Readying for a cruise!

So far, all systems appear to be a 'go' but we won't know until the minute that we get on the ship that this vacation is actually happening. John and I have been walking a tightrope between talking to Mom about the cruise and not talking to Mom about the cruise. Too much cruise excitement talk seems to get Mom a bit nervous, not enough and she forgets we're going! Eh, that's ok. As her doctor told her "If you start getting worried or nervous about the trip, just remember that your daughter's got it." WHAT? I'm the one who's 'Got It?' Nice way to put pressure on the daughter, Phyllis! So, now, I'm trying to make sure I've got everything, from contraband liquor (it's going in her wheelchair), to fresh DVDs for the computer (1st year of the Mary Tyler Moore show), magazines (6 People magazines I've been storing away) - check. Got it. Wow, I really do got it - um, have it. I really do have it! John and I, at least, are really looking forward to a nice relaxing time.  And, gambling! Yes! I get to get my fix! Hot diggity.

Ok, this next piece is going to be a bit weird but: The arc bobs against a god. I was required to put that sentence in my blog to prove that I own this particular piece of work. I'm signing up for more writing assignments - this one is a review of products and websites so you might be seeing some strange stuff here soon (not that you haven't already)...eHow has changed their format and I'll still get residuals from them but won't be adding any new articles. I tried Firehow which pays about a penny for 3 views - uncheck. I'm writing for Break Studios which is a kick as they pay $8 per article and I'm finding I can write 4 articles an hour - not a bad clip. My goal next month is to try for $400 from Break alone. That's dependent though on how quickly they approve the articles. So, The arc bobs against a god it is.

Had all 6 dogs here for the last 2 days and got one great picture out of the mix but, let me tell ya, 6 dogs, no matter how wonderful they are, is a LOT. I'm confident now that I won't be that old lady dog hoarder - it's just too much work to clip 23 feet (Hops is missing 1), a total of 99 toenails! And, today is bath day which should take me about 3 hours. The ladies get bathed in the kitchen sink to save my aching back (yes, it gets sanitized after) and the boys get the hose. And, I haven't counted Mom into the mix - bath day is actually Saturday but I thought it would be a nice visual to include her here...

 Pictures will be forthcoming...