Staycation

Sunrise - African reserve.

OBVIOUSLY NOT WHERE I AM. sigh.........

Someone coined that name for a stay-at-home vacation. That's what I have been having the past few weeks now. Since I had to use my vacation days (or lose them) I chose to take every Friday off until the end of the year - throw in a Monday here and there and then start fresh next year. It amazes me that people get so upset because you don't take a "vacation". Well - you have to be able to AFFORD a vacation - not just have the time. Times are tough so we are mastering the art of the "staycation".

So - my first Friday I didn't make any real plans to do anything - just play it by ear - run some errands - take care of some personal stuff - maybe sleep in. Well - cancel the sleeping in with two small dogs (with small bladders). Cancel the running errands - it's pouring rain. Who wants to run around outside doing anything? But that's OK - it's a nice lazy day to kick back do nothing and catch up on everything on the DVR. No harm.

Second Friday. Rain again. Forget getting the car washed. You would think with all the damn rain the car would be clean for Gods sake! Another lost Friday. I was beginning to wonder if how I chose my days off was a gift I inherited from my husband who also had bad luck with days off and golf dates.

But this Friday was wonderful - and since I don't have this coming Friday off I had Monday, so I had a 4 day week-end or 2 staycation days. And I was rewarded with two glorious days finally! The Up side to this staying at home has been that I've actually relaxed and not thought about work. I am enjoying my 4 day work weeks immensely. Everyone who knows me knows that I like my job. Doesn't matter that I bitch and complain all the time - that's just my way of venting. There is never any threat that I will go "postal". I don't keep anything bottled up at work. But I do think that a 4 day work week would do everyone in the office good. (Not to mention the $ it could save the management) I bet it could cut back on the Monday/Friday sicknesses. But that could be another blog.


I have decided tho on my official day off there would be a rule - NO housework, nothing that I normally do on the week ends - that my day off would be strictly for me. Now that I've gotten the hang of it I can say without a doubt it is REFRESHING! Don't get me wrong - I would love to take a real vacation, get away someplace on my hit list, but I realize now that I would need a staycation to recover from a vacation, not to mention a second job to cover the costs.

The Way We Were

Silly title for this post I know, but it's what comes to mind. I saw something this weekend about the US Post Office and how they are losing money and talking about going to a 5 day work week, etc, etc. It just got me to thinking how so many things have changed. And how impersonal everything has gotten. It doesn't bother me t hat the Post Office wants to do a 5 day work week. That just makes sense.


One of the obvious reasons there is less mail is that more people are paying their bills and shopping on the Internet. More people are sending e-mails and e-cards and not writing letters and sending good Old Hallmark paper greetings. So easy to sit at a computer screen and point, click and it's done! Bill paid, money transferred, card sent. No personal interaction. I have to admit I can't remember the last time I actually had to go into a bank. I'm guilty of using the Internet to bank and pay bills tho since it is so much more convenient and immediate. I still prefer to send a card in the mail with a handwritten signature and a fun US Stamp. People nowadays have pretty much forgotten how to write a letter I think. I enjoy it and have taken to writing more than I have in the recent past, since I realized that e-mail is too impersonal.


And while we are on the subject of impersonal - let's talk about phones. And how many people are really using them to talk that much? Texting. Tweeting. Facebooking. That's how we are socializing now days. People go into coronary shock if they leave the house and they don't have their phone. Of course there are some that that wouldn't ever happen to since they are never OFF the phone. And when you do happen to actually be in the company of someone - actually socializing face to face - nothing is more irritating than having them constantly checking the phone - responding to texts, twitters and god knows what else. It's Rude - it was rude when I was a child when people interrupted a conversation and it is still rude. If you're out with someone and spending time with them, then turn the fucking phone OFF people. Pretend you are in a movie. How did people ever drive ANYPLACE before having a phone? MAYBE THEY SPOKE TO THEIR PASSENGERS ??? Isn't that novel? No passengers? Maybe they sang along to the radio or enjoyed the ride without chattering constantly. NO GPS? How in Gods name did we EVER find where we were going ????? Paper maps - WTF??


And don't even ask me about drivers who TEXT while driving.........

Long Weekend with the Kids

I finally took a few days off and I have to admit it was nice. Even tho the alarm didn't go off at 6:00 AM each day, the body-clock woke me around 7:30 as if to say YOU'RE LATE ! Of course the kids didn't mind rolling over as long as they could curl up on the bed for another hour.

So -for the most part I didn't do anything extraordinary - it was a real "stay-cation". Tentative plans didn't pan out so I treated myself to a little shopping trip - paid a visit to DSW and topped it all off with lunch at Magnolia Grill. I managed to walk the entire store and NOT purchase one thing. Well - OK - just one, but I needed a magazine to read while I was eating lunch!

It was Grand! Taking long walks with the dogs at least 3x a day and doing those little chores you never feel like doing and push aside. One mess was a "password" list I created over the years for all the websites that I have accounts with - and inside the yellow file folder was additional pieces of paper with log in information for all sorts of sites. As you can see Carmel held all the paper down for me so the fan didn't blow them away. My fuzzy paperweight!

I got to see first hand how Gaston redecorated the living room floor. Every day when I would leave there would be a blanket on the sofa and a blanket on the love seat. When I came home they were on the floor - and sometimes in another room. Here is Gaston finishing up......

And here is what he was preparing it for......

Had to share so Melinda can see the kids. Now I'm going to go read Harry Potter for awhile and not think about work tomorrow.

Rent or Own - Relationship or Booty call......

OK - so it's not the best analogy, but at my age the latter works out very well. I've been asked WHY. Let's consider the Pros shall we?

Why I rent an apartment:

1. Renting I do not have property taxes.
2. Renting I do not have to pay for repairs.
3. Renting I do not have to shovel snow.
4. Renting I do not have to mow grass.
5. Renting - I can move with 90 days notice.

Why I prefer a booty call:

1. I don't have to cook for him.
2. I don't have to clean for him.
3. I don't have to do his laundry.
4. I don't have to attend family or business functions.
5. I don't have to spend time with his family.
6. I don't have to "check in" every day.

I honestly don' t know that I would like to own my own home at this point in time - and I think it would take a very special man to make me want to change what arrangement I have right now. I think what I really need is a Mother or a Wife. Someone who will be here when I get home to have dinner on the table since I don't eat properly (cooking for one sucks) and possibly having a nice breakfast ready as well. I don't mind the household chores so I really think a part-time Mom would be nice.

If you know of anyone - tell them to call!

Another Birthday bites the dust

Birthdays just plain bite at my age, but you gotta love the cheesecake.

Cheesecake is what I get for my birthday at work and it is so worth not eating lunch to have a second slice.

PLAIN cheesecake tho - no fruit - no flavors - plain old cheesecake thank you. The others are okay, but there is nothing like it. Those that know me know what I normally say, so I'll leave that blank today.

Not like it's a "G" rated blog or anything - I mean - look at the card I got - that says it all about me.

Saturday my girlfriend Pat drove up from Baltimore to spend the afternoon to celebrate my birthday as well. We went to lunch at Magnolia Grill in West Chester. If you haven't been there you are missing a real treat. After lunch we did a little shopping and hung out since we don't get to hang out anymore since they've moved to Maryland to take care of their Granddaughter.

Saturday evening was spent quietly with another unnamed friend and I guess you can say we hung out too - LOL. I address that in another blog. We'll just call it why booty calls are better than dating.

So - I guess I've left myself wide open on that one. Till next time. Gotta get the kids out for their last PP!

Harry Potter, Professor Snape and Alan Rickman

I actually went to the movies to see the latest Harry Potter Movie with Karen from work. She, like my daughter, has read all the HP Books. I have not. While my daughter was still living at home I never really HAD to read anything because at ANY given moment Harry Potter would be on the TV. It was the only movie that ever seemed to be playing when I walked into the room. Needless to say, I became quite familiar with everyone at Hogwarts. It only seemed fitting to go SEE the movie at the theatre since my daughter is married and no longer living at home - so no chance of seeing this on the TV over and over again.

My daughter has been after me to read these books now for some time, but I can't see reading them after having seen the movies dozens of times. I will, however, be reading this last book, because I want to know what happens before the next movie installment. I was upset that Professor Dumbledore is no more - even more upset that it was Prof. Snape that did him in......Snape has always been my guy. I can't accept his actions - so - Marcy said she will bring me the last book to read. I don't think I will be able to stand it if Prof. Snape is truly a bad guy tho. I don't think he looks like a bad guy!

I've always had a thing for Alan Rickman - loved the characters he played - Hans Gruber in "Die Hard", The Sheriff of Nottingham in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves", the wonderful Metatron in "Dogma", to the Spock-like character Alexander Dane in "Galaxy Quest" one of my all time favorite movies

In fact - since there isn't anything on TV, I think I'll pour myself a G&T and grab "Galaxy Quest".

Till next time.

Thunder, shaking dogs, and movie revivews.

Thunder is what I hear in the distance, and shaking dogs is what I have on my lap as I try to use my LAPTOP which is now on the table. I knew before I got the dinner dishes loaded in the dishwasher we were due for something. The sky got that funny grey color like the sun was up there someplace behind it all. Anyway - the thunder hasn't been regular and I'm afraid it's not close enough yet. That being said, the dogs won't go out the door - period. I hope it gets here and gone soon.
Anyhow - I was asked why I only just now got around to watching "The Virgin Suicides". Well - that's kind of easy really. My Netflix que is quite long. I go on at least once a week and add yet another foreign or independent film I saw in the previews from one I have here at home. When I get particularly excited about a particular film I bump it up to the top. That is how the movie took awhile to get here. Imagine how many other good films have gotten bumped because I rented "Knuckle Sandwich" ?
I got into the foreign film thing every Sunday morning - watching on the Independent and Sundance channels. And I think the one movie that pushed me was "Little Otek" It's not a movie you will easily find listed on the IMDb because it listed under the official name "Otesánek", but it's well worth a watch if you see it on IND or SUN. Next up is a movie I'm looking forward to from Tahmineh Milani. I've seen a few of her movies and I am truly fascinated.

This weekend I watched "In the Vally of Elah" which is not a foreign film but American and based on a true event. I enjoyed it more than my foreign film "Priceless" from France.
OK - that's it for me - the rain has stopped and the kids have come out of hiding. Going to get them out for a pee - hit the shower and watch "True Blood" If you aren't watching - you should be!

Blog More

Yep - that's what two people said - you should blog more. Then when the Third person said I should blog more - well - what can I say? Since I only have TWO followers I was stoked!!! Problem is - I don't know what the heck to blog about half the time. Hell - I can't even think of One TWEET a day. An entire blog??

I have been thinking about various things I wanted to blog about, but other problems have been blotting that from my mind. Just this weekend I thought how much I would liked to have picked up the phone and called my Mom. I think about her a lot (and my Dad) especially on Sundays when I listen to Sid Mark and his Sunday with Sinatra program. Actually they call it the Sounds of Sinatra, but I've been listening since I was a child and it was always Friday with Frank and Sunday with Sinatra - and ALWAYS with Sid. Anyhow - with all that was on my mind I wanted to run everything by Mom and see what insight she had into the situation. I wonder if she would have been more sympathetic and less distrustful than I? I thought about her again last evening when at 1AM I was pacing and needing to talk to someone so instead I did a blog of sorts. Not one I can publish, but it was cathartic just the same.

So I sat down tonight and though what do I blog about. I read Lora's blog and it made me sad and angry for her, and it made me think about my own Mother again and how lucky I was to have her in my life as long as I did. I can look back and wish I had more time to know her better, because I really didn't take all the time I could have to find out all there was to know. That makes me sad.
OK - no more friggin sad.

Happy thoughts about my Mom.....well, she was a working mom back when it wasn't the norm (in the 50's). She was a great hostess, had lots of friends and our home was always full of people on weekends. She was an average cook, no gourmet meals - she could mend, but didn't sew or do anything "creative" with needles. She was creative in other ways. She loved to write in poetry and people always came to her for poems for special occasions. As a great Sinatra fan she even wrote Frank Sinatra's life in poetry. Yes - he did acknowledge her book - and her - and that was one of the special events in her life. Even though I had to call home EVERY DAY of my life to check in -and that was even when I went to Europe when I was 45 years old - she taught me how to be an independent woman because SHE was an independent woman. I don't think I really realized that until now.

OK - time to refill the G&T. Goodnight my two readers (maybe 3)

Playing Catch Up

Although my life feels like a soap opera, it's not a soap opera that anyone would really care to hear or in some cases believe or understand. That being said, I will try to catch up with my otherwise dull existence. My dreams are more exciting then what has been going on in my real life. Normally I don't even remember my dreams - unless they were super bizarre - and that they have been. Everyone has been on my mind I guess and they have made a cameo in my dreams. What I need is someone to decipher them into a "number" so I can go play that number in the daily lottery. At least that would make sense. I was able to figure one out - having an apartment at work can only mean I am working too much.

So - I sat down late Saturday evening and decided to watch one of my Netflix movies. I was saving "The Virgin Suicides" for Sunday, so it was "Knuckle Sandwich". I had NO IDEA what that movie was. Read the sleeve and still couldn't figure what I'd been drinking when I sent for that one. After about 10 minutes I had to hit the pause and head for the computer and look it up on Netflix and IMDB. WTF??? Was someone playing a trick on me and put this in my que? Well - as it turns out I put it there myself. Seems I wanted to see an actual movie that my cousin was in. Now I know why I've not seen him since "90210" and the episode of "NCIS". OMG. For those that know who I am talking about - he played a guy named "Raoul" in this gem - and that is all I will say. I used the fast-forward and stopped once more during the movie to see the second of his two Oscar-winning performances (the second one in the sack with sunglasses on). I'd tell Melinda to wait to see it on cable, but I don't know of any cable station that would pick this up - even Skinamax. "The Virgin Suicides" was a good movie.


News on the dog front - well we survived the Fourth of July festivities without too much trauma and they have their own new hiding places now for the thunder storms. Carmel likes my closet, and Gaston prefers to be as close to me as possible. And at nighttime that can be VERY uncomfortable. The got clipped again and Melinda got to see them right after the hair cuts.

We found out last year that Carmel wasn't fond of frogs (remembering Ike) and that hasn't changed. The new complex has a few marshy areas. Walking by one evening we got close to the water enough to go over and see what was going on - and neither of them saw the frog that made a loud screeching type noise as it jumped into the water right under Carmel's nose. Picture two dogs running in opposite directions - brave dogs! Carmel didn't fare to well - she ended up with her butt in the water and none to happy. She didn't smell good either. Time for another dip in the sink. And speaking of not smelling good - she needed a bath in the sink after her roll in the grass.....not the best quality, but I only had my phone handy.....such a little lady!

So I'm almost all settled into the apartment. I decided this weekend to hang photos that have been lying around the place. And last weekend I made curtains for the kitchen. Yep - there are some out there who will gasp in disbelief, but I am quite able to sew. Haven't done much since Melinda was a child and was required to make her Halloween costume every year. (MY child wouldn't wear a costume out of a box !!!) So here is a photo of them - and they are NOT red and green - they do not look like Christmas!!

Well I have run on long enough - figured if I didn't blog something my two followers would wonder if my fingers broke or something. Hopefully I'll get out of the "funk" I've been in and find something worthy to blog about.

The Young and the Restless

A soap opera I started watching as a young, out of work, married girl back in 1973. Back then it was the Young and the Beautiful and the story lines were interesting and it sucked you right in. Now - some 30 Plus years later I can't say the same thing.

Since I can't sleep because my mind is racing with other issues - I'm blogging about the only thing I can that is truly PISSING ME OFF. YnR........

You only have to be a fan of Any soap I am sure to appreciate my frustration. I mean - if this is supposed to make you relate - it doesn't and if it's supposed to make you escape - the only thing I want to escape from IS this soap. Thank God for my DVR and the fast-forward button. (Not to mention close caption so you can understand Victor Newman when he speaks)

So - this will be my open letter to the writers (?) of The Young and the Restless........WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Are you all eating bowls of stupid? How much more insulting story lines can you serve up? How many more times will you have the Cluster fuck kids being duped by fake FBI agents (CIA, Police, whatever) drawn into something shady that ends up with a bag/suitcase full of $100,000 or more? Isn't that storyline getting tired yet? Will these kids (Amber, Daniel, Jana, Kevin) EVER get to grow up and even resemble the successful adults they are - when they aren't involved in these tired story lines? Do the young teens you are trying to seduce into watching over summer breaks REALLY buy into this crap? Now the young Abby (who suddenly is a young adult) is a true version of today's SPOILED, self-absorbed, obnoxious brat. STRIKE . But I guess you can do an episode next year and she can be a "Bridezilla" - combine two shows in one with that one. Score!

OK - so what is up with the returning mystery daughter of Paul - the super assistant DA, Heather Stevens. Super girl. Nothing believable about this character and everything that makes me gag. Someone that gullible would never have made it thru law school. Maybe the writers should give her some of her Father's good instinct. What a drone. And can we get Genoa City another policeman? Come one - we have only ONE ?? I'm sure other soaps have at least two. Strike.

And speaking of returning daughters. What about returning sisters - sisters who have had plastic surgery and no one recognizes. Where has this mystery sister been all these years writers? The Williams are such a close family - WTF??? Strike.

There was a good opening a year or so back - before you REPLACED Colleen with the current actress, to address a storyline that hasn't been addressed since the soap came on the air - and that storyline was about a young woman who WAS NOT a size zero - who was of a fuller body - not fat by any standards except TV and Movies. A real life young woman with real insecurities - shy and believable. No - you replace her with another self-assured, spoiled young - size zero - woman who is overtaking the board room at Newman. Strike.

Now what can I say about the Newman storyline(s). Victor - able to suddenly father a child - at what - 70?? This man is shooting blanks for Gods sake! Maybe he could have gotten a lucky shot with the young wife last year, but Ashley? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Let's be generous and say she is only in her late 30's. NOT. Do we really have to go thru another Ashley losing her mind because she lost her baby and doesn't realize it and has a fake pregnancy storyline - AGAIN? STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE. Send her back to the Bold and the Beautiful with her obnoxious daughter.

Sharon and Nick. VOMIT. Sharon is a cheating wife. Did everyone forget that? That sappy, needy whore has been with as many men as her handsome husband has been with women. Sharon should have gone over the cliff in stead of Dru and we could have ended this on-going same old star-crossed lover-high-school sweetheart bullshit. AND we wouldn't have had to suffer thru the rebound romance Neil had with Karen and now the sudden affair with the mystery "Aunt" (who isn't a real aunt but is adopted, of course) But I digress.....back to the Newman fiasco. My girl Phyllis deserves a man with balls - not Nick Newman. Time for Sharon and Nick move on to wherever the Brooks and Williams families disappeared to. Or better yet - let's get Phyllis a REAL man - KILL Sharon for real so she can't come back from the dead - and make Nick Newman bitter and crazy because he screwed up Phyllis' life.

Or, maybe it's time to bring back some of the original bloodlines because the present ones are getting really THIN......

Again - God Bless my DVR.

Long time no Blog

I can't believe so much time has passed since I sat down to blog. I had been involved in settling in the new apartment so blogging was taking a back seat to that - HAD to get the stuff put away! But so much more has happened my head just turned to mush. It has been hard to stop thinking about the so very Sad events that have taken place because they have been in my mind now for weeks. It's turned into a horrible nightmare and the only thing that is constant are the questions. Every day more questions and there are no answers. And no return calls.

OK - now I'm getting cryptic - those that know what has been going on don't have to ask. Others really don't want to know.

SO.....the new place is great. I love it - downsizing has been good. The complex is not as large as the last one and I think it gives it a more cozy feel. The people here all seem to be more friendly as well which is nice. Not to mention that when you walk by people they are all speaking English - that IS a treat ! I'll put some photos up soon. I still have to blog about the Ugly Green Chair. GOD it is ugly -- but it is soooooo comfortable.

I guess I can't let this go without saying something about Michael Jackson. Why I don't really know. When my daughter was little she was a big fan (we're talking 5 - 6 years old). Of course we indulged her (but she will blog about that). She explained to me today exactly how I related to his music - and to put it less racial - I liked his music better before he became a white woman........I suppose after my daughter grew out of the Thriller album in second grade we moved on. Unfortunately he ended up like so many other entertainers who abused drugs. I will leave it at that - his abuses were many. Rest in Peace and let's move on already. I think I was really more upset to hear that Billy Mays died. I hate to think that it may have been a blow to the head from the airline fiasco. What a cruel twist of fate.

The Move

The Actual move has been made. All I can say at the moment - sitting here after a shower with a Double Baileys is that I am looking forward to going back to work to rest. Initially I was upset that I couldn't get a second floor apartment - but after moving from a second floor to a first floor I can assure everyone I would not have survived a second story move. I don't think my movers would have either. God love them - Jason, Melinda and Kate. (Mostly Jason and Kate) The weather forecast for Sunday was supposed to be rain, but I don't believe we got rained on at all and it turned out to be a good weather day. Everyone was exhausted including the dogs, who though we were only visiting the new place. They're still not too sure about it, but they have stopped following me from room to room.

I took three days off to get settled in and move odds and ends out of the old place and clean over there some. I still don't know where all this crap came from. Melinda did take home quite a bit of her own (finally), but imagine my surprise to find Boxes of stuff that didn't quite make it down to Virginia. It's been quite a game trying to find room now for her additional boxes. I have a 2 bedroom apartment - she has a BIG house. There is something wrong with this equation........

So - I'm running between apartments Monday and Tuesday - cleaning - unpacking, collapsing. Tuesday tho I have to disconnect all the Comcast stuff and bring it with me so I decide to pop online - check mail one last time - and POOF - the new computer turns off. Try again to turn it on and - nothing. WTF??? The computer is what - 3 months old ? Do I need this shi*? So I pack it up and run down to Staples to get the problem corrected - since I paid for service out the arse when I got it. They tell me I can have it back that evening. Great - I'll pick it up in my spare time. Now I go back to the old place - pick up more crap and load the car - take out trash and head back to the new place and the kiddies. And.....I have a sick dog. Carmel decided to have a coughing fit. Since she is prone to upper respiratory infections I spend the rest of the afternoon listening to her hack like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. It just gets worse and now her little brown eyes are all tearing and her fat little body vibrating with each breath. Call the vet. Great - emergency visit. No - not at all! After talking to him he tells me to go get some pediatric cough medicine. OK - I can do that on my way back to Staples to pick up the computer. Just need to ask them to give me a syringe to shoot the stuff into her mouth. No problem. After a dose she curled up on the sofa and slept just fine. Emergency averted.

The kids are having a tough time getting used to noise from upstairs. Just the normal walking across the floor - creaking - makes them edgy. The funniest (and embarrassing) thing was Monday afternoon while I was in the bedroom putting some things away, our neighbor was getting friendly with someone. The dogs went wild. It did sound like the ceiling was going to come in on top of us. The office told me she works evenings or something, so I guess her afternoons are like our evenings. Whatever - I tried not to think about that tonight when I had to knock on her door because it was RAINING in my bathroom - like Angel falls thru the vent.
I was glad she answered the door dressed. I didn't ask WHO was in the tub.

So yeah - I want to get back to work. Get away from the cleaning, unpacking, flooded bathrooms, sick dogs, re-arranging furniture. I can start again this weekend. I need to catch up on all the shows I missed Monday and Tuesday night.

Going to pour another Baileys - the kids must have finished this one.

Ladies Room Comfort Assistant

Not every office is lucky enough to have one. But we do - elected unanimously by the Sales Service Department at I2. What exactly IS a LRCA ? Well - it is the person in charge of refilling the soap dispenser and toilet rolls in the ladies room of course. This post was given to the most vocal one of our group. The one who wasn't afraid to bitch openly about how lazy the females in our office can be when it comes to the refilling duties. I will protect her identity - I don't want to embarrass her totally, but let it be known that Rose, Gail, Ronnieanne and I missed her today while she was away at the Lightfair. (has the lightening struck yet?)

Soooo......while our gal was away working hard we decided that we needed to have a little fun at her expense. And, what better way to honor our TP Girl but by decorating her cubicle? Exactly!! Here is Rose hard at work - I hope she got the keyboard - forgot about that!

Here you can see the handiwork on the computer monitor, phone and mouse. I believe they did go back and get the calculator as well. If anything we pride ourselves on being thorough!

What can I say - here is the finished product. We are like a snowball going downhill - we get an idea and it takes off. What started out as an "innocent" e-mail turned into this. Kudos to the Customer Service Department. Even tho we were really busy today, we still found time to have some fun.

With luck I will get a video of her tomorrow on her return. Hopefully it won't have to be censored and I can post that as well.

Packing and Partying

Packing is such a chore, but when you have help you can get so much more done! Of course my help is the four-legged variety and as long as Carmel is around, I will never lose the bubble wrap!


I've tried to pack a little every evening this week, but had a dinner Thursday evening for work. My boss was being honored by the IES so it was a good idea to make an appearance for a change. It turned out to be a very nice evening. The food was good, drinks expensive, and the awards were actually enjoyable. Not the normal stuffy lighting mumbo-jumbo. Definitely a good evening out. And the kids had a good evening as well with Liz who won them over with a hot dog. I'm sure if I need a dog sitter again they will be more than happy for her to help out!

And what a week - started out wearing winter coats in the morning our our walks and by Friday it was no coats and sandals. Of course the allergies have kicked back in big time - double shots of the nasal spray and the Breathe Right strips back out again. It wasn't my intention to dig out the boxes of summer clothes before the move hoping I could make due with a few things on top. I did break out a fan for the kids - Gaston can chill in front of the fan and guard his chewy in comfort.

So Saturday was Ronnieann's Baby shower. Thank goodness it was outdoors because it was really WARM! Actually it was a great day to be outdoors. This is a photo of the Mom and Dad to be. You can see what a beautiful sunny afternoon it was.

There was plenty of food and drink and of course lots of wonderful presents for the little one. I didn't get a lot of photos since we were on a timed visit. I rode with some of the girls from work and well - you gotta leave when the bus pulls out. It would have been nice to stay awhile longer - I probably should have looked into another mode of transportation to get home.

Hindsight - but that's another blog.

We the Tweeple

I am not as prolific with the words as my daughter, and I sure don't have as much fun as she does, therefore I don't have as much to write about. I could bore the few of you that stop by with my daily life, but trust me - you don't want to hear about the Lighting Business. Whatever business you personally are in I'm sure you can just change the names ,the customers/clients, salespeople, and find there isn't really much difference. It's a daily soap opera wherever you are. Then again, that could be another blog.

Well the move is approaching fast so the packing has to begin. Or at least pick up. I've managed to take bags of "stuff" to the goodwill drop offs, sell things on Craig's list, but there is still more. Where does it all come from ? I've gone thru TONS of photo albums and loose photos this past week and decided if I thought I saw it already it was trash. If I couldn't identify anyone in the photo, it was trash. Tomorrow will start again - this time unloading old clothes that for some reason I think may come back into style or even more astounding that I would actually FIT into them again. If - or should I say when - I get back into shape I will treat myself to new clothes. Tomorrow will be "clean it out" day. Sunday we will start packing in earnest.

Since I was last here I finally took all the silver coins that my parents had to a coin dealer. I didn't have a million-dollar coin - but the little Crown Royal bag of silver coins and 58 old old pennies got me close to $350.00. Not too shabby. Now if I could get rid of all the Albums before I move that would really be great!

I was very excited to see that I have another official "follower". Hello Marcy!! We're going to get everyone on Twitter next. I know I mentioned it last time - and at first I thought it was pretty lame. I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to know what someone was doing every second of the day - like when you put up what you are doing or feeling on Facebook. Let's your friends know the barometer for the day. Since I didn't actually have any friends on Twitter that "Tweeted" I had to go look around and get a feel for this thing. I decided to follow Ashton Kutcher and his wifey because they constantly "tweeted". It was like I was eavesdropping on them , but then I realized I was getting information instantly from the various people and organizations I was following. News organizations, celebrities, and regular people reporting things the instant they happen. Before they appear on the MSN and Yahoo home pages. I'm still not sure exactly what I'm doing there, but I'm one of the Tweeple now.

Getting ready for Spring !

Today we all went for haircuts. This is the first time I actually said clip the dogs. Before they have had trims. Today - well - she went all out. Gaston doesn't look much different - less hairy. Carmel is the one who looks like a new dog. Or should I say Lion? I almost didn't recognize her when she came out. They look wonderful with their shaggy butts gone - now all that is shaggy are their manes, ears and tails. She did leave a little on the legs tho. Sorry Melinda - she clipped off the fringe on her paw - I really got tired of the little streaks she would leave on the kitchen floor from her dirty paws!!

Here we are on the way home from the groomers.....


Stepping outside to do our business when we got home.

A close up of her "naked" body. She looks like she lost at least a pound.......

And here is Mr. Gaston - you can't see it as much on him but the cut is CLOSE.

And for Melinda's viewing pleasure.....

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

So - I must be having a BALL! I don't know where the time has gone, but it's flown. It's Spring already. That means it's time for me to move. Other people "spring clean". I get the moving bug. That's one of the bonuses when you rent. You can change homes like others repaint. There was a time long ago when I wanted my own home, but somewhere along the line that dream went out the window. Now while others have to scramble around when there is a leak or an appliance breaks down I only have to pick up the phone and call maintenance. I really Like being able to do that without having to put money out in the end. Anyhow - I'm moving. I don't like the actual moving, but the change is great. Hopefully it will give me new perspective as well as more cash in my pocket at the end of the month.

One of the benefits of moving is you get to get rid of more "stuff". This isn't the best economy to try to sell anything, but some people are buying. As much as I don't want to part with my butcher block island I have no room for it at the new apartment. So - I put it up on Craig's list and tomorrow some guy is coming to get it. That's quick. Now if I could just get rid of the records! Jesus I have records - my parents collection as well as my own. Ahhh - Spring!

Spring - I decided to put the dogs on a healthier diet since they aren't much on exercise. 1/2 weight control food - 1/2 Purina One. I hadn't noticed any changes until we were out last Saturday and Carmel was suddenly walking ahead of me - off the leash. Seems she's gone down a size in her collar. As a friend pointed out it's like when we women go on a diet and loose weight in our boobs first. Never where you want to lose it. Oh well.

The highlight of this weekend tho is that Twilight (the movie) went on sale. I don't think I've ever had front row parking at Target before but I was one of the few early birds on Saturday morning. Aside from Twilight I actually didn't buy anything I didn't actually need or have a coupon for. That was scary.

So - we know how I spent Saturday evening - watching Twilight and the two additional bonus discs. Sunday is a given - I started reading New Moon.

Twitter

The latest "Social Networking" site. Yep - I'm on it, but I don't know what the hell I am DOING there. Somehow in my enthusiasm with the Wildearth site, I managed to get myself signed up to Twitter and until I received an e-mail advising me that I had a "Follower" I was blissfully unaware of Twitter. Question is now - does that make me a Twit? Is the random one line blogging that I do there called twittering? Actually no -it's called "Tweets". Do you friggin believe that ? It's hard enough for me to get here once a week to report on the daily happenings, and now I log on to this silly site every day and announce to the twittering world that I'm at work....like, who really cares?

So - I spent an evening looking around to see what other TWITS were on Twitter. And there are soooooooooooooo many. After I picked out a few I wanted to follow I decided I would really get social and eavesdrop on the stars while I was there. Ashton Kutcher is quite the little micro blogger and Martha Stewart checks in every day as well. It's nice to have a hot line to instant announcements from the Eagles and NPR tho. I have to admit it's almost like my not so secret obsession with reality TV. Maybe I'll start to follow Britney next and see what she's doing......

Safari Weekend

Yes - I went on Safari sitting at my dining room table this weekend having breakfast. Well - that's where I started the safari. After I finished my cereal and tea I moved the computer into the kitchen so I could continue along. I've always been fond of Nature shows - from the time I was a child watching Marlin Perkins and the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom shows up to the present with National Geographic, Animal Planet and the Discovery channels. It's a bounty out there!

This is a spotted Hyena who was wandering down the road and was startled by the jeep sitting there with people taking his photo. He bolted into the bush shortly after this!
This is a young male elephant who was "mock" charging the jeep. I'm glad the guide knows MOCK charging!

A Momma and her calf - a little later they shot mud - playfully - at the jeep.

This is a Kingfisher - makes a neat sound (Melinda and Gail would like that)

This is a leopard sleeping in the tree - and he didn't wake for Anyone or Anything.

This is Pieter - South African guide. Another reason to tune in on Saturday and Sunday mornings having my coffee.....

So check it out some morning - you can get there by clicking on ild Earth,W or if you just like to sit passively and watch - try National Geographic site - Petes Pond. You can link from there to other wonderful live cams of different animals. 

Cookie Wars

I was asked to explain the cookie war because I mentioned it on Facebook. This is the cookie/bone in question. Sitting so gently on a slightly chewed rawhide bone. Each one of the dogs got one at Christmas. They don't eat them right away. They like to guard them and hide them. Gaston carried his around for days, hid it and then suddenly one day it was just gone. Carmel on the other hand guarded hers for awhile, then decided to bury it in a planter on the patio for a week or so (see earlier blog).





It's almost a week now and you can see evidence above that it's actually being "chewed". And it's also the center of the weeks tug-of-war. Which one of them will reign supreme? It got so bad that Carmel would not even leave the house to go potty without the bone - evidence below...





Results so far are that Camel has won. She has turned into a regular little demon growling at Gaston if he even came near the side of the room she is with her bone. I've tried to capture her wrath, but she turns into a pussycat when she sees the camera. She is really so "quiet" you may have to turn up the speakers to hear her baby growl. .






I got this video because Gaston could not get back across the room - Carmel had him trapped in a corner and she was NOT letting him go by without an argument. I just wish I could have caught it when she jumped at him. I think Jason would be impressed with her ferocity! Gaston on the other hand was remarkably calm and seemed to know that Mommom would come to his rescue.

It's insane to think that they can get so fixated over one bone since there are at least a dozen other chewies on the floor as I post this blog. And I post another blog about the dogs because it's a way I can share the everyday joy of them with everyone - especially Melinda who misses them so much!

Cold and Flu Season - and allergy maladies

That's what they used to call this time of year. Usually coming off the holidays everyone is tired and run down and with the cold winter weather apt to catch the latest bug going around. It sure is different tho from when I was a kid. You didn't hear much about "allergies" back then. People had them, but they were the minority. Nowadays you are in the minority if you DON'T have some type of allergy. You can't convince me that all the chemicals and preservatives you find in everything today isn't causing all these allergies. And who invents these chemicals and preservatives? Maybe the same people who invent the Drugs that cure the side effects from the chemicals and preservatives? Hmmmm.....maybe I SHOULD have taken chemistry. Something to be said for the legal drug trade.

Anyhow - PREVENTION: My parents taught us to wash our hands, don't eat anything that was on the floor - COMMON SENSE THINGS. Today's parents are trying to "antibacterial" their children to death (which I believe is just making them more prone to germs, but that is just my opinion) CURE: well, back when I was a kid you pretty much had aspirin, orange juice, chicken noodle soup and Vicks VapoRub. (applied with love by Mom to your chest and covered with a warm washcloth).

Cure nowadays - well you can go cross-eyed at the local drug store trying to find an over-the-counter remedy for the sniffles. There are entire aisles - both sides - four or five shelves high filled with anything you can think of to ease your stuffy-runny nose, sore scratchy throat, itchy eyes - you name it - they got it. It's no wonder when friends were here from England years ago they almost went into shock when I took them into Acme, (another blog).

My personal recommendations for these ills that fall upon me when the weather goes from 28 degrees to 40 degree and my body says - what the Hell are you doing to me? My Mother's old-fashioned cures, but I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND Breathe Right nasal strips . If you have EVER laid your head down on the pillow at night and had your nose stuff up immediately - these are for you. Once you get past the strange feel on your nose you will see what I mean. I am a walking commercial for them. I should get a commission - or at least coupons for a couple boxes of them.

Oh well - hope everyone is staying healthy in their own way.

Carmel

This is Carmel. The first time we brought her home she was very skittish and only bonded with Melinda. She bit me and pooped on my shoes. One of the first things that was very noticeable was that she forgot who you were if you showered. It took awhile for her to recognize Melinda out of the shower with a towel on her head. She is special. Took even longer to like me.

That being said - almost 2 years later - we don't have that problem. Well - not coming out of the shower anymore, but she didn't recognize me with my new winter coat - barked at me when I put the hood up.

Everyone that knows me or Melinda knows about Carmel and how special she is. She is so strange it makes her adorable. Tonight was no exception. I have been suffering with allergies and after almost a week I don't have much of a voice - laryngitis is setting in quickly. And yes - you guessed it - she won't come near me. She ran from the room when I greeted them tonight. Tail wagging until I said hello. As long as I don't talk to her I'm okay. I suppose that's good since I should be resting my voice, but it's been fun to watch her reaction. Growling and tail wagging. It's like one end doesn't know what the other end is doing.

Gotta love her.

Remember When?

Remember when you could just twist off the cap of a bottle of Tylenol? Before they were triple sealed in plastic, combination lock cap then that silver foil seal you need a knife to pierce. Gives you a headache just trying to get a pill doesn't it? I just had a fight with two Comtrex. That is my drug of choice for the moment with my allergies in full bloom. I feel miserable. Came home from work early but I stopped at the store to purchase some juice and Comtrex (because they have an AM and PM in the same package). As my tea water started I took out the packet of pills. All individually packed in hermetically sealed little bubbles. Need to take two - so why don't they put TWO in one of the bubbles ? Never mind. Just peel off the back. WRONG. Why do they do that? You need an Engineering degree to open this crap. I ended up taking a knife and stabbing the damn package to get my pills out. Don't they realize sick people don't have the patience to fight with packaging like this?

OH - I REALLY miss the days when you could just pop open a lid and get your meds. Before the crazy people with nothing better to do decided they wanted to poison everyone for shits and giggles. It was easier back then. People trusted each other. There is no trust anymore - everyone is cynical - suspicious.

Whatever. Remember when you were younger and mothers and fathers had children one at a time? Rarely did you hear about the multiples we do nowadays because of all the options to conceive we have. Maybe it's because I'm not feeling well and haven't slept soundly in two nights but I'm really pissed about this Mother of Octuplets. I certainly don't think that the State of California should be footing the bill for these kids and part of me is thinking that DCS should take them from her and put them with people who can give them a better life. Does anyone really believe she did this without having an ulterior motive? Book? Movie? Another TV show? Are any of you going to line up to get on her website to send money and gifts? What's to stop the next person from doing the same thing? If I wasn't sick it would make me sick. Boo Hoo for her.

Oh well - it really was a beautiful day - certainly not a February day. More like an April day. The nice part about having to work was that we had the windows and doors open - let a nice fresh air run thru the place. Maybe it will blow out the germs that has everyone sick - clear the air.

Time to get ready for Lost. That should put the icing on the cake for the day. It my brain wasn't addled from feeling sick all day - Lost will definitely put me deeper into the fog. I should sleep well then.

Chihuahua Meet

Yes - that's Carmel and Gaston looking so delighted. This was their first Chihuahua Meet (and mine) and the theme was Western. A lot of the Chi's were all dressed up in some type of denim overall, bandannas, and other various costume, but there were a few, like my own that don't take to dressing up with good humor.

It was held at their day-care center - Canine Creature Comforts which is the major reason why we joined the group. We've not been to day-care in quite awhile, but we still go in and miss them. Hopefully we will be able to get back soon since it really does them good to mingle. Anyhow..... the meet started at noon and everyone just wandered around and chatted while the dogs played. Or, if you were Carmel and Gaston you stayed under my feet only to wander off briefly. Two of their friends from day-care were there - Bailey and Bandit - so they weren't all strangers.

Like dogs really notice or care? We spend so much time humanizing them we forget they are just dogs. So - back to the meet. There was a birthday and there was a doggie birthday cake. Which all the dogs devoured. The young woman who ran the meet made all sorts of doggie treats and had wonderful gift baskets for the winners of the best dressed contest as well.

There was a race held and the first time there was a false start. Carmel never really knew she was supposed to leave the starting point. She just kinda wandered around in a circle looking for me. The second time she and Gaston did actually leave the start - Gaston ran like hell - running over some of the smaller dogs to get to me - but he came in second! Carmel brought up the rear - no way she was going to RUN for anything or anyone. She was having a trying day anyway - too much excitement had her panting so much she was shaking and wheezing.

All things considered, they had a wonderful time and they were great with all the people there. No demon dogs today - they allowed people to pet them AND even pick them up. They came home tired and only too happy to go back to their normal routine of resting on the sofa. Once a month meets are enough for these Chi's.

Week-end Update.......

Isn't that the name of a show ? Well - the computer is working fine - I figured everything out and this weekend got a wireless router. Now I don't have to sit in the little spare room - I can bring the computer into any room. It was a major event to be able to actually get the router set up and rather than take a chance of screwing it up I called the Linksys support line and they finished it up. They told me that I did everything right up till then but given the opportunity to let someone who really knows what they are doing do it I will definitely take that option.

So now I can bring the computer into the living room when I am watching TV. I haven't any idea why. I do multi-task, but when I watch TV that's all I am going to be doing. And speaking of TV, I am turning into a Reality TV junkie. With a DVR in the house it's so easy to tape and catch it later, and there is NO shortage of these shows. It started out innocently enough with Wife Swap or Trading Spouses, and has escalated to Brett Michaels and his hunt for true love - this season on a tour bus. I didn't think it possible they could find more skanky females than they did for Flava Flav, but they did. Skanky isn't even harsh enough. I think watching these shows makes me feel better about myself - my life. When I feel down I just tune in to any channel and I can find another show. Brides from hell - super weddings - redneck weddings - celebrities in rehab - and rich people in CA, Atlanta and New York. I found one thing tho - whether they are the rich females from wherever - or Brett's skanky girls - they are all shallow, self-centered, and equally easy to dislike. I openly admit to watching these shows - I know some who won't!

Anyhow - fun week coming up. Melinda is coming for a quick visit tomorrow night. She and Carly will be getting together for dinner then she'll come home here. I am going to go in late Tuesday so we can have a nice morning together and have breakfast before she head back off to Virginia. Next weekend we will be attending our first ever Chihuahua Meet. Hopefully we will have lots of fun things to report back. Everyone knows how sociable the kids are.

Computers

So the computer died last week and that pretty much determined how I would spend my weekend. I didn't know it would be an omen for what would happen on Sunday, but that's another post. I checked out an Apple, but not being able to afford a Bentley at this time, I decided to go with a Dell Laptop. Red - of course with a little red mouse. I'll be damned if I will ever be able to use that little pad. Not patient. Those who know me won't argue that one.

Here's a photo - it came with Vista of course and that strange little Google gadget. I don't like a busy desktop - but by the time I figured out how to get RID of the darn thing I rather enjoyed the clock sitting there.

Computer melt-downs are a pain in the butt aren't they? I had been backing up, but the past year just kinda got away from me. Hindsight.......Oh well. Maybe Joe will be able to salvage 2008 from the drives I send him.

My fingers are numb from typing in all the contact information I could salvage from my address book and what I had at work. I guess I just need to ask everyone to e-mail me so I can add you back. At least my in box is cleaned out. Good thing Melinda posts pictures on Kodak - at least all is not lost.

Oh well.....time to take the kids for their last walk - they won't go far - 3" of snow out there. They will probably pee on the front step.

Gail is 50 !!!

Yeah - another big birthday - it is finally nice to have some company in the "50" age bracket, even if it will only be a short time (sigh).

Ronnieann, Christine, Mo and I had fun turning Gail's cubicle into a Birthday Nightmare Thursday evening after everyone left. All in good fun tho, and Gail loved it - Doesn't she look great in her Birthday princess crown and her magic wand???

And Gail was the First I2 employee to have the Birthday serenade with Kazoos! Yes - it was magic! I think we may have started yet another I2 Birthday tradition today.

And speaking of tradition - it wouldn't be a birthday for any of us if we didn't go to the Blarney Stone to celebrate - which we did - Gail, Ronnieann, Christine, Karen, Courtney, Ann, Justin, Billy, Prin, Carla and myself.

For those of you would like to see a few more photos, I up-loaded to the other site since it takes too long to get them on the blog. Just click HERE

AGAIN - HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAIL ! LOVE YOU!!

Carmel - No Longer the Princess.....

Carmel can no longer claim Princess - we all know who the Princess is - no - I think she has graduated to Queen. She has become the bully of the two, Gaston quite happy to sit back and let her rule. Carmel looking for a place to hide the cookie she stole from Gaston......

Digging in......
All done ! And she wanted another treat...
I posted these for Melinda - she misses Carmel very much. So I am going to include a video clip of her as well. This is as perky as she gets. Enjoy!

2008 - Gone But Not Forgotten

It was a pretty good year. Happiness and sadness hand in hand this past year, but I tried to remember just the happy times. And I think we had quite a few - and I hope everyone out there did too. There's been weddings, cross-country trips, new homes, and new babies on the way. What a wonderful forecast for 2009!

Melinda and Jason were here for Christmas day and I think Jason finally figured out we are definitely a little strange. If he didn't know that last year he has to believe it this year. Santa goes a bit crazy at our house with lots of little things. Jason's good friend Gaston was even helping him Christmas Morning with his stocking....

We had a nice long, relaxing day with plenty to eat and drink. The kids got me a wonderful toaster oven/broiler/warmer that is fantastic. Jason took out the old non-working one right away knowing I might try to get a little more life out of it. They also bought me a stuffed squirell and nuts. Hmmmmm...quite the jokers. Everyone got great gifts - Santa was way good again this year. I got Jason My National Parks Monopoly and that put us in the mood later Christmas evening to play some games. Poor Jason got a taste of the McBride women for a game of UNO. Things weren't looking too good for him so we tried SORRY next.

After breakfast on the 26th Melinda and Jason headed up to his family home to spend the day with his family.

I did break down and decorate (as you can see slightly above) even tho I said I wouldn't! I did tone it down this year. And contrary to my normal time line, I have all my decorations down and away - 3 days early. Every year tho without fail I forget something and don't usually notice it until a week or so after the decorations are all down. Wonder what it will be this year?

Anyway, the kids are off in West Virginia - out of cell phone and Internet range - with friends celebrating the New Year (there IS a Hot tub and I'm sure plenty of wine) . Although if you check out Lora's Blog you will see they did manage to escape to the city for a short while and reported that an evil critter was amongst them. I wonder if it was my Squirrel friend who hitched a ride with them over Christmas ?

Oh well - I will report later on the New Year Changes here. For now we need to take a walk!