Just call me a Gussack. It's only been a month and five days and I know it's for good. I can be around a room full of people smoking (though I try to avoid that for health reasons) and it doesn't phase me one bit. I have no desire to "light up." In fact, it seems gross. And a lot of that has to do with this series of diaries. At first, I wrote a lot of how I wanted a cigarette and I got great responses of other things to do, or specifically once aoeu sent me her infamous dirty ashtray and that put me off for days! So I owe all of you a big debt of gratitude. I don't think I would have made it without this place to come to for advice and help.
And, I'm living in trying circumstances right now. For those of you who don't know, I'm from Georgia and two months ago moved to Kansas to be with my daughter who has a brain tumor because her husband is fixing to be depoloyed to Afghanistan. We just found out four days ago the tumor is malignant. They also just discovered four nodules on her thyroid gland, one of which is quite large and they are fixing to biopsy. She also has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, but we haven't found out which type yet. Baby Kate's particular tumor is on the pituitary gland, so it's caused high blood pressure, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and she lactates all the time, plus her nerves always being shot as her body feels all the time as if it's pregnant.
Now you may wonder why a baby has a husband who is being deployed to Afghanistan. Well, actually, she's 35, but we still often call her baby Kate. We always called her that because she was the youngest of my four children and when she was eleven I told her I wasn't giving her permission to be inadequate, but that she would just always be my baby. I guess we called her that too long, because all my friends have always called her that, even when I worked in the county distric attorney's office, they all called her baby Kate and she was sort of our mascot. Well, when she was 26, she had to go to court with her ex-husband over child support issues. She was sitting in the back of the courtroom and the presiding judge happened to be someone who knew her from her baby Kate days. And, he called the case as Kate .......... vs. Joe........... Then did a double take and loudly said, "Well, that's baby Kate. We here at the courhouse know her as baby Kate." She was quite embarrassed and of course, opposing counsel stood up and objected to this judge hearing the case and he explained it was an inane motion that he would hear and then recuse himself.
So she's my baby and she has cancer and it's worrying me near to death and if I haven't smoked by now, I'm never going to. Thank you for listening to my travails and now, on with business.
Current members of the GUS team!
1BQ, 3rdGenFeminist, Abra Crabcakeya, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alpha99, A Man Called Gloom, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, awkawk, b4uknowit, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, BlueJessamine, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, buddabelly, burrow owl, BusyinCa, Carol in San Antonio, CathodeRay, cee4, Cen Den, ChocolateChris, ChurchofBruce, citizenx, Cleante, Code Monkey, Colorado is the Shiznit, coloradomomma, Common Sense Mainer, congenitalefty, coppercelt, dadanation, dangoch, Dauber, Dauphin, demkat620, Dexter, Diana in NoVa, Dickie, DiegoUK, Dingodude, dirtdude, distraught, djMikulec, dolfin66, donnamarie, Donna O, dotsright, DRo, droogie6655321, duckhunter, Eclectablog, EdgedInBlue, effervescent, El barragas, el vasco, ericlewis0, Everest42, Ex Con, fhamme, Fineena, fiona2, fishhawk, Flea, FlipperWaves, flumptytail, FrugalGranny, Garrett, Gator, gchaucer2, Geiiga, Georgianna Darcy, glpaul, GN1927, gooderservice, gooners, gravlax, greylox, grndrush, GrumpyWarriorPoet, Haole in Hawaii, henlesloop, HeyMikey, hideinplainsight, High Tide, hiliner68, hold tight, hulibow, I love OCD, Im a frayed knot, imisa, Indexer, indubitably, indyada, Interceptor7, inventor, I said GOOD DAY sir, itsbenj, Jahiz, JamesEB, janl1776, JayinPortland, jayjaybear, jbou, Jeffersonian Democrat, jmadlc55, Joe's Steven aka Steven, john07801, johngoes, jsfox, JVolvo's Mom, jwinIL14, kai99, kailuacaton, Kelly of PA, kestrel9000, khloemi, Khun David, Kitsap River, Kodiak54, Ksholl, labwitchy, Lady Kestrel, ladypockt, Lahdee, langerdang, LarsThorwald, last starfighter, Laurie Gator, Lipstick Liberal, litoralis, lmdonovan, lockewasright, longislandny, luvsathoroughbred, maggiemay, magicsister, mango, Marc in KS, marknspokane, maryabein, Matt Esler, mdemploi, Micburke, michael1104, Mikeguyver, MillieNeon, Minerva1157, MinervainNH, Missys Brother, mjbleo, MnRaindog, Morague, Mr Bojangles, mrsgoo, mskitty, msmacgyver, MsWings, nannyboz, ncsuLAN, NearlyNormal, Nick Zouroudis, notgivingup, NY brit expat, one pissed off democrat, operculum, OrangeMike, Ordvefa, OverTheEdge, paige, PaintyKat, paradox, parryander, Pennsylvanian, phrogge prince, Positronicus, post rational, Proud Mom and Grandma, psycho liberal, ptolemynm, Purple Priestess, PvtJarHead, racheltracks, randallt, real world chick, red mittens, Reepicheep, regis, relentless, revelwoodie, revsue, Rex Manning, rexymeteorite, RiaD, rickeagle, ridemybike, rightiswrong, rincewind, rkex, roadlion, Roger Fox, Rosebuddear, roses, rscopes, Rudini, Safina, SallyCat, Sark Svemes, sboucher, scooter in brooklyn, Scrapyard Ape, seenaymah, sfbob, sgary, Shahryar, sheddhead, Shifty18, shmuelman, shopkeeper, slowbutsure, smartcookienyc, smeesq, snoopydawg, snorwich, SnyperKitty, SoCalHobbit, sofia, soonergrunt, sostos, sowsearsoup, SpecialKinFlag, spmozart, spotDawa, SpotTheCat, StateofGrace, Statusquomustgo, sunbro, Super Grover, tallmom, Tay, teknospaz, ThAnswr, theatre goon, The Eyewitness Muse, TheStoopingRabbit, TigerMom, tiredofcrap, tonyahky, Toyotabob7, Treefrog, triciawyse, trs, trueblueliberal, ttanner, Tulsonian, Turn VABlue, Turtle Bay, Tyto Alba, uc booker, Unduna, Unforgiven, ursoklevar, Vacationland, valadon, Vayle, Vetwife, vgranucci, waytac, webranding, weelzup, Wes Opinion, willy be frantic, willy mugobeer, Wood Dragon, wolfie1818, Wordsinthewind, Wreck Smurfy, x, yet another liberal, Zotz
Please post a comment in the butt can if you would like your name added to the GUS Buddy List. We'd love to have you join us!
Diary schedule:
Asterisks indicate a regular GUS diary time slot:
Mon AM: 3rdGenFeminist
Mon PM: Vacationlan** Mon. night football
Tue AM: Open
Tue PM: aoeu
Wed AM: Open
Wed PM: Open
Thur AM: Frugal Granny
Thur PM: Open
Fri AM: Flumptytail
Sat AM: Open
Sat PM: Open
Sun AM: Open
Sun PM: Safina
Diarists: to get a customized embed code for GUS blockquotes, email bsmechanic35 at yahoo dot com. Specify which ones you would like (mission statement, buddy list, diary schedule), and they will be sent via inline
text.