Another Day In Paradise

Later

2009-12-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am obviously taking a hiatus from blogging. I don't know if I will return to blogging or not. As I have said in the past, I do just about all of my "keeping up" on Facebook now. If anyone would like to keep up with me on Facebook, look me up under "Joy Earle Rianhard" (my real name) and send me a friend request. I wish everyone well, and see you around!

2009-10-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

I received the "One Lovely Blog" award from Merle.

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are as follows, Accept the award
and post it on your blog together with the name and link to that person.

Pass the award on to 15 bloggers, new or old with names and links. Then
notify the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I don't know if I know 15 bloggers, so I will just pass this along to everyone on my blog roll:

1. Fred

2. Sonia

3. Peter

4. Nik

5. Mike

6. Jack

7. Linda

8. John (my dad)

9. Lora

Thanks, Merle!

Ding Dong The Witch is Dead

2009-10-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

My office manager (who is a heinous bitch) has been on vacation for the last few days. We just found out today that she won't be returning to the practice. Cool!!!!!!!

I have no idea if this has anything to do with the threatening letter situation or not.

There is speculation that she may have been embezzling money from the practice. It wouldn't surprise me.

My supervisor has been promoted to the position of office manager, and I think he will be a much better one than the last one!

A Weird Situation

2009-10-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my boss has been receiving threatening letters at his home. For reasons not shared with us, they suspect an employee or someone related to an employee. I don't work for a big company, we only have about a dozen or so employees including the 2 doctors. This is very creepy. I hope someone doesn't show up one day with a machine gun and "go postal"!

The Bucs Suck

2009-09-27T13:59:00.001-07:00

The Bucs did not do better against Buffalo, nor did they do jack s**t against the Giants. Not a good start to the season!

We had a great weekend with my Mom and Dad. We went to the beach (gorgeous day) and visited the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

I have a couple vacation days to take before the end of the year, so we are planning a trip to Victoria, TX for Christmas. We will stay with my parents while we're there. We'll get a chance to visit my Grandmother, who isn't getting any younger and rarely gets to see us and Trevor.

Well, have a great week everybody!!!

Visiting

2009-09-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well, my Mom and Dad are here visiting. The house is still fairly clean. They took us out to dinner last night and we may go to the beach today. Trevor is just excited that his Grammy and Grandpa are here!

Maybe the Bucs will do better this week against Buffalo.

An Exciting Weekend

2009-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend cleaning my house in preparation for my parents' visit next weekend. Now I plan to watch the Tampa Bay Bucs destroy the Dallas Cowboys (I hope)!

Confessions of an Ebay-aholic

2009-08-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

The CSN concert was awesome! They did all the songs you would expect and then some. 2 sets, approximately 2 - 2 1/2 hours of music. We really enjoyed it!

Sorry I haven't posted more often, but I have been busy on facebook and shopping on ebay. I love to shop on ebay - I have found some really great vintage clothing items very reasonably priced. Some of my favorite clothes are things I got on ebay (shoes too)!

We are getting ready for Labor Day weekend in Key Largo, as we do every year. Then 2 weeks later my Mom and Dad (Trevor's Grammy and Grandpa) will be here for a visit. We can't wait to see them and i know they are looking forward to seeing their grandson.

Trevor has just started VPK. I don't know if this is offered in all states, but in Florida they have a Voluntary Pre Kindergarten (VPK) program which is state funded. It is every Monday thru Friday from 9:00 - 12:00. I also pay for "wrap care" meaning I take Trevor there around 7:30 - 8:00 in the morning and I don't have to pick him up til 5:30. It is cheaper to have him in VPK with wrap care full time than it was to have him just in preschool 3 days a week!

Come Sail Away

2009-08-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Crosby, Stills & Nash tomorrow night - babysitter is lined up, we're good to go!

We are going to Key Largo for Labor Day weekend - hope the weather is good.

I just booked a Carnival Cruise for next May. It will be our tenth anniversary, so we are treating ourselves to a vacation without Trevor. My parents will come stay at our house and take care of Trevor while we are gone. I can't wait! Neither of us has ever been on a cruise before, so it should be an experience.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Bills and Concerts

2009-08-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of paying bills. I just got paid today and sat down at the computer to pay bills and now I'm depressed. Most of my paycheck is gone... but at least I am working and can pay my mortgage and bills, even if there's not a lot left over!

Well, it's official. Aerosmith has cancelled the remainder of their tour, including the make-up appearance here in Tampa. I will be able to get my money back for the tickets thought, and that will help with the bills!

Our next concert will be August 22 - Crosby Stills & Nash. It's in a smaller venue and should be an excellent show. Will keep you posted.

Plans for this weekend - clean the house. Probably no beach this time because it's supposed to rain all weekend.

Success

2009-08-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our camping trip was a great success! we have a Ford camper van with electricity, water, a fridge and a/c so we were very comfortable at the campground.

We got to the campground about 5:00, set up camp, did a little exploring (Trevor did, anyway), grilled steaks and baked potatoes, and roasted marshmallows. Then we went into the air conditioned camper and watched a DVD then went to bed. Trevor slept on the floor in a sleeping bag, which he thought was really cool.

The next morning, we got up, packed up, and headed to the beach. It was a beautiful day and the water was nice and warm - we stayed for 3 hours and Trevor and I got sunburnt.

All in all we had a great time, especially Trevor!

Weekend Plans

2009-07-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Trevor has his first pool party coming up on Saturday and he's very excited about it! After the party we are heading down to Fort DeSoto Park, about an hour away. We have reserved a campsite and are taking the camper van to stay overnight. We plan to grill out and roast marshmallows, then hit the beach on Sunday morning. Should be a good time and relatively inexpensive.

My Addiction

2009-07-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I was notified by my dad the other day that I have been a very bad blogger. I agree. i could make all kinds of excuses why it's been so long since I posted, but there's really only one reason. I blame it wholeheartedly on my addiction to Facebook. I am on there all the time, much more frequently than I am on Blogger. I am already friends with some of you on Facebook - if anyone else is on there and wants to be friends, email me here and I'll look you up.

I don't intend to stop blogging. I enjoy it, and I enjoy reading all of your blogs and commenting on them.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Concert Update

2009-07-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't get to see Aerosmith last night after all.

I had received an email that the show was going to be postponed, but on Friday the local radio station assured listeners that the reports of the show being cancelled were false and the concert would go on.

We dropped Trevor off at the babysitter's and drove to Tampa (about 45 minutes). As we were approaching the location of the concert we realized that there was no traffic, so we suspected the show had been cancelled after all. Turns out it was. They are supposed to reschedule their appearance here in Tampa, so hopefully we will still get to go.

Since we had already left Trev at the sitter's and were all the way in Tampa, we decided to do something else rather than just go home. We called a friend who knew someone that was having a party so we went to that instead. It was fun, but it wasn't Aerosmith!

Latest Concert

2009-07-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are going to see ZZ Top and Aerosmith in concert tonight. It should be a good show. We saw Aerosmith once a few years ago and Steven Tyler was pretty impressive. I hope tonight measures up! Will give you a full report!

Random Stuff

2009-06-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have been dieting for two weeks and have lost 5 pounds! If I would just get off my lazy ass and exercise, I would have probably lost 10. oh well...slow and steady wins the race, right?

I am so addicted to Facebook, it's not even funny. I am currently involved in 2 farm games, Mafia Wars and a Pirate game. Way too much time to waste, I guess.

Trevor's swimming lessons start up again on the 29th. He has been practicing at the beach and is so ready to see Ms. Olivia again!

I recently had to replace my alternator to the tune of $300. Now I am over my budget this month and pretty broke. At least all the bills are paid!

My iguana escaped a couple weeks ago. Fortunately we got her back after a couple days. The neighbor's dogs alerted us to her whereabouts.

A Good Deal

2009-06-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

I got an email today that my subscription to the newspaper had expired and I needed to renew right away to avoid an interruption of my paper.

I realized I was paying $60 for the year to get the Saturday and Sunday papers only. We never even read the Saturday paper, we really only want Sundays. So I decided to call and ask if we could cut out the Saturday paper and get a cheaper price.

I was initially told that the price I was paying was the price for Sunday papers only and that Saturdays had been thrown in as a bonus, so they couldn't go any cheaper. I told the gentleman that it cost us $1 per week, therefore $52 a year, to get the paper out of the machine down the street. I said we would prefer to do that than overpay for a delivered paper.

He then put me on hold so he could speak with his supervisor about getting us a better deal. When he came back on the line, he informed me that he could get me the Sunday paper only for $48 for the year. I took the deal!

See, it never hurts to ask...I'm thinking about doing the same thing with the cable company!

Swimming Lesson Update

2009-06-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

I told Trevor earlier that it was time to get ready for swimming lessons. He replied, "I don't want to go!" I was like, "What!? You don't want to go?" He said, "I don't like Mr. Lyle. I only like Ms. Olivia."

I couldn't believe it - he is usually dying to get to swimming lessons. I told hubby about it and he said Trevor had told him the same thing earlier today. We had also noticed that Trevor wasn't doing as well in the lessons during the last couple sessions with Lyle. He wasn't showing any fear, he just wasn't doing what he was supposed to nearly as well as he had been.

We went to the pool and I asked Olivia if there was any way Trevor could get into one of her classes. She said not this time, but next month he could.

We asked Trevor if he wanted to wait 3 more weeks to swim with Olivia, or swim today with Lyle. He opted for Olivia. So for a $20 fee, we pulled Trevor out of this session and signed him up for next session WITH OLIVIA!!!

We'll see how he does.

My Little Swimmer

2009-06-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Trevor's last swimming session in May. His teacher's name was Olivia and he adored her! We signed him up for lessons through June as well, but he has a different teacher this time, named Lyle. More pics to come.

Gay Marriage

2009-05-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

A topic that came up in conversation among some friends recently: gay marriage. Do we believe that two people who want to make the legal and emotional commitment to each other should be afforded the same rights and the title of "married" whether they are a man and a woman, two men or two women? Or do we believe that "marriage" defines a relationship between a man and a woman only and cannot mean anything else? How do we determine which is the "right" answer?

A Trip to Lakeland

2009-05-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.

We went to Lakeland, FL on Saturday to visit my husband's older son from his first marriage. Zac is 36 and has been in and out of jail for most of his adult life. He seems to be doing pretty well this time, he's working and saving money and staying off drugs (so far). Zac will be in my prayers because I really hope he makes it this time, both for his sake and my husband's.

We did our normal thing on Sunday - went to the beach. We were too lazy to put the boat in the water this weekend, although it would have been a perfect day for it. Oh, well, there's always next time!

We are going to Key Largo next weekend for Memorial Day. We will drive halfway down in our camper van, then stop at a truck stop and sleep for a few hours. We will get up Saturday morning and get to the Keys early, so we will have all day Saturday, all day Sunday and come home Monday. It is about 5 1/2 to 6 hours total drive time to Key Largo from here.

Weekend Update

2009-05-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all!

We have had a great weekend. Yesterday we hit the beach around 11:00 AM. We had hoped to go sailing, but there wasn't enough wind so we just stayed at the beach. We got home around 1:45, showered and went next door where our neighbor was having a party. We hung out for a couple hours, then our babysitter showed up at 5:30. We went out to a restaurant and had some drinks and appetizers, then went to a movie. Yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary!

Today we slept in, then went to Mother's Day brunch at a country club here in town. We had eggs benedict and mimosas and all that fancy brunch stuff. Now we are prepping to hit the beach again and hopefully do some sailing today.

Too bad tomorrow's Monday!!!

Swimming Lessons

2009-05-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Trevor's second swimming class. He is in lessons all month, every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Trevor has been in the water practically since he was born, but has never had any swimming lessons before. They started him out in a class with 2 other boys at least a year older and one little boy about the same age. They were trying to teach them to put their hands together in front of them and kick with their feet. The other kids were picking it up quicker so today they put Trevor in a class with smaller kids who were more at his skill level. He may not be the fastest learner, but he is having a blast. He cries on the way home because he wants to swim some more!

Parrotheads in Paradise

2009-04-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

We saw Jimmy Buffett in concert last night. It was a great show as always! A Jimmy Buffett concert is basically like going to a huge party with great music. We had lawn seats, so we sat on the grass behind the regular reserved seats. Everybody around us was friendly, beach balls were being batted around, we danced and sang, hung out and drank beer, and had a good old time!

We almost didn't get to go. We had our regular babysitter all lined up, but when I called her that day to confirm the time, she said she was just getting ready to call me. It turns out she was very ill and had just returned from the ER.

So I called a coworker who has a teenage daughter who sometimes babysits. Unfortunately it was the last minute and she already had plans so she couldn't do it.

We ended up calling a friend who lives in Tampa who actually was available. The only problem is he lives 45 minutes away and doesn't have a car. We drove to Tampa to pick him up, brought him back to our place to watch Trevor, then drove back to Tampa again for the concert. Then this morning I drove our friend back to Tampa yet again. That's a lot of driving but Buffett was well worth it!

Art

2009-04-15T14:54:00.001-07:00

This is a picture my 4 year old son painted in preschool.

A Mad Tea Party

2009-04-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

My almost 4 year old son had a tea party yesterday. It was really cute. He had his little table and 4 chairs set up. Each place had a cup, a plate (really a coaster) and a napkin. He served crayons for snacks, and carefully placed some on each coaster. He then pretended to pour "tea" from his cup into all the other cups. The best part for me was the guests. In one chair he had a big plastic lizard, in another his toy phone, and in the third chair he had one of the attachments to my vacuum cleaner. Now that's imagination!

Repairs

2009-03-25T13:14:00.001-07:00

I drove home from work yesterday and when I pulled up to my house I saw two cop cars and two other cars out in front and several people standing around talking to officers, my husband among them.

So I started to freak out a little, parked jumped out of my car, and walked over. first words out of hubby's mouth, before I could even ask what happened, were, "Look what some a**hole did to our fence.

I looked down and saw that the board that runs along the bottom part of the fence right there had been pulled loose from the fenceposts and even broken in one place. Also our garbage can, which had been standing right in front of the fence, was totally smashed in. It was obvious someone had hit it with their car, most likely backed into it and then took off.

Pissed me off, but should be easy to fix. Now I have to fix this myself, can't call the landlord anymore - welcome to home ownership!!!

The cops were there because hubby had called them to report the damage. One of the other cars saw the cops there and stopped to report some totally unrelated incident of I don't know what. The other car stopped because apparently the occupants of the two cars knew each other. Whatever.

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I had wanted to post some pictures from the ski trip, but am having some difficulty with that right now. So, onto other things.

My dad did a post about going back and reading old blog posts that you had written. I started reading thru some of mine and decided this one could use another go-round. I'll use it to embarrass Trevor when he's older.

It's hard to believe it's the first day of spring. This year is just flying by. We have already been to the beach a couple times (though not in the water) and it seems like last week we were wearing coats and bitching about the cold!

Piano Men

2009-03-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Billy Joel and Elton John were awesome. The show started at 7:45 and went on 'til about 11:oo. They started out together on two grand pianos facing each other. They opened the concert with "Your Song", then did 3 more together. Then Elton took the stage and did a set of about 10 of his own songs. He is a hugely amazing piano player, and very entertaining. After that, without a break at all, Billy Joel came on with his band and did about 10 of his songs. He is a great piano player too, but he also rocked it out with the guitar and twirled and threw the mikestand and stuff like that. Really fun! At the end they came on together again and did six more songs, ending with "Piano Man". Terrific show!!!

Catching Up

2009-02-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

We are basically all moved in to the new house. There are still shelves and pictures to be hung and boxes to be unpacked, but we are totally out of the old house and into the new!

Next big event - concert next week. Billy Joel and Elton John. Together. Two of my faves on the same stage at the same time - should be awesome!

Trevor is adjusting well to his new school. He has been a little clingy and whiny when I drop him off, but once I'm gone he does fine.

In this economy I thank God every day that I have a good secure job and a house which I can afford to pay for. Life is good!

We're Back In One Piece!

2009-02-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it back from the ski trip relatively safe and sound. 3 of us on the trip came down with colds, but that was pretty minor. There were no real illnesses or injuries.

I did ski into a wooden sign, like an idiot, but fortunately I did not hurt myself.

Trevor had a great time learning to ski. He learned to go fast, but didn't really master stopping.

Pictures will be coming soon!

Now to concentrate on closing on the house and packing and moving...

100th Post

2009-01-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been posting much lately, but have been sooooo busy. I have been packing for the ski trip, packing to move, working, etc.

For those of you who don't know, the "Ski Trip" is an annual event in our family. my mom and dad, sister and brother and law, another couple (friends of the family), hubby, Trevor and I all meet up in Colorado and ski for a week. We always have a great time. This year Trevor will be in ski lessons for the first time. I am excited to see how that will go.

I have also been packing for the move. My kitchen is filling up with boxes and my house in general is a mess. Oh well.

We saw The Eagles in concert last night. It was an awesome show, they sounded great! I found out today that my two bosses had also been there and our seats weren't that far from each other. We didn't see each other though.

I will post again when I get back from Colorado!

What Crack?

2009-01-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

The crack in the wall is no big deal. It's a concrete house and they shift slightly. Everything is a go-ahead, except our closing date was pushed out to Feb. 8. Yay!!!!

_________________________________

O.j. Simpson died and went to hell. The Devil met him at the gate and said, "I don't know what to do here. You are on my list and you obviously have to stay, but I have no room for you. OK, here's what we'll do. I have some people who weren't as bad as you so I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place. I'll even let you choose which one."

O.J agreed, so the Devil opened the first door. Inside was Ted Kennedy and a large pool of water. Ted kept diving in and coming up empty handed. Over and over he dove and kept surfacing with nothing. Such was his fate in hell.

"No," said O.J., "I'm not a very good swimmer. I don't think I could do that all day."

The Devil then opened the second door. Inside was Al Gore with a sledgehammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing the hammer, over and over and over.

"No good", said O.J. "See, I have this problem with my shoulder. There's no way I can break rocks all day."

Do the Devil led him to door number three. Inside was Bill Clinton, naked and tied spread eagle on a bed. Bent over him was Monica Lewinski doing what she did best.

O.j. stared at Clinton for a moment , then said, "Yeah, OK, I think I can handle this!"

So the Devil says.......

"OK Monica, you can go now."

House Update

2009-01-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well, the house is coming along. We had home inspections done on Tuesday, and I have been running around like crazy trying to get paperwork together for the mortgage broker. The bank (seller) wants to close on Jan. 26. Apparently that is really fast.

Anyway, the inspections went well, except for one potential problem. They found a crack in one of the outer walls of the garage. It may not be a big deal, but it possibly could indicate a major problem. So we have to have someone else look at that, which we are doing tomorrow.

This would all be a lot easier if I didn't have to work!!!

Good News

2009-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was thinking about buying a house for the first time. Well, I'm not thinking about it any more, I'm doing it. We found a house we like and have been negotiating with the bank (it's a foreclosure). They finally accepted our offer, so we are ready to go! We are very excited about the new potential purchase. The new house is in a different town, 11 miles from where we live now. It will still be nicely centrally located for my job. The only downside is that Trevor will have to change schools, but he's only in preschool so it shouldn't be too traumatic.

I also finally got an email issue resolved that has been plaguing me for weeks now.

2008-12-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

I have been given the Honest Scrap award by both Linda at Psyche Connections and Rhi at Peanut Butter Bound. The rules are: I have to list 10 honest things about myself, and I have to pass the award along to 7 other bloggers. Well here goes:

1) I am deathly afraid of spiders. It's hard for me to even look at a picture of one without a shudder.

2) I like red wine.

3) I have a college degree which I am not using in my current career.

4) I have one child and sometimes I want another one and sometimes I am glad I only have one.

5) My relationship with my mother is strained at times.

6) I am a very active dreamer, I dream every night.

7) I am thinking about buying a house for the first time.

8) I have a green and blue lava lamp next to my computer.

9) I voted for Barack Obama.

10) I am a total chocoholic.

I will pass this award on to:

1) Lora at Suburbia Las Vegas

2) My dad at Romantic Ramblings

3) Merle

4) Liquid

5) Jack K.

6) Peter at Holtie's House

7) Fred at Fred's World

I tried to post this last night, got almost all the way thru it and lost everything I had typed. So I had to start all over this morning. I hate it when that happens!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Awards and Bonuses

2008-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

I have been awarded the Butterfly Award by Merle. (thanks, Merle!)

I now have to pass it on to 10 others. I choose:

Fred's World

Holtie's House

I'm Going Slightly Mad

It Occurred to Me

Jack K

Liquid Illuzion

Peanut Butter Bound

Psyche Connections

Romantic Ramblings

Suburbia Las Vegas

These are all unique and interesting blogs (plus it's most of my blogroll!)

________________________________

I had to go to my office Christmas party (oops, "holiday party" - the boss is Jewish) on Sunday. They do a brunch at a country club every year. It was pretty nice, the food was great, and Trevor actually behaved himself! The best part though, is that's when we get our year end bonus checks - cha-ching!

_________________________________

I hope everyone has a great week and Merry Christmas to all!

Priorities

2008-12-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the class if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Again they agreed that it was.

He then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled the space between the pebbles. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced 2 glasses of wine and poured them into the jar. The students laughed.

"Now", said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the truly important things: your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions; things that if everything else were lost and only these things remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand in the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have time for the things that are important to you and critical to your happiness."

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the wine represented.

"I'm glad you asked," said the professor. "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem there is always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.

Cheers!!!

Misunderstanding

2008-12-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

We have been telling Trevor (my 3 year old) about Santa Claus. We have been practicing with him what to do when he gets to see Santa and sit on Santa's lap. He is supposed to tell Santa that he has been a good boy, and that he wants a fishing rod and a guitar.

Tonight in our town they are having a festival downtown and one of the things they have is a Santa for the kids. So we took Trevor down there to sit on Santa's lap. He was very excited about the prospect and practiced saying "I've been a good boy" and "I want a fishing rod" all the way there.

He stood in line really well, went right up to Santa, sat on his lap and dutifully reported that he had been a good boy. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, he replied "a fishing rod and a guitar." He got his candy cane and we headed for home.

The whole way home, Trevor talked about nothing but getting his fishing rod. When we got home, he started screaming "want my fishing rod" and threw himself on the ground kicking and screaming.

It finally dawned on me that he had no concept of when Christmas is, and he thought that if he sat on Santa's lap he would get his presents right away. Oops.

We tried to explain it to him, but he is 3. He wants his fishing rod.

Poor thing. I didnt know whether to laugh or cry or get frustrated. Fortunately he seems to be getting over it. We'll see how he is tomorrow!

A Safe Return

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it safely back from Key Largo. We had a great time while we were there. I took today off work to recuperate. I have lots of laundry and shopping to do. I did get my Christmas tree up!

My New Computer

2008-11-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is my first post from the new Mac. So far I really like it. I'm still getting used to it, it's a little different from a PC but close enough that it's not hard to work it.

I took my new Mac and old PC into the Genius Bar at the local apple retail store. For those of you who don't know (I didn't), the Genius Bar is Apple's version of the Geek Squad. Anyway, for $99 they transferred all my files on the old computer to my new one. It was well worth it.

Do any of you out there have a Mac? How do you like it and do you have many problems with it?

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We are preparing for our annual Thanksgiving weekend trip to Key Largo. I will be thankful that the weather is warmer there than here! We are having Thanksgiving dinner with some of our best friends, and have plans to see many others while we're there.

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Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!!

Mac Attack

2008-11-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

I just got a brand new computer. No, I am not posting this from it. It is a Mac, which I have never had before. I am still figuring it out. My next post will be from the new Mac!!!
_____________________________________

A group of country friends from the Cottonwood Baptist Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games. The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts, Janet wanted to outdo all the others. So Janet decided to have mushroom-smothered steak.

However,knowing that mushrooms are expensive, her husband said, 'Don't buy mushrooms -- they cost too much.' He said, 'Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There are plenty in the creek bed.'

She said, 'No, some wild mushrooms are poison.'

He said, 'Well, I see varmints eating them and they're OK.'

So Janet decided to give it a try. She picked a bunch, washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot (the yard dog) a double handful.

Ol' Spot ate every bite. All morning long, Janet watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success and Janet even hired a lady from town to help her serve it. She had on a white apron and a fancy little cap on her head.

After everyone had finished eating, they relaxed, socialized, and started singing and playing some music.

About then, the helper lady from town came in and whispered in Janet's ear. She said, 'Mrs. Williams, Ol' Spot just died.' Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, > she called the doctor and told him what had happened.

The doctor said , 'That's bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quick as possible. I'll give everyone enemas and I will pump out everyone's stomach. Everything will be fine. Just keep them calm..'

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs and the doctor had their suitcases, syringes and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach.

After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, 'Done, everything will be fine now', and he left. They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room and about this time, the helper lady came in and said, 'You know, I't's just terrible...that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped.'

Life Is Uncertain ........ Eat Dessert First !

Rumor Has It

2008-11-12T13:07:00.001-08:00

I heard a rumor yesterday. It was told to me by someone who claimed it came directly from the office manager (and I believe her).

The rumor was that we may not be getting Christmas bonuses this year because the practice may not have enough money.

It was also said that there was sometimes a question as to whether there was enough in the bank to make payroll.

I personally do not believe either.

The thing that blows my mind is WHY on earth would the OFIICE MANAGER spread this kind of stuff!

If it's true, it certainly isn't something all the employees need to be aware of. And if it isn't true, why say it to begin with? Just to stir up problems with people? To see how many people spread it and/or believed it?

How petty and juvenile, not to mention unprofessional to the nth degree! I sometimes can't believe that there are people like that in positions like that and they manage to keep their jobs.

Rock The Vote

2008-11-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Everybody please go out and vote, if you haven't already. Don't take this right for granted. I don't care who you vote for or which party - just vote what you believe to be right.

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A police officer pulls over a speeding car.The officer says, "I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir."

The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.

"Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: "Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?"

The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did."

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Darn it, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?"

The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."

The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket."

The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP?"

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?"

I love this part....

"Only when he's been drinking."

Take Two

2008-11-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

We all got dressed up last night to go trick or treating. I took lots of pictures. This morning when I went to download them to my computer, they were gone. I could not access them at all. It is a total mystery to me.

Anyway, we all got dressed up again today and I took more pictures. I had promised my loyal readers (not to mention Grammy and Grandpa) pictures of Halloween and I could not disappoint!

Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat:

Hippie Mom:

Enjoying the Spoils:

Fall Back

2008-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Update on my ankle: it was a mild sprain. The side of my foot turned purple but the swelling was minimal. with an Ace ankle support and my Nike's I can walk around comfortably. This is fortunate since I'm on my feet all day at work!
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Well, it's definitely not summer anymore. We got down to 41 degrees last night which is record-setting for down here. High today was only 65, which is unheard of at this time of year. And Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend. I hate it when it's dark when I get home from work.
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During one of her daily classes, a teacher, trying to teach good manners, asked her students the following question: 'If you were on a date having dinner with a nice young lady,how would you tell her that you have to go to the bathroom? Yes, Michael?'

Michael said, 'Just a minute I have to go pee.'

The teacher responded by saying, 'That would be rude and impolite.What about you Sherman, how would you say it?'

Sherman said,'I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.'

'That's better, but it's still not very nice to say the word "bathroom" at the dinner table. And you, little Johnny, how would you say you explain it?'

Little Johnny answered, 'I would say: "Darling , may I please be excusedfor a moment? I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of mine, to whom I hope to introduce you after dinner."'

The teacher fainted...

Baseball Diamond

2008-10-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well the Rays and Phillies are tied 1 game each so far in the World Series - GO RAYS!!!! I hope they can play tonight in the cold and rain.

____________________________

Neil Diamond concert was last night! He was fantastic. He played all the songs people know, and a bunch that I didn't know. Of course hubby knew them all!

When we came out of the concert we stopped at a little bar right across the street to have a drink or two and hang out with a bunch of other people who just came from the concert. There was a guy playing music in there and of course everyone wanted to hear Neil Diamond songs.

We hung out and danced a little then headed back to the car, which was parked a few blocks away. It was dark, and we decided to cut across this open area, which unfortunately had very uneven ground. This, paired with the fact that I was wearing these really cool boots with really high heels resulted in a skinned knee and sprained ankle.

Other than that, we made it back home without incident!

Next concert coming up will be The Eagles in January...

Chivalry Is Not Dead

2008-10-22T16:32:00.001-07:00

As I was sitting and watching TV tonight, I realized I needed a couple items from the store. It was as good a time as any so I ran down to the corner and picked up my items.

On my way home I saw a little old man crossing the street in the middle of the block. (Read "80-some-odd year old shuffling accross the street in the middle of the block with oncoming traffic...")

I thought, "that old man shouldn't be jaywalking!"

I noticed he was coming from an assisted living facility.

Then I saw where he was going. He was headed across the street to a 55+ community.

Finally, I noticed he was carrying a bouquet of flowers. I thought, "Oh how sweet!!!"

But he still shouldn't be jaywalking. He could get hit!

Broccoli, Anyone?

2008-10-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

We went out to dinner last night. Red Lobster. I ordered Trevor the popcorn shrimp and broccoli off the kids' menu.

Trevor promptly decided that he would rather line up the shrimp in one long line on the table, and the broccoli in another, than eat either. OK, whatever. He was being quiet and well behaved otherwise.

Until he started trying to climb out of the highchair and look over into the booth next to us. I heard something along the line of "waaaants myyyy bwoooccoweeeee" out of Trevor.

I said, "Your broccoli is on the table in front of you. Go for it!" Trevor ignored me and continued trying to climb over into the next booth.

I stood up and looked over the divider. Sure enough , Trevor had thrown a piece of broccoli over there and it landed right between the couple closest to us, who looked like they might be on their first date. They also hadn't noticed the broccoli.

They turned around and looked at me like I had three heads. The other couple across from them stopped their conversation and stared at me too.

I said, "Uh...uh...excuse me...i'm really sorry...uh...my son threw a piece of...uh...broccoli over the seat and uh..." I reached down, grabbed the broccoli and sat down really quick.

They just laughed and (thank God) acted like nothing happened. I was so embarrassed that I got the giggles and started cracking up laughing. Yeah, that helped the situation!

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There once was an Indian who had only one testicle, and whose given name was 'Onestone'. He hated that name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone.

After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked and said,'If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!'

The word got around and nobody called him that any more. Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said, 'Good morning, Onestone.'

He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest where he made love to her all day and all night.He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.

The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do.Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until a woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away.

Yellow Bird, who was Blue Bird's cousin, was overjoyed when she saw Onestone.

She hugged him and said, 'Good to see you, Onestone.'Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he made love to her all day, made love to her all night, made love to her all the next day, made love to her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn't die!

What is the moral of this story?????

OH, Come on...take a guess!

Think about it............(You're going to love this!)

Very simply, the moral is..................

YOU CAN'T KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE!!!!

Toenail Polish and Investments

2008-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

My 3 year old son has recently become potty trained.

Tonight, at one point he told us he needed to go potty and ran to the bathroom. Hubby followed along to see if he needed any help.

Trevor announced that he had to poop, so hubby left him to sit on the potty for a while. We were watching the baseball game and forgot all about Trevor, until I suddenly realized it was really quiet.

I ran to the bathroom to see what he had gotten into. He was sitting on the toilet painting his toenails. No shit, I took pictures.

He had the left foot done and was working on the right. He had seen me do my toenails the night before and right now he's into doing everything mommy does.

I guess I should draw a line somewhere though!
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If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have $0.00 today.

But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer and then turned in the aluminum cans for a recycling refund, you would have received $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.

Ducks in Heaven

2008-10-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Three women die together in an accident and go to heaven.

When they get there, St. Peter says 'We only have one rule here in heaven: don't step on the ducks!'

So they enter heaven, and sure enough, there are ducks all over the place. It is almost impossible not to step on a duck, and although they try their best to avoid them, the first woman accidentally steps on one.

Along comes St. Peter with the ugliest man she ever saw. St. Peter chains them together and says, 'Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to spend eternity chained to this ugly man!'

The next day, the second woman steps accidentally on a duck and along comes St. Peter, who doesn't miss a thing. With him is another extremely ugly man. He chains them together with the same admonishment as for the first woman.

The third woman has observed all this and, not wanting to be chained for all eternity to an ugly man, is very, VERY careful where she steps.

She manages to go months without stepping on any ducks, but one day St. Peter comes up to her with the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on...very tall, long eyelashes, muscular.

St. Peter chains them together without saying a word.The happy woman says, 'I wonder what I did to deserve being chained to you for all of eternity?'

The guy says, 'I don't know about you, but I stepped on a duck.

Tattoos

2008-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else have tattoos? I have a total of 4 (pics below).

I got the first,dive flag and shark, when I was in college. I had been certified as a scuba diver and was on my way to becoming an instructor.

I got the second, the conch shell, when I lived in Key Largo. It just felt like home to me, and still does in a way. Part of me will always be there, it was a huge time in my life.

The third, the armband with flowers, just came along about a year ago. It does go all the way around, btw. I figure if you're gonna do it, may as well do it right!

The fourth, the peace sign, I just got a few months ago. I was looking for myself, and wanted something symbolic. Peace signs are becoming very popular again, and it kinda pisses me off, 'cause I was into them before it was cool. Now everybody has one.

I would love to see pics of your tattoos and the story behind them. Please share!

If you don't have any, why not? No judgment one way or another, it's a personal choice. I personally like the art and the symbolism, every tat tells a story.

What do you think?

Random Bits

2008-10-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

My husband and I love concerts. We have been to...let's see...

Rolling Stones, KISS, Aerosmith, Neil Young, John Prine, Jimmy Buffett, Bon Jovi, Eagles...seems like there may be more but I forget.

Anyway, we are going to see Neil Diamond on the 24th. Can't wait!!!

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We took Trevor (age 3) to Wal Mart yesterday to buy underwear. He was sooo excited.

These were his first real underwear, not training pants, and they have Batman and Spiderman on them. How cool is that!

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I just found out that the office manager where I work has a new boyfriend.

We all hope he is either super rich and marries her so she can quit working, or that he is the Jeffrey Dahmer type. Either one will be acceptable.

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Has anybody started their Christmas shopping yet? I haven't.

I usually don't until about a week or 2 before Christmas. I'm such a procrastinater.

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Happy Hump Day everyone!!! The weekend awaits...

Barbie Rules!

2008-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

I went to a garage sale yesterday and bought my son a pair of roller skates. He loves them!

The only problem is that they are Barbie skates and they are for a girl.

As you can see from the picture on the sidebar, my son's hair is long, so even though I dress him obviously in boys' clothes he is often mistaken for a girl. Yeah, these skates will help with that.

Especially if he also wears his pink Barbie watch that my grandma gave him out of a cereal box. Once again, he really loves this watch.

My husband is worried, but I think it's just 'cause he's 3 and doesn't know any better. Really, what difference does it actually make?

So do you think this will affect his delicate psyche and screw him up when he's older or what?

My Son, Curious George

2008-09-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

My 3 year old is really into Curious George right now. So I thought it would be cute if he dressed as Curious George for Halloween.

I found a costume online and ordered it. Then I told Trevor (my son) that he would be dressing up as George for trick-or-treat. He go very excited, but I wasn't sure if he really grasped the concept or not.

Well, the costume arrived yesterday. Trevor started jumpnig around the living room shrieking "MY CURIOUS GEORGE SUIT" at the top of his lungs.

I made the mistake of putting it on him. He refused to take it off. Since I pick my battles and this wasn't one I wanted to fight, I let him wear the suit.

Finally he needed to go potty. I worried for a minute when I told him he had to take the suit off to go potty and he refused. Then he thought about it and relented. I guess he really had to go bad.

Anyway, at bedtime, he wanted to wear the suit to bed, and this I did not allow. I listened to him scream for about 5 minutes or so, then he accepted my ruling.

By today he has forgotten all about it. Don't you wish we could still get over things that quickly when we're grown-ups?

btw, pictures of the CG suit will be posted at Halloween!

Wait a Second...

2008-09-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

One thing I refuse to blog about is politics. I am so tired of the political ads and mudslinging.

I already can't decide who to vote for. I like some things that Obama stands for and I like some things McCain stands for.

I am sick of the war.

I wouldn't mind seeing a woman vice president, and I don't know enough about Biden to care one way or the other about him.

So you see, I will never post about politics on my blog.

Oh wait...what did I just post about...?

Alrighty Then...

2008-09-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have taken a hiatus from blogging (obviously), but have decided to give it another go.

I always felt like I didn't have anything interesting to blog about. But so what? I will blog about whatever I want whether anyone reads it or not, right? Right.

Don't you hate it when you're driving down a busy street and the car in front of you changes lanes abruptly, giving you just enough time to figure out why they did so. It's a car doing 35 in a 45 where everyone is going at least 55. That happened to me today.

As I swore quietly, I checked my blind spot and swerved around this annoying car. I expected, based on my residence in central Florida, to see a little old lady or gentleman about 90 years old peering over the dash.

Instead I saw a young kid of about 23 punching buttons on his cell phone. Probably texting. Little bastard!

Hey, wait a sec... when did I start calling people in their 20's "kids"? holy shit , I feel old.

Hello, All!

2008-06-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend a conference (series of lectures) on ophthalmology. It was for my job. I have a certification, and you have to get so many "continuing education credits" every three years to maintain your certification, and so on and so on....

Anyway, although parts of it were boring as shit, there was one speaker who made the whole weekend worthwhile.

His name is Tom Sullivan, and he has been blind since birth. Of course this is not what defines him as a person, it is the reason he was speaking at an ophthalmology conference. He was extremely inspirational and just a pleasure to listen to.

He has written several books, the latest of which we were given a copy of. I highly recommend anything he has written. He made me look at what I do every day in a whole new way, and really made an impact on me and others who attended. How very refreshing at an otherwise sleep-inducing affair!

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you may have seen this before, it's an oldie:

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the mechanics.)-----

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

_

Perspective

2008-06-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

I got this on my email yesterday. It really made me think, so I decided to share it. I have seen similar things before, but this happened to come along right when I had been doing a lot of complaining and feeling dissatisfied with my life. Maybe things aren't so bad after all!

********************************
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven

Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

**************************
CHALK ONE UP FOR THE OLD DUDE

An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him.

The old man said, "I don't think you understand, I want something very special." At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said.

The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The old man seeing this said, "We'll take it."

The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, by check. " I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said.

Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweler phoned the old man. "There's no money in that account."

"I know", said the old man, "but can you imagine the weekend I had?"

Oh, Yeah...

2008-05-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

That's why I live here!

We went to the beach the other day. OMG, it was just gorgeous! We went to our normal spot on Dunedin Causeway.

The Causeway leads out to Honeymoon Island State Park, which has a really beautiful beach. It's a ways out there though, then you have to pay to get into the park, then you have to walk a long was from the parking lot to the actual beach. We go there sometimes, but more often we just stop on the causeway.

There is a narrow strip of sandy beach on either side of the road and you can pull off and park for free. We always stop there, put in our sailboat or kayak and sail or paddle out to the sand bar. There is a huge sand bar that is totally exposed at low tide. I love it out there. I can walk forever, pick up shells, just enjoy the scenery, and Trevor can run and swim to his heart's content.

Last time we went out we got an added bonus. As we stood on the edge of the sandbar, near the deeper boat channel, 3 dolhins swam by only about 20-30 feet from us. We were able to watch them feeding for a while. It was so awesome,they are such beautiful animals.

One of them swam up, poked his head up and looked right at us. Then he went back to catching and eating fish. I was so wishing I had my snorkeling gear, I would have been out there in that water to see if I could see them a little closer. I don't care if the water is only 76 degrees and I usually don't go in until it's 80!

We do see dolphins out there on occasion, but that was the closest they have ever come and for quite a long time too!

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>>A married couple was on holiday in Jamaica. They were touring around >the >>marketplace looking at the goods and such when they passed this small >sandal >>shop.

From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop! So the married couple >walked >>in. The Jamaican said to them, I have some special sandals I think you >would >be >>interested in. Dey make you wild at sex.

Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what >the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being >the >sex god that he was. The husband asked the man, How could sandals make you into >a sexfreak?

The Jamaican replied, Just try dem on, ! Mon. Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave >in, >and >>tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this >wild >>look in his eyes. . . something his wife hadn't seen in many years!

In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him >violently >>over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and >grabbed >>a firm hold of he Jamaican's hips. The Jamaican then began screaming, >>

YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET! YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET! !

Oops!

"Spell-check Won't Catch That"

2008-04-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

I hate those words!!! Well, to be fare, I really only hate them when someone udders them as an excuse for hideous spelling errors. Don't get me wrong, spell-check is a grate tulle for catching typos. But when people become so dependent on it that if it doesn't show any misspellings, everything MUST be write, then it drives me crazy.

Four example: a flier advertising a presentation being given by one of the doctors I work four reads "Diabetes and How It Can Effect Your Vision"! (This flier was not designed and printed by the doctor, nor by our practice, but by the Assisted Living Facility where the talk would be held.)

I went to the store yesterday and saw this sine:

An edition to your home? Please! WTF?

Buy the weigh, I ran this post threw spellcheck, so I no everything is spelled rite!!!
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Here's a truly heartwarming story about the bond formed between a little 5-year-old girl and some construction workers that will make you believe that we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time.

A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot. One day, a>construction crew began to build a house on t he empty lot. The young>family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in the goings-on >and>spent much of each day observing the workers.

Eventually the construction crew, all of the 'gems-in-the-rough,' more or>less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her >during>coffee and lunch breaks and gave her little jobs to do here and there to>make her feel important. At the end of the first week, they even presented>her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this>home to her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars 'pay' she'd>received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed>and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at >such>a young age. The little girl proudly replied, 'I worked last week with a>real construction crew building the new house next door to us.'

'Oh my goodness gracious,' said the teller, 'and will you be working on the>house again this week, too?' The little girl replied, 'I will, if those>assholes at Home Depot ever deliver the f---ckin' sheet rock!"

Kind of brings a tear to the eye - doesn't it?

"c'est la vie" said the old folks

2008-04-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry no post for a while. Last weekend we went to Key Largo, and while we were there Trevor got sick. I'm sure it's something he probably picked up in preschool. Anyway, needless to say I got it too. I am now recovering and much better. I know this happens when they go to school/preschool/daycare, whatever.
_____________________________________

Regarding the yard...well, all that has changed. We just found out that we have to move. The owner of the property we are renting decided to take it off the market. Why? I have no idea. Anyway, we are looking at a place that's only about 1/4 mile from where we live now. Moving is a pain inthe butt, but I'm trying to look at the positive aspects. I always enjoy starting over in a new place. The new house is bigger and cheaper (rentwise) than the old one.
______________________________________

Trevor's first few days of preschool have gone well. He seems to be comfortable with the other kids and to be adjusting well to the routine. His best skill so far - he learned how to drink from a water fountain!

____________________________________

This pretty much cracked me up!

REDNECK TANK TOP:

I'm Back!

2008-04-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have (obviously) taken a hiatus from blogging, but I have decided to take it back up again. Lucky you!!!!! (ha ha)

What have I been up to lately? My latest project is improving my lawn. Whe I moved into this house a year ago, the grass wasn't that great and there were lots of weeds. We kept them trimmed, but this being a rental house, I didn't feel the need to do any more than maintain the yard the same as it was when we moved in.

This year however, I decided I wanted a nice yard. We renewed our lease so we will be here a minimum of another year. My first task was to pull out as many of the weeds as I could. I have finished about 75% of the back yard, which means about 50% of my back yard is now bare dirt. I told you there were lots of weeds.

Eventually I will add some lawn starter soil in areas and plant grass seeds all over the whole lawn. I have never done this before, so I have no idea how long it will take to grow in nicely. I don't intend to even start on the front yard until the back yard is finished. Some people might say I should have done the front yard first because that's the one that people see, but I don't care. We spend a lot more time in the back yard than in the front!

*************************************

My baby is going to be 3 years old in a week. I can't believe it! He starts his first preschool next week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is very excited about going to "school" like a big boy.

**************************************
When a retiree has too much time on his hands:

Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting. Well, for example, the other day I went downtown and into a shop. I was only there for about 5 minutes and when I came out there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

I said to him, 'Come on, man, how about giving a retired person a break?'

He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. I called him a 'Nazi.'

He glared at me and wrote another ticket for having worn tires. So I called him a 'doughnut eating Gestapo.' He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he wrote a third ticket.

This went on for about 20 minutes.
The more I abused him the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care.

I came downtown on the bus, and the car that he was putting the tickets on had a bumper sticker that said 'Clinton in '08.'

I try to have a little fun each day now that I'm retired. It's important to my health.

2007-12-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm Still Alive...

2007-12-03T14:59:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a while. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! (Those who celebrate it anyway).

We went down to Key Largo for Thanksgiving weekend. It's about a 5-6 hour drive. Had a good time, but came home tired, than a couple days later I got sick.

I'm better, but now hubby has it. So far, the kid is the only one who hasn't been sick, and I really hope he doesn't get this. Quite frankly, I felt like shit for a few days there.

I will try to get a real post up soon. I haven't been able to do much more than go through the motions lately.

Take care!

-

Trick or Treat and Drywall Repair

2007-11-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun this year. I tried to dress my kid up last year and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. It was all I could do to get a few pictures , and nobody was smiling.

This year, however, at 2 1/2, he has some favorite characters. He loves Tigger and Pooh, and Mickey Mouse and all his friends. Last year a coworker gave me a little Tigger outfit that was too big for Trevor then. It fit perfect this year.

I dressed him up in the Tigger suit, painted a nose and whiskers on him, and safety pinned a stuffed Winnie the Pooh to his shirt. He ran straight to the mirror and just loved it.

Trick or treating, though, was a different story. He said "trick or treat" nonstop at home, but as soon as we got to a house he wouldn't say anything.

It was his first time. Next year he will be a pro!

___________________________________

The Jimmy Buffett concert was great. As always, it was like going to a huge party and hanging out with friends you've never met before.

I highly recommend Jimmy Buffett - if you ever get a chance to see him, do it!

___________________________________

We had some excitement at work on Tuesday. (If you don't know, I work as a tech in an ophthalmology office).

Anyway, I was in a room with a patient, prepping her to see the doctor. I was just finishing up with her, when I heard a loud crunching, crashing sound. A second or two later there was a second crash and the building shook a little.

I thought we were under attack. I ran out of that room expecting to see major damage, thinking "somebody must be hurt after that!" I saw a bunch of shocked looking people, a framed picture lying on the floor, and a hole in the wall that looked like someone outside tried to punch a hole in it.

I (and everyone else) ran to the front window. As soon as I looked out, I realized that a car had crashed into the side of our building. I ran outside and saw an elderly lady behind the wheel, mostly covered by her airbag. Some other people were already talking to her and she seemed to be responding.

Several people called 911, and the situation was quickly brought under control. Once we pieced together what had happened, I realized how very fortunate we were that no one was seriously injured.

The lady, for some unknown reason, had lost control of her car and accelerated very rapidly. She jumped a curb in the parking lot and slammed into the side of a parked Cadillac, moving it a few feet over.

She then hit another parked car, parked in front of the building. She knocked this car forward over a curb and into a handicapped parking sign. The sign is what came through our wall. (That was the crunch-crash)

She bounced off the second car and finally hit the building herself. (That was the second crash). All her airbags deployed. She go a little banged up, and had no clue what had really happened. Paramedics took her to the hospital for evaluation. The Cadillac that was hit belonged to one of our patients and had to be towed away.

I just thank God no one was driving or walking in her path.

I hope the rest of the week is less exciting.

To Everything (turn, turn, turn)

2007-10-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)...

I can't believe it is almost the end of another year already. I doesn't seem like it's been 8 years since my hubby proposed to me at midnight on Y2K. Remember what a big deal Y2K was? A lot of people thought the world as we know it was going to end because computers couldn't figure out the year "00".

This year has brought about a lot of changes in my life, most all of them positive this time! With me, every year brings change. I am very rarely in the same circumstances at the end of any given year as I was at the beginning. Whether this be job, place of residence, in trouble, out of trouble, family situation, financial status...you name it. Life is truly never boring.

In 2007, I have undergone a drastic improvement in financial status, started (yet another) new job, and moved into a new house. I wonder what will change between now and the end of 2008? This is one of the rare times when I actually hope that nothing changes too much - I like where I am right now. But, you never know! And it's funny, but even unwelcome changes seem to be for the best in hindsight.

________________________________

We are looking forward to seeing Jimmy Buffett in concert next weekend. This will be my third time to see him, and hubby's second. Buffett concerts are always fun. It's more like a huge party than a show.

I love concerts. You may ask, "Why pay exorbitant amounts of money to see a band play live (probably from the back of the auditorium) when you can buy the CD for $20 and listen to it whenever you want?" It's a whole different exzperience to actually be there, see the band in person, breathe the same air, etc. And you're sitting with hundreds of other people who are excited for the same reasons. It's a huge energy, and I just love it.

I was lying in bed this morning wishing I could go back to sleep. I hate getting up early when I don't have to. Anyway, no such luck. So I lay there reminiscing about concerts I have been to. Let's see...Steve Miller (twice), The Doobie Brothers, Poison, Jimmy Buffett (twice so far), KISS, Aerosmith, Neil Young, John Prine, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones (twice), The Who, The Police, The Eagles...there may be more, that's all I can think of right now.

There are some people, like my mom, who don't enjoy loud noise and high energy crowds. These folks would not appreciate a good concert. That's OK - if we all liked the same things, the world would get boring.

________________________________

A Scotsman moves to Canada and attends his first baseball game.

The first batter approaches the batters' box, takes a few swings and then hits a double.

Everyone is on their feet screaming 'Run!!!'

The next batter hits a single. The Scotsman listens as the crowd again Cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The next batter also hits a single.The Scotsman listens as the crowd roars as a run scores, and cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The Scotsman is enjoying the game and begins screaming with the fans.

The fourth batter comes up and four balls go by.The Umpire calls: 'Walk.'

The batter starts his slow trot to first base.The Scot stands up and screams, 'Run ye lazy basta*d - rrrun!'

The people around him begin laughing. Embarrassed, the Scot sits backDown.

A friendly fan notes the man's embarrassment, leans over and explains, 'HeCan't run -- he has four balls.'

The Scot stands up and screams: 'Walk with pride, Laddie!'

________________________________

Have a good day, everyone!

Special Day

2007-10-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of a very spectacular lady, whom some of you may know through blogging. Her name is Olive Riley and she turns 108 years old today. Check out her blog - just click the link "The Life of Riley" on my blogroll.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLLIE!!!!

Home Improvement

2007-10-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

I guess.

We had some friends staying with us a couple weekends ago. We asked one of them to stay on a bit longer and offered to pay him to help with some work we wanted to do. Specifically, some miscellaneous stuff on the motor home, and building a new cage for our iguanas.

We have 2 iguanas, each measuring between 4 1/2 and 5 feet long, including tail. We had a pretty decent cage for them, but they were just getting too big for it. They were in and enclosure about 7 feet long, 2 1/2 feet wide and about 5 feet high. They now have 8 feet long by 5 1/2 feet wide by about 6 1/2 feet high.

I was quite pleased with the final outcome of the cage. It is very spacious and much better suited for our iguanas. I still have to put some finishing touches on it, though.

New Story:

Last night I put Trevor in the bathtub. (Trevor is 2 1/2 if you didn't know). I have had issues before with him "making a mess" in the bathroom while in the bath. (read: flooding the bathroom floor). He has been reprimanded and punished and is now generally very good. The one thing I do have problems with is that he loves to flush the toilet, which he can reach from the tub.

After Trevor flushing a couple times and being scolded, I decided to put an end to the whole nonsense. I took the cover off the toilet tank and unhooked the rubber thingy from the arm attached to the flush handle. I looked at Trevor and said, "Ha! Now you can flip that handle all you want and nothing will happen. I win!"

I went in the living room and a few minutes later hubby says, "why do I still hear water running?" I said, "I dunno" and went to check on Trevor. When I walked into the bathroom the entire floor was completely flooded with water. I immediately scream, "TREVOR!!! What did you dooooooooo?!?"

Trevor looks at me innocently and I hear gushing water, but don't immediately see the source. Did I mention that I have one of those cabinet things over my toilet tank? It is one that you buy and put together and it sits right over the toilet - there is a shelf, then a cabinet with doors, then another shelf - one of those practical plus decorative type things. Anyway it initially appeared that the water was spewing out of that thing.

I knew water couldn't spew from a piece of furniture, so my first thought was that the pipes in the wall had burst, and I imagined the worst. I yelled for hubby to "Get in here NOOOWWWW!" Hubby, having sprained his ankle the day before, came hobbling in, Asking, "what's wrong? what happened?"

Me: "I DON'T KNOW!"

Hubby: "Where is it coming from"?

Me: "I DON"T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Hubby: "I DON'T EITHER!"

Me: "WHAT DO I DO?"

Hubby: "I DON'T KNOW!"

After about 3-4 seconds of this, I realized that water was coming from the toilet. I had left the top off the tank, and pipe where the water comes in to fill the tank was spewing water like there was no tomorrow. Think Old Faithful.

So I covered the spewing pipe with my hand while hubby started yelling, "Turn off the water to the toilet!" I reached down for the knob, but it was stuck and wouldn't turn. Hubby managed to make his way in with the sprained ankle and an inch of water on the floor and got it turned off.

Meanwhile, Trevor is sitting the bathtub laughing his butt off.

After work today I stopped by the hardware store, picked up the parts, and learned all about the inside of toilet tanks.

What will tomorrow bring?

Goes Around, Comes Around

2007-09-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

The weather hasn't been so great here this weekend.

So instead of doing the beach, we just "did stuff around the house". This means my husband sat on the couch and watched TV all weekend and I did projects.

Stuff like hanging a new towel rack, assembling a piece of furniture, installing shelves and rearranging electronics in two rooms...it seems like I did some other stuff too.

Oh, yeah. I cleaned the house, did the shopping and the laundry, cooked meals, etc.

I really don't begrudge my husband the time he spent sitting on his you-know-what. I can't stand doing that for very long. I have to have something to do, to keep me busy.

Lately it seems like it's one project after another. my house is looking really good, but I fear I may be turning into my mother.

Holy shit, right after I typed that, I turned around and said something my mother said to me countless times.

My son was saying "doggy, kitty cat, doggy, kitty cat..." ad nauseum.

I said, "You have a cat. When you are old enough to feed a dog and pick up the dog poop, you might get a doggy. And if you don't take care of it, it's going to the pound."

I can't remember how many times I heard that last bit about my first dog, named Hurricane.

Scary.

Scary.

He never did go to the pound though...

-
-

A Good Visit

2007-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad came for a visit last weekend. Anyone who reads my dad's blog knows that they take an annual road trip encompassing visits to me (Tampa) and my sister (Chicago) as well a week in Georgia playing golf.

Well, this was their first opportunity to see their grandson since February, and boy has he changed a lot! I must say, I was quite proud (and relieved) that he was on his best behavior while they were here.

Grammy and Grampa brought Trevor a gift - a little tricycle/bigwheel type thing. Trevor loves it, but can't figure out how to push the pedals to make it go. It has a lot of buttons on the "dashboard" which make various noises when pushed, and Trev is convinced that one of those buttons must make it go. See, he has a little 4 wheeler with a button that makes it go, and he hasn't figured out the difference yet.

Another accomplishment of last weekend - I have been working on fixing up the gate to my backyard. I have collected dozens of seashells from our beach, and I made a trim of thin boards painted aqua, with shells glued on to them. I then attached the painted boards around the frame of the gate. The crowning touch, though, is a painted sign that my dad got us at a little street fair we went to:

This weekend we are back to our normal routine - which means off to the beach this afternoon! Have a great weekend!

Every Nap Has Its Consequences

2007-08-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

As is my usual routine, I got up this morning when Trevor refused to play quietly in his room anymore. I fed him breakfast, straightened up the house a little, put his cartoons on and lay down on the couch to be lazy and observe Trevor.

I must have dozed off, because next thing I knew, something was poking my leg repeatedly. The "something" in question looked like this:

At first I couldn't figure out what he had gotten into. I looked around and nothing seemed out of place. That's when I walked into his room and found my purse, wide open and emptied on the floor.

Most of what you see on his angelic little face is mascara. There is also some lipstick and ink from a ballpoint pen. It just doen't show up that good in the pictures. His body, arms and legs are covered too.

This is what just about every page in my checkbook now looks like:

Oh, the joys of parenting a toddler!

Karma

2007-08-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

What Goes Around, Comes Around

If you read my last post, you will know that I recently changed wireless providers. Got brand new phones with the leather covers and everything. Really nice.

After having the new phone for approximately a week....

Well, let me go back a little.

About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, when we were living in Zephyrhills, Florida and struggling financially, we found a cell phone in our front yard. I opened it up and looked at the "contacts" list. I picked the number labeled "home" and called it. The owner of the cell phone was ecstatic that soemone had found it, and made arrangements to come by and pick it up. Turns out he was a taxi driver.

He offered me $20 for returning his phone. I thanked him, but turned it down. He made me take a card good for a free taxi ride instead. I never used it, but that doesn't matter.

Anyway, after having my new phone for approximately a week, we went to the beach and I lost it. It must have fallen out of our stuff when we were carrying everything out to the car. I didn't realize it was missing until we got everything inside and I started looking for it.

It was late and I had to get Trevor fed and ready for bed. When he was just about finished eating, my house phone rang. The caller ID showed my name and cell phone number! It was a guy wanting to know if I was missing a cell phone. I said I was, but I couldn't get back over there tonight, could I call him the next day?

He said sure, and gave me his number, informing me that he would turn my phone off right away. I called him back the next day (today) and got his voice mail. I left a message and waited. A couple hours later I called back but didn't leave a message. I decided I would call again at 2:00 pm.

Right at 2:00 pm the phone rang. It was him. I made arrangemants to meet him, and we decided to head back over to the beach and pick up the phone on the way. The guy that found my phone met us where and when he said he would, he had removed the leather cover and carefully cleaned all the sand out of the phone and wrapped everything up securely to return it to me.

This guy was maybe in his mid 20's and covered in tatoos. Very nice, well mannered guy. You should never judge a book by its cover, etc.

Point is, if you have a chance to do a good deed, a favor for someone you don't even know, don't pass it up. It makes you feel good, it helps someone else have a better day, and you never know when the shoe will be on the other foot!

Don't Keep It Bottled Up Inside

2007-08-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get so aggravated by a large company, you just wish there was something, anything, you could do to show them your disgust? I remember when I was growing up, my grandmother's answer to just about every such situation was, "write a letter". Sometimes she got results, too!

After having been Sprint PCS (a wireless phone company) customers for almost 10 years, this recent fiasco was simply the last straw. Following is a copy of the nice letter I wrote to Sprint, hoping it gets passed along to someone in authority. Even though I don't expect anything, it sometimes helps just to write it all down, mail it away and get it off your chest.

August 9, 2007

To Whom it May Concern,

We recently had a mishap with one of our phones, causing us to request a replacement. We pay monthly to insure our phones, so we were able to get a new one for $50. The phone enclosed with this letter is the one that we replaced.

When we received the replacement phone, it did not come with a user’s manual. The last time we got a replacement phone due to damage, we paid the $50 and got a new phone and user’s manual. This time, the phone that was damaged was not available, so Sprint sent us the most comparable upgrade, a different phone altogether with NO instruction manual. We called to question this and were told that the insurance we pay each month only covers the phone, not the manual. This is absolutely ridiculous. When someone gets a new phone with which they are unfamiliar, they really need the manual. Not everyone has the capability to download the manual on a computer.

To top it off, the new phone did not have the same type of internet connection, so we ended up having to pay $5 a month more, plus Sprint counted this as a change in our service and locked us in to a new contract starting when we got the new phone. Even though we did not want the new service, we were told we had no choice. This is nothing but an underhanded method of keeping customers because most people don’t want to pay the exorbitant amount to break their contract.

We have been Sprint customers since May of 1998 and have spent a lot of money on phones and phone services through Sprint. When we called to ask about the manual, we were told we could buy one from a Sprint store. We thought it was absurd that we should have to pay extra for it, but we were willing to do so. When we started calling Sprint stores, we were told that they only had manuals packaged with new phones and could not sell them separately. No two people we spoke to would give us the same answer. This demonstrates either total incompetence on the part of Sprint employees, or Sprint’s unwillingness to help and satisfy their customers. Talk about getting the runaround!

A few years ago, Sprint had the best customer service out there, but recently it has really gone to hell. Try to get a person on the phone and you will be on hold for a minimum of 30 minutes. We have tried at all different times of day. When you finally get a person, they are reading a script and cannot comprehend or answer any questions that are not included on said script. This is not a one time occurrence, it is every time. Maybe Sprint is saving money by hiring imbeciles, but it doesn’t do much for customer service.

In conclusion, we will be terminating our contract with Sprint. No amount of money is worth the bullshit we have had to tolerate at this point. Sprint had better straighten up its act or it will be losing customers left and right. We will never recommend Sprint to anyone ever again.

In TOTAL Disgust,

(our names here)

Actually, I DO feel better now!

-

Pulling My Hair Out

2007-07-27T15:24:00.001-07:00

Potty training.

AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!

Some mornings the kid wakes up bone dry and goes right to the potty and pees in it. once he even woke up in the middle of the night and called for me because he had to go. Then went again in the morning. I thought we had to be almost there!

Then there are the other days. He acts like he has to pee, then when you get him to the potty, you find out he has just gone in his diaper. You sit him on the potty and make him sit there 5 minutes and nothing happens. As soon as you put the diaper back on, 5 minutes after that he's totally wet, and has probably pooped too.

Finally there are the days like today. If I so much as ask, "Trevor, do you need to pee-pee potty?", he runs away and hides, then races into the bathroom and tries to flush the toilet without being caught, then races back out. Laughing wildly the entire time. I honestly think he's doing it on purpose. You know, playing games with me.

Well, I already knew he has selective hearing and very selective memory, so I guess selective wetting his pants is to be expected.

Insight anyone?

Deep Thoughts

2007-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just wonder about random, insignificat little things until they drive you crazy? I do. Let me give you an example.

Recently, I was driving home from work and listening to the radio. A song by the Eagles came on, and as I sang along (don't worry, I was by myself), it triggered something that has bugged me for well over a decade. It bugs me every time I hear the song.

The song in question is "Lyin' Eyes". There is a part that goes:

She rushes to his arms, they fall together/ she whispers that it's only for a while/ she swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever/ she pulls away and leaves him with a smile.

Now, does she pull away and leave with a smile on her face, or does she pull away and leave him with a smile on his face. When you listen to the way they actually sing that line, with the emphasis, it really could go either way

Opinions anyone?

-

2007-07-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

A Very Proliferative Little Town.

I'm referring to a little town in Texas called Dumas. So you will understand what I am talking about, here's the back story:

http://cherishauthor.blogspot.com/2006/08/small-world-sometimes.html

I went to a local McDonald's the other day and, as is my norm, I used the drive-thru. I ordered a chicken caesar salad with extra croutons and extra dressing. The girl asked me if I wanted the chicked grilled or crispy (read: fried). I told her I would like it grilled.

On the little "confirm your order" screen appears: "Bacon Ranch Salad Crispy, 2 Croutons"

I said, "Excuse me, but I ordered a caesar salad with grilled chicken, extra croutons and extra dressing."

"Oh." Pause. "OK."

After a couple seconds the little screen changed to read "Caesar Salad Grilled, 2 Croutons, 2 Dressing"

I thought, "Great! Now we're getting somewhere."

I drove around and paid. When they handed me the bag with the salad in it, I looked inside. I saw 2 crouton packs, one pack of ranch dressing, and a salad in a plastic container with a lid on it. The girl at the window (a different girl, mind you) said, "Oh wait, I think I gave you the wrong salad." I agreed and gave it back.

She took it somewhere inside where all 4 or 5 employees on duty proceeded to have a discussion about it. I heard bits like "what's that?", "what'd she order?" , "Is this a caesar salad?", "it's grilled chicken", "that IS what she ordered, see?", and other snippets along that line.

Girl #2 came back to the window and asked, "Ma'am, did you order a caesar salad?"

I said, "yeeeeeesssss." (in a tone that hinted, ever so slightly, "you moron!")

She smiled sweetly at me and said real nice, like I was the stupid one, "Well, this is a caesar salad."

I took a deep breath and said, "That may well be. I didn't examine the salad itself. But the dressing in there is ranch, and I wanted caesar dressing. Plus, I ordered 2 of them, not just 1."

She said, "I'll just switch out the dressing!" She removed the one packet of ranch dressing, then proceeded to dig around in my bag for a couple more minutes. She finally looked up and said, "Where's the other one?" I patiently explained that there was only one in the bag - that was, in fact, part of the problem.

I can't imagine a crew of random strangers each being that dumb. They must have migrated from Dumas as a group and somehow taken over a fast food franchise.

Watch out, your town could be next!

-

The Luck of the Drawbridge

2007-06-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach this past Saturday and Sunday, as is our usual habit. Saturday entailed no mishaps, so we left the sailboat loaded up and decided to go back Sunday. We had a great day on the water, and when it was time to go, we loaded up and headed out.

The sailboat I mentioned is a 14 foot inflatable catamaran. It is just wide enough to carry on top of a car easily, so we load it onto the roof of my minivan and tie it down to the luggage rack. I drive the van to the beach, and Hubby follows in the motor home. We have a mini-motor home/camper, and since the beach is only a few miles away we like to take it. It gives us a nice place to sit out of the sun if we want, room to change and feed Trevor if necessary, a portable bathroom, etc.

Our local beach here is actually on an island and there is only one bridge onto that island. It is a drawbridge. We were the 4th and 5th cars back from where the bridge opens. We watched it go up, stay for a few minutes while a boat went under, then go back down again...almost.

The other side had stopped about 3 feet above our side. So close, yet so far away. We sat for a few minutes, then I got out of my car, locked it and joined Johnny and Trevor in the motor home. We had a couple beers and a bottle of water in the cooler. Nothing to eat. Word came back that "they" had no idea how long it might be, but the same thing had happened yesterday and it took over 3 hours to get it unstuck.

We must have departed the day before just in time to miss the bridge getting stuck. Anyway, we used to live in the Florida Keys and had experienced drawbridges being stuck for hours, even overnight or all day. We waited a while, and nothing happened. Trevor started to fuss, as it was past his dinnertime. I had a little milk left and gave him that. Six ounces of milk doesn't hold him for long. A lady knocked on our door and asked if we had a bathroom, because her little boy really needed to pee. We let him come in and use the facilities, then debated charging people a fee to use the toilet. Depending on how long we were stuck there, we could have really made some money! Unfortunately, we ended up deciding not to. (ha ha!)

Finally after almost an hour, no word and a hungry, fussy kid, I realized that the sun would be going down soon. I knew there was a convenience store not far on the other side of the bridge, where I could get milk, food and water. I decided to go for it. The risk of being stuck there for several hours or more hungry and thirsty and listening to Trevor (2 yr. old) outweighed any risk involved in climbing up 3 feet and walking over the bridge to the store.

The man running the drawbridge kind of yelled at me for climbing up, but I just ignored him. The store turned out to be a mile away, so I walked there, bought supplies, and walked back. Just before I got around that last corner to the bridge, my cell phone rings. It's Johnny. "They got the bridge down. This guy is gonna drive your car over, stay right there."

At first I thought I had wasted a 2 mile trip to the store on foot, but then Johnny explained that if I hadn't gone, we probably would have been stuck there overnight. It's called Murphy's Law and it almost never fails!

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Who Does He Look like?

2007-06-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

When my son was first born, a little over 2 years ago (gawd, time flies!) the answer was pretty much unanimous: "He looks just like his dad!"

The older he gets, more and more people are starting to say he looks just like me. Hmmmm.

This debate triggered me to go back and look at some baby pictures of myself and hubby. I see resemblances to both of us, but can't say that he looks "just like" either of us. I'm interested to see what non-family members think.

Glance over these pics and let me know who you think he resembles more strongly!

_____________________________________________

This is Trevor's dad.

_________________________________________________

This is (obviously) me.

________________________________________________

And this is our little stinker!

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"To-may-to" or "To-mah-to"

2007-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

My 2 year old son.

My dad used the word "determined". I just say "stubborn".

What do you think? (note: video quality is not great, but you will get the idea)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2f0f2dkVsE

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Redneck Joke

2007-05-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for no post in a while. Unfortunately(?), in the summer months I don't spend much time on the computer.

After work, if I get off late, I spend a couple hours with my kid, put him to bed then fix dinner and eat, while watching an hour or two of TV (unwinding) then go to bed. If I get off early, we play outside in the backyard or go to the beach. Then of course it's dinner and bath and bedtime, then hubby and I eat, unwind a little and go to bed.

Sometimes blogging just doesn't fit into the routine. While I do try to read, comment and basically keep up with all of your blogs, I generally don't have time to actually post anything.

Life's a Beach! Enjoy it!

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A redneck family from the hills was visiting the city and they were in a mall for the first time in their lives. The father and son were strolling around while the wife shopped.

They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide backtogether again.

The boy asked, "Paw, what's 'at?"

The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I dunno. I ain't never seen anything like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea'r what 'tis."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.

They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.

The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son,

"Boy..................go git cha Momma...............

_

Reflections

2007-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

You know how they say "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"? Usually that refers to taking something good in your life for granted and only appreciating it once you've lost it and can't get it back. I was just reflecting the other day that it could also apply to really, really crappy things in your life that sort of creep up on you gradually. You only realize that they're crappy later on.

I am referring specifically to my last job. I knew for a while that I wasn't very happy there, but it wasn't that bad. I just got used to the way things were. Some of you know a little about it, as I did a couple of posts recently about my decision to quit the job and my efforts to find a new (better) one.

I work in the field of ophthalmology, so (obviously) I work in doctor's offices. For doctors. No offense to any doctors who may be reading this (ha ha), but they are a strange lot. They are all different, but they are all strange. Unfortunately, some of them are also assholes - kind of, well, exactly like my former boss.

I had gradually grown so accustomed to long stressful days, revolving door turnover at the workplace, borderline unethical practices, and a boss I detested, that I didn't realize how miserable I was. My poor husband realized it - he was subjected to me coming home in a bad mood almost every day.

When I finally decided it was time to move on, it was actually a little hard to leave the place I had worked at for a year and a half. Even though I hated it. Weird huh?

Anyway, after a few weeks at my new job, I realized that I really appreciated a lot of things about this job. It started to dawn on me how good I had it at this new place. Naturally, the next thing to cross my mind was how bad it was at the old place. As I reminisced a little, I found myself to be horrified at some of the bullshit I tolerated.

Of course at that time, I needed the job, was making enough to make ends meet (barely) and there was no way I could afford to quit without having another job lined up. And I had no time to look for other jobs as I was always working and couldn't afford to take time off. Anyway, I remembered a place that I had been in contact with when I was looking for a job here a couple years ago. I decided to call them and see if they had an opening and if so, see if they would hire me.

Turns out I called at just the right time, got the job, hence quit my hated one. My husband commented recently that it was nice to have me come home in a good mood. That got me thinking.

Point is, a lot of us "settle" into situations where we are unhappy, but they get bad so gradually that we don't really realize it, and by the time we do, we feel pretty comfortable (read: afraid to change) so we decide, "well, it's not that bad." We also don't realize how much this unhappiness shows to those around us. I was pretty bitchy for a while there, but now I am back to my old, laid-back self. Unfortunately, it didn't dawn on me until I had already gotten out of the bad situation.

Take some time to look around and evaluate where you are and what you do. You don't want to spend years and years miserable without noticing it until it's too late.

BE HAPPY!!!

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The Big TWO!

2007-04-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my son Trevor's 2nd birthday. We celebrated by spending the day at the beach - his favorite place.

He got lots of cool presents, a card, a cake and a little bit of a sunburn.

A great time was had by all!

___________________________________________

In other news:

We finally got our other iguana back! A neighbor spotted him in his yard, captured him and returned him to us safe and sound.

Bonnie and Clyde are reunited at last.

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A joke:

A gas station in Mississippi was trying to increase its sales, so the owner put up a sign saying, "Free Sex with Fill-Up".

Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank, and then asked for his free sex.

The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10. If he guessed correctly, he would get his free sex. The redneck then guessed 8, and the proprietor said, "You were close. The number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time."

A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for a fill-up. Again he asked for his free sex.

The proprietor again gave him the same story, and asked him to guess the correct number. The redneck guessed 2 this time. Again the proprietor said, "Sorry, it was 3. You were close, but no free sex this time."

As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, "I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free sex."
'
Bubba replied, "No it ain't, Billy Ray. It ain't rigged ----- my wife won twice last week!"

Leapin' Lizards!

2007-04-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Iguana update...

(top is Bonnie , bottom is Clyde)

Remember our fugitive iguanas, Bonnie and Clyde? (no joke, those are their names) Anyway, Clyde hung out in a tree in our backyard for a few days, and eventually disappeared. We had almost given up hope of getting them back, when lo and behold, Bonnie turned up in our yard, just walking around on the ground. Hubby walked over to her, picked her up and put her in the cage. That simple!

So we printed up some fliers about Clyde (still missing) with our phone number and placed them around the neighborhood. The next day we got a call from a nearby neighbor who said that Clyde had been in his yard the day before, but he had disappeared again. So far, he has been spotted a couple times and seems to still be on our block. We plan to continue searching and trying to get him back.

This is a full body pic of Bonnie, just to give you an idea. Both Bonnie and Clyde are about 4 and 1/2 feet long including tails.

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The joys of traveling:

A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly...he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket!"

After a moment of silence, he farted.

Back to...Normal?

2007-03-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! First of all, sorry I haven't been around for a while. As you know, I have been in the process of changing jobs and moving. We have successfully relocated to our new house in a new town, but we have sure had some interesting adventures along the way.

I am sooooo sick of moving. We lived in one little place in Key Largo from 1999 (right before we married) up until Sept. of 2003. Then we decided to move to Corpus Christi, Texas. Why? Well, we needed a change of scene (for many reasons - too much to go into now) and I was born and raised in south Texas. Corpus is on the water and we would be about an hour and a half from my parents and grandmother. So we relocated.

We spent our first year there in a one bedroom apartment, I got pregnant so we moved into a larger, 2 bedroom apartment in 2004. In 2005 I lost my job, then a few months later my husband lost a good job also. so we decided we had enough and were going back to Florida.

We had nothing lined up in Florida so we spent our first 3 weeks in St. Petersburg, in a trailer that belongs to a friend of a friend, renting it by the week. I landed a job in Zephyrhills, so we moved up there. We lived there in a one bedroom duplex for almost a year, with my son sleeping in the living room. When I got a raise and we could afford to move again, we moved to Tampa into a 2 bedroom apartment.

Any of you who have been reading this blog know what happened then. I made the decision that I needed to change jobs again because I couldn't stand working for a tyrant. So I found a new (and better, and higher paying) job in the same field and accepted it. Unfortunately it was just too far away to commute so we had to move again. Now we are in a great little house in a neat little town right on the beach. Whew!

We were really tired of carrying furniture and loading up a U-Haul (moving truck), so this time we hired movers to come in and do it for us. They were supposed to show up last Saturday at 11:00 am. They were also supposed to call the day before and confirm. We were out of the house pretty much all of Friday afternoon and early evening wrapping up other loose ends, but since we have an answering machine and cell phones, we weren't worried about missing the call.
We got home and checked the machine and no one had called. We tried to call the movers then, but no answer. We figured they were closed and we would call them in the morning.

Next morning, we called and called, and no one answered. Finally at about 10:00, a guy answered and we found out we had a problem. Something had come up and they needed to reschedule our move. They claim to have tried to call a number of times and got no answer and no answering machine. Whatever. So, we tried to work out an alternative arrangement. I told him it HAD to be done this weekend, because we work during the week and wouldn't have time to deal with it. Well, they could try to get 2 guys to work on Sunday, but it would be time and a half since they didn't normally work Sundays. I said whatever, just do it, it has to be done, I'll pay the extra money.

So they moved us on Sunday. Our cable and internet was supposed to be hooked ub between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Monday. My husband was here all day. The gas company came that morning and hooked us up, but the cable company never came and never called. So hubby finally called and complained that afternoon, and was told that the guy came to our house and knocked bu no one answered the door. OK, maybe he had gone into the back yard, or was in the bathroom or something, but don't they normally call you if they miss you? They say they do! So they assured him that someone would be here before 8:00 pm and that they would call ahead and let us know they were on the way.

We waited around til about 7:30 and called back again. They assured us they guy was out doing jobs and he would definietly get to us, but may be a little late, like 15 or 20 minutes. We could live with that, so we waited some more. Finally around 9:00 we called back again and told them we had to reschedule because we had to go to bed soon. At 10:30, just as we were getting ready to go to be, a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood the cable guy. I had him come on in and survey the situation. He said the job would take a couple hours because he would have to install a new cable outlet, etc.

We told him to forget it, we had already rescheduled. He said he was they same guy that came by earlier and he swore that he came to the right house, knocked and got no answer. He said he immediately reported this to dispatch and that they were supposed to have called us. We had given a cell number as the contact, since our home phone wouldn't be activated until next week. We pulled out the cell phone and checked voice mail, incoming calls and missed calls - there was NO call from the cable company. He was nice enough so we laughed it off for the time being.

Next day, another cable guy showed up when he was supposed to and did the job. Later that evening while we were trying to watch TV, our cable box malfunctioned - kept cutting off and on all by itself, and we couldn't watch anything. So we called the cable company again. They said they would have someone out the next day to switch out the box for us. This guy showed up too, and switched out the box, everything seemed to be working fine, then we asked him to check the cable in the bedroom as it didn't seem to be working, we couldn't get any channels back there. He said that this was the responsibility of the original installer and we would have to schedule him to come back out and finish his job properly. So now he is supposed to come back on Monday - we'll see!

To top everything else off, our 2 large, four and a half foot long iguanas escaped from their cage. They are now at large in the neighborhood. We have seen one of them in a tree in our back yard for the last few days, but don't know where the other one is. They are not aggressive and won't bother anyone, but some people are scared of them, plus we have probably broken some kind of law by letting them loose, even though it was unintentional. They are considered to be "exotic animals" and I know the rules are sometimes pretty strict when it comes to exotics.

On the bright side - we love our house and the town we are now living in. I have got almost everything unpacked and put away. The job is going great, and now that we are moved and most of the turmoil has (hopefully) resolved, we should settle in very nicely.

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Quick Hello

2007-03-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever. I have been busy with the new job (1-1 1/2 hour drive each way) and getting ready to move this weekend.

So far the new job is awesome. I can't wait to live 15 minutes away instead of an hour and 15 minutes. As much as I hate moving, this is worth it.

Will put up a better post next week after we get settled.

Bye for now!

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First Day

2007-03-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

What a great Monday!

WTF? When was the last time I said that?

No, I'm not (entirely) nuts, today was the best Monday I've had in a while. I didn't realize how badly I had come to dread Mondays until I didn't dread one.

You're probably wondering what I'm babbling about, huh?

Today was my first day at my new job. It went great! Of course some things are always done differently from office to office, and some of the equipment was slightly different from what I have experience with, but overall I had no problems.

Everyone there is very nice and the environment is pleasant. Today we saw about 34 patients, and it was an "atypically busy day". This job is going to be so much easier and less stressful than my last 2 jobs have been.

The only thing that will make this better is when we get moved over to that area. Right now I have about an hour drive each way. After moving, it will be more like 15 minutes.

As far as I'm concerned right now, getting paid more money for doing less work is a win-win situation!

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Conclusion

2007-02-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

One thing I didn't mention in my last post was that on Tuesday, after my Monday meeting with Dr. Chaos and before my interview at the new practice, Dr. Chaos' wife came in to talk to me. She cornered me in the lunchroom while I was eating. I saw her throught the window and knew why she was there, but I didn't have time to escape.

She basically reiterated everything her husband had already said. The main difference was that she seemed willing to talk more freely about certain things than he did. I had asked him some direct questions about the "changes" he planned on making within the practice, and about the new administrator he had hired.

A woman had come in a few weeks prior to interview for the administrator position. She impressed me, and everyone else she spoke to, as a total bitch. I asked Dr. Chaos right up front if she was the one he had hired, and let him know that if so, it would pose a problem. I didn't like her and had no desire to work with her. He dismissed my questions by saying, "I am not at liberty to discuss that with you." Well, after speaking with Mrs. Chaos and several other employees, I found out that she was in fact the new administrator. Also a few other things that he had told me weren't adding up.

After the great interview I had with the new practice on Tuesday afternoon, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was leaving and was derading my next meeting with Dr. Chaos. The new place called me Wednesday morning and confirmed the new job. I was ecstatic! When Dr. Chaos confronted me on Wednesday afternoon, I told him that I had made my decision and was taking the new job. He acted flabbergasted and asked me why. I saw no choice but to tell him the truth. I told him he was not honest with me at our last meeting, and explained why I was making this claim. His response: "I didn't say it was her and I didn't sayit wasn't her - so I didn't lie to you."

I had asked him direct questions about matters that were not confidential or top secret. I let him know that I had some issues with theses matters. He deliberately evaded my questions and didn't tell me the truth because he knew I wouldn't like the answers. As far as I am concerned, this constitutes dishonesty.

I told him I thought he was self-serving, manipulative and dishonest. I start my new job on March 5th. Can't wait!!!

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Suspense

2007-02-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I had my job interview today. It went very well as far as I could tell. The doctor kept saying how qualified I am. He seemed to indicate that he thought I would be a good fit with the practice. He asked if I had any questions, and answered a few, but when I asked about health insurance and benefits, he referred me back to the practice administrator. I got back with her, has a tour of the facility and got all the pertinent info. I definitely got the impression that I would get the job, but they said they would call me.

I told my current boss yesterday that I planned on leaving and taking another job. I may have jumped the gun a little, since I don't have a concrete offer yet, but in my field I don't think I will have any trouble finding work. He pleaded with me to stay, offered me more money, made "promises", the whole 9 yards. He wasn't very happy when I told him I couldn't give him an answer on the spot.

I told him I had a meeting scheduled the next afternoon with this other doctor, and I wanted to meet with him and hear what he had to say. I commented, "I only think that's fair." Dr. Chaos looked me straight in the eye and said "Why is that fair?" I was almost speechless at that. I tried to explain that I had committed to an appointment and that this man had set aside time from his schedule to speak with me. Then I thought "Why am I trying to justify this?" and just said, "I'm keeping the appointment and I will let you know after. Thank you for giving me this time to make my decision."

Dr. Chaos' response to this was, "So you'll call me in the morning?" I said, "No. I will call you after the meeting and after I make a decision." He said nothing to that.

I can't see any reason for the new place not to offer me the job. It's perfect for me. The salary will be about the same, but the benefits are FAR superior to where I am now. I dread telling Dr. Chaos that I have decided to leave, because I know he will be unhappy and may pressure me. I am just trying to avoid contact with him until I know for sure that I have the job.

The suspense is killing me!!!

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Onward and Upward

2007-02-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finally decided to do it. I'm going to quit my job. No, I'm not taking a sabbatical or choosing to stay home with my son; I couldn't afford to do that. It's not that I don't want to work anymore, I just don't want to work there.

I try not to go on about work too much on this blog, but I know I have shared some stories in the past. I started work there 1 1/2 years ago, and there have probably been about 10 or 12 employees that have started since then, and have also quit/walked off the job/went to lunch and never came back, etc. since then. And several "long term" employees who were there before I started have also resigned since I've been there. And this is not a huge company. We have 20-25 employees total.

You'd think most employers whose heads were not shoved completely up their asses would realize that there's a problem somewhere. Turnover like that is ridiculous. We have been shorthanded in at least one department, sometimes more, for at least the last year and a half. Everybody else realizes that this is because the boss is a total jerk, the practice has no organization whatsoever, payscale is relatively low for the area, the "benefits" are minimal, bonuses and incentives are nonexistent, but for some reason he can't see this.

Why would I take a job there in the first place? Well, the boss painted a much prettier picture of the situation during the interview and tour of the practice. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much investigation beyond this because the main reason I went there was that I had worked previously with one of the doctors ("Dr. W") there, and wanted to work with him again.

The place I will (hopefully) be working at is a practice which I had prior conatct with a couple years ago. When I first decided to move to this area, I sent them a resume. they called me back almost immediately and were very interested. I was definitely leaning toward taking a job there, and only changed my mind and took the job I took so that I could work with Dr. W.

They had 2 job openings 2 years ago, one employee moved and another quit to have a baby. That was the first turnover they had in years. The opening they have now is the first since then. What a contrast to the Practice of Chaos where I work now.

Anyway, I have an interview with the new place on Tuesday - basically I have to meet the head doctor, and if he approves, I have the job! My current boss is about to be very, very unhappy. A doctor, the senior tech, and another tech all gave their notice last week. Now his "employee of the year" will soon be following suit.

Funny, but I really don't have the slightest bit of symapthy.

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I'm Back...Sort Of

2007-02-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it back from the famous family ski trip! That's where I was all last week, hence no posts and hardly any comments.

The bad news is, we are all sick with a stomach virus. "We" being myself, husband and 22 month old. The kid got it first, I assume he picked it up in the daycare we had him in while we were skiing. Hubby and I followed suit.

I didn't go in to work today, slept all day and went to the doctor. Doctor said not to go in tomorrow either, so another day of sleeping is planned. That and clear liquids.

I'll try to put up a better post in a few days.

Goodnight!

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Another Milestone

2007-01-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

My beautiful baby,the joy of my life, the apple of my eye, etc. etc. has just accomplished his crowning acheivement to date:

He (finally) learned to say "mommy"!

He has been saying "daddy" for some time now, and my husband goes on about how wonderful it makes him feel to hear Trevor say it.

I agree - it was really awesome!!!

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Colts, Cowboys & Patriots!!!

An Indianapolis Colts fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a New England Patriots fan were all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze.

All of a sudden Saudi police rushed in and arrested them.

The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offense in Saudi Arabia, so for the terrible crime, they were sentenced to death!

However, it was a Saudi national holiday the day their trial finished, and the extremely benevolent Sheik decided they could be released after receiving just 20 lashes each of the whip.

As they were preparing for their punishment, the Sheik suddenly said, "It's my first wife's birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping."

The Patriots fan was first in line (he drank the least), so he thought about this for a while and then said, "Please tie a pillow to my back." This was done, but the pillow only lasted 10 lashes before the whip went through. The Patriots fan had to be carried away crying like a baby.

The Cowboys fan was next up (he almost finished an entire fifth by himself), and after watching the scene, said "All Right! Please fix two pillows on my back." But even two pillows could only take 15 lashes before the whip went through, sending the Cowboys fan out crying like a little girl.

The Colts fan was the last one up (he had finished off the crate). The Sheik turned to him and said, "You support the greatest team in the world. Your city and fans are the greatest. For this, you may have two wishes!"

Thanks, your most Royal highness," the Colts fan replies. "In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 20, but 100 lashes.

"Not only are you an honorable man, you are also very brave," the Sheik says with an admiring look on his face. "If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish? the Sheik asks.

"Tie the Cowboys fan to my back!"

-

Cameras, Computers, and the Cursed "C"

2007-01-16T15:11:00.001-08:00

I have been very negligent with my blogging lately. I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks! I also have not been visiting any of you as often as I should. Sorry about that.

Anyway, things have calmed down at work. Pretty much. Our newest employee started on Jan. 2 - out of the 4 work days that week, he called in with a "family emergency" twice, and called in sick once. He tried to call in yesterday, but our supervisor told him if he wanted to keep his job, she really needed him to be at work. He showed up. Late.

On a better note - 19 DAYS 'TIL OUR VACATION!!! We will soon be off for a week of freezing our butts off in the mountains. If you didn't know, this is our annual family (and almost family) ski trip in Colorado. There are 9 of us including altogether - my parents, my sis and bro-in-law, a very close family friend and her husband, and of course there's me, Johnny and Trevor. We always have a terrific time! I'm hoping Trevor can start skiing next year.

I have started a new diet and exercise plan. I have stuck to the diet faithfully and haven't cheated at all. I have been so-so on the exercise. All in all, though, I have lost 2 pounds and feel really good, so I can't complain.

My parents bought us a new digital video camera for Christmas, so we could record and send them videos of their grandson. At first I was really excited and enthusiastic about learning to use it. Then I open the box and took out a bunch of wires, computer discs and other small objects as yet unidentified. OK, I can sort this out. Then I looked at the instruction manual. I tried to flip it open to the English section, then realized it was open to the English section.

I have managed to take some video footage and download it to the computer with the software that came with the camera. I used to do this fairly easily with my old, cheap, low resolution camera that produced small blurry videos. With this new camera, it took some doing. The horrendous instruction manual explained how to then transfer this footage to a recordable DVD via my computers DVD drive with writing capabilities. It looked simple, but wasn't. I still haven't been able to record a DVD. I even put down (well, threw down) the manual and just started trying stuff on my own. Hey, it's worked before. Unfortunately, not this time.

I found another program on my computer that was meant to copy and write CD's and DVD's. "Oh, cool!", I think, "let's try this one!" FRUITLESS!!! Every attempt, another dead end! I have not been this frustrated with an electronic device in quite some time. All I can figure is that the camera, knowingly or not, has joined the ranks of the dreaded "C".

Anyway, the camera, all the wires, discs and stuff that came with it, my computer and all of it is going with us to Colorado so my dad and my geek squad brother in law can figure it out.

I hope.

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Happy New Year!!!

2006-12-29T13:41:00.000-08:00

Then can we rest?

We had a great Christmas weekend visiting very dear friends down in Key Largo. The weather was beautiful, 80 degrees and sunny. Our Christmas dinner was a delicious seafood feast including crab legs, grouper filet, mahi mahi filet, shrimp, crab dip, and a few other items. Trevor got a few fresh bruises in the process of exploring a new environment, but overall it was a great visit.

We got home about 10:00 pm on Monday, and I had to work Tuesday morning. Most of our staff took this week off so we were running with a skeleton crew, some of us travelling from office to office together. One employee got an attitude with the doctor on duty and called him some interesting names including a racial slur. She then walked out. Another long-time employee had put in her notice and today was her last day. So now we have only 2 people to cover front desk, check out, and phones; one girl just started this week and the other is a part time employee. The doctor on duty this week is ready to hand in his resignation due to some other political b.s. which I won't go into now. The big boss comes back from vacation next week and I'm sure the proverbial shit will hit the equally proverbial fan. I feel like a housewife watching a saop opera, except it lasts 8 hours each day and I get paid.

At least I get to enjoy another 3 day weekend.

Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to Tuesday to find out what happens next. Damn those soaps, they always leave you with a cliffhanger for the weekend!

Best wishes to all for the new year!

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A Budding Nudist

2006-12-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

I can't keep clothes on my kid! He has figured out how to remove pretty much every article of clothing he has. And his diapers!

At first we thougth maybe he was taking his pants and diaper off because he was uncomfortable when he was wet or dirty. He usually fusses when he needs a change, though. We started checking his diaper more frequently.

I have come to realize that his removal of clothing and/or diapers has nothing to do with the condition of the diaper. Yesterday morning I changed his diaper and dressed him. Not 5 minutes later he was shirtless, had his pants around his knees and was working on the diaper.

I am thinking that it's probably about time he was toilet trained. If he wants to run around naked, I at least want him to potty in the toilet, not on the floor, like he did earlier in the week.

My husband came up with a solution(?) that seems to be working, at least for now. If we wrap a strip of duct tape around his waist, over the waistband of his pants, he doesn't seem to be able to take them off. I'm sure he will figure it out pretty soon. The trick is trying to stay a step or two ahead of him.

Has anyone else had this problem?

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Live and Let Live

2006-12-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be blogging and exchanging emails about whether it's appropriate to say Merry Christmas".

Of course it's appropriate! We supposedly have both freedom of religion and freedom of speech, right?

What I wish is that everybody would just go on and celebrate whatever holiday they celebrate, and not get offended when others do the same.

Wishing someone a happy holiday or a merry Christmas should be accepted as an expression of good will, and not another reason to be offended.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (or whatever)

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First Word

2006-12-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

My son has finally actually spoken his first word. I mean "spoken" as in he said it on purpose and knew what he was saying. He makes a lot of sounds while babbling that resemble real words, but he doesn't really mean anything by it. He has since repeated this word several times, on purpose, meaning it.

Oh, I suppose you want to know what the word was?

It was "Daddy"! His father is very proud.

His mother is slightly jealous, but oh well.

"Tis the Season

2006-11-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

I always put up my Christmas tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I did manage to get that done today, and as promised, here are the pictures:

In the photos, it almost looks like one of those white trees that are supposed to look like they're covered with snow (I guess). It is actually made from silver foil and it is very shiny. Apparently these were popular for a while in the early 60's or thereabouts. Do any of you remember having one?

I guess it's about time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I heard on the radio the other day, that December 23rd closely rivals Black Friday as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. As a usual last minute shopper, I thank the Good Lord for internet shopping with next day delivery! I haven't set foot in a mall in years.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

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I'm Still Here

2006-11-22T15:34:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever! I could make excuses, but I won't bother.

My dad (John Earle) posted recently about the passing of his mother, my grandmother. While she was alive, I had no idea how much money she was worth nor did it occur to me that she might leave me something when she died.

Upon her passing, I was informed that there was in fact a sizeable estate which was to be divided between Grandma's son , daughter and 6 grandchildren. Well, OK, I guess this is alright. How does this work, I ask.

Then I found out how much money the government takes off the top in the name of "inheritance tax." Then, on top of that, they take even more tax from money left to grandchildren in the name of the "generation skipping tax."

I'm not kidding! Maybe you all knew this already, but I had no clue. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm upset about getting less money. I don't care about that. It's just, where does the government get off taking that much money from one's estate? No matter that you work and pay taxes all your life, they just think they are entitled to half of your money simply because you die? Crazy.

Anyway...

Plans for Thanksgiving. A friend from Key West has a property on the bank of a river about an hour North of where I live. It is a very pretty peaceful spot. He is throwing a little get together for family and friends with tons of food, beverage, music and good company. Since we don't live near enough to family, or have enough money and time off to travel, we will be celebrating with friends on the river.

This weekend we will put up our Christmas tree! I have a really cool, different kind of tree - I will post a picture of it next week.

I'm off to read all your blogs now...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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What Day Is It, Anyway?

2006-11-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

Based on my morning, I would swear it was Monday, but that doesn't seem right...

First I overslept. I woke up in the middle of a very bizarre dream (which I have since forgotten) to realize I had only 20 minutes to get ready and leave for work or I would be late. This includes giving Trevor a bottle and changing his diaper.

I jumped in the shower and ran to hit the coffee. I made the unfortunate mistake of stopping at the computer. Never, ever, ever do this when you are running late.

I had a little message window up informing me that my computer couldn't find something. I didn't really care, so I tried to get rid of the little window. It wouldn't go away! No matter what I did, IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY!

This got me frustrated so I started closing things at random. During this phase, I lost some pictures my parents just sent me from their recent visit. We're talking about so many pictures that it took over an hour for them all to come thru. And we are both on cable high speed internet.

Incidentally, the window I was trying to close was still there.

I looked at the clock, said "Oh, shit!", grabbed my coffee and purse and left for work.

When I got going, I called my dad to tell him about my computer problems. As we were talking, I entered Interstate 75. The doctor I work for has 3 offices, all just off I-75. Yesterday I took I-75 south to our Sun City, FL office. Today I was supposed to go north to our Bushnell, FL office.

"Oh shit!" I said again. I just realized I was going south. I got off the phone and tried to get turned around. It took a good 15 or 20 minutes, because of the roads and traffic. My the time I got headed north, I had 20 minutes to drive 45 miles. Not gonna happen.

I got to work about 15 minutes late. Please don't figure out how fast I was driving.

I did make it to work, and yes, I called in to let them know. I sure do feel stupid though. As I was leaving work today one of my coworkers reminded me to take the northbound on-ramp tomorrow. I still haven't figured out how to retrieve my pictures from the computer.

Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday!!!

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