Q & A

I’d like to take a moment to answer the top 8 questions people ask me regarding my blog:

Does Tom get upset about some of the things you write about him?

Fortunately, Tom is a great sport, which is a good thing as he’s the source of my best material. The truth is - I’m a little boring – my idea of living on the edge is ordering French toast instead of pancakes. Tom on the other hand is larger than life. He’s eccentric in the best possible way and fills a room with his presence. Tyler is also a big personality, but unfortunately he starts every conversation with “do not blog about this Mom”.

Do you ever exaggerate? For example, is Tom really a hypochondriac?

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit there are times when a little creative license is called for. This usually consists of changing dates, locations and names in an effort to protect the innocent. For the most part this really is my crazy life, and yes Tom really is a germaphobe / hypochondriac. Even though Tom and I are opposites, we seem to balance each other. Let’s put it this way – Tyler, Tex, Maggie and I are the only thing between Tom and a hazmat suit – and without Tom I’d probably be living on a commune with 10 dogs.

How are Tex and Maggie doing?

The good news - Tex’s back continues to improve – he’s no longer dragging his leg and seems to have that old bounce back in his step.
The bad news - Maggie has had two more tumours removed since my last post - both of which were malignant. The Doctor feels confident that he got everything, but we’re still very worried about her. As a result we're all fawning over her 24 – 7, which quite frankly is making her just a little cranky.
Next week I am taking both Tex and Maggie to a specialist in naturopathy, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture as we want to make sure we’re doing everything possible to ensure their good health.

Do you really have to blog about politics and religion? Why not keep it on the lighter side?

There is an old southern saying that one should never discuss politics, religion or sex in polite company. While I agree to a certain point, it is important to note that my primary motivation for writing this blog is Tyler. I really want to know Tyler, instead of making him into who I want or need him to be. Which means that I also have to be really honest about who I am, warts and all.

Who is Tyra?

Tyra is my younger cousin / kid sister – growing up she was Skipper to my Barbie. I am very grateful that this blog has allowed us to reconnect. Anyone who has read my blog will know that she is passionate and conservative. She is also beautiful, funny and the mother of three young boys. I personally think her comments have added a great deal to the mix, as it’s good for me and my homies to hear another point of view.

What about some of the things you blog about? Have you reduced your carbon footprint by not shopping, limited yourself to 5 pairs of shoes, and are you dealing with your diet coke addiction?

This one is dedicated to all of the smart asses in my life. The downside of having a blog is putting things in writing, there's always someone around to remind you that you've gone off the wagon. And don't even ask about what happens when one mistakenly sips and blogs. While I haven't quite been able to kick the shoe habit, I am down to one coke a day (we won't mention a lost week in Pittsburgh when my buddy Steve and I went on a bender).

How is the snoring thing going?

The good news is I've been on a health kick and have lost about 15 pounds - which seems to have ended my career as a closet snorer. Ironically Tom seems to have picked up the slack and is snoring more than ever. After all the hell he gave me, constantly waking me up to point out that I sounded like a big honking lumber jack, it seems to be poetic justice.

Who takes all of the beautiful photo's?

Eighty percent of the images are Tom's, while I take the other 20% or find them off the Internet. In other words, all of the good shots are his - all of the blurry images were everyone looks like a red eyed demon are mine. Tom just bought a new camera, a Nikon D300, which means you can look forward to a whole new era of photo's. It also means that I have inherited his old camera, so you'll still be subjected to my wonky view of the world - like the shot of Tex (below).