Nice to have ice

This photo of an ice maker I found online is exactly like the one we have at the office building where I work. I say it this way because as most of you know, I am not employed by the office I work in. My paycheck comes from another organization in another county.

My office was moved months ago downstairs next to the kitchen area. I was (am) very happy with the move. To hear some tell it, I am lucky they give me an office to use.  Again - this arrangement was made by two guys in 1995 - one has passed and another retired to Arizona. The office move has many advantages to me. The only negative was I lost a window. I deal with it.

I venture into the kitchen to wash out my coffee cup. I notice the sink is full of ice. One of the managers at this building dumps the over-full ice into the sink when it gets too full and begins to freeze into a big block. I personally believe that this ice machine is too much for the few employees at this location. Especially during the summer months when more than half of the staff are gone.

I heard drip, drip, drip. I checked on the table that this ice maker was on. Seeing that water had pooled around the bottom, I grabbed some paper towels and wiped it up. Soon realizing I was going to need more than paper towels, I began to look for the dish towels. There were none. I don't know where they go. I remember there were some (I even brought a couple in). Somebody takes them  home to wash them and never brings them back. Sigh.

I went to the utility room next to the kitchen. There were some old rags the cleaning ladies use. I used them to mop up the water.

I also wiped out the empty machine because there was a lot of water laying in the bottom of the unit. So I am thinking to myself "Okay. Somebody empties the ice in the sink, leaves the unit open (they did unplug it) and walks away and does not come back to check on it. Whatever!

Satisfied, I go back to my office. A couple of hours later I check and the rags are soaked and saturated and more water is leaking out. I tell the manager that empties the ice maker. She looks it over. Humph.

I lay the rags in the utility room sink to dry and look for something - anything to mop up water. There was a brand new dry mop (the kind schools and big buildings use to sweep floors) and laid that next the the leaking part of the ice maker.

I check it the next morning after I get to work two hours late due to a migraine. I missed talking to the custodian who works from 5 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  The mop I used was saturated. I tell that manager again. She asks one of the "guys" to look at it. The "guys" are the manly men in the office. (Excuse me while I stereotype here, but education and tech usually do not produce big muscles and brawn). I know the "guys" resent being asked to do all the lifting, hauling and manual labor.

I buy this one a pop and hand him my screw drivers (because this office does not have any tools whatsoever).  I ask if we should unplug the unit while he does this. He says "na".  I say  should we unplug it anyway? He said that wouldn't stop the water. The water would just keep coming in and it would still leak. I said "Then let's turn off the water."  He said "Can't. The valve is broke." He shows me where the water tube feeds directly into the water pipe on the other side of the wall. He takes the back off the unit and we don't see anything that can be put back on or replaced. . I go back to my office. He leaves the back off the unit and never comes back.

I find a dry rag and shove it under the ice maker.

The next morning I see the custodian. He said he saw the back off the unit and thought somebody else was fixing it. I said "He didn't find anything." The custodian said "Well, I don't know what to do." And he walked away. Sigh.

I got mad. I looked at the unit. The rag was soaked and more water was spreading across the table. There is a microwave on the table.

Now, the kitchen is used quite often during the school months. During the summer it is mostly just people passing through. I think we have one ice user during the summer. Maybe two.  I know this from hours sitting at my desk and hearing that loud noise when somebody shoves a plastic cup into a huge container of ice. Maybe once a day during the summer - if that. The two ice users do not say anything or just ignore this issue.

I marched up to the front of the building. The superintendent is talking to a couple of employees. Not work related, so I did not feel bad interrupting. When they pause and look at me, I tell them the situation. I said "It has been days. Nobody is fixing it." I told them I put rags under it, blah, blah, blah.

The superintendent goes back to look at it. He comes back up and says he smells mold. I said I didn't smell anything. I go back to my office. I see the superintendent go back to the kitchen later that day. I am out of rags.

I notice that afternoon that the rag is still saturated. The water has now spread under the microwave. I sigh again.

That evening happens to be one of our "Gals night out".  The office ladies get together once a month and go out to a restaurant for a meal and some casual talk or gossip. The topic of the ice maker comes up. I said something. The superintendent's secretary says something. I said "Didn't Mr. Super arrange for somebody to come in and fix it?"  She slowly moved her head in a side to side motion - the universal signal for "no". I also read between the motions and saw "He's an idiot."

OMG! I told them there was water all over the table and under the microwave. I could not believe it. She just shrugged. The lady next to me said she would have her husband come in tomorrow (today - Friday) and look at it.

I just can't believe it. I can't. Do they just stick their heads in the sand?

Giggle or snicker?

I don't know guys. About this one. Pre School teacher is cautioning his Mom that this one has a bit of covert malice in his nature.

He is an only child.

Now, the other nephew's boys? They beat on each other something horrible. Talk about your hostile tendencies. When they get to school they are loud and physical. Nothing covert about them.

But this one? He is quiet and sly about it. Hmmmm.

This is all here say. I have not witnessed it myself.

Eatin' a bit of crow

I had to eat a little crow yesterday. Blah!

Seems I didn't know everything.

Imagine that.

What I posted  yesterday is still spot on. That post was about attempting to help an end user use the ftp program to transfer a file to her PC at home.

This incident that I am speaking of is something she said about a different application that I said "No, that isn't how that works." Un-related to ftp. She was right about that and I was wrong.

Sigh.

Well, when I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong. And I offer an apology.

Now, excuse me while I go brush my teeth.

Secede

I have worked with computers and people for years. YEARS.

I have been praised up one side and down the other for my teaching ability and my demeanor when training or explaining how to do something.

I always thought I was stellar in this respect.

I love what I do and I genuinely want to help people.

Yesterday, Wachte1 has proven me wrong.

Yesterday,  I seceded the session over to her.

Her ability to play dumb to win has completely squashed my ability to succeed in getting a program to work. Now, this is over the telephone.

If I were sitting right there at her laptop, it would have worked.

Me thinks she was blocking our success for whatever reason. I have worked long enough to recognize when somebody is playing dumb about what they are actually doing on a computer.

At one point she has no idea how to do something, but forty minutes later she did that (and more) with no prompting from me.

Hmmmmmm.

Hydrangeas

It has been a very good year for flowers. I have not added the aluminum to my hydrangea plant for a while, so the flowers are purple. They would probably be total pink if I didn't add the aluminum.

The plant is getting very big. I purchased another, but as I may have told you - killed it by adding too much aluminum. Hence why I don't add any recently.

I wanted to get a big hydrangea line going along the front of my patio.

The plant (the first one) is half hidden behind the lilac bush. The instructions said to plant in partial shade, so it could be that the others wouldn't do that well anyway because they would have total sun.

I've killed one earwig, two spiders and what looked like a tiny white/green aphid since I brought the flowers in. Yuck!

Crumbled

And this was the GOOD side of the fire station.

My brother and his wife's family were toned out Wednesday early evening in their little town to sound the tornado alarm. They man the fire department as volunteers.

They got in one blast before they themselves were hit.

The other side of the station was much worse than this side.

The building is a total loss.

Thankfully, there were no injuries.

Clean up and recovery will be a long haul.

Oh, and an interesting tidbit. Just after the six nearly lost their lives, they actually drove through town helping others in need because that is what they do. They are there when nobody else is. They do not get paid.

Now, granted - some are grand standers and glory seekers. My brother admits that he gets a "rush" when there is trouble or a disaster (or wince - a car wreck). Most of the volunteers do. That is what drives them. And for that little bit of "rush" or glory seeking - bless them. Dealing or living with their "rush" is a small price to pay.

My brother does state one thing. Most marriages will not survive unless both are involved in the volunteer entity. That fire station is (was) their second home. It consumes them. If one spouse is not involved, they feel left out. Perhaps that "rush" is an addiction of sorts.

I remember back in the early 80's my employer made the remark that he didn't understand volunteer fire fighters.

I made no comment at the time. Two of my brothers were volunteers at that time in my little town fire department.

It was later that I came to realize that some people just don't get it. He was a businessman. He was out for himself. Greed ruled his life. He never had any empathy for others.

Sort of like torture

First of all let me load up on the good stuff. The nice words. The performance of "The Lion King" was stellar. The players were spot on and brilliant. I cannot say enough about them. Every move, every note, every word was perfect. And then some. The humor was great. Except I never laughed. Not once.

The beauty of the theatre was beyond compare. This building had age and grace on its side and every detail was exquisite. The chandelier was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

The ugly. I was miserable. I could not wait until the show was over. I have never been in such an uncomfortable theatre in my life.

There is NO leg room. I even had an aisle seat. I was able to stretch one leg out onto the side stairs. Others around me were just as uncomfortable. They said so. They squirmed. It got to the point where I was praying for the intermission. As it were, they timed the intermission at 3/4 the way through the performance and when we returned it was zip, zip and the show was over. The feeling in my left leg was not pain. It was so uncomfortable that I could not bear it. But it really wasn't pain.

And it was hot. The sweat was rolling down my back and my neck. There was plenty of air out in the lobby, but none in the theatre.

Since I purchased my daughters' ticket on line they sent an e-mail and asked about my experience. I told them. I told them it was the most uncomfortable show I have ever set through. I could not wait for the performance to end.

I will never recommend or return to the State Theatre in Playhouse Square in Cleveland Ohio again unless they revamp their air conditioning and rip out the seats and add more leg room.

One family member said "But what if they are upset at your review and send you free tickets to a future performance?"  I said "That's easy. I'll give them away."  And hey - I won't hold my breath. I lay odds I don't even get a response back.

Google is (was) down

Like Black Hawk Down and White House Down, yesterday Google was down.

Here is the link to see if Google is having issues:

http://www.google.com/appsstatus#hl=en&v=status&ts=1373538185087

Blogger is a part of Google. It was July of last year that I created my similar blog page on wordpress.com. Have not had much problem since then, so no need to jump over. Yet.

Give me a break!

Seriously. At the bottom is Patrick Wilson and on the top we have Cole Hauser. I get these two mixed up in movies all the time!

Anyway, Hauser is in one of the movies I watched this past week-end, Wilson is not.

White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen.

Two (almost) identical movies.

WHD written by James Vanderbilt, stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Richard Jenkins. Child in peril is a little girl.

OHF written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, and Cole Hauser. Child in peril is a little boy.

Wilson is not in either movie, but I never know which one is which (Cole and Patrick) until I look up the movie in imdb.com.

Which is the better movie? Hell if I know. Haven't we had enough of the shoot 'em up violence? People get mowed down like grass in both films. The rifle (or automatic weapons) shoot them, blood spurts out - we hear that godawful sound of splunk when the bullet rips their body tissues apart and pieces of human flesh fly all around the screen. Fun stuff!

Both movies tell of terrorists over-taking the white house and kidnapping the president. OHF got really graphic in beating up a woman. Not pretty and not pleasant. 

Both movies threatened to shoot the main characters over and over again, while the lesser characters got shot first glance. The terrorist threatens an agent. The president spits out he will not negotiate and "bang" down goes the agent. However, for others (such as the president or the child) they hold the gun to their head over and over screaming "I'll do it! I'll shoot him/her!"  They don't. You can pretty much figure if they don't get their head blown off right away by the terrorist, then they are going to survive.

Explosives, explosives and MORE explosives. Do they film a few scenes and then just repeat them through-out the movie? Using the computer to change the perspective so we don't recognize it? Fire, blowing up buildings, blowing up glass, blowing up people over and over and over again.

Oh, and what is with the jokes when there are literally dozens of bloodied corpses on the White House lawn?  "Heh, heh,... sorry about the house."   "Oh, no worries. It was insured." as they stumble through the blood bath of bodies all around them.

Have we seen enough of Channing Tatum and Gerard Butler?  Channing busts through glass windows. Gerard does the "Bruce Springsteen" slide. The power slide he does during the 2009 Super Bowl half-time show. I think it was Gerard.

Anyway, maybe you aren't tired of looking at Channing and Gerard. I am. I am tired of seeing people mowed down with automatic weapons, rifles and hand guns. I am tired of that splunking sound. I am tired of the blood spurting out and mass amounts of bloodied bodies lying around. I am tired of hearing bones break and necks snap. I am tired of terrorist movies.

Hell, maybe I am just tired.

Where's my hair?

This baby had more hair when she was born than now. She is four months old. Not certain who took the photograph. Perhaps my nephew - her daddy.

I have been on a movie kick. I watched "The Heat" with S Bullock and M McCarthy. They said the "f" word so  many times. It used to bother me. I have become de-sensitized to the word. In fact, it comes flying out of my mouth more times than I like to count. Sigh. Another habit I need to break.

This movie had me laughing out loud a couple of times. I hope Sandra and Melissa do more movies together. I always considered Sandra as kind of one dimensional in character, and she is still playing the part of Miss Congeniality but I do like these two together. They are wacky together and it makes for great comedy.

It still bothers me that Sandra looks so plastic. They try to rough her up a little in this movie, mussing her hair up at times and ripping her clothes, but the rest of the time she is just plastic looking. Like she is not real. I wish she would stop smoothing her hair down until it is plastered to her head like it is fake. I wish she would just "soften" her looks up a bit. But then again - maybe her hair is unmanageable. I never had lots of hair, so I never had that problem.

But I love the way they make fun of each other and allow the jokes to be on them. When McCarthy's movie family asks Sandra if she were a male or a female, I was cracking up.

And let me make one more shout out - I could just melt looking at M Wayans!

Oh, according to my movie bible (imdb.com) they have already announced "The Heat 2". YAY!

I said the n-word

Yes, thirty some years ago - I said the "N" word. What I am going to tell you is completely humiliating for me. It is the tale of an immature naive girl thirty years ago. Me.

My mother did not tolerate racism. My dad - I don't recall. I grew up with jokes about Italians (What happens when an Italian has a flat tire? Dago wop, wop, wop.), Polish (How many Pollocks does it take to screw in a light bulb?), the R-word, etc... You get the idea. There were lots of children in the house and we were not permitted to curse, so if we told an off color joke we were sticking our neck out and taking a chance of getting in trouble.

My last name was easy to make fun of. I was called many versions of a slang form of my last name. It toughened me up. (I always relate it to 'A Boy Named Sue' - the Johnny Cash song).

Remember the eenie, meenie, miney mo? I grew up with "catch a tiger by the toe". Whereas my sister recalls the N-word being used. We called Brazil nuts N- toes. Yes, we did. It was the 60's. It rolled off our tongues as easy as bread and butter. I forced myself to break the habit of calling them that.

The first year my older sister (1944) taught school it was in an all black school. I remember she took me to her class on the last day of school. I think I was the same age as the other children in the class. The only thing that stuck out was when we washed our hands. I looked over at the little girl next to me and saw the pink palm. I had never been around black people/children at all in my life.

In our house we never made Jewish jokes. I don't know if it was just not popular to do so, or if we just were unaware. One of my first employers was Jewish and I knew very little about his religion. I never gave the holocaust a second thought back then. Just like the civil war (I found out when I moved to Virginia that some folks still held animosity against Northerners). I was shocked because I did not think anyone ever thought about it.

Anyway, I am getting off track. At 17 I worked at an ice cream stand. One girl worked during the day and two at night. I arrived early for the night shift and let the day shift girl go. It was hot and the A/C was on. I saw my co-worker arrive. Being a brat (and very politically incorrect) I opened the back door and yelled to her "Hey Vick!  We don't allow no niggers here!"

I don't know why I said it. It was a derogatory remark that should not have been said. But, out it came. In the entire summer that I worked at that little ice cream stand out in the country not one black customer ever came to our window.

Sigh. Except that day. As soon as I uttered the words, I looked to my left. Getting out of a green sedan was the nicest, sweetest looking elderly black couple I ever laid eyes on.

I wanted to die. I can only imagine the horror on my face. I was indeed horrified. If my Mom were there, she would have back handed me, I am certain. I am certain I deserved it.

I did notice the look on my co-workers face. It was shock. She ran as fast as she could into the building. I slammed the door shut. She was laughing so hard she had to squat down because she could not stand.

I wanted to die. I did not think it was funny at all. I was sorry the instant I did it.  I made her wait on the couple. She said they were not upset at all, that they were even laughing.

I didn't care. I still wanted to die. All this time later - 36 years to be exact - I still want to die. I want to beg that couple for forgiveness.

There. So, if in the future I become a celebrity chef and gain a net worth of 17 million dollars or so - you can bring me down and knock me off my golden pedestal.

My net worth is probably 17 dollars. I never forgot that incident. In fact it is the first thing that comes to mind when somebody mentions or asks "What is your most embarrassing moment?"  Yep. That is my biggest, my most stupidest moment. It still makes me cringe.

I can only hope that incident taught me self awareness. I believe it made me more aware of what I said and how I treat people. It took me a while but I realized after I became older that I did not have to laugh at off color jokes. I didn't have to say anything to the joke teller, I just did not have to laugh.

Hey - I still tell and laugh at blond jokes. I hope that is still okay.

Bombs bursting in air

I have read that is why we celebrate Independence day with fireworks. To remind us of the "bombs bursting in air".  Really though, if the bomb bursts in the air - does it fail to achieve it's purpose?

Or is that the bomb "spray" so to speak? I have to say, I am no bomb expert. However, off topic - I did watch Nova's Manhunt: Boston Bombers.

I have passed on my "annual" 4th of July celebration for the second year in a row.  It was way too much for me to do any more. Money wise and energy wise. I just don't have it in me. Maybe I'll pick up the tradition again some day.

I guess my family date has more or less been moved to Labor day. That seems to be my date, now. Since the trees in my neighborhood have grown tall enough to obscure the family from seeing the fireworks from my front lawn. Ah, such is life.

Evidently not MY trees, since they are gone.

At one point yesterday when I took my dogs out to do their business, you could smell the sulfur in the air. It was SO strong. It must have been the rainy weather held it still around the area.

No more, please

My neighbor had their dog put down yesterday. This is an old picture of Hogan. The front leg you see there had lost all muscle and was a stick bone. He had to hold it straight out when he tried to walk or run.

The last few days he did not get up from his bed. Yesterday  he was laying in his own feces and vomit and still would not get up. He stopped eating.

The vet said if it were his dog....my neighbors had him for 13 years.

But this is not the end of it. Oh, no. I have four blogs that I read who recently had a dog pass and one blog I read, their dog has a very serious illness.

Ugh. Such sadness all around.

Retirement Car

A co-worker at the building I work at retired this year. Her husband (second) purchased this convertible for her. She was so happy and showing it off.

Take me back 14 years to when her first husband left her for a new model. She was devastated. It is so wonderful to see her happy and on top of the world again.

Sometime last week

I missed the ninth anniversary of my blog. I think it was June 24th or somewhere around there. I am really slacking in the posting department. Most of my photos are one I download from facebook of family grandchildren. They aren't even pics that I take any more. Hmmm. Must remedy that.

Pretty in Pink

Oh, yes! I did! I had me some baby time with this sweet pink baby yesterday. My sister let me hog her all day. As much as I wanted. (My sister is the grandmother).  I told her she has another grand baby coming in December and I have none. All my sisters have little ones to snuggle as grand parents and I have none.

The guilt trip worked. Along with the fact that I growled at my sister each time she came near me while I was holding this sweet pink fluff of joy.

She was 8 days old yesterday. The only time she opened her eyes was to glance at my boob. Completely covered in clothing sweet baby. Kitchen is closed. She grimaced and back to sleep she went. Ugh. Not the mama!

Blech!

I did not like the movie Passion. At all. 

I'll use my favorite word this month for it. Vapid.

Do not confuse this title with Passion of the Christ. I would only watch that movie because JC stars in it and I don't mean Jesus Christ. Then again I would not watch it because I heard it is full of violence. I'll pass.

Anyway, back to the movie I am speaking of. Passion. Vapid. Very, very vapid. There are a few people that I mentioned I cannot look at. Or, I am uncomfortable looking at. N00mi is one of them. I hope she never reads this (and I am not vain enough to think she ever will - Just sayin')because I don't like to hurt others feelings.

However, I will admit. I had a hard time looking at D0ris Y0unane on McLeod's Daughters at first - and now I think she is rather striking looking. So maybe I just need to get used to certain faces.

Cousins

Photo courtesy of sister 1944. I just adore this photo. I just have to wonder what the little tyke is thinking here. My first thought was he is thinking "Isn't this just the greatest fun?"  Or, how about "Don't you just love wearing orange?",   or even  "I am so glad I am not the only one who wore orange today!"

Both boys are the sons of two of my nephews (brothers). It touches me somehow in my "family-oriented" pleasure in life. I love family and I have a strong bond to my family.

I was aghast when I ventured out into the real world and saw siblings fighting and hating one another. Most of them were from 'well-to-do' upbringings.

You have to wonder.

The beginning of vacation

A suspension of work. Well, work I get paid for. I "hope" to be doing plenty of other work. Around the house. I start today with recycling. The trunk of my car is loaded with old technology equipment. Two big old ugly monitors (before the flat screens) and a bunch of other stuff. I am headed to the basement after this post to see what else I can throw in the car.

I have a plastic coffee container full of used batteries. Most double-AA. It is heavy! I did not realize how heavy batteries are.

I had 3.5 vacation days that I was going to lose if I did not use them. Never in my life did I dream such a thing could happen (to me). My one co-worker is always taking his vacation days this time of year because he has a risk of losing them.

Our year ends June 30th and starts over July 1st (for vacation days). School schedule, I guess. So I took this week off.

It is kind of a bummer because I have plans in July and August to go with different family members on vacation. I will be using up a quick 14 days by the time August ends.

My daughter and I will be joining my sister and her granddaughter to see The Lion King. Our second viewing. We went in April 2007 to see it in Cincinnati. Then we are going to an aquarium nearby.

In August it is another trip to Niagara Falls. Not my choice of destination but a branch of family are going and I told my sister I would go this year. My daughter does not know it yet, but she is staying home and taking care of the dogs this trip.

Sigh. But this week is a work week. Hopefully, outside work. If my back, arms and legs hold up. I am just coming off of a bad week of coughing, sneezing, an ear ache and sinus pressure. Not certain if it is a bad cold or allergies or both. Regardless, it was not fun. I am still a bit short of breath when walking the dogs.

My daughter went to stat care and was diagnosed with an ear infection. sinusitis and pharyngitis. I became sick a few days after she did, but not nearly as bad.

I have gift cards for Lowe's (thanks to my friends) - so flowers, mulch, potting soil, shovel, spade - here I come!

Oh, did I mention that my daughter's current beau took landscaping in school? Peruby gives a very devious and mischievous grin. Heh, heh, heh. Rubbing my hands together. Now, where IS that never before used hedge trimmer? Want a before and after shot? Okay, but promise not to laugh! I don't profess to be a yard expert (or any expert for that matter)! LOL!

The hinge

 Here is a picture of the long hinge. There was no getting this sucker off even if I did have the right tools for it. When the door  is closed, the hinge is invisible.

 Here are the three stalls showing how the door goes all the way to the floor

This is the wall on the other side. I got up to the top of that wall, but hesitated to swing over and drop myself down on the other side. I could have done it but I was using that as a last resort because I figured I would have hurt myself someway.

They put another latch on the third door - the same latch that the other two have and all is working again. Good timing because we had two in services where there were more than fifty women in the building yesterday. That was one busy bathroom.

Under or over

Seriously. I would not have been able to crawl out from underneath these doors. This photo is lifted off the Internets. I may take photos of our buildings bathroom this coming week. Since I have to take my phone with me every time I go, now. Or, maybe I will spare you. LOL!

Up and over. Yeah. I could easily get UP there. It was coming DOWN on the other side I was worried about. The stall I was in just happened to have the handicap bars on the side and I was able to get good leverage by standing on them to get UP. The other side had nothing but two toilet roll paper holders and it was a long way down until I reach the toilet seat. Hopefully, the back of the tank would have been easier. We may never know. :()

Anyway, a few have asked about the door removal and its hinges. I tried to find a picture on line that showed a door hinge that is well over three feet long. It is the normal hinge you see on a door (usually builders will use three of them) but whoever built these put a three(or four)-foot long hinge that ran the entire length of the door. If I had anything, I was unable to reach the screws that held the door fast. The door would need to be open for me to reach the screws.

And - the custodian may just leave over this incident. Our custodian is a great guy. In my opinion. He and I hit it off very well! We joke, we laugh, we talk. We tell stories. We agree to disagree on politics. I think a great deal of him.

He never professed to be a great handy man.He is part time. He cleans our garbage, he cleans the bathrooms and he mows the grass. He is great at lifting, delivering etc.. He is a retired postal worker. He does not profess to be a fix it guy. He was the one that replaced the handle on this stall a while back. He probably went to the hardware store and bought a handle and installed it. It worked for a long time. It was probably a cheap model that gave out over time. Our other two stalls unlock automatically when you push the handle down (when inside). This new handle, you had to turn the button on the knob to un-lock it. Several times it was jammed down (when it was locked) with people thinking it worked the same as the other two stalls,  and this probably hastened it giving out sooner than usual.

He seems to be bothered by this incident because everybody is talking about how "This should have been done, or that should be done, or somebody should do something!" I think he feels responsible.

He told me that he was done in December of this year anyway, something about his medical will go another year if he waits until December or something will be extended. He told me but I don't remember. A few of the ladies there cannot stand him. I am trying to figure out why.They are the ones whispering that something should have been done or something was not done correctly, blah, blah, blah. The custodian can get irritated and mad and if somebody does that - he is indifferent to them. He seems to hold a grudge against the ones who are cold and do not appreciate him. For the ladies he likes, he bends over backwards for.

The guy did something right. He has two daughters. Both with masters degrees and very successful occupations.

Busted

Ack! This photo I found looks so much like the broken door handle after I pulled/pushed it off the door. The lock mechanism held fast. They were able to open from the outside by inserting a screw driver/knife into the mechanism and turning it.

The day after I was locked in, another lady got locked in. She was from China (our area teaches Mandarin-Chinese) and was attending a workshop at our location. The door was standing wide open so she did not see the sign.

Now, why somebody would use a stall with no door handle/knob is beyond me (but look what I did, I can't talk) but somebody else said "Well, maybe in China this is normal."  Yep. Could be.

Why don't we just get it fixed? LOL! Exactly. The excuse I heard was we cannot purchase anything until after July 1st because they are closing out the books. That is righteous! And we do not have anybody that can fix it. We are an office of about 30 women and 5 men. I know of two guys in the office that could do it. (Heck, the one guy is the one that got me out). They have done plenty of building walls, hanging doors around this office building so I don't know what the heck is going on and why they were not tapped to fix it.

One of the women - her husband built the stalls so I don't know why they don't tap him, but I guess the real issue is the Treasurer. She won't spend the money. It is all political bullsh!t or it is a power struggle or maybe there is a very good reason why.

I am not privy to that type of information, the only thing I know is that it made wonderful conversation fodder for the better part of the week around the office. So much laughter, I love it!

Well....

In my Samantha (Bewitched) voice:  "Wellll?"  Sort of a question, sort of a statement of "What can I say?"

And why I have a picture of a bathroom stall door at work is even a bigger question but we won't go there.

Do you ever have one of those times where you ignore the warnings? The sign? You get the "It won't happen to me" thought in your head. It wasn't exactly like that.

We have three bathroom stalls at work for 30 women. On any given day there may be 20 women in the office. More on training days.

The stall doors go all the way to the floor. If the door is closed it usually means the stall is in use. We have cheap doors made of plywood that somebody built. Not the metal doors as most bathrooms have.

For two weeks there has been a sign on one of the stall doors that explains the handle is broken and you may get locked in.

This day (yesterday) I went to use the bathroom. The two "working" stall doors were closed. The third stood wide open and available. I played with the handle. Huh. Seems shaky, I just won't lock it.

And I went in. I did my business. I heard somebody leave. The other stall was empty - somebody had closed the door. Sigh.

I could not get out. There was nobody about. I jiggled. I jostled. I pulled. I pushed. I banged. Nothing. After was seemed like forever (but was probably two minutes) I attempted the over one side of the brick stall into the other stall. I could get up there but I was certain I would fall when I attempted to scale down the other side (having no upper body strength). I figure I would use that as a last resort.

I waited some more. Tick tock. Tick tock. I jiggled the handle some more. It was very loose. I began to bend it. I broke it clean off. On my side. The door latch held fast. I pushed the other side of the knob out and onto the floor outside the stall. The latch held fast. I poked, I prodded. My fingers became oily.

Finally somebody came in. She tried to help me. She could not, so she went to get one of the guys. This office closes early during the summer hours (I don't) and I was lucky there were still people in the offices. She found one of the "guys" who knew about locks and he picked up the handle on the other side, inserted into the latch and click - it opened.

Now, why with all her pushing, turning and this and that didn't it open for her? He explained a bit to us about how locks work and I could tell he was uncomfortable being in the ladies bathroom. I washed my hands and called him my hero and thanked him profusely.

Ah, such is the life of Peruby. Nobody can get stuck in that stall now. I made certain of that. I ripped that sucker right off the door. Granted they were wee tiny little screws holding it into the plywood.

I laughed about it and joked about it to everybody. It is a fun story to tell. I tell them all I was traumatized and thought I would have to stay in there all night. Not a bad place to be if you are stuck overnight (better than an elevator).

Maybe they will get that lock fixed right this time. And for Pete's sake. When you build bathroom doors, leave a foot or so at the bottom so we can peek under them to see feet, okay? Or, worst case scenario, so Peruby can (unladylike) crawl out the bottom when she gets stuck again in one. Sheesh!

My big boy

I see that I have not posted a photo of my big boy since I got him back. He was gone for a year. A year! He came back and it was just like the day after he left. No changes in him and everybody remembered and loved him. And he loved everybody. He carries on with my other three dogs (well, Sable will only tolerate so much). He is the clown and he is the one who gets everybody outside running around.

He is big and beautiful. Once you get past the mug, that is. When I first brought him home in 2009, my daughter said he was the ugliest dog she had ever seen. He really grows on you.

My floor is taking a beating because he won't stop marking his territory at night. I must get a big cage! (Mentally kicking myself).

He was in a fight a couple of weeks ago. We have some renters about three houses away from us. A duplex and both have a boxer. One boxer just came running into our yard one day when I had all the dogs out. He decided that he did not like the looks of Slade and they went at it with lots of (encouragement?) from the other dogs. My neighbors' dog was out as was a friend of his who was visiting - his dog was out.

It was noisy. I was attempting to get my boxer before they confronted each other but I was too late and all I could do was just try to get out of the way. Everything happened in a blur, but I think our little Cheech got the other boxer's attention because all of a sudden he went after Cheech and Cheech ran and started to yelp.

That seemed to end it all. My neighbor got his and his friends dog in their garage. I got my four in the house and the neighbor lady (who drove her car over) tried to retrieve her boxer. She was not having any luck. He had a collar but they did not have a leash. She had left a young boy in charge of the boxer and he (I think it was a he) could not control him. I gave her a leash and she finally got the boxer into her car.

I checked my dogs over. Lots of slobber but not blood and no cuts. She came back to apologize and she said the same of her boxer. No blood. We got lucky.

The next day I drove past their duplex and the boxer was tied outside stretched all the way to the end of his rope with a cat laying about four feet away just swishing his tail taunting him. The boxer was going nuts.

To be fair, a while back when I let my dogs outside one morning to do their business they spotted that boxer in our yard and they chased him all the way home. I had to go get them. That was early morning and I know it must have awoken all the neighbors. I was half asleep at the time. Now, I check carefully before I let the dogs out (spotted deer two mornings ago in the alley) because of other critters and it creates less chaos this way.

Yep. Still a zoo around here. But you know what. I feel as though I am getting too old for this sh!t.

Log home

My Mom was born in this log cabin 93 years ago today. Her Mother was unwed, which was very unusual at the time and my Mom was mostly raised by her maternal grandparents. This photo has been enhanced a good bit.

Finger grasp

Did I say kids were just the best? How about Grandmas are just the best. (And Grandpas!). Check out that finger grasp!

Mmmmm....pineapple

I think this little one ate at least 15 pieces of pineapple and strawberries. He kept going back for more. Then one time I was over there and he held up a blueberry and told me to try one - "They are good!"

I went to a big family get together on Sunday. The migraine hit while I was holding a sweet little tiny baby girl and I refused to give her up (she was sleeping) to take any medicine. Lucky for me I have a sister who will wait on me hand and foot. She got me my medicine and some water.

It was too late. I was miserable and even had to take another pill the next day. It was Tuesday before I felt like myself again.

I no longer go to bed when I have a migraine. Laying flat slays me. I have to use my TV chair and nap. My head has to be in an upright position any more. I have no less than four U-shaped neck pillows and one is almost always within arms reach.

Ugh. I didn't want this to be yet another headache post.

So back to it. Kids are just the best!

In memory of my Mom

My mom had several peony flower plants around our house. Mom, this one's for you.

Poppies

You know by now my memorial tribute to the fallen.
 The poppies in Flanders field.

OOPS

I always see "OOPS" when I see these markings on the roadway. And, I see a lot of them. Now, I have one in front of my house.

This is what the street department left me with after they cut one of my trees down. I believe this tree to have been the obvious reason that my sewer pipe became clogged with roots.

The street department will not touch the root under the sidewalk until I get the sidewalk repaired.

I have called for an estimate. The city has a program that will pay half of the sidewalk if we choose one of four companies. I called two. Never received a call back from the one and the other said the deadline for funding for a sidewalk is June first and he would be out Saturday, May 25th to give me an estimate. I waited all day. He never came.

He also mentioned that the city is having money problems.

I have to do something, so I guess I will pay for it out of pocket.

From what I understand though, is once I get that sidewalk removed, the city will come in and cut out the rest of the root. Since it was their tree (and not mine). That is - between the sidewalk and the roadway. They planted it years ago.

But, what a mess, eh?  At least they left me a cone so that I can alert walkers. As if that crater needs a cone.

Oh, and OUPS is Ohio Utility Protection Services.

Balanced

The girl in the middle is my great niece. She is also the one in the dance photo I posted a week or so ago. So along with her pretty dance routines, she plays some softball or whatever it is they play. Those pants do not flatter anybody!

I hope that is a sun repellent on  her eyes and not make-up. Sheesh!

Anyways, seems like a good balance. I did a lot of sports until puberty. That is when my body betrayed me and I lost most of my ability to run or perform anything athletic.

I still don't have much to drivel on about these days. Being lame.

Smooch

I think this one is going to like the little girls. Looks like he is starting to learn how to be quite the charmer.

Ta da!

I don't know guys. I am uncomfortable with this type of activity. My great niece is in this photo and of course she loves performing. She is a darling sweetie. She is only seven.

It just makes me feel uneasy. I never did care for this sort of exposure - ever. If that is what we can call it.

I have always found that little girls who participate in this sort of activity turn up shallow and treat others (who are not like them) with disdain and prejudice.

But, maybe that is just my experience.

Go ask Alice

Go ask Alice. Except Alice doesn't live here anymore. She went to the Alice in Chains concert with Alice Cooper and they are off in Wonderland somewhere.

Wow. I am so glad my name is not Alice. I stewed on this post for a while. I vacillated about the subject for a long time.

Finally, I just decided to post it and let you decide for yourself.

ALICE

What is A.L.I.C.E.?

 

   A.L.I.C.E. is a program that will be used by the District to enhance, not replace the

 

current " LOCKDOWN" procedures used frequently in our educational

 

institutions. It involves education on options in crisis and situational awareness.

 

A.L.I.C.E. will provide staff and students with an increased chance of survival if there

 

is a surprise attack by an Active Shooter.

I was at a card making party last week and the sister of the lady who demonstrates the craft works in a school district north of us. She told us about their ALICE training. She was told by the firemen running the demonstration to tell the children to throw things at the intruder. Books, bookbags, chairs, etc...

ALICE is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown,Inform,Counter, Evacuate.

Here is another acronym for you. WTF?!

I may post more about what she told us but for now my head really hurts. Not because of this subject, it's probably seasonal allergies (which I have never had any problems with until the past couple of years). Yay me.

Oh, just one more note. Technology is phasing out the text books. So - forget them throwing books at the intruder. So, there you have it. Throw you iPad, kid.

Sunday School never prepared me for THIS!

I had a strange day at work Friday. Circumstances late Thursday afternoon had me creating a list of keywords that I blocked in our filter for the school districts.  Words that we do not want students to be able to search for.

You know. If you search for images of a 'foot' you will see images of a foot. You can imagine the rest of the body parts or actions etc...

One letter combination that comes up is 'vk'. Go ahead search the images in bing or google search and scroll around a bit. I'll wait.

Yep. They were appearing at the schools also. Why? Because the letter combination 'vk' has never been associated with pictures of that nature. What is next 'oo'?  How can we block every letter combination. Pretty soon all searching will be blocked. 

Egads! Of course our filter company scours the Internets and blocks all the p0rn0 sites it can find. I just hope they have a machine that does that and not actual humans. Yuck!

The issue with the photos from this certain letter combination is vk is like fb (facebook) but in Russia. Our filter company had it listed as an online community (as facebook). Our US facebook appears to be monitored much better and it keeps out the ugly. This vk one does not.

So, 'vk' was listed in the vulgar words the same as 'you can imagine dirty word here'.  This list can get pretty long. I cannot include medical terms for body parts - they are legitimate and certain high schools and vocational schools that teach nursing etc... may need to search for them due to research. Not images, mind you but research.

So there you have it. Sunday school did not prepare me for this. My Mom would be rolling over in her grave and I was so ill with having to isolate the source of the images (you can't do without clicking on the images) I kept my trash can handy because I really felt as if I was going to vomit.

My saving grace was when I went back to an office with some wonderful ladies. I told them I needed a reality check. I told them what I was doing (we are all Moms) and they helped me get through this sickening job with humor and stories. Yes, we laugh at p0rn and are disgusted by it at the same time.

But really. Never in my life would I have imagined I would be creating a list of vulgar words and sharing that list with 40 other people. Then I realized that this is all about change. The world is changing. I don't like getting body scanned or taking my shoes off at an airport either, but it is what it is.

Mmmmm...spaghetti!

An actual text conversation on my phone:

Coming in from a number I do not recognize...

"I think you should come to our "name of city" fire department spaghetti dinner tomorrow."

I replied:

"I do too. Who is this?"

Teton in a drawer

Leave any drawer open and Teton finds her way inside.

One time I was shopping at wallet-mart and my daughter's beau called to tell me he found her inside the bathroom drawer. I guess I had accidentally shut her up in there (she must have crawled to the back) and when he used the bathroom heard her inside the drawer. Oops.

If the FBI want me, they know where to find me

Timeline:

I receive notice from my director at work about fingerprint background check on January 17th that I am due to have one by May 6th. We are required to get one every five years.

I place a reminder in my phone for May 1st and in my day timer.

On April 5th I go to home office for a department meeting. (Fingerprint background check has slipped my mind since the reminder 2 1/2 months ago)

On April 10th I get a reminder from the secretary of our home office reminding me I need background check by May 6th.

I curse under my breath saying "Drat. I could have had this done on April 5th when I was there for a meeting."

I ask my manager what action I should take:

      a. drive to home office just to have background check done which costs mileage and cost of  BCI.

      b. have BCI done at my location office with a PO from home office and they will bill my home office

      c. have BCI done at my location, pay for it and put expense on my monthly expense sheet

My manger says I bring up a good point and he will check in with the director to see what I should do.

After one week, I receive no answer, so on April 16th, I ask my location office if I get a PO can I get a BCI done? They say absolutely. I take the most sensible option from the three choices. Please take note here that the regular lady who does PO's was not at her desk, so I asked another employee.

Many times I just take matters into my own hands because past experience tells me that if I don't, nobody will ever get back to me about what I am supposed to do, and I get in hot water for not having this done (in this example - my background check) by the due date.

I ask (in an e-mail) secretary of home office for a PO number so I can get my BCI.

 Home office secretary snaps at me that I should not need one. There is one on file for this!

I apologize to her and tell her I will check with my location's office to see if they have an outstanding PO number for me. I explain that the regular lady who handles the PO's was not at her desk and I had actually spoken to another employee there.

Home office secretary does not wait for my return message but runs to director with my e-mail message and who reprimands me and says I should have had this procedure done on April 5th! Of course I feel like a scolded child.

If I were the manager/directory I would have said "In the future, please try to remember to have this procedure done when you are scheduled at the home office for meetings."  Something to that effect. I was there in November for a meeting and the next one was April 5th (that is how rare we have department and/or staff meetings). This is the first time this incident has happened. It is not a repeat issue. I am very good at being efficient and always keep money-saving/time-saving practices in my mind. In fact, I am damn good.

I gather myself and say my mantra over and over that I must remain calm and not fire back a sarcastic smart-ass remark. After some time, I decide to dis-arm them all.

I apologize to her, the secretary and my manager and let them know it slipped my mind when I was there on April 5th and that I am SO SORRY! I state the three dates in my apology. January 17th (first notice), April 5th (meeting) and April 10th (second notice). The reason my manager is now included in the e-mails is because the director carbon copied him when she scolded me.

Secretary sends me a PO number and asks me to let her know date so she can log my next needed BCI check (in five years). Check back in five years for what I am certain is to be a similar episode.

Note on my satellite office. They tell me don't worry about it, they will give me a BCI and bill the home office with or without a PO. They also mention that it is illegal to keep a PO open for 5 years. We all agree that we are so thankful we do not work in my home office. (They are not in any way a part of my home office. They offer me an office to work out of since I am a satellite worker. This arrangement was made 18 years ago by two guys that are now gone). Also note about my location office - the previous evening 10 of us ladies had all met for dinner at a restaurant. We do this monthly and we laugh and carry on so much. We have become so close over the  years. 

I have talked to people in my home office. They say they are so miserable that the atmosphere there is horrible. They all despise one another. The departments work to undermine the other departments. People in the same department work against each other. It is pure poison there. I have heard this from several workers in that office.

I cannot change other people, so what I have learned from this is perhaps when I received that notice on January 17th, I should have put a reminder in my phone for April 1st (because our meetings at the home office are so scarce). This would possibly have reminded me to have the procedure done on April 5th.

And I will take a few moments again today to be thankful that I work in such a warm, friendly office and not in my home office that is filled with hate and animosity.

Everything AND the kitchen sink

I've written about this artist before. We saw her work at Akron Museum in 2000. Here is an article I read recently:  http://www.wmagazine.com/artdesign/2008/09/liza_lou.

I find her work amazing. The photo of the sink of dirty dishes is part of her kitchen piece. It took her five years to create this one. At Akron they also had the backyard picnic and the president portraits.

Really?

Please, please, please readers forgive my next line.

Jesus. Fucking. Christ!

As if the bombings were not bad enough, low lifes have to set up fake sites and charities to dupe unsuspecting people.

They came!

I received my order of A.S.S. (a1s0 $alt $ubstitute).  It is a shame that I had to reduce myself to a threat to get them. In December their e-mail stated 4 weeks for delivery....more like 4 months. Would I ever have received them if I had not resorted to a threat?

I have not tried it, yet. I am half afraid too. They are probably poisoned. LOL! No, they are factory sealed. 

The reason I ordered them on-line in the first place is because my nephew put this product on his Christmas list. He noted that it was difficult to find. Well, me being me - I went straight to their web site and ordered from there. It did not matter to me that it was coming late - he did receive one from his sister who found some when she was roaming out in Colorado on Christmas, so my order was more to stock up. I wanted to begin using a $ubstitute also. This product has added potassium so it probably does mess with medication that the doctor may have prescribed for hypertension. Read about that here.

My daughter is not on any medication, yet. Heck - she never adds sa1t to anything anyway. She has not formed the habit, yet. And, that is what it is. A habit. You acquire a taste for the sa1t and you shake, shake, shake.

During the entire ordeal, I dealt with one lady. Joan. Her last name was even printed on the return address. She is the person who answered the phone (when she answered) - she is the person who called me back. She is the one who sent me the e-mail about the product being shipped.

I wonder what kind of company this is? Is it large? Small? Is it family-owned? It almost sounds like a small family business. Oh, groan. I just checked their BBB rating. A big fat "F".  The most complaints are from delivery issues. Surprise! Surprise! You can read their BBB report here.

I did a search on the CEO - Joan W___.  I had to laugh. Her facebook page shows her favorite movie as "Unbelievable".  How apropos!

Shipped

Huh. That's all it says. I received a message from the A.S.S. company and this is what it said when I "checked on the status of my order".  Shipped.  Bleh.

Maybe they ship via a slow boat to China, then across the Himalayans into Eastern Europe and north through the Netherlands.

Will be looking for that package to appear on my front porch. Sigh.

Oh, and surprise! Surprise! One of the gutters on my patio is leaking. Gah!

Oh yes - I did!

Remember the Salt substitute company that never sent me my order from December? I started out Sunday thinking about having my family members help me call this company everyday. I was going to e-mail them the information and the phone number reminding them to use their cell phones so it would not be long distance. But I changed my mind.

I researched how to go about getting my order and one thing led to another and before I knew it - I filled out a complaint with the FTC. Now, it clearly states when you begin, that the FTC does not accept complaints from individual consumers or something to that effect. Did I care? Not one bit. They can e-mail me and tell me to go fly a kite, but I received the above notification when I was done.

I grabbed a snapshot of it and e-mailed it to A.S.S.

Wow! I had an e-mail and a voicemail before the day was over. On a Sunday!

Joan is going to send me the order a.s.a.p. and if I have any questions to call her.

What think you? Will I get my salt this week? LOL!

Tune in next week for the continuing A.S.S. saga!

Baby time

It was a very small slice of time, but I was honored with holding above little girl for about fifteen minutes. She slept on my chest. She is one of the prettiest babies I have seen in a long time. But then most of my nieces and nephews have been producing boys. Not saying that boys are uglier - it is just that this one baked for so long she came out so developed. So...done. No left over wrinkles - all smooth and peaches and cream color, no yellow. Just one good looking baby.

Sister 1956 is still on cloud nine and rightfully so. Recent circumstances have moved her almost next door to the wee one and she just could not be happier.

On another branch of the tree, my nephew and his family went to an indoor water park for four days and his little imp of a three  year old jumped back onto the elevator one time when the doors were closing. Security for the motel found him 20 minutes later walking the hall back towards their room.

I was holding my breath typing that last sentence and just took a big gulp of air. I can't even begin to explain the fear a parent feels (or in my sister's case - a grandparent). My sister and her husband were there also. It was a nightmare for twenty minutes.

Motel floors all look the same mostly and you just have to wonder where he was and how many halls he walked down  - but nobody saw this little guy for 20 minutes? Any parent would stop the boy and call the front desk. 

I like to think that he was giggling and pushing the elevator buttons and just having a blast.

Ugh. My stomach hurts. Have you lost a child? I am not speaking of that horrible nightmare of losing a child for good. I hope I do not have any readers that have lost a child due to abduction. When people ask me what is my worst nightmare - that one is right there at the top of the list.

I am speaking of losing a child for a few minutes (or heaven forbid, hours). In a department store, at an amusement park, at the park. 

I have a story about my daughter walking for 1.5 miles by herself when she was five years old, but it is almost too painful for me to recall and tell it. I will muster up the courage (try to find the humor) and write a post about it.

Oh, oh! I have some news on the A.S.S. issue. I'll post that tomorrow.

A grab handle

I knew about the "grab" handle but did not know what it was called until I looked it up. I went through the drive through at the bank yesterday and shifted to reach for the canister. I bumped my head on my grab handle. I cursed under my breath and rubbed my head.Ouch!

While the bank was processing my request I looked at it. Why in hell is there one on my side of the car?

I have been in cars where I have "grabbed" the grab handle when I was the passenger. Not often, thank God. I usually don't ride with daredevils. I really didn't even need it while I taught two girls how to drive. My daughter and my niece.

I tried to imagine the driver ever needing a grab handle. It would make sense to me that if you were in a situation where you were driving fast or recklessly enough to grab the handle, you should certainly have both hands on the steering wheel. That would be what I would be grabbing.

Then this morning as I looked through images, it occurred to me. Oh, maybe it is for cars that are shipped to Australia or Ireland. Where the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. Maybe it is just easier to manufacture one on each side.

And the hairy arm up there? Not mine.

Just the wind

Sorry guys. I've hit a bit of a dry spell. If you hear anything here it's just the wind.