Giving them some sunlight

At the back of my garage are some little bluebell flowers. They don't have much of a chance because the rose of sharon is out of control. This is why I was trying to chop them down - so the less fortunate (weaker) plants could have more of a chance.

Like in life. The American way. Helping out the weaker ones so that they can have a better future.

My plant trimming is all on the back burner now that I hurt myself. Maybe by next week I can resume. Maybe I'll buy myself an electric hedge trimmer or something that will cut it easier. It's holding the device up that hurts. I try to run the weed trimmer, but gave up on that also. That upper arm strength. Bah!

Maybe I should start lifting weights.

Rain this week-end. I worked on indoor stuff.

My life is still an out of control circus.

I got a little further into "The Blind Side". I am skipping the football stuff. Boring!

I watched the derby yesterday, but just couldn't get into it. The show was too long. By the time the race ran, I was tired of it all. I think that they are entering horses in teams, three from one owner and set it up so that two of the team take out a contender so that the third member of the team can get ahead. That is what it looked like to me.

No movies to comment on except a television one - the 2005 version of "Little House on the Prairie". I caught this one the other day and watched most of it. Loved it. Did not get to see the beginning, caught it somewhere in the middle.

I slept more than 10 hours last night (I know!), so I am not very sleepy, yet. I have no idea when that kind of sleep is going to hit me. Like Thursday night I slept about 3 hours and could not get back to sleep, but when I saw the clock read 9:45 this morning I could not believe my eyes. It isn't medicine induced. I took nothing yesterday, such as muscle relaxer or Advil p.m. or anything. Who knows?

Some folks say "You must have needed it" - well, I just tried not to think of the migraine monkey today. It didn't happen. Usually after a long sleep I will get one.

So now we have May. Lily of the valley. Another batch of plants I am trying to get going in my yard. Not doing so well. Up the alley from where I walk the dogs, a house has some big pine trees in their back yard. Underneath the grass doesn't grow so well and they have a thousand lily of the valley plants blooming there. They have just started blooming but I can smell them when I walk past. It is the type of flower if you smell just one or two you think "big deal" but when you see a whole batch of them - the smell is quite heavenly.

All right. I guess I'll go to bed. 5:00 comes quickly and I know I won't want to get up. Ugh!

One more movie review...

One more movie review. I had missed this one or did not watch it in it's entirety. "Legends of the Fall". Oh my. That was one depressing movie. Huh. I just reserved the book version through my library. This is way too easy. Another book is on it's way to my library for me to pick up. Just what I need. Or, a novella - there are three stories in this book, I guess. They say the author (Jim Harrison) punched this one out over a long week-end while he was stranded in his log cabin. I read that somewhere and now (of course) I cannot find where.

Dragging my feet

This display kind of creeps me out. It is from the Fireman's Pub where I met some family for dinner on Saturday.

I am dragging my feet this morning. I am going to work today. While walking the dogs I felt some twinging in the shoulders and neck area. I drove last night. Most everything I do uses that right rhomboid muscle. Holding the leash for the dogs, scooping kitty litter, driving, dressing, picking this up, picking that up, loading and unloading the dish washer. It is endless.

So, that is why I am going to work. To get away from work. A lot of you will relate to that remark.

I am also reluctant to return to work because my daughter has a friend staying for a couple of weeks and we have just been goofing off the past two days having "girl fun". It's been great. But all good things must come to an end.

I am also wondering if my painful situation soured my view of Avatar. For those of you who really love it you may (or may not) like this. New release of Avatar coming this summer. My nephew told me this after I talked with him about the movie. He loved the movie. Of course he is one of those that went at midnight when it first came out and saw it in 3-D or something like that.

I will say this much. I loved the blues of the movie and the glowing, beautiful plants. I wish I had seen that on the big screen.

I am not making much progress on my book reading. Darn it all! I have barely cracked "The Blind Side". I moved an extra computer back into my bedroom and am using that for myself. My daughter and her friend have taken up residence at my other computer desk area. Two laptops and my mammoth PC sit there. They are all wireless so the dogs cannot chew the cat5 cable that my other computers need to connect to the router. This one does, but I have the cable strung up so that they cannot reach it.

Oh, another reason for my strained muscle. My purse. Yep, it's too heavy. It hangs on my left shoulder causing significant strain on the right side. What to do, what to do. I am the type of person who carries a saddle bag. I need to have everything in my purse.

Sigh. Enough stalling. It is time to get ready and roll.

In pain

The Hibiscus syriacus has caused me immense pain the last 24 hours.

I awoke yesterday starting out just fine. Walked the dogs, drank some coffee, read some blogs, hopped in the shower. Well, I don't hop anymore - it's more like slide or glide in. I was almost done when I reached up to rinse off my razor in the shower and "slam" I was hit with a twinge in my right shoulder blade.

I immediately stopped what I was doing and waited for the twinge to subside. It did not. It got much, much worse. I manged to get out of the shower and drape a towel over my hair and get my robe on.

I was still hoping that this "twinge" would go away. With each step it became more evident that I had a problem. A debilitating problem. I began to curse under my breath.

I tried to continue, but had to wake my daughter up to comb my hair. By the time she was done I could barely walk. She helped me to the t.v. chair (laying flat was not an option) and began stacking pillows up around me. I had already taken the ibuprofen.

I could not get comfortable. Every breath caused a stabbing sensation in my right lung. She surmised that I had a collapsed lung. I pooh-poohed that suggestion and just hoped it was not a fast case of pleurisy. I have manged to keep that ailment away for some years now.

Warning: Movie spoiler alert! Skip next two paragraphs.

I called the doctor at 7:30, they could get me in at 11 a.m. To pass the time I asked my daughter to put in the movie "Avatar". Since the drug store was out of rented copies, I just bought one. I have heard so many good things about it. I fell asleep during the movie. If you have not seen it, I will tell you this. If you have seen "Fern Gully", "Spirit", "Surrogates" and any movie out there that has depicted how the white man literally bulldozed the native Americans - roll them into one movie and you have "Avatar."

Fern Gully carries the message of how the white man wants to destroy the habitat and does not care about the people or critters who live there. Spirit is a narrated story of a free spirit (parts of Avatar are narrated the same way). Surrogates gives us the scenario where a human goes to sleep and his brain is transported into another creature and he/she walks around feeling and experiencing life as that other creature. Please forgive me if I say I didn't care for the movie.

This movie is long. It helped to pass the time until my appointment. One good thing. At least I had my shower over with. I manged to get dressed (after a double dose of ibuprofen) and my daughter drove me to the doctor's office.

She (the doctor) examined me and determined it was my right rhomboid muscle. There is more to the injury than just the shower. I have decided to begin chopping up (or down) my hibiscus syriacus that has appeared to be taking over the back side of my garage and (if I don't get a grip on it soon) will begin to take over the back side of my house.

The previous evening I went through a frenzy of chopping these dastardly bushes down. I had my clippers and I was seriously angry (or frustrated). Two things contributed to the anger/frustration. It was raining that day. My boxer would not do his "business". The sissy marshmallow would not leave the back porch unless I pushed him off. If I waited on the porch he just hung his head low and stood in the rain giving me those sad eyes.

So, I grabbed the clippers and in the pouring rain began chopping bushes. This at least made him walk around a little bit. He was still being stubborn.

Warning! Movie spoiler alert. Skip the next three paragraphs.

Now, the second thing that made me angry (more frustrated). The movie "The Lovely Bones". Oh my. My daughter and her friend wanted to see it because they had read the book in school. It is the story of a 13-year-old girl who gets raped and murdered by a man that lives in her neighborhood. Through the movie the girl is caught between worlds. In the between world she narrates certain events. She tells of all the young girls this serial killer has raped and murdered throughout his life. In her "between world" all the little girls come together and meet - they are all sweet and happy to see one another. But it hit home. This one man was responsible for almost a dozen lives lost.

Therein lies the anger and frustration. I could not watch the rape scene so I went outside. (My daughter paused the movie to wait until I returned - uh gee, thanks.) Anyway, they didn't show much - it is rated PG-13.

The killer looked very familiar and I finally guessed what actor he was. The girl was just fantastic. I had seen her in "The Atonement". All this with the help of imdb.com. My favorite movie site.

So, the clipping of the bushes (while angry) probably is the real culprit to my rhomboid muscle strain. That and possibly sitting at my computer desk for long periods of time.

I got some muscle relaxers. Blech! I hate those things. They give me a headache that will not respond to ibuprofen and made me feel very restless. I slept about an hour after taking one, and it did take care of the pain, but overall - I'll just stick with ibuprofen.

So today begins my second day off from work. I cannot drive a car. I cannot turn my head. I was supposed to meet my manger at some of my schools yesterday so the fiber optics company could scope out where and how they were going to set up their fiber connection. Drat. This is why I cursed under my breath. My manager didn't know where the wiring closets were. I'm sure they found their way but darn it all! I really needed to be there.

I can get comfortable in my t.v. chair with a heating pad and about 3 large pillows, 1 travel pillow and my neck pillow. I cannot live without my U-shaped neck pillow.

Now, I have been at the computer too long and it is starting to hurt. Ciao - until next time.

Gumballs

Photo courtesy of Sister 1956.

Post 1705

The lilacs are not the only thing blooming this week. My neighbor must treat his lawn with something because he does not have any of these that I can see. Harrumph!

I missed the marking of post number 1700, so 1705 will have to suffice.

Met some family for dinner tonight here.

Have a bit of a headache even if I only drank H20. I'll take some medicine and retire soon.

I receive a new recipe in the mail about once every two months or so. It comes in a postcard from my real estate agent. What has it been, seven years or more since I have seen this woman? How long will I keep getting these, I wonder? This recipe called for jicama. Never heard of it. I had to look it up. The dish does not sound good to me at all. It is called Grapefruit Vinaigrette salad. I don't believe I have eaten a grapefruit since I lived at home back in the early 80's.

Blah. I think I'll pass.

I have to think "What in the heck does a "grape" have to do with this sour fruit?" I researched and I guess the grapefruit cluster on their branches like a bunch of grapes. Okaaaay.

I have picked up the book "The Blind Side" that the library held for me. I started the first chapter. As in the movie, it starts out explaining some football moves. Not a fan. While there I picked up about seven books on managing people in business. I like to read it to see what people do wrong. Ha ha. Actually, with the first book it is more about realizing how I am under my own version of self deception.

Pouting

"You care more about that damn [camera (lilacs, fill in the blank)] than you do about ME!" Arrrrghh! What a baby!

Anyway, the lilacs are in (almost) full bloom and have my entire back yard and half of the front yard smelling wonderful.

Newest Addition

I almost typed "edition". This is the newest addition to our family. Finally his eyes are open.

No computer time. You would think that a house that has 3 computers and two laptops, that I would get more computer time? Uh, no.

For starters only the laptops and my "big" computer have wireless. Wireless is essential with chewing dogs.

My daughter has a friend staying for a couple of weeks so they have been using all the computer space/area/time.

It's all good. I'll live. I mean, really. I am on a computer all day at work. Of course I do not blog, or do personal things. I am not risking getting caught. I am not going to supply them with any ammunition to ever use against me.

Work has been a mixed bag of busy and sad. Some long time friends are retiring. Not direct co-workers, but people I have known and worked with for the past 15 years. Sigh.

Here is a slap in the face. This happens to a lot of folks, I know. A week ago, I told my manager that a device we have on our network should be able to do something we have been looking to purchase. (Remember the suicide incident?).

He gave me the password to the device and gave me the go ahead to look into it. I did a little browsing, but didn't have a lot of time. I would actually have more time next week and next month to really dig into it.

At a meeting yesterday another manager made an announcement to 25 of our school districts that he (and the manager I spoke with) were able to track school district's networks, blah, blah, blah. Exactly what I was supposed to be looking into and had told them the device was capable of doing.

Another rug pulled out from under my feet. I am so glad they figured out (on their own, right?) that we actually have had that capability for a long time. Grrrr.

Later, after the meeting he needed a phone number. I got it for him and gave it to him on a sticky note. He said "Thank-you." I wanted to say "For what? The phone number or the realization that the device can actually record the network flow of our clients' traffic?"

Double grrrr. Spilt milk. Whatever. Okay, griping session is over. Chin up. Grow up. Sit up and just be satisfied that as an organization we are capable of doing this service for our clients regardless of who figured it out. I'm still going to get in there and look at the feature. Just as soon as I have the time.

Jester

Heh, heh. I'm related to this one, too.

Wiggling toes

Like this little tyke I am not doing much today. I tried working outside but I just could not get into it. I got some of the 'Rose of Sharon' bushes cut down. They can take over, you know. It is darn cold out there.

A birthday party I went to yesterday was supposed to be held at the lake, it was changed to indoors because of the weather. Brrrr!

Actually the temperatures are normal for this time of year. It is just that we were so spoiled by the record-breaking warm temperatures a week ago that when we plunged back into the 40's we are crying like little babies.

I had this appetizer "Tropical Crab Rangoon" at the party and just devoured them. I am going to make some as soon as I get the chance. I won't do it unless I have a party/get together to go to or if I have people coming over. I'll certainly eat the entire batch myself and get ill.

We watched "Moon". I have really liked the actor S Rockwell since I saw him in "Galaxy Quest." What I found really interesting is the writer/director is the son of D Bowie.

We also watched "The Box." Creepy and I did not like the ending. It did have some jolting and strange incidents pop up in the movie that kind of kept you guessing.

Slipping Time

Time has slipped away from me

I had two training sessions at work this week. I mowed the grass (for the first time this year). I've been doing this and doing that. The week slipped away from me.

On a positive note, my bad mood seems to have lifted. I had a few deadlines this week and now that they are past, I can focus again on a handful of issues instead of that mountain I was facing for a month or so.

Equal Opportunity

Here are the black olives from Easter dinner.

Sigh. Yesterday got much, much worse. I was out with the dogs in the fresh air and I realized that this headache was not going away with OTC meds. Drat! Another imitrex? Or, generic imitrex, rather.

Yes. If I wanted to get to that birthday party. I tried the very, very hot shower. I moved slow. I lay back down after the shower. My pets hovered around me. "What are you doing?" I dozed on and off. I told my sister I would probably be late. She told me to stay home (in a nice way, LOL!) if I had a migraine. She gets them, too.

My daughter was coming over to watch the dogs for me. She had one hell of a night fighting with her boyfriend. It was all dramatic and tense. It set my headache flying again. She was crying. I listened. Finally, my head hurt too bad and I left for the party. It was breaking my heart to watch her.

I stopped at a store (not walletmart, yeah!) to get myself a new coffee pot. A migraine exacerbates little pet peeves. For starters, I hate shopping. I do like people, as most of you know from my previous posts, I will talk and joke with just about anybody.

This trip was much different. It started in traffic. Everybody was getting on my nerves. While turning into a parking lane, some lady was just sitting in her car (I think she was texting) - not in a parking space, but parked in the lane where everyone had to drive around her (once they made sure nobody was coming from the other direction). She is one of these drivers that makes me want to park my car. Get out and go up and bang on her window and scream 'What the f#&* are you doing?!' But, I didn't.

The lights were excruciating. I grabbed a buggy and it was buggy Nascar in there. You ever have one of those encounters where you are wheeling your buggy down an aisle and there is another shopper coming straight at you? I always try to steer to the right. I did. They steered to their left. I switched and so did they, again - and again! By this time we were getting pretty close to one another. We missed each other but I heard him make a remark to his wife. I was giving no eye contact and no response. Usually I would have smiled and joked about it. NOT today.

Of course I could not find the coffee pots. The only help I could find was a cashier at the very front of the store. And as typical of a horror story, the moment I ask her a question "Where can I find the coffee pots?" somebody (some idiot new employee with butter fingers, I am certain) decided to drop a metal pipe that must have been forty feet long onto the concrete floor of this massive home construction store. It echoed through the entire four counties all three times that I tried to repeat myself to the cashier." Where can I find the coffee pots?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"Where can I find the coffee pots?"

"Sorry." She gave me a bewildered look.

"Where can I find the coffee pots?" The echos were still resounding through the store. I sighed.

She motioned towards the sound. "Can't hear you."

Sigh. Finally, she was able to answer me. Of course! The coffee pots were all the way in the BACK of the store. So, back I go. Then there are the people who block an entire aisle. When I stop to browse or read something, I pull my cart in as close to my area as I can, thus leaving room for another buggy to get by. Not most people. Every aisle I tried to go down, had one or two people on one side of the aisle looking at something and their buggy would be stretched out (at an angled position) blocking the entire, frickin' aisle! I was livid. I was fuming. See? I despise migraines for doing this to me! It is no wonder older people can be so cranky. If they are always in pain, that is. And, I think most of them are.

And, that isn't the worst of it. If you are defeated and actually have to wheel up one of the blocked aisles, they don't notice you. I make as much motion and noise as I can before I get to them so that they have plenty of warning. I cannot believe people are so oblivious to their surroundings that they cannot see another shopper standing less than 2 feet away from them with a buggy, trying to pass. I REALLY have a hard time believing that people are this clueless to their surroundings. What must they be like on the roadways? I fidget and ahem. Then just say "Excuse me! May I pass?" Then they act like they are being inconvenienced. Arrgghh!

They were lucky I had a migraine and was moving slow that day. Or, I would have plowed into their buggy like some crazed snow plow driver that had worked two too many shifts and was pushed way over the edge! I can see it now. Purses and merchandise would go flying up into the air (heaven forbid they have a toddler sitting in the front of the buggy) and the silver buggy (that never had a chance against me and my demon buggy - buggy Nascar, I tell ya) wouldn't know what hit it as it goes skittering across the store's waxed floor. The people would stand there mouth agape, in shock. I would nod as I passed them and say "That's right! Get the hell out of my way next time! Idiots!"

They are fortunate I don't get physically sick much anymore with these monster headaches, or I would have to vomit on their shoes as I pass them. You can bet your sweet arse they would get out of my way, then! Again, I do not like the monster that I become.

Ah, yes. So, the next time you witness one of these crazy lady buggy drivers in a store, try to remember. We do not want to be there. Sometimes we do not have a choice. I only shopped because I absolutely HAD to get a coffee pot or I was going to go insane with caffeine withdrawal. Migraines make us monsters! Beware, and please forgive. In retrospect I should have waited and shopped at a small drug store. Whew!

And if you do ever read in the newspaper about some lady in Ohio that went berserk at a store or while driving, remember that I am not always like this. It is the migraine monkey coming out in me that tortures me.

Green or black?

Are you a green olive person or a black olive person?

I like (and eat) both, but I prefer the green ones. I love salt! I put the black ones on all Mexican dishes that I make. I am making a seven-layer taco dip for a birthday party today.

I've probably posted the recipe before.

I use a pan or dish with a lip on it because the sheer weight of the ingredients pushes the bottom layers down so that they ooze out.

First layer is (1) refried beans.

I mix (2) sour cream and (3) small curd cottage cheese together and spread that over the beans.

Next is (4) salsa. (I use mild or medium).

Then (5) shredded lettuce.

Then finely (6) shredded mild cheddar cheese.

Then (7) sliced black olives.

We dip tortilla chips into the mixture and eat it up.

You guys are probably SO tired of hearing about my headaches. I had one yesterday. I even had to take a second pill. AND my coffee pot died on me! I had to drive to Mickey D's to get a cup. It was awful! Just awful. The taste of their coffee has really deteriorated. I am drinking hot tea this morning to get my caffeine fix. Funny how I only like creamer in my coffee (no sugar, blah!) but for my hot tea it is no cream and two teaspoons of sugar. Weird.

What really irks me is that we had a beautiful day yesterday and I could do nothing. NOTHING! I slept most of the day. Bending over to put the harness on the dogs was pure torture. Everything makes too much noise. The tea kettle this morning pierced my head like a high powered cross bow shooting an arrow into my skull. A dog bark will send me into a raging fit of anger.

Sigh. It has abated today. I am still taking the OTC meds like generic ibuprofen and generic acetaminophen. Huh. I guess I AM on meds! That lady at the G Corral last month guessed right.

Talking to my nephew last night he said that when he looked at the weather, it said that the indices were high for aches and pains like migraine, arthritis and sinus sufferers. Well, then.

With any luck I will be able to get through today on the generic OTC alone. I hope I can find a good cup of coffee. And, I suppose I will leave early for the party so I can shop for a new coffee pot.

One very nice thing happened yesterday. I had our old faithful dog Sable and the ever so rambunctious boxer out in the front yard. No leashes or harness on either, though I was carrying the boxer's harness and leash in my hand. The lady across the street was mowing and had sat down to take a break. We waved at one another. She hollered "Is that one of those puppies?" That was all the boxer needed. He bounded across the street and right up to her. I was following close behind telling her that he was friendly.

Thank God no cars were passing. I mentally kick myself. Dogs are so unpredictable.

She fussed over him a bit (he is a big marshmallow) and I told her that the two pups were inside and I had also found this dog. She said "You have four dogs?" I said "Yeah, just shoot me now." My standard response when somebody asks or points that out.

She and I proceeded to talk for about half an hour. I had the harness and the leash on the boxer by that time and dear Sable just plopped down in some grass and waited. We talked of the economy, we talked of movies, we talked of what I do for work. We told each other our names for the umpteenth time and laughed how neither one of us could remember. I think we will now.

She is a great lady and I have always admired how she gets out there with her electric lawn mower and mows away. She looks to have ten years or more on me. She has health problems (pain in her legs) but does her best.

It was a very nice visit and I didn't want to overstay my welcome. I went back home and she returned to her mowing.

The blues have it

I browsed the pictures at DQ and decided on this puppy image to put on my daughter's ice cream cake. It was delicious! I used to hate the taste of grainy sugar in my mouth, but the flowers were so soft and melted very quickly. Yum!

Yes, it is 4:30 a.m. I have been up for over and hour. I can't sleep yet, again. I am not drinking any caffeine in the evenings. Well, I did drink an extra cup of coffee at a meeting yesterday after lunch. Maybe?

I am dizzy when walking the dogs. It is stress-induced, I am sure. I have to sign a retirement paper and it is affecting me so deeply. It is like jumping off a cliff into the unknown. All I see down below is pure darkness.

I do not have any 'faith in' or 'respect for' the people (person) who are (is) deciding my work fate.

Yikes!

19 today. This photo is an old one (of course). We actually do not have a lampshade on the floor. My daughter was standing on the back of the sofa. She loved the rubber rats and spiders of the Halloween holiday.

I can remember every night giving her a bath and putting those cute pajamas on her. Then I would comb out her long, blond hair. It was a ritual and one that I wish I could still do today.

Take me back, oh time machine. Take me back.

A simpler place and time

I so want one of these light up toys. I found them at the Tractor Supply store and gave them out to the kids. Now, I want one for myself.

My co-workers backed out of the legal endeavor. Whatever. What will be, will be.

I find myself mentally (and physically) exhausted these days. I'm sure it is stress (as my migraines have increased quite a bit) and my insomnia is kicking in. Two of the jobs I wanted to apply for were already filled. The third is much more complex and I must re-structure my resume to fit it better. There are a few things on the qualifications list that I have covered and a few things that I don't. I'll give it a go. Of course if I wait any longer, I'll let it slip through my fingers as I so easily do.

I can barely get the trash out and the sink cleared out let alone find the mental energy to come up with a fresh and professional looking resume. There is a song out by Matchbox 20 ( a couple of years old, actually) that is called "Push". I changed some of the lyrics to fit my present condition:

I don't know if I'm up for an interview, I'm a little bit rusty,
And I think my head is cavin' in.
And, I don't know if I have a future with this job, it's a little uncertain,
And I feel the walls are closin' in. And, I'm a little bit angry.

So don't stand there, sayin' nice things to me.
I've been cheated, I've been wronged.
You don't know me.

Yeah, yeah. I've been singing it nonstop for two weeks, now. Now my head is really starting to hurt. I can go along just fine for an hour or two and then "wham!" just out of the blue I get a real bad pain. I'm sure it is from getting up too early this morning, and it only lasts for about 30 seconds or so.

But hey! I have not had any foot pain for a long time. I'd do the happy dance, but there is the headache and ... oh, you know.

I've been drinking lots of water because the weather here in Ohio is unbelievable! We marched straight into summer, skipped the spring cool air altogether. I've had the air conditioner on for about four days now. My office at work is hotter than an oven. The building was arranged poorly and they moved the server equipment room so a brand new air conditioner had to be put there to keep it all cool. Well, in the room next door to the server room is the thermostat that controls my temperature in my room. Since that A/C cools the equipment down so well that thermostat barely kicks on. I swelter.

But, I can't say anything because I don't pay any rent! I just roost there from some arrangement that was made in 1995 between a retired superintendent and one who has passed away. Nobody really knows what to do with me.

With the changes coming up at work, I'll probably have to drive to the home office every day. That is 60 miles one way. I will be an "at will" employee. I know, I know. Just be glad I have a job, right? Right. Be glad I have insurance, be glad I have dental coverage. Be glad I get sick days and vacation days. Remember my mantra. Just do the best you can and hold your head high. All well enough until that headache zaps me again.

Oh, and I was SO disappointed in "The Men Who Stare at Goats".

Age of Innocence

Before the world and life affects you. Sleep a peaceful sleep.

It's gettin' ugly out here. They predicted a cold rain for Monday this week. That's why I said last week I didn't mind working today. I got cheated! It was a beautiful, sunny day. Big deal. Boo Hoo. I had a migraine anyway. I took medicine at about noon and it was gone by 3. Fun city.

I've been asked to head up a team for legal issues concerning my tabu subject. The subject of where I should watch what I say. I'm not sure we are going to get five to approve the action. We are hesitant as to who we trust.

My work history:

Cook (summer of 74 and 75)
waitress (summer of 76)
Ice cream parlor (summer of 77)
animal cage care (fall/winter of 77)
office secretary (78 - 81)
data entry operator(83 - 85)
office manager (85 - 88)
data entry operator (88 - 91)
PC Specialist (91 - 95)
network technician (95 - present)

I have three jobs lined up that I am going to apply for this week. Big breath. With this economy and there are still reports of hundreds of applicants for one job, we'll see if I get any calls.

Sigh. I'm either nuts or very, very desperate. You will probably notice the gap between 81 and 83. I spent the summer of 82 in El Paso caring for my nephew while my sister was in the army and then I spent a year writing poetry and floating and finding myself. I became a semi-recluse.

Well, the ham is in the oven. It was so funny. When I unwrapped it and was putting it into it's baking pan I looked behind me. The three (newer) dogs were sitting in the kitchen lined up as if to say "What are you COOKING? And, can we have some?"

Sable? She knows better. She was lying in her usual place by the back door, acting oblivious to everything. But if I give one little treat to any of the pets, she knows it. She isn't all that oblivious to what is going on around her. She knows.

Watching Shrek

I babysat for this little tyke last Saturday. He is the son of my nephew's girlfriend. We watched Shrek and an Elmo video (that had to be repeated no less than three times). I had not seen Shrek in a couple of years (perhaps longer). It was interesting to hear about onions and layers and building walls to keep people out.

I repaired the computer that was in my sister's home. A song had been downloaded from the dreaded "Limewire" program that carried a virus. It took a while to clean up the system and perform all the updates. At one point I found a complete and unopened box of an anti-virus program which I proceeded to load onto the unit. They should be good to go. Of course they got a little lecture from me about downloading from this dreaded site (Limewire) and I told them about a program that I use at mp3panda where the songs are a nickel each. Yes, that's right: a nickel apiece.

Edit: I just logged into the site. Songs are now ten cents each and albums are no longer 99 cents but $1.14. BOO! I can see where this is going. In a few months they will be a quarter each and before you know it they will be a dollar each. Sigh. It never ends.

You must have a credit card or some way of starting out though, and that can be tough to come by for this younger generation who do not have any credit established.

Meanwhile, we are off to a wonderful week-end here in the Peruby household. It is full of people during this Easter holiday. I am going to kick into "Mom" mode and start to cook and bake and feed people. 'Cause that's what I do best. Besides fix computers, that is.

Open wide

I have kept this photo in it's original size (2592 x 1944). Still using my 5.1 mp camera from 2003. If you care to look at this sort of thing click the photo to see deep inside the mouth of this massive muskellunge fish. A.K.A. "muskie".

Note: You may want to set your browser to "NOT" re-size the photo automatically. For some reason when I download the photo (before I changed the browser settings so that it did NOT re-size the photo automatically) it saved it in a 400 x 300 pixel size. Boo!

In Internet Explorer, choose Tools. Choose Internet Options. Choose Advanced. Scroll down to the Multimedia selections. Remove the check mark from "Enable Automatic Image Resizing" and click Apply and click OK. You can view the photo in it's large format, now. You can return the browser to it's previous settings by going back through the steps and checking the box for "Enable Automatic Image Resizing."

In Firefox, choose View. Choose Page Style and select "No style". Warning: Your page format will change. Click on the photo to view the larger format. When you are finished viewing the photo, return the browser to it's Basic Page Style setting by choosing View. Choose Page Style and select "Basic Page Style."

My nephew (1984, I think) caught it last year or two years ago. They are just now getting it back from the taxidermist.

I can't sleep this morning. I awoke about an hour ago with a headache. I took some acetaminophen and am drinking a cup of java and reading blogs. The dogs are a bit confused. The cats are just angry that I have not fed them, yet.

I work today and am off tomorrow. That is all for the Easter break. Back to work on Monday. I am not minding so much because the weather forecast for early next week is lousy. Beautiful today and tomorrow. It may be tough getting through today. I am thinking of going to my little home town this evening for a benefit dinner. With not much sleep, I don't know how I will be feeling. I usually get a little "manic" when I am sleep deprived. Sigh. I suppose somebody will ask my daughter (if she goes) if I am on meds again. LOL!

Oh, and no April Fools' joke from me today. I love that Google changed their name to Topeka for the day. Of course they are trying to appear as if they changed it (as in for good) as an April Fools' joke. I know better.