MerrinDonahue.com

An angel is looking over us.

After weeks of deliberation, I have come to a decision. Sure, it’s not momentous in the grand scheme of things, but it’s one that I struggle with every year at this time. That’s right: I have decided on the theme of this year’s Donahue Christmas Tree. Last year, if you’ll remember, it was red and gold (which Kevin loved). The year before that, it was blue and white and silver (which Kevin didn’t so much love). This year…….
It’s a Peppermint Christmas! The day after Thanksgiving, red, white, and silver will vomit all over our house.
And yes. I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but I have to think about these things while I have the time. I work retail, remember? I bought some “tester” ornaments today, and pending Kevin’s approval, I’ll head back to Garden Ridge to pick up the rest of the fillers. I’m deterimined to out-do last year, and I think I’m off to a pretty good start.

Hop on over to the Fourth Annual BoobieThon and help save the boobies.

I just wanted to say that I love my friends. My mother has always said that when you’e an adult, your friends become your family. That is certainly true of Kevin and I. So, I guess I should say I love my family. God has blessed us in our lives with people that love us, and I am truly thankful. We love them right back.

Rita Hayworth. Rita Rudner. Rita Coolidge. Rita Moreno. And coming soon to a city near you right here in North Texas, Hurricane Rita. Listen. I live in Dallas. Would someone care to tell me why I’m worried about a hurricane’s effect on my city? If Rita stays on course, by Saturday night, we will need to be seriously concerned about tornadoes, flooding, and wind damage. If the storm stalls over the metroplex, which is a possibility, then we can expect torrential rains and severe flooding.
One more time: I live in Dallas. That’s in North Texas. What the hell?

Sure, I know this is more information than anybody ever wants to know, but it’s a big deal. For the first time in the history of ever, my Pap Smear came back normal. Seriously. 16 years, and I finally got it right. Woo hoo!

Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and the family members of those who fell victim to terror on 9/11/01, as well as those who are fighting right now to make sure that it never happens again. To our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, we thank you.

I miss my husband.

Seriously. I could do this. all friggin’ day.

New Orleans is a city that I love. I’ve always loved it. Some of my happiest memories, and some of the memories I’d rather forget, are deeply rooted in the Crescent City. I can’t even begin to wrap my brain around the horrible tragedy that has struck the city. I can’t reconcile my vacation pictures with those running on an endless loop on CNN. I see the pictures of places that I’ve been, and I can’t recognize even the most recognizable landmarks. By now, you’ve seen the footage of the total devastation. You’ve heard the pleas for relief. Now is the time to reach out and help. Please visit any of these links and make a donation.

American Red Cross
Operation Blessing
America’s Second Harvest
Corporation for National and Community Service

You can also contact your local churches and, if you’re in Texas, your local hospitals to find out how you can help. Please, please, please, reach out and help. There are thousands of people throughout the South that need a hand, and if we don’t take care of our own, then who will?

Kevin called me at work today and asked me if I had paid the DirectTV bill (I sometimes get a wild hair and pay some bills online so he won’t have to worry about it). I told him “no”, and then he dropped the bomb: There was a $300+ charge to our checking account. He called DirectTV, then he called the bank. A few days ago, our bank sent us a new check card along witha note that said that the card processing center had been compromised, and they were sending all customers replacement cards as a precaution. Naturally, we called and activated our new card, which cancelled the previous account. Turns out, we were a little too late. Some thieving bastard already had our old number, and in the 24 hours that it took us to activate the new card, he had a field day on our old one. Yeah, we’ll get the money back (it turns out that it was more than the $300 we originally thought), but imagine my shock when I actually looked at our bank balance when I got home. Shit shit shit shit shit.

This raises another question: Why did DirecTV allow someone to charge to our account without, at the very least, verifying a billing address? Sure, we’re existing customers, but every time I call DirectTV, or log in online, I have to answer a litany of questions designed to prevent just this very thing. So what happened in this case? Am I really that naive?

We’re back! The work portion of my trip was just that, but the real fun began the minute work ended. Kev and I are our way through San Francisco, and we made sure that we hit all the tourist highlights. I’ll have all (or at least most of) the details soon, and I know that Kevin will be posting pictures. We had an absolute ball, and I know that we’ll be going back for the food, if nothing else.

I used to love my IPod. I mean, I really loved it. Now, I want to chuck the damn thing into the trash. Don’t get me wrong: If I could actually extract the music from the godforsaken network of hell that my husband has created, then I might actually enjoy it, but as it stands, I (and my IPod) are held hostage. I can’t even begin to tell you how frustrating it is not to be able to use the freakin’ thing. It seems it was a totally worthless thing to own in the first place.

Well, we haven’t been anywhere in about 2 months, so we figured it was time to pack up and head out. i have to go to San Francisco on business the first week of August, and I somehow managed to talk Kevin into joining me for a long weekend, once all my work has been done. We had to compromise on our accomodations, however; I wanted to stay at the W, and Kev had his heart set on the St. Francis, so we’ve ended up making reservations at both.
Does anybody have any suggestions for what to do/see/eat while we’re there? Of course we’re doing the Alcatraz thing, but I’m looking for something a little more off-the-beaten-path. Email me with anything you can think of!

Wanna know what I hate? I hate it when people at work give out my home phone number to my employees. My very VERY disgruntled employees. Are you f’ing kidding me?!?!?
Use some friggin’ common sense; that’s what my cell phone is for, people. Never, EVER give out my home phone number. I don’t give out yours.
There. I feel marginally better now that I’ve vented.