Sorry we're not home right now...

It appears that somebody actually IS reading my blog.

I had a message on my machine this evening. The wonderful MJ called to let me know that she found some cute rubber boots at Fleet. And they had fun colors and were 20% off.

How sweet of her to think of me.
Listening to her message made me smile.

Thanks, MJ!!

Oh, my dear Harry

The news is out that Prince Harry was serving in Afghanistan. He's been on the front lines since December and after his presence was leaked they decided to pull him out for his safety. They believe he could become a high-value target for al-Qaida and other Islamist militants. Good point.

I've been following Harry's story for some time now. William was always viewed as the big heart throb, but there's something about Harry that intrigues me. Sure, he appeared as the geeky, red-headed kid that unfortunately inherited his looks from him father. But he's grown up and has become quite the young man. He's a free spirit and I love his extraverted personality. And there's something about him that's kinda hot...

I watched an interview with the two brothers a few months back when they spoke of their mother's fatal anniversary. William was so soft spoken and reserved, while Harry really drew me in with his sense of humor and wit. He's the kind of guy that I would have loved to hang out with when younger.

It's been so long my cherry grew back

Across the country, "revirginization" appears to be gaining steam. After years in relationships and having children, women are trying to recapture their virginity. They are engaging in prayer and considering themselves virgins again. What the?? And besides the spiritual efforts, some are having surgical replacement of the hymen, which is a $5000 procedure. A surgeon in FL stated that she performs about 100 of these every year. A single mother of two from Ohio said her future husband deserves a 'whole' person.

I'm not really sure what to say about this. Obviously I'm not a virgin, but I still feel 'whole'. I've broken a few Catholic rules in my days, but I like who I am and my sex life (or lack there of) doesn't define me. (OK, maybe if I dove into prostitution it would... but I didn't choose that path.) Does virginity make you pure and a better person? Look at Britney Spears and her virginity claims all those years. What a joke... look at where that got her.

And why is virginity so special if you can just go reclaim it again?

(A caveat to all this: I'm talking in terms of adulthood. Virginity to my children and all those under the age of 18 is VERY important.)

Here's to you, Janie

Today my mom turns 64. I remember thinking back when 60 seemed so old. My maternal grandfather passed away at 66 (on his birthday) and my grandmother was just a few years after. Now my parents are 64 and 66 and they don't even appear close to kicking the bucket.

They aren't exactly the epitome of health, but they don't have any terminal illnesses, body parts gone bad or great health risks that keep them from living a normal life. They both think they look pretty darn good for their age... just ask them, they tell us that all the time. There is definitely some truth to being as old as you feel.

One friend told me last night that her husband turns 40 this weekend. He commented on his life being half over. That's a good point, but I like to look at it as having a whole half left to live! Think about it. From birth to now I've experienced SO many things. The people I've met, the lessons I've learned, the places I've lived. It's endless. Having another 40 years to do so many more things... that's awesome. I have the ambition and think my second half is going to be stellar.

Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister

Well, I officially lost five pounds since I got the braces on, which was about seven weeks ago. I have learned to eat real food again in that time, so I didn't starve on applesauce and cream of wheat for too long. For some foods I still have to wear that silly bite plate, but for others I can leave it out. I'm making strides. My upper front teeth have moved out quite a bit already and I'm guessing a few more weeks and my underbite will be gone altogether. I get 'tightened' on Thursday, so I'll be feeling it.

This weekend will be March. What do we all think of that?!?!?
Hitting the 40s is going to be a mood-lifter for everyone. *heavy sigh*

Jules has a bday party on Friday eve, so Ali wanted to have a friend over. I thought, you know what... let's hang out together instead. I really enjoy my time with that kid and one-on-one is almost unheard of in my house. So, I promised her Chili's for dinner and a little shopping. She seemed pretty pumped about the idea. So much so that this morning she asked if Jules can sleep by Grandma on Saturday night! Ali wants to ditch her little sis all weekend and have me for herself. I'm telling ya, tempting as that is... I'd miss the obnoxious little sh!t.

There are many times where I wonder what it would be like to have just one child. I picture quiet. But then I can't imagine my life without either one of those girls.

And the winner is...

There are stories all over the web today about the Oscars. Who almost skipped the red carpet, who went to what parties and who wore what gown. You can even rate the best and worst dressed. Do any of us really care? I know that some folk are a little star-struck and even I check the latest in People Magazine once in a while, but this doesn't qualify as news to me.

I can't remember the last time I watched one of these awards shows or showed interest in the event the following day. I'm just not that interested in the lives of Hollywood "super stars". Although I am an avid movie watcher and subscribe to Netflix, I feel that actors are grossly overpaid and their lives overglamified. I just don't care where they eat or who they're shacking up with this week.

The duck that I am

Well, I went to five stores over the last two days. And I spent $58; $31 of which was spent on the girls. I bought two pair of shoes for myself on clearance, for a grand total of $27. Big spender, huh?? I swear, I walked around and tried to buy myself something, especially looking for some fun boots, and it was difficult! There was nothing to be had. The positive spin on the shopping experience is that all three of us got a little something and I barely opened the wallet. It's probably best that I save the tax money for when it's needed. Things always come up when the weather gets nice and work starts getting done around the yard and house. Plus, I plan to take a few mini vacations between April and August. Entertainment = money well spent.

I still need to find some waterproof duck shoes of some sort. Again, it's getting sloppy.
How about these??

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=storm-chaser-clogs&categoryId=34365&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=503432&cat4=503425&shop_method=pp&feat=503432-tn

I can run around the streets chase storms and maintain dry socks! They are very me.

One sock, two sock, wet sock, blue sock

I just got back from a lunch with some old buddies of mine. Fun group of guys I used to work with.

Crap is melting out there and getting sloppy. I think I may buy new waterproof shoes of some sort. Lord knows I'll get good use out of them this spring.

I think that's what I need to do. Buy something out of the ordinary. Like Dino Boots or a fun hat. I'm feeling adventurous right now.

And I'm off....

Not really burning a hole

I can be a little indecisive at times. Like when it comes to ordering at a restaurant. I go through all the options on the menu and actually try to taste them in my mind to decide what my craving is at that exact moment. I always tell the others to order first because I need that extra minute.

I'm the same way when it comes to shopping and spending money. I hem and haw over whether it's a necessary purchase. If it's something I don't need, then I have a hard time buying it just because. Like clothes or shoes... it has to be a darn good sale. And I never buy myself nice jewelry or some extravagant toy just for fun.

Well, both my state and federal refunds were deposited in my account this week. There's some money to play with there. Part of me enjoys not touching it and letting it sit for when I really need it, and the other part of me thinks I deserve to take at least a couple hundred dollars out to spend. I'm not sure what I'd buy, because I really have everything I need to live my life effectively. I guess the best choice would be to let the money sit until I do find something that tickles my fancy. And I have new windows coming soon... what more could a woman want?

Um, yeah

I stumbled upon this by complete accident last week sometime. It is by far the nastiest thing I've seen in ages. I just had to share.

There are no words. I think the young man's expression from over by the bar says it all.

And is that a dog collar I see?

Dude, NOT a good look.

Don't be stupid....

This one's for you, Lisa.

So, I went to vote last night. I took Ali to basketball practice and then ran over, across the parking lot. I was told it was very simple and fast because you only have to make one choice. So, I get there and the place is empty. It was within the last hour of voting time, so I assumed it wouldn't be crowded. There were rows of tables with senior citizen volunteers to check off your name and hand out the ballots. When I got mine the lady said, "Just pick one". Sure, whatever. I'll figure it out.

When I looked at the ballot it appeared that I would have to make one choice for each party. I've never voted in a primary before, but that was my impression from the ballot. And that's what I did. I picked one Dem and one Rep. (I did wonder when these ballots were printed because Rudy pulled out a while ago and his name was still on the list.)

I slid the ballot into the tally machine and it spit the ballot back out at me, making this obnoxious noise. What the heck? I was waiting for sirens to go off. I took it over by the senior that gave me the ballot in the first place and explained what happened. Another gentleman that must've been in charge of the voting process walked over to the table and senior lady said, "I told her to pick just one!" in a real snotty tone. It was borderline rude and I was taken back by it. They gave me another ballot and I went back to the table to PICK JUST ONE as I was ordered. I overheard the gentleman talking to senior lady as I walked away.

Something tells me that I was not the first person to make that mistake. Based on her reaction, senior lady was quite irritated with the whole situation. And if I was the first person to do it, where's your patience? Good grief. Hey, like I said, it was my first primary.

The numbers are out and Obama took WI. Just based on what I've been reading I think he's got a great chance at taking it all. I'm anxious to see some debates with Obama and Hillary because I'm split based on their viewpoints right now. I've always respected McCain, especially after I learned of his POW experiences in Vietnam. What a story. I feel that he's very qualified for the job, but that the public may be leaning towards a Democrat to get into the office right now. After the mess George W has gotten us into, it just seems time.

Monday, Monday

Nothing exciting going on today. I have quite a few projects to get done at work, so I'm focusing on those and trying to refrain from looking at what's going on outside my window.

The girls don't have school today and slept by their dad's last night. That was sort of weird for me. I worked until 9:00p last night and then shut 'er down with my book and jammas shortly after. I woke a few times, thinking that I heard one of the girls. I had no idea what day it was or whether I had to work this morn when I got up. Their absence completely threw me off. It was nice being able to get ready in the morn and not have to worry about getting their stuff together or breaking up another of their fights. Other than that, I didn't like it.

On another note: An old friend of mine told me today that he still digs me. His words. There will always be a mutual attraction there, but I'm taking that comment with a grain of salt. Things don't work out between two people for a reason. Why would it work the second time? I don't know... just food for thought.

Sorry!

I must apologize to the city boys.
At 4:00p I saw a crew clearing snow at corners, digging for the storm drains. And they were doing it on FDL Ave, which gives them extra points.

What an ugly day though, huh?? With that nasty rain, combined with the snow meltage, I got some water in the basement. It's the usual spot where I always do on mega wet days, so no surprise there. And fortunately the basement floor is pitched right because the water runs right down to this big drain on the west side of the basement. Only inconvenience is that I have to wear my soccer sandals downstairs and step over the trail... no biggie. I'm used to it.

The units called and said they got water in their basement, which is carpeted and has never happened before. They have a sump (unlike me), but their gutter downspouts were so clogged with ice and snow that water was running right into the foundation from the roof.

All I can say is that it's going to be one ugly ass spring, but I'll welcome it!!

Up in the evil dungeon

I'm making the girls play in their rooms for a few hours. Making them, as if it's torture. As if I put them into a dark 3x3 closet and locked the door or something. Pfft.

There are days when I need some time to get things done. Whether it's work on the pc, cleaning, anything. I can't have kids hanging on me 24-7, and that's what mine do. Sometimes I just want them upstairs so I can think. I'm not asking for much. When I ask them to play in their rooms they get all whiney, begging "we'll be good down here". What the heck? When I was a kid that was where we played - in our rooms. Our parents didn't allow us to hang in the living room and watch kiddy shows all day. And we surely weren't bringing all our toys out there or playing video games on the tv. No, we played in our rooms, nuff said.

Kids these days don't use their imagination as much. It's all about the computers and being entertained by something else. It's really starting to annoy me (being stranded in the house so much), but I don't know how to change their mindset. It's not like I don't encourage reading books and board games, I do. Go play school! Play with all that crap in your rooms. Figure something out. Just go play!

When it rains it pours

I'm not even sure how to address this one.

It was 4:00a on Sunday morning. Most of the city population is sleeping, I'm sure. I hear four plows go by. Yes, they woke me and yes, I count. It has gotten to that. I figure the snow storm of the week has started and don't even bother looking outside. Then I hear a car go by a few minutes later and it sounds like he's driving in water?!?! I decide to look out the window. It's pouring rain! The plows were scraping concrete in the pouring rain, waking people up in the process. Why???

That kinda pissed me off. At 4:30 I decided to get some water and jump back into bed with my book. I got hazy an hour later and woke again around 7:00. I promised Jules some fresh Krispy Kremes for breakfast, so I hauled my butt up and found her on the couch, watching cartoons, anxiously awaiting those doughnuts. It's the first thing she said to me.

I got ready to leave and decided an umbrella would be necessary for the walk across the street. What an ugly mess it is out there. My entire drive is sheer ice, almost 2-3 inches deep in spots. The sidewalks are all ice with inches of water on top. The streets have massive ponds, especially at intersections. I couldn't even walk across where I wanted to because it looked too deep. I'm sure all the storm sewer drains are clogged and the rain/melt has nowhere to go. Maybe it would be in everyone's best interest if these city plow guys concentrated on getting some of this water to drain. There's an idea.

I'm just glad that we don't have anywhere to be today. I have to pick Ali up from a sleepover, but that's about it. Our weekend was quite active with museums, sports, bday parties and everything else. It's all fun, but I enjoy hanging low on Sundays. Even though it usually isn't a day of rest, it's still a day of home time for us.

Travel by foot

I must've got hit in the head pretty hard this morn when I wasn't looking.
I was just thinking that it would be fun to dress up for the elements this evening and take a walk downtown. I have to pickup some books at the library anyway...
As long as it's not blowing in our faces at a horizontal angle.

This reminds me of my 20s, when my friends and I would blow off work early in the snowstorms. We'd bundle up with our boots and walk a few blocks to the neighborhood tavern. Nowhere to be, no kids or spouses, no responsibilities. Just playing some cards, shaking some dice, having some beers. The good ole days.

Take the damn cape off

It's getting to the point where the plow guys are starting to piss me off. I think I'm becoming immune to the effects of the weekly snow totals, but the plow guys need to learn some plowing etiquette and stop taking their job so seriously.

Around 6:18a I was lying in bed, listening to my radio alarm. The desire to get up hadn't hit yet. And then I heard a plow coming down the street. That always gets my blood flowing. I peeked through my window shade and witnessed the whole thing.

The plow just got to my house and slammed into my bags of garbage on the "curb". Two clear bags and one blue when flying into my driveway. What the hell?? When I put them out last night I tucked them into the snowbank best I could, but they were not on the street. They were more inside the approach. And there weren't any strong winds last night, so I know they didn't move. My snowbanks are getting so high that putting the garbage on top isn't even an option anymore.

There is no reason that plow guy had to be so close to the curb that he clipped off my garbage bags. There was minimal snow this morn and people don't tend to hug the curb when driving down FDL Ave. It's a wide enough street with ample driving space. Just plow the middle of the road where people drive and be done with it. These plow guys act like they're super heroes or something. No... you're not saving my life, buddy. But I'm getting close to taking yours.

Set your goals high

Last night Ali told me that she doesn't want Hillary to win the presidential election because SHE wants to be the first woman president. That made me smile.

Then she asked if being president makes you rich.

A really "cool" place to be a scientist

The coldest place on earth. It may seem like WI qualifies at times, huh? I decided that I need to take a more positive outlook on this winter (which is very difficult for me) and prove that it really could be worse. Really...it could be. So, here's my attempt.

Antarctica

You want to talk about world records, Antarctica is the land of extremes. It is the coldest, windiest, and highest continent anywhere on earth. With an average elevation about 7,544ft above sea level it is the highest continent. Even though it is covered in ice it receives some of the least amount of rainfall, getting just slightly more rainfall than the Sahara Desert, making it the largest desert on earth. Most people have the misconception that a desert is a hot, dry, sandy, lifeless place, but the true definition of a desert is any geographical location that receives very, very little rainfall. Even though there's ice on the ground in Antarctica, that ice has been there for a very long time.

Antarctica is the only continent that has never had an indigenous population of humans because it has always been such an extreme environment. Just the boat ride getting to the continent is over the most treacherous seas anywhere in the world. The inaccessibility of the place and the lack of reliable food and means for constructing shelter has kept humans away for thousands of years. But the new technologies developed over the last 200 years made it possible for people to reach these icy shores to explore and study the Antarctic for the first time in human history.

Some scientists actually live on Antarctica for part of the year to conduct their research. Very few scientists stay there more than six months at a time. The sun rises and sets only once a year at the South Pole, which means there are six months of daylight, followed by six months of darkness. During the winter when there is no sun, the Antarctic becomes an even more hostile place to be - colder than cold, BONE-CHILLING cold, and no daylight. Can you imagine living in darkness 24 hours a day?

The Antarctic has the coldest temperatures on the earth, but that shouldn't surprise you. (Coldest reported temperature ever was -129°F.) What most people don't know is that the South Pole has the clearest, calmest weather anywhere on earth. Most of the wickedly high winds that everyone associates with the cold and the ice of the Antarctic are around the edges of the continent at the shores. These winds are so fast and so fierce they are world-famous and they have a special name, too - katabatic winds - and they can blow with hurricane force up to 190 mph!

There is so much ice there you could carve up a block of ice the size of the Great Giza pyramid for every human being on the planet! 98% of Antarctica is covered in ice.

Feel any better??

When your number is up

This morning I almost went to the big freezer in the sky.

I made a quick stop at the grocery on the way to work. I was parked fairly close to the door and had to walk around one minivan to get there. Right when I'm behind the van I notice his brake lights go on, like the guy was starting to back up. I was probably a foot or two from touching it. I started screaming, "Woah! Woah! Woah!" as if the guy was going to hear me. As I'm running forward I noticed a gentleman (Tom) that I used to work with many years ago. Tom saw this happening and gave a quick yell while putting his hand up. I reached Tom and turned around to see the driver, who was an elderly man at least 70+ years of age. The man waved and smiled at me and I shrugged it off. Could happen to anyone.

Tom and I smiled at each other with a mutual, "How you doing?"
I replied with, "You almost witnessed my death!"

The sequel

If I were to write another book, I'd call it:
"When Will the Fricken Snow Stop?", by kb.

Paybacks are a beeotch

Besides showering, eating and doing a quick load of laundry, I spent the entire day working on my marketing project. Serves me right. Although I do work well under pressure, I'm not proud of myself for blowing off the whole Saturday. But, what's done is done and it's not like I had anything else to do today... like go for a walk in the -20 degree winds! Sheesh.

I had to shovel a few monster drifts before the kids came home today. What a treat. The back door and the end of my drive were very high. I bundled up and half way through the drifts I realized that I had to keep my mouth shut. As soon as I opened it to breath my teeth were frozen from the braces! And my nose was running so bad that I had a hard time breathing at all. Just more fun on FDL Avenue.

I had very little sleep last night due to the awful winds. Those damn rattling windows in my room. It sounded as if someone was banging on them with a hammer. At 1am I decided to hit the couch with a few blankets. I slept for crap downstairs because I flip around a lot and being on a narrow couch keeps me so confined. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. The new windows are ordered and expected in 3-4 weeks. Talk about money well spent. Oy.

A big thanks to Bruiz for the chili. It was delicious and kept me happy and warm on this blustery weekend.

Oh, and I think I fell in love last night. I was watching "Sleeping with the Enemy" and Julia Roberts' new beau and neighbor became my hero. Ben wasn't the drop-dead model type, but the guy that he was...he was very much my style. Charming, talented, kind, passionate and a true knight. *heavy sigh*

po-tay-to, po-tah-to

Quiet, lazy day. Sort of nice to have those once in a while. I took Ali to her basketball game this morn (it was a tie game) and then came home to have lunch and relax. I ended up crashing on the couch during a movie and haven't done a ton of motivating since. I did grab my laptop to do some job searches. I'm trying to figure out just what type of position I'll be interested in when I finish the business management degree. There is a broad range under this umbrella, which I like, and although I have some time to sort through this - I want to get a feel for companies and organizations in the area. Anyway, that's what I've been doing. That, and poking around at careers in AZ. :o) (dream, dream)

I still have groceries not put away from this morn and I'm wearing sweats covered with my flannel robe and a do-rag on my head. Lookin' good. I haven't touched the laundry basket yet (it's 5:46pm) and I still have a huge presentation to finish for class on Monday eve. Today I am the official Procrastinator. It's so not like me.

Speaking of jobs, my friend, coworker and boss gave his resignation on Friday. That was the issue that would directly affect me the other day. I've worked with John at two different companies and did consulting work for his private business in '07. He's a good guy. Smart, motivated and he has an incredible wit about him. He's had my back a few times and I think highly of him. He has taken a networking position at a local mfg company and will be leaving in three weeks. I'm thrilled for him, but it will have an impact on the two of us left in the IT dept. One good thing about his departure is that John feels we won't have to worry about job security for quite some time (our company has had some real low points over the last two years and they recently laid a few office people off, with rumor of production people coming). The rough part of John leaving means that Blair and I will be much busier than we were previously. I think we can handle it, but it'll surely be a learning experience for everyone.

Change in life is good.

Time to get off my butt and look at how pretty I am in the mirror.

Information overload

Lots going on this week. Besides the snowstorm completely disrupting my life (no, I have nothing more to say on that), there has been additional drama. The X got into a bad accident during the storm and smashed up his truck. He's fine, though it shook him up a bit. There is also something else going on with a friend that will directly affect me, but I'm not at liberty to talk about it just yet. I know, I hate it when people bring things up and then can't share... then why bring it up?? I may be able to disclose next week.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about moving. The X would never allow it, but it's stuck in my mind pretty deep. Of course I'd miss all of you, my fabulous friends!

Speaking of friends...Cribbage Club tonight! Just a couple of fun gals playing some cards, drinking some drinks and enjoying lots of hearty laughs. It's at my house this eve. I have to pick up food and rum yet. Not to mention cleaning up all the kids' art projects and games lying around the house from this week's storm from hell.

I welcome the distraction from everyday life. Maybe I should get two bottles of rum.

Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta

"The Longest Winter of My Life", by kb.

If I were to write a book, that is what I'd call it.

Last night I decided that a vacation involving airplanes needed to be planned. Even if it wouldn't happen next week, just the planning of it would boost the morale of everyone in this household. I thought about whisking the girls away to AZ for a few days, but they're not old enough to enjoy all the things that I would want to do there and sitting by the pool would get old (maybe?).

So I started browsing around and am leaning towards a family trip to Jamaica. It's not in the cards for this year anymore, just too much going on, but it's a heck of a goal for the winter of 2009. Just thinking about it makes me giddy. I was looking at family resort all-inclusive packages when my nosey Ali started peering over my shoulder. She got the gist of what I was doing and started dancing around. I've created a monster.

I wanted to pick a destination that has a lot of activities for the girls, but yet entertain me at the same time. This particular resort has plenty for kids their age, plus beaches, good food and relaxation for me. I think they'd love to shop in the villages and get a little culture, too. I'm not a Disney person (sorry, Karri) so that ruled out a lot of the family-based cruises, resorts and theme parks. I really think my girls are more the water/beach type, like their mom.

So, yeah. I should have my braces paid off by this fall already and then we can concentrate on saving for the trip. I told them that we may cut down a lot at Xmas to save our resources for Jamaica and Julia's response was, "But we'll still get presents from Grandma and Santa and stuff, right??" Oy.

You big bully

I did my taxes last weekend and was very happy with the outcome. Having a single income and all the deductions this year has definitely worked in my favor. This is probably the most I can remember getting back. Granted it's really my money that they are returning in the first place, but it still feels somewhat like a gift. Isn't it sad how the government can screw with your head like that?

I got an email a day after filing that stated they wouldn't be processing my return until Feb 11th. This is because I claimed education credits and recent tax law changes have delayed these returns for some reason. Whatever. It irritates me a little because I want my money now. Not that I need it next week because I'm flying to the Caribbean or anything, but I just want it. I enjoy putting it into savings and looking at the balance every so often. Call me crazy!! I'm a saver.

Uncle Sam is such a brute.

If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again

Hey, look at that, it's snowing again!!

The three of us in our IT department wear many different hats. Typically the IT folk in larger companies focus on a specialty, like networking, databases or supporting the accounting system. Here we do a little bit of everything. My main tasks include writing reports, supporting our MRP system and updating the website. There are many other projects I complete for coworkers, too, since I'm sort of their go-to gal with a lot of the software applications. With that being said, helping people is something that I do on a daily basis.

There are times when helping people can get a little old. You're probably thinking "what a bitch", but seriously. When it's the same issue over and over I think it's time to either train the user or take his computer away from him. There's one guy that's always calling me for the same problem. Printing. If the printer next to his office doesn't work, he calls. There are many other printers in this building, but apparently that one has to be functioning to get his job done. So, two weeks ago we received more printing issues from this guy. The IT mgr finally decided to deal with this himself. Not only did he fix the printer outside print guy's office, but he also gave print guy his very own printer on his desk, directly attached to his pc. We figured that would be the answer and we'd never hear from print guy again!

This morning my phone rang and I saw print guy's name on the caller ID. I let it ring. I've done this in the past with hopes that he'd call someone else. Is this bad of me? Possibly. Do I still sleep at night? Absolutely.

Rain drops keep falling on my bench

I took the girls out for lunch after church today. We decided on Chili's because we like the food and (b) because I had a gift card from Xmas. Ali sat on the big bench seat and Jules and I sat on the other side of the table, which had two chairs. After we ordered we were working on the word search from the children's menu. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something falling from the ceiling, but chalked it up to my imagination. A few minutes later I saw it again and looked under the table. There was water dripping on the bench seat next to Ali, and there were additional drops on the floor. I called the waitress over and she felt awful about it. Apparently this is a known issue with our table (go figure) and the warm weather had snow melting on the roof.

She offered to seat us elsewhere, but the place was packed and the only tables available were in the smoking section, which wasn't an option. We decided to deal with it. She put napkins down on the bench seat and I told Al just to scoot over a bit. It wasn't the end of the world.

After our food came the manager stopped by and said, "I hear that you met our flat roof?" She was very kind and again, offered to move us, but there really wasn't anywhere to move to. She said she'd discount our bill and I thought that was very generous of her. Granted it was a slight distraction, but the water wasn't dripping on the table or anywhere near our food. And luckily we had three people, otherwise a fourth person would've got a pretty soggy head.

Before the bill came our friends, Dawn and Chad, came in with their kids and sat right next to us. They took note of our situation. When I got the bill I saw that they gave us 50% off of our lunch. I used my gift card to pay (now having a balance left on the card) and gave our waitress a nice tip. She apologized a half dozen times and the hostess and manager had stopped by, as well. When we got up to leave I suggested to Dawn and Chad that they take our table if they wanted a great discount!

Music and atmosphere

I'm working at the art center tonight. Serving drinks at the festive friday event. There's a cool swamp rock band playing and I'm looking forward to hearing them. I missed them last year for some odd reason and one of my art buddies said it was their biggest crowd. I usually know a few people there and stick around after my shift to have a beer and watch the band. The last event was reggae and I chewed the fat with another volunteer for quite a while... turns out we know a lot of the same people and he rents a place from one of my coworkers. My world is very small.