Not what I planned on posting

For those of you who've tuned in to see the details of my JCC, that just isn't going to happen. Overall, this just isn't going to be a fun post, but I really just have to do this. For me. And it's my blog. Sorry, that's just the way it is tonight.

Some (okay one) of you knows that a very good friend of mine was brutally murdered by her husband last year, right before Valentine's day. They apparently fought over her work schedule and beat her to death in their bathroom. He then hid her in the back of her Izuzu Trooper, took her to his dad's machine shop and dismembered her. That's the glossed over story.

The reason I'm on this today is that his father committed suicide yesterday afternoon. It just doesn't stop. Steve's parents were divorced and his stepmother died about 6months before he killed Tara. Steve's dad was very quiet during the entire, year long, ordeal. His sister was hideously vocal, but his dad was silent. Never on TV, didn't attend the trial, seldom visited Steve in jail while awaiting trail. He was very close to Steve, they worked together in the very shop Steve used to dismember his wife. I guess this was just too much. I have no concrete words for this, though apparently I have a lot other types of words. I think this is just too much for me.

The pieces I left out earlier: he killed Tara in front of her 2 children. 4 & 6 years old. The 6 year old little girl crawled towards her mother and touched her eyes to try and wake her up while her little brother shivered. They then hid while their father drug their mother down the stairs by a belt around her neck.

That very morning that same little girl walked into her parent's bedroom to find her father in bed with the nanny. She's a smart little girl, very verbal. Did she tell her mother? Did her father just think she did? Thus signing her death warrant?

Mom was never home. Never. She traveled 5-6 days a week for years. I'm not sure she ever touched the little boy after he was weaned - and most of that was pumped and bottled. He was a mistake - the result of a wrong medication. Was the strain of an expected child too much for them? For Steve? For Tara? She always traveled with a co-worker and it was a pretty common assumption that they were having an affair. She was young and way above where she should have been given her education and ability. That whole thing was really weird. Upper management had told Lou to cut it out and he refused. Too much for Steve's fragile ego?

Steve's life was a lie. Everyone thought he was an MSU graduate, that's where he met Tara and she had the degree. Reality was he only attended for 2 semesters and dropped out. Steve worked for his father - grooming to take over the family business. It was a 2 man tool & die shop for a dying industry. Tara was a rising executive who traveled for her job - or to be away from him?

I feel bad that her facade fell apart after her death. She worked so hard in creating it. In pretending that everything was perfect. I guess perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Sorry for the not so light and happy posting. This is just bad. I still can't believe I know someone who did this. I had dinners with him, went to ballgames with him, he's been to my house. Just so wrong and even after a year the ripples continue to wash across the pond. And I'm sure they're not over.

Thanks for putting up with this, perhaps I'll be in a better sewing/chatting mood tomorrow.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/METRO/70305002/1003&template=theme&theme=Metro-TaraLynnGrant

I don't really have anything to write about tonight, I'm just here, so I thought I'd leave a mark. I updated my Sewing to-do list. **sigh**

Looking forward to getting moved. I'm going to have the "den" (aka closet?) seriously small! for my sewing area. It will be nice to have it all in one place. Furniture by Ikea. Need to add a couple of filing cabinets, too. And a chair for sitting.

Drove by the place last weekend. Looks like the blinds are up, but it didn't look like they'd put any on the loft window. Hard to tell, though. Cancelled the cable today, no direction (ie when Susan's going to want to switch over) for the rest of the utilities. Put in the COA.

Helped Kevin with a paper yesterday. Worse part was that it made me watch Road to Perdition. Dark, slow, and way done before. I knew I didn't want to see it when it came out.

Good chance to update on a couple of other items. My quad friend is doing much better. Still the hospital, but ALIVE. She even went out and voted. First time out of the hospital since last June. Hard trip, but she did it. Slow recovery, but recovery.

Tara Grant's husband/murderer was found guilty of 2nd degree murder and received 50-80 years. Makes him 88 when he first comes up for parole. I say "let him out" at 88. HA! He has, of course, applealed. Her sis got the kids and her case was on Dateline last week.

Another on-line friend from CC commited suicide the other day. Just couldn't take it. T5, refused rehab. Injured on a motorcycle trip from Alaska to S.A., hit a donkey (seriously!) in Mexico. The donkey just died faster... My favorite injury story, though. Next is the girl who fell off the porch railing while making out. **sigh**.

K's done with school end of April, will come see us then. Looking forward to it!

Well, for a nothing day, I guess that's it. G'nite.

Sewing the Skirt, an update

On Tuesday night I cut out the houndstooth. I was afraid it would cut badly, as the clerk had trouble at G Street, but honestly, this fabric has been a dream to work with. It has to be pressed into place before sewing, but it has just the right amount of give, it isn't too slippery and the lines are straight. A little ravelly, so I have to be careful about too much handling. I've quick finished a couple of places to prevent too much fraying. I'm finding that I have to do everything twice. I'm just out of practice and the machine is new. Learning as I go. I put the zipper in last night, but it looks bad, so out it will come and we'll try again. I also need to work on fit, it's way too large in the hips. I re-basted last night and think I'm close. Part of my problem (I found when pressing for zipper prep) was my back seam wasn't clean, I eased in from 5/8" before I reached the notch. So out that seam came. But it looks much better and when the zipper's done, I'll have reached a milestone. Unfortunately, that probably won't be until after the holidays.
Hubby told MIL I got a new SM, and she's apparently quite excited. Who knew? I think she'd like a new one. She's always sewn and used to be very good (she once made the uniforms for the Cinncinnatti Reds!). She has an old (60's-ish?) Singer and a "Portable" Singer from their crap days, so she doesn't do much these days. I'd love for her to get back into it. She also quilts a lot. She has a lot of tops that she and her mother pieced, that have never been quilted. I have one of them that did get done. I'll try to remember to post a photo of that one, "Widow's Trouble"

This post is pushing my blog into the direction I'd like it to go: towards a sewing journal. Bits of life intertwinned are good, though, as reminders and markers.

SG's trial has gone to the jury. Faster than I thought it would. The decision is whether it's 1st, 2nd degree or manslaughter. For justice, I want to see him as Bubba's curly-headed bitch for the next 50 years, also though I think he had all day on Feb 9 to fret about what his daughter was going to say and to plan how to get out of the mess he'd made. Then she came home, they fought, she slapped him and he hit her back. That's when he thought "I've hit her, I'm going to jail, how can if fix this?" With that thought, it clinched M1 in my mind.

Heading home EARLY in the morning, a 6:30 am flight, home by 8. Still time to do some shopping. Tons of snow there, a white Christmas for sure.

I'm going to add my blog address to SG for the sewing updates next week.

Merry Christmas and hope I get back on before the New Year!

Well, I still feel icky. Whataya goin' do?

Trial keeps getting creepier. Apparently he was texting the nanny over his wife's dead body (literally, ew), and his 6 year old daughter walked in on him & the nanny the morning he killed Tara. Wow. Just don't know what to do with this. I know this guy, I knew this woman. I worked with her for years. It's just too wrong. Freakly looking dude, isn't he?

Day two and counting

Ok, two days in a row. On a roll here.
I don't really feel well today. My stomach's kind of upset and I didn't sleep well. Actually I haven't been sleeping well a lot lately. I think it's some meds I'm taking, but not sure. Not sure why I feel yucky today, though. Hope it goes away soon, it's Margarita Wednesday.
Today I need to finish my account recs. Every one has chores they do that they hate more than others. Well, Accn't Recs are on my "I hate this stuff" list. Right there with unloading the dishwasher and folding shirts. Bleck.
I have a couple of phone calls to make and some forecasts to do (now where did I leave my crystal ball? I had it just a second ago...) Maybe I'll even clean up my office. Hey, it could happen.
I think I need to throw out my bug infested plant, too. I tried putting some DW soap in the watering water, but the leaves continue to turn yellow. Think its on its last legs (so to speak) and just needs to go. Oh well, I liked having a plant in here, it seems less lonely, but having a dying one isn't very inspiring.
Don't forget to check up on TG, the trial's getting interesting. And who knows, I may check back in later today.
The pic is of me skinny. I'm hoping that by looking at it regularly it will help me not scarf down the junk food. Ummmm, Taco Bell.

Oh, and ...

I've been keeping up with the Murder Trial of Tara G. Good friend of mine, her husand strangled her in Febuary. His trial started last week. Sick bastard.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/METRO/70305002/1003&template=theme&theme=Metro-TaraLynnGrant