So at least I get a little alliteration in there! And this too...housework is hazardous to your health!

I was washing a big serving bowl this afternoon, and dropped it in the sink. Managed to slice part of my right hand open. There's a HUGE gash on the palm side of my thumb, and some smaller lacerations on the heel of my hand and my fingers.

OUCH.

It bled so badly, DH sent me to urgent care in case I needed stitches. I didn't...but they patched it up and gave me a tetanus shot. (So I'm good for a decade on that.)

I think it's a message: "Don't do domestic."

That is, the early weekend morning shift at KUSI, midnight to 10 AM. I don't know how long it will last, but it saves the freelance gig for a bit at any rate.

DH has yet another job interview tomorrow...his fifth in two weeks. He had THREE last Friday alone, and wasn't expecting to hear anything yet on any of them. But the increased activity is encouraging.

So..I've been away from LJ for a bit...have I missed anything interesting?

It has to be her book "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" that's made me so obsessed with burros.

Did a story on a burro adoption event today. (Oh, they're adopting horses out too.)

And here are two of the critters, ( under the cut: )

Unfortunately I can't link the audio from my story here...but it will air again at 6:44 PM Pacific Time (34 minutes from now) and you can stream it on www.kvcr.org. (By the way, I'm also hosting today.)

Actually, it's a money nightmare on several levels.

( Cut to protect the innocent )

On the good side...DH got THREE job calls today. While he was overqualified for one (though the company recruiter thought he was a perfect fit culture-wise), the recruiter is submitting him for the second and THAT job will pay as much as he made before...and he has an interview appointment on Wednesday for the third.

So SOME things are looking up. And I'm off work tomorrow, for the first time in ages!

Boy, it's nice to NOT be hosting All Things Considered. Our regular ATC host is back, with a scar on his throat that looks like he survived an attack by pirates. (He'd had a serious throat infection, caused by God only knows what as the petri cultures aren't back yet, and had to have surgery.) But tomorrow, we launch live pledge again. For those who aren't familiar with National Public Radio stations...that means this is the time of your we go hat in hand to listeners and ask for money. For about ten days.

So I get to squeeze news duties in between pitching. But it could be worse, I suppose. At least I won't have to run the board during that time.

I'm almost afraid to write this next bit because I don't want to jinx it...but DH has a second interview this Friday with the Art Institute. We know they've background checked him and that they've called his references. Friday's interview will be with HR. (And thanks to wendymr for the tips. He's been studying them!) DH's biggest worry at this moment is what they might offer. They do know what he'd been making before, and even in this economy I cannot imagine that they'd lowball him.

Tony had a dentist appointment yesterday...one cavity. But I think what REALLY got him was how long it took the hygienist to scrape his teeth clean. He really didn't like that! I hope he can REMEMBER that dislike over the next few months.

Hope everyone is doing well!

It's just been extra busy lately! I just did a quick catch up on two weeks worth of journals. If I missed anything important fandom-wise, like air dates, someone let me know?

I've been filling in on ATC regularly; the regular host is still out sick. He had to have surgery on his throat last week, and we're hoping he makes it back in by next week.

DH is still looking for work. Had another good interview last week, but the recruiter told him they were very slow to hire and weren't going to do their call-backs for a second interview until this week. So the applications are still going out.

DH did manage to get hold of my brother, who is looking into possibly buying our parents' house back. It will certainly be lower in price than what we'd sold it for, not only because of the vandalism but also due to the market conditions. If he can do it, we'll get it repaired and then decide what we'll do.

I haven't driven by my parents' house at all since we sold it two years ago. I didn't really want to see what, if anything, the new owner did to it.

Yesterday, after finishing an interview in the same neighborhhod, I decided to go ahead and drive past the house.

I almost wish I hadn't.

The first thing I saw was that the landscaping was dead, except for a few patches of grass. The lace curtains had been removed from the sidelight windows on either side of the door, and I could see from the street that the house itself was empty. I parked and looked in through the windows and could see debris on the floor.

I went next door, and talked to the neighbor who remembered me. He said the woman who bought the house from us had moved out 6-7 months ago, and that the house had been broken into in the meantime. "There's graffiti on the walls," he told me.

Stunned, I went back to the house and tried the back gate, which was open. I peeked into those windows and saw that there was graffiti, becoming worse and worse the further back I moved. It became obscene in my parents' room.

I just cannot believe it. We had decided to sell the house rather than rent it because we didn't want to see it get trashed. But it got trashed anyway.

That is the house my parents took so much pride in. My mother's rose trees are all dead. The custom-built fireplace mantel they'd put in about six years ago was ripped out. And the room where my mother died has been defaced with obscenities.

If we had the money, I'd buy the house back.

Big day for me Saturday. Worked at KUSI as usual, and filed THREE reports for NPR on a fire burning near Temecula. Imagine. With those three reports, I earned as much as I do in a full day at KUSI!

I'll be hosting All Things Considered from 3-7 PM again at least on Monday and Tuesday of this week. David is still out sick. They *have* determined that he doesn't have cancer. But they haven't figured out what caused his throat to swell up like a bullfrog's, and why he's weaker than a kitten. He is getting better day by day but isn't ready to come back to work yet.

DH has another job interview. Monday. 4AM. This is the same Australian outfit that was supposed to interview him Thursday night at 9...they never called ANY of their candidates. He's been told his will be the first interview. I'm hoping that's a good position for him.

Hope all of YOU are well!

My shift is done in about eight minutes.

I AM SO HUNGRY! I didn't have time to go get something to eat and haven't had anything since 11 AM!

The recruiter just called. Said the manager liked him, but he'd interviewed one other person who just nailed it.

The recruiter is trying to get more details.

I honestly cannot take this any more.

Or float...because we're currently in limbo.

DH says the interview went well. But the interviewr was apparently swamped...he didn't meet DH out in the parking area as he was supposed to, and his phone kept ringing through the interview. (He did ignore the calls.) He told DH he'd have an answer that afternoon.

But the answer never came.

DH tried calling the recruiter, but got no answer. I have a feeling that the manager couldn't make the call to the recruiter before the recruiter headed out for the holiday weekend. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

He's in his interview now.

DH got a GREAT phone call this morning, from a recruiter who tried to get him in at ABC a couple of weeks ago.

"I've got good news and bad news. You already know the bad news; you didn't get that job. The good news is another manager saw your resume, called me and said,'Please tell me he's still available.' How soon can you get there for an interview?"

Tomorrow at 2 seems to be perfect for them!

Hoping hoping hoping......

Wildfire season means busy season for me....but things have quieted down a bit now.

Made NPR again with an update on our two fires in San Bernardino county.

Still working two jobs...DH is still looking.

All for now!

You know, it's so nice to be able to say that. Anyone who was reading my journal three years ago knows that my birthdays have often NOT been wonderful things.

But we had some Disney passes and I had my free birthday admission, so we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. Even got little Tony to go on Pirates of the Caribbean, which he'd been afraid to do a couple of months ago.

And we hit the Tiki Room. TWICE.

I wish we could have stayed for the fireworks, but since today was a school day, we couldn't stay that late.

Still, it was a GREAT day! hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

"The Parable of the Hot Dogs"

Happy Woodstock Anniversary!

It only took nine months to get out of the darned hall! Here's a look. ( Under the cut )

It's a tiny, tiny spot....about 6 feet across and 10 feet long. Much tinier than my old office at KZSW. But it's nice and bright and it's out of the damned hallway!

DH hasn't gotten the call yet. Of course, today is probably the earliest he *could* get it since they had two more people to interview.

In the meantime, his unemployment check hasn't been cut. I can only surmise they're holding it up because there was a problem with his form for the week ending 7/11. So that would be three weeks worth of checks he hasn't gotten yet. He's supposed to have a phone interview with EDD on 8/13 about his eligibility for that problem week.

Thank God I get paid this week, but I'm scared because I've got unpaid utility bills and an unpaid car payment to try to manage. We're going to have to pull from his IRA in order to get through the next few weeks.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I saw this on aibhinn's journal and had to play.



My maternal grandparents'. Both were immigrants from Italy who came over on the boat at separate times. Papa even came in through a different country; he entered the US through Canada. Legally, I think.

Both found jobs in a Boston area garment factory. Papa was a pattern maker and Nona was a stitcher, so they didn't cross paths until a couple of days before Papa was supposed to go back to Italy to find a wife. His trunk was packed and he was ready to go. Then he met Nona in the factory. He went home and started unpacking. When his brother asked what he was doing, Papa said, "I don't need to go back to Italy. I found her right here."

They were married almost 52 years when Papa died.

aibhinn tagged me for this meme. Here are the rules:

Firstly: If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new, original question.

Secondly: Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do that. Don't tag who tagged you. And I tag: andreaknoll, tardismate (you two are the newest members of my flist!), vincealiav,tweets,starlightmoonla, measi, karenor, kalleah and chicklet73.


1. Who sleeps in bed next to you?
My husband. Occasionally my son. And it gets REALLY crowded when all three of us are in there!

2. Have you ever fancied a cartoon?
Jonny Quest. What wasn't to like about a blond blue eyed kid whose dad was a brilliant scientist who took them around the world in a really cool jet piloted by the next best thing to James Bond?

3. What are you reading right now?
Just finished re-reading "Deathly Hallows." I need new reading material but can't afford Barnes and Noble right now. And I think the library would clap me in irons for the fines I owe! (And I used to WORK in a library...it's shameful!)

4. What's your occupation?
Radio news reporter and television news producer.

5. What do you hate right now?
Waiting!

6. Who is your celebrity crush?
John Barrowman and David Tennant.

7. What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
Doctor Who and Torchwood.

8. What are you listening to right now?
The TV. DH has MacGyver on. Another favorite for me!

9. What food could you eat every day for weeks and not get sick of?
Vietnamese Pho and spring rolls. Baklava. Lasagna.

10. What websites do you always visit when you go online?
LJ, CafeMom, AOL Mail and the TVSpy Watercooler.

11. What are you going to do next year?
Get hired as an assistant news director at a station in San Diego. **grin**

12. What was the cutest thing you've seen today?
My son, sprawled in sleep in his bed. Snoring.

13. Does the weather affect your mood?
Yes. I suffer SAD, so winter defiitely gives me the blahs.

14. What is your favourite type of cheese?
Any smoked cheese! I also love Jarlsberg.

15. Do you want to learn another language?
I learned Spanish in high school but forgot so much! I'd also like to learn more than just menu Italian.

16. 5 things you can't live without.
My family, my critters (dog and parakeet), my computer, my books and the ability to write.

17. If you could meet anyone now, who would you meet?
From a fangirl basis? John Barrowman, with the hopes that I won't be tongue-tied. From a mom basis, I think Maria Shrive because of the children's books she's written.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
Honey, you're going to get that job!

19. What are you looking forward to?
DH getting hired back by Disney.

20. What did you dream last night?
Darn, I don't recall. I had to be up too quickly this morning. I usually like to take a moment to reflect on whatever dream I had.