Stress level high

I went to a garden card party.

It is important that I keep doing my regularly scheduled activities whilst going through this maddening time in my life. I had already paid for and planned an evening after work (with some of my co-workers) to make cards. One co-worker goes to church with a lady who has been doing this card making for over 15 years. It sort of reminds me of scrap booking.

Note: the ladies I do things with in this circumstance are not my "real" co-workers. I am housed at a building 60 miles away from my home office. They are all in education, too - they are secretaries, payroll clerks and Early childhood development workers etc.. They are the ones I see on a daily basis and I love and get along with them all well. We go to dinner together every month. There can be anywhere from four of us to fifteen.

Last evening as I am finishing up some work on the computer (work? yeah right - who am I kidding? I was playing a game to unwind). Anyhoo - my daughter was out for the evening and I knew I was alone in the house. No lie. I was tapped on my right elbow five times. Just like somebody took a finger and tapped me five full times!

In that split second of thought, all I could wrap my head around was that I knew I was alone in the house and who in the hell did that! I knew that I did not sense a being standing beside me - so again - in that split second when your brain races I thought it must be a really small person. It is incredible how many things the brain can think in a nano second, isn't it?

I jerked my head around and something came out of my mouth. I am not sure what. There walked away my smug female cat. She can (at times) stretch herself up and pat me on the arm. She usually does it at feeding time and never five times. Usually once or twice.

I am fairly certain I heard her giggle and mutter something about paybacks.

The little beyotch.

Farewell to the basement bar

This photo was taken about 18 hours ago. This is my basement bar. The picture is bad - it was taken by my phone and I had been hauling stuff out from underneath the bar while walking on a sewer saturated carpet. I wanted to get all the old computers and printers out from under there. I guess that is where I had stashed them or somebody did. I have had various people staying in my basement over the years.

It comes out today. I want to cry. But in reality - we didn't use it. Not as a bar. The carpet looks red but it has more of a magenta shade to it. I never did really care for it but it was nice when we first bought the house. Years of kids and pets took care of that. I do not mind seeing it go. The carpet that is - I will miss the bar.

Let the process begin.

The Monster in the Basement

My daughter may be traumatized. I left her to deal with the monster. Well, at the time I did not know it was a monster. I called the plumber. He asked me a lot of questions over the phone. Mostly, was I certain the smell was coming from the sump pump. That morning I had cleared all around the area to ensure he could get access to everything and I told him, "Actually, the smell almost got better over by the sump pump."

He knew. My daughter said he knew when he walked into the house. He looked for the sewer drain. He knew.

My daughter said "Mom, it was like a monster waiting for us in the basement."

Oh, dear. Photo above is not my daughter or my basement. It is from google images. I just wanted to capture the suspense and fear.

What is your worst fear? Mold? Snakes? Bugs.

How about a backed up sewer drain? The plumber said "We don't do that."  He gave me the name of a company that does. 

I sighed. Way over on the other side of the basement where nobody goes anymore is a bar. It was beautiful with a plush magenta carpet and dark paneling. We used it the first two years we lived here. Mostly we set up computers on it and the kids used it. 

Deep in a dark corner under the bar is the drain. The drain that backed up. The place where nobody goes or has been in almost two years. No need to go there. The supplies under the bar were old coloring books and computer supplies. Junk, really. That is where the monster grew.

How long had the monster been growing? I am not sure, but I only noticed the sump pump running over and over this past week-end and the shower drain and the upstairs toilet.

So, in between the plumber and before the sewer drain guy got there my daughter was having her breakdown with me. She was yelling at me over the phone that this should be covered under our insurance and blah, blah, blah. Well, she had been standing in sewer water saturated carpet and looking at our sh!t. The girl was about to go off the deep end. Months ago, she told me she NEVER wants to change a baby diaper or have children or be around children. I cannot imagine what this monster mess did to her. I made a remark about something that this is the real world and this was probably not covered. I am probably to blame for some kind of neglect.

I can still remember when I needed a plumber years ago. He said we need to use one ply Scott toilet tissue. I tried it. For a week or so. Really? Is this guy for real? WARNING! The squeamish need to turn away! Men - be prepared. Really? Has this guy no idea what a menstrual cycle is? You know what? Let me just leave it at that.

I went back to Charmin extra fluffy extra large roles. So, I was figuring the back up was somehow my fault. This may also be some kind of conditioning from my upbringing. Certainly it was something I did wrong.

The sewer guy game. I decided to go back home and deal with it. He told me he charges $130 an hour from when he walks in the door. I thought of the monster. Okay, I said. He was only here an hour.

He came back up from the basement and this is what his receipt says. One hour - $130. Cut tree roots to 70'.  He told me it was tree roots. That he had cleared it to the main line. I said it was probably that tree in the front that has the sidewalk pushed way up. He said "Yes. You should see if you can get the city to cut it down. The roots are only going to grow back. You have to grind the stump or they will still grow."

Since it is on the other side of the sidewalk it is a city tree. I had already been planning on fixing the sidewalk so I had documentation on that. The city will pay for half of your sidewalk if you choose one of their contractors. The roots have been an issue when mowing, too. My mower blade would hit it and stall.

He left. I got to thinking. My insurance lady is my cousin by marriage. I had this insurance for over ten years and we discovered this fact about three years ago. She is so nice. I loved her before I knew she was married to my first cousin. I had no idea my first cousin even lived around here. His Mother did not have much to do with my family when we would travel to WV to visit. So, the last name didn't even create a blip when I would hear it spoken.

I called her. YES! Tree roots backing up a sewer drain is covered! I can get my basement area fixed. She gave me the name of a company, call them and get an estimate. She said she was making a claim and that the claims office would be in touch with me.

So today I get to wade in the wet carpet and take pictures. And move things out of the way of the damaged area. The bar is going to have to come out. It is a beautiful bar, but realistically - we don't use it. We really never have. Thirty years ago I would have used it maybe. I have no use for a bar.  The panelling will probably have to come down too. So there is no mold. The carpet has to come up. This should be interesting since this magenta carpet is going to be hard to match the color and it goes all over one full side of the basement. I think it will all have to come up. I am not certain if they will pay for replacing it all. We will see. Maybe I will get something more realistic there. No carpet. Just something sensible. And especially - no magenta! Sheesh!

Discouraged

I could not find the image to depict what I was feeling inside this morning. I googled "head in hands", "mopey" and a few others until I came up with "discouraged". The photo above is me today. Except I am a female of course. I am not sad. I am not weepy. I am not angry. I   JUST.DON'T.CARE.

I must reach deep down inside myself and bring out some sunshine. I know this. I know that I will. I know that I can. I cannot bring myself to even go into work this morning. I called in sick. At least for the morning. I cannot do it. I loathe it.

Sigh. I have to call a plumber today. The sump pump started acting up. It is backing up into the shower drain. Not a real good smell around here, either. The upstairs toilet water level gets lower each time the pump runs. Yesterday I noticed it running about every five minutes. I have not heard one peep from it this morning. Maybe it burned up. I researched it of course. The outlook does not look very promising fo rmy pocketbook.

Maybe that is why I am discouraged. I was going to see about getting my daughter's car fixed this week, too. Plumber - mechanic. Ouch.

Perks

Movie time. I watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."  It is a coming-of-age story. There is a lot of high school angst and learning to deal with other people as you journey into your teens. A lot of dangerous activity with drinking and drugs. The story takes place in the early 90's (I believe) in Pittsburgh, PA.

Call me naive but I have to research certain parts that happened in the book (movie). I am ignorant in some ways of the world and I don't want to put any spoilers in here. While researching, I noticed that a lot of people did not catch the ending of what truly happened. So many young people who read others posts, then turned around and posted wrote :  "No way! I've got to re-read that book!"  It was a subtle mention in the book. Most of them were very young teens when they read the book though, and they claim that could be why they did not catch it. Things like that do not become very apparent to people until they have read or heard about it and can really comprehend it.

I am not a big fan of E Watson as I did not watch but maybe one or two of the H Potter series. She does her American accent well. It must be very liberating for her to have short hair.  E Miller is really good in his role.  I have seen him before. He plays dark and troubled quite well.  Lerman, too. He is good - I have also seen him before although as a much younger character.

My daughter and her friends have heard a lot about this movie and want to watch it. This first love/crush/kiss may have greater meaning to somebody closer to that age than my old, faded memories. LOL!

Is somebody trying to tell me something?

I received this in my work office mail the other day. The addressee was a co-worker at my home office. It was quite comical. She and I have spoken about office politics before. I need to ask her if she applied for some information as a joke.

I always try to keep an open mind when I read about dealing with co-workers and managers and such. I try to always see what I am contributing to the problem and attempt to change it. I still bristle at what happened to me in November and I am not about to forget that. 

One co-worker called almost daily to chat. He is in the other remote office. I nipped that. I do not answer his calls any longer unless he leaves a message. If it is actually work related he will leave a message. I notice that most of the time he wanted somebody to complain to. I am no longer that person.

In family news, one mama-to-be had a due date of  February 20th. That has passed and I am getting no news on Facebook. I asked my sister (the grandmother-to-be) what is going on?

Room with a view

View from my motel room - Columbus trip mid-February. Ugh.

Waiting

My sister and her son are happily anticipating their first child/grandchild. The mama (to be) passed her due date  yesterday. I have Feb. 25th in the poll (full moon).

Nihonshu

At the Japanese steak house on the 9th of February. The one receiving the sake is my nephew (who is currently in Chile), next to him holding her hand over her mouth is my daughter, and next to her is a newer member of the family, expecting in June. (YAY!) The nephew she is with is just outside this photo to her right.

Sometimes they work out

Photo courtesy of sister 1956.

May-December romance. She was born in 1940, he - in 1957. He was (is still) good friends with her oldest son. He sang karaoke this night and had sister 1956 give her flowers while he sang. His song? "You Were Wonderful Tonight."  They have been together (at least) since 1977. Possibly longer because for obvious reasons they kept it on the down low at the beginning. My Mom was not happy (at first) but as time went by she adjusted. 

The two married in 1982, then divorced in 1983. He has never loved anyone but her - they almost had a child together but it was not to be. They re-united in 1984 (not certain they ever really made a clean break) and have been together since.

Beer before bread

I don't know, guys. The documentary "How Beer Saved the World" stated that early humans settled down to grow and harvest barley. Originally it was thought the reason was for bread. Now, they state that beer vessels were found 3,000 years before evidence of bread-making was found.

The story details how early civilization survived by drinking beer instead of bacteria-laid water. That is just one small section of the world. How about the Native Americans and the people of Africa and China? They did just find without the invent of beer in the early days. 

Me thinks the show was created by some beer-loving, speculating historians.

On another note, I have always enjoyed the actress Toni Collette. I watched "Mental". Spoiler Alert! The movie was predictable for most of the time. I did not care for how the main character (Toni) actually turned on the girls in the end, calling them names and belittling them. And the fire scene at the end (and quite a few in between) - I really could have done without. Not so much the fire, but how it was started. That just really disappointed me, but I suppose it was meant to be funny. The messing of the "white couch" horrified me. Did we really need to go there? They could have just as well eaten chocolate bars or spilled their tea. Instead Hogan had to go with the "gross" factor.

My daughter and I thought that Lily Sullivan and Sam Trout did a spectacular job. He wrote that song and sang it? Loved it!  And how they made Rebecca Gibney look like a dowdy housewife and mother of five is beyond me! This is what I love about the foreign movies. The actors get dirty and let themselves be filmed dowdy. Rare in the US actors. I believe (but cannot find proof) that she actually sang in the movie. It certainly looked as if she (and the children) were singing the parts themselves. I hope so. It was lovely.

Rice noodles and vegetables

Yum. Saturday night - near the beginning of the meal. The cook is tossing an egg in the air. The ladies at the far end? Sister 1954 and 1956. Sure, they are getting along here. Five hours later after continuous drinking - eh...not so much. I do not drink with them. I have maybe two drinks and stop. I am on too much medication. One sister did not take her high blood pressure medication that morning "so she could drink."  I know, I know - don't look at me! The other one - does not eat all day and gave her food from this meal to a nephew.

They were staying at my house. They went to a bar with another nephew and I was to pick them up at 11 p.m. Except (of course) they were not ready to leave. They went to a big dance place. There must have been hundreds of cars in this tiny parking area. Cars were backing up, moving and all over the place. How anybody went home that night with their vehicle still in tact was beyond me. Sober eyes (mine) watching outside a dance club for over half an hour while I waited on my nephew to round up my sisters was a real eye opener.

Another reason I do not drink any more. The hangovers. My God - the hangovers. I would throw up so much I thought my head was going to fly off. The pain was so great.

Speaking of hangovers...this trip I went on for work? This past Monday through Wednesday? Two fellows from my establishment drank Monday night on one of the vendor's bill. The group I was with stayed away. We went out to dinner on our own. We are not drinkers. One of those fellows made it to the convention Tuesday, but the other ?... stayed in the room throwing up all day. Your tax payers money - hard at work! The money that pays for this is not from a levy or your local taxes. It is earmarked from the state as "pr0fe$$ional devel0pment."  Nothing much pr0fessional going on here.

Bleary eyed

I was a binge drinker. My alcohol favorite was beer. I remember well drinking lots of beer and I remember being very bleary eyed very often. I do not do this any longer. I am not certain if it is my medication that has stopped the "yearning", the age, or what. I am not questioning it too much, I am just glad of it.

Family met up at a Japanese steak house Saturday night. 18 of us for three February birthdays. It was sensational. I drank two very weak Long Island Iced teas. We had to "tail-gate" the birthday cake. Dealing with drunks after the dinner was not so pleasant. I was awoken about every hour with something. I got very little sleep. I headed out to Columbus for three days for a work convention after this ordeal. I needed the break away from home.

After coming home this morning, I was browsing some documentaries to download and watch and I came across "How Beer Saved the World."  I don't know. I may have to watch this one. It certainly spiced up my dull life. Without beer I was in total social isolation. Fact.

Blah, blah, blah

When did January turn into February? When I wasn't looking? I did enjoy the R&R Hall of Fame. I especially liked reading where the artist wrote the song(s). Usually on a yellow notepad. Bob Seger has the most mechanical handwriting. Like an engineer. And some of the words were much different when first written on paper. "And here's to you, Mrs. Roosevelt."   Not Mrs. Robinson. Heh, heh.

The headaches came back. They started and once they started did not stop. The doctor told me to start taking my Nerontin three times a day and then in a month back to twice daily. The increase in medication barely worked. I have episodes almost daily. It felt as if somebody had stuck a steak knife into the corner of my right eye yesterday. I had to leave work. I broke down and took my migraine medication. A few hours later I was pain free. Now, I am concerned about the rebound. Almost 48 hours after I take the medication the misery starts again. Stupid hormones. Stupid weather.

I have a big family get together Saturday. Sunday I have to go out of town for work until Wednesday. I hate that. I hate not sleeping in my own bed. I think this is the last one I will go to. I will let somebody else go. I am supposed to go every other year but I am dreading it so much. I've made myself miserable.

I watched "Hitchcock" a while back. As always I get S Johansson mixed up with J Biel. I think they look alike. I "googled" pictures of Hitchcock's wife after I watched the movie. She was a very homely woman. They tried hard to make Mirren homely. Sorry. Didn't work. She is a fine looking woman. I liked the movie. I am not certain I would have liked Alfred and Alma in real life. They guy playing A Perkins - nailed it!

And did he really buy up all the copies of the book so nobody would know the ending? Is that part true? Can that be done?  I don't think they could use that tactic today.

Rock & Roll

Going here today. Strange that I am not looking forward to it. I have had family and friends go and they say it is (yawn) boring! Ugh. I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

I am also not excited to be travelling today. The weather experts are calling for four to six inches of snow in my area. I am heading north and supposedly no snow that way. It is all me and south of me. My friends live one county north of me. The HofF is a few more counties above them. Right next to the lake. What do you think the wind chill factor is up that way? With the stiff breeze coming off of Lake Erie? Egad!

So, I will conjure up some 45 memories and dig back in the archives. I have no interest in the musicians of the past thirty years. Well, maybe a few but - no thanks. I want 50's 60's and 70's, please.