Okay. 1st, my mom's partner finally died. I guess it wasn't easy either, but I didn't ask for any details, cuz she's taking it really hard, of course. Anyway, my point is, all of us kids have plenty of reasons to hold a grudge against my mother due to past "issues"...too long to explain, we'd be here all day...but while my siblings all continue to hold said grudge, I've been the one kid that has tried to let bygones be bygones, and continue a relationship, strange though it may be, with my mother. She's a weird bird, trust me. ANYWAY...since her partner died, I've been calling her usually 3 times a day, just checking up on her, offering that she should come down and stay with me for a bit, just to get away, etc. My brother? hasn't called her, says he won't. My sister, hasn't called her, says "why? I've got nothing to say". Me? On the phone, all the time. Point of the story, you ask? Well, I sent a gift basket to her for the "celebration of life" (read: wake) that she was having...you know one of those fancy ones with all the eats, and I signed the card from me and my hubby, my sister and her hubby, my brother and his wife, my dad and my stepmom, and all the grandkids. The day she got it she called to ask me if I saw the lovely basket my SISTER sent. I'm telling you I can't win. I've always known who the favorite is, but COME ON.

Last Monday, I signed up for a contest at my kickboxing gym...10 week transformation. I've kind of gotten bored with working out and burnt out on the bfl eating, so I thought this would be a good kick in the pants. So, my "trainer" was supposed to be Matt, and he was supposed to call me on Tuesday to set up a time to take my stats, run me through my 1st workout, and set up my workout/nutrition plan. Tuesday: no call. Wednesday: no call. I called at 3 and Kevin, the manager said "oh, Matt was out Tues., his wife had surgery, he got your paperwork today, and I told him to take special care of you...he'll call you later today". Okay, I can live with that. Wed. afternoon: no call. Thursday: Johnny calls...I'm your trainer...let's get you in here next wed. for stats and start. I was like, NEXT wed? that's like putting me a week and 1/2 behind! But, that's the best he could do, so fine. Whatever. Thursday night I just happened to be at the gym for kickboxing, and I saw Gretchen...head organizer of the contest. She says...NO...we need your stats before the weekend, can you run in for a minute on Friday, get your stats, and if you have time do your 1st workout? I was like YEH! then I'll only be a week behind...totally there. So Friday, I drive the 40 minutes it take me to get there, and JOHNNY DIDN'T SHOW! Okay. I'm now slightly aggravated (read: pissed). I talk to Kevin who wants me to come in Saturday, which I decline because there's no way I'm schlepping 4 kids to a gym that far away and then paying 5 bucks a head for their daycare. So, they schedule me for monday with Diane instead. Only on my way this morning, there's an accident on the highway, and my 40 minute trip took me 2 hours. Fuck. So I get there and she's already left. Gretchen went ahead and took my stats, which was good because their scale says I'm 2# lighter than my scale, and bad because I'm 27.5% body fat. Oy. But, she couldn't run me through a workout, because 1. she's a judge, and it wouldn't be fair for her to have a client in the contest and 2. she had a regular client waiting. So still no workout plan, and no nutrition plan, and I'm beginning to think someone just doesn't want me to do this contest.

End of rant. You may resume your regularly scheduled programming.