I'm in a foul mood

Warning. Full-blown, cranky, sour attitude post ahead.

So you wake up one morning and you say to yourself, 'What in the hell has happened to me?' I used to be so organized! I used to be at the top of my game! I used to go places, do stuff, I used to be somebody! Dammit, I was going to plant flowers. I was going to re-do my daughter's bedroom! I was going to be the best network technician that walked the face of the earth. I feel like the Seattle Seahawks looked yesterday near the end of the fourth quarter. Like 'I blew it.'

I have a raging headache and it is the kind where you cannot lay down or you will just kill something. They (whoever "they" are) tell you to lay down in a quiet room and relax when you have a headache. Have you seen people in pain? The last thing you want to do is to lay still! My head is hurting so bad that if I lay down I will get physically sick. I have to do anything, everything just so I don't think about the p-a-i-n!

I know what happened. I skipped lunch. I stayed up too late over the week-end. I ate too rich of foods yesterday during the "Super Bowl party". Whoopee. I didn't drink, so alcohol was not the problem. I drank ginger ale. Maybe I drank too much of it. Maybe I had too much citrus. Maybe I ate one too many cinnamon buns yesterday for breakfast. It was too hot in my office. The sun was too bright. Maybe I have PMS. On and on and on and on it goes...

Coming home today I dropped the bag of dog food on the kitchen floor and it burst wide open. I looked at Sable. I said "Hungry? Help yourself. The more you eat, the less I have to sweep up." And I walked away. It is still out there on the floor. She hasn't touched it. She is probably afraid to.

For some reason I began thinking of "having it all." Supposedly nobody can "have it all." What is your list for "having it all?" I came up with some items that I think would qualify for this Utopia.

Personal health

Child (or children) - and they would be healthy

Strong and loving Family ties - and they would all be healthy

career (Adequate income)

Friends (and they would be healthy)

Love of a significant other (and they would be healthy)

Nice surroundings (living conditions)

Social status

Maybe the old saying "nothing matters if you don't have your health" is really the key.

I think I made a mistake.

Things you don't want to hear after you pick your fourteen-year-old daughter up from an over-nighter. "I think I made a mistake." My heart stopped and I about missed our turn and drove the car over the hill. Not the hill in the picture above which is from last summer. More color for our weary eyes.

No. It wasn't too serious. She said she peeked at her friend's diary and read it. I took in a gulp of air. I had been holding my breath. She found some things out about this friend that she wished she didn't know. We talked a bit about personal and private things, yada yada yada. Whew. Don't do that to your Mom!

Funny incident reading the Sunday paper. Now, I get the award for biggest fool when it comes to this next paragraph. My daughter brought a stray cat home. Yes, that is four cats, now. I am a fool. I was reading the paper hoping that somebody would list it as lost. I began reading the first listing. '250 acres, farm land....' I thought to myself "How can somebody lose land?" I re-read the section title. Lots and Land NOT Lost and Found. And, this was with my glasses on!

Breezy on the lake

The same lake again. Turning colder here. My nephew's b'day today. 29. I fixed the usual yellow cake with vanilla pudding, pineapple and cool whip. The same as he requested last year. We went to all the tech stores in my town today. LED's, DVD's, Hi definition, dual processors, dual cores, Athlon Intel AMD, SATA - my head is swimming.

It's Friday!

Peruby does the little "happy dance".

Back in the day

Back in Blue

Here is a picture of one of the beautiful lakes that we have near here in Ohio. When I pass it this time of year all is cold and gray. The water looks sinister and menacing.

My daughter and I were both sick today so we took some time and watched a movie together. Flightplan has been called a combination of Panic Room and The Forgotten. It was pretty suspenseful, regardless of whether it was a copycat movie or not.

I cringed when I saw some closeup shots of Jodie Foster. I thought to myself, 'Surely she has had some kind of surgery. Her features are just so sharp they jump out at you.' And, I am sure it is nobody's business but her own. But, at times it was painful to look at her. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have seen her in a theater with a giant screen.









And then I think, maybe nothing was done. You have to give her credit though. For letting an image of a real person come through when she is aboard the flight and is frantic. Because as you can see here, she can be quite glamorous when she chooses to be.

Something wicked this way comes

I want to see Wicked on stage this summer. I don't know if I want to drive up myself or take a bus tour. I have family that knows Cleveland well and if I can get them to go along, and drive, we will go that route. If not, it is the bus for me, 'cause I don't like driving in Cleveland. I don't mind if I don't have to be somewhere at a certain time, but if I am pressed for time, you can bet I will get on the wrong road headed the wrong way.

And, wouldn't you know when I finally like the character that Tom Cruise plays, he gets nominated for the Razzie's worst actor award. Figures. I never agreed with the "critics" anyway. I will agree with a Razzie for Jennifer Lopez in Monster-in-Law. I am hoping that Burt Reynolds gets worst supporting actor in the Razzies and I hope that Will Ferrell gets it for worst actor for Bewitched.

As I was driving to work this morning, I was blinded by the sun. Of course the song Blinded By the Light starts to run through my head. I have always wondered about the words to that song. I believe that it is drug-related, but the lyrics just didn't seem to make much sense to me. So on my lunch break, I took the time to look them up. I discovered that the song was written by none other than Bruce Springsteen. I also see that he has never had a number one hit. (Blinded did go to number one when Manfred Mann's Earth band released it in the mid 70's).

Bruce really racked up some rhymin' words in his version that just boggles the mind. Such as "brimstone baritone, anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east." Bruce's version has more to it than Manfred Mann's release. But, Bruce's version gets ugly. So now when I hear the song on the radio, I can sing along and get the words right, but I will probably change the station because of what I discovered after looking up some of the phrases in urbandictionary.com. (This site is pretty good if you hear of a phrase or word that you don't know the slang meaning of). The closest I can come to "anti-cyclone" is the preacher would be against (anti) the fender cyclone guitar that musicians play.

That was the way it was for me when MTV and other video channels came out. I would like a song until I saw who sang it. Then it was like that was all I could think of each time I heard the song was how ugly or straggly the singer (group) looked. Sometimes you are just better off not knowing.

But if you want to really laugh your head off (I did) then go to this site to see if other people hear the words to the songs (incorrectly) the same as you do.

Oh, and just to let ya know. The words to Blinded are "revved up like a deuce" as in the "Little Deuce Coupe" that The Beach Boys sing. Whew. I'm glad I finally got that cleared up after all these years!

What is it?

It is a golden oak tree in the fall. Picture copied into four squares and fit together to form this montage. I wanted some color on such a dreary day.

I saw this story on the television news, and I just had to follow up with reading it on the Internet. The mother said she gave her baby to a group of homeless people to raise because she couldn't afford to. Yeah, the homeless people have the money to do it.

Let's see. I was able to catch War of the Worlds. I was caught up in the beginning, but as time went on, I lost interest. Or I became sick to my stomach. That could have been it. I mentioned before that I didn't care for Tom Cruise, but I have to say I really enjoyed his character (again, at the beginning) in this movie. It is the sarcasm that he portrays that I enjoy. My nephew left about four movies here for me to watch and my daughter's friend left seven. All in good time.

If you really like the classic guitar musicians, check this DVD out. I caught it last night with some friends after dinner. We were wondering if they were really OFF the drugs and if they were, did the years of abuse affect them? Genius is a matter of opinion. I found it entertaining.

Rescue

Yes Virginia, firemen (fire people) do rescue kittens out of a tree. (Or, cat in this case). I grabbed this picture from my niece who grabbed it from my brother's (her dad) fire department collection.

I don't know who the rescuer is, it may be a lady fire person. It is comforting to know that there are full service departments out there. And, they are volunteer. I am surprised that the insurance companies haven't stepped in and forbid any activity of this type.

It just seems to me that every little thing is analyzed these days. Before you do that, think - will anybody sue me? Am I insulting anyone's nationality or religion if I were to do this or that? Am I breaking any law? If I rescue this cat, but break a tree limb, will the environmentalists come after me? If I burn a patch of bees in my back yard, will PETA swarm all over me?

You can't make a move these days without wondering if you are going to be up against some kind of activist or group. It is just plain ridiculous. How about PETA coming in and saying "Maybe the cat didn't want to be rescued? It has a right to die if it wants to." Okay, I'm getting carried away.

I have a busy week-end, but I am trying to squeeze the following movies in: Flightplan, War of the Worlds and Four Brothers.

Super Bowl Madness

Some Super Bowl Trivia:

The lowest scoring game was in 1973 when Miami beat Washington 14 to 7.

The highest scoring game was in 1995 when San Francisco beat San Diego 49 to 26.

Buffalo has been to the Super Bowl four times. They lost each time for four years in a row, 1991 to 1994. Dallas has won five out of eight visits, and the Steelers have won 4 out of 5 visits.

The biggest point difference was in 1990 when San Francisco beat Denver 55 to 10 and the next year was the smallest point difference where the New York Giants beat Buffalo, 20 to 19.

Note: I could have made an error in my calculations.

It's all junk to me

I find it kind of disturbing that we have left junk in outer space. Just floating around. For somebody else to clean up. Our children's children.

And, junk is pretty much what I think of American Idol. My daughter asked me to watch it with her. It was "our" night together. I can't tell you how many times I told my daughter that most of this stuff was "rehearsed" and planted. It is television, it is entertainment. I find it sad.

We just returned from the dermatologist. The last time we were there she had us on cloud nine saying that the last mole didn't need to come out, let's "wait and see." Tonight was "Well, it's going to have to come out sooner or later." What is this? Wasted time? The more I think about it, the angrier I am getting. If she had just taken it out like we planned about three months back, we would be done and over with this mess. Now, my daughter is depressed with thinking about the shots, the stitches, the pain.

Part of me wants to say some angry things to her, but then what? Turn around and let her cut my daughter? Not smart. Part of me wants to go and find another doctor. Then it would be my daughter getting used to another doctor, having them not know her history. And part of me wants to believe that maybe my doctor just thought she was doing the right thing three months ago. Let her finish this one last mole, and be done with it. Just return for six month check ups.

I don't know. I'll have to sleep on it.

I feel too junky right now. The more I think about it, the more upset I get.

Seeing Spots

I'm seeing spots after creating this image in PhotoShop. Yowza.

Here are two goofy things about me:

1. My head is SO round, that elastic headbands pop off after a minute or so. Usually they will fling through the air, causing all of my rude, obnoxious family to laugh at me! No, not that bad, but they do slide up until they just make a jumble mess of my hair.

2. When I get into doing something, I won't stop to go to the bathroom. Like crafts or computer work. I will wait until I nearly pee my pants. I just can't take the time to stop and go.

There. Simply silly things you didn't know about me. Whoopee.

My gray cockatiel

I spent a little time with my cockatiel today. She was just jabbering and whistling away. My cats stay way back when I have her out. I am not sure if they are fascinated, scared or just in awe of this winged and very loud creature. I think I am more worried about the dog than the cats.

Every once in a while, I think I will give her to somebody that can provide more attention to her and then I worry about them treating her right or being mean to her, or if they had children or pets would she be safe? She was our first pet.

We played Uno Attack (by Mattel) this week-end. It was fun. My daughter wanted the game for Christmas and I held off getting it for her in case a friend or relative also purchased it. When the holiday passed and she didn't get it, I ordered it for her. It is an more active version of the regular card game. It uses "C" batteries. I can't recall the last time I had to purchase size "C" batteries. I think it was for some long ago toy she used to have, maybe a barking stuffed animal or something.

Some family stopped in on Sunday and we watched the AFC game (Steelers fans). A couple of us had a headache and when we saw the incoming weather report we sort of figured out why. Migraines run in families and the weather is a well-known trigger. Although mine didn't become full blown until today. I tried to sleep it off, but ended up taking a Relpax. Two hours later, I was pounding nails in the wall to hang my new calendars and picture frames. (Christmas gifts).

One of my daughter's friends brought over the video "The Skeleton Key" with Kate Hudson. My daughter and I went to see it at the movie theater and it was interesting to watch it again. (knowing how it ended). You can pick up little things in the movie that relate to the ending that you didn't catch the first time around. It is pretty suspenseful and has a different ending than what you normally get. I like that sometimes.

Nose against the wall!

Remember this story a while back? I would like a follow-up on the story. Five years later, did that girl learn her lesson? Is she a better person because of the punishment? My humble opinion: I think that there were alternative ways to punish this girl before it got to the point where the mother publicly humiliated her in this fashion. Certainly there was some way to get through to the teenager before resorting to this. Wow, it may have even taken a little bit of work or follow-through for the Mother. Of course I don't know the entire story, but usually there is something "amiss" behind the scenes. What did the girl enjoy doing? Take it away.

Now that my daughter is fourteen, I can tell you this much. It hurts to punish your child. Sometimes (only sometimes, not all the time) you second guess yourself. 'Am I being too harsh? Am I being unfair?' Then one day (and it takes a while, I want to tell you) you turn around and she is fine. You took away her boyfriend for the week and we all survived. She even mentioned to you that they have more fun together after they have been apart for a while. Imagine that!

She screams at you that you are ruining her life. She tells the entire world in her Xanga (teenager blogs) that you are ruining her life and you are the biggest beyotch on the entire planet. Her friends tell her that you are "anal". You survive. Things don't always turn out rosy. You win some, you lose some. My daughter dropped a College Prep class. I could die inside. But, I let her drop it. I let go. Does she go to her boyfriend's house when his Mother is not home? No. I follow up. I do the pop-in. If things don't feel or look right, she comes home with me. Fuming all the way, but it passes. I've done it. I told her I was going to be all over her like stink on stank. She rolls her eyes. But dammit, I will never humiliate her in public. I sure as hell wouldn't like somebody doing that to me and I would never respect them if they did.

Hell is for children.

Wow, sometimes I just get carried away. I was supposed to leave for the grocery store an hour ago. Because my daughter's boyfriend cannot come over until I return. They are waiting for me. My daughter sighs into the phone. "You can't come over until my Mom comes back from the grocery store and she is blogging, AGAIN! At this rate I may not see you until tomorrow."

Okay, darlin'. I get the hint. I'm going. I'm Going!

You wanna piece of me?

Does this picture scare the bejesus out of anybody else besides me? I tell you what. I wouldn't want to mess with this girl. Not now, and not when she gets older. She looks like she could easily open up a can of whoop-ass on you with some left over.

On a much brighter note, is anybody else having as much fun as I am shoveling all of this sunshine?

Regal Kitty

Here is my big baby (Casper) sitting on the basement steps a day after his bath. I did bathe him, but none of the others. We think that he was possibly hit by a car at one time, because he will sit with his back leg at an awkward angle from time to time. He seems very sensitive to his back legs, too. He doesn't get to wash the hair on the tail end of his back often. It was sticking up in tufts, so that is why I gave him a bath. Along with that and he takes to sleeping on my bed when I am working at my desk.

He has a front fang missing, and his brother (Jasper) has a piece of his tongue missing. They must have had a rough life in the beginning. Jasper has a hard time drinking water. He is very finicky about the bowl and it has taken almost four years, but he is finally getting over being so nervous.

So, I consider it my job to make life a dream for them now. By the way, I did not name any of our pets, except for the bird. When my daughter suggested Perry, I said Peru. That is also where I get my nickname for this blog. We used to call her Peruby.

This family tree stuff has me addicted. Except almost all of my searches in Google end up being inserted by my brother. I will get a hit on a family name and when I connect there from Google it was written by my brother. He has spent years on this and his research on the Internet has been excessive also. The only chance I have is possibly stumbling upon a new post or actually physically going to Virginia or Maryland or England, Scotland, Wales or Austria. He has some lines back to 1500's in England. It is fascinating, but at the same time so confusing.

I cannot believe that one family with a father's name of Jonas named their sons Jonas, Jonathan, James, Jesse, John and Jacob. And, they in turn after having children repeated the names. And the women did it too.

The really bizarre discovery (my brother found this years ago) was my paternal grandmother was born in the town that my immediate family ended up living in. We had no idea when we moved there in the sixties that was where she was born and lived until she was seven. That is probably why she never mentioned that town, because she probably didn't remember much of it. And since there was a Family, Ohio and an East Family, Ohio we were confused for a couple of years until we narrowed it down to the county and township.

To complicate matters, documents were recorded on paper in the early days and many times fire damaged records with no hope of recovery or duplicate copies. Sometimes the trail ends cold at what was once a hot, raging fire. This is probably why we record birth dates, death dates and names by chisling them in stone.

So she was born in 1876 in East Family, Ohio. She moved with her family to Extended, West Virginia sometime before she turned seven. It is believed that she and her Mother were living with my great great grandparents at the time. There is a record of her uncle being born when she was seven years old in Extended, West Virginia (this makes me assume that the family had moved there).

She married in 1898 in Extended WV and my father was born in Extended, WV. My father married and moved with my Mom to Ohio in 1940 (looking for work) and after twenty-three years ended up in East Family, Ohio. I find that remarkable. So my Mom is buried in the same cemetery as my great great great (paternal) grandfather. Whew. And his last name is on the gravestone as Ryan. He came from Maryland. We don't know why he moved from Maryland to Ohio sometime between 1800 and 1826. And, in Maryland it is possible that his name was spelled Ryan, Ryon, Rine, or Rhine. Go figure.

Out on a limb

I am way out on a limb in the middle of my family tree maker program. I found this picture of my great, great aunt Rebecca on the web tonight. At least I think she is my ggaunt.

You know. Just for the record. I think they should make it a law that you cannot repeat any first or middle names for at least four generations. Good Gawd. This can be a major nightmare.

Photo Fun

Not that I am bored or anything...

Just having a little fun...

With my camera....

And with MS PowerPoint...

and Paint Shop.

My blue lights, my ginger ale again, my daughter's green yo-yo, my cellophane lamp, and some yummy left-over raspberry hard candy.

Moon madness

Maybe the moon has affected Sable. She seems to be possessed.

Same moon as yesterday. Taken from my backyard overlooking my neighbor's house.

Close Up

The January full moon is a chilly one tonight.

Ginger ale in a cobalt blue glass. Up close. Mmmm.

Ordered and almost ready

The program has been ordered. I guess I have to stick with my plan, now. I stated a while back that my winter project would be my family's genealogy. I am trying to pick up where my elder brother left off or work with him on the project. He has done a lot of work, I am not sure if he is ready to let it go. He seemed to be happy that I wanted to tackle the project. So, it is ordered and will arrive within the next couple of weeks. If the weather turns bad then I have a nice inside project to keep myself occupied.

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Well, I had to jinx it. No, not Friday the 13th. The bit about my sweeper picking up pine needles. For about five years my daughter and I lived in a small apartment. Because of limited space we had a four-foot tall artificial tree. Since I purchased this house (in 2002) I have chosen a live tree every Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. I have not had any problems with needles until this year. My sweeper just picked them right up, not much of a hassle. But this year, I waited too long. The tree was much drier than before. Oh - my - God!

I think I may need to purchase a new sweeper. I have even tried the attachments to pick them up. I think it just went into the hose and out the bottom of the sweeper. Humph! I am down to my last bag, and I am trying. What a mess. Yep, right before taking the tree down I had to go and say it. What did I say? "I don't know why people put a tree bag over their tree when taking it down. I only get a few needles and my sweeper picks them right up." Well, the gods are laughing at me, now. That will show me.

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I was viewing some movie trailer on QuickTime yesterday. I was nervous about the remake of The Pink Panther. But the trailer makes me really want to see it. Although not a big fan of Steve Martin, I agree that he is very funny and there are a couple of movies that I like him in. I was excited to see that Jason Statham is in it, along with Kevin Kline and Jean Reno. A couple of scary ones are Wolfcreek and The Hills have Eyes. I think I will pass on both of them. Ugh.

Curiosity

Jasper wants somebody to turn the water on. He always was curious about this. He does not like baths, but it has been a while since I gave him one, so he tends to forget what this tub is for.

Of course you can't turn the stream on too strong or he will run away. He also likes to watch the toilet flush. Casper will jump in the tub from time to time, but Precious - never.

What a wet, dreary day. During work hours it was nice and warm, but cloudy. Almost as soon as I get out of work it begins to pour the rain down and has not stopped. It is supposed to turn to snow overnight. Should make for a lovely week-end.

I have been trying to upgrade my daughter's anti-virus. Tomorrow was the last day. I am cutting it close. It was a bit of a hassle. If only I had remembered to uninstall the 2005 version before installing the 2006 one, I may have been okay. But no, I just jump right in. Two hours later I am finally on the full system scan with the new version. What a hassle this is.

I am proud of myself about one thing, though. While uninstalling the old Norton, it asked for the installation CD. I went straight to it. I have never been that organized with my disks before. I have them all in a binder, now. I did that this year. All my computer disks in one binder that holds like over 100 or something like that. I was amazed at myself. I used to spend hours looking for the installation disk.

I was considering dropping Norton and going with something else. I am partial because when I first began working with PC's I used Norton Disk Utilities. They worked really well. I understood them and they helped me to learn so much about the PC and Windows/DOS environment. I used to do so much with that package. So, Norton has been my choice for years. I understand that there have been some problems with the program recently. But, I stayed the course. I stayed with Norton.

I remember when Norton merged with Symantec. I also used a product called Fastback by Symantec. It was a backup program for the PC and Macintosh. Fifteen years ago or so. I guess we tend to stick with what we know or are used to. But working with computers, if you don't like change you should at least accept it. It is inevitable.

I like how Spell check keeps wanting to change my cat's name Casper to Gasper. I think I will just change it to that. He is the one that has hairball trouble a lot. He is very rarely allowed in my bedroom because of this. I have white carpet in there. He begins his hacking and I clap my hands together and he runs, hacking all the way. Well, they all run when I clap my hands.

The other day, I had yelled at him (remember the day without caffeine and I was super grouchy) and I saw him peeking around my bedroom door while I was on the computer and he hesitated for a second. Then he ran straight to my feet and rubbed up against them as if saying, "Let me stay. I'll be good!" I didn't have the heart to kick him out. Most of the time he curls up on his back with his paws twisted up in the air and lays at my feet. I have to sweep my bedroom carpet a lot. Why didn't I get a cream colored cat? Well, I do - Precious. But she isn't my big baby. I would let him sleep on the bed, but it never fails. He begins his hacking and I have to chase him out, so I just gently push him out every night.

Maybe I'll give them all a bath this week-end. Yikes, what am I saying? That is a lot of work. Maybe just two of them. I'll have my daughter take pictures. This should be fun.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Paraskevi...what? What a mouth full. It means a phobia or fear of Friday the 13th. I don't suffer from it. I love Friday's and I love the number 13.

There are many stories about how the omen of this day came about. Mostly the sixth day of the week and the number 13. Over thousands of years the two were bound to get together. Religion dwells on the twelve at the last supper and the 13th one betrayed Jesus. Mythology has the story of 12 gods dining and the 13th crashed the party. The list goes on.

I don't have a fear of black cats, either. As my big black baby Casper can tell you, I dote on him.

Reading up on this day and the omen, I found it quite amusing that so many people don't leave the house on that day. They skip work, they don't drive. The don't plan weddings, dinners or dates. Well, in Spain and Spanish speaking countries, I read where Tuesday the 13th is bad luck. So there you have it. If you're close to a Spanish border, go spend the day there - you should be safe. Just make sure you are back before any Tuesday that falls on the 13th.

java, jo, mud, ink, perk, dishwater

I am addicted to coffee. So, when I am sick and am resigned to a diet of jell-o, rice, dry toast, broth, applesauce and bananas - I tend to get real grouchy without my caffeine. My head feels as though somebody is chipping away at it with a hammer and chisel.

And, who in the HELL brought those danish pastries into the house? Huh? Taunting me. Sitting right beside the freaking coffee pot! I tried weak hot tea. It just doesn't do it for me.

Are the animals still alive? Yes, but they have run to their respective corners. I busted my knuckle wide open just cleaning out the sink. Why does the dish rag keep getting caught on everything? I kept spraying water all over the place as if I had never used my faucet before. Why was the water pressure so damn strong?! Why are dishes and silverware so loud when you drop them?! Is the world going insane? I threw a dish towel at Casper. "Stop looking at me!" Good Lord, I sounded like a toddler.

I slept most of my morning away, and napped this afternoon. So, who is going to be tossing and turning tonight? My skin is dry and itching. Where is the lotion that does NOT have perfume scent added to it? Perfumes kill me when I have a headache.

If I have to look at another serving of lime green jell-o I am going to scream! And, the rain just keeps pouring down. At least I don't have to shovel rain. But it is gray and depressing. I still have my tree and lights. Soft lights in the evening to push away the dull and dreary weather.

I don't even want to know what is happening (or not happening) at work. I felt so darn good yesterday evening. I was in some pain, but today I feel like I am totally washed out. Blah. No energy. I did get outside and chased my empty garbage cans. The wind had picked up and was rolling them around the street. I was hoping that nobody saw me. I looked like death warmed over. My retrieval finished uneventful.

There is one plus to being sick. I got the softest, warmest robe for Christmas that I have ever had. It is like luxury when you put it on. I have been able to cuddle up in it all day long. (Except when I chased the garbage cans. I did dress for that. Sheesh. I'm not that bad!)

Cat Scan

I had my first CT scan today. Interesting. The lady taking care of it was very nervous, though. It carried over to me. I think it was her first one. She had just moved back into the area from New England and she was not at all familiar with the equipment. She kept talking about how she wasn't familiar with this or that, which arm was my "good" arm for an IV? Uh, I haven't had an IV in about five years, so I am not really sure which one is my "good" vein. You know? And, she kept leaving the room mumbling something about she didn't know which to use... or what. I gathered everything I had inside of me (I was half sick from not eating food and drinking that wonderful barium stuff) and just went to a quiet place inside my head.

She got the IV going, the CT scan finished and I was out of there. Nothing hurt. She did fine. Perhaps my calmness carried over to her. She just seemed relieved that I didn't pass out. The CT machine had two capsules of smelling salts taped to it. She was the only one besides the receptionist that I ever saw. I wonder if it came down to it, if I would be able to administer the smelling salts to her. (Oh, it was for me? In case I passed out. Oh, I see.)

I have actually had a few procedures done. I've drank the barium stuff before. But, usually the night before and the tests were done in a hospital. State of the art, professional employees. I was just a bit suspect about this one. It wasn't dirty but it just wasn't up to snuff. I guess they needed to do it on short notice, I don't know. Anyway, I am getting some energy back. I am beginning to feel like my old ornery self again. Can't jump up and down on a pogo stick, but I can ....oh, wait. I never could jump up and down on a pogo stick! Drat! Oh, well. I'm getting back to the old routine.

Let me set the record straight...

Um...for the most part, we Ohioans bury our dead. Honest, we do.

Not like this story.

Still not up to par. Or, not running on all cylinders. However you want to phrase it, I am reserving my energy for work. Especially where the eyes are concerned.

Intense

Not much done this week-end. The migraine monkey has taken ahold of my eyeballs and is having his way with them. They are weak, exhausted and in such great pain. As soon as I find them and get them rested and well taken care of, I will post again.

Undecorating the tree

Tomorrow the lights come off of the tree and the tree goes out to the curb. I guess. If I have to. The cats say they want to help. Hmmm. Maybe. My dog doesn't want anything to do with it. (No food involved).

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

All smiles

Here is a photo of me when I was about eight years old. I am sitting behind my older sister. She was sixteen when I was born, so if I was eight - she would be 24 or so in this photo.

We were sitting on top of her car hood before the Memorial Day parade. I'm sure a lot of my smile was in anticipation of the candy that was going to be thrown our way.

I always thought my sister looked like Jacqueline Kennedy.




Jackie, sister, sister, Jackie

Get out, get air, get shots

I took Laura's advice today and went outside after work and took some pictures. I was trying to beat the sunset. I never did see the sun, but I did get some shots of a streetlight. War of the World's style. I always thought the creatures in the original version looked like street lights.

I got one shot of this horse before he became spooked by the click of my camera and ran away. Taking the miniature ponies with him.

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I didn't study economics in school, but the next few sentences just astound me.

"If someone has a $1,000 balance and pays $15 a month, it would take 17 years and cost about $3,000 in principal and interest, he said. Paying $20 a month would take seven years and cost $1,750 in interest. "

"The average household carries about $9,000 in debt, excluding mortgages."

I guess I am not average.

"There's no shame in getting into trouble like this. We've all done it."

No, we haven't.

In the late 80's I was doing my bills one day and became discouraged thinking that for the rest of my life I will have credit card debt. That was just the way it was. I was wrong. I just needed to get out of a dead-end relationship.

Rain o'er me

Looks as if my patio gutter is in need of some repair. I neglected to clean the leaves out from underneath the extension of the drain and here is the result.

It is wet in Ohio. From what I am seeing (reading) on the news it looks as it if is damn near wet everywhere.

What is the old saying? Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Actually, I think that was said by somebody out at sea.Sigh. Anyway. It is ugly out there. My backyard is a small pool of water. My dog, she doesn't want to go out. I can't blame her.

I had a long talk with my daughter's boyfriend's Mom last night. Sixty minutes. Possibly four minutes of that was about our children's relationship and how we can maintain it.

January is going to be a lo-o-o-ng month. Probably February, too. I must keep myself from hiding my head under the blankets and blocking life out. SAD sets in.

Kick myself in the butt. Kick myself again. Go get some coffee. Go to work. Shalom.

Edit: My apologies to those in Texas and Oklahoma. Yes, some of us are soaked with rain, but some of us are in the midst of a dry spell with fires raging all around uncontrollably. It is just one big mess out there.

Give me a call sometime.

I was intrigued by the news today:

Touching cat story about dialing 9-1-1 to help his owner.

The owner said he had trained the cat to dial 9-1-1- but didn't know if it stuck or not. Supposedly, it did.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1462424

How do you train a cat to dial 9-1-1? Every time he is successful do you tell the 9-1-1- operator, "Sorry. No emergency. Just training my cat!"

Huh?

Or, do you use a dead phone? One that isn't hooked up?

So when do you hook it up and how can you keep the animal from dialing it like say -- when you're in the bathroom? Or, when you are sleeping? How does the cat know when to dial it?

I mean, do they write manuals on how to do this?

Telemarketing firms pay attention! Cheap labor!

But you wonder. Did the owner dial it and not remember?

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Who's loading your airplane?

Jobs are hard to come by these days. Have you ever been afraid of losing your job? How about being so afraid to the point of endangering lives?

A guy loading an airplane, had punctured the fuselage and just kind of pushed it back together. He didn't tell anyone, because he was afraid of losing his job.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/story?id=1448260

So, when the plane took off the hole widened causing depressurization, making a hole in the compartment forcing an emergency landing.

Could have been MUCH worse!

"Yeah, I punctured the plane, but maybe nobody will notice!"

I wonder what he did after he loaded the plane.

Go on about his job?

Sit nervously by the television watching the news?

Go to confession?

How about "leave the country!?"

The Magic (school) bus

I started this yearly portrait school bus years before my daughter started school. She had two years of pre-school and one of kindergarten. This bus only starts the portraits with 1st grade.

I don't have it updated with her 9th grade photo, yet. It looks pretty much the same as the 8th grade one.

There was plenty of drama yesterday. So much in fact, it all made my stomach hurt. That could have been the rich foods I was eating, though. I have kraut and a pork roast in the slow cooker. I had a taste of it last night. I wonder if my dog would eat kraut if I offered it to her. No doubt. She eats almost anything. I did see her spit out a radish, though. That is one of my "silent" resolutions. To stop feeding her and my cats people food. I have already started that, about two months ago. I know! I know! I'm not proud of it. But, I am going to try to be a better person to my pets.

Sigh. Sunday. New Year's day. I didn't promise anybody any visits this year. That makes me feel better. I can sit around in my robe all day if I want to. Work tomorrow. My daughter doesn't have school until Tuesday. We are going to have to get serious about her grades. Slipping a bit. I was an A/B student. I always thought I wouldn't ride her about grades, but I can't let it go. She doesn't even try (in my eyes). She said she works hard for them. I don't see it. She rarely brings any books home.

Coffee doesn't seem to be working today. It is just kind of sitting in my stomach. My daughter woke me up at 5:30 a.m. saying her boyfriend was upset and wanted to come over. "I don't think so." I was half asleep and mumbled something about a more decent hour. I got up at nine and I guess he arrived at 8:30. To her that was a decent hour. They are having problems. There are going to be some more changes in that area, too.

My poor daughter thinks I am jealous. She thinks that her boyfriend takes her away from me and that makes me jealous. She also keeps throwing up the fact that just because I didn't have a boyfriend at fourteen, I don't understand how she feels. Our therapist says she would make a great defense attorney. And, she tries to marry me off. Each time I happen to mention a man, as an example somebody I work with, she retorts "You should marry him!" She is so desperate to get me involved so that I can back off of her activities. Ain't gonna happen. She is a full time job. I told her I am going to be all over her like stink on stank. Who knows where that expression came from!