Lolz Crabs?

http://cheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=3047664

Deadliest Quotes

*After fixing a jammed anchor line*

Mark: "We used Fred and Barney engineering."

Corey: "Yeah, we beat on it until it fucking started working!"


Mark Anderson (2nd from left) and Corey Eisenbarth (4th from left) deckhands on the F/V Cornelia Marie
Episode 3: Stay Focused or Die

Deadliest Quotes

No fun quotes today.

Last night's episode focused on the search and rescue of survivors from the 93 foot cod processor and fishing vessel Katmai. The Katmai sank between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles west of Adak in the Aleutians on October 22, 2008. There were 11 precious souls on board. After abandoning their sinking vessel, Only 4 amazing souls survived after braving 15 grueling hours of clinging near death to a small, battered life raft in the middle of the frozen Bering Sea.

Fighting hypothermia and despair the survivors were lifted from the sea at about 4:30 p.m by the United States Coast Guard. Weather conditions were reported during the search of 50-knot winds from the north (1 knot = 1.15 Mph) waves of17 feet and visibility of merely 3 miles. Two life rafts were deployed from the sinking ship, however only 1 was ever recovered. All of the bodies of the 7 men who perished in the disaster were recovered, except for 2. The Bering Sea will forever remain their final resting place.

I admire the strength and courage of the surviving men who graciously allowed themselves to be interviewed by The Discovery Channel. Thank you for speaking to us. I thank them for reminding me of how precious life is and how quickly it can be stripped away. I admire their tears, pain, anger and love for their friends and family members who were lost that day. I send nothing but love to the families of those left behind. Please keep all of the crewmembers of the F/V Katmai in your prayers, for even those who survived have a long and painful journey ahead.

In loving memory:


Carlos Martin Zabala
30 Years Old, From Helena Washington (possibly Helena Montana)

Robert Davis
49Years Old, From Deming Washington

Cedric Smith
38 Years Old, From Portland Oregon

Glenn "Scooter" Harper
35 Years Old, From Portland Oregon

Jake Gilman
22 Years Old, From Camas Washington

Joshua Leonguerrero
19 Years Old, From Spanaway Washington

Fuli Lemusu
44 Years Old, From Salem Oregon

Deadliest Catch

Season 5 has gotten off to a great start and the entire season this year should be as exciting and entertaining as ever. It seems like every year I walk away with a ton of great one liners from the men who brave the deadliest job in the world. To find humor in the face of terrifying seas, hard work and adversity is something we can all benefit from. I still find myself quoting Captain Phil Harris of the Fishing Vessel Cornelia Marie on stressful days: "It's going to be a heavy tobacco consumption day today, boy!" In celebration of keeping your chin up, I will be posting my favorite quotes from each week's episodes. It may be one or it may be many. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Deadliest Quotes

"I think his Depends is full and it's time for a new one, but he doesn't want to tell anyone he's gotta go change it. I think he forgot to take his Geritol this morning."

Mike Fourtner Deckhand of the F/V Time Bandit
Episode 2: Red Skies in the Morning

Deadliest Quotes

"I'm gonna go take four Advil."

Nick Mavar Deckhand on F/V Northwestern
Episode 2: Red Skies in the Morning

Deadliest Quotes

"Now my coffee tastes like Herring."

Sig Hansen Captain of the F/V Northwestern
Episode 1: Everything on the line

Rock and ...What!?

The Frey
You Found Me

I found God on the corner of 1st and Amistad
Where the West was all but won
All alone, smoking his last cigarette
I said, "Where've you been?" He said, "Ask anything."

Where were you, when everything was falling apart.
All my days were spent by the telephone that never rang
And all I needed was a call that never came
To the corner of 1st and Amistad

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late, you found me, you found me.

But in the end everyone ends up alone
Losing her, the only one who's ever known
Who I am, who I'm not and who I wanna to be
No way to know how long she will be next to me

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late, you found me, you found me.

The early morning, the city breaks
And I've been calling for years and years and years
And you never left me no messages
You never sent me no letters
You got some kind of nerve taking all I want

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, Where were you? Where were you?

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late, you found me, you found me.

Why'd you have to wait, to find me, to find me?

*Yes, I placed some of the lyrics in bold on purpose*

04/14/2009 9 pm. Guess where I will be?

I have been telling you for 4 seasons to watch. Season 5 starts soon, don't tell me I didn't give you a heads up!

Rock and ...What!?

LOST
by: Coldplay

Just because I'm hurting
Doesn't mean I'm hurt
Doesn't mean I didn't get what I deserve
No better and no worse

I just got lost
Every river that I've tried to cross
And every door I ever tried was locked
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off...

You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn't mean you've won
'Cause along may come
A bigger one

And you'll be lost
Every river that you try to cross
Every gun you ever held went off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the firing stops
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off..

Mental health

Things have reached their breaking point with me. I am having a bit of an emotional breakdown and I can't promise when I will be back to update everyone. The only good thing I can tell you is that I am not suicidal, just very very sad. I may end up taking a leave of absence from work so that I can explore what is medically and/or mentally wrong with with me. This state of mind has been a long time brewing and I have finally given in.

I used to find solace writing about my feelings in my blog and what has me so upset with my life. However, it never really ended up helping. I am very unhappy with my job, however so many people are without one that I can't justify complaining. My life is better off than some, and I just can't express my pain in a public forum anymore because I am embarrassed that I can't get it together. No one wants to read someone complain all day long.

I always seem to have drama over the weekends and this is no different. I haven't left my apartment in 3 days, calling off work 2 of those days. Although the tears won't stop, I am dragging myself in today. Sunday will be spent researching doctors/therapists who can hopefully help me.

I appreciate everyone's love and support throughout the years. I will post with updates as much as I can. Don't call, only text message or e-mail as I am not up to talking. Please don't worry about me as I really hope that someday a lotus will bloom from all this muck and murk.

My parents had a baby!

Well...a furry baby to be exact. They did what I never thought they would ever do and got themselves a puppy. Her name is Itsy Bitsy or "Bitsy" for short and she is a Shih Tzu. She isn't even 6 months old so she is very tiny and cute. These are some photos I took on my birthday vacation in February. That is, of course, my daddy. She is sleeping on his tummy, all curled up in the fleece Miss Piggy blankie my Mom made her. Bitsy has her stuffed teddy bear that she sleeps with all the time.

It has definitely livened things up in the household and gives my dad something to do all day since he no longer works. Mom is really wanting grand babies so this is the next best thing. I was worried about them getting a puppy and having the stress of doing all the training and what not. However, Bitsy is either a very smart individual or Shih Tzu's are a very smart breed. She knows to ring a little bell hanging from the doorknob when she needs to go outside. While I was there, I trained her to not chew my shoes and to not get in my face while I am trying to eat. She is currently learning how to come when called, which I am sure she will pick up quickly.

Lesson learned for Lothian: I do NOT want a puppy. They take a hell of a lot of patience and energy -- Two attributes I do not possess. Whenever I move somewhere that allows dogs, I will adopt an older friend.

Happy Valentines Day lover!

Very interesting....

I just got a letter from my insurance company. It sounds like the kid who hit me has yet to prove he has any insurance. They implied that they are going to begin proceedings to sue him and are hoping to also sue for my deductible. I find it interesting that he did not need to have proof of insurance when he contested his citation for failure to control. Am I the only one out there who thinks that since he couldn't show insurance at the time of the accident, that he would have to at traffic court? My gosh, the last speeding ticket I had I didn't have my insurance card on me and they were all over my shit trying to get a copy of it. The drama continues....

Rock and ...What!? (For my dearest, Ron)

RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS
THE CARPENTERS

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.

What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

Feast or Famine

For your reading pleasure (?) I have 4 new posts. Some are long, so don't forget to keep scrolling.

Thanks for reading!!

Nerd post.

I almost jumped off the couch when I saw the commercial for the new Daniel Craig movie Defiance. I wasn't excited because I am a 007 fan -- I am indifferent to Daniel Craig as an actor. I am uber-excited because I am kind of a Holocaust and WWII history nerd. I knew almost immediately what the film was about and I desperately hope the movie does this true story justice. If you do anything this year, please find some time to educate yourself on the Jewish Resistance Movement during WWII. Learning about this forgotten aspect of history changed my life forever and I am so very proud and willing to share the limited knowledge I have. I hope to some way keep the memory of those who needlessly died alive, and to showcase the bravery and power of those who chose to flee to the forests and fight battle. I would like to provide you with some references that are great reads and great movies.

The first of many books I have read about the Jewish Resistance movement. It is an incredible book that is a fast and easy read. You will learn so much and will be motivated to learn more once you read this.
Excerpt from the blurb: "When the ghetto is liquidated, these three flee to the forests and fight alongside Russian and Polish partiasan groups -- dynamiting bridges, derailing trains, and destroying power plants and waterworks. Their actions eventually lead them down a winding path to Palestine, where a struggle for independence awaits the weary yet fiercely indomitable avengers."
Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Rich-Cohen/dp/0375705295

Don't get turned off by the fact that this film was a made for television miniseries. Don't let the fact that David Schwimmer has a small role in it discourage you -- he is incredibly good in this drama. This excellent film based on a true story shows the lengths that Jews went to "die with honor". It is simply an amazing movie and very much worth the rental. Plus, if you live in Columbus I will loan it to you.
IMDB Reference: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250798/


I also have 3 book reads to suggest if you would like to know more about the people portrayed in the film Uprising.

Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Israel Gutman.
Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Warsaw-Uprising-Israel-Gutman/dp/0395901308
Excerpt from back blurb: "A riveting history of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, informed by the renowned author's personal experience, Resistance is a behind-the-scenes story of how a group of relatively unarmed, untrained ghetto inhabitants managed to lead a military revolt against the Nazi war machine. A survivor of the battle, Israel Gutman draws on diaries, letters, and underground press reports to bring this epic event to life, showing, too, how a vibrant culture shaped the young fighters whose defiance would have a far-reaching implications for the Jewish people."

The Warsaw Diary of Adam Czerniakow edited by Raul Hilberg, Stanislaw Staron, and Josef Kermisz.
Amazon Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Warsaw-Diary-Adam-Czerniakow-Prelude/dp/1566632307
Excerpt from the back blurb: "Adam Czerniakow was a Polish Jew who killed himself on July 23, 1942 -- on the face of it not an uncommon occurance in those times. But there is more to the story than the tragic death of one man amoung so many millions. Czerniakow was for almost three years the chairman of the Warsaw Judenreat -- a Jew, devoted to his people, who served as the Nazi-sponsored "mayor" of the Warsaw Ghetto ... This secret journal is not only the testimony of an unbearable personal burden but the documentary of the Ghetto's terminal agony."

Ghetto Diary by Janusz Korczak
Amazon Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Diary-Janusz-Korczak/dp/0300097425
Excerpt from the back blurb: "A successful pediatrician and well-known author in his native Warsaw, he gave up a brilliant medical career to devote himself to the care of orphans. Like so many other Jews, Korczak was sent into the Warsaw Ghetto after the Nazi occupation of Poland. He immediately set up an orphanage for more than 200 children. Many of his admirers, Jewish and gentile, offered to rescue him from the ghetto, but Korczak refused to leave his small charges. When the Nazis ordered the children to board a train that was to carry them to the Treblinka death camp, Korczak went with them, despite the Nazis' offer of special treatment. His selfless behavior in caring for these children's lives and deaths has made him beloved throughout the world; he has been honored by UNESCO and commenorated on postage stamps in both Poland and Israel."

Doing pretty well and it isn't even February.

I am doing pretty well with my New Year's resolutions. I am very proud of myself! I made an appointment with my doctor who tested my Thyroid and gave me a referral for an Endocrinologist. When she got the results of my test back, she told me to stay at the same dosage of my medication and to see the Endocrinologist in May. Um, MAY? No. No thank you. I shall be calling Monday to make a more timely appointment. If I have to, I will go to a different doctor -- 3 months is not acceptable.

I also am very excited for Wednesday at 1:00pm. That is when my appointment with Tim Wendt at Consumer Credit Counseling Services is. I have done some research on reputable companies in Columbus and have heard great things about CCCS. I am going to get into an Debt Management program and get everything paid off. I can't wait to start seeing some improvement in my debt, to not live paycheck to paycheck, and actually save some money. I want to have a credit card that is not maxed out so that if I have emergency expenses (ie: car insurance deductibles) I won't have to borrow money from my parents.

2009 is looking pretty good. It went out in drama and chaos for me, but comes in with hope and positive steps toward a good year.

The car drama is finally over

I finally got my car back not on the Monday that I had hoped, but on Tuesday. She looks great and they even fixed a dent I had in the back that I done to the car myself. I didn't have the heart to tell them not to. Maybe the following drama was my Karma for not telling them to ignore the dent.

I was feeling pretty alright having to pay the $250 deductible since the repairs were so costly. This was until I arrived home and found a Subpoena in my mailbox. I was asked to appear in court because the kid who hit me was fighting the citation he received for failure to control! I lost my shit when I saw that! Luckily I received the subpoena about 2 days after the court date. I had to call the attorney the next day to make sure I wasn't in contempt of court for not appearing, which I wasn't.

Now, let's think about this for a minute. I drive about 20 miles to work one way. That night I drove home from work and drove down side roads, a 4 lane highway, a 2 lane highway, and about 4 secondary roads. I managed to control my car the whole fucking time. This kid slams on his breaks, loses control, and hits me. What exactly was he contesting? Clearly he lost control of his car. There is nothing to argue there.

Let's calculate some things here. For me, we have the 2-3 hours of standing in the freezing cold waiting for things to be cleared up the night of the accident. I can't ignore the stress and panic of the whole night, lost sleep, upset it caused my Dad who was on the phone with me, and the time Tamra and Brian took out of their lives to keep my calm and take care of me that night. Let's add onto that the 4 hours of work I missed the next day because I had to set up a rental, tow and deal with insurance issues. Also the $40 I paid for a trakphone because my cell service was down that day. I am going to add the extra day of rental fee's that insurance wouldn't cover because my car was done at 2pm on Tuesday but I was at work and couldn't pick it up. I am going to include lost sleep from the 3 calls of chiropractor offices and 2 calls from body shops I got the day my accident became public record. If I had to appear in court with this fucking subpoena, I would also have lost 8 hours of work (hmm? $13/hr versus the $14 dollars for the whole day I would have been paid to appear).

This adds up to a good $2-300 more in addition to the $25o deductible that I had to pay. This punk was expecting me to appear in court so he could fight a $35 citation? Not a ticket, a citation. I had every intention to take advantage of one of the 9 advertisements I received for law offices in one day to sue his ass for at least the deductible. I am not a mean person, and I was very lucky to walk away from the accident with no injuries and a car that could be fixed. However, I am a logical person in an illogical world. Why should I have to pay so much money because someone else couldn't control their vehicle? It doesn't make sense. I do think the stress of suing him would be more than it is worth, however I will be contacting my insurance company to see if his insurance (if he has any) will cover my deductible. This is not fair.

Greatest Ad Placement evah!

Still waiting...

I just got word from the Kia body shop that they had to ask for an additional $2400.00 to fix my car. They are hoping to be done by this Monday, but they didn't sound very positive of that. Apparently they had to replace a tire, replace my suspension and do massive body work. They said that insurance agreed to pay the additional amount, which makes a grand total of $6400.00. The shop said that even if the insurance didn't pay for it, the repairs HAD to be done or the car would not be drivable. Considering I only have about $300 bucks to my name, I am so very happy insurance is paying! As long as I don't crash my rental on the freezing rain we are having this weekend, I won't post until Monday with news of the car. I am trying to not be afraid to drive in this crap, but I think I am still shell shocked from the accident. Oh well, best get over the fear as there is NO way I can walk 20+ miles to work.

Everybody is doing it

Alright, everyone I know is setting New Year's Resolutions, so I guess I better follow the crowd. I hate doing these because I never end of keeping them. I think I will shoot low for 2009 and then I won't be disappointed.

1) Take my health more seriously. I need to really but my foot down and be more aggressive about my health, especially my Thyroid problems. My health is putting a damper on my personal life and is really hindering my professional life as well.

2) Blog more. I do this every year, but I really want to accomplish this one. I get annoyed when blogs that I love don't publish for awhile, so I need to do the same.

3) Read more. I used to love reading, but reality television has gotten in the way. Steve took the challenge and set his goal at 100. I am going to be more wimpy and set my goal at 50. Feel free to join Shelfari and keep up with how I am doing and to set your own goals as well!

4) Find and go to a reputable credit counseling company. I have been under the thumb of debt that I have had for 5+ years. I can't ever seem to get a handle on it. It isn't a huge amount of money, but it is enough to ruin my credit and keep me from having any savings at all. It needs to stop. This year!

5) Go to social BBW events. I am tired of waiting for him to show up. I am going hunting!

6) Begin the process of finding a job closer to home and making the move back. I miss my family. There is nothing in C-bus keeping me here anymore. My friends are my family and I would miss them terribly, but I want to go home.

I think that is a pretty good list. For some, they could knock out that list in a month or two. For me it will take longer, but I think I can accomplish it. We will see, time will tell!! Good luck on your resolutions as well, dear readers!

Ah Ha!

Okay, not the band but the epiphany. I realized yesterday what it is I don't like about my job. It is boring. January is our busiest time of year, so I had to stop teaching and start taking phone calls. I hate it. I could never pin point what it was that I disliked. I now realize that it is the monotony of it all. Granted, you never know what kind of call you are going to get or what mood the person is going to be in. However it is always the same questions, the same bullshit answers, the same complaints, the same excuses, the same ... everything. I remember a friend of mine told me once that it is scientifically proven that some people can work at their jobs for years and years and never quit. She also said that some people can only do the same thing for a year or two before they get bored and unhappy and need to move on. I think I may be that person. The longest I stayed at a job was almost 7 years, and I was miserable most of it. The only thing that kept me there so long was changing locations, which felt like a new job. I loved being able to teach at my current job, but that won't return until well into March or so. The possibility of doing what I really want, is just not there. At least I know what it is that I don't like, maybe I can fix things.

The whole story

It has been one week since my accident and many people have been asking me exactly what happened. With the stress of insurance companies, repairs and the holidays I haven't had time to really go over it.

On December 20th we had pretty typical Ohio weather. It was rainy and snowy and would go back and forth between the two. Once the sun went down though, things got icy. The thing about Ohio that I could never understand is that every winter we have ice and snow. Every winter all Ohioans forget how to drive in the snow. I just don't get it.

I left work at 10:30 pm, shuffled carefully to my car on the ice, and scraped the sheet of ice off my car. I tested my anti-lock breaks on the empty parking lot for fun before I left since I never had anti-lock breaks before. I got onto I-270 (4 lane highway) and began my trek home. I knew things were bad, but the highway seemed fine. I was cautious but not overly so. That is until I saw all the accidents on the sides of the road and the overpasses. Apparently the sign "Bridge may ice before road" is to be ignored.

I called my workplace because I knew most folks weren't leaving until midnight, and I warned them of the bad roads. I got off onto I-71 and again didn't think the roads were all that bad. A huge accident right before my exit had the whole highway shut down, so I quickly took the exit before mine and survived a steep and slick off ramp. I even survived driving down a back road to get to the road I live off of, called Morse Road.

Morse is a heavily traveled (2 lane) road, 35 mph, and feels like the last road to ever get iced. People fly down the road in normal conditions going 50+mph. I was doing my 30-35 mph crawl and was about a block and a half from my apartment. I don't know if I heard the guy hit the person in front of him, or if I heard his tires squeal, but all of a sudden I see this white Monte Carlo come flying at me from across the center line. All I could do was grip the steering wheel and scream "NO NO NO NO!!" He slammed right into the driver's side of my car. The impact made his car go flying behind me and it came to a stop sideways in the road.

People came out of their houses to see what happened and I called 911. The driver who was traveling behind me had to drive up on the sidewalk next to me to avoid hitting me from behind. Bless her quick thinking! After being on hold with 911 for 1-2 minutes I got through and advised them of the accident. I can't hate on 911 as things were so bad that night. The man who hit me was pretty unresponsive and I was worried for him. I tried to get out of my car but could not because my door was jammed due to the damage.

People were getting into accidents trying to avoid ours. They would see our wreak, slam on their breaks and go sliding into someone. They would go flying down the middle of the road, right between our broken cars and lose control. While waiting 30+ minutes for Fire and Ambulance to arrive we saw a total of 10 accidents (mostly minor fender benders) in a stretch of road 2 blocks long. At one point I realized I could possibly be hit again since people were driving so irresponsibly. I had to climb over my center console to get out of my car. Not a easy task for a big girl! Bystanders helped the man who hit me out of his car also. His car had been hit two more times after he hit mine, and they removed him for his own safety laid him on the ground. If he didn't get hypothermia from laying on the freezing ground for so long then I would be amazed! He never was very responsive and folks who came out of their homes to help got him blankets and a tarp to try and keep him warm. He was later taken to the hospital by ambulance.

I called some very good friends, crying because this was my first real accident. I had gotten into another accident years ago, but it didn't involve damage or any other cars. The police officer deemed my car drivable to my apartment (since it as so close) but nowhere else. After a few hours I was finally able to go home.

I had to stew over things all day Sunday because nothing is open on Sunday's and I could get nothing accomplished. I woke up early Monday morning to begin calling insurance agents and all. Wouldn't you know it, Verizon Wireless' service was down! All day! All I have is a cell phone. I had to frantically post a bulletin on Myspace begging someone to email me and help. The same friend that hung out in the cold with me came over and I was able to use her cell phone all day. I ended up having to buy a prepaid cell phone because I didn't know when "The Most Reliable Network" would be up and running.

Luckily my insurance policy covers a rental, so I was able to finally get into a rental car. I was about 2 hours late to work on Monday -- but I got there. I have been blessed with very kind and understanding people through this experience. I called the Kia dealership and they came to tow my car to the body shop and my insurance said I was allowed to use their shop and would pay the tow fee. With the holiday things were delayed, so I just found out yesterday that the insurance adjuster looked at my car and deemed it $4,000.00 worth of damage! I will be without my Kia for about 2 weeks, which is actually better (quicker) than I thought. I don't know if the guy who hit me was drunk or not as I have not been able to see the police report yet. I also don't know if he had insurance as the cops were unable to find insurance information in his wallet. I am sure I will know more soon.

I am just happy that I was not hurt other than some seat belt pain. I really believe that if I was in my Neon not only would by airbag(s) have deployed, but I would have been seriously hurt too. Although I would have preferred to not have a major accident in my brand new car, I am sort of lucky I did. For all the stress I have been through (I don't do stress very well in case you never noticed) I really have been able to put things into perspective. It may not have been a big deal to most people, but it was a big deal/accident to me. I am forever haunted by the fact that during that night, with all the accidents, a teenage boy was killed. I am so very blessed to not be another statistic.

Merry Fucking Christmas

At least I wasn't hurt and it wasn't my fault.