me

hello. my name is brandi. i'm the short chick with the dark hair that has repeatedly had to BANG ON YOUR DOOR at 3 am. its funny, i know you're there because i can hear you, and you wake my daughter up, but you NEVER ANSWER THE FRIGGIN DOOR! here's your final notice...i *do not* want to hear you banging around in your laundry room at 6:30 am. i *do not* want to hear your fat dog running around in circles in your apartment. i *do not* want to hear your loud entries into your apartment at 3am after an evening out. i *do not* want to hear you open your sliding glass door a million times after 9pm. i *do not* want to hear said dog barking and howling after 9pm...i *am* a hunter, i *do* know how to use a firearm, and i am *always* looking for target practice. beagles are perfect for said target practice. i *do not* want to hear you slam your front door EVER AGAIN. furthermore, i have a SEVEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. i am a SINGLE PARENT, which means that at the end of the day, i am exhausted and at the end of my rope. excessive noise when i'm trying to sleep is likely to send me over the edge. here's your final notice - i HAVE COMPLAINED to the management. the next knock on your door will NOT be me...it will be the HURST POLICE DEPARTMENT. and they are NOT nice people - haven't you seen how many tickets they write at the end of the month?

there...i feel better. thanks, friends, for indulging my rant. i just had to get that off my chest. and please excuse my language...i'm usually not that profane.

the sting of a grateful american

hi.

i had the most amazing opportunity this morning, and i have to share it.

i live in hurst, which is a suburb of fort worth. i live 15 minutes from d/fw international airport. there are flights arriving daily from kuwait city - they're called r&r flights - of soldiers coming home from the war. i went today to support, to cheer, and to thank these wonderful men and women for fighting in this war, and every war that came before. i will never ever forget the looks of these awesome heroes walking off of that airplane, hugging us, shaking our hands, accepting our thanks. they deserve so very much more than that. i even saw lots of tears (some of which were my own).

i was so proud to be standing amongst such fine americans. i heard lots of 'welcome home, soldier', 'thank you for your hard work, ma'am', 'god bless you', 'good job', and several 'let me help you with that heavy load you've got there's. i've said this before, and i'll say it again. i implore you to shake the hand of someone - anyone - that you see in a uniform, whether it be civil service or military, and thank them for all that they do. i know this may not be a war that everyone agrees with, but those men and women deserve our support and thanks just the same.

greeting these flights will now be something that i do often. if you live around here, or you are ever in the area, give me a shout and i'll tell you how to get the incoming flight information - they do come in every day. i'm looking forward to independence day...that's where i'll be.

the palms of my hands still sting from all of the clapping - and i am grateful.

holy moses!

ok, i whined about the financial planning seminar yesterday, but believe it or not, i actually learned some valuable stuff. did you know that the average woman becomes a widow at the age of 56? and 25% of those widows go through their husband's death benefit in TWO MONTHS!! women are out of the workforce an average of 11 1/2 years longer than men due to childbirth and child-rearing, so while men need to save about 10% of their income per year, to make up for the defecit, women need to save **12%**. i'll be 30 years old this year...so if i start saving $11 a day until i retire, i will have saved over a million and a half dollars. i'm off to the bank...!!!

ladies - go buy a copy of the book 'smart women finish rich'. its not really about making a whole lot of money, its about prioritizing your life and identifying your goals vs. your values to live your life to its fullest, so your happier in your everyday life *and* you can save for your retirement. its a great tool for us.

i have another story to share this evening about what i did this morning...i almost feel like i have a life again!!!

blogging blues

hello, boys and girls. i have been using a lot of lyrics lately to communicate because NOTHING NEW is going on in my life. isn't that sad? i work from home, so nothing interesting happens to me here. my daughter's babysitter is upstairs, so i don't actually have to leave to take her somewhere. i got a pedicure today...big whoop. larry the cat is even bored with me - she's been sleeping all day. the tadpole is still a tadpole...i'm as boring as they get. i'm going to a financial planning seminar tonight...sound boring? YEP. i don't even have any funny jokes to tell. i think i might have 'blogger's block'. anyone know where the action is around here???

for guy

in every heart there is a room - a sanctuary safe and strong
to heal the wounds from lovers past until a new one comes along
i spoke to you in cautious tones, you answered me with no pretense
and still i feel i said too much - my silence is my self defense
and every time i've held a rose, it seems i only felt the thorns
and so it goes, and so it goes...and so will you soon, i suppose
but if my silence made you leave, then that would be my worst mistake
so i will share this room with you, and you can have this heart to break
and this is why my eyes are closed...it's just as well, for all i've seen
and so it goes, and so it goes, and you're the only one who knows
so i would choose to be with you - that's if the choice were mine to make
but you can make decisions too, and you can have this heart to break
and so it goes, and so it goes...and you're the only one who knows

courtesy of kelly clarkson

i will not make the same mistakes that you did
i will not let myself cause my heart so much misery
i will not break the way you did - you fell so hard
i've learned the hard way to never let it get that far
because of you

i never stray too far from the sidewalk because of you
i learned to play on the safe side so i don't get hurt because of you
i find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
because of you i am afraid, i lose my way, and its not too long before you point it out
i cannot cry because i know that's weakness in your eyes

i'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh, every day of my life
my heart can't possibly break when it wasn't even whole to start with
i watched you die
i heard you cry every night in your sleep
i was so young
you should have known better than to lean on me
you never thought of anyone else - you just saw your pain
and now i cry in the middle of the night for the same damn thing because of you
because of you

because of you i am afraid
because of you i never stray too far from the sidewalk
because of you i learned to play on the safe side so i don't get hurt
because of you i try my hardest just to forget everything
because of you i don't know how to let anyone else in
because of you i'm ashamed of my life because its empty
because of you i am afraid
because of you.

my occupation

i'm an electroneurodiagnostic technologist. to simplify - i shock people for a living. in man terms, I 'run diagnostics' on the brain, spine, central and peripheral nervous systems. i talked about this a long time ago; it was, i believe, my second post...gosh, that seems like forever ago...almost a lifetime! i hook electrodes up to people...depending on the problem. electrodes on the foot, leg, thigh, arm, hand, wrist, cervical and/or lumbar spine, head...and that's just the beginning. i then shock them with something that closely resembles a stun gun. the computer at the other end of the electrodes makes a map of the nerve's function, and the 'puter spits out all kinds of numbers. all of that stuff is interpreted, and live moves on from there. however...now that i'm the only one in the company other than the doctor that owns it, i am now the marketer, the scheduler, the person in charge of making sure the billing is done correctly...and anything and everything else that needs to be done. some days i work several hours...many days, i don't work at all. nooooooooooo problems there! sure, i'll take a paycheck to get a tan. why not??

i'm enjoying your responses to your favorite love songs. i know its hard to choose - there are so many out there. keep them coming, though...even if you've already left me one. i'm a die-hard, hopeless romantic, and the songs make me smile...but leave them, even if they make me cry!
here's another of my favorites...'i go crazy' by paul davis

hello girl it's been awhile
guess you'll be glad to know that i've learned how to laugh and smile
getting over you was slow
they say old lovers can be good friends, but i never thought i'd really see you...i'd really see you again
i go crazy when i look in your eyes
i still go crazy...no my heart just can't hide that old feelin' inside
way deep down inside
oh baby, you know when i look in your eyes i go crazy
you say he satifies your mind
tells you all of his dreams...i know how much that means to you
i realize that i was blind
just when i thought i was over you, i see your face and it just ain't true
no it just ain't true
i go crazy when i look in your eyes
i still go crazy
that old flame comes alive, it starts burning inside...way deep down inside
oh baby, you know when i look in your eyes i go crazy"

talk to me!

love and light...
~sparky

ugh

hello, strangers and friends. let me just begin by saying that losing someone that you love is a *B.I.T.C.H.* moving on...

my job is fan-freaking-tastic. i think i work maybe 8 hours a week at the most, and since i'm salaried, i get paid anyway. to lay out by the pool, watch tv, read, shop, go to the zoo...whatever my little heart desires. and since the other three people that worked for us were FIRED for being STUPID, i'm now the only one in the company, besides the doctor. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! i can't believe i stumbled on such an incredible opportunity. they were right...when one door closes, there's an open window somewhere. sweet!

now...for the tadpole update. one of the little boogers died...but one lived. and still has NO FREAKING LEGS! (i'm using that word a lot, huh?) no legs...i really have no clue what to do with it, and i'm really starting to get concerned. i wonder if they're growing inside his body, and he's gonna explode or something freakish like that. should i call 'unsolved mysteries'??

hmmmm...ok, i've written, but i feel like i've written nothing of substance. so...i'll ask a question. what's your favorite *LOVE* song?

mine? "amneris' letter" from elton john and bernie taupin's musical "aida".

'i'm sorry for everything i've said, and for anything i forgot to say, too
when things get so complicated, i stumble - at best, muddle through
i wish that our lives could be simple
i don't want the world - only you
i wish i could tell you this face to face, but there's never the time - never the place
so this letter will have to do...
i love you'

shania twain sang the song on the album that was cut. its quite possibly the most beautiful song i've ever heard. now - share yours with me.

love and light...
~sparky