The headline reads: Drunk Driver Found Guilty in Death of 84-Year-Old Woman

... convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a collision that killed an 84-year-old woman.

He* was also was convicted today of leaving the scene of the February 18th accident. Prosecutors say he* was drunk when he caused the head-on collision.

Prosecutors say his* blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit after he was arrested.

He* faces up to 15 years in prison on the involuntary manslaughter charge and four years in prison for leaving the scene of the accident.

*Name removed

Posted by: Princess Cat at 07:10 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 this is great news, cat. justice is served, finally.

Posted by: shoe at November 29, 2006 07:41 AM (bZCDX)

2 I hope he gets raped repeatedly in prison. Is that wrong?

Posted by: Dorothy at November 29, 2006 04:23 PM (pqJMZ)

3 Small comfort, but it's a start.

Posted by: Ted at November 29, 2006 04:25 PM (+OVgL)

4 I hope they give the guy the max...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at November 30, 2006 08:54 AM (Hn1Gg)

5 Glad they found him guilty, 15 years for taking a life...does not seem long enough.

Posted by: armywifetoddlermom at November 30, 2006 10:49 AM (4V65g)

6 You're right, it doesn't bring her back but it does bring a bit of closure. But 15 years just doens't sound long enough....

Posted by: Tammi at December 02, 2006 08:14 AM (3UQTn)

7 Tammi - it'll be a LONG 15 years. A lot of guys in prison have grandmothers.

Posted by: Harvey at December 03, 2006 01:12 PM (L7a63)

8 I guess many people wouldn't drive when they are drunk and would be more careful if they know that they may get to the prison for 15 years...I hope this case will stop the others.

Posted by: Rob at December 03, 2006 08:25 PM (wMSNf)

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Posted by: corsiingleseijn at June 03, 2007 01:34 PM (lrJhW)

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I think I did more damage to my kitchen by 8am today than most people do all week.

2 apple breads, 3 pies, 2 casseroles ... all in various stages of done-ness

Oh, and have I mentioned I'm not packed yet?

I'm leaving town this afternoon to see the good family and off to see the bad family on Saturday (ugh) for the trial that starts Monday.

Be back in a week. Be good (Santa's watching)

Posted by: Princess Cat at 08:46 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I had no idea it was this late in the year. Last time I looked it was July. How did this happen?

I don't have anything purchased for Christmas. Hell, I don't have a clue on what to purchase, let alone gone to look for it - online or otherwise. Doesn't look like there's much time to do handmade gifts, unless I'm going to bake stuff.

I don't have my plane tickets for the extended family pre-Christmas Christmas (as opposed to their usual post-Christmas Christmas)

I don't have a thing to make my house look like Christmas - except for a Santa skating across a block of ice that someone bought for me from Cracker Barrel - and I have no idea where I'm going to find the money to make it feel like Christmas.

Looks like time to get a move on

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:38 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Cooking and baking - my personal little escape-from-hell therapy

In the past couple of days I have done:

-chicken pot pie stew
-peanut butter cookies
-pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
-pumpkin bars
-pumpkin walnut roll

Next week, a bunch of Thanksgiving cooking and baking!

I'm not sure if it really ends up being cheaper than therapy, but it is definitely a lot more fun. Even with the dreaded cleaning that it requires.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 04:44 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Why is it that Google is telling me the current weather is "light rain" when it has been a downpour off and on all afternoon, I've heard thunder, seen lightening, and the national weather service is telling me about flood and tornado warnings?

I think someone is trying to piss on my shoe and tell me its raining

Posted by: Princess Cat at 03:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I am exhausted

I haven't slept well in two days and tonight just happened to be one of the most awesome chats with dad.

It was one of those chats that starts out as a simple exchange of opinions, no harm, no foul ... but by the end I've broken ... and I end up sobbing tears of frustration, hurt, and anger

Grandma's trial is coming up in less than two weeks and suddenly, the wicked witch of the East wants to tag along. All summer long the family was assured she would not be coming and now, she's decided she wants to. How fucking convenient ...

There is just no legitimate reason for this evil, insecure, gold digging piece of trash to be at my grandmother's trial. Isn't it bad enough that we all have to sit there in the courtroom and listen to the defense try to say he didn't do it? That we might even hear them try to say it was her fault? Isn't the torture of the loss enough? Why should I have to endure the salt that she is? She wants me to sit in the very same courtroom and pretend that I believe she is there to support my father? I haven't seen one ounce of genuine emotion out of that thing in the seven years I've known her - what makes today so GD different? I don't care what anyone says, I saw it with my own eyes, my grandmother did not like this tramp and now she thinks she has a right to sleep in my grandmother's bed like she owns the place?

I'm putting my foot down. I'm not sharing a house with her. I will not appease her demands. It will hurt my father, but sometimes tough love is the only thing that works.

I am done. There are no more chances. Am I going to get back the years of my relationship with my dad that she has stolen? No. And what is she going to do about the other things that no one can change? The last holiday meal I shared with my grandmother was at a shitty Italian restaurant, with no service, and no menu (what Italian restaurant doesn't have pasta with meat sauce?) because we were trying to appease the evil one and accommodate her - I can't get back that holiday and I don't get another chance. Where's the accommodation of how I feel? The last time I saw my grandmother alive was that same Christmas, in the front seat of my dad's car, because the whore was such a bitch about other people in her house that our family did Christmas in a hotel room and my dad was taking my grandmother back to his house afterward. She didn't care about any of us then and she doesn't care about any of us now. So her feigned emotion now is rather transparent ... and I'm calling bullshit.

Karma's got her number and some day, it'll come up.

So, after a night like this, I am exhausted ... and still I can't sleep

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:14 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Please see yesterday's post for more information

Posted by: Princess Cat at 06:19 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm not sure if I am officially back on my insomnia kick, but last night was a struggle. This morning has been even worse.

I tried going to bed well before midnight but I'm not sure how many hours went by before I actually fell asleep. At 12:45 I was getting up to turn the heat down because I was just too hot under the blanket.

I tossed and turned all night long, unable to get comfortable. I could not let go of being awake - mentally, physically - my body and mind wanted to be awake. I do not feel like I dozed for more than 30-40 minutes at a time.

At 5:30 the terrible headache and frustration were just too much. I gave up on sleep and have been watching TV in the living room ever since.

I feel unrested, achey, tense, and frustrated ... and I still have the headache. I sure hope this isn't an indication of how my day is going to go ...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 07:30 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I got into a bit of an argument this weekend ... imagine that ... against a Hispanic, gay man that I found to be an annoyingly vocal hypocrite.

We were at brunch with a group of friends, celebrating his return from a Caribbean cruise, and generally enjoying each other's company after not having been together for a while.

... enter his politics ...

He is openly gay and opposes bans on his rights as a gay man.
He is fanatically anti-tobacco and supports all tobacco bans.

Ordinarily, I suppose I would have let this go ... but not this weekend. And especially not after hearing him discuss his cruise and say, "Oh, they knew we were there. We took over that ship..." We being the group of approximately 300 gay men on board.

So ... let me see if I understand ...

It is completely and totally ok for you to intentionally and purposefully interrupt daily lives and shove in the face of others that you are gay (when you could easily just live your life like a normal person without having to bring attention to your sexual preference every five seconds), but it isn't ok for someone else to choose to smoke in an area that you can easily remove yourself from?

Don't get me wrong - I could care less that you are gay, but do you really expect me to treat you the same when you insist on telling me that you're different? And do you really expect me to support your "equal rights" when you are so actively campaigning to take away the freedom of others, molding the world they way you think it should be? What happened to personal responsibility and the choice to walk away?

I am just so caught on this - It is wrong to take away your right to marry another man, but it is right to take away a smokers right to choose his own behavior because it might bother you?

Fuck you, Man! more...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:20 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Grandpa,

This is the first Veterans Day in decades that you've had your lovely bride with you. We miss her everyday but it feels good to know that you're not alone anymore. I can't come visit you both today but I will be there soon.

I hope that you are watching down and know just how proud both our family and your Army family are of the service you two gave to our nation, all those years.

Thank you and thank your friends, thank all Vets today.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 09:23 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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For 231 years, America has depended on you to keep her safe. Today we are counting on your sacrifice and dedication to bring us through one of the scariest challenges I think we have ever faced. We don't say thank you or pick up the tab at the bar nearly enough for what we ask of you.

Today, I hope that everyone will go out and buy a Marine a beer to say thanks. Happy Birthday, Marines!

GO TEAM MARINE!

Today is your last day to bring these hotties into the lead (or at least keep em ahead of these Army guys issuing "challenges")

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:51 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Does anyone else find it ironic that I had to spend part of the afternoon cleaning an appliance meant to clean other things?

Check out the disgusting blue goo in my washing machine

Apparently the people that lived here before me were unfamiliar with the concept of an automatic fabric softener dispenser ... or the manual for the machine ...

Just disgusting

Posted by: Princess Cat at 04:23 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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It's an awful day in politics, but there is still hope of a good day for so many outside of politics. The final three days of the big team competition for Valour-IT are counting down and there is a lot of money left to be raised.

Each team is shooting to raise $45,000 and the title of winner.

Do what our community is meant to do and give these guys more of a helping hand (literally) than you ever dreamed possible. Help us raise $180,000 (a sum buying more than 225 additional laptops).

On a selfish note: bringing team Marine into the lead would certainly bring a little extra sunshine to my day ... if you need help picking a team

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As ArmyWifeToddlerMom has said, she did not sleep well, neither did I.

When I went to bed I was mostly ignoring the election game but I couldn't help noticing it looked like my team was in trouble**

The Virginia race was tight but at least Allen was on top when I shut everything down. Now Webb is claiming victory? And we have to wait until Thanksgiving for the official word?

And this Pelosi nonsense? I must be in a dream ... please let me be in a terribly, horrible nightmare ...

But Andi has things right with the silver lining ... we have a mission to make sure each and every mistake these fools inflict upon our country is loudly and widely publicized so that their true colors will show in time to keep them out of the Presidency in '08.

** For the asshat that like to leave halfwit political comments - my team is the Republican side

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:29 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I am ashamed of myself today - It is election day and I will not be voting...

Not voting goes against everything I believe in.

One of the many things that slipped through the cracks this year was updating my voter registration after the move. I almost got around to it several times ... but almost doesn't count in elections.

I will kick myself if the election does not go the way I want it to but I have no one to be mad at but myself. I didn't get my priorities straightened out in time and have relinquished my rights to those that did. I have offered the power to decide my community's laws to those using their freedom. I can only hope that enough of those people see the issues the same way I do.

Don't make the same mistake I did ... exercise your freedom, own your rights, and use the power this country gave you to make your community a better place.

Go vote today

UPDATE: (7:50pm)
I went to my polling place and I was able to vote after all! Thanks for the head's up, CalTechGirl!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 10:55 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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A post ... a post ... a post, a post, a post ...

I know there is one in here somewhere.

Mostly just the same things to bitch about:

- God does not want me to have a sofa (one store was out of business, one store was closed all weekend due to a power outage, one store didn't carry any furniture at all when they advertised they did, another store told me a completely different story than an alternate location of the same chain ... stupid furniture)

- My excitement for the day? A new vacuum! It does work well ... but seriously? This is my excitement?

This day has to get better

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:27 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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My mom called last night.

Just shoot me now

She was her usual meddling self ... telling me how to handle work, that I wasn't being paid enough, have I considered what the opportunities for advancement are ... like she's got her own life under control.

Meanwhile, she's still at work at 8pm, in a job she hates, frustrated almost to the point of tears, not considering another job ... because she doesn't want to "quit for nothing"

Yeah, I'm just rushing to take your advice, Lady

So then the issue of the holidays rolls around. I have become the evil ogre of the family for saying I don't want to go back to Cali this year.

My brother is not worth traveling for - I get maybe an hour's worth of time from him when I'm in town. We can't make it through a meal without a text or phone call from his girlfriend or his friends wanting to go hang out. Thanks, but I don't need to fly all the way across the country so you can 'grace me' with your presence.

My dad, not worth going to Cali for, sad to say. His wife has been nixed from my life entirely and thus, why go out there for a holiday I can't share with him? I'll see him here, I'll see him in Kansas. That's all the room he makes for me in his life, so that's all he gets.

My mom is the only other reason to go ... she is offended that I don't want to go just for her. She is playing the pity card and making me out as the selfish one. Oh, and don't forget the this-is-all-your-father's-fault-for-divorcing-me-and-now-I'm-all-alone guilt card she is playing.

It was seven years ago ... MOVE ON!

Well here's the whole story (or why I don't feel like an ogre)

Her side of the family is having a Christmas celebration that I plan to go to. She doesn't know if she is going to go. I planned to see her there, the week before Christmas. Going to the trouble of flying half way across the country just doesn't seem worth it to her so maybe she'll go, maybe she won't.

And she never considered coming out here.

So as long as I have to fly and I have to make the effort, everyone is happy. The minute my feelings come into play, its bad guy city.

I say, peg me for an outlaw cuz relationships are a two way street.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 01:00 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Without those laptops from Project Valor-IT, there are men and women that can't readily answer the simple question, "Where you come from and where you wanna go this time?" that is being asked by a popular song these days.

Don't these folks deserve to be able to tell their story? To keep in touch with mom and dad far away? To Google whatever pops into their head just as much as you do?

You're damn straight they do.

Donate Here (On Behalf of Team MARINE, of course)

Or bid on signed copies Marines in the Garden of Eden or The Gulf War Chronicles by Richard S. Lowry - books that John at Op-For and CoInSide have put up to benefit Project Valor-IT without picking sides.

(Don't let the abject Zoomie generosity and dedication to the cause fool you ... Team Marine is the way to go when it comes to the service teams. We do more with less, 7 days a week.)

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Halloween in the new house was a huge turn out

Not one mob...

Not two groups...

Not three sets...

or even four families...

Big fat ZEE-ROW. Not a single kid to eat these four bags of candy that I really don't need to have added to my hips this month.

So, how many trick-or-treaters did you get?

Posted by: Princess Cat at 10:37 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 I guess the word got out on you pretty quick, eh?

Posted by: Ogre at November 01, 2006 11:02 AM (oifEm)

2 Ogre is a meanie! Anyway, not too many - two dozen or so in "packs" of 6 with parental escorts, but think that is because so many folks go to special events at church or school or the town hall. Seems like fewer every year. But those that came were well-costumed, and the little ones were cute as buttons!

Posted by: jck at November 01, 2006 11:28 AM (fRt6P)

3 uhm two. its pretty darn cold in KS this time of year.

Posted by: Shelley at November 01, 2006 12:37 PM (Mr51i)

4 we had 0 as well. Although that's probably because we live behind a security gate. Although, in the 7 years we've been married, we've only had a total of 4.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at November 01, 2006 12:45 PM (/vgMZ)

5 I had 50 and then I turned out the light after the collective were in bed...people kept ringing the bell about 100 times, and waking them... drove me wacky..'

Posted by: armywifetoddlermom at November 01, 2006 05:21 PM (IVwWm)

6 We had about 75, which is way up from the last few years. I thought it might because we've had several new families with kids move onto the street this year. I also had just enough candy, and the last two kids got a few pieces each to finish off the bowl.

Posted by: Ted at November 01, 2006 07:36 PM (+OVgL)

7 None. Not a single one.

Posted by: jesse at November 02, 2006 06:56 AM (z1Syu)

8 ... zero.... and it was excellent....

Posted by: Eric at November 02, 2006 09:22 AM (NlzwQ)

9 ZERO...because we didn't have the flyer on our apartment door letting kids know we were giving out candy. I'd rather not invite little hellraisers to freely peep in my windows so they can tell their family members that I have stuff worth stealing. Plus, I refuse to give anything to this new "entitlement" generation.

Posted by: Dorothy at November 02, 2006 11:42 AM (pqJMZ)

10 I feel your pain. It was also my first Halloween in a new place/neighborhood/town, and I had no idea how many T-orTers to expect. I asked around, and people told me that I could get up to 150 little goblins! So, I prepared diligently... Yup, you guessed it. Not a single one. I am now doing my best to give candy away. Next year I'll buy candy but won't open the bag(s) until anyone shows up, so at least I can return it to the store!

Posted by: AnnaD at November 02, 2006 11:55 AM (TCXPd)

11 My doorbell rang twice. Both times it was my own kids. Go figure.

Posted by: Sticks at November 02, 2006 06:13 PM (Ak7WA)

12 I probably got a couple of hundred this year. That's about the usual turnout in my neighborhood. I spend about $50.00 on candy every year and rarely have very much left. Last year I only got about 10 trick or treaters but that was right after Hurricane Wilma and there was no power in all of Palm Beach County at the time. Halloween is my favorite day of the year.

Posted by: assrot at November 02, 2006 07:49 PM (ARCEn)

13 I got a bunch of them, including one that I got between the eyes. That was a lucky shot, though.

Posted by: zonker at November 03, 2006 09:39 AM (PrUNH)

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