My Life-So Far

Pranking Pam

2011-09-14T16:41:00.002-04:00

Pam's Cat-Even she thinks this was funny!

I love pranks. Not mean ones, but simple, funny stuff. I have the perfect person at work to pull these pranks on and another co-worker, Rodney, and I have pulled many on her over the years. Now Pam is a very intelligent person but somewhat gullible.

So, I work in a hospital lab and someone, I don't remember who, brought in this big, black, very realistic looking rat one day as a joke... you know, he was the lab rat, as we were. Of course, I realized the opportunities immediately. My lab is part of a huge hospital system in the area and there is some testing that has been farmed out to us, which means that we do all that particular testing for the entire system. The couriers will drop off the samples around 9 am each morning. They arrive in these large, brown, non see through zip lock bags. Pam was scheduled in this department one morning and decided to go have her breakfast and coffee before the courier drop off. About 5 mins after she left the area, the courier arrived and put her bag in her area. I saw my opportunity and found the rat. I opened the bag, dumped everything out, dropped the rat into the bag, then put all the samples back into the bag. I then went back to my assigned department and to work. Some time later, Pam returned to her department. The counter she sat at was a high one and she was in a taller, wheeled chair, tall enough that her feet would not touch the floor. Underneath the counter was a metal wall that ran from beneath the counter to the floor. I am looking through the microscope, reviewing a slide when all of a sudden, I heard a blood curdling scream, followed by the metal wall being kicked then the sound of Pam's chair slamming into the counter behind her. Everyone, including me, went running to see what was wrong, then Pam yelled "Cindy, Rodney, I don't know which one of you did this, but that was not funny!" By this point we're all gathered around the doorway to her area and there was a few seconds of complete silence while everyone took in the sight of Pam, red as a beet and against the opposite counter, then the pile of sample bags on the counter with that big, black rat sitting on top... then everyone started roaring with laughter. Pam was not amused. She glared first at me, then Rodney and said "I know it was one of you". I just shook my head and tried my best to look innocent. We all started walking away, still laughing, and, Rodney, who's 6'4" leaned down to me at 5'3" and whispered.."You did that, didn't you?" I grinned and nodded and he patted my back and said "Good one". Poor Pam. It's amazing that she doesn't hate us.

There were many, many more incidents with the rat and one day, it just disappeared. I suspect Pam. But there's always other things to take its place..... Rubber snakes, the large air pillows that come with supplies and make such a loud bang when you quietly lay them on the floor behind someone then jump on them, plastic roaches....... So many possibilities.

I love my job!

Beach Trip and Swinger's Club

2011-07-08T01:20:00.003-04:00

Several years ago, I got together a beach trip for myself and some friends. We rented a beach front unit, very large one with 3 bedrooms, large living room with a pull out bed, 2 full bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room and a private balcony. We were on the 15th floor and the view was incredible! The plan was, whomever could come would come down on the days they could (we had it 10 days) and we'd split the cost each day based on how many people were actually there. I think, there at the end, we had about 14 people. One guy slept in a fold out beach chair on the balcony every night! He loved the sound of the ocean and there was always a great breeze blowing.
Anyway, the 1st night was just me and my friend Sandy. The 2nd night, my friend Tim came and was there a few nights, so it was just the 3 of us at first. On Tim's 1st night there, we all decided to go eat seafood. On the way, Sandy and I were talking about how much we loved playing on line trivia. Tim had seen a bar that had a sign saying "Play NTN Trivia Here". So, after dinner, we found this bar and went in to play. Sandy and I went to the bar and got controllers, Tim just sat back alone at a bar table-one of the tall ones-and ordered a beer and just sat there watching Sandy and me play. Sandy and I played quite a bit at home and worked together to get high scores. This guy was sitting a few stools down, noticed we were kinda working together on the game (the point being to get your bar into the top 10 or 20 in the country) and came over to us to see if he could join us. Those of you who know me know that I'm friendly to everyone so I agreed. Sandy was a bit shyer than me and seemed to not be as ok with this as I was, but she was always a good sport. I'm a true gemini, the more the merrier. The 3 of us chatted and talked during the game and on breaks. He introduced his 2 friends he was there with, a couple who hung back at another bar table, beside Tim as it were. They acknowledge the intro, but really didn't approach us. I kept glancing back at them during the games and they seemed to be in deep conversation, but kept nodding towards us. I just dismissed this. All 3 were somewhat scruffy looking, but hey, we're at the beach, lots of us are scruffy while at the beach! After we played a couple of games, we quit, then moved to Tim's table to drink a beer and talk. The couple still hung back, didn't join our table, but sat there watching us intently while we talked with their buddy. Tim looked pretty thoughtful and didn't say much-which is NOT like him at all, and Sandy seemed a little unnerved. I didn't know WTH was wrong with everyone! I was on vacation and looking to have fun!
So this guy starts asking where we're from and I tell him. He told me that he and his group were driving back to New Jersey via Greenville and maybe they could call me and we could all go out to dinner. I said sure, I'll give you my number before we leave! Sandy gave me a very mild kick under the table. I thought it was accidental. So, he tells us about this club he's a member of. This club encompassed all of the USA and was open to anyone who wanted to join and was great fun. They would meet locally a couple of times a month and engage is some type of fun activity, then, once a year, they would do a national meeting, always at a different area of the country and this year, they were at the Myrtle Beach area (we were at Garden City). He went on to say that they had booked a yacht and were going out for a whole day out in the ocean. There was going to be a band, free drinks and food, and a great time was expected for all! Sounds like fun to me! He asked if I'd ever been on a yacht and I told him no. Nuther little tap from Sandy and now Tim is shooting me these weird looks. He asked if we'd like to go and I immediately said YES, that sounds like a lot of fun!! I saw Sandy's eyes get big, the quiet couple started smiling and whispering amongst themselves and Tim was looking stern. I did not understand all this--let me say here that I am not a subtle person, I do not get hints.. if you have something to say to me, just freakin say it, cuz if you give me funny looks or hints or subtleties, I will not get it!!!
So this guy tells me, that's great, we'd love to have all 3 of you join us tomorrow and maybe, once you meet the others and see what we're all about, you'll want to join the club too. Sounded cool to me!
He told me what time the boat was sailing out and said he could pick us up at our hotel. He asked where we were staying and what our room number was. I told him Water's Edge in Garden City and we're in room number--and Sandy literally kicked the crap outta me under the table--THANK YOU for that very unsubtle hint Sandy, that one I got!! I tried to not react to Sandy's kick and hesitated on the room number, then told him that I couldn't remember the number but we were up high...hahaha (my nervous little laugh, cuz I didn't know what was happening but knew it probably wasn't good). I then told him, maybe my friends and I need to discuss this, why don't you give me your number and I'll call you in the morning IF we decide to go with you. I did catch a strange look that passed between the 3 of them, and they didn't seem to like that answer, but he gave me his number. Tim then said he was kinda tired and were we ready to leave? We left.
As soon as we got to the car and were on our way, I asked them what just happened back there?? Turns out these guys were part of a swinger's group. When the guy was talking to us at the bar, before he knew Tim was with us, his two friends were sitting beside Tim and Tim was listening in on their conversation. They were discussing the 2 newbies this guy was going to talk into going and how funny it would be once we were on the boat and realized what was happening.... among other things. Sandy asked if I hadn't picked up on the weird vibe from the guy talking to us..... Ummmm, no, do not catch subtle hints here, that's why I'm such a weirdo magnet.
I was embarrassed, they had a laugh at my expense and we went back to the hotel. Tim went on to bed, said he'd had enough for one night. Sandy and I, both of whom were a little tipsy, decided to go sit by the pool. It was about 1am-ish at this point. I grabbed my sketchpad and a pencil, cuz, hey, drunk sketching! We sat by the pool, in deck chairs with our feet on the wall overlooking the beach. She made me laugh about something and I dropped my pencil over the wall. We had to go rescue it, my sketching pencils are precious, especially when I'm tipsy! So, here we are on our hands and knees feeling around in the sand against the wall. As I found the pencil and stated so, I heard Sandy give a little gasp. I looked around and there are 3 sets of legs standing there. I looked up and, OMG, there are the 3 people from the bar. Poor Sandy looked like a deer in the headlights. I stood up and asked them what they were doing there and the talky guy says oh, we were just walking on the beach and happened to spot your hotel and hoped we might run into you here. We wanted to let you know how much we really want you guys to go with us in the morning and how much fun it will be. Well, now that I'm clued in, I can be firm! I told him we had discussed it and had already discussed plans for the day before his offer, and we also had some more friends coming down and weren't sure what time they were arriving, so, although we appreciate the offer, we were going to decline. None of them seemed to like this and he started to say something else, but I told him again, no thank you, but I'm sure you guys will have a great time without us. I then took Sandy's arm and asked if she was ready to go up and she nodded. We left them standing there staring at us. We beat it as fast as we could, taking the stairs for about 3 flights before we felt safe enough to get on the elevator. Could not believe they came to our hotel to track us down-scary!
It would have been nice to take a ride on a yacht, but I guess being forced to participate in an unwanted orgy would have sucked all the fun right outta that ride. Oh well, maybe someday! The yacht ride I mean, not the other thing.......

Life is full of funny coincidences!

2011-03-28T16:02:00.002-04:00

I had the funniest thing happen yesterday! I had worked my usual hours Sat night and had gotten off Sun morning, headed home a slept for a few hours. Once awake, I called a friend and met her and her friend out for a late lunch. Once I left the restaurant, I decided to go ramble around the "Old Time Pottery" store. When leaving the store, I noticed a young woman holding a beautiful huge painting that she appeared to be placing in her car. She was parked a few spaces from me and I approached her and told her how beautiful the painting was, she thanked me, then laughed and said she was going to have to return it as it was too large to fit in her car! She says she was so disappointed, as this was perfect for the wall over her couch. I told her that I drive an SUV, and I thought we could easily fit it in my car, then I could follow her to her home. She got so excited about that and asked me if I was sure, and stated she just lived down the road on Roper Mountain Rd. I told her it was no problem, that I would hate to have to return such a gorgeous pic if I were in her shoes. She was literally doing a little dance as I went to pull my car up beside hers. We got most of it in, with it sticking out the back, but secured with bungee cords. I followed her, but the whole time I'm thinking she looked somewhat familiar. We arrived at her apartment complex and detached everything and took the pic out. She thanked me profusely and I told her it was no problem, I was happy to help! I help out my hand to shake hers and said "I'm Cindy, by the way". She shook my hand and replied "I'm Toni". My jaw dropped and I said, OMG, you're Toni C*******! She looked shocked and I said Teresa's daughter, right!! She started laughing and asked how in the world I knew that. I told her that her mom was an old friend of mine and that she, her mom and I were friends on Facebook!! We both started laughing and hugging!! I told her that the last time I saw her, she was still in diapers! Her mom and I had been very good friends and co-workers many, many years ago, but had lost touch once I went back to college in the early 80s. We had just reconnected last summer and met with each other downtown. She asked me what my last name is and I told her--she said she had heard her mom mention me her whole life and tell her how much she always thought of me and what a good friend I had been! She said she was going straight in and call her mom!
Ain't life just funny sometimes??!

Death

2010-11-22T02:11:00.004-05:00

I went to a funeral today. During the service, the pastor said "Death is not the end, death is just a transition to another state". I hope when I die, I transition to Colorado. I really like Colorado. Or maybe somewhere warm with a beach. (JK God!)

Uh-Oh

2010-09-20T04:34:00.003-04:00

see more Lol Celebs

Maybe you should clarify??

Facebook

2010-08-30T06:27:00.001-04:00

I just love it! I've gotten back into contact with so many people from childhood through high school. I'm even getting in touch with people I really didn't know that well back then. I was an unbelieveably shy kid/teen, so it's fun communicating with these folks now.
About a week ago, I had a friends request from someone who had been a very good friend in HS. She also lived at the other end of the road we moved to when I was 16, so we spent a lot of time together. Once out of HS, she got married and I went to school in Ky. We just lost touch, so it was great hearing from her again. All this reminded me of a story.....

Several of the boys in my neighborhood had motorcycles back then. Of course, I thought that was cool and was forever getting rides. One day, the friend I spoke of above, Cyndi and her then boyfriend (now hubby), Frank, had walked up to my house. Hobbled may be a better word for it as Frank had an injured leg and a cast up past his knee. My parents house has a patio-type front porch, maybe a foot off the ground, and we all sat on the edge of it. Frank had his injured leg stretched straight out in front of him, between 2 of the azealeas my step-mom had planted that summer and was so proud of. As happened a lot, a few of the neighborhood kids gathered in the front yard. One of those kids was a boy named Keith, who had ridden his older brother Phil's motorcycle to my house. Phil was at work and I'm still not sure if he knew Keith was riding his bike. He pulled up and parked in the front yard. We were all talking and I had gotten up to admire the bike up close. I started asking Keith to let me drive it, just around the house once. He was not very agreeable, but I kept at him. He finally asked if I had ever driven one before (I had not) so I told him, yes I had, many times. He finally, reluctantly handed me the keys. The bike was parked to the left and side of the patio, parallel to it. I hopped on, pushed in the clutch and cranked it up. I was so excited. I remember looking at Cyndi and grinning as I popped that clutch out and.....immediately lost control of the bike. I went careening towards Frank's outstretched leg. Poor guy had to dive out of my way and I remember being impressed that anyone could move that fast with a cast on. I fishtailed all across the azealeas, destroying every single one of them in the process, then flipped off of and wrecked the bike when I hit the driveway. Thank goodness I missed all the cars. Everybody was running around and yelling, except Frank, who didn't look very amused. Keith was yelling that Phil was gonna kill him, then come after me, and making everyone swear they wouldn't tell Phil about this, my step-mom had run outside and was yelling about the azealeas, Cyndi was laughing her head off and I was inspecting myself for any exposed bone fractures, which I was sure I had several of. Keith and I worked for over an hour picking azealea material out of and off of the bike, after which we washed and shined it back up. Keith was sweating bullets the whole time. We had to have it back in the same condition it was in when he took it, and it had to be back in it's proper storage spot before Phil got home from work.
It's truly a wonder I survived into my 20s..... And I bet Phil still hasn't been told by anyone about this!

The Garden

2010-08-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

At its peak. Zucchini on the right, cucumbers on the left, maters standin tall in back. There is also potatoes behind the zukes and cabbage behind the cukes. I had to pull out all the zukes a coupla weeks ago cuz I got infested with squash bugs and borers. I also have a lima bean on the metal frame in the back right. It has just hung out, a tiny little thing, all summer, but all of a sudden, its growing. It had flowers today..! Might get a pod or two yet, we'll see.
Gonna start working on my fall garden in the next week or so. I've told all my neighbors to feel free to pick all the maters & cukes they want as those plants are dying back. I've still got somewhere around 30 tomatoes in various stages of maturity and many, many more flowers. I hate to cut them down while they're still producing! Looking forward to starting my new stuff tho!

Don't mess with the old guys

2010-08-25T20:56:00.001-04:00

see more Lol Celebs

My Little Garden

2010-05-28T01:18:00.008-04:00

I'm so proud! I'll be even prouder if stuff grows!

I have tomatoes, romas & better boys (?), 7-8 squash and zucchini plants, corn-that is now waist high, ichaban eggplant, carrots, potatoes, spinach, cabbage and onions. I plan to start some bean seeds in the next day or so--limas, soy & purple eye peas. I'm thinking about butterbeans too. I love beans and one of my favs is anasazi beans. I have some dry ones....wonder if I can sprout and grow those too?? Worth a shot! I've been looking at fall crops too. My spinach is not doing too good, but it is a cooler weather crop so I may try them again for fall. I am definately trying brussels sprouts in fall too...my fav veggie!

My boy, Bacchus

2010-04-27T21:36:00.002-04:00

He's home. I worked all night Sun and got off work at 7am on Mon. I went to breakfast, then picked him up at 9am. He did not like the carrier at all, but I can't say I blame him. I brought him home and held him for a few minutes, but he was more interested in going out on the deck with Tibbe & Liu-Liu. I piled up in the recliner planning on getting a little sleep. About the time I dozed, he crawled up on the arm of the chair and woke me. He crawled onto me and just started purring so loud. I just held him and let him sleep while I held him. Poor baby was so happy to be back home, and I like to think with me. I wound up with very little sleep, but with a happy, well loved little guy. He is still on meds. One is a powder that I sprinkle on his food and the other is a pill. OMG...have you ever tried to make a cat swallow a pill? He threw me all around the kitchen. These pills are to keep him calm, but getting him to take it greatly upsets me & him! I tried hiding them in his (wet) food, but he ate all around them and left them sticking out of the food. I went to Petsmart today and got a pill pocket-you hide the pill inside this tasty treat-great idea in theory. He wolfed up the treat and spit the pill back out. I gotta call the vet and see if I can crush it up and sprinkle this on is food too. I don't think I can go through this every night and he is supposedly going to be on these for life. I'm just so glad to have him with me again. He slept curled up at my side last night and up until about 2 mins ago, was curled up on the recliner with me. He's such a sweet little guy!

Don't make him mad

2010-04-22T14:50:00.002-04:00

Rough Week

2010-04-22T14:45:00.014-04:00

I have 3 cats, no children and am a 50 year old single woman. So, my cats are my children, my babies. I love them dearly. That being said.. Last Fri. I went to brunch with a friend. We spent the day looking at trees for her yard at a nursery, then visiting Lowe's & Home Depot. We both bought several new plants. She dropped me off at my house, and I put my purse inside, then headed straight back out to water my garden(s) and to get the new stuff planted. I went in briefly and Bacchus was lying in the kitchen doorway. That struck me as odd as he's usually at the door to meet me, but I picked him up and rubbed his chin, then put him back down and headed back out to do more work. I went to hook up the hose to water the back garden and it just hit me that he had immediately laid back down when I put him down. This is not his usual behaviour, he's very active. I went back in and he was lying in front of the water bubbler, with his head propped up on it. I called his name, twice, and he never opened his eyes. My heart just froze. I picked him up and loved on him for a minute. He looked at me, such a sad look! I put him back on the floor, standing up. He started to shake all over, then his back legs collapsed. I grabbed him up, ran to my neighbors, Wanda, house to get her to hold him, and I rushed him to the emergency pet hospital. As I carried him in, he started crying like I was hurting him. The vet came in and felt his belly--I was afraid he'd eaten a plant and was poisoned--and said that his bladder was full to rupture. He had a uretheral blockage and had not been able to pee for who knows how long. He'd been acting ok the night before, but it could have been happening then too. They did bloodwork on him and his levels were way too high. They had to cath him, but the doc told me he wasn't sure, b/c of the incredibly high potassium level, he might not survive being anesthesized. He's die if the didn't tho, so hey did. He's a trooper and came through all ok. They then told me that this was usually caused by crystals and that they will usually require surgery to create a new, larger opening for him to urinate through, which was going to cost between $1800-2300. OMG, I don't have that kind of money, but I knew I'd do whatever I had to to keep him well. He's my baby. Sat around noon, I called them to see how he was. The doc said he was not doing as well as they'd hoped, he was very lethargic and was refusing all food. They repeated his labs, thinking that those may not have normalized. She called me back tho and said that they were all fine. I asked if I could come by and visit him and she said that was fine and to bring his favorite food to see if I could coax him to eat. I had spent the day at my neice's helping her work in her yard, and was sweaty and dirty, but I didn't care. I left her house, picked up some tuna at the grocery, then headed to the hospital. They took me to a room and brought him in. I sat on a built into the wall wooden bench and thy put him down beside me. He was pacing up and down rubbing his body and face against me and started purring. I popped open the plastic cup of tuna and he wolfed it down. The tech brought in a cup of water, and he drank that too. They wound up leaving him with me a little over 2 hours. He wound up curled up along side my leg, sleeping with his head on my leg. God!! it as good to see him acting normal. The vet tech laughed b/c she said he had refused everything they tried to feed him. I think he was just scared. He was in pain, in a strange place with people he didn't know. He just needed to see me and know I hadn't deserted him. The vet called me the next morning and told me that whatever I did to him had turned him into a different cat. he was alert, eating like a horse and being very friendly. So, they kept him through mon morning. They removed the cath sun morn, but he wouldn't pee, so they had to put it back in. They told me that he was more than likely going to need to surgery. I had to pick him up on Mon and take him to my regular vet. Seeing as how I don't really have a regular vet, I took him to a friend's vet. They are wonderful! They left the cath in and treated him for the iritation and inflammation to his bladder and urethra. They took his cath out Tues morn, and when I went by to visit that afternoon, he had peed twice!! Looks like he won't need surgery after all. He will be there until Mon morn, when I'll pick him up once I get off work. One girl told me they might not let me have him b/c they are in love with him. They say his so sweet, cooperative and loving. Everytime they pass his cage, he'll roll over on his back for them to give him a belly rub. She said they all just automatically stop now to rub his belly. He loves that! I can't wait to get him back home!

This and That

2010-03-16T22:42:00.002-04:00

Wasted day! I was going to get some much needed housework done today, but woke up at around 3am with a major headache, just a step away from a migraine. Was awake until around 8am, then I basically slept all day. It's almost gone, now just a mild thump right behind my eyes. What a pain, literally and figuratively. Oh well.
My sister is coming for a visit at the end of the month. I can't wait to see her. I miss her so much! I'm hoping the weather will be nice, and we can enjoy the outside. I have been doing some geneology research and have found a gravesite of an ancestor who migrated here from Germany. I want her to go with me to track it down. She loves this stuff as much as I do (right Kimmy!!??).
I think I'm going to go all out on my garden this year. I've got seeds to grow corn, soybeans, black eye peas, broccoli, zucchini, squash, spinach, cabbage, carrots and I am going to try onions and garlic too. I'm going to buy some tomato and eggplant plants too. The eggplant did so well last year. Just call me Farmer Cindy! Gotta hit Home Depot or Lowe's. I love growing my own veggies!

Busy Day

2010-02-24T15:24:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday I went to my friend's house. Her dad is more or less an invalid and spends most of his time in his hospital bed set up in the back bedroom. My friend, Weezy, bought her parents house several years ago and they all live there. Which turned out to be a good thing because:

a) Her dad's health has gone downhill fast and her mom can't care for him alone

b) Weezy went through a bout of breast cancer several years ago. For some reason, the chemo really messed with her system and she has developed neuropathy in her hands and feet. Not good for someone who works as a physical therapist. She was put on leave from work because of this-she nearly had a wreck returning from a patient's house b/c her foot had slipped off the brake & she didn't know it. Yes, the neuropathy is THAT bad. So, in addition to losing her ability to drive, she is looking at having to go on permanent disability. She's very depressed and worried about her future.

So, she had bought her dad a VCR so he could watch movies back in his room. She couldn't get it set up and I looked at it last week and saw that she needed more cables to hook it up correctly. I had to work over the weekend, but told her I'd come over on Tues to help her set it up. I went to pick her up, we went to Best Buy to get the cables, then went to lunch. We stopped at the AT&T store and she talked to them about the crappy router they have, which only allows her to sign on if she in the same room. She wound up buying a router/modem combo and I told her I could set it up for her. I feel so bad for her. It's not that she can't do it but she no longer has any fine motor skills, so handling the cables, phone plugs..etc..is impossible for her to do. After meeting my niece at the shelter to help her choose a new kitten, we headed to Weezy's house to get this all set up. The VCR was relatively simple and I had it up in no time. I tried to program the Direct TV remote so he didn't have to keep track of another one, but it wouldn't work. Bummer, but he was OK with having 2 remotes.

Now, on to the router/modem combo. We went back in her dad's office to get it all set up. First thing tho was to get the filters on all the phone lines. 2 were simple, but for the 3rd, the plug was behind the cali king bed in the master bedroom. Ay-yi-yi, that thing was a bit@# to move. We only got it a few inches from the wall, but it was enough so that I could reach between the headboard slats and get it switched. 4th plug....I just thought the 3rd was a bit@#. OMG...First, we traced his phone line to the wall to the right of his desk.....behind a bunch of folding chairs and 2 card tables that we had to move. We did that, then got the filter plugged in and the phone in the correct side of that, leaving the other side for the DSL line. I then go over to where all his hook-ups are for the computer and tried to trace the line going from the computer to the wall. It actually traced to behind the desk...?? I wondered if he'd had a splitter on the extra long phone cord and went back to trace the phone line from where I had just put it to the desk phone, but no.....? Ok, I'll admit here I'm not a whiz at this, I'm just someone with (usually) some common sense in this area who can figure this out. I went back to the desk and took a second look. The desk is actually bolted to the floor and can't be moved, so I got on the floor and climbed under it. Eureka, there's a 2nd phone jack where the DSL comes in. Problem is, there's a 2x4 standing upright about 4-5 inches parallel to the baseboard. The jack is one of those with the guard that flips down...so that to change it, you have to hold the guard open with one hand and change the line with the other. I got the old line unplugged no prob, by holding it open with one finger and pressing the tab & pulling it out quickly. It was awkward, but I did it. Getting the filter plugged back in tho was a pain. I'm under the desk, on my stomach b/c it's not tall enough for me to be on my knees. There is very limited space between that 2x4 & the wall and no matter how hard I tried, I could not hold the guard open and plug the filter back in. Weezy handed me a flashlight and I propped that on the 2x4 and leaned it on the wall so that most of the light shone on the jack. I attempted for another few minutes and could not get it. I was hot, sweaty and frustrated. I thought for a minute and ask Weezy for some heavy duty tape, such as duct or masking. She found some masking and I taped that guard open and got the plug in..YEA!! Setting up the new router/modem was easy, just pop in the CD & follow the directions. Weezy was behind me the whole time and I swear I could feel how anxious she was about this. She wants to be able to use her laptop anywhere in the house, instead of just in her dad's office or right outside it. I finished up there, then we took the CD to her laptop. She wanted to try that herself, with me supervising. We followed the instructions and as we are going through the steps, her "You're connected" icon came on. She was so excited! We got to the last step and I dunno what happened. The icon indicated that she no longer had a connection and the last step on the screen was for us to connect to the internet. It took us to that step, but would not connect. She got up and let me take over. I went through everything I knew to do and could not figure it out. She was so disappointed and I determined that she would have wireless connection before I left!! I decided to close everything, eject the CD, restart the comp and then start from scratch. I was so frustrated! I sat there and it restarted. I was reaching around to open the CD drive and the connection icon indicated she was connected. She sat down and logged on, got on with no problem!!!! I guess it just needed a restart to finish loading the new software. We took it into the living room and tried and it worked!! I asked her to take it to her bedroom & try. I stayed in the living room with her mom and in a second, we heard her squeal. It worked there too! When I left, Weezy was one happy lady!! It made me feel good that I could get this done for them. They all kept thanking me over and over and talking about how much they "owed" me for doing this, but they don't understand how much I like doing this kind of stuff, even if it does get frustrating. I told them that this was like one of the word puzzles I used to love so much, and that it was fun to figure out how to put it all together. They think it was work, I think it was fun. Besides, I love them all so much and like being able to do what I can to bring a little.....joy (?) to folks who haven't had a lot of joy in the last few years. Doing this is better than sitting around bored at home!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-17T14:35:00.001-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

On Overdoses and Meanies

2009-10-28T22:11:00.005-04:00

I once accidently overdosed myself. At that point in time, I didn't know you could do that with over the counter meds. I had worked sick all weekend. I work at a hospital and sick or not, you do not miss work on a weekend. It wasn't my weekend to work, but I was doing it for a co-worker who was out of town at a wedding...but I digress. Once I got off work that Sunday morning, I stayed up to call my boss to call in for Sunday night--didn't want to call and wake her too early. I had gone by the drug store and picked up some tylenol and cough syrup. I ached all over, was running a fever, was coughing and my throat was raw. My roommate was home and in her room studying for an upcoming test. She had told me to call her if I needed anything. I went to bed after taking a normal dose of my meds and tried to go to sleep. Everytime I started to doze, I would start coughing, which made my chest and throat hurt so bad..! I was totally miserable, tired, sleepy, sick but couldn't stop coughing long enough to sleep. Finally, after an hour or two of this, everytime the cough started, I'd just grab the cough syrup off the nightstand and take a swig. I did this quite a few times and finally the cough settled enough and I was able to drift off to sleep. I have no idea how long I was asleep, although it was less than an hour. I was asleep, then suddenly, my eyes popped open and I felt as if someone had just suddenly woke me up. I laid there kinda confused for a few seconds, then I realized that my skin felt as if millions of tiny little bugs were crawling all over me. I kicked all the covers off, but there was nothing there, it was just my skin crawling, head to toe skin crawling. I looked around, but nothing seemed real, like I was dreaming, although I knew I was awake. I started panicking, scared, then the thought hit me....How much of the cough syrup did I drink??. I picked up the bottle and over 3/4ths of the bottle was gone. I had drank nearly a whole bottle in about an hours time. I knew I had to get up and to my roommate, just to see and speak to another person would help me lose the dreamlike-unreal feeling, I hoped. I got up and opened my bedroom door. I had to walk across a small entryway, then the living room and her room was on the other side of the living room. I started across the living room, then-I swear(!!)-the living room walls moved forward and touched right in front of me, then went back into place. I started running and as I got into Sandy's room, I tripped and fell across the foot of her bed. I was hysterical! I starting trying to tell her about the walls moving, how much my chest hurt and that I drank too much syrup. She calmed me down and had me stay there while she went and got the bottle. She came back in and told me to get dressed--I was in my jammies--she was taking me to the E.R. to have my stomach pumped cause I had OD'ed.

Now, the problem with this is that we worked in labs at the hospital. We both actually worked in the E.R. lab, she full time and I as a fill in person. We know those people, we have to work with those people. Not to mention the people in the main lab, where they would be sending the sample they would collect from me for a drug screen. I told her I would not go, she could not make me. Besides, it had been at least an hour since I took the last dose, so it was already in my system. She thought about it for a moment, but told me if there were any changes in my behaviour, or if I became unresponsive, she was calling an ambulance. I agreed to these conditons. She went and got a blanket and a pillow. She pitched the pillow onto the couch, then told me to stand up straight. I tried to tell her about the meanies...you know, the ones from the Beatles "Yellow Submarine"..that were in the kitchen peeking around the wall at us. I'd see them out of the corner of my eye, only when I looked, they would hide behind the wall again. She looked at me and asked....What really stupid thing did you do today?? I mumbled that I drank to much cough syrup. Are there really any meanies in the kitchen?? No, I told her, there probably aren't. She had me raise my right arm straight up, then she put the blanket under my arm and had me drop my arm back down to hold it in place. She then mummy wrapped me up in the blanket. She helped me lie down on the couch and put the pillow under my head. She told me she would be studying for her test, but she would be talking to me every few minutes and unless I wanted to be carted off in an ambulance, I'd better answer. She went back to her studying. I laid there for a few minutes, then someone way far off started calling my name. I asked her to listen and help me figure out who it was and what they wanted. She again asked...What really stupid thing did you do today?? I mumbled my answer and she went back to her studying. I was lying there wishing my skin would quit crawling and those $#@% meanies started popping up from behind the couch, from under the couch and over the arms and they were laughing at me. They'd pop up and laugh, then when I'd turn my head to look, they'd duck back down out of sight. I called Sandy again and told her to check behind the couch and she said....What really stupid thing did you do today?? I, of course, answered, very ashamed of myself. I kept seeing those stupid things and hearing my name being called, but eventualy drifted off to sleep. My poor roommate, who had to study that Sunday, then had a date planned for that evening, wound up cancelling her date to stay with and keep an eye on me. She said she needed to study more than she needed the date anyway, but I still think this was very nice of her. She did go and rent the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" for us to watch the next weekend. She seemed to think that was really funny.

Lesson here: Always follow dosing instructions on all meds, even the OTC stuff. It can hurt you, or at least give you a weird, interesting afternoon.

BTW...I wrote down the ingredients in the cough syrup and read about them in the Physician's Desk Reference at work. Turns out 2 of the 3 of the main ingredients when taken in excess can cause auditory and visual hallucinations, the 3rd in excess causes the skin crawling sensation.

True dat!

2009-09-21T19:22:00.002-04:00

see more Lol Celebs

Keep this in mind all you posers

Apples

2009-09-05T14:43:00.003-04:00

Hendersonville Apple Festival.
I went.
I saw.
I brought home Honey-Crisp apples.
I am happy.

Celebrities & stalking & stuff

2009-09-02T06:03:00.007-04:00

I once stalked a celebrity. I didn't mean to and didn't realize how it must have seemed to him at the time. Let me start at the beginning...

A number of years ago, my friend Tim (in Atlanta) & I made plans to surprise our friend Weezie for her birthday. "Annie" was playing at the Fox Theater in Atlanta and the plan was for me to get Weezie down to see Tim in Atlanta (have I written Atlanta enough?? Atlanta, Atlanta, Atlanta), then we would surprise her with tickets to the play. She knew we had a big surprise for her, but neither of us were going to tell her until we arrived at The Fox on Sat evening.

So, bright & early Sat morning, with many hours to kill before our big plans, Weez decided she wanted to go to the mall. Now, being stuck inside a mall in Atlanta on a saturday is probably the last place on earth I'd choose to be, but it was her birthday weekend/celebration, so I decided to suck it up and go with her. After a couple of hours of mindnumbingly looking at everything I cared nothing about in multiple dept stores, I spotted a bookstore and suggested we go there next. Weez knows that being in a mall is pretty close to hell on earth for me, so she graciously agreed. So in we go.

At that point in time John Schuck was traveling with the play in the role of Daddy Warbucks. For those of you who may not know, John Schuck was the guy who played Rock Hudson's sidekick, Sgt Enwright, on the TV series McMillan & Wife.

So in we go to Waldenbooks....at last, a little heaven in the midst of hell. I headed down the first aisle and who's standing at the end but Mr. John Schuck himself??!! He was taller than I expected he would be and his head was shaved for the part, but it was him!

My first instinct was to run to Weezie & tell her...but if I did that, it might give away the birthday surprise. So I chose to follow him around the store, one aisle from him, and try to screw up my courage enough to ask for an autograph and tell him that my friends and I would be seeing the show later that night. I tried very hard to not be obvious about following him around. I suspect that in trying not to be obvious, I became all the more obvious. I stayed one aisle either behind or in front of him, watching him and trying to calm my nerves enough to approach him. I would watch, and everytime he looked up, I'd pretend to be looking at a book. This went on for at least 30 minutes, if not more. I'm a fairly shy person and not versed in approaching total strangers for any reason, much less for an autograph from an genuine TV ACTOR!! So, after a few minutes, he would look up and I'd quickly look down, then when I looked back up, he'd quickly look down. As the minutes ticked by, I began to realize that he had an almost fearful look on his face, that his eyes were darting around as if he was looking for the quickest exit. I mean, when you're walking around a bookstore and everytime you look up the same woman is staring at you over the aisle...well I can see how that might make someone a little nervous. The poor man kept switching aisles, trying to lose me, but I stayed on his tail like a bad memory. Finally, while standing directly across from him and making an effort to look inconspicuous, I actually grabbed a book and randomly opened it and a name on the page jumped out at me, I knew someone by that name. I flipped the book over and looked at the cover and as fate would have it, it was written about one of the old mill villages in the little town I grew up in. In the time it took for me to take this all in, Mr Schuck had seized his opportunity and made a break for the door. I glanced back up and he was hoofing it through the mall. I've never seen a person move that fast through that kind of crowd. He was throwing nervous glances back towards the bookstore, no doubt looking for that crazy eyed woman stalking him through Waldenbooks. I thought it was best just to let him leave and be thankful he got away. Wonder if he still tells the story of his narrow escape from the Atlanta Waldenbooks stalker? By this point, I was laughing so hard I couldn't have chased him down anyway. Weez came up to me and wanted to know what was so funny, but I couldn't tell her until after we saw the play that night. An excellent play it was too. Mr. Schuck played his part to perfection and as far as I know, never spotted me in the audience.

By the way, I bought the book and read a hilarious collection of stories by a man who grew up in the same small town I did. And he mentions many people in this book that I also know. How funny is that?!

Moods

2009-08-29T02:54:00.002-04:00

Lots of things on my mind lately, lots of jumbled emotions. Dunno why I feel so much internal conflict, feel like things are spiraling out of control. I'm just not happy lately. It's been a busy few weeks, maybe all I need is a day trip....out of town....alone. Never enough, it's never enough. Maybe I'm just tired...? I need changes.....

Oh what a night!

2009-08-11T21:59:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Fireworks

2009-07-06T15:03:00.006-04:00

4th of July, 2009....I so look forward to fireworks displays.
I was supposed to work all weekend, but our last patient was sent home Sat morning, so I was called off Sat & Sun night. Ordinarily I hate that, I'd rather work than use my PTO to make up the hours, but I was happy about this one. My neighbors had planned a cook-out and I really wanted to attend. I got to meet 2 more of my neighbors, the newest 2 to move in. Both early to mid 20s guys. Nice enough young men. We cooked out, ate, talked and had a great time.
I left to go meet a co-worker & her son and to watch the fireworks at Redemption Outreach on Haywood Rd. It pays to know the right folks, and we got to go on the roof of a building nearby to watch. I set up my tripod and took some practice shots to get my settings right. This year, I used the remote for all the shots and they turned out so pretty, much better than last year! See the samples..? I love fireworks!! Afterwards, my friend, her son & I went to Stax's & looked at the pics. The blue one posted here was his favorite, so I've had it printed and I've framed it and I'm leaving it at work for her to give to him. I love that kid!
Then yesterday, I went with my neice & her husband to see the house they've put a bid in on. They are so excited. She showed me the pics on the computer of the inside, since we could only see the outside. It is beautiful. Great location, big yard, in a cul-de-sac, beautiful home. I'm going to help her landscape her yard. She's got furniture picked out and when we went back to her house, she showed me what her ideas are. I'm going Thurs with her to drive to Ikea in Charlotte to get some more ideas, then we're going to deep clean her apartment and get it move out ready. I'm so happy for them and so incredibly proud of them! I thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with them. They're just interesting people to be around. And I love them so much!
What a great weekend!

I love these guys, even if they are nerds!

2009-07-06T14:59:00.002-04:00

Caption is "Nerd Suit, Activate"

Best weekend ever

2009-06-22T21:13:00.005-04:00

Friday was my birthday. One of my best friends and I have the same birthday, but different years. She had called me about 3 weeks before my birthday and said that her husband was making big plans for she & I and told me not to make any plans. It was dinner reservations somewhere & he wouldn't tell her or me where. I thought that was so sweet-we all 3 celebrated together last year too-and was very excited to go. They picked me up on Fri and he told me on the way that we were dropping by to pick up another friend at her daughter's house. No prob, the more the merrier! We stopped by and she ran out to the car and asked me to come in because her daughter had a birthday present for me. As I was getting out of the car, Gary leaned over and told me to make it quick or we were going to be late for the reservations. I followed her up to the door and as I walked in, all these voices yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" It was a surprise party. I was so shocked, then I started crying. It was great!! They had collected pictures of me from about 3 years old and had them posted all over the house, had put together a CD with top 10 hits for every year since 1959, had news headlines from '59 posted, house values, cars...etc. It was a blast. I didn't get home until 2am. Then was so wound up that I couldn't get to sleep until after 5am. I have the greatest friends!

Went out to eat to celebrate some more on Saturday night, then had dinner with dad, mom & sibs on father's day. Then my brother took me & one sis boat riding on Lake Jocassee. What a great weekend!

Oh Yeah!

2009-06-03T16:26:00.001-04:00

see more Lol Celebs

Oh Yeah

Park, park, I love the park!

2009-05-31T00:21:00.004-04:00

I got a call from my neighbor Linda this (Sat) morning. She'd never been to a Shakespeare in the Park play and wanted to know if I'd go with her and her son. If you've never been to one of these plays, you owe it to yourself to go. I've never been to one that I didn't throughly enjoy. They're funny, different and free. Yes, free. They use the language of William Shakespeare, but dress in modern clothing. They include an audience member at some point, tonight was when one character was being chased by another and pulled a man in front up out of his seat to protect her. Then, in spite of multiple warnings to TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES, a phone rang up near the front. One of the characters (they move in and out of the audience), picked up the phone and answered it, then told the caller why the call-ee couldn't talk on the phone, then turned the phone off and gave it back. Needless to say, the audience was howling with laughter, and the silly dumb*** who ignored the instruction was completely embarrassed.

The play was great. You can see that the actors just enjoy what they're doing. At the end of the play, they walk around with pillowcases and take donations. It's held at Falls Park, behind Falls Cottage. You can bring a blanket, and sit up front in the area reserved for blankets, or bring a fold out chair. Coolers-food & drink-are welcome. The shows start at 7pm, but to get a good parking spot and sitting spot, you need to be at the park by 6pm. To get more info, go to this site:

Upstateshakespearefestival.org

Man, I sound like an ad for them, huh??! I just love going and would recommend this to anyone looking for an inexpensive evening out...free play, bring a pic-nik and you're set!

Hee-Hee

2009-05-26T21:17:00.001-04:00

see more Political Pictures

This and That

2009-05-26T18:05:00.004-04:00

For many years, my dept at work was run by a manager who was slowly spiraling into some serious emotional and physical problems. She has never had the insight to recognize this, and seemed to believe that everyone was out to get her. This was not true, we all were very concerned and worried about her. But she made work very tense and any contact with her was very uncomfortable. She was erratic in her professional behaviour, gave conflicting answers to questions from one day to the next, reacted to problems either by ignoring them or by becoming emotional and ranting, would not be honest-if she told you to do something that later turned out to be incorrect, she would deny ever telling you to do it and would go behind your back and complain to coworkers about you screwing up, brought personal problems that were better kept to herself to work and blabbed stuff we didn't need to know. This all is on top of a suspected drug problem, prescription drugs, and alcohol.

We, as a group, used to get together for dinner, holidays...etc... but stopped all that after a particularly painful Christmas dinner. She showed up at the restaurant very drunk, continued to drink after we arrived, complained in a very loud voice about how crappy the salad bar was-the whole time she was putting together her salad, bitched, griped and complained about her meal and sent it back, I think 3 times. Then started complaining about her (grown) daughter's plate and tried to send it back too. Her daughter told her to quit complaining and told the waiter that her meal was perfect. This was at Steak & Ale, where there are 3-4 tables per room, so everyone in the room was subjected to this nonsense. The more she drank, the louder she became. It was embarrassing. I told several people after the dinner that this would be the last time I would attend any get together that she would attend. I think this was everyone's feeling as this was the last time we all got together outside work.

Well, she lost her job about 6 weeks ago. I hate it for her, but it was a long time coming. I wish they could have found another position for her, one where she wasn't in charge of others. But I suspect there was a lot going on behind the scenes that we weren't privy to. It's been upsetting, but the tension at work is gone. I no longer pull into the parking lot and get a knot in my stomach when I see her car, or try to scoot unseen past her office door. That part was usually easy, as she'd wait until you got on down the hall then start yelling for you. I could just ignore that and claim I didn't hear her the next time I saw her.

Well, as we all know, yesterday was Memorial Day. One of the newest members of our team suggested a cook-out. It was held at a co-worker's house, we all bought dishes or supplies and we had a ball!! It was so nice to be able to get together outside of work. I think getting to know your co-workers outside of work can make your work relationship better. Most everyone brought spouses, kids or some combination. We got to spend time together, catch up, see how much the kids had grown and just had a wonderful time. OMG, it was so nice to be able to do that without the loud, drunk, obnoxious, inappropriate boss around. Those of us who could stayed and helped clean up. I took several bags of left overs to work to Kelli & Sunny, who had to work.

I hope this is the beginning of many more such get-togethers. And the beginning of a new phase at work with our new manager!

Gee, that's great

2009-05-22T19:14:00.001-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Hee-Hee

2009-05-20T22:17:00.001-04:00

see more Political Pictures

My Tibbe

2009-05-19T23:04:00.005-04:00

Isn't she a cutie! Yeah, I'm the weird cat lady. I'm on my computer, and she's napping on the comforter on my lap. I love my cats....Tibbe, Liu-Liu & Bacchus.

Lazy Day

2009-05-17T19:13:00.003-04:00

Yes it is.

Temp has dropped quite a bit, it's rainy and dreary. Perfect day to say in, snuggled under a blankie watching TV, with one, or all three, of my kitties curled up with me. Right now, it's Tibbe, although she's not happy she's having to take a back seat to the computer. I feel guilty if it's nice outside and I don't feel like doing anything, but it's ok on a rainy day!

I did a portrait photo shoot downtown yesterday. The more of these I do, the better I like them. I had so much fun, then after, the person I did the shoot for brought a pic-nic and we all sat and ate lunch. Then coffee after with them reviewing the pics on my computer. I've been doing these for free just to get the experience, but that's about to end. I'm going to work up a price list and add this to my website.

Okay, gotta go work on those photos.

2009-05-14T18:39:00.001-04:00

I would love to see a pic taken about 2 seconds later!
see more dog and puppy pictures

Movie Time

2009-05-09T23:31:00.004-04:00

OMG...I went to see the new Star Trek movie tonight. Now, if you know me at all, I rarely will pay full price for a movie. The vast majority of the drivel that passes for movies these days are not worth paying matinee prices, much less full price. But, I went after our pre Mother's Day dinner, with my step-mom & youngest sister. It was physically painful for me to pay that price, but I have to say that it was well worth paying the full price to see. Watching the old Star Trek tv series is one of my fondest childhood memories. I loved that show then and I love the reruns now, when I can find them. The next "generations" were ok, but not as good as the original IMO. This movie stayed true to the characters personalities, the wordplay and the relationship / friendship / competition...and even included a large role for Capt. Pike---ok any trekkies, do you know Capt. Pike and his relationship to the crew and the old series..??

Needless to say, I highly recommend this movie, especially to those who loved the original series...you will not be disappointed.

I can't wait till it comes out on DVD!

Cindy Moment

2009-05-06T20:59:00.004-04:00

Okay, major Cindy type thing happened last night. I woke up at 4am-ish for a potty run. I, half asleep, stumble into the bathroom. Evidently my cat(s) have been trying to figure out what the heck the scales are and had pushed it out into the floor from it's usual resting place against the wall beside the toilet. As I stumbled in, I stepped on it, slid across the floor until my knees hit the toilet, then I flipped over the toilet and went head & left shoulder first into the bathtub.

This was in no way, shape or form fun for me. In fact, from the time my foot hit the scales it was more of a pure, abject terror type of experience. It's really funny-odd-how many thoughts can go through your mind in such a short period of time, the main one being---OMG--will I survive this and if so, how long will I be hospitalized??

When I realized that I was still conscious and could move all my limbs fairly easily, I got up from the tub, very shaken. I then changed my sleep shorts....literally, I was going in originally to empty my bladder after all. It's very hard to remember to clamp down that bladder when you feel your very survival is possibly in question. Amazingly, I was able to go back to bed and fall back to sleep fairly easily.

So, I had to work today for 4 hours. I got up a little sore, mostly a couple of toes on each foot, got ready, went in, had my yearly evaluation (excellent, btw), then went to my assigned post, which was sitting at a computer logging in paperwork. After doing that for a while, I turned to get up and had a really hard time doing that. My back hurt, my left shoulder hurt, my hips and knees hurt. And it had only gotten worse. I'm thinking I'm just too old to be nose diving into my tub. I will make a solemn vow to give it up, to the best of my ability.

Surprise Ending

2009-05-05T22:15:00.003-04:00

Did not start out as a great day. I went to get my Mac outta my wheeled cart I take it (& other stuff) to work in and ....... no power cord. I called work, they didn't see it anywhere. I called the front desk to see if it was turned in to lost & found....not there either. DANG! Now I gotta go buy a new one.

I called my niece to congratulate her on her last exam, last day of college today. She as at the mall & I went to meet her. We had so much fun, hung out, window shopped, got make-overs and just enjoyed each others company. I love spending time with her!

Then went to get my hair cut, then to meet a friend for Cinco de Mayo at Sabroso's. I headed to work after to retrace my steps and see if I could find my power cord. I parked where I did Sun night, walked the same route all the way to the lab, no luck. I went in the lab and asked Kelli if she'd seen it. She hadn't. I checked the top of the file cabinet where I usually put my backpack and my mail tray, not there. I plopped down in a chair and just happened to glance down and there it was, still plugged into the surge protector. I did the happy, happy dance. I can now play on my comp and stop those withdrawal symptoms.

Yea!!!

Sunny day and turtles and stuff

2009-04-27T18:30:00.005-04:00

I spent Sat at Furman doing some pics for a co-worker & his family. Nice guy, his wife was the same and they have 2 beautiful kids. I completely enjoyed spending a couple of hours with them doing the pics. I spent most of yesterday going through and cleaning them up. Doing some B&W's ...etc... I'll take them to him on Friday.
This guy here (above) was chilling, keeping an eye on us and keeping cool. It was a hot day! Sunny, beautiful and hot. I'm so glad warm weather is finally here. Don't even mind the itchy pollen eyes. It's nice to have energy--which I lose during the Winter months--to be able to open my windows and doors and feel the breeze, the fresh air. I'm finally getting some long overdue housework done too, another plus! Yeah, all in all, been a good few days off.

Great Saturday

2009-04-19T17:39:00.004-04:00

What a beautiful day yesterday was! This is the 1st day in about a month that I've been felt like and been able to get out and just...loafer all day. No extreme coughing jags, no getting tired after a few minutes, no asthma wheezing, no naps!

I have a neighbor who works weekends, so I spend some saturdays, especially during this winter, with her son on his days to visit her. He called me yesterday and I invited him to go take pictures with me. We rolled down the windows, opened up the sunroof and enjoyed the sunshine. I went to Furman to take some pics, got some great ones of the water fountains and the lake, and enjoyed hanging with my 15 year old buddy. He's a great kid! He'd never been to the top of Paris Mtn, at the radio towers, so I took him there and got some more really great pics. I couldn't believe how many people were coming in and out up there while we were there. It is a beautiful spot to go and overlook the whole area, from Furman to Greer.

I promised to take him to Poinsett Bridge next time. He liked that cuz it's supposed to be haunted!

I had a poetry reading to go to at 8pm and his mom called once she got home, so I invited them to both go with me and my group. She couldn't, but let him go and she met us out at Barnes & Noble after. The poetry reading was by an ex-professor of my neice's and she had asked me to go. I'd never been to one before, and was excited about going and about meeting this prof that she and her husband think so highly of. I got there and met my usual gang, and the prof. He handed out flyers with copies of what he was going to read, and on the front, he had dedicated the reading to me!! That was exciting and a bit of an honor! He was really good, and after I got home, I e-mailed him one of my pics that one of his poems made me think of. He's going to go to my website and look at some more of my stuff to "get inspiration". How cool..??!!

All in all, it was a great day!

BTW....there will be another reading on May 16th at 8pm. If anyone reading is interested, let me know and I'll get directions to you.

Official Now

2009-04-13T17:20:00.004-04:00

OK....it's official. Got the call from my Doc this morning. I am now a type 2 diabetic. Hopefully it can be controlled with diet changes--goodbye Mtn Dew, old friend. I kinda feel a little numb about it, cried a little earlier. But I hate to cry, especially because of something stupid I've done to myself. Being upset is not going to help the situation. So, time to suck it up and do what I need to do.

Life

2009-04-13T00:45:00.005-04:00

This is from one of the most beautiful e-mails I've ever received and I say Amen to that!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie or for not making my bed or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4am and sleep til noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60s & 70s and if I wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose, despite the pitying glances from the current jet set. They too will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful, but then again, some of life is just as well forgotten. I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can a heart not break when you lose a loved one, when a child suffers or even when someone loses a beloved pet? Broken hearts are what gives us strength, understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what others think. I rarely question myself anymore and I've earned the right to be wrong.

I embrace my aging. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am here, I will not waste time lamenting what may have been or what could be. And I shall eat dessert whenever I feel like it!

(author unknown)

Sick of Being Sick

2009-04-11T04:37:00.003-04:00

OMG....I can't believe I'm sick again!!! Everything from the chin up is stopped up, my throat hurts, my chest hurts...WAHHHHHHHH. I HATE being sick! I'm hoping this is just allergy junk and will go away on its own...???!!! I just finished one round of antibiotics.

And...AND......I did some lab work my doc requested...I knew the lipids were not going to be good-and they weren't-but my fasting blood sugar was way too high, higher than it's ever been before. Now that scares me! Diabetes runs in my family. We'll see what she says when I go back. Just go with the flow til then and deal with what happens as it happens. It can always be worse, huh?!

Who knows...maybe this will be that kick in the butt I need to finally give up my Dew's and lose some weight. Yeah, that's the ticket---try to keep a positive spin on the whole thing no matter how ^&%$*(&% mad at myself I am!!

Road Trip!!!

2009-04-04T23:40:00.003-04:00

To Monroe, NC.

To hang with Kimmy for a few days. I was going to leave Fri morning and really surprise her, but my niece called Thurs and her son's 2nd BD was today and they had a party for him today. So, I put off the trip til tomorrow morning. It would have been fun to show up on Fri morning and really surprise them, but maybe next time. I am bring her another surprise--if you read this Kimmypoopoo, you'll have to wait until I get there, but you're going to LOVE IT!

I actually-----cleaned my car------for this. I can actually seat 4-5 comfortably in it again. It just doesn't look like mine anymore. I even--are you sitting down?--washed it, vacuumed it and cleaned the windows----AHHHHHHH, can u believe it????

Gotta go dry some clothes now...

Buh-bye

OMG

2009-04-03T13:54:00.003-04:00

OMG!!!!!!!

2nd Contest

2009-03-30T08:29:00.004-04:00

Second photo contest winners list is in.....my name is not on it either. Oh well. One more contest to go. It would be fun to win, but I'm pretty new at this so it would probably be a fluke if I did win. It's fun practice tho and helps me to look critically at my work!

I HATE being SICK

2009-03-26T18:52:00.002-04:00

Ok....@#$%it.

I give.

This junk that has been slowly trying to kill me just won't go away. A couple of people I work with talked me into going to the doc today b/c I have that awlful cough and I'm losing my voice again. They did a flu test-neg, but she has put me out of work until Mon and gave me meds for my raw throat and upper resp infection. I feel crappy, and I'm not a nice person to be around when I'm sick. Probably best that I'm quaranteened--yea, I know it ain't spelled right but I just don't care. My head hurts, my back hurts, my front hurts and my left and right hurts, so a misspelled word is no biggie.......GRRRRRRRRRRRR. MAJOR bad mood coming on ....

Gonna go now

Best menopausal question ever

2009-03-12T02:04:00.002-04:00

Best Menopause Question Ever:

How many menopausal women does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman's Answer:

One!

ONLY ONE! And do you know WHY?

Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out.

And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the #&%!* light bulbs despite the fact they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But, if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged over to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKIN LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP ANYTHING OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON WHO ALWAYS CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL!!

I'm sorry.....what was the question?

Unbelievable

2009-03-08T20:01:00.002-04:00

One week ago at this time, it was snowing fast & furiously. Today, it was 78 degrees, and I have been riding around with my windows down......!

Photo Contest

2009-03-03T22:25:00.003-05:00

Got the winner's list from the 1st photo contest. My name wasn't on it... :-{

Oh well, 2 more to go, one with Flickr, the other with a regional magazine.

Total of 5 entries. Flickr had 1 category, the magazine had 5-only 4 of which

I submitted pics. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Snow

2009-03-03T17:40:00.007-05:00

Snooooow!!!
It snowed....an actual, ground covering snow, not the flurries we normally get. It started Sun evening, right before I left for work. I opened the door to leave and it was coming down hard. Everything was dusted. I ran by to get some sushi for dinner at work later and was only inside for about 20 mins, but when I came out OMG....we were under a blanket and it was snowing furiously. It was beautiful, but the roads were getting bad. I slid on Pelham, turning onto Patewood and when I turned into the entrance at work, I slid all the way across the entrance. I was able to park under the overhang behind the

hospital, so my car was completely out of the snow--no scraping the next morning! I just hate it that I had to work. If I'd been home, I'd have drug Wanda & Deb out to build a snowman. I clocked in and grabbed my camera. I took over 120 pictures before my battery died. I ran down to change out the battery with my spare, but it was dead too!!!!! I usually leave one charged and in my camera bag-jic. I can't believe I forgot to charge it. Anyway got some great pics. I love snow--as long as I don't have to drive in it. Driving home Mon morning was a little hairy, roads were slick. There wasn't much traffic out, but there were police cars cruising everywhere.

Crazy weather-5 inches of snow on Sun, but it's gonna be 70 degrees by Fri.

That's the south for you.

Welome to my world, come on in & have a seat

2009-02-22T00:49:00.005-05:00

Enjoying my days off!!!

I just upgraded my & Kim's cell phones on 1/31. When they came, we couldn't get the new sim cards to work, so we just put the old ones in the new phones--work just fine. Then, a few days ago, I dropped mine and shattered the LED screen--CRAP!! This was during my last set of days on, so I knew I probably couldn't do anything about it til Fri morn. I got home Thurs morn and slept til 3pm, but really didn't feel like doing anything about it then. However, I had an e-mail from AT&T, something about steps to follow to update my upgrade. So, I went on line and followed the instructions. Guess what???!!! I upgraded the cards, so now I have to use the new sim card. Not a problem for me, but Kim has no phone service at all. She has the new card, but she & Alan are traveling and it's packed up somewhere in the camper. So, I go into the AT&T store on Fri to see about replacing my phone and "fixing" Kim's. However, because I have insurance, I have to go through them to get my phone replaced. And, once the card is updated, it can't be undone. So, I called in insurance company, phone is on the way, I had Kim added as an authorized user--so she can go get a new sim card in case she can't locate the other one. Kewl, all taken care of!

Met Court & Joe for dinner Fri night. Always great to spend time with them.

My new TV, stand, and surround sound system all arrived at Weezie's--her parents always let me have big stuff sent to their house since they're always home to sign for them. So, I'm trying to get the old stuff taken down so the new stuff can go up. Now that's a pain! Think I'm going to offer the old entertainment center on Craig's List for free.

And last of all, I'm very excited about submitting pics to 2 on-line photo contests. Some great prizes are being offered, and although I really don't think I'll win, it's exciting to be participating!

I'm ooooollllllldddddd

2009-02-04T22:12:00.002-05:00

OMG, my niece is 21 today! 21!!!!!!!!!!!

We had dinner, cake & ice cream at her place tonight. It just doesn't seem that long since she was a newborn--good natured, always happy and smiling-- then a toddler and one of her fav things to do was watch me catch ladybugs and let them walk across my hand, then hers. That would just delight her to no end. What happened to me putting her up on the counter so she could help me cook? To me and her spending the weekend together, going to the zoo, the park then climbing out on the rocks and sitting in the middle of the falls eating sandwiches? She's grown into such a lovely, intelligent young woman. Open-minded, caring, has her head and her life together. Newly married to such a wonderful young man who we all love dearly. I'm so proud of her and who she's become. But every now and then, I'd love to have one more weekend with her at 5, or 8, or 10.

Wonky Eye

2009-02-01T13:05:00.008-05:00

I just like the word "wonky". But I do have a problem with my eye. I had a coughing fit

(allergies?) 2 nights ago. I was on my way to bed, and it stopped by the time I got up stairs. After I got into bed, my left eye started itching and feeling like there was something in it, which goes along with my allergies. I kept rubbing it but it started hurting, so I left it alone. I dunno if I scratched in my sleep or not. I woke up yesterday morning and it was really hurting and I could tell it was swollen. I got up and checked it out in the mirror and it was bloody. My first thought was pink eye and I went downstairs to put in some drops from the last pink eye episode. Only, it didn't burn like crazy like it usually does. I hit the recliner to wait for my sister to come over and it just kept feeling weirder and weirder. I got up after 30 mins or so and and the white part of my eye was swollen, bagging and hanging over my lower lid. This scared me and I called Kim and asked here to come on so she could drive me to the doc. I went and got some ice, if it works for other swollen stuff, should work for eyeballs too, right?! By the time Kim got here, the swelling was almost completely gone. I wouldn't go to the doc b/c my vision wasn't affected and it had stopped hurting. Boy does it look bad tho. I think I ruptured a blood vessel during the coughing fit and rubbing it once I went to bed just made it bleed more.It looks better today...not great, but better. I now have some bruising under my left eye and a small reddish streak down my cheek, that will probably be bruising by tomorrow. Look at the pic. I included one with both eyes so you can compare.

Ha!

Pictures

2009-01-25T23:59:00.004-05:00

So, last night, as I was snooping around on the internet (instead of doing housework), I came across a site called "Imagekind.com". This is a site where you can post your artwork, and they sell it for you. You can have 1 gallery with a total of 24 pics without incurring any monthly fees. I set up an account and have about 12 pics on it so far. I can set the mark-up as a % or $ amount and they do the rest. They have set prices for prints/canvases...etc... which they take out of whatever is bought, then the rest is sent to me. Plus, if the buyer decides to mat, frame or whatever, I get a 15% commission on that. If this goes well, I'm going to open a paid account, where I can post up to 5000 pics. We'll see what happens. I've posted a banner to the right with my posted pics and a link to the site. Wish me luck!

New Year

2009-01-12T19:32:00.007-05:00

Funny, it feels pretty much like the last one....!

Goals for this year.....

1. Expand my website

2. Stop being such a homebody

3. Become a better housekeeper

4. Lose some weight

5. Start doing some volunteer work instead of just thinking about it!

6. Start drawing (more) and painting... maybe watercolors

That's all for now, mostly b/c I'm nauseous and can't think of any more.

There needs to be something deeper there, but I'm not in a deeper kind

of mood right now.

Later

Holidays, Family, Friends

2008-12-25T22:15:00.004-05:00

Fun, fun, fun. Last night was great! Everyone one was there, except Alan-but he was at his mom's in Monroe, NC. We had the party at Rick's. I was supposed to work last night, but got a message on my cell to call a co-worker. I crossed my fingers and called and-sure enough-our last patient had gone and I didn't have to work. I called Rick and told him, but swore him to secrecy, so it was a big surprise when I came in the door. That was fun! I got to play with my little man Cody, who is now 21 months old. He was hilarious. All the adults drew names, but we all still bought Cody and Jess-who's only 14-gifts, and it was so much fun to watch Cody open them. He looked a little confused at first, but once his mom helped him open the 1st one, he caught on quickly to what was happening, and he ripped into them. One of the things I got him was a bucket of bubbles, so he and I went onto the front porch (it was raining) and I blew bubbles while he squealed and chased them. I tried to let him blow some, but he kept putting his lips ON the wand when he'd blow. He was just delighted by those bubbles and I had some much fun with him. I got Jess a telescope and he was very excited about that. He started out into the yard to set it up, but then saw the rain and decided to wait til tonight. When we opened our presents, Kathy ended up with 2-1 from me & 1 from Alan- and Kim had none. Turns out when Case & Court wrote out the draw names slips, Court wrote "Mom" instead of "Kim" on the slip. So, I got "Kathy", Alan got "Mom", which he & Kim assumed meant Kathy. It was pretty funny and Kathy said she had no problem with the way it turned out! :-) Kim was cool with it b/c she had a bunch of presents from Alan waiting on her once they got back home. Lookit my 2 handsome young men! Bye for now...

Almost Christmas

2008-12-22T00:56:00.003-05:00

Almost Christmas.......almost the end of another year. Wow, they go by so fast these days.

It's been a nice coupla days off. Had dinner with my dad & step-mom sat night and gave them birthday presents, then did some shopping and got a great deal on some nice things for 2 of my friends, then went to Barnes & Noble for something to drink and to read a couple of magazines. Today has been a lazy sunday....my favorite kind. It's 1 am on monday morning, and all 3 cats are curled up on the recliner with me......Life is good!
Gotta go get 1 more present in the morning then I'm DONE!!!!!! I hate shopping!

9 more days...new year...new beginnings, challenges....wonder what it will bring...?

Holidays

2008-12-15T01:09:00.003-05:00

I've spend the majority of the afternoon baking Christmas goodies. This is the first time ever I've done this completely by myself. It was kinda lonely. I started to call my niece and ask her if she wanted to do this with me, but this is her first Christmas as a married woman and maybe she wants to create her own traditions with Joe. I hate to intrude on her life. I know she'd never tell me if I was, because she's one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted people I've ever known, but I don't want to be a pain. Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself ..... This is not my favorite time of year anyway, so I just need to get a grip. I hate feeling self pity....everyone is capable of creating their own happiness if they want to. So, I'm going to shake it off, snuggle on the couch with my sweetie baby kitty Tibs, who has been sitting on my right staring at me the whole time I've been on the computer, and start counting all the reasons I have to be happy. And to remind myself how wonderful my life really is!!

Roots

2008-11-29T16:34:00.003-05:00

On Thanksgiving Day, my dad and got into a discussion about our ancestry. We pulled out the ole laptop and started doing a little research. Poor dad got somewhat frustrated because I moved too quickly on the computer (he does not use them), so I slowed way down and we looked up the names of cousins, uncles...etc... I found out my dad's nickname, Bud, is the same as his grandfather's because he looked so much like him. I never knew that before. Anyway, once I got home, I started doing some research on my own, following my direct blood line. My dad's mom's side has quite a bit of info available, but I couldn't locate a lot of info on anyone else. I did trace 2 ancestors back to Germany/Austria and 1 to Ireland on my grandma's side. I also-from a number of years ago when a cousin did some research-knew I had a great x3 grandfather who died fighting in the Civil War and no one knew quite where he's buried. There was some speculation that he was buried at Arlington....which confused me. Did they bury confederate soldiers at a federal cemetary?? Did he fight for the Union?

I decided to concentrate on him and see if I could find out more about him. After 3 days of research and digging I found out:

1. He was born in Pickens Co, SC in 1825

2. He was married to Jennie Anderson

3. He joined the 4th SC infantry about 1862 and after his year term was up, he, along with the majority of the 4th SC, joined the 37th Virginia Calvary Co. B and served under A.C. Earle as a partisan raider-which means they infiltrated enemy lines and

supplies to stea......umm.. requisition supplies for their own soldiers, and to find

intelligence on enemy movements and plans

4. He was captured in Virginia in 1864 and sent to Camp Chase, Oh, which was a POW camp, where he died of pneumonia in 1865

5. He was buried at Camp Chase Cemetary in Ohio

He was 40 years old at his death and left behind his wife Jennie and at least 5 kids I can find. Jennie never remarried, or I can't find any evidence of it if she did. Her grave is at Oolenoy Church cemetary and she is buried under the name "Jennie Massingill". I plan on riding up to the church and reading some old grave markers, maybe I can learn more.

This has been so interesting!!

Revisiting the past

2008-11-24T16:11:00.005-05:00

The most traumatic thing that ever happened in my life was the death of my mom. On July 20th, 1966, Mom, Grandpa, me, my sis-Kim and 3 cousins went for a picnic at a spot beside a bridge that was part of Hartwell Lake. We'd been there many times before. I had just turned 7, Kim was 4. Towards the end of the day, mom went for a swim across the narrow channel. She came to the surface and waved at us, then went under again. She never resurfaced. Of course, by the time grandpa realized something was wrong, it was way to late to do anything, even if we'd known where she was. This whole day, the memories, the feelings, the fear and pain are still very clear to me. As a child, I guess everyone wanted to "protect" me & Kim, so we were never allowed to see any info about this. I saw the newspaper article for the 1st time when I was in my late teens, maybe even early 20s. I grew up feeling as if there was some big secret associated with her death and always had lots of questions that I couldn't get answers to.

I was at a family get together last weekend and wound up staying after with my cousin-one of the ones who was there that day-and we got into a discussion about mom and that day. She told me that at the time, they had been told that mom, when she dove down and went to push back up off the bottom, had actually gotten her foot stuck in the remnants of an old bridge and couldn't get loose. I'd never heard this before. She also stated that since we're in a drought and the lake is down 25 feet, she wants to go back to the site and see if she can find any thing there that mom could have gotten caught on and see for herself. I relayed this info to Kim, who was up for the weekend, and we decided to go, just the 2 of us, and check it out.

It has been years since we've gone there, but we went straight to it. The river is nothing more than a trickling creek now, probably no more than 6 inches at the deepest. The road and bridge are completely out of the water...weird looking, especially when compared to my memories. We walked down the bank, trying as best we could to remember where we were that day. We didn't see any old bridge exposed, but we did find some concrete chunks that looked as if they were once part of a road, and we found some planed, rotted old boards. Was that the bridge? Is that's all thats left after 42 years? I dunno. The pain was raw but Kim & I talked a lot, shared a lot while we were there. It's painful still, but it has to be faced-and altho I wasn't sure this was a good idea, I'm glad we did it. At one point, once we located where we believe we were that day, I started taking pics of Kim sitting on a rock, looking back towards the bridge. Then, it hit me like a lead weight. Mom's body was found about 10 feet from the shore in a small crevice, just large enough for a body to fit. Where we were at that moment was 10-12 feet from the bank in the area that she would have been in when she drowned. I mentioned this, so we started looking around. We found a huge granite rock outcropping and below and slightly under was a small crevice that would just be large enough for a smallish body-and mom was small. I felt a jolt go through my body when I realized what we were probably looking at.

I know this may sound a bit morbid, but it's hard to understand unless you've been involved in the same kind of situation. Maybe we were looking for a connection, maybe for some answers, maybe for more closure. Maybe we were just trying to understand why it happened and how.

Kim, I know you'll read this...I had bizarre dreams all night last night and mom was in them. This bothers me because it tells me that I haven't worked through all my grief. But, realistically, I'm not sure I ever will.

Halloween Night

2008-11-08T17:50:00.004-05:00

I have a friend who has thrown a Halloween party the last few years. This year, she really didn't want to do that, so she and I held a Murder Mystery Dinner at her house. It was a hoot. If you ever get a chance to attend or be in one, do it! This one was set in 1969 with rock star/music business/hippie types. There were 8 characters and several others who watched. I, of course, was the photographer. I took over 300 pics. Of course, I had to weed thru them and post only the good ones. I use snapfish.com to save, post, share and print my pics and would highly recommend this site to anyone. Anyway, the party was great. We had a good mix of folks and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I did a lot of research on the 60's, to pull up old posters, news articles..etc... and I learned a lot of interesting history, stuff I vaguely remembered so it was fun to learn more about all of it. I have another one of these kits, so will probably do another one in the Spring. It was great fun.

Charleston

2008-10-21T20:59:00.003-04:00

Last night in Charleston. We have had incredible weather and it's just been the perfect time to be here, except for being able to go in the ocean. I've got to spend a lot of time with my sis, Kimmy. We were at her house last night for a cook-out, then today, she, Gee & I traveled all over the open market area, then went to the battery and got some great pics of the sun set. I hated saying goodbye to her. Probably won't see her again until Thanksgiving....MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! This has been a great trip tho, just perfect.

Fun Fun Fun

2008-10-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

I went to a barn party last night and had a blast! It was at my friend's in Enoree. There were so many people there and they had a live band. People brought their kids-which I liked-we had a cardboard dance floor and I got to see a bunch of people I haven't seen in a while. It was a beautiful night, a little chilly, but they had a huge bonfire going, so we stayed warm. They live out in the middle of the country and I love going out there. I'd love to live out like that and have all that room/privacy. The sky was incredible, I've not been able to see that many stars in years. It made me think of when I was a kid, and could spend hours outside in the yard at night on a blanket watching the moon & stars. I've always been awed by the night sky!

Man, I really enjoyed last night!

Cool nightime pics

2008-09-28T03:14:00.007-04:00

See!

Rainy Day

2008-09-26T13:18:00.002-04:00

I love cool rainy days. Except I get sooooo lazy! I need to go finish some birthday shopping, do laundry, vacuum...blah-blah-blah. The way my recliner is set up is perfect for catching the nice breeze coming in the sliding glass door, I can hear the rain falling and my wind chimes tinkling. Great day to just stay in and veg out in front of the TV!

Yeah, think it's time for a little nap.

STOP

2008-09-24T01:09:00.003-04:00

OMG....he contacted me AGAIN!!!!!

Made several snide little comments in an e-mail.

I sent him one back and made it abundantly clear that if I get even 1 more contact from him, I will take legal action. I'm wondering if he'll take this as a challenge, but I'm dead serious. I'm thinking about going to the LEC and talking to someone on my next day off, just to see what my options are and where I need to turn if I do have to do this.

Dayyyummmm.

Letting go

2008-09-18T18:21:00.004-04:00

What is it that keeps people holding on to something long after its done? I ended a "friendship" nearly 2 years ago. This person was someone I tried to be a good friend to, in spite of his petty, childish moods and juvenile behaviour. He was married to one of my good friends, so I tried to overlook a lot of faults and to give him the benefit of doubt. Until the day he came into my home and ripped me apart, an unbelieveable verbal attack. He even had the nerve to tell me that if I didn't do what he told me and live my life the way he wanted, we couldn't be friends anymore. I already knew he was very insecure, but had no idea he was so controlling. I was very hurt and couldn't reply, it was all such a shock. He became angry at my tears and his wife, who sat on the edge of my couch staring at the floor, said to me "he doesn't understand emotion because I'm so unemotional. I take enough prozac so that I never have to feel anything". One of the saddest statements I've ever heard.

Controlling, abusive people are not welcome in my life, so I let him know, in no uncertain terms that the so called friendship was over, to no longer call, e-mail, text message or in any other way contact me. His wife, my supposed friend, then e-mailed MY friends and MY family to give them a very skewed version of what happened.?? I feel like they were trying to interfere with my other relationships. I then had to explain all this, rehash it over and over, with all of them. I heard the statement over and over from them that--"If they're trying to get us to choose sides and they think we'll choose them over you, they're very mistaken". I do feel that was what they were trying to do..?

Anyway, he would not let this go. He still contacted me by e-mail, at least until last summer when I told him for the 3rd-4th time to leave me alone and to never contact me again, and I thought he finally got the message. It's history, let it go.

Today, I got home from work, and had a card taped to my front door. I have the sweetest neighbors, so I thought one of them had left me something. I opened it, and it's from him....!! In it, he actually admitted he was wrong, asked me to please forgive him and he wanted to renew our friendship..... What??!! What about this is not clear? I sent him an e-mail praising him for looking at his life and what he's done, but again told him that there was no friendship to renew. I'm careful about whom I allow in my life and I can't be friends with someone who's actions and motivations I do not trust. I actually sent this to his wife, as I long ago deleted his e-mail address. She wrote me back saying she had forwarded it to him, and that she doesn't remember many of the things I referred to, but that was because of her failing memory. Sounds more selective than failing to me!

I've tried to be the bigger person in all this, and to dismiss a lot of the actions by both of them as the actions of sad, petty people who have no idea what a friend really is and I've put it behind me. This is such a dead issue and I'm tired of dealing with it. How many times do you have to tell someone to leave you alone before it's considered harrassment? As a teen, I was stalked by a crazy guy I worked with. This is starting to feel like that. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that this is finally over with and he will let it go.

I hope he finds happiness, because I know he's a very unhappy person And I hope he really is getting professional help to achieve this and not just trying to manipulate me and the situation. Poor guy!

Sleeeeppppppp

2008-09-17T07:03:00.003-04:00

Having trouble getting more than a couple to 3 hours at a time. Wonder why? Can't think of anything in particular that is worrying me. And I am having some really bizarre dreams, scary stuff. I'm napping through the day but I can not stay awake. I met a friend for lunch yesterday, and was so tired by the time I got home. As soon as I sat down, I dozed off. Maybe I need to call Dr Malinowski and have a pacer check done...???
I woke up at around 4 am having an asthma attack. Must be the humidity that set it off?? I dunno. I had to hunt for my inhaler, it's been that long since I had my last attack. Hate it, it's an awlful feeling, but my worst has been nowhere close to what my sis Casey has had. She's had severe asthma since childhood and I hope I never have to deal with what she's gone through!
Almost 7:30. Think I'll try to get some more sleep since I have to work tonight.
Later......

Money-money-money-maybe

2008-09-10T10:21:00.002-04:00

Article on WYFF4.com this morning.....

Could Another Stimulus Check Be Coming?

We can only hope!

Laundromats

2008-09-08T15:55:00.002-04:00

Dontcha just LOVE them???
I haven't been to one since I bought my place, complete with washer & dryer, over 5 years ago. But I have 2 large rugs and a comforter that are in desperate need of a washing, and my w&d are just not large enough to do it. I've found one close by, so I'm hoping it will be clean and relatively safe. I've had some bizarre experiences in the past in them. This is my 1st step towards my spring cleaning...yeah, I know, about 4-5 months late, but better late than never, huh??!!
Hi-ho-hi-ho, it's off to wash I go.......

Furniture

2008-09-04T20:40:00.004-04:00

Yea!!

I got my beee-yoo-tee-ful new furniture today. Only prob is that it's bigger than I had thought, so I'm going to have to rearrange my living room, but that's ok! I came in from work this morning,vacuumed, dusted, did a little rearranging, then sat at the computer desk trying to stay awake.Within about 5 mins,there was a knock at my door and it was the delivery guys. They set it up, had me sign the paperwork and left. I love the "new" smell, so after I sniffed it, I piled up in one of the recliners with my blankie and pillow and slept all afternoon. It is so comfy and I love it!

Congrats to my friend Sunny on passing her big test for work! I'm so proud of her. And, Sunny,I haven't made the pie yet, we were too hot and tired that day, but I am gonna!! I'll bring my honeycrisp to work and let you try it. It's just delicious.

Apple Festival

2008-08-31T23:10:00.007-04:00

I went to the Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC yesterday. I got a bag of the honeycrisp apples I love so much. They're my favs, but they sold out early last year and I was so disappointed. I went with 2 friends and we had a great time. Once we left there, we went to Saluda, NC for dinner, then rode down to Poinsett Bridge. It was part of the original road that connected Greenville, SC with Ashville, NC. It was just beautiful out there....hot, humid & beautiful. I found out why it's not a good idea to go climbing over rocks, tree roots and a creek in ballet slippers--even if they are camouflage. Weez didn't care whatsoever for the idea of climbing all over the bridge so stayed in the car. Another car with 4-5 young guys (18-22) drove up and parked and since her window was open, told her that the area was haunted so it was a good idea to not be there after dark. She told them she was really hoping to be out of there shortly! When we got back, she told us what they had said, but was more upset because they called her "Maam". I told her we'd reached that age where we are no longer "Honey or Babe". Sad, but true. I'm beginning to understand why people have plastic surgery...!
I got a lot of great pics tho and have worked on them today for a couple of hours...after doing housework for all morning and early afternoon. I hate housework. Added a few more things to my website under the "Digital Photos" section. I got some incredible flower pics yesterday too in downtown Saluda. I'd never been to Saluda before.

Just a cool day all the way around.

Website

2008-08-17T23:29:00.006-04:00

I am now officially searchable on
MSN, Yahoo & Google search engines. Just type in:

cruellmoon photography

and my site pulls right up. I'm so happy!!

Yea

2008-08-14T22:26:00.003-04:00

Just finished my last 7 days in a row, 12 hour 3rd shifts. I have 7 days off and when I go back, it's to the normal schedule. Jennie has been training with me the last 3 nights and she's now starting her position. Man, these last coupla months have been rough. Time to celebrate, I pulled out my party hat..............................See
Today is recoup day, then tomorrow I start on my website again, and after that whatever I feel like doing!!
Come and take a look at the site:

cruellmoonphotography.com

Sad but true!!

2008-08-03T20:08:00.003-04:00

My Website

2008-07-31T09:40:00.005-04:00

I can't wait!!!
I've worked my 7 days in a row, now I'm off for 7. I am chomping at the bit to get lotsa stuff published to my website. I'm going to bed in a few minutes, after working all night, I don't think I'm up to working on it right now. But after a few hours sleep, I'm going to start working on it. I'm so excited about finally doing this!.....Now, I just need some sleep.....

Busy Weekend

2008-07-22T00:15:00.003-04:00

I feel as if I've done nothing but run for 3 days. Fri was Courtney's wedding. Sat I spent 4 hours shooting an outdoor wedding, then came home to change and head out to meet friends for dinner. Sun, I met friends at the park and did family portraits for them. OMG, it was so hot-hot-hot. I remembered to take a ginormous bottle of water with me on Sat, after passing out the last time I did an outdoor shoot, but didn't take one Sun. I started getting really sick as we were trying to get to Starbucks to get someplace cool and get something to drink. I was shaking all over, had trouble catching my breath and my pacer was going nuts. Thank goodness Steph found an elevator and we rode up to Starbucks. If we'd had to walk the stairs, I probably would have passed out again. That would have been embarrassing! I don't know why I've developed this extreme intolerance to heat. I've lived here my whole life and never had this problem, at least, not to this degree. I hate this!!

Wedding Pics

2008-07-19T23:07:00.005-04:00

I spent about 4 hours in Saluda today shooting a wedding. I've done one for my sister when she got married, and took some shots for my niece yesterday, but this was different......mostly b/c I didn't know these people before today. I had such a great time though. The people were all very nice, just decent, earthy folks, and they all seemed to have a good time. The bride and groom were such a cute couple, but looked so young to me. I hope they'll have a long, happy marriage!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2008-07-18T15:27:00.008-04:00

My niece is getting married today . I'm so happy for her, and for him. He's a great guy and has come to be a very well loved member of our family. I just can't believe she's old enough to get married. Wow....where did the time go? I love her so much, more than I could ever say. She 's my heart, my life has been so improved because of her existence. I wish them every joy and happiness. Love you baby, Both of you!

I'll Fly Away

2008-07-13T21:14:00.003-04:00

I attended a funeral yesterday. The mom of one of my best friends passed away early Tues morning. She was a sweet lady and, judging by the number of folks present, was obviously well loved. I spent a good part of my youth at her house, hanging with her daughter, Gee (nickname of course). She looked very pretty and at peace. Life wasn't easy for her (& her kids), but they always knew they were loved. It was hard to say goodbye, but good to know she was no longer in pain and in a much better place. They played only one song, and I think it was probably the most beautiful rendition I've ever heard....I'll Fly Away sung by Johnny Cash with only a guitar to accompany him. It was incredible and I've been singing it since.

Goodbye, Ms Long. I always loved being at your house as a kid and you showed me how wonderful having a mom could be (mine passed away when I was 7). No matter how many rules we broke, you always scolded with a slight smile on your face and with a gentle loving hand.

Goodbye, for now-we'll miss you.

First

2008-07-07T14:09:00.003-04:00

This is my first blog! On here at least. So it will be short and boring.
yeah, I think this is it. Later