Happened last night.

S: (watching but not watching the television at my parents' house, while we were trying to fix mom's computer) - So wait, how long do these (US) elections go for anyway?

me: The democratic elections?

S: No I mean the one to elect the president.

me: That election isn't until November.

S: So what the hell are they doing now?

me: Determining who will represent the Democratic party.

S: I thought this was the real deal here. I thought Clinton & Obama were running against each other to be the next president.

me: Uh. Sort of, but no. John McCain is representing the Republican party, it was more or less a no-brainer there, but because people are divided between Obama & Clinton, it's taking longer to determine who would best represent the Democratic party. But in the end it will probably be down to the superdelegates to determine who will win over the Dems, because the race has been so close.

S: So what you're telling me is, they are having an election to determine who they get to vote for? But the people's voices only count for so much, and in the end it won't really matter anyway?

me: That's about it, yeah.

S: That seams really, uh... stupid and wasteful? They're spending all kinds of money and time just so they can do it all again afterward?

me: I don't know, I'm not a US citizen, I barely understand it myself!

S (after a few minutes): I - I just can't believe they're wasting everyone's time and money on this.

(He spends the next few minutes talking about how he thinks Clinton is a bit too shrewish to be the president, but Obama would have more crazies trying to kill him, and that sadly he thinks all this race to be a democratic rep will be for naught because the US will fuck it up and vote McCain into power anyway).

So we're clear here - I'm not heavy into politics. I never have been. My understanding of politics outside my own country is minimal at best, so I found it really amusing that he got all up in arms about it. You can feel free to vent about whatever here, but I'll probably either not understand it, or ignore it. Just putting that out there in advance.

Ok time for a short nap before work. The pneumonia is still lingering and on top of that a bronchial infection. It's making work incredibly long and tiring, but c'est la guerre, right?

Still alive, sort of.

I wonder if Mike Rowe's insurance policy is just full of insane clauses etc... Considering some of the "jobs" he investigates & partakes in on his show, it would have to be.

I really love the show, and so do the kids. It also is great in that it gives me some perspective on my job, on the days when it really frustrates me.

So I have this Metisse song stuck in my head and it won't go away. The culprit behind it is watching the first season of "Dead Like Me" again. I really liked that show and I'm sorry it was cancelled - that seems to happen with shows I like so maybe I should start pretending to hate Dexter and Mad Men. Anyway, it's all I've been doing in between sleeping and semi-functioning as a mother to my kids. Stupid pneumonia/sickness/whatever just kicked me in the rear and is running amok in me. I'm on a freaking puffer for crying out loud - that's how bad the breathing has been. I have to see my doc again on Weds & see about going back to work - I'm just exhausted but I need to go back and I hope he says yes.

As a result of this pneumonia I have had to reschedule the battery of tests I was supposed to take at a hospital in another city (because it's the earliest I could go) and now I'm fucked over for another few months.

Um. What else. I'm too tired to think. That's nothing new, but I'm just putting it out there. The weather has been terrific outside and I've been too ill to enjoy it. There are flowers budding all over the place and that saucy Robin that knocks on our back window every year for crumbs should be showing up any day now. Everything is shouting "It's spring! It's spring!" and I could care less. That is probably the saddest thing I've thought in a while.

Who wants to start building me a bionic body?

Oh, man. I can't even tell you how much this amused me.

New Kids On the Block Reuniting

I just want to know... why?

In other news, my whole family has been sick - S has pneumonia and has been off work for about a week and a half now, the man asked me to take him to the hospital TWICE that is how sick he is. We thought for sure C had gotten it when she fell ill last Saturday, carrying all the same symptoms as S, but she managed to bounce back the way kids do with plenty of bedrest. K is of course now home with similar symptoms but not as bad, however because he still has a fever (they've all had a fever of about 39-40 this whole time - that's 102-104 to ye Americans out there) he is staying home.

I am mentally physically emotionally exhausted, and all this taking care of sick people has finally caught up with me. Chest heavy, bones achey, I want to just sleep forever. But I can't, because I am the mom and I still have to get stuff done. The dad in this situation is busy resting and trying to get better. I don't have this luxury, although I did indulge and call in sick yesterday at work - only to stay home and care for K who is pretty demanding when he is ill - like papa like boy I suppose.

I feel terrible that S feels so bad but even he is getting on my last nerve - I told him I wasn't feeling well and he got all sarcastic in my face and said "gee I have no idea how that feels" and I snapped right back at him "Oh right, I forgot that all sympathy must be directed at you at all times." This made him laugh at least but I was fuming - I am tired and I have been up all hours and I have been making home made chicken soup (I mean from scratch people - I am badass like that) and running to 5 different stores because nobody seems to carry dayquil & nyquil anymore (and it had to be those items, nothing else would do) and brewing tea and still helping the kids out and making sure everyone is eating and has plenty of fluids. See what this does to me? It makes me write run-on sentences that is likely going to give more than one friend reading this the hives.

In between all this I have been helping mother-in-law with preparations for Sunday - it's father-in-law's dad's 80th and they are having an open house for him. Insert rant about ungrateful old men here. I don't even want to go there, ok? It's just going to wind me up. And on Saturday is a surprise 50th for my friend Mickey's dad, and I feel like a bag of hell but I really want to go because I haven't seen Mickey or his family in a long time, and I miss him so very much. He was my best friend all through high school and university and he is a chef in St. Catherine's now so I never get to see him really. Sigh.

Ok I think I've ranted enough for one day, the exercise has taken me about an hour to write all this when normally it would take a few minutes. My head is spinny and I need to lie down for a while (for ever if I had the opportunity) before driving C to school (because I'm still expected to do that in spite of the fact that I feel like I would really like to just die, because at least that way I'd be resting).

How have YOU been?