The Christmas Cock

Steve had today off. He and Tone agreed to do some grocery and holiday shopping for me so I could work at home. Sounds very good in theory, doesn't it?

I asked these 2 adult men to get a seasonal, Christmas-y mat for OUTside the FRONT door. I currently have a fall themed one. While they were at the store, I called them. Explained that my kitchen mat, on the floor in front of the sink, is falling apart, while they are in there can they get me another kitchen mat? I also need 2white tablecloths, for the extra tables I will use from Christmas service, and I requested that they get all these items in Kohls.
They came home.

You know the 2 tablecloths I asked Steve to buy? [he was WITH me when I bought the first one, he knew exactly what to get] Oh, no they didn't have them. Did you go ASK, honey? No. So he bought 2 at walmart. They closely resemble burlap, I am having sensory issues just TOUCHING them.

But the mats. Oh my. They bought two, OK. Both for the kitchen, nothing for outside. One is a Christmas/ Winter theme, and it's mostly white and light blue. Lets take bets on how long THAT one lasts on the floor in a busy kitchen. I gave him the LOOK. The second mat? It's a frickin' ROOSTER. Yes, a ROOSTER, you take one LOOK at a rooster and it is supposed to dredge up holiday cheer unimaginable. I asked him, WTH Hon? Really, WTH?? A ROOSTER for Christmas cheer? And He said..... It's not Christmas without a Cock. My stomach still hurts from laughing at that. You gotta love the guy for the things he comes up with to cover his tail. So if any of you are interested, you can come to my house and see my Christmas cock laying on the kitchen floor. And he *did* get points for making me laugh.

"Natives who beat drums to drive off evil spirits are objects of scorn to smart Americans who blow horns to break up traffic jams."
Mary Ellen Kelly

Decisions, Decisions

I had some thinking to do, and decisions to make. I enjoy blogging, and the feedback I get suggests that I'm not talking to myself. I would blog anyway, as I enjoy it. But it is nice to know I am read. Even Steve asked me this morning, why are you not blogging, he has been checking too.
And so, I will continue to blog.I'm happy to be back :o)

Are you an idiot?

I'm still not used to this new med. Went from insomnia to being able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Plus, the treadmill is broken [ssssssssshhhhhhhh,..YAY!YAY! a GREAT excuse!] So I've been spending time at Facebook. Yelling at one relative who stressed Steve right out to the max. Looking at my nieces FB. She is asking ALL idiots to leave her FB right now. When I got done laughing I wondered, how would you know if you were an idiot? I got sidetracked into googling that and had quite a few yuks. Here is one of the returns from that search:

http://www.iamanidiot.com/idiotif/

Saw Boos' FB first thing this morning, she left posts for Steve and me, informing us that the latest Jean Auel book is available for preorder at Amazon. [I think it was more of a "heads up" to Steve, Boo has my back in all things book-related.] From the time I saw Boos post to the time the book was in my cart, less than one literal minute elapsed. I LOVE Amazon. Here' a link if you are a fan:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517580519/ref=oss_product

And a pic....baby lemons on my lemon tree! [I live in NY, and have never had the correct conditions to make a lemon tree set fruit before, so this very exciting to my green thumb !]

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Love Love this website:

http://www.brainyquote.com/

Am going thru major withdrawal symptoms from Caffeine today. Would not wish this on anyone.

PSVT for short

Dearest Bloggie,
I am so sorry for neglecting you for so long! I know you were wondering "WHY? Why are you so quiet Gail?"

I always promised myself that, when I was blogging, no matter what I said it would be straight up. Recently I have had something happen to me. A medical problem, that scared the living shit out of me and I was afraid to blog about it. First, I needed to get a diagnosis, and second, I had to make sure that blogging about this wouldn't embarrass my family, they come first. I really believe that we are all on the planet together, and if I can share what happened to me, so some other person isn't so afraid, then that's what I'll do.

Since maybe September '09, I noticed that when I get pissed or stressed, I could "feel" my heartbeat. No pain, or anything else. I was just very aware of it.
One Monday morning in December, I got out of bed. That was ALL I did...and my heart felt like a freshly landed lake trout. It was bouncing around in my chest so badly I thought I was going to die. The dizziness was overwhelming.No pain, no pressure, no shortness of breath. But it eventually passed, and I went to work [I know, stupid stupid stupid.]
Since then I have had a recurring problem with my heartbeat. I can always "feel" my heartbeat, and sometimes it speeds up for no reason. After another "episode" [like the one in December] I finally went to my Doc. She did an EKG on the spot. It showed no heart attack or damage, but a resting pulse rate of 98bpm. This is not good. After doing my annual blood work [and the results were terrific, I would stack my results up against my kids] She told me I needed to have a Holter test. I was given an appointment a week later with a "specialist" in my Docs practice to get a Holter. That would be a small appliance you wear for 24 or 48 hrs that tracks your heartbeat. After 24 hours I went back,...on a tuesday. They removed the Holter, and I was told I'd have results within days. Silly me, seeing as how this is my HEART and an important piece of testing, I believed them. Friday I called the specialists' office and said YO?? They said, oh the specialist will forward the results to your doc. I called my doc the Following tues, and they had no results. I called that FRIDAY and said this is IT, I want the friggin results. It turns out they got "lost" in the specialists office. A nurse from my Docs office had to walk over and make them look for the results. @@
It showed that there were 3 times where my heartbeat went up to 200 bpm. Scary, considering that isn't the worst I've felt, and they sat on the friggin results.
Off to the Cardio my doc recommended.
I am tempted to hook her up with my blog address so she can read how I really felt.
I will NOT sit and wait for a doc for more than 30 minutes. Will not do it. I know they have emergencies, so when I go in I ask what the wait time is. If the wait is large, and If I'm not sick, I'll cancel and reschedule, or see a P.A if the spirit moves me.
When I went into the cardio, I asked if the doc was running on time. The nurse said oh yes, we're normal today, and you are the first appointment [9am]. She whisked me right into an exam room and took my history.
And there I sat for an hour.
I was picking my stuff up to leave, and in waltzes the cardio.
Let me try to paint a picture.
The cardio RUNS into the exam room, wearing a pilled up saggy brown suit. Without sitting down, introducing himself or looking at me he proceeded to look at my chart and ask questions. He was acting like a man who owed a bookie money at the track, never still, twitchy, shifting back and forth on his feet, asking more questions before I could finish answering the ones he had just asked. He had seen it all, I guess, and didn't need to hear from me what my problem was, he had already decided. He looked at the results of the Holter test, and said Yes, when I read this, I saw 3 instances....

[are you digging this? This NUT CASE doc was the once who's office screwed up with the results of the Holter test on me, and I didn't even KNOW it! If I had known he was the one who lost my results, I never would have gone to him in the first place, but I trusted my primary Doc]

Evidently I gave an interesting answer...........because he took a paper hand towel...you know the kind, in dispensers by sinks, a plain white tri-fold paper hand towel.........and starting taking case notes on it. Right then and there, my gut gave my brain a vote of "no Confidence". He ended the appointment very abruptly, with an RX to fill, and an RX for 2 tests he wanted done "at his other location". At that point he walked me back out to the reception desk. I asked if he had a web site so I could look up office hours and directions to the "other location" and he did not know.
I didn't realize, until the nurse said it, that he had never even told me his name. I was not going back there.

I came home, called the office and told the nurse I was going with a cardio closer to home, as their office is 40 minutes away on a good day. I didn't want to go off on her over the buffoon she works for, I didn't think that would be right.

Steve and I asked around for references, and when we got 2 that looked promising, we did our research on them. One, recommended by a friend, was 40 minutes from the house. The other, recommended by 2 people Steve works with, and is 10 minutes from the house. Guess who I picked? I think the surprising thing was how strongly people feel about their doctors. One friend told Steve, in a private note, that it was painful to "See ME being illogical" and I was being *annoying* because I hadn't chosen the Dr she had recommended. THAT was strange to read. As if I weren't in my right mind or something. So, you also learn who to turn to for advice, as well as who NOT to turn to.
And so yesterday, I met my Cardio for the first time. From the moment I walked in, I felt I made the right choice.The intake nurse, the one that gets your stats and such, she was such a far cry from my first experience I almost cried right there. And the Dr...... Yes. THAT is how a Dr. is supposed to treat you.
After the Doc introduced himself, asked what my symptoms were, and asked a few questions as he examined me, he said I need an EKG, but I believe I have a diagnosis for you. I will return when the EKG is complete.

[an aside...I had my first EKG at age 35. I was having terrible chest pains and feeling kinda tired. It turned out I had double walking pneumonia. I went to a walk-in place, and I remember THAT EKG as if it were yesterday A guy, who insisted I needed to be topless, who then proceeded to bring two other docs in "for training purposes" I never returned to that place either.]

So I was not prepared for the ease of this EKG's. Lift your shirt, bada-bing bada-bang, and you are done. My cardio let me see the results and explained them to me too, no "Gweat and Wonder Oz" shit in there]
The doc returns and says, I have a gift for you. The gift of Menopause, plus...after a few more questions...it turns out that I have Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia [PSVT for short] I need two non-invasive tests, which were scheduled for me before I left the office. My treatment consists of a beta-blocker to make my heartbeat behave, and a dietary change. No Caffeine. At ALL, from Any source,no stimulants, and no chocolate, either. [oh...no street drugs either. DAMN!!! There's ALWAYS something.] He said *I* have to manage this, I need to keep myself out of situations that will bring on an episode. I wanted to ask if scrubbing the toilet qualified as one of those situations, but I decided to save that question for my 6 week follow-up. If I can stop laughing long enough, I am SURE I can convince Steve that "socks on floor" invites an episode. I need to think about this, it could be a gold mine!

[another aside,..I had an "episode" watching the movie "Armageddon...you know the scene, where Bruce Willis is telling his daughter he never broke a promise before, but he has to now. It was a HUGE episode. My heart reacts TOTALLY out of sync with my actual emotional state during those times. So how do you know in advance is a movie or book is going to sandbag you? I got an e-mail with the subject line "This video will bring you to tears" and I deleted it unread :X ]

For me, there is an upside, though. The Dr said that my type of PSVT generally goes away when menopause is over. I can go back to treadmilling and working out, I need to take 6 weeks and gradually build back up to where I was before the first cardio told me not to do that until I was diagnosed. This cardio says it helps, and he is dismayed that the first cardio told me that.

Well, I sat there and did every I could do not to cry. My relief was so great. I grew up with mother who spent more time in the hospital than out of it. Anything medical for Steve or the kids, I'm all over it, no prob. If *I* have an issue, I am frightened beyond my ability to blog. Even though time has proven this isn't true,- I am afraid I'll be my Mom all over again.

I am THRILLLED that I trusted my gut. I will be 50 in January. I was brought up to be "nice" or a "good girl" [really, pick your ass up off the floor, your laughter is increasing my heart rate] to do what authority figures said, ...if you are my age or older, you know what I am layin' down. If I had done that, and stuck with racetrack cardio, I would be on the wrong med, at Twice the recommended starter dose, and I would be MISERABLE. So please, if something doesn't feel right, even if you can't articulate to your self or anyone else what it is, just get the hell OUT of there. Because I trusted my gut, my heart will be OK.

I'm glad to be back. It was hard not to blog. I didn't want to make references to "episodes" or things happening to me and not explain them, so I just shut up. Well, now you know :o) And I can get pictures of the baby lemons on my lemons tree, and bitch at you about bastard woodchucks and their spawn from Hell! Ain't life grand?

I'll be back !

I had a hissy hit over the porno responses to my blog entries. It seems that SCADS of us have the same issue.I figured if I didn't blog for a while, I'd be forgotten. Not true, and not the experience of any other Blogger I'm talking to.
My stance on porno:
To each his own. Do not force your foshizzle on me, and I won't force mine on you. I know I have a foul mouth, and I DO reign it in here, believe it or not.My definition of porn is nudity and sex without artistic bent. Without a person trying to convey a thought or idea.
My camera died, and Steve was kind enough to order a replacement, it will be here this week. In time for our Family Reunion, we host that. So lots of pics coming up!
Among the pics will be some work we are doing to avoid naked ninja putz neighbor, and improve the value of our property. The work started today, but here in NY we hit 100°, and the humidity made it feel like 104°. The work had to stop, I can't risk peoples health cause of a putz.But it will continue this week, and I'll post pics of that too.
I have missed you more than you missed me. Im sorry that I have to approve all comments but yall know how I feel about that :/ Here's a pic I'd like to share, until I blog again. I top-dressed that gorgeous Christmas cactus I have [i.e, added 2" of soil to the pot,rather than transplant]The next time I rotated it's pot, look what I found...a wax begonia baby. I do not grow begonias, this was a traveler in the potting soil I used. I LOVED this:


Love,
Gail

Plant-TASTIC Thursday !

Plant-tastic Thursday!
I've been promising pics, but I needed to wait until there was something to show you. The garden is up and growing:




Since this is the first growing cycle I will have at the Shack, I kept it simple...tomatoes [big, regular, roma, cherry, and "patio"...I thought I'd grabbed 2 romas, I love them oven roasted], cukes, squash, zucchini, and 2 blueberry bushes that won't produce for years yet, but it's nice to know they're there.

Also, the parsley is a really happy camper:



Parsley, chives, basil, and radishes in the 2 planters. I swear, the herbs grow like weeds, so this keeps them contained.
This is a maranta, and did not flower in the old place, it simply did not have the right conditions. It does now!



And the orchids are still beautiful.




I believe they are coming to the end of their bloom cycle, so we'll see if I kill them or not.

Now this, THIS made my heart sing.When you think of cactus, you think tons of sun, right? WHY would a person who knows she doesn't have the right conditions buy cacti? Because they are cute? I bought this tiny baby cactus in 2000. It never flowered. 2 weeks ago, I walked by it and eyeballed it....it looked like it was covered in deer ticks! I had the planter in my hand, ready to throw it out the door, and then I thought WAIT.....if ticks tried to affix themselves to cacti, they'd be stabbed to death! That can't be ticks, but what is it? THEY ARE MY VERY FIRST CACTI FLOWERBUDS!!!!! I waited til now to blog a pic so I could see the color of the blooms. The buds themselves have almost a wooden outer coating, quite unlike any other flowerbud I've seen. Probably to protect it from the spines of the cacti. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with those flowerbuds! I am a cacti virgin no more!



In one of my gardening orders from a small nursery, I got a "surprize" package of seeds. Aloe seeds. Fresh in 1998 [that is not a typo. 1998.] So I thought, what the hell? I made the attempt to germinate them. And got me a lil baby Aloe, it's planted in a rosin container:



Also, we finally decided what to do about the neighbors. Plant a living wall of evergreen, from the rear of our property, 3/4 of the lot width up to the front yard. I'll post before and afters of that rodeo too, but at least we contracted that out. *I* can't see me lugging 15-20 trees around. And I hope Steve can't see it either, or I'll give him such a talking-to.

I'll be back!

I had a lovely Moms Day! I will blog tomorrow about that, as well as the other stuf going on in Gail land :o)AND....drum roll please...i will post a pic of a CACTUS that is starting to bloom for me. I have owned it for 10+ years, but never had the right conditions for it. I am so excited about that!

This and That

I need
-A 5 minute delay "Are you SURE, Lady?" button on the dishwasher, for when you just hit start, and people bring in more dishes that COULD have gone in there, but now YOU have to wash them. Happens all the time..

-A taser or stun gun, or club, or SOMETHING that I can use on the person who gets behind me in a grocery store line, and starts sighing over the size of my order. Listen, they have quick checks, self-checks, and express lanes. Don't get behind me on a regular lane with a playboy and a big bottle of hand lotion and expect ME to apologize. Putz.

-Something better than my middle finger, to express my dismay at the dismal driving skills of some drivers. Last time I looked Stop" means "STOP", not don't look/don't tell and roll right in front of me. And then proceed to do 20 in a 45. While my grocery order is thawing in the back of the truck. Almost all the time, I can ignore this type of stupidity...considering that the wonderful GPS people haven't gotten around to mapping our re-done area roads yet, you have to be prepared to be cut off at a moments notice, by people THINKING they'd be making a right onto a ramp, and discovering in less than a quarter mile they'll need to make a left at a light. I feel bad for them. But not for the intentional assholes.

......SOMEWHERE, where I can swing something like a bat or a cudgel at something, and a member of the government that made these tax laws gets hurt. You know, like Whack-A-Mole? I don't care which one, just that one of them pays for this utter stupidity. Don't even get me STARTED this year, this should be a HONKIN return for us. Nope.

My cello [you'll note I didn't call her Ruby, when she's a bitch she is just "my cello"] has developed some anti-social tendencies I HATE. I had to replace the bridge, and it has a much higher profile than the one that came with the cello....and the one I ordered is a "low".....so short of finding a way to shave the sucker myself, I am stuck with this bridge. It totally changes the sound of Ruby. I am struggling to play the harmonics, and simply the act of playing is more difficult, as the strings ride higher over the fingerboard than they used to. I also think my A string is possessed, it is biting down into this bridge the same way it bit so badly into the other bridge I had to replace it. Think it's time to ditch that A string too. [I might just rebuild the area under the A string on the old bridge and switch it back, Ruby sounds like she's strangling, and I HATE it.

Now the good stuff.....
I am really happy to say, it looks like Steves sciatica is finally easing up. The poor guy has been attacked by it, night and day, for over 2 months. It's been writing on the slate of who he is.....he is very active at home on the weekends, and hasn't been able to do anything. Yesterday he spent 3 hours outside, and when he came in he looked 10 years younger, I could SEE the sciatica leaving his face. YAY Honey!!

OH YEAH!!! You've seen the commercials for the brownie pan...you pour the batter in, put into the pan what looks like the divider in an old metal ice cube tray, and bake. You're supposed to wind up with beautiful lil separate brownies. I got one to play with. My main application for it would be baking cornbread for the big holiday do's and freezing it ahead of service, I just don't like store bought corn bread as much as home made, and I'm kinda fond of the people who show up, and want them to have the good stuff.

But back to the baking dish. I didn't want to make brownies, so I settled on Angel Food cake squares, I'd already macerated the strawberries for it. The instruction guide said, if you're making cake, to plan on the same amount of batter you'd use in a 13x9 pan....one box. So that's what I did. It looked a bit full, so I saved back enough batter to make 9 angel food cupcakes with. Put it in the oven.
O.M.G.
Think, I Love Lucy and the endless loaf of bread. That sucker puffed up like an Adder in a room full of Meerkats, I just had to laugh. By the end of the baking time, you couldn't see the grid for the cake puffed up all over the place. Pretty damn funny, and I promise the next time I screw up with it, I'll get pics. I was just laughing too hard :o) But it tasted just fine. [if you get one....a half box of cake batter will do just fine.]

I love the lil sucker, and am glad I have it.And even gladder that it's dishwasher safe, I wouldn't buy it if I had to hand scrub all the little nooks and crannies in there.

And this, from my Boo. Thank You Dear, for reminding me how old I am LOL...I got 'em all right :O)
-----
For OLDER people... MEMORY TEST!

This is NOT a pushover test.
There are 20 questions. Average score is 12.
This one will be difficult for the younger set.
Have fun, but no peeking!
Good luck, youngsters.


1. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?
A. Flintstones vitamins
B. The Buttmaster
C. Spaghetti
D. Wonder Bread
E.. Orange Juice
F. Milk
G. Cod Liver Oil

2. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was...
A. Sugar Ray Robinson
B. Roy Orbison
C. Gene Autry
D. Rudolph Valentino
E. Fabian
F. Mickey Mantle
G. Cassius Clay

3. Pogo, the comic strip character said, 'We have met the enemy and...
A. It's you
B. He is us
C. It's the Grinch
D. He wasn't home
E. He's really me an
F. We quit
G. He surrendered

4. Good night David.
A.. Good night Chet
B. Sleep well
C. Good night Irene
D. Good night Gracie
E. See you later alligator
F. Until tomorrow
G. Good night Steve

5. You'll wonder where the yellow went...
A. When you use Tide
B. When you lose your crayons
C. When you clean your tub
D. If you paint the room blue
E. If you buy a soft water tank
F.. When you use Lady Clairol
G. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

6. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's friend...
A. Stuart Whitman
B. Randolph Scott
C. Steve Reeves
D. Maynard G. Krebbs
E. Corky B. Dork
F. Dave the Whale
G. Zippy Zoo

7. Liar, liar...
A. You're a liar
B. Your nose is growing
C. Pants on fire
D. Join the choir
E. Jump up higher
F.. On the wire
G. I'm telling Mom

8. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and.....
A. Wheaties
B. Lois Lane
C. TV ratings
D. World peace
E. Red tights
F. The American way
G. News headlines

9. Hey kids! What time is it?
A. It's time for Yogi Bear
B It's time to do your homework
C. It's Howdy Doody Time
D. It's Time for Romper Room
E. It's bedtime
F. The Mighty Mouse Hour
G. Scoopy Doo Time

10. Lions and tigers and bears....
A. Yikes!
B. Oh no!
C. Gee whiz!
D. I'm scared!
E. Oh my!
F. Help! Help!
G. Let's run!

11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone...
A. Over 40
B. Wearing a uniform
C. Carrying a briefcase
D. Over 30
E. You don't know
F. Who says, 'Trust me'
G.. Who eats tofu

12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial wearing women's stockings... .
A. Troy Aikman
B. Kenny Stabler
C. Joe Namath
D. Roger Staubach
E. Joe Montana
F. Steve Young
G. John Elway


13. Brylcream...
A. Smear it on
B. You'll smell great
C. Tame that cowlick
D. Grease ball heaven
E. It's a dream
F. We're your team
G. A little dab'll do ya

14. I found my thrill...
A. In Blueberry muffins
B.. With my man, Bill
C.. Down at the mill
D. Over the windowsill
E. With thyme and dill
F. Too late to enjoy
G. On Blueberry Hill

15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by...
A. Clark Gable
B. Mary Martin
C. Doris Day
D. Errol Flynn
E. Sally Fields
F. Jim Carey
G. Jay Leno

16. Name the Beatles...
A. John, Steve, George, Ringo
B. John, Paul, George, Roscoe
C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo
D. Jay, Paul, George, Ringo
E. Lewis, Peter, George, Ringo
F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel
G. John, Paul, George, Ringo

17. I wonder, wonder, who.
A. Who ate the leftovers?
B. Who did the laundry?
C. Was it you?
D. Who wrote the book of love?
E. Who I am?
F. Passed the test?
G. Knocked on the door?

18. I'm strong to the finish...
A. Cause I eats my broccoli
B. Cause I eats me spinach
C. Cause I lift weights
D. Cause I'm the hero
E. And don't you forget it
F. Cause Olive Oyl loves me
G. To outlast Bruto

19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today
A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera
B. Smile, you're on Star Search
C. Smile, you won the lottery
D. Smile, we're watching you
E. Smile, the world sees you
F. Smile, you're a hit
G. Smile, you're on TV

20. What do M & M's do?
A. Make your tummy happy
B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket
C. Make you fat
D. Melt your heart
E. Make you popular
F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand
G. Come in colors

Below are the right answers:
1. D - Wonder Bread
2. G - Cassius Clay
3. B - He Is Us
4. A - Good night, Chet
5. G - When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent
6. D - Maynard G. Krebbs
7. C - Pants On Fire
8. F - The American Way
9. C - It's Howdy Doody Time
10. E - Oh My
11. D - Over 30
12. C - Joe Namath
13. G - A little dab'll do ya
14. G - On Blueberry Hill
15. B - Mary Martin
16. G - John, Paul, George, Ringo
17. D - Who wrote the book of Love
18. B - Cause I eats me spinach
19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera
20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand

Asshats

A quick note...it appears that oriental spammers are "commenting" on bloggings, mine included, in order to leave links to their blogs..of the porno kind. I have had to change the way you can comment here. You are still welcome to e-mail me as usual. I can't control the jerkwad pencil dicks that would be so desperate to peddle their shit that they would prey on anyone, but I sure as HELL won't take it.

Yoshi Osamu Yi Long is scum.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Wow! What a week here!
You know we live in southern NY, and, it being April, you don't expect temps upwards of 88! Yup, that's not a typo. So we have learned this about the Love Shack:
-there WILL be a.c installed in the livingroom.
-When you have days of no rain, the squirrels and cats will come up to the sliding glass doors and try to get in.I have named one of the squirrels, and all of the local cats.Unfortunately, I can't say most the names in my blog, small swears are one thing, but I named those things so bad, people burst out laughing when I mention their names. Squirrels are of the opinion that, if they do not move, you cannot see them. I have been able a lot of times this week to walk right up to the sliding glass doors and crouch down to get a good look at those bastards. Sure they're cute, but so are my tulips, dammit. I also see we have a few bunnies,racoons, skunks, [the real kind, not naked ninja putz neighbor] along with the deer, so when I lay out the first garden bed, it will have to be protected as well as Fort Knox.
Also, we decided to plant 2 dwarf apple trees, in the yard between us and naked ninja putz neighbor. I really don't know how to protect them yet, short of a pellet gun, but since I'm out of work right now, just call me Annie Oakley.

Speaking of jobs.

I had 2 potential interviews.
The first, a pyrotechnic tech. Meaning: I would be making fireworks. This did not set very well with Steve, and he asked me not to interview. I agreed.
The second was,...er,..... collecting animal sperm, and artificially inseminating farm animals. Steve said *I* would be responsible for giving him a hernia from laughing. I wasn't thrilled with the whole idea, let along getting the shit kicked out of me by some mad steer, so I took a pass on it. I can just see me confusing the two jobs, and blowing a steer to kingdom come. If any steak or prime rib lands in your yard, you'd better invite me to dinner!

This week 2 great things happened. The first, ....Steve had his birthday, and he turned 50. I am so happy for him! He even got his AARP card! His sciatica has been bothering him, I told him it's from sliding into the home plate of the 50's with such style and panache.He took his birthday off [wed] so we could spend it together. I even popped for lunch at Longhorn flatass Steakhouse [that was the scene of his "whoopsie" staring at a waitresses butt, and claiming it didn't count because she had no ass to stare at]. You women know how wrong he was, and if you men don't, just take my word for it. We had a GREAT day! Also, it looks like Steve has found a car he can live with for a few months!! Hehehe, no kidding. As soon as it's official, I'll let you know, but he changes cars almost as often as he leaves his socks on the floor, so time will tell.

Another great thing was last night. I told you about John, my cello mentor, and friend. You can find a link to his photography blog on the right hand side of my blog, under "places I like to visit". Well, he and his wife Susan had a show of their work last at a local gallery, and Steve and I got to go. I had seen Johns work in his blog before, and indeed he gifted us a work that hangs here at the Shack. It was a great pleasure to walk around and look at his works all together. A great pleasure also, was seeing his wifes work. I've only seen that online and at Face book, so I wasn't prepared for the vibrant colors and beautiful execution of the subjects she chose, I was really floored. Plus, we got to meet her IRL for the first time..we became friends at FB, but never met face to face. It was gratifying to see that my gut instincts about her were correct, she is a kind and funny person. I was especially happy with Steves reaction to the show. You know, he is the best man I know, but everyone has "their" things, and he is a gearhead/partsman/ automotive savant, in every sense of the word. I wasn't sure how much he would enjoy the show. But we talked a lot about the works we saw, Steve loved how clever they were, and we both agreed on our favorite work of Susans, so we did together something we don't often do, and enjoyed the hell out of it. A note to Stevie...when you know Big Steve and I are out, you don't have to txt me "thanks" about how to make pizza, ok? My phone went off while I was holding my purse under my arm, and scared the shit out of me :O)

Oh, and another credit card bit the dust this week. My beloved Cap One. We have had that card for years, it was my go-to card. Until we just got notice that we, starting this July, would be paying a 40$ annual fee! I called and said, no thank you. I was told, if I wait until the month the fee would be accessed, and call back, they MIGHT be able to waive the fee, considering our history with them. This is April, I'm supposed to remember to call them back in July? They PLAN on you forgetting to call back. Nope, no thank you. I don't give a shit about my fico or my credit to debt ratio right now, we got our Shack, and THAT was the big thing. The guy warned me my fico might go down, as I have a large credit line, and the closing would effect my fico. Well, Screw you CapOne! That's my motto. Asshats. Be VERY sure to read everything you get from your credit card companies from now on,....it used to be bullshit. Now they will actively try to screw you over.

Boo, if you see this...all the best of luck to you as you move to your new position. I KNOW you will rock it, and pretty soon, they will too :o)

April:
7th: Happy 50th to my Honey!
11th: International "Louie Louie" Day
13th: International Moment of Laughter Day

War.

Squirrels are nothing more than glorified tree rats. I hate tree rats, and I hate squirrels. If I was faster I'd kick all their asses.I also hate their cousin, the chipmunk. And I hate their big country cousin, Deer. Deer are good for one thing,- a lo n slow session in the oven with red wine, tomato paste, onions and garlic.I'd like to stuff a chipmunk inside a squirrel inside a deer, and stand that on my lawn. As a warning to all the other lil bastards out there.All these animals are Bastards, stuffed with ooey gooey Bastard goodness and coated in Bastardly coating.
All my tulips are gone.
This means war.
The Bastards.

Forsythia

Wow, it's Saturday already! I am trying to plan the plantings for the shack. I have an area for a veggie garden that will need to be fenced in, and I have 2 areas for herbs.
And now Sunday. What a GLORIOUS weekend! I hurt so good! Those bags of mulch have to go 40-50 lbs. At least most of the mulching is done in the front, and we have decided, in the side yard, to plant two trees.... dwarf fruit trees ! I am having the time of my life, and you'd think I'd be right here blogging my heart out. There is so much I want to say, but when I sit down, I forget. I'll have to think of some daily way to make notes...I'll have to make crib notes for my own blog!

We are loving it right now, the weekend weather was superb, so we got to grill dinner tonight, it just put the cherry on top of a lovely weekend.

Thank you for asking about me, that means the world to me! I am disgustingly healthy and happy. You know, everyone approaches their life to the best of their ability, or desire. In the old place, between it's geographical location and bitch of a landlord, I just felt that I could not live my fullest life, with some of the talents God gave me. I will never have a perfectly balanced checkbook, and due to my sweet Steve I have never once in my life pumped gas, but I do have some talents. Growing things. That is a big one for me. And in the whole of our married life, I was never in a place where I could flex that muscle.
Until Now.
And now, I find myself trying to plan it very well, I don't want to go bugshit and plant for plantings sake, but to have a thoughtful plan, so it's beautiful as well as functional. This weekend, with the last of the gift card my heart loop sisters gave to us, I bought the first shrub for the Shack. A forsythia. I associate that bush with spring, and the release from winter, and with my Mom and Grandmothers, as well as my family and my childhood, the second I saw it, I wanted it. But, did it fit into the plan? Well, I MADE it fit. As I look out onto the backyard from my kitchen window, I see the patio. I planted that forsythia right on the corner...along with a few red tulips, so it wouldn't be lonely....and mulched it. Now, everytime I work at the sink, I can see my first planting, and I can think of all the work we did to get here, and my heart loop sisters who wanted it so badly for us, and my family. It happens to be a very happy forsythia :o) Oh, you can rest assured, there will be more blogging! But for tonight, I will leave you with the pic of the forsythia....if you look in the backround, you'll see leaves on the ground. THAT is there the veggie garden will go, and I am almost beside myself planning THAT :o)

Stanley Pyrex

You know you do. Have a secret vice or two. You know it's bad for you, but you go right ahead and do it anyway.
My secret vice is

[well, no so secret, I think I've blogged about it before, in reference to telling people to shut the hell up about my beloved]

Cup o' soup. I love the chicken noodle, but I ADORE the tomato.Just gotta have it.
I am out of it.
I have looked in ShopRite, Stop n shop, Price Chopper, and A&P.
No one has it. Turns out it has been discontinued.
So I did it, I went to my beloved Amazon, and ordered a case...12 boxes....of my soup.
Now, I need Steve to make a shelf by the water cooler, which has hot water too, just perfect for sneaking a cup o soup while ironing. I will make a damn SHRINE to cup o soup, you just watch me. And if anyone has anything to say about it, I won't share my stash with them.

I LOVE LOVE Football!
Actually, I can't STAND it. But I LOVE what it does for me. For the Super Bowl for example, I retreated to the bedroom, with my laptop, and a pile of books. Aside from grabbing the remote instead of my mouse, things were very nice up there.
Steve and the kids had to wait on me hand and foot, as *I* was the one "kicked " out of the living room.

This week, it was some kind of racing thing for the guys. THAT was the life I tell you. Steve had already brought me a glass of wine, and I was feeling very virtuous catching up on things that require you to sit down [letters, gossiping with your heart loop, replying on the boards that mean something to me, clipping coupons...I've done that our whole married life, you want any pointers feel free to ask] I had the metal rock music channel on [I don't know why, but it's been a while since I visited that genre, so there ya go.....but I had to turn it off because my neck hurts from nodding to the beat]
[I was listening to Paradise Lost/Frailty when I gave up]

I did it, I got myself a pedometer. Since I've been out of work, I have to make sure I'm getting my 3 miles [10,00 steps, appx] a day. HA! I am here to tell you, pedometers lie worse than Tricky Dick Nixon ever could. Plus they have an annoying habit of jumping off of me, landing on the floor, and resetting themselves. Every day THAT happened I counted it as a sign from God that I did the full 10,000 already, to take it easy :o)

After Pics!! Of the library for sure:









I was putting away the bins that hold our Christmas decorations, and hidden up in the rafters of basement, I found a glass percolator [coffee pot, sans guts]. I scrubbed it up well, and it is now a a tiny fish tank. I have a before pic:




And an after.




The fish is a blue Betta, and Steve named it [a classy fish, it has a last name] Stanley Pyrex. Pyrex, 'cause of the coffeepot, but Stanley. Well. I can only say, in his defense, that while the power was out and we were on generator, we watched a LOT of movies. Some of them blasts from the past. Including "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", and Andrew Dice Clay classic :X The main character named his, er, appendage "Stanley" and that hit Steve right on his funny bone. I will note that it will probably be left up to me, to explain the name to family and friends. Thanks Honey!

And these fish...they are goldfish, but were meant to be feeder fish for other animals in the pet store, so we saved these fishies lives! No names yet, they are mine to name, and I'm still shook up over Stanley Pyrex.





March:

7th: National Crown Roast Of Pork Day
8th: Happy Birthday Dawn!
9th: Panic Day
10th: Festival Of Life In The Cracks Day

A Tale of Two Storms

Yeah, I know. I promised pics of the redone library. Well, have *I* got a story to tell You.

We got hit with 2 snow storms.

The first, on Tuesday, dumped 6 inches, and took out our electricity, cable, phone, internet, everything. We got the elec back, and the second storm arrived.....a record breaking storm, by all accounts. We got 36 inches of snow in the first 24 hrs, and 3 inches more, last Thursday into Friday into Saturday. No power for days. We had to decide...lose all the food in both freezers and all my houseplants, plus pay for a hotel room to stay warm in and take out food for the duration of the blackout...or buy a generator. We bought a generator.[unfortunately, my iron sucks up 1200 watts, so ironing was out during the outage while on the gennie.] Our county was under a state of emergency, which means only first responders are allowed to drive......so of COURSE Steve went to work. I was LIVID. But I did get closure with a lovely Amazon order, that included a solar powered battery charger and a slew of rechargeable batteries.

It appears, the way this house is wired, that our bedroom and the dining room are on the same circuit as the library. Which is the only room heated with electric baseboard heat, as opposed to oil/boiler heat for the rest of this house [ I'd LOVE to grab the person who did that and shake them till the marbles they call brains fall out of their heads] We cannot run the library with the generator, so no light in the dining room or bed room, necessitating flashlights. Even with the electricity back, when I go on my night time ambles, I'm still grabbing for a flashlight.

We got our power back Sunday night. I was wide awake and decided to come out into the living room around 11:30 pm. I never bring my glasses, I know every little nook of this house, and glasses are useless in the dark. You have to pass the music room, which faces the street, to get to the livingroom. I realized something was weird, the room was MUCH brighter than a full moon would make it. That was because the street light came back on. Power! Power came back! I wasn't SURE, as I couldn't see the light, as I didn't have my glasses on. There is no one more cautious, than the blind person who is running for their glasses, hehehe. Steve woke up thinking something was wrong. I told him I thought the elec was back, but go back to sleep, we could deal with the gennie in the morning. His reply was Fuck That! We did a happy dance turning that noisy [but VERY welcome] thing off. Of course, Naked ninja putz neighbor left his on all night. He went and BOUGHT a friggin gennie, had someone hook it up for him [and THEY were not very on the ball, everything was hand-tightened....gennies vibrate, you need to wrench tighten the fittings... so Steve went over and fixed him up] and he NEGLECTED to ask how to return to main power. Monday morning, he turns the gennie off. 5 minutes later he turned it back on, and it stayed on until someone showed up to turn it off and switch him back to elec. That is the HEIGHT of irresponsibility, playing with a machine like that without knowing what you're doing. Even *I* can hook up the gennie and return to main power, and *I* am a chickenshit, I do NOT like to play with electricity.

[note: There are 2 ways to hook up a gennie. The Right way,[that would be Steve] and the wrong way...backfeeding your house by plugging the gennie into an outlet. I would have offered to help putz [do you know, I know what his moms name is, but I don't know his name, he is always putz to me?] but I don't know how his "expert", that didnt even tighten the thing up properly, hooked him up. So I kept my hands and good intentions to myself.]

Thank you God for sending me Steve, who appears to love nothing more than to make wires, hook things up to the breaker panel, and grunt in a Tim Taylor/ Home Improvement kinda way :)

We didn't get our tv and net back until Tues. morning [the eta for that was wed., so we are thrilled] I was JONESING for some net. I wound up in Steves office using the wifi his dealership offers customers Monday night, and Bam, tues the net was back.
Boo! Poor Boo! She lost power, and was told there was no ETA for it's return, so she came home to us. Her power was restored.....when she was snowed in here, with no heat or power, with us. Stevie lost power too, and he has elec heat, plus well water with an elec pump, so no water either.

It was about as tough as you can image. But. We are SO DAMN lucky, compared to most. No part of our home was hurt, and we are all fine.There was a gennie available when we needed one and we had the moolah to buy it. We had it better than most.

Of the 48,000 customers Central Hudson services in my county, 47,000of us lost power for an extended time. The local paper is vilifying a politician for wanting hearings about EXACTLY how C.H prepares the infrastructure for something like this, and how they maintain it. I APPLAUD him. There is NO WAY that friggin utility is doing it's job, when most of their customers are off line. The neighboring utility company did MUCH better.I wonder why that newspaper didn't compare percentages of customers off line between the two utilities [and the neighboring towns got 29 to 34 inches of snow, that is comparable to what we got for statistical purposes.

So there's my story. I'll take actual Camera pics of the library, as opposed to the cell pics that didn't turn out so well, and show you the newest arrivals at the Shack in the next bloggie :o)

Hi!

Long time no see! We have been working in the library..painting and installing shelves. Tomorrow or tues the job will be complete almost, and I'll come blog some pics.A funny.....Tracy, that White blooming Christmas cactus you sent me? It's bud is opening right now....and the tag says white, but it decided to be pink, I'll get a pic of that too.

I signed up for the gardeners club @ Home Depot. They e-mail you gardening tips as well as coupons. This past month, I received a coupon for a buy one get one ORCHID, so you know I did that. I never owned orchids before, they are kinda pricy.

I'll be back !!

Loaves and Fishies

Dear Diary,
Hellooooooo! You would think, being out of work, that I'd have more time to blog, not less. Not true! I'm really enjoying this time at home, and trying not to freak about not having a job. So I try to stay busy.
In the course of staying busy, Dear Diary, I have discovered something quite odd. You know the biblical story of the loaves and fishies? Well, it appears that I have that going on right under my own nose...in the form of plastic milk jugs.
I do not drink milk, and I use half n half in my coffee. The only thing the men have to do is rinse the jugs out and recycle them.How hard can that be, for 2 huge strong strapping men?

Pretty Damn hard, let me tell you.Today I did the grocery shopping, and as I

Put Away–verb (used with object)
1. to move or place (anything) so as to get it into or out of a specific location or position: to put a book on the shelf.
2. to bring into some relation, state, etc.: to put everything in order.

[thought I'd slip the definition in there, it appears some folks might not be familiar with that phrase]

my purchases, no matter where I looked, I saw....milk jugs. On both counters in the kitchen:





On the rail leading downstairs, a FAIL if I ever saw one.... looks like someone got sidetracked on his way to the recycle bin:



In the basement,.....and I can ALMOST understand this, except you have to PASS the recycle bin to get to the dryer, so that is an EPIC fail:



And....in the library? There are no TV's, video games, puters, or phones in the library, so I can't imagine who was looking for what, but in the LIBRARY? This is just overkill:



If I am going to be gifted with something that multiplies all on it's own, why can't it be money? Or Books!! Oh MY, that would my wallet, checkbook, and Steve extremely happy!
Gentlemen, cut the crap. Git you those jugs to the bin, or you will start finding them in the most unlikely places. Steve, I'd be HAPPY to UPS you a whole box of them at work, you can explain THAT to your guys. Or, one morning you will look up in the rearview to back out of the driveway, and all you will see is a pile of jugs in your backseat. Or I can send them, one at a time, until you cry Uncle. And you KNOW I will. Tone, I can make a wicked clever "milk jug igloo" and plop that sucker down in the middle of your bedroom. Or I can spray paint a few and glue them to your car, now wouldn't THAT be festive?

I'm happy to say that we ordered the couch and coffee table for the library. A new one on us..we saw a couch called "motion"....both ends turn into recliners. The SECOND Steve tilted one back, I knew he was sold, and I was cool with that.Pretty soon I'll actually be able to go in there and READ! heehee.I stalled delivery to the 20th, to accomodate both the Super Bowl and Daytona, we can't have Steve painting during these earth shattering events.



February:
5th: Disaster Day
6th: Lame Duck Day
7th: Charles Dickens Day
8th: Kite Flying Day

Hi! It's been a lil while.
I've been coming to terms with not having a job, my last day is thurday. The whole gamut, first the hives and the nerves, then.....yesterday morning........I woke up feeling like a kid at the end of the school year. Not getting up at 5am and having that big commute is something to look forward to. Financially this is not a nightmare, Steve and I agree on finances and are well placed for this, but it's more about not contributing to Team Gail in a $$ way. Very scary. I know I'll probably not find a job I love as much as the one I have right now. Oh, and I forgot to say....counter-offer....I was offered 3 full days a week...to equal the hours I am working now [and I said GREAT, one less commute a week I'll TAKE that] BUT...when we get busy in a few months, I'll need to go full time. Thud, no thank you. That was the irony for me, the owner was Adamant that I know I was being hired as a part timer and NEVER to expect more hours, he must have said that 4 times if he said it once.

I have my friends, who have supported me so much thru this that it makes me cry. I feel very grateful to have them in my life, I can't imagine not being able to go to them and say "I am scared shitless, talk me down!" Steve is Steve,...my best friend, and he understands how I feel before I tell him. So my motto for this time in my life, is, This too shall pass, so enjoy the time at home while you have it. And cook a lot, and practice a lot, and garden a lot, ect. And NO BUYING BOOKS GAIL!!! You hear me! Step away from Amazon and B&N, and all will be well :o)[I have a pineapple angel food cake in the oven right now,hehehe :o)]

Here is something, a little ironic. I told you, a reader/friend sent me a white blossom Christmas cactus, they are not available in my area. Well, guess what is throwing a blossom right now? Lookie here, at my "Valentines" Cactus:



January:
24th: National Belly Laugh Day
Eskimo Pie Patent Day
25th: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
Opposite Day

Ha ha

HOW TO SHOWER LIKE A WOMAN:

Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to lights and darks.

Walk to bathroom wearing long robe. If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.
Look at your womanly physique in the mirror -- make mental note to do more sit-ups/leg-lifts, etc.
Get in the shower. Use wash cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.
Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.
Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.
Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner.
Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.
Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.
Rinse conditioner off hair.
Shave armpits and legs.
Rinse off.
Turn off shower.
Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.
Spray mold spots with Tilex.

Get out of shower. Dry with towel the size of a small country.
Wrap hair in super absorbent towel.
Return to bedroom wearing long robe and towel on head.
If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO SHOWER LIKE A MAN:
Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a pile.
Walk naked to the bathroom.
If you see wife along the way, shake wiener at her making the woo-woo sound.
Look at your manly physique in the mirror.
Admire the size of your wiener and scratch your butt.
Get in the shower. Wash your face. Wash your armpits.
Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off.
Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.
Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area.
Wash your butt, leaving those coarse butt hairs stuck on the soap.
Wash your hair. Make a Shampoo Mohawk.
Pee.
Rinse off and get out of shower.

Partially dry off.
Fail to notice the water on floor because curtain was hanging out of tub the whole time.
Admire wiener size in mirror again.
Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, and light and fan on.
Return to bedroom with towel around waist.

If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake wiener at her and make the woo-woo sound again.
Throw wet towel on bed.
If there is anyone who did not laugh at the truth behind this, there is something SO very wrong with you. Have a great day..... and woo woo!!!

~Thank you Bren :o)~

Forgiveness, Gail Style.

I've been thinking a lot about Forgiveness this week. For people I Love, as well as for a person I post in public with. The "what" of what they did to me isn't so germane as, it was uncalled for by any action[s] of my own, and it hurt like hell.

I guess the crux of forgiveness for me is, HOW? When you've been wronged, how do you let it slide off of you, without closure, or even a simple apology from the person who done you wrong? And these 2 instances that I'm thinking of, they were pretty BAD wrongs, done to me. But I refuse to let them hang around my neck, that would kind of defeat the purpose of the cross and religious medals that hang there also, you dig? Once I saw the irony in that, I decided I had to do something, had to change my way of thinking, so that I could let this crap go.

I went to my friend Google. And in the course of googling "how to forgive someone" I came across this:

"......... imagine your tormentors as they were when they were babies or young children. Visualize these people one at a time, and really take time to feel the realities of their lives as toddlers. Babies are not born with a distinct desire to hurt others physically or emotionally. They are born craving love and protection. Visualize what your tormentors were like when they did nothing but crave love and protection.

If you work at realizing how pure and innocent your tormentors once were, you may come to a point where it becomes clear that their hurtful acts as older children or adults likely stem from their own wounds."

DING DING DING! Now, THAT I can understand. And THAT led to, maybe I can't forgive them, maybe it's not in me, but I can certainly Understand, someone speaking out of their own pain and wounds, we all have enough of them. And I can let it go. I never believed in the concept of "Forgive and Forget" on the whole. When you are put in a bad situation, you need to learn from it, the very first go-round, to avoid repeating it. Growing up hard, you learn that lesson early and well.....Not to let history repeat itself. Don't EVER forget. But I discovered, inside of me, that I can learn the lesson without hanging onto the textbook for it. The emotional garbage. And THAT made me happy and gave me hope. Who said an old dog can't learn new tricks? I have a thing or two to say to them :o)

I got a sign that Karma thinks I'm on to something, too. The town we moved to is divided into two parts...the town and the city. I live in the town, and the library is in the city. My beloved library. I have not found my way there since me moved, hence the occasional book order. While I was typing this up just now, Tone went out to get the mail. And in that bundle, was a informational flyer and schedule from our library....the very first one we've received since we bought the Shack.THAT is powerful karma talking...find a way to let it go, and your library will find You, woman!

Two pics, taken today, of the Amaryllis that I closed a window on last year, breaking the blooming cycle. Here is proof that you should keep trying, Amaryllis are hard to kill:

And to my friend/reader Tracy...here is a pic of the amaryllis bulb you sent me last summer, the one that was being a brat for you. You'll notice, it's a wee bit of a thing, I am thnking it's a hybrid that has gone bad. I'll keep trying with it every year as long as I see life in it, I'm a never-say-never kinda gal when it comes to plants:

And a follow-up,...... I *did* give notice last Monday morning. I got the impression my boss was really pissed at me. I told him, you all have been very good to me, I have no job on the table right now, so tell me how much notice you would like, and I'll work it out [fully expecting to be escorted to the door right then, the opportunity to frig with huge accounts is not something they take lightly] He asked, can you do a week I said Sure! He stomped off, I guess to talk to the owners. He came back with, "can you give me 2 weeks" and I said Sure! Then his "final offer" was, can I work thru the end of the month" . And I said Sure! So, I will start looking for a new job on the 18th, thinking, it will be 2 weeks until the end of the month, so I won't be messing with employer the old or employer the new. Make sense? Hehehe :o) So keep them crossed that I can find a position closer to home, I'd appreciate it.

Something else I wanted to put here, I need to mull it over a bit before I yell at someone. Today on Facebook, a relative announced that there was heartbreaking news about another relative. Steve and I were shocked, WTH? Why don't we know what is going on? And Steve was upset about it. He called another relative, who gave him the 411, and true... it is not good, and it is heartbreaking, we love that relative too. So, word up, certain people. Do NOT announce in a public venue, bad family news, let ALONE be vague about it, unless you are sure that all your relatives actually know the score. I realize, with all the public venues [and I dig the irony of blogging about it, but everyone who should know knows now] available, that mistakes happen, but I personally will jack the ass of anyone that messes with Steve, he didn't deserve that.


January:
10th: Stephen Foster Day
13th: Happy Birthday Lynn!
13th: Happy Birthday Tracy!
13th: Rubber Duckie Day
15th: International Fetish Day

Haiku and Hunting

What a wonderful holiday! I thoroughly enjoyed my week off, I wish it could continue.

A lot has happened over this week. We discovered IBM isn't inhabited by fools. Boo was told a while back her last date of employment was 12/21. I guess they didn't want to let her go..... they kept Boo on in the midst of the layoffs, and she goes full time with benefits in April, we did a DANCE when we heard that :O) YAY Boo!

Stevie completed the course [s] he was taking toward his masters and wound up with 3.9 GPA! YAY Stevie!!

Tone's computer classes start next month...YAY Tone!

We had our first Christmas in the Shack, and it was everything we hoped for and more. Also, we have decided that I am giving notice tomorrow morning. We found an on line calculator that lets you know how much you actually make when you figure in all your expenses, and when Steve and I saw the bottom line we laughed our asses off, and decided the commuting was done. I'll give them all the notice they want, I really do like the job. And the the hunt will begin up here. So the bloggie will be a lil jagged, but it will be here. Here's to job hunting :X

We are all healthy and happy, you can't get better than that.
I had thought to make New Year Resolutions. I think that every year. And then I find something better to do, like show you this. Straight from an e-letter I get. You know how I LOVE me my midnight haikus. Well, this selection is a LOT better than that :o)

----
Microsoft Haiku. In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Haikus are used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity - the essence of Zen.

-

Your file was so big.

It might be useful.

But now it's gone.

The Website you seek

Cannot be located, but

Countless more exist.

-

Chaos reigns within.

Reflect, repent, and reboot.

Order shall return.

-

Program aborting:

Close all that you have worked on.

You ask far too much

-

Windows NT crashed.

I am the Blue Screen of Death.

No one hears your screams.

-

Yesterday it worked.

Today it is not working.

Windows is like that.

-

First snow, then silence.

This thousand-dollar screen dies

So beautifully.

-

With searching comes loss

And the presence of absence:

"My file" not found.

-

The Tao that is seen

Is not the true Tao-until

You bring fresh toner.

-

Stay the patient course.

Of little worth is your ire.

The network is down.

-

A crash reduces

Your expensive computer

To a simple stone.

-

Three things are certain:

Death, taxes and lost data.

Guess which has occurred.

-

You step in the stream,

But the water has moved on.

This page is not here.

-

Out of memory.

We wish to hold the whole sky,

But we never will.

-

Having been erased,

The document you're seeking

Must now be retyped.

-

Serious error.

All shortcuts have disappeared.

Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

-