@MsAubrey (aka Ahyoka) - blog

Soaps and bathroom rebuild - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:46:08 -0400

Been super busy lately. Still working from home, but decided to start making artisan soaps from scratch (oil blends + lye and water = soap). AND working on our basement bathroom rebuild [I'll share photos of the bathroom once done].
Here's some soapy pictures!

And lotion bars:

I'll check back in tomorrow!
NO POLITICS!

"Officer Responds To San Francisco Restaurant Hilda & Jesse Refusing To Serve SFPD Police Officers" - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 14:44:58 -0500

Source: https://www.221btactical.com

NO MENTION OF PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT! NO POLITICS!

Games [board or video] - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 09:45:55 -0500

In my household, we like to play board games and the only one that doesn't like to play any kind of video game is my husband. My understanding is, he used to play some first person shooters [FPS] some time ago, but found himself doing nothing except that while he was laid off... so, he quit playing video games. Every Christmas, I buy at least one board or card game for the family to play. We frequently have family game nights; usually on a Friday or Saturday night. It's time together. It's time to talk. It's time to have fun. I don't know if there are very many teens or young adults that do that with their parents anymore. I'm very grateful that my husband and I have a good relationship with our kids and that they like doing things like that with us. It's rather inexpensive, but we have a blast.

This year, I bought a new card game called "New Phone... who dis?" with a couple expansion packs. It's one that our 13 year old suggested. I'm kind of excited for it. I also bought a few expansion packs for Cards Against Humanity [CAH],... that's always a fun game. The more people you have playing, the better though. We also have a lot of traditional board games like Clue [old school and The Walking Dead versions], Monopoly, Chess, Battleship, Jenga, Rummikub, Scattagories, Indigo, Life, etc. We literally have stacks of new and old board games. We've taught the 13 year old how to play Euchre and Chess.

The video games I really enjoy are kind of obscure. I like all of the Lego-based games like, "The Lego Movie," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Lego City," and especially the various "Harry Potter" games (there are so many more Lego-based video games and so far, I've loved them all, but didn't think you needed the complete list). I have been playing the crap out of "House Flipper"... yes, it's a video game. I enjoy playing "Minecraft" with the kids. My son loves to play FPS and the one he plays the most often is "Rainbow Six Siege" and he wanted me to try it. So, I tried it for a little while and did all of the training exercises and learning modules. He and the 20 year old claimed that I did really well for it being my first time playing a FPS and especially that one in particular. I don't know how well I actually did... they might just be trying to make this old lady feel good. I enjoyed it, but I think I would enjoy it more if I could get the hang of it.

Back in the day, I of course loved playing my uncle's Atari, especially "Circus" and "Pitfall." Then, it was "Paperboy," "Super Mario" and "Duck Hunt" on Nintendo. And "Carmen San Diego" on the earliest PCs in school.

What kind of board games, card games, or video games do you or have you played and liked?

<-- I just thought that was a funny meme. I can't think of anything that I couldn't say to my boss, but could during a board game. Then again, I don't have a normal boss or team.

NO POLITICS, NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT!

The past couple months... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 10:37:59 -0400

So, the past couple months have been sort of interesting. This is just a brief rundown of occurrences.

Firstly, I just wanted to say that my time at NT will remain very limited. I don't particularly need the additional and unnecessary stress that often accompanies conversations here. Therefore, if it's another two months before I return, you know at least know why I haven't responded.

My daughter turned 18 and her "father" told her that she no longer has a home at his house and requested his house key back. All because she "hurt his feelings." My personal opinion is that he could no longer "control" her or her actions now that she's legally an adult and that is really what bothers him. That feeling was merely compounded upon when he drafted a "contract" that gave him sole discretion regarding the money he had saved for her education. He, over the past 13 years has saved about $17,000 to go towards the post high school education of her choice. She still wants to go to school for HVAC, which is just over $17,000 TOTAL cost. He drafted this "contract" to say that he has the right to stop payment and require her to pay him fully within one year if she doesn't perform as he expects of her. This, to me says two things; he doesn't trust her and he's still trying to control whatever is left to control. Now, keep in mind... he never once had to pay child support. We agreed that we would not involve the Friend of the Court, for several reasons. One of my reasons was that he was putting money away for her education. Let's put that in perspective mathematically... If I were to get the amount of child support from him that I was receiving when my parents divorced, which was $120 [might even have been more that my mother was receiving for me] PER WEEK, over 13 years [676 weeks] = $81,120. Now... the only question I have is, do I point this fact out to him or just leave it alone, because at least my daughter no longer has to put up with his bullshit? She is currently working, she bought her own vehicle and has her own car insurance. She pays her own phone bill too. She's either going to get student loans for education in HVAC or join the local union facility to start training / education.

The "adopted one" is now 20 and has a full time job. He's now paying for his own phone and phone bill. Next step is for him to figure out what he wants to do with his life. His adult driving permit is about to expire and he still cannot drive for shit and his temper behind the wheel is unacceptable. I was driving better at 15 [illegally]. He needs a driver's license for what he thinks he wants to do, which is become an electrician through the local union facility. My opinion... he should just get a moped license and yes, that would be a rough ride in Michigan winters, but he seriously shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car or truck.

My son is now 13 and full of testosterone, piss and vinegar. He just started the 8th grade. I like his teachers so far. I worry about how he'll do in his math class in particular. He's got algebra this year. He's not awesome at math. The issue here though is, I am not good at algebra and neither is my husband. My daughter barely hobbled through it herself. I'm just grateful that his school provides free tutoring. He has a crush on a girl already... I only know her initials. He won't tell me her name. I doubt I would even know who she is anyways. Other than school and his current crush... he's all about video games. We have to give him "jobs" to do, just to get him away from the damn gaming unit. I get it... he's fine with playing board games or going to the park, but he only has a couple friends as of now and going to the park alone is boring. It's not like when I was a kid, where there were kids in nearly every house and everyone knew one another... and the kids were together, outside, all day. Most parents today have their kids in so many after school activities [which I cannot afford] that there's no time to just play in the neighborhood with other kids.

My employer has officially announced that we will continue to work from home beyond the first of the year. YAY! I was also contacted by a friend / former coworker about another job that pays about $20,000 more per year than I'm currently making. I sent her my resume. Don't know when I will hear about that, but I'm unsure of it too... it's with a start-up / kick start company. I worry because they don't have a sellable product yet. Then again, my employer is dealing with a buyout and two companies are trying to buy my employer; one wants to keep a single customer and dismantle the rest and the other wants to keep the entire company and have it as a separate division. I'm hoping for the latter, but who knows what will happen.

Well, that's the interesting stuff from the past two months here in SE Michigan.

NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT! NO POLITICS!

People on the road and other driving things... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 11:22:28 -0400

I don’t understand why people get so angry with something so ridiculously silly....
Let me start off by saying that no one is perfect. This is a rant, so to speak about people on the road, new drivers, seasoned drivers, and overall nerve-racking drivers.
I have a 20-year-old boy [aka “the adopted one”], who we’ll call E for the purposes of this rant, that has his adult permit that we went to get him on May 7 ($25 to the State). I have an 18-year-old daughter, who we’ll call M for the purposes of this rant that took driver’s ed. Segment 1 last year ($300 to one school), passed with flying colors, but because of COVID, were unable to get her the segment 2 class ($85 to another school) scheduled until April this year [again, passed with flying colors] and a road test next month ($65 to yet another school). However, because she turned 18 in June, we had to get her an adult permit ($25 to the State) to continue driving until next month, after her road test.
I’ve had both of them practicing in the local high school parking lot with my Fiesta with a manual trans for more than a year now; both have been on side streets with it, but only M has been on main roads with it, because it seems E forgets everything he’s been taught immediately after we’re done driving for the day. Generally, I get him to a place that he’s doing well driving, but a few days later, we’re back to square one again. So, I decided to start taking him out in my husband’s 97 Ranger, which is an automatic. No Bueno. It doesn’t matter much which vehicle E is driving. He doesn’t check blind spots when getting into the next lane, he doesn’t look both ways at a stop, he blew through a stop sign that I had warned him about a block before and claimed that he didn’t have enough time to stop in that block’s distance. Can’t maintain his speed. Gets angry if someone honks at him... like shaking angry. I made him pull over when that happened. Damn near hit someone because he simply didn’t slow down for a right turn, I had to yell, “BRAKES!” Almost never uses his damn turn signal. I had to scold him every time. He keeps asking me if he has to wait for the light to turn green to make a left turn... EVERY TIME WE DRIVE. What blows me away is that he has a younger sister and she’s a great driver!!!
The other thing is, M got a job two weeks after she graduated. E is still making excuses regarding a job... he graduated LAST YEAR. I already told him that he cannot get his license until he gets a job, because he IS NOT going on my car insurance. He needs his own car and his own car insurance.
Anyways... I was talking to someone at work, and he commented that he [a damn near 50-year-old man] gets shaking angry when he’s honked at too. All I could say, or think is, “WHY”? What good does it do to get angry, let alone shaking angry when someone honks? Who gives a shit? Road rage has never been good for anyone. I mean... this article says it all for road rage in Metro Detroit: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/defenders/2021/07/09/it-is-every-day-road-rage-on-the-rise-in-metro-detroit/
I will NOT allow E to keep getting behind the wheel if he can’t control his anger. Personally, I think that if more people took anger more seriously that we would see road rage reduced. What I mean by that is, most people don’t think twice about someone they’re riding with or live with drive or continue to drive when they start getting angry. Even if my mom started getting angry while driving, I’d tell her to pull over and let me drive. She doesn’t get angry behind the wheel, she’s the panicked driver, but that’s no better. I just used her as an example.
My husband is the best driver I’ve ever known. He complimented me the other day by saying, “I think you’re every bit as good a driver as I am, but you’re better at teaching. I lose my patience trying to teach.” I found it to be a huge compliment coming from him really. I’ve seen him a little frustrated on the road, but NEVER angry. I usually sound angry on the road, but I’m simply a bit frustrated.... I’m just loud and obnoxious. :D It seems my daughter is taking after me that way. She’ll call someone a fucking asshole or say, “Use your damn turn signal jackass.” Never loud enough for the other drivers to hear her, but that’s usually the shit that I do too. I’m fine with that method, because while she’s a bit frustrated by the other driver, she’s not angry.
When that person honked at E, I watched his face go red, his hands start shaking, and his breathing pattern increased in speed... he didn’t say anything, but I saw what was happening. I said, “Pull over. You CANNOT be angry behind the wheel.” He said, “I’m trying not to be.” I didn’t want to escalate it further, so I didn’t say what I was thinking, “Well, try harder. This is MY CAR.” His dad is a hot head. I’m not going to put up with that crap, especially behind the wheel of my car.

NO POLITICS, NO MENTION OF PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT.

Camera Security Systems - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:55:34 -0400

For those of you that have camera security systems, I have questions.
What system did you buy?
Do you like it?
What do you wish it had now that you've owned it for a while?
Did you do a wire- in system, solar rechargeable, simply battery operated?
How much did you invest?

I'm looking into getting a camera security system for the front of my house. Last night, at about 2 am, someone threw a fist-sized chunk of concrete at my front window. While it didn't break the window, it took a small chip out of it and it ripped my screen. I took photos and video of how we found it. If it had broken the window, it would've likely hit the adopted one in the head.

I don't know if any of you remember a little while ago when I mentioned a guy that was sitting in front of my house, saying that he wanted to kill himself, so I called 911. A lot of action seems to occur after dark in front of my house. We live on a main through-way from a state highway to a hospital. It's a side-street and it's not really a dangerous street, it's just one that is a straight shot from one main road to another and the second one has a hospital on it.

The thing is, we really don't know if this was a targeted event or just some jackasses doing stupid shit for the sake of doing stupid shit. Someone might be pissed at the adopted one or my daughter or me or my husband... and that's the reason... who knows? The only things out in our yard that can be seen from the street are two flag poles, one with an American flag at the top and the smaller one under it is a French flag. The other has a Native American healing flag on top and the smaller one under that is a Wyandotte, MI flag. So, nothing that could really be deemed controversial or offensive. I mean, most of you have seen the front of my house from a past article and no one seemed offended by anything.

I wouldn't want to think that anyone that lives around me would do that, because we've gotten along with everyone. It just sucks that we have to look into camera security systems. This is a pretty quiet neighborhood with a lot of retirees. The youngest people on the block are in their 40s (me and the woman across the street from me). I know our retired neighbors had some kids vandalize their Christmas decorations, but the suspects moved away.

Any advice regarding camera security systems is welcome. NO POLITICS, NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT.

Interesting [and sad] occurrences and other miscellaneous stuff... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 19 May 2021 09:07:06 -0400

The crazy and sad stuff that happened last night:

Last night at about 10:45 pm, the adopted one (we'll call him E from here on out] pointed out someone that was sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house and I asked him if the person was talking or anything. E said that he heard the person mumbling and what sounded like crying and possibly a spray can [that's what E called it]. I asked E if he called out to the person and he said no. So, I stepped out on my porch and asked this man if he was okay. His reply was haunting and still is for me and I'll explain why later; he said, "No. I've lost everything. I'm trying to kill myself. Please just let me be." There were 3 pill bottles, mostly empty scattered about the sidewalk and edge of the street and a pint bottle of liquor in his hand. I went back in the house to get my phone. My husband came in to find out what was going on, I explained quickly. My phone was in the basement charging. I called 911 and explained the situation while my husband made sure that the man didn't keel over while I did so.

I decided to go back out on the porch; I asked the man, "Is it okay if I sit down and talk to you"? He seemed a bit surprised. E was keeping watch from just inside the house and my husband was on the side of the house in our yard. I wasn't worried, because this man wasn't out to harm anyone else; I could see that. The man said, "Sure." So, I sat down so he could see me and I asked him, "What happened"? It was a lot of things that didn't make a ton of sense, but it began coming together; he talked about being a Marine [and I thanked him for his service] and how his dad had been in Korea and his older brother had been in Vietnam and that later he had been deployed to the Philippines and he began to tell me how his superior was ordering him to lock and load... then he trailed off and began crying. It broke my heart.

The police and EMT arrived and he started telling them that he fell there and that he had come from a bar down the street. I told one of the officers that there were pills and pill bottles scattered. Apparently all of the officers knew this man as did the EMT. It seems that this isn't the first time this has happened. He told the officers that he had just lost his home and now is homeless. He also told one of the officers that he just wanted to go to the river and jump in.

The demeanor of the officers and the EMT really bothered me. They were "kids"... they all appeared to be in their 20s with the exception to the EMT, he appeared to be in his 30s. I get that they've dealt with this same guy more than once, but to me, it's obvious that he needs help. Yes, they took him to the hospital, but it seemed like they were dismissive considering the situation. I don't pray very often, but I did last night. I prayed that this man gets the help that he clearly needs. I think my city needs more women on the force... most often, women have more compassion. I'm not a very sensitive person and I still felt for this man. Their demeanor suggested to me that they don't really particularly care what happens to this guy and that it's likely that something like this will happen again considering they knew him by name. That's the part that still haunts me.

The miscellaneous:

On a more positive note... my daughter [we'll call her M] is officially done with HS. It's crazy. It seems like yesterday that she started high school. It's bittersweet really. I clearly remember giving birth to her and now, she's nearly 18. Next thing I know it, I'll blink and my son will be graduating and coming up on his 18th birthday. I swear it feels like it was that fast with my daughter.

My ex (J), who is my daughters father, gives M no credit and treats her / talks to her as though she's completely incompetent to handle anything on her own. The past couple years, he has had little influence, because she doesn't like being at his house. It's understandable considering how he speaks to her. J's wife [number 3 for him] is young and never had kids of her own, but somehow seems to believe that she knows what's best for M. She's a very nice woman, but she is someone that believes that everyone should go to traditional college even if they don't get into whatever it is that they go to school for and to me... that's asinine. Why would we encourage M to take on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, knowing that she wants to go into the trades at a third the cost? She tried telling me that despite her not using her bio degree, the experience was worth it. UH NO! I'm pretty sure that she was not the one paying that tuition.

My husband and I have prepared M for the real world. J's wife went from living with her parents to living with J, never having to take care of herself in every way imaginable. J went from living with his mother to living with me... 7 years later, he was forced to be on his own, but he had help from family, because they still treated him like he's a child. And while I went from living with my parents to living with J, I had been taking care of myself for several years. I wasn't babied even when I was one. I wanted M to learn independence without being forced into it, and she did. I wanted M to understand that there are struggles without having to live them, and she has. I wanted M to learn that while I'll always be there when necessary, she needs to have experiences and make mistakes on her own, and so far she seems to understand that and has made mistakes.

J and his wife were telling me that M is not ready for her driver's license. I'm the one that's been driving with M. Those two always make her nervous and I understand it. They're both insane in different ways. When M gets nervous, she makes mistakes... I don't make her nervous. M has been driving for a year and while I know she's not perfect, she does pretty well. Hell, how many 17 year old's can say that they know how to drive a manual? I know adults that can't say that. J was babbling about M not knowing where she's going or what road she's on... how about allowing her to look up the address of where they're going, figure out her own route and then go? He tells her, "Go to I-94. We're going to Novi." WHY IN THE HELL WOULD SHE KNOW HOW TO GET TO NOVI? How about stop being an a-hole? My mother is 65 years old and still wouldn't understand those "directions". My aunt who is just 18 months younger than my mother, called me one night in a panic, because she was lost. She somehow found herself at Willow Run Airport. I told her how to get back to a nearby freeway... this was only about 8 years ago. I've taught my daughter that she needs to pull over to look at a map [we have Rand McNally] on her phone or paper map. I think the most important thing to teach is not to panic in situations where you find yourself lost. I'm not trying to teach these kids every road and where it goes.

Accents - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Fri, 14 May 2021 13:56:29 -0400

So, I've been watching random YouTube videos about accents; mainly accents of the US. Some of the things I do or say, I didn't realize they were related to Michigan or sometimes Northern Midwest states. There's a few I enjoy in particular. A couple are specifically about my home state of Michigan. A couple are generalizations of certain states / regions of the US.

Of course not everyone in a certain area says things the exact same way, but watching these made me realize that I am definitely all Michigan. While I don't say "melk" for milk, I know plenty who do. Otherwise, I speak fast, don't say my "t" in many instances, and pronounce things just the way they've been shown.

Some of the "accents" have to do with ancestral migration patterns and from where they originated; at least that's pointed out in one of the videos and I can say that it's likely the case. When I'm meeting with my global counterparts, I have to slow down what I say for everyone except the French... maybe the Germans too in most instances. My family originated [I'm talking from the 1500s] in France, went to Canada and migrated "south" to Michigan. I quoted south because some of my dad's family stayed right along the border of Canada in the UP, which in reality, means they migrated West... almost directly West.

So, if you're interested, here's some fun videos about accents.

From Michigan:

US Accents:

Break Stuff - My eclectic mix of music. - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Thu, 13 May 2021 10:26:18 -0400

When you surprise yourself... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 05 May 2021 16:26:39 -0400

It's not very often that I surprise myself; especially in a good way. Last night, not only did I surprise myself, but my family too. I never really took to cooking. Never really liked it much to be honest. I still don't really like doing it, but I'm getting better in spite of that. Well, I've never made my own fried chicken... like REAL fried chicken. Last night, I decided to give it a whirl. I did boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips, dredged them in egg and milk and then into a mild breading mixed with seasoning [I bought that prepackaged] and added a little corn starch. It took like 5 minutes to cook and only like 10 minutes to prepare. The hot oil stunk up the kitchen, but it was damn good! My husband told me that I didn't make enough. All of my household loved it! Then my husband said, "We need to get an air-fryer."

Another thing that I've written about, but didn't show much in the way of variety and beauty is soaps. My daughter and I simply have a ton of fun. We use melt and pour soap bases to make them. I don't have the patience to work with lye, weighing all the ingredients, all the different oils, wait 4 days just to unmold, another 4-6 weeks to use the soap... nope... melt and pour or rebatch will be just fine with me. We can make it and use in the same day if we want. But leaving it for 24 hours to sit will make for a harder, longer lasting soap. Well, before we were only making 2 x 4 rectangle soaps... now we have more fun molds.

Enjoy!

How have you surprised yourself?

**NO POLITICS, NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT!

My kids are awesome... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 12:11:57 -0400

Every day, my kids remind me of how awesome they are in several ways. My daughter is nearly 18 and I can only remember one time that she said something along the lines of hating me, which she quickly recanted and said that she hated that I was punishing her [I made her scrub cabinets for mouthing off to me at 13 years old]. My nearly 13 year old son has never said anything along the lines of hating either me or my husband... but there's still time.

I've always been very open, up front, and honest with my kids. After all, they're human too, just smaller humans. When they were little and I would ask that they do something, if they asked me why, I obliged a reasoning appropriate for their ages at the time. That action bothered [and sometimes still does] my ex and my current husband. I don't expect blind obedience. I encourage questioning; how else will they learn? Not all adults are good or decent. So, if my kids were to follow with blind obedience, it could be harmful at some point in their lives. Both my ex and my current husband were taught not to question. I'm glad that my parents weren't like that; otherwise, I'd never be where I am today.

My kids are loving, kind, respectful, and I've never had another parent tell me otherwise... I take that back, one neighbor bad-mouthed my son, because he was following what his daughter was doing. He blamed my son for actions of his daughter. His daughter has grown up a lot since then, but it certainly made me lose respect for that particular neighbor. See... when my son was over their house playing, they were in the mostly finished basement. There's a half bathroom in their basement. His daughter proceeded to show my son how fun it was to put soap, Jello and air freshener down the toilet. Somehow, the toilet reacted poorly and flooded the bathroom. My son was told to go home and he came running to me and my husband and told us exactly what happened. We asked him why he didn't go tell her parents rather than participate. He was 6 or something at the time; he was in tears and said he didn't know. Well, that neighbor came stomping down the alley to begin confronting my son... he bent down to start scolding and yelling at him... my husband said, "Hey, he just told us what happened. Our son has NEVER put anything other than toilet paper in our toilet, so you need to ask yourself some questions." He started telling us how bad our son is... that's when I chimed in and my husband let me go at him. Side note: my husband and my boss call me the little pit bull. I said, "Where the hell were you when all of this took place?" The neighbor said, "We were on the porch drinking wine. Why?" I said, "Well, when your daughter is at our house, I'm in the house with them, within ear shot, if not in the same room and my husband is outside when they're outside, within ear shot and usually can see them too. So, I will ask you, why in the hell weren't one of you in the house when the kids were in the house?" He said, "Oh, so one of you is ALWAYS around when they're playing?" I said, "Yes and you should be too; things like this don't happen at this house, so back off my son." We haven't spoken to that neighbor since. There were a couple times that the girl's mom let our son come over to play, but only when "dad" wasn't home. I think that "mom" knows that they were being kids and it's not the end of the world. That guy had borrowed our power washer, broke it and never said anything. He also borrowed my carpet cleaner, broke it and never said anything. So... him having to deal with a flooded basement bathroom is karma. There was no permanent damage to his bathroom. He didn't have to replace anything.

Anyways, sorry for the sidetrack, but that's the only time anyone has ever spoken ill of either of my kids. There are times when my son was difficult, but manageable to say the least. When little, my daughter was only difficult because of her emotional roller coaster, irrational what if scenarios, and so over the top sensitive, no one knew what to do about it. She is still pretty sensitive, but not like she was when she was little. I told her [now that she's older] that there's nothing wrong with being sensitive, but don't let people take advantage of that sensitivity; be aware that people will try to use you and make you their doormat by manipulation through your sensitive nature. She's very well-balanced today. I'm very proud of my kids. As they get older, they make more and more of their own decisions without input from myself or my husband [or other trusted adult]. My daughter has grown up A TON over the past couple years. She's my best friend. My son is currently looking puberty in the face, mustache growing in and getting darker and thicker, testosterone taking over his brain on occasion, longer showers, less "sharing" verbally, but for the most part, he's funny, sweet, and loving. I call him my sourpatch kid; you know, first he's sour then he's sweet. I remember his first grade teacher in the first parent-teacher conference saying, "...he's charming." And I replied, "But......" She simply repeated herself and I repeated myself. I finally said, "I understand there are days that you probably want to take that cute, charming little face and smash it into the brick!" She sighed and said, "Oh my God, I thought I was an awful person... of course I would never do such a thing, but he really pushes sometimes and that's why he's been sent down to the office." I assured her that it's understandable and that him pushing the envelope is part of his sourpatch kid personality. I told her that I know my son is far from perfect. I liked her as a teacher.

My kids are smart, sarcastic, funny, weird, mouthy at times, fun to hang out with [and they actually like hanging out with us... which is crazy strange for most], kind, loving, and most of all awesome all around. They can make me laugh until tears are streaming down my face. They help me around the house. They help my husband in the yard and sometimes at work. There's not a thing I would change about them. And craziest of all, they get along. We have family game nights at least once a month and having the adopted one here is just an added bonus. He's pretty damn awesome too... it's too bad that his mother fails to recognize how awesome her eldest son is and how awesome her other kids are too. One of her kids isn't quite as awesome, but he'll grow out of his shitty attitude hopefully... the adopted one's little brother.

Yesterday, my daughter and I were trying to determine which Harry Potter character each of us would be based on our personalities. We determined that I would be Molly Weasley [it was debated that I may be Narcissa Malfoy in some instances too], my husband would be Arthur Weasley, my daughter would be Luna Lovegood, my son would be Ron Weasley, the adopted one would be one of the Weasley twins, our dog would be Neville Longbottom, and our cat would be Prof. Minerva McGonagall. When each of us did the "Hogwarts House " quiz, my husband and I got Slytherin, my son and the adopted one got Gryffindor, and my daughter got Ravenclaw. We're only missing a representative of Hufflepuff. See... we do everything together. We all took the "Which Walking Dead character are you" quiz too. I keep getting Darryl with every quiz about that, my husband and daughter both got Michonne, and my son got Carol. The adopted one opted out of that one.

Kids, grandkids, when did you find out they were awesome?

NO POLITICS, NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT.

Obscure forgotten vehicles that were kind of fun to drive - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 16:21:07 -0400

Can you name them all? Some are obvious, because they're labeled, but whatever.

Did you have flashbacks to obscure, publicly rejected, but secretly fun to drive cars? I've owned a couple of these.

Roller coaster of technology - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:34:51 -0400

My thoughts for today have to do with technological advancements. There's good and bad in technology. People disconnect from reality, not usually a good thing. People can productively work from home, which is usually a good thing.

Yesterday, my city's internet service went down at about 11 am and didn't return for roughly 24 hours. People in my city threw a fit in many instances. I had to request a 1/2 day personal, because I couldn't leave the house; I had two roof estimates yesterday, assuming I would be home working. I had to go to my mom and dad's this morning, just to find out that the Windows updates that happened yesterday morning [before the internet went out], made it so I could NOT connect to any WiFi signal. So... I connected my personal phone to all of my work things; Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Authenticator, etc. and joined a meeting from my phone. Then... I had to take my laptop to my boss's house [good thing he lives close] so we could fix the issues with help from one of the local IT managers [my boss, my team, and I deal with engineering computer tools, not regular IT stuff]. We finally got it up and running again. I went back to my mom's for my next two meetings and needed to come back home to let my dog out... we're back online now. I can't complain too much, because this is the first medium to long term outage of internet service I've had in the 18 years living in this city.

There were people that said to just go to McDs or a cafe somewhere and use public internet service... well, my work-supplied computer won't allow me to connect to a public domain very easily and because COVID, I chose not to go that route. I had to take my 12 year old with me too, because the "adopted one" went with my husband this morning to work, my daughter is in school, and I'm not leaving my 12 year old home alone for potentially 8 hours.

In the end, I'm very grateful for having an understanding boss, the company I work for that provides the means for working from home, and the technology to do so.

Despite my gratefulness, there's definitely downsides to technological advancements. I personally don't see it as a good thing to have instant and global media constantly available in most instances. It causes stress and division over matters that don't affect the people that it's dividing in many instances. It brings attention to more negativity than positivity. Positivity doesn't get the ratings. Today, more than ever, it's clear that everyone has an opinion, but that doesn't mean everyone wants/need to hear it... just like a fart. As someone here has put it... "the urination Olympics" is frequently underway, but it's not a contest that I want or enjoy being a part of, but maybe that's just me. I suppose I'm a good mix of my mother and father that way. My dad doesn't want confrontation at any time; he'll cave just to avoid it. My mother loves to fight and will even look for one sometimes. Me... if something will affect myself or my family [that includes my friends], I will fight, but otherwise I see no need. I usually try to make light of things when it isn't something that will affect those around me. That I think comes from my uncle. I don't know that anything really stresses him out.

Another downfall of technology... in automotive; some is good, but the shit they have coming out now... which yes, it pays my bills [working for an automotive electronics tier 1 supplier], it has made people dumber behind the wheel. Parallel parking? Nah... no need to learn that, the car has auto parallel parking. Manual trans? Nah... no need to learn that, everything in the US market comes with an automatic, even foreign automakers make automatics available to the US public. Glancing in your mirrors? Nah... no need for that, there's an idiot light to tell me whether I can change lanes or not. Glancing over your shoulder for blind spot? Nah... no need... see previous statement. Knowing when you should brake? Nah... cars have auto-braking features now.

First of all, parallel parking for those that cannot afford a new vehicle, is a must still; same goes for the auto-braking, mirrors and blind spot. Next, manual trans... better learn before traveling overseas! And don't even get me started on the idiots that think that a Tesla will do all of their driving for them. A fully autonomous vehicle is not available for the public yet! I don't know if that will ever be available to the public, because how does a catastrophic failure get covered [insurance-wise]? Personal insurance will cover if someone is behind the wheel, but there isn't any policy existing yet regarding driverless vehicles and I'm not sure how they'd go about writing such a policy either. What happens when it's a component failure that causes the crash? You think that an automaker is prepared to take on that responsibility? Me neither. Especially having been a person that was in charge of documenting global recalls in the past and seeing the results from them.

Those are just a few of my thoughts for today. If you made it this far... thanks for reading!

NO POLITICS! NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT!

Home Improvements - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:07:34 -0400

I've been getting roof quotes for my home and garage. It's a bit daunting. One company wouldn't even give an estimate because of the pitch of my roof; he recommended another place though. I had one estimate so far and it was for about what I would expect, $14,900 and I was guessing it would be about $15K. I've got two more contractors coming Monday for an estimate, but I doubt it will be much different in price.

I just need $20,000 so I can get the roof and our basement bathroom done... and with our tax return and stimulus, we'll have $12,600... not quite enough.
So, we have some decisions to make. Our roof isn't really all that bad. Even the guy that came out for an estimate today said that it wasn't bad and said that the likely reason it's holding up is because of the steep pitch... nothing sticks to it. We are missing a couple shingles though. So, we may have to just have someone replace those shingles [which we have] and redo our bathroom as originally planned. Then, try to save what we can to replace the roof next year.

I think my husband was mostly worried that our roof is worse than it looks, but now that one of the estimators even stated that it's not bad, he's not quite as worried. I do have to have my husband take a look in the attic though... to make sure that there's not big gaps between boards, because two guys asked me if there was cedar shake roof underneath the shingles, stating that there would be large gaps in the wood and can be seen in the attic if there is shake. I don't think that there is, because the roof was replaced before I bought the house, but with as cheaply everything else was done in this house before I bought it, I'm pretty sure that the previous owner when as cheaply as he could with the roof. However, the estimator today said it looks like there's just the single layer of shingles, which is a good thing.

Ugh... it just seems that we never have quite enough money to do what we need to do. Does it ever get better? With my parents it eventually got financially better, but not until they were in their 50s and all of us kids were out of the house. I want to make it financially better BEFORE I'm in my 50s. The only home improvement we planned on waiting on doing is the flooring; until all the kids are out of the house, we're not doing any flooring.

The Twilight Zone - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 11:08:29 -0500

Have you ever had a day or week in which you felt like you were trapped in a Twilight Zone episode?

This week, more specifically today more than the other days this week, not only are my dreams really crazy, but EVERYTHING has made me feel like I'm in a Twilight Zone episode. Verbal exchanges, work-related server crashes, my kids actually cleaning up after themselves, the weather going from a 17F low to a near-60F high... it's all been nuts.

How about you, have you ever had a week where nothing is "usual" or typical?

NO POLITICS! NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT!

Réapprendre le français - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 11:47:44 -0500

Je suis réapprendre le français. J'utilise YouTube, “ Learn French with Alexa .”

“Bonjour et beinvenue” is how most of her videos begin. I took French in High School (Freshman year), but that was quite a long time ago. I was actually surprised at how much I actually remembered. I don’t think that I would go through the trouble of relearning French if I didn’t have people to practice with regularly. I work for a global company and I’m in the Engineering IT team; I have one French counterpart, but there are many people that I have worked with in the past [in this company] that would likely help too.

What triggered this attempt for this endeavor is when I met with my French counterpart [he speaks English well], and also with one of our process developers; she does not speak English very well. She speaks English about as well as I speak French currently. She does not have to use her English-speaking skills very often; therefore, what little she knows, doesn’t extend beyond that very much. She was actually surprised that I knew any French at all.

I had a conversation with my French counterpart after our meeting. I had told him that I made it a point to learn the basics of the language of any country I’ve had to travel to; hello, do you speak English, where is the toilet, and how to get my coffee the way I like it. He said, “Every country? Wow.” I explained that I already knew how to say those things in French, but I had to learn those basics in Romanian... I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember all of it now. I remember, “Buena” which is hello, but I remember, because it reminds me of Spanish or Italian. I was informed not to worry about learning Swedish when we went to Linköping, because 98% of the area speaks English. I told him that I didn’t want to come across as a “typical American jackass” when I went elsewhere. He said, “You’re not a jackass.”

I don’t know... I just think it’s pretty arrogant to think that the entire world should speak English. Yes, that’s just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I think that it’s important to just being able to say, “Hello, do you speak English,” in the native language. While it’s a tiny effort, it still shows that you respect them enough to make that tiny effort.

My family came to North America [what’s now Canada] in the 1500s from France and Belgium. The last of the French speakers died in 1995. I just think it might be neat to carry on the tradition to some extent. I’ve learned a tiny bit of the Wyandot language... that’s NOT an easy one at all. My last ancestor that probably spoke Wyandot, was my 8 th great grandmother, “Catherine” Annonentak, who married a Frenchman in the 1660s.

Have you ever tried to learn a new language? If so, what did you learn? Is English your first language? If not, what is your first language?

NO POLITICS! NO PRESIDENTS PAST OR PRESENT!

Short and sweet... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 14:20:04 -0500

This is short and sweet...
Is my household less "American" because we don't watch Football / the Super Bowl?

Quite frankly, we don't really watch any sports in my house. On rare occasions, when there's NOTHING else on TV, we will have a baseball game on, but that's pretty rare. We usually find something else to do. I've been to HS football games [my brothers played]. I've been to hockey games [go Wings]. I've been to many baseball games. I've never once paid to go to any sporting event. The hockey games I went to were birthday presents. I don't mind being at a hockey game, but watching it on TV is boring... same with baseball. Never been a fan of football [NOT soccer... we're talking US football].

What about you? Whatcha think about sports?

Guns, a controversial subject... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:59:45 -0500

While I understand that the following is a controversial subject, I would like everyone to remain civil while discussing. This is not an article to discuss any president past or present. I will flag anyone that mentions any president’s name [past or present].

CPL Renewal
I just renewed my concealed pistol license (CPL) for the third time, which means that I’ve had a CPL for 15 years now. Gees, time goes by fast. I actually did not own a pistol until after I obtained my CPL. One thing is for sure, it’s far easier to purchase a pistol when you have a CPL. The reason for that is simple; all necessary background checks have been completed and fingerprints obtained. My fingerprints are in the County, State, and Federal databases. The only reason mine are in the Federal database is because of a place I worked for, which provided US prototype military vehicles to the various branches of our military. County and State have my fingerprints because of my CPL and because I had signed up to be a chaperone for school events. The year I started working for that aforementioned company, I had 3 background checks done [those mentioned above]; the most rigorous being the one for said company.

My Belief
I am someone that believes in the right to defend. I am also someone that believes that there should be background checks on all firearms; yes, even for hunting [including bow and arrow and long guns]. In my opinion [take it for what it’s worth], for those underage hunters, they should be required to take hunter’s safety courses and their parents are subject to background check. While I realize some / many states require children under 18 to take a hunter’s safety course, not all do. These laws are left up to each state to determine... albeit for good reason. The 2nd amendment was intended for US citizens to defend against the Federal Government and considering the time that amendment was written, it made complete sense. Therefore, if the Feds were to define the laws for the entire nation, it would go against our Constitution’s 2nd amendment.

My Kids
When my daughter turned 13, I was able to take her to the local gun range. A pleasant surprise upon our arrival that evening was that an all-girl, youth group [under 18] was there teaching other youths gun safety. One young lady [17 years old], offered to help teach my daughter gun safety. That young lady had been in shooting competitions since the age of 12. Initially, she was hesitant to allow me to be near them in the lane and I understand why... many parents would be quick to say something or touch their child on the shoulder before he/she put that pistol down and stepped away, but I’ve been taught by the right people and I understand that’s how people get shot. My time to say anything is after she’s done and puts that pistol down and faces me. Anyways... I was appreciative that this young lady did this and showed my daughter technique and safety. My children never go looking through my room for pistols, because I’ve curbed their curiosity. They’ve felt the power behind a gun. They know never to point a gun at anything they don’t intend to kill. They know that when a trigger is pulled, it can kill. They know that our bedroom is off limits to them or their friends. The other day, my 12 year old son was watching a movie with us (Kindergarten Cop) and towards the end of the movie, when the kid’s grandma drops the mag from Arnold’s gun and sets it on top of the lockers, my son said, “But there’s still one in the chamber. Someone could still use it to kill her!” It was a pretty proud moment for my husband and I... I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it’s really quite huge. We’ve hammered the message, “just because it doesn’t have a mag in it, it doesn’t mean that the gun is empty and won’t fire, always check the chamber,” so often that they’ll never forget it. So, for our son to have picked up on that in a movie, it was pretty awesome.

My Observations
I know there are some people out there that feel that pistols should be outlawed for citizens. I know that there are people that are only against fully automatic weapons. There are even some that feel that unless the circumstances are extreme, everyone should have the right afforded to them. However, I also know that there are even more people like me that feel that it should be a requirement to have background checks on any firearm. The reality is though, no matter the state’s laws, criminals will always find a way to obtain firearms, including those that are fully automatic. The law-abiding citizens that choose to own guns, should have that option to defend, even if it isn’t against the Federal Gov., but rather against those intending to do harm.

What I Currently Own
I currently own a Springfield XD9 (full size 9mm) and a Kahr CW (compact .40 cal.). I actually got really good deals on those pistols, because they were used. However, I knew the people that owned them previously and I also know that they were well taken care of. *Yes, I know I ended that in a preposition.* My XD9 had been owned by two people I had worked with; one of which was a reserve officer and he carried it as his backup. My Kahr was owned by my former brother in law’s buddy and that Kahr only had 300 rounds put through it... and quite frankly, Kahr’s are notoriously known for jamming and inaccuracy prior to 300 (or more) rounds being shot through them. On their website, they recommend 300-400 rounds being shot through their guns at a gun range long before carrying it.

What I Want in the Future
I would like to get a Smith & Wesson .357 snub-nose (NOT air-light though) revolver, a Kimber 1911 (full size .45 cal.), and a Sig P290 (compact carry 9mm).

Coffee - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:28:12 -0500

When it comes to coffee, I can honestly say that I’m quite the snob. There are very few places that I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the coffee... and they’re all in Europe. I can tolerate coffee at a few different places here in the US, but the reality is, “store-bought” (Starbucks, McD’s, etc.) coffees here in the US don’t hold up to coffee in several European countries. Only if I’m desperate, will I buy a coffee in the US.

I was overjoyed when I took a sip of my café au lait in the Paris airport during my lay-over to Romania. On my return to the airport when in Amsterdam, I stopped into a little stand to get a coffee and it was delicious. That little stand was what I would equate to a city vendor, which usually [in the US anyways] serves disgusting coffee. My coffee in Germany wasn’t the best, but certainly wasn’t terrible, but they’re not known for the dark roasts. In Romania, the espresso was so hot and fresh, with a hint of nutty flavor, I had a few, because it was so tasty. Most people would be wired, but not I... I suppose that’s one “bonus” to my Hypersomnia... I can drink a lot of coffee and not get jittery. I can honestly say though... Sweden... good chocolate, bad coffee.

I love a dark roast [French or Sumatra preferably, but a good espresso is dandy too] and the best store-bought coffees I’ve had came from Romania, France, and The Netherlands [specifically Amsterdam]. I don’t like sweeteners in my coffee. IF it’s available, a little cream is good, but I will take my coffee black if there’s no cream available.

When I make my own coffee at home, I use either the following Starbucks flavors: French Roast,
Holiday Blend [only available around Christmas], or
Sumatra
Or one of the two dark roast coffees from Seattle’s Best [which is now owned by Starbucks too] and that’s about it.

When a friend of mine came over with her husband, who is from Germany, I offered coffee and her husband was thinking whether he wanted one or not when I said, “My coffee is not watered down or flavorless like most US coffees.” He laughed and expressed that he would love one. He told me that he had never had a GOOD coffee since being in the US and asked me what my secret was, so I explained my “process” as well as the coffee that I use. Once he finished it, he asked for another. Apparently, I satisfied his European taste buds.

My kitchen counter looks as though a barista lives here. I have a Bunn drip coffeemaker and I have a single cup coffeemaker [it takes Keurig K-cups, but it’s not a Keurig coffeemaker]. I also have non-dairy creamer and sugar close by, for those that like sweeteners. I have two types of K-cups as well as ground and whole-bean coffees in glass containers. Coffee is one of two things I’m a snob about... the other is my bedding, but to me, that makes sense considering my sleep disorder.

Are you a “coffee snob” or are you a basic coffee kind of person?
Is there a preferred brand for you? [The only one I CANNOT do is Maxwell House. I would have to be seriously desperate to drink it.]
Has there been a time or place that you’ve had the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had?

Birthdays - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 14:26:46 -0500

Birthday’s are a funny thing. We celebrate that we’ve made it another year. I suppose at one time, making it another year was something spectacular. However, today... well with COVID and its new mutated children it might be something spectacular, but generally speaking it’s not all that spectacular to make it another year. It’s not like we have thousands dying of smallpox, dysentery, typhoid, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, etc. anymore. Modern medicine and water treatment helped with those aforementioned diseases.

We sometimes will celebrate my birthday. We always celebrate the kid’s birthdays. My husband doesn’t want to celebrate his, so we don’t. As for the grandparents, we do a small celebration, but nothing over the top.

See... Christmas is Dec. 25, my wedding anniversary is Jan. 10 and my birthday is Jan. 14; no one really has any type of funds to do much of a celebration, considering the time of year. My husband and I usually will use one of our gift cards from Christmas to go out to eat to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. Therefore, we’re not spending money we don’t have, and we get an evening out alone. This year is certainly different, but it’s not like we can’t go pick up food and bring it back home, but our kids are home and part of the appeal is us being alone to have a meal together. Although, one of my memorable [relatively recent] birthdays... my 37th [7 years ago]. The previous year was horrible [long story] and I decided to make my 37th better on my own. My kids and I went roller skating. We were the only people there. The weather was terrible, and we went at the early open skate (5 pm), which is generally when most people are eating dinner. They played all the music we wanted. I got in for free, because it was my birthday, and we had a lot of fun. I’d love to do that again this year, but COVID.

It seems like [at least in my family] that the birthday celebration is dependent on time of year. It’s a bit easier to celebrate my kid’s birthdays theirs are in the summer; my husband’s is Sept. 21, so it’s usually still pretty warm, but again he isn’t interested in celebrating his birthday [even though his mother usually insists on us coming over for dinner and cake]. I’ve always envied my friends that had summer birthdays. My husband keeps telling me that I should “move my birthday” to a date that I find suitable. Meh... I will just do things that I want to do in the summer without any excuse. The kids and I have Cedar Point Gold passes, which is good from mid-May through end of October. I’m sure we will have lots of fun.

Do you celebrate your birthday? If so, how do you celebrate? Any particular extra memorable birthday you would like to share?

Last day of work for the year! - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:24:52 -0500

First of all, I'm wishing all of you the best holiday possible. It's been a rough year for a lot of people.
Secondly, I'm rather sure that I won't be turning on a computer at any point before the new year after today and I sure hope 2021 will prove to be a much better year!
Lastly, I'm pretty blind; therefore, I don't generally log on here from my phone. So, at 3 pm [roughly] EST, I will bid all of you adieu until after the new year.

I'm very excited to have some time off.
**NO POLITICS**

Ridiculous Nicknames We Can Come Up With... Can we find photos or gifs to match these silly nicknames? - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:06:01 -0500

Yesterday, I came up with the ridiculous nickname, Princess Unicorn Rainbow Farts in which TG replied, can’t we just call you PURF instead?

That got me thinking about how I couldn’t believe I actually found a gif to represent unicorn rainbow farts and how much fun it would be to see what people come up with and if a pic or gif could be found to represent such ridiculousness. I’ll let you know now that I look for the pic / gif AFTER I come up with the name.

Here’s a few that I’ve come up with on the fly:

Mrs. Happy Shit-giggles
No direct photos available, but here’s what came up:

The Masked Wombat

Mr. Flying Squirrel Jeans
No direct photos available, but here’s what came up:

What can you come up with? If you can find related photos or gifs after you’ve created the ridiculous nickname, please share!

This is for fun. **NO POLITICS**

In the mood for some Incubus today... - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 08:57:05 -0500

I saw these guys live at Pine Knob / DTE Music Theater; it was fantastic.
Nice to Know You

Dig

Anna Molly

Magic Medicine

A Certain Shade of Green

Jade O'Connell "Baking with Tourette's and Family" - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 16:21:08 -0500

This is the same young lady that I discussed in my previous blog. This is the first video of hers I watched; my daughter showed this one to me.

This is Jade's lightheartedness and ability to laugh at herself. She even stated in another video that she's gained more confidence after posting to YouTube, Tik Tok, and the like.

Tourette's and the people that suffer from it - @msaubrey-aka-ahyoka

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 08:27:53 -0500

**Warning, vulgar language in video.**

Jade O'Connell is just one of many that suffer from Tourette Syndrome and posts videos to YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, and the like. I learned of this young lady from my daughter. Jade often posts videos of her baking with her family members and they are funny videos. She even has a few that show her doing makeup on herself and others, which is also funny. She does this to show that there's a humorous part of the disease, but she also posts videos where her and her friend "Uncle Tics" answer questions and discuss the very negative aspects to the disease too. Well, last night I watched her have what she [and other Tourette's sufferers] calls a tic attack. It broke my heart. I cried for her. I watched the whole thing [about 10 min]. She commented that this "tic attack" lasted 40 minutes, but that she had only posted 10 minutes of the video. I can only imagine how exhausting it is.

About 30 seconds into the video, I thought to myself, "I'm watching someone's brain completely short circuit." In modern cars, it would be like if the computer began to fry and the lights, blower motor, windshield wipers, dings, bells, the horn, etc. all began to randomly do things simultaneously. Then... she stopped breathing and her brain would only allow her to take in tiny short breaths. I didn't post that particular video because while I watched the entire thing, many would struggle watching even a minute of it.

My uncle's best friend since Kindergarten has Tourette Syndrome (TS). He was young when he started having tics; maybe 8 or 9. His ultra Christian parents [who adopted him as an infant] believed that he was possessed. They had an exorcism done. I don't know how old he was when he finally was diagnosed with TS, but I've known him my whole life and I can see that his TS is not as severe compared to some, but then it's a little worse than others. He has only motor tics; he has tics in his neck, blinks, and flips his hair. He's kept his hair long for as long as I can remember and my understanding is that he grew it out and kept it that way because it prevented him from hitting himself in the face and head. What sucks is that while meds can help with tic control for some, meds don't work for all that suffer.

The video I posted is Jade simply explaining what TS is and how it can affect people.

**NO POLITICS**