Yet Another Long-lost Sibling Pops Up....

I know that my genetic history has been difficult to explain and more is to come next week in the saga, but I just opened the mail today and received a letter and picture from my long-lost sister. She is a troubled and twisted soul, having been left for dead in the bathroom at the Sunoco station on Carson Street when she was only a baby... she was picked up by a band of gypsies and spent most of her childhood as a Carnie... traveling from Carnival sideshow to sideshow... entertaining young and old as the hairy chested psychic, Esmerelda and filling in at the funnel cake stand. After a brief stint on the Psychic Network and the cosmetics counter at Woolworth in Oil City, she now works for Lee Press-on Nails in Raliegh. Here, we see her in her native Gypsy garb, sporting this season's hottest lipstick color, 'Vagabond Hussy Rouge'.

I Can't Come Up With A Caption....

I know it's not Monday ... but I came across these pictures ... There are so many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to begin... but let me try: 1. Why was my toilet in the kitchen? 2. Why was my brother sitting next to me... let alone protecting me with a machine gun? Maybe he hid his stash in there and he was protecting his investment? 3. What was going through ChiChi's mind (the dog)? 4. Could my head possibly be any bigger? 5. How much time has elapsed... that my brother went and got his gun... or put it away and the dog had time to stroll by? 6. Where are my parents and why would they let this unravel like this? 7. If I show this to my therapist, would he give me a refund for some of the sessions where we tried to get to the root of my problems, this being the obvious cause... and, lastly... 8. Didn't I have the legs of a dancer even back then?

Interesting... and Scary....

All About Me Mondays... On Tuesday

It suddenly hit me that I did not put one of my pictures in the post yesterday for All About Me Mondays... and that's like walking around with a sack of sunshine and not sharing it with others... so here it is. I would first like to point out that this is the only time that my brother embraced me throughout our lives... He was probably trying to butter me up to get a five-spot from me to get a hit of weed... I think that this photo also proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt that, fortunately, my brother and I could only be distantly blood-related. With his blond hair and blue eyes and shit-eating grin... it is highly unlikely that we came from the same gene pool, beyond our biological mother, let alone the same planet. I can only assume that my Dad had to say 'Quaalude' to get him to smile. By the look on my face, I think this is where it first hit me that this one was going to be an on-going problem in my life...

Caution: Slow-Moving Progress Ahead....

I was able to get the landscaping at my Dad's done yesterday... except for getting rid of some big and little rocks... we have to paint the back porch stairs and the deck yet, and I'll be putting a 'for sale by owner' sign out in the next couple of days. Then on to the inside. My Dad helped me yesterday... he spent 4 hours fiddling with his chainsaw. I had a few stumps to cut down... we would have been more productive throwing swingset chain by hand at the stump from ten feet back or using a butter knife than using with his chainsaw... one of the best things in the Spring at his house is the Lilac bushes coming out... they smell so good.

All About Me Mondays...

It was a pretty productive weekend. It was deck building weekend... and we got a lot done, but still have a great deal to do. We're so thrilled to be able to walk out of the trailer onto something. When I got back, I went to my Dad's to do a little bit of clean up on the wall that I built and was able to do some edging and added mulch. It looks a whole lot better, but I still have so many things to do there as well. Some of my other talents/jobs are/were...

- I sold photo albums in 1986 door-to-door... I've always been very good at sales... we would have these pre-made appointments where we went out and tried to sell these $600 photo album/processing packages to low-income families... the thing they wanted you to say to seal the deal was... " if after little Mary's birthdays and graduation... her wedding and photos of their first child... if I were to come back to you in 25 years from now and offer you $600 for all those memories... (pregnant pause)........ Mr. and Mrs. (?), would you sell those memories back to me? What parent would say yes? I sold one... felt bad and quit.

- I have worked at a car wash, pizza restaurant, Radio Shack, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Blockbuster Video, Littlearth, a supermarket, and interior design firm to name a few.

- I have 25 years of management experience... I had two Controllerships, been an Accounting Manager and Operations manager, Office Manager, District Training Manager and Restaurant Manager. I have my real estate license, held an insurance license in PA and Ohio and was certified in long-term care as well as Medicare, graduated from the Pittsburgh Bartender School and Career Training Academy after 600 hours of massage studies... I have never attended college, although I graduated high school with honors and had a scholarship that I turned down. I was in the Air Force for four months and went through basic training. I had a contracted job that fell through and technically they could not keep me in there. I owned my own dayspa... cleaning business and now, landscaping business. I have rewired an entire house and do plumbing as well. Soon to be... deck builder?

Cracked Magazine

In a dresser in our basement, my Dad found a copy of Cracked magazine dated September of 1983. Why it would have been there is beyond me... but it's so funny to look at since they are talking about TV shows that were in their prime then... like Simon and Simon and Love Boat and the A-Team. Who knows... maybe I can sell it and pay off the deficit for the country.

My Dad's Poor Truck....

This used to be my truck... then I sold it to my Dad... unfortunately, my brother beat the hell out of it on his robbing sprees and drug runs... but the worst is when I load it up with a few tons of mulch and the back end almost drags the ground. I don't know how the shocks and springs haven't fallen off. It looks like I'm about to pop a wheelie... or it reminds me of the Flintstones car... when the big rack of ribs almost tips it over....

BP and Me...

Well... it's official... I am the new fresh face of BP for Southwestern Pennsylvania... I have been officially awarded 25 out of 26 stores for landscaping. I just hope that with my busy schedule, I will have time to ride on the float in the parade, keep up with the many photo shoots and autograph signings to keep up my duties as Miss Pass-Gas.... And to think that I've taken things to get rid of gas in the past...

'Weather' Or Not, I like April...

Yesterday, short of a monsoon, I had every type of precipitation coming down on me in five minute intervals up in Mars, PA. First it was sunny, then rained... then poured... then sleeted... then snowed... then hailed... then sunny... then rained... then sunny... then .... well, you get the picture. WTF? Better day today and throughout the weekend though... But with everything in bloom, it's still the most beautious time of year... full of new life.

Kris was safe last night... bye bye to Lil Rounds and Anoop Dog... neither really deserved to go home, but it is getting down to the time when someone has to go regardless of talent. Now it turns into a popularity contest. With Adam as the front-runner and most deserved and Kris as my boyfriend, I win either way... Although Kris is about 2 minutes and 47 seconds into his 3 minutes with me any way... it's hard with the distance and all and time does tick on...

My Sentiments Exactly, Kris

Blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah.... blah blah blah blah. adflask fjweqerow ieqerwe ofjfs ajwf ljwf owjf..... that about sums it up for me... last night was a good show, except that with the talent pool that they are down to, it all seems a bit "whatever" to me at this point. I think Adam will win and they might as well just close the show down now... but would Coca-Cola, AT&T and Ford suffer from the withdrawal of the show? Better to keep it going than risk upsetting the economy any more.

Everyone did much better than I expected for the disco topic... but the show used to be about 'let's see if you, as an artist, can adapt to the genre'... and not how it is now... 'let's see how the genre can adapt around you... a young, smug, new artist who takes everything and says "fuck it"... this is who I am so let me grind out my version of it based on my abilities, or lack there of'. And if another one sings crappy and says "I had fun"... it's not about fun... it's about bringing your A-game. The younger generation forgets all that went in to music up to this point.... they think that what the artists today crank out is music... guess what... John Mayer and Kanye had nothing to do with the history of music and very little now.

Although I'm not a fan of Lil Rounds, at least she was the only one who truly sang a disco song like a disco song. At least when Adam gives us his version, it's so fresh and original and pushes even his boundries and abilities. Fortunately, they're axing two of them tonight... put them close together when you swing the ax and only waste the energy on one swing. David Archuleta is singing tonight... yipee! Another woo hoo Idol finalist going nowhere. As much as he was my boyfriend last year... I'm glad I kicked him to the curb like Thursday's trash... I didn't even buy his CD.

All About Me Mondays...

Ever since I was brand new, my family went to Myrtle Beach every year and stayed in the same hotel in the same room. I met my oldest and dearest friend, Brad, there when we were 8ish... the movie 'Beaches' was made about us (I was portrayed by the fabulous Barbara Hershey)... our meeting and life happened almost exactly like the movie. In the picture above, you can see my Mom's stylish bathing suit, complete with matching floppy hat (don't think that I didn't wear that all the time) and glasses. Some interesting things that happened there over the years...

- When I was about 4 or 5, I got the worst case of chicken pox the doctor had ever seen... I had them in my mouth, under my eyelids... everywhere. The sand exacerbated the whole situation and I wasn't allowed in the sun, but I did pick at them and have a few scars from it.
- There are things that happen in the world that you always remember exactly where you are... 911... the space shuttle disaster... Princess Di dying... and the first time you saw Grease. I saw it down there in 1978... I was 11 and fell for John Travolta... but really loved Olivia Newton John's sassy hot pants and big heels.
- My Dad and I had a great business going every year... he would go out in the ocean and bring me sand dollars... we would bleach them and I would go door to door selling them for a dollar. I would earn money before we left for vacation to spend... but I always made money down there and came back with more than I left with.

Landscaping Job

Imagine this amount of water coming down your backyard as a run-off from the mines... people pay big bucks to have a waterfall put in and the water pumped... no need here. Another quality job by... Landscapes By David :)

Odd Twist of Events....

Take a look at the pics... that's Kris Allen in the middle of the man-sandwich... laying on top of some guy... and I don't even want to know why he (on the far left out of the 4) was rubbing pee-pee's with the guy on the beach (well, actually that is a story that I'd like to hear). Now....... I ask you... it doesn't look that impossible for me to be his boyfriend after all, does it? BTW... he was safe tonight on American Idol.

Growing Up With My Parents...

I was born May 26th, 1967 at Ohio Valley Hospital ("One of the best hospitals in the city... isn't in the city") in Mckees Rocks... about 2000 feet from where I live now... and adopted by Dominic and Dorothy Pezzula. They told us we were adopted early on... but I never had any details. My Mom was pretty protective of information throughout the years and despite the 'free love' 60's and early 70's, things were kept hush-hush in families. My parents had already adopted my 'brother' Dan when I was born and then they adopted me as well. My mother always wanted a girl (and she kind of got one, sort of). I was a handful and a hyper-active child (now diagnosed as ADD/ADHD) but all I ever got as treatment was some Aspergum and a Flintstone vitamin (no Ritalin yet (so sad for her)). My Dad worked on the P&LE Railroad and was gone most of the time. When he came home, I remember we would get all cleaned up, go out to the car in the driveway to head to K-Mart and a steak supper and we'd hear the phone ring and he would be called back in to work (no wonder I was so skinny... that and growing up on ketchup sandwiches). My Mom didn't drive and didn't work, so she was always at home with us (a recipe for disaster). Although I was closer to my Mom, we were a lot alike... sarcastic, anal-retentive, energetic... and that led to a clash of the titans. She used to pick fights with me (which usually led to me being bratty and saying something like "why did you pick me?" and "return me and get your money back") because I clean when I am mad. Years after I left home, she would call me to ask me where I had put things in her house. My Dad, as some of you know who have met him, is a Saint. The most simple, honest, hard-working, unselfish person you will ever meet. It was his job to provide and that's just what he did. While I was living in Philadelphia, my mother had a brain aneurysm burst in 1994 and died soon after. It was the day after her funeral when I was talking with my cousins that I decided to ask my Dad about the facts surrounding my adoption.... (more after the break)(insert Shamwow commercial here, followed by 'The Girls of Mckees Rocks Gone Wild' video ad)

Weather Report

For your viewing pleasure, I added the Pittsburgh weather report on the lower right side of the blog.

Family Tree

CLICK TO ENLARGE:




This is the family tree.... (More after the break)

My Attempt to Explain My Adoption Background...

In the coming weeks, I will try to explain the history of my adoption and the recent developments. I'm warning you, it plays out like a bad Jerry Springer episode during sweeps week.... More after the break....

Just Like Me....