Mr. Maybe

I haven't attempted online dating in well over a year. I take that back... it was just about a year ago that I met a guy (very nice) that had an assload of cats and I was instantly turned off. I'm talking cats on the kitchen counter, dining table, it was ridiculous. What the heck was the guy's name??..... Brian! We had a date the night before Ali's 1st communion and it was fine. We kissed. Days later we did lunch by his place, I met the feline and the rest is history.

After that I decided it was time to wrap it up. I was busy with the girls, spending as much time as possible with Carol and doing a bunch of web work on the side. Who had time for cat lovers? I still poke around every few months to see if there are any new guys, but it's usually the same ole lifers that have been on the dating sites for years. And I'm not exaggerating... a few guys have had the same mugshots there since 2005, the first time I attempted the online scene.

Last night I stumbled upon a new guy. Not drop-dead or anything, but nice looking. (I never claimed to be a model myself.) He runs his own business, isn't skinny, appears to be somewhat outgoing and has a nice smile. What more could I ask? In no way, shape or form do I want to join the site just to say "hi", but for some reason I'm tempted. Here I sit with my braces... how hot is that? I told myself I wouldn't even consider dating until these things are taken off and I don't exactly have a lot of time on my hands for meeting guys, but again, I'm tempted.

I'll hem and haw over this for a while. If I go through the effort of putting a profile together and digging up a photo and paying the $30 to join and then he doesn't like me?? I'd be so pissed. I really don't want to put the energy into dating right now, but there's something about this guy that seems decent. He reminds me of a friend that's a real good person. That must be why I'm intrigued. I'll let you know what I decide.

Dress for tomorrow's career, not yesterday's

I developed a cold sore yesterday. Ugh. I felt it coming the last few days; I always get this dry, irritated spot on the left side of my lower lip. I've read plenty on why cold sores occur, but it still doesn't make sense to me. How it pops up in the same spot year after year. This one isn't too bad... yet. No clue how this one got by me because I glob on the sunscreen lip stuff religiously.

So, tonight I start a new class - HR Management. I'm hoping it will be educating in the sense that I'll get a feel for what HR people do. I mean, I get the gist of it - insurance paperwork, counting vacation hours, hiring/firing, learning disability laws - but what happens behind the scenes?

Our HR Mgr at work is what we would classify as a complete joke. I think most of the employees are on the same page with this. Sure, he may know some of the rules and laws, but we can't figure out what he actually does besides walk around in his tapered 80s jeans, white socks, deck shoes and talk sports. Along with his unprofessional dress, he looks uncomfortable when having to speak to people. Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't he be a "people person"?? Kinda thought that was what HR Mgrs were. People that worked with people. When he walks past us in the hallway he actually puts his head down and looks at the floor, avoiding the "hi" that others offer to fellow employees. We must've got him cheap because I'm not sure how he could have wow'd anyone in the interview.

Maybe I'll understand him better after this course is over. Or maybe I'll think he's twice the gomer that I do right now.

Let me check my calendar

Lately I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the future. So much so that I think I'm keeping myself up at night. I'm always the planner. And I'm not good at clearing my head and removing the outside variables when I go to bed. I bring all that crap into bed with me and because of that I create these little pockets of sleep. An hour here - toss, turn - two hours there - toss, turn. Maybe I should look into a mild form of meditation. I read that it's good to do before hitting the sheets, for the exact reason that I just mentioned. I need some sort of mental on/off switch because what I have going on right now isn't working so well.

Or maybe I need to try living for the now a little more. Instead of thinking about tomorrow, next weekend or two years from now, it would be good to focus on today! Hey, there's a concept.

Who doesn't love a Narcissus?

I have one little patch of daffodils on the west side of my house. That's how it was when I bought the place. I don't know why I didn't expand on that at all since I ripped out/rearranged most of the other plants in the yard. I love tulips and daffodils in the spring. They give us hope that nice weather might actually be coming one of these days. So, why didn't I plant more bulbs? I think I got lazy last fall and was so preoccupied by the two months of raking. This year.

So, yesterday I thought about my little patch of daffodils. Why are they going to waste out there where I never see them? I clipped a bunch off and put them in a vase on the dining table. What a difference fresh flowers can make in a room. I used to buy myself flowers all the time when I lived with the X. Sadly, that was the only way I got them. Anyway, I made a point of having fresh flowers in the house. It brightened my day and made the house feel homey. Somewhere along the way I stopped doing that and I think it needs to make a comeback and remain part of the weekly agenda. Plus, the girls appreciate the flowers and I'd like it to become a memory of their childhood. *Mom always had fresh flowers on the table.*

My childhood memory was of mom sitting at the table with her Tab and cigarettes. Not quite the same.

Windier than a toilet bowl at a truck stop

For those that know me well, they know how I feel about wind. I hate it. There's nothing good about wind, at least nothing that I can think of. It makes my hair get in my face, plus it makes my hair look like crap. It's noisy, it rearranges stuff in my yard and my car doesn't like driving in it. Today the wind is gusting at 40 mph. That's just downright annoying.

We did some shopping this morn, but spent most of the aft in the house. The girls had a friend over and I got some housework done, did a little reading. I'm disappointed that our weekend is so crappy (storms Friday, wind Saturday and possible rain/snow Sunday). We had a beautiful week and as soon as the weekend comes the weather takes a huge dive for the worst. What the heck?

One of these days I'm going to build a big bubble over my house. One that captures all the sun like a solar panel, but stops the snow, wind and rain from entering my domain. Like a monster snow globe without the snow and water. Either that, or I could move to Arizona. Hmmm...

Blowing the retirement

Did I mention that Janie was in Vegas this week? It really throws me off when she goes and does these things, like take vacations. Even though we have our moments where we drive each other crazy, we still talk on an almost daily basis. She likes to get into my business a little more than she should, but overall she's a good mom and grandma and we groove on having her around.

She'll be flying home tomorrow morn and the girls will be excited to see her... besides banking on a present or two. I'll have to invite her over for a soda.

They shoot horses, don't they?

I need someone to put me out of my misery. This morning my teeth are hurrr-ting. I had an 8a ortho appt and they tightened those suckers up but good. First they moved my front teeth out to go over by bottom teeth, then they moved them to the right. Now they are pushing them up. He used a real thick wire and bent it a certain way and put this coil thingy in on the side. This will push my front teeth up so I can actually close my mouth when I bite. Right now my sides still don't touch and click when I clamp down.

It feels as if somebody took the heel of their hand and smashed it up into my two front teeth. Not the best feeling in the world, but I keep looking at the big picture. It's all about that.

I made another payment today. This whole beautiful experience is costing 2.5x what Alison's cost. Guess I have that many more issues. Right now I have 75% if the bill taken care of, which is pretty great considering I only started this four months ago. I'd really like to focus the funds on other things. We have a Door County getaway coming up in June, plus I promised the girls a rockin vacation next spring break. Lord knows they're going to hold me to it.

Maybe I'll hold myself a brat fry.

We're #1

It's official. Wisconsin has the worst drunken driving rate in the country, according to a government report that says 15 percent of adult drivers nationally report driving under the influence of alcohol in the previous year. In Wisconsin, the federal government estimates more than a quarter of the state’s adult drivers had driven under the influence in the previous year. Big surprise there.

Eric Goplerud, research professor at George Washington University Medical Center, said cultural and demographic issues probably have a role in the higher rates of driving under the influence in certain states. He said that religious affiliations in the Southeast often strongly discourage drinking, but that doesn’t occur so much in the upper Midwest.

My opinion? There is very little culture around here, so yeah, people are scraping for things to do. Social drinking with groups of friends is the choice of entertainment. People have parties, go out to the bars, attend festivals. It all involves cup in hand. Limited public transportation may be a small reason why we choose to drive home. I know I'm guilty at times. I try to walk or catch a ride with a designated when possible, but I drive after a few drinks. The moral is that we should all know our limits and accept help when friends offer it.

Our local Press is flooded with 3rd, 4th and 5th time offenders. Not a week goes by where the paper doesn't list a repeated drunk driver. I don't condoln this by any means, I think it's ridiculous. If I were to get pulled over once, that would be it for me. Cold turkey with the driving. One has to wonder if there's a problem with our judicial system. Why else are these clowns still on the road after getting busted four or five times?? I'm guessing their punishments and fines just aren't steep enough. It's pretty hard to drive around drunk risking other people's lives when you're in jail, so maybe they need to have a little more time for soul searching behind bars.

I don't have the answers. I will say that I'm not surprised at all that WI leads the pack. Alcohol is a big part of the community and while some of us know how to enjoy a glass in moderation, others have a problem with that concept. I wouldn't doubt if WI ranked the highest for alcoholism as well, but that's a whole 'nother topic.

Our planet, our home

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I almost forgot to send the well wishes. I didn't walk the streets picking up garbage or anything today, but I do try to hugs trees when possible. I don't buy styrofoam and I recycle all products possible. I recently read that running the dishwasher every few days is actually better than using paper plates. It's that water vs. tree thing... apparently the minimal water used wins out. So, I've also minimized my paper plate usage lately, although that will increase a bit with summer coming.

I found myself walking around the house this aft, turning off lights that weren't needed. Not that I normally waste unnecessary energy, but today I seemed more conscious of it. With the price of utilities now-a-days it's good to conserve wherever possible.

See if you can make a little difference this week. Throw some laundry out on the line to dry or start the grill up instead of the stove. Ride your bike to the post office and leave the car behind. Every little bit counts.

Swimming upstream

Work isn't a fun place to be right now. And it really should be, you know? People should enjoy walking into their place of employment each morning and be happy to see their colleagues. Right now for me, not so much.

There's just crap going on. Corporate BS that leaves people feeling in the dark. Rough times with the economy and automotive world that are putting a strain on our production and financial situation. And then there's personal crap with my position itself... little things that are leaving me irritated throughout the day. I'm finding myself in a huge rut and need to develop a plan to get out of it.

Hey, I'm a team player and all that. I'm all about getting the job done right the first time and making the company a success, but I'm seeing road blocks here. It's time to get resourceful.

The city will never be the same

Chicago was absolutely fantastic. I don't have one bad thing to say about the trip. Everything went off without a hitch, no problems, nobody got hurt and best of all...we had a complete blast. We spent plenty of money, but it was worth every penny. We hung out, experienced the city and laughed more than I can remember laughing in the last year. It helped that the four of us have similar personalities and interests because we never really had difficulty deciding what to do next or where to go. All of our needs were met.

The night life was highly entertaining. I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to explaining what we did. To summarize a bit - Friday eve we went to a show with dueling pianos. The audience makes requests with tips attached and the performers play just about everything and anything. I ended up dancing on the stage to "Macho Man" with the guy that paid $20 for the request. By the end of the night we were a little beer'd out, but loved the show.

Saturday eve we went to Dick's Last Resort and weren't sure how to take the place at first. It's a complete dive and the wait staff are trained to be rude. Our waiter was beyond unattractive and his breath smelled like sweaty feet. We felt he was an ass in real life and got hired there as a true natural prick. Once we started snapping back at him he toned things down a bit and we had a blast. There was a live band and the food was good. The staff make you wear these obnoxious paper hats that they write stupid sayings on. We wore ours in good spirits and ended up having the time of our lives, making a ton of friends. $160 later we walked through the streets of downtown Chicago with our hats on and laughed the whole way home.

We decided to keep the hats on at the ritzy Hyatt Regency hotel bar, where we were staying. We stuck out like sore thumbs, but were approached by so many people that wanted to hang out with us. It's as if this bond was formed. Words can't describe the evening. I would have loved for someone to video tape the whole thing.

On the way home yesterday we all agreed that having a camera when out at night is the only way to go. It captured the weekend and documented every person that we met along the way. Our Chicago experience was quite memorable and it'll be impossible to top the next time I'm there.

I'm outta here

I'm heading to the windy city tomorrow. It's time for culture and fun w/some good friends. The last few weeks have been hectic and I could use the distraction and opportunity to clear the brain. Reenergize, if you will.



Janie is hitting Vegas on Sunday. This is sort of a semi-annual trip for her and although she rarely comes home with more than the shirt on her back, I always wish her luck.

I'll let you know how Chicago goes. I'm anticipating an interesting story or two....

One day gone another ahead

Yesterday was a real whirlwind and I couldn't be happier to have it over. Work had me going in a few different directions, plus I had to listen to the big yap outside my office all day. I really have a hard time focusing on something when I have to listen to someone talk and laugh all - day - long. Contrary to what some may think, I'm really not a loud person and like it when people talk in a normal tone.

We had our big business plan presentations last night at school. Chad, Dallas and I formed a motivational speaker group company. We spent a lot of time working together and emailing back and forth. We showed up in suits and wow'd a few of our classmates, many of them wearing jeans and tennies. The three of us were quite nervous, even though we did many presentations in marketing. This was just different. Well, after we finished the instructor pulled us outside to review comments. He said it was the best he's seen within all his classes. He doesn't give out 100% scores, but decided we deserved a 98.5%. Rock on with that!! We were jazzed and happy that all the hard work paid off.

With that over we were able to relax, have some snacks and sit back to watch the others present. Well, 10 minutes into it I started losing my vision and knew that a migraine was kicking in. Dallas had meds in his bag, so I popped a few and waited for results. The vision eventually came back, but then the head pain kicked in and it was an unpleasant evening. Overall, I survived it and managed to have quite a few laughs throughout the eve, despite how I felt. Chad, Dallas and I were passing notes (childish - I know) and were just rolling.

You should have seen Kitty's presentation. Of all things her business was a pool hall. Go figure. Instead of concentrating on operating costs and the marketing plan, she had listed what kind of snacks she was going to sell (she chose Pepsi, well, "because she likes it") and how clean her hall was going to be. Apparently she's been in many pool halls and the floor are always dirty. The quote of the night that had me spit out my drink came from Chad. He said, "I feel sorry for her kid. We only have to listen to this shit once a week."

Anywho, with all that behind me I got home at 10p and gave Gma the OK to go home and sleep. I think I crawled in about 10:30ish and my head felt like it was about to fall off. Deep sleep...

The check is in the mail

So, here's a list of when the rebate checks will be sent out. If you have direct deposit for your tax return you will have direct deposit for your rebate check. The money will just show up in your account one day - bam!

I've read suggestions that we spend the money on American made goods. That's tough to do these days. It certainly rules out Walmart, Target or any other retail store. Unless you buy handmade products at a small mom and pop shop, the money won't stay in your local area.

Me, I'm using it to fund a vacation. I had planned on stashing it in the ole bank account, but with two mini vacations coming up the money will just get spent anyway. I'm taking the girls away for a few days in June and this check will fund that adventure for us.

As far as stimulating the economy goes: these checks won't put a dent into the problems the US is facing right now. People aren't going to go out and buy cars, TVs or new appliances. It's just enough to pay off a few bills and I'm sure that's what most Americans will be doing. It might cover gas and groceries for a few weeks, or help with a car payment or two. One friend told me that he was going to buy clothes for his children.

Whatever you decide to do with the money, pick something that's important to you. This country has got itself into a real pickle and we're in it for the long haul.

Shave and a haircut, two bits

My old landscaping boyfriend is back. I tried to get a pic of him working and this is the best I could do. I was afraid he'd look up at my window and see me, wondering what kind of crack pot was taking photos of the landscapers. You have to admit that it's sort of creepy.

Recap: He looked much better and less snarly when we dated. And I was never in love... it was a three month relationship. He dug me, though. I felt bad that I had to break it off. Seeing him now, it was a good move. Yeah.

Click to embiggen

Every penny counts

I'm a little excited. I just found out that I received a few grants for school. I haven't received a letter explaining it all yet, but I saw the numbers online when logging into the school website. I received a federal grant and a WHEG grant, which is a WI Higher Education Grant. The totals aren't huge, but they'll cover about 1/3 of the fall 08-spring 09 school year, which is cool. I didn't receive anything for spring of 08 because my taxes made me look wealthier than I was. Apparently someone out there thinks I now have financial needs. Don't we all? I think my GPA history also played a part in it.

I also applied for a scholarship through the school, but won't know those results for a while yet. I have to admit that I don't think I really wow'd them in my electronic submission, but more or less gave the facts. I've schooled on and off for years but always had a difficult time finishing. I'm a single mom supporting two children, sharing some expenses with their father. I have a house and car, work an average job and want to find that position that will fulfill me when I get home each night. I'm not looking to climb a corporate ladder, but find a career that enables me to use my organizational skills and work with people. It's all about finding my calling, and this now, this ain't it.

So, yeah. I'm jazzed about a little help from Uncle Sam.

Driving into nowhere land

Well, this weekend was a fine how-do-ya-do. A real slap in the face from last Saturday, but that's April for ya. I drove to GBay in that crap yesterday. While it didn't make the roads slippery, the driving was a bit rough with the ferocious winds and crap flying at the windshield when cars/trucks passed. Besides the fact that my wipers are junk and weren't clearing the windshield (I have an auto appt. this week), I was a tiny bit hung and I'm not bringing my A-game in driving when like that. I didn't drink a ton on Friday night, but we had Cribbage Club and a few are always enough. I'm a putz now-a-days when it comes to drinking. I think I got to bed about 12:30a and was up at 6:30a, so a little tired. My reflexes were a bit slow on the way to GBay, so I didn't give 'er with the speed.

Anyway, we survived and had fun. We did some Old Navy shopping for the girls and then Gma promised them Build-a-Bear. Jules got a koala named Cassie, and Ali got a monkey named Kelly. It was fun for them, but we got stuck behind a bday party that caused quite the wait at checkout time. The very flammin guy waiting on us was nice and took $10 off the bill, which he didn't have to do. After the shopping we hit Olive Garden, which was fantastic and satisfied my cravings of all kinds.

We got home about 2:30p and I didn't even put all our stuff away. I went right upstairs, put on some sweats and hit the couch with a blanket. The girls were playing with their new buddies and on the computer. I woke about 90 min. later and there they were, whispering to each other so I could sleep. What great kids!

Today I was up early and raring to go. I picked up everything around the house that I passed by yesterday. I let the girls go through a few Kraft magazines that I have and they picked out some recipes they wanted to make. We ran to the grocery and came home to get started. First we made an ice cream cake. We modified the recipe a bit to add a layer of smashed GS thin mints and some Andes Candies pieces on top (it's in the freezer now and I'm excited). Then the girls made me lunch. They wanted to do the whole thing, so I cut up some apples and left the kitchen. They made a cream cheese/salsa dip with wheat thins and peanut butter/apple on Ritz crackers. It was delicious and they were more than proud. Guess who got cleanup?

I told Janie to stop by on her way home from work so she could have some IC cake. I can't believe we're willing to share it... the girls didn't want to. I assured them that her piece would be small.

Something to look forward to

Alison is getting her braces off in five weeks. Couldn't be happier for her... honestly. It's not often that the mom gets what the child is going through because we don't typically experience life's challenges at the same time. I'm a little blown away at how quickly the last two years have gone by. In two more years I'll be getting mine off and completing my degree. Possibly dating a hot carpenter that likes to build me things and looks incredible without his shirt on. [arghh]

Let Rover come over

I've been hemming and hawing about getting a "smallish" dog the last few months. I never would have considered it if it wasn't for the girls trying to persuade me. They are big animal lovers and I do believe that every kid should have a pet. I'm just not sure we're up for the challenge.

1. It's a ton of responsibility. This is a decision that has to be well thought out.
2. We're not home very much. The three of us are often here and there and I sometimes wonder if we should just live in a big RV instead of a house.
3. It's an expense. The economy sucks and times are hard. We're living just fine, but I'm all about planning for the future and prepping for the worst (which means having a savings).
4. Call me anal (which I am), but I can't imagine dealing with dog hair. Can't imagine that at all. I have a hard enough time keeping the house clean with us three, and we're pretty tidy. I have the vision of a dog running in the back door after he goes out and his paws are all wet and muddy. That's all I need to see.

My parents have been talking about getting a smaller dog now and I'm pushing the issue a little bit. How great would that be?? We could spend plenty of time with it, even have him sleep over once in a while. All the cost and responsibility would be my parents', yet the girls could get the experience. My dad even talked to Alison about naming him. And when does my dad ever leave the house, besides never?? He'd be the perfect guy to train the hound.

I'm all over this.

The visual gets me every time

A friend from school sent this to me and it made my day.

"Some people are like Slinkies - not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."

Play hard - create memories

Ali's birthday is coming up in May and I got her a skateboard. It's something that seems "very her", plus she inquired about it a few times. The other day she asked me if I had a skateboard when I was young and I said yes, yes I did. It was a bright blue one that my mom got me at Prange Way (she bought everything from PW back then). I remembered using it a lot as an alternate form of transportation from my bike. I wasn't able to do tricks or anything, but I was coordinated.

So Janie questioned whether the skateboard would be safe for Ali.
"Is that such a good idea?"
You know what... I had one as a kid and I never wore a helmet or protective wear on my knees/elbows. I went down the monster hill at Rochester Park all the time and never died. My parents didn't seem so concerned about my welfare back then, but of course their protective side comes out with the grandkids. I assured her that Ali would be fine. She's a kid and needs a little adventure. I used to play on broken pallets behind an old factory and had a nail drive into my head, between my eyes. That wasn't so safe. I think a skateboard is a much better option.

Coming out of the closet

Do you ever look in your closet and think "boy, do my clothes suck"??

I had one of those moments last night. It's not that I wear rags to work, but it's always the same old. I have shirts hanging in there that went out with the mullet, but I keep a few because I might want to wear something like that one day. And I have a striped Ernie and Bert shirt that looks cute with khakis, but how often does that come in handy? There's a simple white button down blouse from Lands End that is two sizes too big and every time I hold it up to me I hang it back on the pole. I think it makes me look artsy [chuckle] and would be cute over a tank at the beach, but do I pull it out when I hit the sand? I have a ton of blouses that require ironing, and those just continue to hang without getting any attention. I might feel the ambition to iron 3-4 some day and then quick wear them while they look fresh, but it doesn't happen too often.

I do purchase a few new pieces each season. Summer is easy. I can pick up cute cotton tops for cheap and dress them up or down, pending on the occasion. Capris are a staple in my wardrobe, as are slip-on sandals. Winter clothes are another story. Sweaters come and go and tend to lose their wearability after time. They don't wash as nice and I refuse to buy any piece of clothing that requires dry cleaning. So each year I pick up one or two sweaters that look low maintenance and if they stand up to the test of time, I win.

I think I'm financially conservative when it comes to buying clothes. I only purchase items on sale and it has to be ultra comfortable. Shopping for myself isn't something that I do often and it's usually a 20 minute trip, in and out. Of course I want to look nice, but it's not a priority when I decide where to spend my money.

So, which of my sucky clothes am I wearing today? I opted for a standard black sweater and taupe casual pants that I got from Old Navy (and shortened myself). I'm wearing my black bowling shoes and threw on some simple jewelry. I guess it didn't turn out too bad, but I still feel that I wear the same stuff every day. Maybe I'll wear one of my lonely tops at the end of the pole this week, just to mix it up.

All those needing a vacation - raise your hand!!

Bright lights big city

Quite the busy weekend. It was a long time coming. I couldn't get my windows open fast enough on Sat morn. All hail to fresh air!!

Fri eve I bailed on the art center, like I said I was going to. There was guilt, but I got over it real quick. Denise and I had tentative plans to play Rock Band with some friends (no, I've never done it before, but something tells me I'd be quite good). The rock and rolling didn't pan out, so we ended up chatting at my house over a few beers instead.

The rest of the weekend was filled with yard work, getting the spring/summer toys out and writing some papers. Dinner plans with lady friends got kyboshed for Sat eve (I think we were all enjoying the weather too much) so I grabbed a burger with another friend and helped him do a little computer shopping after.

The highlight of my weekend was Sunday morn. I find this highly amusing. It still makes me smile. I got up early and ran to the new northside Wally World. I don't care what all the Walmart bashers out there say, it's my new fav place to shop. I grabbed a few items from the list (hose sprayer, basketball for J, band-aids) and made my way over to the grocery. I only needed a few things, but started in the back freezer section anyway because you never know what'll pop out at you. I grabbed yogurts for the kids and as I was turning my cart around I noticed that some of the lights in the pizza freezers were going on and off. I thought there might be bulbs going bad. As I walked a little more there were other freezer lights going on, then others going off. WTF? I started to wonder if there was a power outage, but the lights in the store were all on. There may have been two other people with carts and other than that the grocery section wasn't very crowded. It was early.

I'm wondering if I should tell someone. I turned down the next freezer aisle (cakes, ice cream and frozen dinners) and as I'm walking down the aisle there are lights popping on in each freezer, like a domino effect. As I pass by, others are going off. Wow, freaky stuff. Then it started to click. I stopped by the breakfast foods and looked up. There it was... a little sensor on the top of the freezer looking down on me. I had to smile, and looked around at the empty aisle I occupied. That's some funny shit.

OK, when did they start putting sensors on the freezers??? It's definitely something new with these stores going up. It's a great idea, very cost effective, but maybe they should warn people. I don't get groceries there often and when I do there are usually plenty of people walking around, so the freezer lights are always staying on. Talk about a little added morning entertainment.

Quiet time needed

I'm supposed to work at the art center tonight, but I just don't feel like it. They are hosting an event with a blues band and I'm told these guys are good. Great as they are, I'm not motivated enough to be in a crowd of people, serving drinks and rocking to loud music. Some days - that is exactly what I'm looking for - but not today. If Lenny Kravitz was playing I'd probably suck it up and throw on some party shoes, but sadly he's not.

So, I sent an email with a fibbed excuse and colored myself lame for the day. I'm not one to bail, but when I worked there in February they had what I considered to be too many people. Almost to the point where we were hanging out and sipping beers ourselves to supplement the time. In the three years I've been volunteering there I've only cancelled once, and that was for a date. I've been plenty supportive over the years.

There are a number of things I'd like to do with my time tonight. I'm sort of feeling that nesting urge coming on. Must be spring. I'm itchin to organize, clean up the yard, get porch furniture out and get the hell outside! A long walk with tunes cranked...it's all good.

We all need some mental health time.

I've got a-no-ther riddle for you

I thought Kitty's boobs were going to pop out of her shirt last night. Damn.

After break time she walked up to our instructor and asked if he took bribes. I guess I half expected her to flash him, but she pulled out a bag of cookies from the vending machine. She wanted to leave an hour early and he accepted them. Huh.

I noticed her skin had a tint of orange to it. Either it's a result of new makeup that she's trying, or those fantastic tanning beds she boasts about so much. I'm not a fan of tanning, but if I'd ever consider it I'd avoid that place for fear of looking like an Oompah Loompah when I came out.

Hey, girlfriend

Some days I really need to tell Carol something. Today is one of those days. She just gets it... or gets me.

Her absence has created a huge void in my life that isn't explainable. I try to hold onto the thought that she was brought into my life for a reason. The few years that I was given with her have definitely changed how I view my past and my future. The lessons learned are immeasurable and the experiences unforgettable.

Here she is having a beer at a company picnic, wearing what I would refer to as the "star belly sneetch" shirt. I can envision her laughing as I say it.