Rest in peace, Michael

Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest yesterday.

This shocked me. He was 50. He would have turned 51 in August.

This man, this boy, I'm almost at a loss for words.

He was not one of my favorites, but I did admire his talent. He was bigger than life, he created that image for himself, and he created, in my humble opinion, all of the bad press he got, too.

I don't know if he really did all of the terrible things that hit the newspapers, but I can say I did sympathize with him, to a degree.

I went to college at age 16-1/2, after my junior year in high school. It was a Freshman Honors Program at the University of Delaware, and the group of us, 133 in all (I think) were housed on the campus of Wesley College, a small nursing college in Dover, DE. We were a group of strange children, some of us very bright, some of us bright enough, some of us struggling to find out who we were, some of us convinced we were "different." Some of us were on the straight and narrow path, some strayed and experimented with drugs and alcohol. Some of us tried suicide, some of us quit the program, some of us stayed and succeeded and moved through the rest of our college years.

I liken us to the kids in The Breakfast Club, a small group of misfits, all of us very different, each in their own way. And we had to learn, about ourselves, about each other, about life.

Michael Jackson reminded me almost of an amalgamation of a bunch of my classmates. You could describe him as shy, retiring, reclusive, smart, bright, a genius, talented, kind-hearted, big-hearted, generous, easy to take advantage of, unaware of the real world, protected, sheltered...

I don't know if I believe he did those horrible things; I wouldn't be surprised to find that he just didn't think things could be misinterpreted, that his intentions were not criminal or sick, that he just had a big heart and couldn't say no to children.

I could be wrong: he could have been all of those terrible things of which he was accused.

I just don't know.

I do know that he was very talented, whether I personally liked his style or not, and there's just no one around to take his place. I did like some of his work, and always admired his abilities.

If it turns out he was abusing drugs, with or without the enabling of his family and friends and medical staff, well then, I'm sorry for that. Ultimately it's always our own responsibility. But that won't take away from his legacy.

Rest in peace, Farrah

How very sad. Farrah Fawcett passed away today.

Cancer sucks.

No one is safe.

Every time I hear about another loss, it brings it all home again. I suffer all over again. I feel the pain all over again. I feel the loss all over again.

I didn't know her. But I truly feel a loss with her passing. Seems a bit strange, even to me, but over the past few years, since she announced that she was suffering from anal cancer, she did what she could to raise awareness. She released a video she filmed while taking treatments, while suffering. She did this to help others. She proved herself to be a strong, wonderful, passionate fighter.

She was more than just Jill Munroe from Charlie's Angels.

Rest in peace, Farrah.

Whatever happened to polite?

I found this blog entry at Ordinary Courage. All I can say is "thank you" to Brene! Thank you for speaking so eloquently to this very real lack of respect that is permeating society today.

Is it really so hard to be polite? To say "thanks" or "you're welcome" or "excuse me"??? She was prompted to write about the rudeness of people on cell phones, how self-absorbed some of these people are, how they ignore everyone around them, how they ignore others and treat them as if they're not even there, how rude and ignorant they are to those who are working for them or doing something for them...

One of my pet peeves, and, yes, it's one of many and it's not going to save the world... one of my pet peeves is when I drive through a tollbooth and I hand that person my hard-earned money (we don't have an EZ-Pass), 9 times out of 10 they don't say thank you. Now I know they're getting paid to be there, and I know that I'm not giving them money out of the kindness of my heart (I sort of have to, if I want to go any further on the road!), but would it kill them to say "thanks" or "have a nice day" - especially when I say (and I don't know why I do this!) thanks to them (for taking my money????)? This will ALWAYS prompt me to make a nasty little comment like, "How RUDE!" as I drive off to finish my trip.

I hope I remember to always be polite and considerate and not take anyone for granted. And please, remind me I said this if you see me treat someone like the dirt on the bottom of my shoe!!!

I'm worried about what's going on here...

If you're concerned about the US, read The Man on the Edge today.
I like the way he thinks.

Books.

Books.

I love them.

I love reading them.

I love being surrounded by them.

I love the smell and the feel of them.

I would rather read than do almost anything else in the world, and that includes eat. (Yes, believe it or not!)

Books are part of my life, part of my home, part of me.

I am always reading one, sometimes several at a time.

I learn from books. I teach with books. I decorate with books. I buy books. I share books. I borrow books.

I collect books. Signed books. Unsigned books. Books by certain authors. First editions. Reprints. Old copies, damaged copies, annotated copies. Books about certain subjects. Books about books.

I have become recently obsessed with the idea of creating a book. Designing it. Writing it. Binding it. Making a book that is "me." I've been crawling through the crafting sections of a few B&Ns, looking for a specific book that was recommended to me: How to Make Books, by Esther Smith. Two stores said they had it in stock, but it was nowhere on the shelves. I'm thinking of ordering it online, sight unseen, even though I'm a bit leery about doing so. I'd really rather see it, touch it, know that I want it because I see it and love it.

I've browsed through other books in the store, other books about the same topic, but I wasn't thrilled with them. What if I don't like this one? Just because someone recommended it to me doesn't mean I won't be disappointed in it.

Lord knows I've bought other books sight unseen. What makes this one different? What makes me hesitate about buying this one? I've spent $80+ on a book about libraries, sight unseen. Why am I so uncertain about buying this one? It almost makes me think I should buy it, just because I have no real reason not to... (Sorry about that ending preposition...)

But I'll try a few other stores first. There's a Borders at the lake that I'll be passing en route to the beauty supply store, which is the only place I can now find my favorite hairspray. Which is another story, for another day...

Three Good Deeds and a Wildlife Suicide...

Intriguing blog post title, don't you think?

So here's the kind of weekend I had...

On Saturday we had our annual family picnic. In the rain. 'Cause we've been doing everything in the rain lately 'cause it hasn't stopped raining for it seems like three weeks! But anyway, the picnic was at the home of one of Jack's cousins, and we hadn't seen the house yet. They bought it about a year and a half ago and were able to take advantage of the housing market before the official slump began... It's a $1.4 million dollar home that they got for the bargain price of around $750K! Anyway, they have an absolute dream of a master suite, a beautiful kitchen, and absolutely gorgeous landscaping (including a screened in porch and a multi-tiered koi pond!). Of course, I didn't have my camera with me...

After the picnic we went on to the lake, only to find that thanks to the conversion from analog to digital, we have ABSOLUTELY.NO.RECEPTION.AT.ALL.AT.THE.LAKE. And I refuse to pay for cable for a home we spend 1-2 nights in each week, so we will either watch movies, or find some other way to entertain ourselves.

On Sunday morning, we got up, went to church, went for breakfast at Bagels on the Hill, and then drove back home. Surprisingly, the sun, that big warm yellow orb in the sky we haven't seen in years (okay, I'm exaggerating!) was out. So Jack fiddled around outside while I went upstairs and started some more cleaning/purging of my scrapping room. At 10:30 we left for a rally at Kabob's. It was a rally for the Lake Hopatcong Alliance. The lake isn't in too good a shape this season - there are a lot of businesses failing 'cause there are very few tourists 'cause the lake is almost 2' below normal. This is and will continue to seriously impact the environment and the economy in the lake communities. The state is apparently letting 4.2 million gallons of water out of the lake a day, to feed the rivers and streams. After releasing 1.26 billion gallons too much water in December alone! The weeds are a problem, the town's budget was cut so the weed harvester operators were let go, there's no funding to operate the harvesters and the weeds are already high. With the water low, you can just imagine...

Anyway, off my soapbox...

We went to the rally and I went inside to buy a sticker for my car. They asked for a $5 donation so I paid with a $20 bill. As we turned to walk out, Jack asked how I paid for the sticker. I said, "With a $20 bill." "Well, they gave you $100 in change!"

????????????????????????????

I quickly turned around and gave them the money back - I hadn't even looked at the change and probably wouldn't have noticed 'til I got outside... I told the girls at the table what happened and they were so grateful; that was probably a 1/4 of their take for the whole rally! I got the correct change and we left. [Good deed #1]

We got back in the car and drove home. It wasn't far but it was up and down a couple of very steep hills so we drove. We turned onto our street and as I came around the first bend, there was a turtle crossing the road! I stopped the car and Jack got out, grabbed his gloves from the back of the truck and picked up the turtle to move him off the street. [Good deed #2] He needed gloves 'cause we have snapping turtles in the lake; better safe than sorry! Of course, being a scrapper, I wanted pictures so Jack walked over to the side of the car so I could take a picture or two. All of a sudden we heard a "tick, tick, tick, tick" from my engine. Our eyes met - I'm married to a part-time certified mechanic - my car just doesn't make strange noises for no reason!!! He thought perhaps there was a stick or something caught in the fan.

We drove home and I parked the car and went inside. I went back upstairs to work a bit and after 20 minutes or so, Jack shouted up at me, "Come down here now!"

Now, those of you who know me, well you know I took my sweet time 'cause I could tell he wasn't injured and I'm not one to come when called like the family pet... I got downstairs a minute or so later and went outside. He asked me to guess what was stuck in the car.

I immediately freaked out - "It had better not be a bird 'cause I've already had a bird stuck in my grill and that grossed me out!" "It's not a bird. Go look at the fan."

So I walked to the front of the car and looked down at the fan, but couldn't see anything. Jack said to just pull the shroud forward and peek down in there, so I did but I couldn't see anything.

As I bent closer to see if I could see, he said, "It's a snake."

Well, I must have jumped and screamed 'cause he started laughing and I started getting completely grossed out. I demanded (not my usual persona!) that he get that effin' snake out of my car 'cause I'm not effin' driving home with a snake wrapped around my fan and he'd better get the front end of my car off 'cause he's a mechanic and he can effin' do it....

Who knew Hyundai Santa Fes were so well-made? The pieces he needed to remove to get the snake out were all welded together! He called KD, our friend and the most awesome body shop guy on earth, and KD told him that all he could think of, if Jack couldn't get the front end off, was for Jack to take a knife and...

YUK! I told Jack to wash up for lunch, even though I was totally skeeved out! I told him to sterilize himselg - "I didn't touch the snake, Krys!" - but I wasn't buying it and said he'd better wash up the best he ever did...

We had lunch, then Jack took a wire hanger outside while I sat in the dining room and enjoyed some Roasted Pineapple and Poblano salsa with some chips and read Dean Koontz's Relentless. All of a sudden Jack called me outside again.

He had managed to hook it with the end of the hanger and get it out of the car.

IT.WAS.TWENTY-NINE.INCHES.LONG.

WITHOUT.ITS.HEAD.

YUK! [Wildlife Suicide referred to in blog post title.]

After we went home, I took Mom to Shop Rite and while I was waiting for her, I noticed that a woman was shopping in the same aisle as I was, with her twins in a double stroller and a toddler in the oversized shopping cart with the plastic car on the front end which is supposed to entertain your child but really only serves to get in the way of every other shopper in the store... She had her husband along to help but I heard one of the babies crying and I heard something fall out of the cart and she was looking but couldn't see what it was. I told the lady that the baby had dropped his rattle. She thanked me and said that the rattle wasn't really a problem but that he had lost his blankie somewhere and he was never going to go to sleep again 'cause he couldn't sleep without it.

"Was it small and green?" I asked. YES! I had seen another customer pick it up off the floor in the last aisle but I didn't know if she'd put it on the shelf or taken it to Customer Service... It didn't matter - that lady took off so fast! Mom and I moved on, but then I realized the mother hadn't come back in a while and the father was standing there with the three kids, one still crying. I walked over and asked if she'd found it, and he said not yet, so I went to the other aisle to look for it. (I realized I hadn't told her where we were standing when the other lady found it...) I saw it on the shelf, and returned it to the dad then went to find the mom who was still searching aisle by aisle. [Good deed #3]

And after that sunny day, three good deeds, and a wildlife suicide (who'd have thought a snake would crawl up into my car?!?), it's been raining ever since and nothing outstandingly good has happened since - except that I haven't had a pressure headache all week (and I probably just jinxed myself good!).

BO, Stephen Colbert, and the Troops

Please visit Jessica at It's My Life. She has a clip from Stephen Colbert's show, where he shaved his head in support of the troops in Iraq, and at the order of BO!!! This is a fun clip and for once, I have to say I enjoyed BO's appearance via satellite!

She should be so embarrassed!!!

This is a blog entry that my sister posted after she clicked on the link below. Please read her blog entry, then click on the link, then read my comments below...

"June 10
Federal promise to keep the rich - well, rich!
http://dailybail.com/home/there-are-no-words-to-describe-the-following-part-ii.html

Had to paste this link here Krys, I may have to send it out to a more global audience! While I have been all for change, I was against bailouts before the election & still am. This is a disgrace. If this interview took place at one of my corporate meetings, her pink slip would be on her desk by Monday. Imagine her resume?

"Hi, I'm responsible for overseeing the Federal Reserve. I do so by reviewing on a general basis that does not include specifics that say where the money has gone to. It is highly efficient, as I prevent all kinds of scandals from being disclosed, I make sure the wealthy have the capability to remain wealthy by whatever anonymous means necessary. I waste no money, as I take it & do not pour it into actual work. All money that comes my way ends there. My office does review non-specific uses of federal money without actually learning anything. We hesitate to "investigate" as the connotations that term implies may not be favorable to our clients. Oh, excuse me while the young intern behind me tells me what to say -- err, I what Imeant to say, my advisor is informing me of another trillion from our balance sheet that is accounted for by a number of non-specific transactions that are under review but we do not have to actually identify specifically, as this office is not obligated to do so.""


Okay - it's Krys again. Oh.My.God.

Are you kidding me?????

Now my sister voted for B.O. She had numerous reasons for doing so, some political and some, in my humble opinion, not so political. While I disagreed with her and her reasons, this is America and she had every right to vote for the candidate of her choice. (As did I.)

And I am encouraged by a couple of her sentences: "While I have been all for change, I was against bailouts before the election and still am. This is a disgrace."

Who's bailing YOU out? Who's paying off your credit card debt? Who's paying your mortgage or rent when you can't afford it? Who's giving you a pass on paying college tuition? While, I might add, you spend all your money on parties and clothes and travel! Is someone giving you a big chunk'o'cash so you don't have to worry about paying your bills? Bills that you incurred by your own actions?

Trillions of dollars. More money than ALL PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAVE SPENT COLLECTIVELY. Did you hear that? MORE MONEY THAN ALL PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAVE SPENT COLLECTIVELY. In his first 100 days!

You're right, that is a historic accomplishment! Not one I'm all that happy about, though!

This video is just atrocious. It made me literally feel nauseated to watch that woman sit there and avoid answering the question. She basically said she can't answer because they're investigating but they haven't found anything out about what they're investigating while they're investigating and she can't answer the question she doesn't really understand (can you repeat the question?) because the investigation is ongoing and they haven't investigated that yet.

C - you're right. I'd certainly have gotten fired for answering our previous boss like that. In fact, I'd get fired now for answering my current boss like that.

That woman should be ashamed of herself.

As should this country.

Please read this and think about it.

I just read a blog entry on one of my favorite blogs, The Man on the Edge. Fred is a Navy man, on the cusp of retirement. He is a family man who loves his wife and children, and loves and honors his country. He has served his country, happily, voluntarily, despite the sacrifices he had to make to do so.

He has a remarkable way with words and created this blog a while ago, in response, I suppose to what he saw coming down the pike here in America. He loves America. He doesn't love what he sees happening in and to this great country.

And I agree with him. Wholeheartedly.

His post yesterday scares me. Please read it; click on the link at the beginning of this post.

This is America, people. Land of the free, remember? With the right to assemble, where we've been promised freedom of religion?

Tag, I'm It!!!

I've been tagged by Shazza at Shazza's Craft Connection. Here you go, Shazza!

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Retirement
2. Lunch
3. Going home
4. My niece's wedding
5. Our 10 year anniversary cruise! (Just booked it this weekend!)
6. Reading
7. Scrapping - don't know when I'm going to get around to this again - so busy!
8. A quiet weekend at the lake

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Went for our weekly cake and coffee at my sister-in-law's house
2. Bought some lemonade from our little neighbor's lemonade stand
3. Cooked a couple of hamburgers on the George Forman grill
4. Bought a pair of orange striped flip flops off the Land's End website
5. Balanced my checkbook
6. Made Mrs. K's salad
7. Sorted through the clean laundry
8. Caught up on my email and blog reading

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. Play the piano
2. Sing well
3. Dance well
4. Swim
5. Teach
6. Take a trip each year to one of my dream destinations
7. Write well
8. Cry pretty

8 Things or Shows I've Watched Lately
1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. Footloose
3. CSI Miami
4. Star Trek, the Movie
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
6. Extreme Home Makeover
7. America's Funniest Home Videos (I could watch this every day!)
8. Without a Trace

Now I'm supposed to tag 8 other bloggers; I can't do this - my friendly bloggers are all so busy these days, what with summer vacation almost in full swing, impending moves and job changes rapidly approaching, a combination of all of the above... How about if you want to participate, just leave me a message that you've made your list of 8s on your blog and I'll come and visit!

Things I Have Done - or Not Done, depending on where you're standing...

Okay, I was reading Miss Stephanie's blog, Pike's Pickles, and I saw this - so here you go:

Things I have done, or not done, depending on how you read this and what you're more interested in... I've bold-faced the ones I HAVE done...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - does the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas count???
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - duh! Who wants to waste a sick day on being sick???
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - again, I ask, does it count if I did it in Vegas???
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - not on purpose!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous: Ann Margaret, Sarah Ferguson, Nancy Reagan, Vanna White, Richard Simmons, Danielle Steel, Stephen King, to name just a few...
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - too many of them.
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

How was YOUR Memorial Day weekend????!!!

Mine was, for lack of a better word, "interesting." (And let me warn you now, this will be a LONG post!!!)

Let's see. On Thursday night I went out to dinner with 5 women I used to work with, back in the day. We worked together for years and years and years, and we are all the best of friends. The company closed without warning and we scattered into the wind. We don't get a chance to get together very often, and the circumstances that got us together this time? Not so great, either. One of the companies that three of the women work for is closing their NJ office so 2 of them are once again unemployed. We took advantage of the fact that they would no longer be local once the office physically closed to make sure we met for dinner at the Barnyard in Totowa. We sat on the patio, ordered drinks and appetizers and food, and laughed and talked and laughed some more. There was a really good reason we all stayed working together for so many years, despite the horrors of that company itself - 'cause we all get along so well!!

I went home, we packed up for the long weekend, and went to sleep. I woke up the next day and my throat was scratchy. In hindsight, it was probably 'cause I was outside, with allergies, and yelling and laughing, but I sure didn't want to get strep again (see my previous blog post!) so I called the doctor. They prescribed 10 days of emoxycillin, 500mg, 3 times a day! Can I just tell you that I haven't taken it 3 times a day YET! I am not sick, my throat no longer hurts, so I forget to take it. This 10 day prescription will take me 20 to finish!!! Speaking of which, I forgot to take it today, too, so I will take it at lunchtime...

We had a 1/2 day Friday so we packed the car, picked up that prescription, and left for the lake, which is 42 miles away. Which took us three hours to get to because of the holiday traffic. 3 hours to go 42 miles. 3 hours for a trip that normally takes us 45 minutes. Yuk.

Jack had gone to Boonton, NJ, on the Thursday night I was partying with my pals, and he bought a boat motor for $700. Not cheap. We got to the lake, he decided he wanted to go for a putt around the lake so he propped the motor on the back of the rowboat and ran inside to get a piece of wood. I did ask him if it was safe to leave the motor there, and he did say yes, but apparently the motor gods weren't listening. While I stood there, worried it would tilt and fall into the water... It tilted and started to fall into the water!!! I literally jumped into the lake, in my sundress and in my shoes, and tried to grab it before it went under. Now the motor weighs about 50 or 60 pounds, and I know that the propeller end goes in the water, but I didn't think the motor end should be submersed so I rescued it! I grabbed it and hoisted it up and yelled for Jack. He came running, took one look at me in the water and grabbed the motor from me! (He hates it when I'm right!)

We went for a putt (yay! the motor works!). We got back to the dock and Jack thought it would be okay to leave the motor in the boat while it was docked. But the water is 2' down, a HUGE deal at Lake Hopatcong this season! And there are some cement platforms and cinderblocks submerged at the end of our dock. And I was afraid the motor would hit the cement and get damaged but Jack didn't think so until he thought about it for a few moments, so he decided to take the motor in for the night. Yeah, okay. He decided to take the motor off the back of the rowboat while.he.was.in.the.rowboat. (Read that again.) So he hopped in, loosened the clamps that hold the motor on the back of the rowboat and tried to pick up the motor. The motor that weighs 50 to 60 pounds. While the motor was centered, Jack wasn't so when he picked it up the rowboat tilted up under the dock and Jack was losing his balance. (Yes, picture it!) I was laughing so hard it took me a minute to think to sit down on the dock and put my foot on the boat to steady it so he wouldn't fall in! He put the motor on the dock and climbed to safety!

We ran to the store for some things, and had dinner, then came home and put our pajamas on to watch some television. (Yes, we lead an exciting life!) I missed Numbers (we both like that show!) and the news and woke up at around 11:45pm; David Letterman was doing the Top Ten. I thought it would be a good idea to go brush my teeth and turn off the TV and go to bed, so I did. Go to try to brush my teeth, that is.

I put toothpaste on my toothbrush, and turned the faucet on, but there was no water. So I thought, "Hmm, probably forgot to turn the pump on!" So I ran downstairs and - the pump was on! So I went back upstairs and turned the faucet on again, thinking that probably we ran the water without the pump being on and needed to send water on up to the second floor... We pull our water from the lake, folks, we have no city water at the lake house.

No deal. No water. So I go and wake Jack up and he goes downstairs to turn the pump on. Yes, it was on already. So then he went into the basement to check on the little piece that sometimes pops off the top of the tank but it hadn't popped off. So he came upstairs, got dressed 'cause it was chilly in the basement, and we both went downstairs. He banged on the regulator a bit; it worked the last time we had no water. He checked the pressure in the tanks. Pressure was fine. We checked the breaker to be sure we had electric running to the tanks. He checked the wires to be sure all was well.

The pump in the lake blew. For no apparent reason. We'd used water earlier. We had water earlier. Now we didn't.

So on Saturday we went to Lowe's and bought a $14 regulator (just in case 'cause we'd already changed it three times so maybe we needed another new one) and a $333 water pump.

You guessed it. It wasn't the regulator. It was the water pump.

Now keep in mind it's Memorial Day weekend. If we call a pump guy we're not going to pay weekend rates. We'll be paying HOLIDAY weekend rates. So Mr. Fix-It decided to do it himself. Now he's perfectly capable. It's just that sometimes he makes some questionable decisions.

Like when he decided to change the pump without going into the lake. He was going to do it from the rowboat. The pump is at the end of a 40' hose that's wrapped in heating wire and electrical tape. It's about 6' down in the water. And to make the story even better? The pump guy who put it in for us about 6 years ago tied a cinderblock to it to keep it at the bottom of the lake. But one cinderblock wasn't enough for Jack!

If there was only one cinderblock attached to the end, the hose could float off the lake bottom and get cut by other boats' propellers, so Jack.tied.6.more.cinderblocks.to.the.hose. (Read that again!) Mm-hmm. There were a total of 7 cinderblocks that he decided he would pull out of the water, one at a time, while still attached to the hose, cut loose and put in the rowboat so he could get the one at the end, the one attached to the pump, up out of the water.

I calmly suggested he might want to just put his bathing suit on and his water shoes and just do it that way, but nooooooooooooooooo, he was going to do it from the rowboat.

I have pictures.

To top it all off, when he hopped back down in the rowboat to start the 1/2 half of this fiasco and return the new pump to the lake, there were lobsters in our boat!! Not really - crawfish of some kind, but boy, were we surprised! They were apparently living in or on one of the cinderblocks that Jack hauled up into the boat and he just didn't notice them until later...

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was relatively uneventful. We had water. No one fell or jumped into the lake. We came home and had a BBQ with my mom, and did some laundry, and went to my sister-in-law's for Monday Night Dessert.

And since then, blah, blah, blah, nothing to report!!!

Playing catch up...

So where should I begin?

How about last Wednesday night?

Watched some TV next to my husband (not "with" my husband - I was watching, he was sleeping!) and fell asleep at 11pm - I know this because I saw the end of the show I was watching and I know it was 11:16pm when I woke up - with a sore throat. And when I say a "sore throat," I actually mean a throat that hurt so much I couldn't swallow. At all. And it took a solid 16 minutes for it to get that sore. From 11pm to 11:16pm. With no symptoms before I fell asleep.

I was up until about 1am-ish, and finally fell asleep again, but not into a restful sleep 'cause when I woke up again, at 4:48am, I woke up convinced I had throat cancer. Now, those of you that know me well know I'm truly NOT a hypochondriac. But my eventually-will-be-my-brother-in-law just went through a course of radiation and two types of chemo for some throat tumors he originally suspected were swollen glands from a cold... So of course, I had throat cancer.

I called out sick on Thursday, and then called the dr at 10:03am. Angela, the wonderful office manager at the dr's office, squeezed me in at 12:15 so I drove over there at noon. For I think the first time ever, I only waited about 5 minutes. (Great doctors, but terrible waits in the waiting room!) I was escorted into the examining room, and the nurse came in to take my vitals: BP 120/80 (okay), pulse okay, slight temperature (99.6). She asked me what was wrong.

"I have throat cancer."

She slowly looked up at me and said, "What?"

So I explained that my BIL had cancerous tumors in his throat and so when I woke up with a really bad sore throat, my first thought was throat cancer. Although, admittedly, when I started to get a stuffy head and a low-grade fever, I changed my diagnosis to a cold or to the flu. (I started heading toward swine flu, but the nurse didn't really look like she had a sense of humor).

She told me the doctor would be in soon.

And she left me sitting there. Without an audience.

Until Dr. R. came in. "So, you're not feeling well, are you?"

"No, Dr., I have throat cancer."

Dr. R. is a much better audience.

"What makes you think you have throat cancer? You don't smoke. It says here in your file you've never smoked."

So I proceded to explain how T had cancerous tumors in his throat just a few months ago, how he'd gone through the radiation and chemo concurrently, how when I started to get other symptoms, I sort of disregarded my initial diagnosis of throat cancer...

"Brother-in-law, right? Not related to you?" I concurred. "Not throat cancer, Krys, but it could be swine flu."

LOVE this doctor!!!

Ultimately the diagnosis was pharyngitis. According to Wikipedia, pharyngitis is commonly known as a sore throat. (Duh, I could have told you that!) They did a throat culture just to be sure I didn't have strep, and sent me on my way with a prescription for Z-pac.

My, when you don't take antibiotics very often, they really work wonders on you! I took my initial two pills as soon as I got home, and my sore throat was almost gone within a little over an hour!!! I dozed during the afternoon, woke up for Dr. Phil and a little bit of Oprah. Watched Grey's Anatomy with Jack (LOVED it!!). Went to sleep.

Woke up on Friday, and took Friday off as well, even though I really was feeling markedly better. The doctor recommended I take the day off, and I had a full day planned for Saturday so I decided rather than wait until November to try and squeeze in the remainder of my sick days so as not to lose them, I'd just take another! So I did.

Watched quite a bit of TLC and HGTV, some more Dr. Phil and Oprah, then packed for the lake. We went up to the lake Friday night, and on Saturday, I spent the day scrapping at an all-day crop in Rockaway. LOVED the venue! I had a 6' table all to myself! They had food and snacks all day long, breakfast and lunch and dinner were served. Prizes every hour on the hour.

I wasn't as productive as I'd have liked to have been, but now that I know the women I won't spend as much time talking next crop! I'll be able to be more creative, and complete a few more projects...

My daughter is supposed to have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy on Wednesday, followed by another of her iron infusions, but she woke up today with some cold/flu symptoms (NO, she did NOT get it from me; I haven't seen her since before Mother's Day!). Don't know if they'll be willing to do the procedures... She's waiting to hear from the drs. Please keep her in your prayers. We don't want them to find anything wrong, but on the flip side, what could be causing all her symptoms??? She's run down, low iron, low hemoglobin. They keep saying she's anemic.

Okay, but why????? She wasn't for 3/4 of her life, just the past few years. They're going to test her for gluten intolerance, just for sh-ts and giggles (which, btw, I recommended a year ago!!!). She already took a look at the diet and decided she can't follow it - she'd have to give up too many of her favorite foods.

NOT! I referred her to GlutenFreeGirl.com. I've been reading Shauna's blog for about three years now, even before I found out she was an author here at my company! She's a terrific writer, and her recipes are to die for!!!

Anyway, gotta run - more later!!!

I won an award from Ms. TawanaB!!!

Thanks, Ms. TawanaB, for the lovely award! That was so nice of you! And it's especially nice since you gave it to me after I posted about being a mom! That really means a lot to me!!!

I'm sick in bed so I'm not going to pass it along right this very moment, but I promise to do so in a few days, when I feel better! Maybe I'll find some new blogs to award!!

A New Me...

I've turned over a new leaf. Made a new resolution. Decided to have a better week.

I've been letting circumstances get to me. And they've been getting to me to the point that they're affecting me and my husband. And NOTHING, repeat, NOTHING will come between us.

So, here and now, I promise you, Jack, that I'm not going to let the outside stuff inside. I won't get so caught up in being annoyed with others that I let that annoyance spill out onto you. You don't deserve it. You are incredible. And even though you're not reading this, you will see a change in my behavior and in my moods - I'm sorry I've been so tough to live with these past couple of weeks. I will leave work at work.

The funny thing is, even with what I've been dealing with here at work, this job is galaxies better than previous jobs. I guess the difference is me: I'm not handling stress as well as I used to when I was younger. I admit, it's harder for me now to deal with change and stress and upset. But I had a conversation with God this Sunday, and I made Him some promises and I know I can count on Him to help me keep my promises to Jack.

Mother's Day was lovely. Church with Jack at 8am, breakfast with Jack and Mom and my sister and her beau. And he's doing well. He's stopped the chemo and the radiation: he wasn't able to finish the course of the treatment, but the doctors had chosen the high end of the range. They wanted him to take 34 radiation treatments; he took 30. They wanted 3 of one chemo and 4 of another; he took 3 and 3. That's still within the acceptable treatment plan, so they were okay with him quitting. He started to get burns on the back of his neck from the radiation on his throat; that's when he asked if he could quit. He's lost some weight, and you can see it in his face, but he doesn't look "sick, like he has cancer." I was so happy they joined us for breakfast!

Then we went to the cemetaries and planted some flowers at my grandmother's grave and at my dad's, and at my in-laws', too. Then Mom went home for a few hours and I cleaned my kitchen. Not too Mother's Day-ish, but it's the first weekend we've been home in months, so I took advantage. And my kitchen sparkles! I made some tuna salad for Jack to take to work this week, and I vacuumed downstairs and upstairs (just have the actual stairs left to do). And I need to straighten up and dust upstairs yet. And I managed to do some exercises with the hand weights. Then my nephew came over; he annoyed me a lot, but I'm not going to go into that here - I've already complained about him enough this weekend... Then it was off to dinner with Mom and Jack - mm, mmm, good! Then some computer work for the After-School Program, and some TV, then sleepies!

I also spent Saturday shopping in the mall. Surprisingly, even though I didn't find a gown I liked, I tried on some cocktail dresses, just to check out the colors and the styles. I was pretty happy to find some short dresses that looked pretty darn good on me - I'm feeling a bit less panicky about finding something to wear, now that I know I can find a short dress if I can't find a gown... I had hoped to post a couple of pictures of the ones I tried on but I couldn't find any photos online...

Guess what! Today I won a monogram stamp set on one of the blogs I read every day! I'm so excited! Thanks, Wendy Sue!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there in the real world! Hope you have THE most wonderful day! You deserve it!

I've been thinking about the first time my husband referred to me as the mother of his children.

I've been thinking about how much it hurts that I've never had children of my own. This is something that begins to nag at me and hurt whenever my husband asks me what I want for Mother's Day. I always thought having babies would be a part of my life. I always assumed I'd have at least a few. But things didn't work out that way. My husband has two, from his first marriage, and he didn't want more. He wanted, instead, to spend the rest of his life with me. He wanted us to retire young, enjoy life together, and not have to work for the rest of our lives and die working. It was a hard decision for me to make, in some ways - should I have waited to possibly meet someone who might want to have babies? No, I decided that I loved this man, and I wanted to spend my life with him, even if I wasn't going to have babies of my own. And I don't regret that decision. But it wasn't an easy one, and just because I'm okay with it doesn't mean I don't miss that part of my life I thought would be there. Mother's Day is hard for me. I cry. I cry for the children I don't have, for the children I'll never have. But then I get a Mother's Day card from my daughter, and she tells me she loves me, and my husband gets me the most beautiful Mother's Day card he can find and he tells me he loves me and that his children are lucky to have me for their mother - and all's right in my world!

And I remember each year that there's someone in my life, someone who means so very much to me, who has never wished me a Happy Mother's Day. I think she just doesn't consider me to be a mom 'cause I ain't birthed no babies myself. But you know what? She's wrong. I'm a mom. I'm a darned good mom. I have loved and sacrificed and cared and worried, just like a "real" mom. And I hope she knows who she is. 'Cause it hurts when she ignores this day that means so much to me.

I've been thinking, too, about my mom. I just want to take a moment to pay tribute to her - she is probably one of the strongest women I've ever met. She has a heart of gold. She's strong-willed, she's opinionated, she's kind, she's thoughtful, she's generous. She's taught me that I can do or be whatever I want to do or be, that I'm capable of anything and everything. She has loved me, without exception, every day of my life.

If I can be 1/2 the mom she's been to me, then I'll have outshown every other mom on this earth but her!!!

Pictures, as promised...

Here's a picture of me taken in the bathroom in New Orleans. (Yea, TMI!) I can't figure out a good way to do a self portrait... so I try numerous times, in numerous places...

Here's another picture of me taken in the bathroom in New Orleans. At first I hated the lighting, but it's sort of cool. Hard to scrap, though - it clashes with a lot of paper...

This is Indian Island, which is about 1/2 mile from our lake house. Jack and I always look at it and think, "How cool would it be to own your own island?" Until that weekend we saw the guy loading 1x6s into a rowboat, one by one, by hand, rowing across to the island, and unloading them one by one, by hand. We decided living on the mainland isn't so bad...

Here's the cake from my niece's shower. Mm-mm, good! I was going to post a picture of her at the party, but thought I'd better get her permission first...

And now some scrapping pictures, since originally I'd thought that's what this blog would be, a place for me to be creative and post pictures of my work. Yea, we all know how that turned out! Instead you've been subjected to the rants and raves and stream of consciousness we loosely refer to as my mind!

This is a page I did for an online class... I may have posted it before, but it struck my eye going through my files - I have, over the past 10 years or so, developed a fondness for the color green. Before that, it was purple. Nothing else, no other favorite. Purple.

This is another project I did for a different online class. We had to create something that illustrated our mission statement, something that explained why we scrap. Heck, I have no idea - 'cause it's the only creative outlet I have? 'Cause I have no other hobbies? 'Cause one can only read so many books and watch so much TV?

And here's a page I did about my mom, in honor of Mother's Day. The journaling reads: This started out to be a page about my love for Mom, but when I had to do a page about my hero, this is the woman - this is the photo. I see love in her face, and strength. She has been through so much - leaving Poland, living in Siberia, and Kenya, and Uganda, and the UK. Moving to the US, raising 3 children, losing her sister, her parents, her husband - and still remaining the strongest person I know." I love you, Mom!

Not much to add...

I haven't posted in a while, I know, and I have virtually nothing to write about today. I was just feeling like I've missed my 2 readers (and you know who you are!) so I thought I'd pop in and say howdy-do!

So let's see, what's been going on...

Well, we went to the shower. It was lovely, and went off without a hitch. Well, almost. The groom's sister didn't come. That, to me, is unbelievable. Especially since the very day before, my niece and her fiance were at his sister's daughter's Communion. She said to T, "See you tomorrow, at your shower!"

And then, according to her phone call to her brother at 2:30pm (the shower started at 12 noon), she "forgot" about the shower.

Yeah, right.

Now there's a back story - she's married to a man who is, according to T's fiance, a jerk. With a capital J-E-R-K. He's apparently emotionally abusive and a cheat and an adulterer and a manipulator. This woman has been living without a kitchen for 3 years. Read that again: I said 3 years! He went out to do a job painting (his second job, that he uses for cover while he's cheating on his wife -yes, class act, this one!) and the customer said he could have the old kitchen cabinets she was tearing out so he came home, tore out his, brought home the others, and they didn't fit. So sister has been washing her dishes in the bathroom sink ever since. That was 3 years ago. T's fiance was living there for the past 5 years or so, so this comes from a reliable source.

To top it off, Jerk sent his wife an email at work last Friday that said he wanted a divorce and if she fought him on it or made a scene or did anything stupid, he'd tell the kids it was her fault.

Okay, he's a jerk AND he's dumb.

But fiance seems to think his sister will take the jerk back, yet again. Even though she's miserable. Because she's done it before.

I could not live that way. We all put up with stupid things our loved ones do, and I'm guilty of a few myself, believe me! But there are limits, and there are boundaries, and there is a line that you'd just better not cross. I personally think this man has crossed it, over and over, for years, and if it were up to me, I'd nail him to a wall!

So, back to the shower - my zebra stripes faded enough so that the dress looked nice on me and I didn't have to cover up with a sweater or a jacket. I need to find black sandals to wear with it so I can wear it to work - that's my goal this weekend.

This past weekend was Garage Sale Weekend in Hopatcong, the town our lake house is in, and we traveled all over looking for a deal. Found nada, basically, but we enjoy it! I did pick up some jigsaw puzzles for mom for Mother's Day, and a couple of beautiful quilted potholders from the nice Polish/Russion/Ukranian lady we know from church (I don't know what nationality she is, but one of those three is probably right!). Jack got a wand for watering flowers (for 50 cents! Can't beat that, he said!) and we got to meet official trailer park trash who live in a house!

Yes, you read that right, readers! It was 9:30 in the morning on Sunday, we were in the back-a$$ end of nowheresville, having followed the absolute BEST garage sale signs on the face of the earth to Church Lady's home and her neighbor, Trailer Trash Guy #1, had a motor for sale. It was tied to a dolly in front of his home, and marked $200, Must Sell. There was a phone number. Right next to the sign that said "Handyman Needs Work." Jack got out of the car to look at the motor and came back to the car to call the number. While he was dialing, Trailer Trash Guy #2 was walking down the street toward us, in dirty white painter's pants, with a flannel shirt and a t-shirt on, carrying a white supermarket bag with a 6-pack of beer in it. He walked into the yard of the house we were at, so Jack opened the car door and asked if it was his motor. It wasn't, but it was his buddy's and his buddy was home so he'll just go right in and get him. #1 came outside and the two of them stood talking to Jack for, like, 10 minutes. When he got in the car, sans motor, he said, "The two of them were already wasted!" We couldn't decide if it was leftover wasted from Saturday night or if they'd already started on Sunday morning, considering the 6-pack... Ah, rednecks-ville...

I had a really tough week or so at work. One of my colleagues was out and she put my name down as contact. In itself, that's fine, but there are three of us here. One of them has removed herself from coverage, and gotten away with it, and the other did a few faxes, that was it. All phone calls and emails were referred to me. Thanks bunches! When she came back to the office yesterday, arriving at around 11am 'cause she was "so tired from working 10 days straight," she said, "Hi." I said, in reply, "Hi! Change your voice mail!" And she was teasingly offended! "What? No 'Welcome Back'?" Me: "Okay, welcome back! Change your voice mail!" It was a rough week - so bad, in fact, that on Thursday and Friday, I think I did one thing for one of my customers, that's it! And that's not acceptable at the end of our fiscal year. I had a lot to do!

I know I'm jumping around from topic to topic, but it's a stream of consciousness thing... Got the invitation to my niece's wedding - it's beautiful. And I'm so angry and hurt. 10 years ago, when Jack and I were planning our wedding, we wanted a way to include our dads on the wedding invitations but we were talked out of it: it's a happy occasion and there's no pleasant way to include dead people on an invite. She managed to do it for this invitation (same printer!): Mr. and Mrs. REW request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter T to K son of Mr. GB and the beloved AMB. Why couldn't we have done the same thing???? I know it was nice to have both moms on our invite, but we really felt that our dads should have been acknowledged there, too, and they talked us out of it. I guess times have changed, but that really ticks me off, I have to say. I was 38 years old, not doing all the matches and napkins and programs that younger brides do. We couldn't even put something in the program about our dads. That's why I chose to walk down the aisle alone - that was my daddy's job, and for the 15 seconds it took me to walk down that short aisle, anyone who knew my dad was gone was thinking about it (and him), I certainly was, my mom was, too, and those who weren't aware were wondering - so for those few seconds, we were all thinking about Daddy in one way or another...

My sister just sent me a DVD of The Phantom Tollbooth. This has to be my all time favorite kid's book, pre-Harry Potter. I still read it at least once a year. The author is Norton Juster and it was illustrated by Jules Pfeiffer. I can't wait to watch the animated cartoon this weekend!!! Thanks, P!!! I looked it up online; apparently there were some internal problems at MGM studios and the release was held up back in the 60s. I read that the author is apparently not fond of the movie release - I can't wait to compare it to the book! I'm going to read the book again this weekend!!!

Well, it's 9:04am and I suppose I should get to work. More soon, and I'll try not to let so much time elapse before my next post. And I'll get some photos together to post, too...

I'm so busy...

I took two days off.

Two.

Thursday and Friday.

Why, then, do I have 7 days worth of emails and work and projects all piled up on my desk?!

And did I mention I spent, oh, six or eight of my vacation hours doing work? A no-no, for sure, but I'm a responsible kind of gal...

I got some really cool file holders last week and set them up - it was neat to come in and see them all shiny and new on my desk! and I got rid of a couple of reams of paper, with more to sort through and discard. By the end of this week, I'm going to be all caught up with my sorting and filing and organizing, whilst keeping up with my work, of course!

I bought a cute dress for my niece's bridal shower (which is next Sunday). It's a sleeveless dress, black qiana (shades of the 70s!) with some turquoise and ecru flowers "growing" up from the hem to mid-thigh. The neckline ties in back like a halter and my shoulders are bare -

BUT, what did I do on Saturday? Two days after I bought the dress? I sat outside in the beautiful 79-degree weather, wearing a new orange blouse I bought the same day. An orange blouse that had a low-cut front and wide, 3" tank straps.

One word.

Sunburn.

Another word.

Zebra.

Picture it. No - picture me. Sunburned. In a dress that shows off my shoulders. My striped shoulders.

Pray my sunburn fades!

Shoulda, woulda, coulda

Just read a neat blog entry at It's My Life...

Jessica is reading Heather Sellers' Chapter After Chapter. I'm not but I like'd Jessica's entry so much that I wanted to play with the word "should." Here's my version of the shoulds that bog me down:

1. I should be a better housekeeper.
2. I should learn to cook.
3. I should actually work one day without stopping in the middle of the day to either read other people's blogs or write my own.
4. I should buckle down and do some work right now.
5. I should stick to Weight Watchers a little bit more strictly.
6. I should exercise.
7. I should exercise my brain more. (My dad used to say, "Use it or lose it!" and I so believe him!
8. I should become more involved in my church.
9. I should really want a career, instead of a job.
10. I should be a better sister, aunt, daughter, wife, mother, friend (not in any particular order).
11. I should read more classics.
12. I should watch less TV.
13. I should save more money/spend less money.
14. I should learn to crochet better.
15. I should learn to knit.
16. I should walk more.
17. I should finally really learn to swim.
18. I should get an annual physical each year, instead of just going to the GP when I'm sick.
19. I should learn more technical stuff about my computer.

Okay, I just reread # 3 and #4 and I gotta go...

Okay, I lied (again!).

Yes, I took Mom's laptop to New Orleans.

I did not stay in touch.

I didn't even catch up once I returned.

But here I am, safe and sound, and ready to blog again.

So let's play catch up now...

Getting to New Orleans? Piece of cake.

Getting home from New Orleans? Can you spell w-i-n-d c-o-n-d-i-t-i-o-n-s in less than 4 hours? 'Cause that's how long our delay was 'cause there was wind in Newark.

Unfortunately I didn't get to play tourist - I walked a few blocks on Canal Street, and a few blocks on Decatur, and I did get to the very non-New-Orleans-ish Riverwalk Mall, but I didn't make it to Bourbon Street or the French Market and I didn't get to ride a streetcar.

Although I did get a picture of one and I did meet some Louisiana natives who came right up to me on the streetcar stop and asked me if I was a cancer survivor. Not quite the opening line I thought I'd hear when they approached me, but apparently they noticed the pink breast cancer pin I wear on my jacket... Once I explained I walk for others, they thanked me, chatted with me, told me about his leukemia (he's in remission) and her schedule for the day (if they don't take a cab they won't have time to do what they want to do in New Orleans before they go home (which is 40 miles away, but they come in to "the city" every Sunday 'cause there's nothing to do at home).

I ate at Nola (one of Emeril's restaurants). I had shrimp and grits with a tomato glaze and crimini mushrooms and minced bacon. Mmm-good! We had an awesome appetizer of stuffed chicken wings with homemade hoison dipping sauce. Yum!!! We shared a slice of banana cream cake for dessert.

I ate at Cafe Giovanni's. I had Voodoo Shrimp and loved my meal. My eating companions weren't quite as thrilled with their entrees, but we all LOVED the Tuscan Asparagus appetizer: 3 stalks of tender-crisp asparagus, rolled in prosciutto, stuffed with mozzarella, and deep fried.
O.M.G.

I had some beignets and fresh squeezed orange juice at Cafe Du Monde's Coffee Stand at the Riverwalk Mall. Now I know why people have Cafe Du Monde's beignets for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dessert when in New Orleans. I was seriously trying to figure out how many times I could go buy 3-for-$1.82 and not gain 20 pounds in a 2-1/2 day trip!!

My hubby missed me. He got out of school, went home to wait until my delayed flight arrived; we were scheduled to land at 8:30pm. I called the minute we landed (at 8:00pm) and he was en route. I got my luggage and started to walk outside to the spot where we were to meet. I called him again, and he was "at the first traffic light." Well, I was at the second traffic light! I walked to the curb, he pulled over, I put my luggage in the car, and hopped right in! We couldn't have timed it better if we tried! He brought a bouquet of flowers to the airport for me.

You know, we're not newlyweds - we'll be celebrating our 10-year anniversary this July - but I mean it with all my heart when I say that we'd really prefer to be together all.the.time. I love to travel, but I really don't like being away from him. And it's not like we do all these exciting things when we're together: we hang out at home, eat at Costco, watch some TV during the evenings, visit his sister on Mondays - nothing earth-shattering. But we really like to do nothing together.

I'd like to visit New Orleans again, this time on vacation. With Jack. I'd like to walk around the French Quarter, visit the French Market, the cathedral, have dinner at one of Emeril's restaurants with Jack (we're both fans!), ride on the streetcars, take some tours around the city... Perhaps we can try convincing the Board that our next seminar should be in New Orleans...

I came home, haven't even caught up on laundry yet and it's been a week! (Guess what I'm doing tonight!?) Work has been a real chore - lots of things to do, and not enough hours in the day!

Our daughter moved in with her boyfriend this past weekend. I hope this works for her. She seems very happy and much more open about this relationship. (Remember the last BF? She only told us the good/neutral stuff, not any of the things that would have sent up big red warning flags.) And S seems like a nice guy. He's friendly, he talks, and he doesn't treat her as if he owns her. She says he's not controlling or manipulative, that she's excited (not sick to her stomach!) when he says "See you at home!" (A sure warning sign that she didn't share with us last time around!)

She's coming to Easter dinner (which is also Jack's b'day) and then S will be joining us for dessert at my sister-in-law's house. My sister, niece, nephew and mom will be coming, too. I have to go buy my ham, some broccoli, some potatoes, some cabbage, and all the rest of my food, AND dye my eggs...

Okay - gotta run. You know that comment I made about "not enough hours in the day"????

Traveling to New Orleans

I'm borrowing Mom's laptop so I can stay in touch while I'm gone. I leave tomorrow, at noon, to go to New Orleans for a conference. Don't know how much, if any, touristy crap I'll get to do, but I do know I'm eating at Nola and at Cafe Giovanni, with my company cohorts. Looking forward to that, for sure! We're doing what we can to keep our T&E down so I'm staying only two nights, not the usual 3 or 4. Which is awesome 'cause that means I can come home that much sooner!

Went to the eye doctor today. I can't see. Not that I'm blind or anything, but without contacts or glasses I can't see. So it was time for new glasses. The guy that fitted me didn't do such a hot job so I had them done again. And these aren't right, either. The doctor there today said to try them out over the weekend, that even though my subscription has changed, the frames we put the new lenses in are larger than my current pair and it may just be my eyes getting adjusted to the greater distance they have to travel in these new progressive lenses. Because yes, I've discovered after 48 years, that I am vain. To a degree. I don't want bifocals that look like bifocals. So I spend extra and get progressives so you don't know that I'm as old as I am and as blind as I am...

I imagine I'll be incommunicado until later tomorrow night, after dinner - my flight leaves NJ at noon, I get in after 2pm local time, and have to make my way to the hotel and shower and get ready for dinner and then find my own way there (we're all in different hotels). I'll probably check in when I get back from dinner and am sitting down in front of the TV to decompress.

Just for the record, too, I'm traveling to New Orleans with NJ winter clothes - the lightest and thinnest I have, granted, but we were still at 22-29 degrees in the morning earlier this week - I'm by no means ready to pull out my spring/summer wardrobe! I think I'll be okay, though - lighter pants with 2 thin tops and a cardigan for the 2 dinners, and a pair of pants and a couple of light-ish sweater tops for the convention center. Wearing yoga pants down (so I can also work out in the gym if they have one in the hotel) and bringing a pair of jeans "just in case." Keep your fingers crossed - although having to go shopping wouldn't be the worst thing that's ever happened to me...

Obama a one-term president? (One can only hope!)

Found this article online: Obama a one-term president? By Alex CastellanosCNN Contributor

"Editor's Note: Republican strategist Alex Castellanos was a campaign consultant for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign and has worked on more than half a dozen presidential campaigns. Castellanos is a partner in National Media Inc., a political and public affairs consulting firm that specializes in advertising. For a rival view, click here

(CNN) -- Things I learned Tuesday night from President Obama's press conference:

Obama and congressional Democrats are angry that greedy Wall Street executives took $165 million in bonuses that the president and congressional Democrats gave them.

We have made them give it back, but they have to keep the trillion-dollar bailout.

Apparently, our education system is worse than we thought. Neither the president nor Democrats in Congress actually read the bailout-bonus bill.

Per-family household debt more than doubled from 1989 to 2007, going from $42,000 per family to $97,000 per family, in inflation-adjusted dollars. Most of it, 85 cents of every dollar, is home equity or mortgage debt. This is not the consumer's fault for borrowing it, nor Congress' fault for legislating it, nor the Fed's fault for enabling it, nor Fannie Mae's or Freddie Mac's fault for packaging it. This is all Wall Street's fault.

It is also all George W. Bush's fault.

If there were an inheritance tax on problems, Obama could pay off any deficit.

Taxpayers living next to a toxic waste dump is a bad idea. Taxpayers buying a trillion dollars worth of toxic assets is good idea.

Taxpayers borrowing a trillion dollars to buy those toxic assets is an even better idea. Though it is still Bush's fault.

Obama isn't on the ballot next year, but Democrats in Congress are. You can make money betting they will lose more than 25 seats, but not as much money as by purchasing toxic assets with taxpayer dollars.

The problem with America's economy is that the last bubble, the "home-mortgage, derivative, credit default swap bubble" popped, as all economic bubbles eventually do. We must never let that happen again.

It is imperative that we re-inflate this bubble immediately.

If we all loan a lot of money we don't have to each other, we will all be more prosperous.

An Obama press conference offers hope to everyone. Both those who want to drive the deficit up and drive it down receive encouragement.

A dollar when given to failed auto companies or hollow banks has great stimulative value for the economy, but there's almost no dampening cost to the economy when the dollar is taken from taxpayers, who will have to pay our debt back.

If he does not drive the deficit down, within this decade, interest on the Obama debt will total more than a trillion dollars a year.

Bush was laughed at for saying, "Yes, we are getting the job done. It's hard work," though it's OK for Obama to say only hard decisions reach his desk.

Enhanced border security was a bad idea when Sen. John McCain and Republicans proposed it but a good idea now that Obama is for it.

Trickle-down economics from Republicans got us into this mess. Trickle-down government from Democrats will get us out of it.

Washington was doing such a great job making things work before the meltdown that we should give it more to do, like running health care, the energy industry, banks, Wall Street and the car business.

Our economy is so complex that millions of Americans can't plan for it, but Timothy Geithner and a couple of other smart guys in Washington can.

Political greed is more noble than corporate greed.

We have to short-change charities that help people, so government can help people.

Wall Street and the U.S. government are too big to fail though the American taxpayer isn't.

The Barack Obama experiment, conducted by this 47-year old man, is the riskiest economic wager the world has ever seen.

Next year, when this experiment in European-style socialism isn't working, the Democrats up for re-election will panic and make the spending this year look like an appetizer. To appear responsible, they then will raise taxes on "upper-income taxpayers" to the stratosphere, paralyzing investment and the economy.

Obama's communications gifts are powerful and poetic -- but round-the-clock campaigning on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "60 Minutes" and this press conference won't save bad policy. Nothing kills a bad product quicker than good advertising. iReport.com: What did you think of Obama's press conference?

Obama has never built a business, created real wealth or produced tangible prosperity. His understanding of our economy is theoretical and academic.

Obama is a privileged young man who has not yet made many mistakes in his life. Having a president who belongs to the Harvard elite and the community-organizer streets is not the same as having a president who has lived a long life among middle-class Americans and understands them.

Impatience lies not deep beneath the surface of Obama. There is no shortage of self-confidence in this young man. It is a short step from such confidence to arrogance.

Arrogance in a politician is not healthy. Hubris, combined with inexperience, can be fatal. Obama could be a one-term president.

Obama is looking a little older. There would be nothing wrong with acting like it.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alex Castellanos."

5-year old in a man's body

That's the name of my post and I'm sticking with it!

My husband was too sick to go to work for 2 days. In the past 19 years, I've never known him to take a sick day. He took funeral days, when he had to. We scheduled our wedding in the summer so he would have to take the wedding days he's entitled to. He goes in through wind, rain, and winter storm (yes, I think I'll write a song, and no, he doesn't work for the Post Office).

Yesterday, on his second day out, he calls me in the afternoon and says he can't find Dr. Rubelino's number on his cell phone. [Perhaps that's 'cause that's not his doctor's name!!] I call the doctor who's on his way out the door and can't stay late, and the office recommends we go to the ER. Okay. The ER? How about the Immedicenter? Why, the nurse asks, what's wrong with going to the ER? I said nothing, but I'm not the one with the problem - my husband is, and he just doesn't ever feel like a trip to the ER.

Since they thought, based on his worsening symptoms, that he might be suffering from a kidney stone or a urinary tract infection, she said to tell him that he could go to the Immedicenter but that if what he had needed an ultrasound, they'd send him to the hospital anyway...

Turns out I didn't get an argument. He must have really been hurting!

We went to the hospital. But the driveway to the ER door was blocked for construction; I had to park in the parking lot and we walked to the ER. Well, we almost made it to the ER. As we approached the driveway, Jack looked up and saw the road was blocked and almost shouted, "NOW how do we get in?!?!?!?"

We walk to the other end of the driveway and up the road and to the door. Simple.

Uh-uh.

We made it to the ambulance drop off and he just veered in and collapsed into a wheelchair.

For those of you who have never met my husband (or his mom, sister or daughter), well, they're regular Energizer Bunnies! They never sit still. For him to sit in a wheelchair, let alone let me push him? Well, THAT'S when I started to get scared.

We went in, suffered our way through triage and into an ER room. They gave him a shot of Toradol, a step below morphine, I understand. He finally relaxed enough to pee into a plastic bottle.

Turns out: Congratulations, it's a bladder infection! NOT a kidney stone, no surgery necessary, no overnight stay necessary...

But it wasn't the flu.

He has a week of antibiotic and some heavy duty Motrin, and has been instructed to go see a urologist. None of which he argued about so he must be feelin' not-so-good.

On the way out the ER door, he thought of a question for the dr: Could I have aggravated it 'cause I hold my bladder rather than go when I think I have to go?

The dr looked at me, looked back at Jack, and said: Mr. Salvetta, when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Daddy & the Neighbors

My dad died 22 years ago today. I think of him in some capacity every.single.day. I miss him with all my heart. Please skip over this part while I just tell him a few things...

Daddy, I miss you. And I love you. And I so wish you were here to torture my husband whenever he does a home repair job 'cause I just know you'd know how to do it better! And whenever Jack or his sister say that Mommy is the only parent we have left - well, it makes my heart hurt. I really wish you were still around to be a father-in-law. Jack always smiles when he talks about you. He says he really liked you, that you were a nice guy, and a smart guy. He never minded talking to you at the garage when you came in 'cause you were "one of the good ones." (Some of the other customers, not so much!) Me? I think of you every time C says either J or A did something wrong; I know in my heart of hearts that lots of what's gone on these past 19 years would never have happened if you were around - and they just have no idea what they're missing by not having had a chance to have you in their lives. I think of you every time the dishes settle on the sink when they're drying. I think of you when the lights flicker. I think of you whenever I see a wysteria bush. Of course, I think of you every time I go to Mommy's house. Daddy, you were, and are, the BEST. And I miss you so very much. Come and visit me, please? I want to see you in my dreams, I want to hear your voice, I want to feel you hug me again. It can't happen in real life, but in my dreams I know it's possible. I never dream of you (only maybe 3 times since you died). I know Mr. S. comes and visits Toni-Ann quite often - why can't you come and visit me??? I miss you. I love you.

Okay, on to everyday "stuff."

I think it's time I share some neighbor tales... You've met some of my neighbors in previous posts, but there are some tales I can share here that you haven't heard before...

So, when I lived at my mom's house, when I was (much) younger, what I loved the most was the fact that it was a neighborhood. We knew all the families; they knew us. I played with the girl down the street (learned how to ride a bike on her purple Schwinn with the banana seat! My family couldn't afford bicycles for us). I went to school with the boy up the street and for many years, he was one of my closest friends. I learned how to be friends with a boy from Gary; wish we were still in touch. My mom's bestest friend in the whole world lived right across the street from us - she died several years ago and we miss her so much! (Hi, Jackie! I know you're listening!)

But as the years passed, so did the people. Some died. Many moved. And we got some new neighbors. And as much as we loved Jackie and Ronnie, and Frank and Elaine, the new ones? Not so much. People don't really know how to be neighbors anymore, at least not in my mom's neighborhood. Case in point: G next door. He's bipolar or manic-depressive, one or the other. When he's on his meds, he's perfectly polite and friendly. When he's not? LOOK OUT! For instance, on meds: he offered to donate blood for my dad when he was in the hospital. Off meds: Jack threatened to beat him up for being mean to me. No joke! I've only ever seen my husband "in someone's face" twice in 19 years - once here when G was being abusive and obnoxious to me, calling me names, etc., and once when some kids at Action Park were trying to push their way ahead of everyone else on line for the ride. You know, you don't mind one or two joining their "family" up ahead, but when 12 or 13 kids try the same thing, and they're all in the same group, well, you don't mind it!

My mom's been a widow for 22 years. Do you think just once any of her neighbors have taken out her garbage or mowed her lawn or shoveled her snow? I must admit that over the past couple of years, once in a while, not at every snow, someone's shoveled a single shovel's width path on her sidewalk... Thanks, whoever you are! They're under no obligation to do any of it, but give her a chance to say, "No thanks, my daughter/son-in-law/grandson will do it. But that was so nice of you to offer."

In my neighborhood we're really neighbors. We make food for each other (well, they make food for me since my kitchen isn't kosher!), we drive each other to hospitals, we babysit for each other (well, I babysit for them since I don't have a baby to sit!), we sit on the front stoop and chat for hours, we watch the kids play, we shovel each other's snow (well, Jack shovels their snow!) - it's just like it used to be when I was young. I'm SO glad I live where I do.

Next door to me: S & D, and their 5 boys. Across the street, S & E, and their 4 girls. Up the street, S & T and her 2 girls and his 2 boys. Across the street and over one, A & S, who wrote us the nicest note when we got married (I want to be them when we grow up!). Down the street, T, who's been friends with Jack for many years. And C & A, and their 5 kids. I LOVE LIVING HERE!

Okay, before I get in trouble for writing and not working, I'm going to sign off here and continue my ranting and raving another day...

Awww, poor BO...

Now, this news report is from the UK, not from some right wing, biased conservative website. This is the kind of impression BO (and his administration) is making in the world.



He was tired. We all get tired. But I know when I have to make a good impression. And I know when to be respectful to my boss, or his boss, or a visiting executive, or one of our co-publishing partners...

An Obama staffer said the UK is not all that important, they're just as important as any of 190 other countries in the world. I'm paraphrasing, yes, but the gist of it is on the money.



And, yea, a bunch of DVDs, what an awesome "It's nice to meet you, Prime Minister" gift.



Classy sort of guy...



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4953523/Barack-Obama-too-tired-to-give-proper-welcome-to-Gordon-Brown.html



To say nothing of this photo of our esteemed President (and I use the term loosely):

And supposedly we're overreacting, those of us who object to a picture like this. You know, you're right. What he does on his off time is his business. But what happens if he has a few, goes home, goes to sleep, and that phone call comes, the one in the middle of the night, the one he has to answer with a clear head... "Sure, wtf, I'll push the damned button!"

And don't bother responding to this (unless of course you agree with me!): I'm entitled to my opinion. This is my blog.

Winter Photos on the Lake

This is our house, from the lake. The lake has been frozen over for a month or so now; actually it was a lot later this year than in previous years. Jack and I took a walk one day (it was SOOO darn cold!) and I took some nice photos...

Here's Jack, walking ahead of me. Or perhaps I should say I was walking behind him, like a good squaw. That's what I say when he takes off ahead of me and calls to me to catch up. He's usually on a mission, walking very quickly, while I stroll along, taking in the view... These tracks are from either a snowmobile or a quad - don't ask me which, I haven't a clue. And it's sort of irrelevant - to me it's just the coolness of driving on the lake!These are our footprints, headig out or coming back from our walk. (Our house is behind us in this picture.)
These are paw prints of something HUGE! They were literally about 7 or 8 inches across! So I know it's not a dog; could it be a bear? I'm no hunter so I haven't a clue! (Yes, again, I'm clueless!)

The new picture of us to the right of the page was taken this same day! I like it! We were having loads of fun on our walk!

Moms against teen driving...

Take a look at this blog.

I might have posted about this before, and I think she has a good idea.

Especially lately, I've been hearing a bit too much about tickets and speeding and disrespecting the police... and that's just in my own extended family!