Getting ready for my "big" trip to Spokane, WA with my MIL, I asked my hubby to check the credit card balance.  He protested, saying he just paid the thing off.  Please, I asked, just in case.  So he gets on the site, and I'm looking over his shoulder.

ME:  Uh, honey?

DH:  MMM, yes dear?

ME:  What's that?

DH:  What's what?

ME:  Those charges right there.

DH:  Oh.  That looks like a Russian airline.

ME:  Oh, I see.  You finally decided to hook up with some Helga honey you met back in the days when you were in the Army and stationed in Berlin?

DH:  Uh, no, didn't have any of those.  What the--

Yep,  we were hacked.  Someone stole our credit card number and bought two tickets from Moscow, Russia, to the States.  So we called the credit company, they began the fraud investigation, and they cancelled the cards.  Right then and there.  Before my big shopping trip.  Now this was a good thing, but still!  Of course, the credit card company didn't call us on the unusual charges, because of the location.  There are a few towns named Moscow in the world.  What's the difference?  Only about eight THOUSAND MILES!!

Still went shopping.  Came home with fewer bags than I had hoped, but we still had a good time.  And it makes kind of a funny story.  I know these things end badly for many people, but we got lucky.  But still...

Christian friends, spoiler alert***CUSS WORDS ON THE WAY!!

We got hacked.  Oh, FISH PASTE!  BARNACLES!  JINKIES!  ZOINKS!  Oh, and Shit on toast, too!

I do so enjoy the cuss words that really aren't cuss words, like the kind used in Spongebob and Scooby.

A word of warning to all buying things online-BEWARE!  If the person you buy something from wants you to call a private party and confirm all your information to help the sale go through--don't do it!!  Just pay the extra money to a more reputable go-between, like PayPal or something.  I'm not trying to endorse PayPal, but since I don't really know anything about buying online, other than Amazon...What happened was my DH bought something on an (unnamed) online auction service, and then the seller wanted him to call and get all the information for the sale.  Yeah, guess where he was from?  Guess he thought he'd bring his Helga honeys over, I don't know.

Now before anyone gets upset over my use of the phrase "Helga honey", I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone.  Just expressing a little sarcasm and frustration over the whole thing.  Laugh or deal.  Your choice.  And mine as well, under the circumstances.

So the morning started off with a whimper, improved during the shopping trip, and crash landed when I got home.  My son and I took the dog for a walk.  I let Munchkin hold the leash. (This is called foreshadowing in writing, folks.) She took of running with 30 pounds of little boy dragging behind like the youngest Indiana Jones ever.  On gravel.  Yeah, not enough cartoon character ouchie strips in the world to fix that!  He had the smarts to let go of the leash quickly, and the road rash is only on his hands and knees.
I guess you had to be there.

Some days, when considering getting out of bed in the morning, just say NO!

*Sigh* Tomorrow is Friday.  Well, my Monday, work wise.  Perhaps it will go better.  I'm crawling under the covers with the latest Jim Butcher novel, and making like today never happened! (Well, except for the Olive Garden lunch!)  :)

I had a couple of people call me, concerned over the tone of my blogs.  Seems a couple were a little down.  Well, yeah, maybe.  That comes from no sleep and bad nutrition.  I'm 30-something, you'd think I'd learn by now to drink more water!  But there were some places in my blogs that apparently the sarcasm didn't come across too well.  So I'll try to remember those emoticons in the future when I'm going for sarcasm!

Also, any other blog I've looked at, is either a picture of someone's life, or what's going on in someone's head and heart.  I've tried to be honest in my blogs, even when I'm obviously thinking through mud.  One amazing blog (in my opinion) is on Meg Tilly's website.  I love the site to begin with, and when I read her blogs I get the feeling she's taken my hand and given me a tour of a few minutes of her life.  It's just charming.  Jim Butcher (author of The Dresden Files) has a limited blog on LiveJournal, basically giving a writing tutorial.  In one of his blogs, he quotes several bad reviews, and expresses some frustration about that.  Also a very educational and enlightening blog, and honest.  When I was debating about the whole blogging thing, I had no shortage of examples, with so many people doing it.  But I think I found some good examples of how to be honest and get the point across at the same time, without trashing others.

Now let's get something else straight.  That doesn't mean I don't get pissed off.  I do.  Happens to the best of us.  I just haven't had too many reasons to rant yet.  Be patient, it will come!

I got a timely phone call from a loving sister today.  She made me smile.  She said I looked like I was very busy, and writing a lot.  I'll just ask you to check out my 'friends' list, and look at their blogs.  One writer has tons of stories out, all looking for publication.  I have three.  Yup.  So I don't feel too busy compared to him.  But I think our life circumstances are different, that's all.  He's obviously got a great deal of talent and energy!  My ideas don't come to me as quickly, or in such numbers.  But that's where my fingerprint analogy comes in.  We all hear the 'everyone is unique' song.  There are writers in my writing group who are busy comparing themselves to others (me included) who say, "I'll never be able to write like ____________."  I do that too.  But I have to keep reminding myself that writing ability is also unique, like fingerprints.  My talent and ability doesn't have to be as good as _________, it's good in it's own way.  If everyone accepted that about themselves, I think more people would be writing and getting it out there for public consumption!  (Maybe someday I'll take my own advice on that one!)

Looking at this, I think I ranted without meaning too!  Ah, well.  It's Monday, but it's my Friday at work.  My bird (green cheeked conure) began screaming at me, so I perched him on my shoulder while I typed.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to concentrate with a bird pecking at any jewelry you might be wearing?

Good thoughts to everyone tonight, and hopes for a pleasant day tomorrow.  And with that Zen B.S., I'm signing off!