So Friday I notice that there's this hanger lying on the floor of the coat closet. I never use the coat closet because there's a smoker who uses it and when she hangs her coat in there everything stinks. So I can see this hanger when the closet door is closed because part of it sticks out from under the door. Now I'm wondering will anybody ever bend down to actually pick it up? I am now on a mission to see how many people will walk by, hang up their coat, and just let it lay there. It's the tragedy of the commons just like the 4th floor refrigerator full of science experiments. On a slow work day it's nice to have these little distractions to make the day more interesting. What am I saying?!? It doesn't make the day more interesting, it makes it just bearable. (Yawn)
Soaking in the hot tub when it's 8 degrees outside means you wear a headband. A glass of wine for courage can help too. But the payoff is magnificent. If I'm really lucky the sky is crystal clear and the wind howls through the barren trees so you can hear the branches whipping back and forth. And the stars seem like you can reach up and pluck them out of the sky. Some look closer than others and some are so dim I'm not quite sure they are just far away or covered with clouds. I can see the big dipper, the North Star, and a formation that looks like a kite. I'm thinking I should learn more about the constellations to make the view more meaningful. Even getting out of the tub has its rewards. When the wind hits my skin it feels as sharp as needles. After relaxing in movement of the warm water, it is quite the contrast. I try not to rush to get inside too quickly but to really feel the moment even though I can't last long. The bottle of pinot grigio is empty now. Sleeping soundly always follows.
I have no school for the next week and I'm not sure what to do with my time. I could list at least 5 fun projects and a few chores that I've put off but somehow sitting here dwelling about all of them seems to be the thing to do. I know I just need to focus and pick one so maybe if I list them it will make things seem clearer....
It's not helping. Of course vegging the rest of the night with a Corona and a fire will be good for the soul. Regroup and start again tomorrow.
- Put the binding on the quilt.
- Finish the wall hanging.
- Make beaded bracelets.
- Finish my new web page.
- Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
- Straighten up in the basement.
- Clean my office.
- Empty the clothes baskets.
It's not helping. Of course vegging the rest of the night with a Corona and a fire will be good for the soul. Regroup and start again tomorrow.
Jumping the shark is a defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. There's a website dedicated to jumping the shark.
Although I don't see as much television as the average person, I do have instances where I've had sightings. Last night was one of them. I was watching an old repeat of That 70's Show. The episode was where Fez marries Laurie to stay in America and Red has a heart attack. I had an immediate revelation...this is it! They jumped the shark.
This certainly created a new way for me to be entertained by television especially since I find it (tv) so incredibly uninteresting and intellectually insulting for the most part.
Although I don't see as much television as the average person, I do have instances where I've had sightings. Last night was one of them. I was watching an old repeat of That 70's Show. The episode was where Fez marries Laurie to stay in America and Red has a heart attack. I had an immediate revelation...this is it! They jumped the shark.
This certainly created a new way for me to be entertained by television especially since I find it (tv) so incredibly uninteresting and intellectually insulting for the most part.
It's been a crappy week. First the Camry dies and on Sunday afternoon when we should be doing nothing Jeff is out in the freezing cold attaching the car to my truck to tow it home. With all his knowledge of mechanical things, it's scary when he's not sure and since he usually does all the work on the cars, we have no clue where to take it for repairs. So we wait till Monday morning.
First thing Monday morning, I'm on the treadmill in the fitness center - which has an air temperature of approximately 55! - going through all the things I need to do during the day. It occurs to me that I should ask Dawn where to take the Camry. Her husband works for Gordie Boucher and they both know the south side pretty well. The next thing that pops into my head is that I have an appointment to give blood at the Bradley Center in 45 minutes! Shit! So I get off the treadmill after only 25 minutes, quickly shower which was OK since the temp is 55, get dressed in my work clothes and hustle over to the Bradley Center. The outside temperature must have been hovering around 0 and although the rest of me was warm about half-way through my 7-block walk, I could not feel my fingers. Plus my hair was frozen. I didn’t have enough time to thoroughly dry it and make it to my appointment on time. In fact, I was indeed 5 minutes late. I checked in and she asked me to sign my name and I couldn’t since I didn’t feel my fingers. At least I left there feeling good like I usually do when completing a good deed. Plus I got two free Bucks tickets.
As soon as I got back to work I headed for Dawn’s office. I took one look at her red-eyed sad face and said “What’s the matter!?” She handed me the obituary of a co-worker. Lisa Luedtke, age 38, died Saturday in a snowmobile accident. This was a good friend of Dawn’s and she was devastated. I hated to ask and I told her I didn’t want to bother her but she said she would love the distraction. So I told her about the car, she called her husband and he told us to head over to a place in St. Francis. So I spent the morning making phone calls to get the car picked up – thank goodness for AAA.
In the meantime, the pipes burst at work creating a lack of water supply to the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of our office building. Effective immediately, the fitness center is shut down. My co-workers heard my ‘noooooooooo!’ from a few offices away. No car. No gym. No relief from stress.
So Tuesday comes and goes with no car and no fitness center. I’m feeling really edgy as I sense the car repair bill going up by the day and my stress level following right along. To make things worse, the furnace starts acting up Tuesday night.
So now it’s Wednesday morning, I still don’t know what the car will cost, but the fitness center is open again. So things are looking up. But I am thinking about the funeral this afternoon. I did not know her well. Children are left behind. She got engaged a day before she died, a fiancé is left behind. At the age of 38. Suddenly things aren’t so bad. They say you have to let things go that you cannot change, this is a hard one to let go of.
First thing Monday morning, I'm on the treadmill in the fitness center - which has an air temperature of approximately 55! - going through all the things I need to do during the day. It occurs to me that I should ask Dawn where to take the Camry. Her husband works for Gordie Boucher and they both know the south side pretty well. The next thing that pops into my head is that I have an appointment to give blood at the Bradley Center in 45 minutes! Shit! So I get off the treadmill after only 25 minutes, quickly shower which was OK since the temp is 55, get dressed in my work clothes and hustle over to the Bradley Center. The outside temperature must have been hovering around 0 and although the rest of me was warm about half-way through my 7-block walk, I could not feel my fingers. Plus my hair was frozen. I didn’t have enough time to thoroughly dry it and make it to my appointment on time. In fact, I was indeed 5 minutes late. I checked in and she asked me to sign my name and I couldn’t since I didn’t feel my fingers. At least I left there feeling good like I usually do when completing a good deed. Plus I got two free Bucks tickets.
As soon as I got back to work I headed for Dawn’s office. I took one look at her red-eyed sad face and said “What’s the matter!?” She handed me the obituary of a co-worker. Lisa Luedtke, age 38, died Saturday in a snowmobile accident. This was a good friend of Dawn’s and she was devastated. I hated to ask and I told her I didn’t want to bother her but she said she would love the distraction. So I told her about the car, she called her husband and he told us to head over to a place in St. Francis. So I spent the morning making phone calls to get the car picked up – thank goodness for AAA.
In the meantime, the pipes burst at work creating a lack of water supply to the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of our office building. Effective immediately, the fitness center is shut down. My co-workers heard my ‘noooooooooo!’ from a few offices away. No car. No gym. No relief from stress.
So Tuesday comes and goes with no car and no fitness center. I’m feeling really edgy as I sense the car repair bill going up by the day and my stress level following right along. To make things worse, the furnace starts acting up Tuesday night.
So now it’s Wednesday morning, I still don’t know what the car will cost, but the fitness center is open again. So things are looking up. But I am thinking about the funeral this afternoon. I did not know her well. Children are left behind. She got engaged a day before she died, a fiancé is left behind. At the age of 38. Suddenly things aren’t so bad. They say you have to let things go that you cannot change, this is a hard one to let go of.
I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
~ Dr. Seuss
I am not a morning person. And I like things a certain way. Quiet. After a night's noiseless sleep, I need to assimilate to sound over a period of time. A long period of time. So when I get to the fitness center in the morning the first thing I want to do is turn all the TV's off. And I can if I'm the first one there which is rare. I am usually second, sometimes third. So while the others are tuned in to Saved By the Bell, I turn one of the sets to American Morning - a CNN news show. I turn the volume to mute since there's closed captioning on the screen. Meanwhile Screech and the rest of those idiots are laugh-tracking their way through another mundane half-hour of regurgitated teen angst. I'm always hopeful that my gym buddies will take the hint and tune in to the FM station that is plastered to the front of the TV that allows you to hear the television on your headphones. Which brings me to my next issue. If you have your headphones on- which my gym buddies do, then why do you need to blast the television?! I don't get it. Is there some sort of appeal to listening to music and the television at the same time? I wish someone could explain it to me.
Then there's the resolutionist. A resolutionist is one of those people who show up at the gym during January and eventually (usually within the first two weeks of the year) they disappear along with their New Year's resolution plans. This resolutionist was hanging on for dear life. Here it was, February and she had gone from three times a week to twice a week and is now down to once a week. She should disappear for good soon. Normally I don't care if they are there or not taking up space, even with their inevitable fate. But this one showed up with her bouffant hair and fancy sweats like she was going to a party not to the gym. Now I know that sounds really judgmental but when I tried to describe her to some of my co-workers I discovered that they already had a nickname for her - disco queen! How appropriate and how sweet the validation was for me.
So disco queen would walk on the treadmill and she insists on turning the television to a televangelist! T.D. Jakes is the name of the show. The assault to my brain with this manipulative crap was hard to take. But I really tried to be open-minded and less judgmental. So I started taking mental notes of the subject matter of the show since that first January day. Who knows, I thought, maybe they give good advice. Maybe they teach you important bible lessons. Maybe they speak in a way that motivates one to become a better person, a kinder, gentler Christian. Spirituality, inspiration, devotion to a higher power, I'm game.
The first episode I saw back in January was about those same new year's resolutions that we all make. The woman speaker was telling the audience that one should be careful to budget their money and be responsible. A good lesson I thought. And then the sermon turned to making certain that when you budget that money you make sure T.D. Jakes is part of that budget. Be responsible. The next episode I saw was about the many, many viewers that watched the television show. They were in the millions, and congratulations to all those devoted followers for their dedication. But keep in mind that it costs lots of money to put on a cable show like this one so you better make sure you send in your money. I was thinking to myself, yeah and I bet that Armani suit you're wearing wasn't cheap either. Or that gold throne that you're sitting on. I stopped paying attention to the show for a while after that, I was feeling the bitterness swell in my throat whenever I saw that familiar face on the tv screen so it was best I stopped listening. But over the course of the month, I discovered that every episode had one thing in common, you better send us money. I never heard a bible lesson or an example of any good works that they do.
At least I can honestly judge this show by my own personal experience now. When I never actually saw the shows and called these people heathens and thieves I really didn't know what I was taking about, now I know for certain what kind of heathens and thieves they really are.
This is my Toby. He is sweet, playful, curious, moody, and wonderful to have around. He is loving, likes to cuddle and give me kisses. He purrs whenever I touch him, he gives attitude when he wants, and he will befriend you the instant he meets you. I let him think he is in charge and he lets me think I am.
Today he's not happy, even though the sun is shining and he can nap in it, he loves to look out the patio door and watch the birds. But today the temperature is 16 below. You can feel the chill next to the glass so I closed the blinds. He's been weaving in and out of them while giving me a look of dissatisfaction.
Today is BJ's birthday. My baby is now 23. We went to LaPerla for lunch. Normally I wouldn't drink during work hours but margaritas were in order to celebrate. Jeff, Jennifer, Bailee, and Evan were all there to make it a complete family event. Jeff and Jennifer had to drive downtown from Pewaukee and Menominee Falls which was very nice of them. Of course, BJ took the night off from work so he could party with all his friends. He is lucky to have so many. With that gentle personality, what's not to love.
I went to Best Buy last night armed with my Rewards certificate for $5 and a 12% off any mp3 player coupon to spend on a new iPod. The sales rep was older than me, most likely in his mid 50's with a deep voice and thick accent that sounded like poetry. I told him I was there to replace my broken iPod and I whined about how unfair it seemed that I had to replace a $299 piece of equipment that I had for less than two years. He asked if I had an extended warranty in that way that says "I told you so" knowing very well that I did not. He told me I should make sure it's not repairable and sent me to the computer desk so they could analyze the problem. I was fourth in line. I waited for about 10 seconds when he came over and said he would test it for me....which actually sounded like "pleeeez, allow me to cheek your iPod so you dunt have to vait." I was grateful and responded with a big, flirty smile. He plugged it into the computer and discovered what I already knew, I was screwed, hard drive is dead. So I asked about a new hard drive and his suggestion was to get a new iPod because a new hard drive is the same price a new iPod and the technology is better now because there's a chip instead of a hard drive which means less chances of big problems. So I asked him to show me the new ones. That's when he mentioned that he did not have the shuffles or the 1 GB nanos in stock. In my usual whiney tone I said how nice, make me spend lots more money than I want to! So I asked to see the display model and instead of detaching it from its secure location, he took a new one out of the box. He winks at me and says, "Dis eez display model and I will sell to you for deezcount." How could I resist. Especially after he put it in my hand and it was beautiful with its tiny little size and weight and bright display that didn't make me squint. New in box, with discount price, so I whip out my coupon and ask for the additional 12% off thinking I'm gonna really make out which is when he tells me in his georgeous broken English..."iPodz eez exclusions, juz reeed zee back." Sure enough, just like my favorite perfume, there's never going to be money off these things. So I said fine (pout-pout), I have to have one, just ring me up. So he scans the UPC code, takes off the "display model" discount (wink-wink) then turns to me and says, "oh yes, by de way box eez open so dats an eeckstra 10 peercent off". I think my eyes rolled back in my head to the point of near orgasmic ecstacy. So even though it still cost me plenty, at least it was a pleasant experience, like when you get kissed before you get screwed. xoxoxoxox
I drive to work in the dark. The sun isn't quite ready to peak out at 5:30 in the morning. At least not in winter. My path takes me east down Layton Avenue. This busy street is lined with street lights until you get to the landing path of the airplanes. All of a sudden everything turns to black. No street lights. If you look either left or right you can see the red and blue runway lights on either side of the road lined up like little soldiers all in a row. This morning, in this pure stretch of darkness, a plane was landing and flew right over my car. The lights on its underbelly were so bright that it felt like I was under a spotlight. It made me think of Close Encounters of a Third Kind when Richard Dreyfuss was approached by the aliens at the railroad crossing. The road shook as the plane went by me and amazingly all this happened in the blink of an eye. All I could think was WOW. And before I knew it, I was back under the streetlights turning left onto 794. I never really noticed the streetlights on that strip of road before.
There are auditors in the office for the last few weeks. I watch them go by my office door as they head towards the accounting managers to get their questions answered. They are all young women who apparently need to follow each other's fashion advice. I'm certain their frump-wear is a part of the unified front they must put on as they represent the firm they work for. The one freedom of choice they must have is the shoes they wear although I'm not so certain 'freedom' is the right word since they all have on pointy-toed spikey-heeled shoes. Where's the freedom in wearing the same shoes as all your colleagues? Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's part of the 'uniform'. I am writing this as observation of the results of these women wearing these shoes. I think they need to learn to walk in them. They all walk fast which means they pound their feet from the force of the toes being so much lower than the heels. Because of this force they lean forward, causing them to look hunched over with their hair hanging in their faces. I can hear them coming long before they cross the path of my door. To add to the look, they trip over the pointed toes at least once during the course of the day. They remind me of puppies with feet bigger than their bodies constantly struggling to stay upright. The fashionistas of the world would find it comical to observe since they are as graceful as penguins.
Sunday mornings are wonderful. I can take my time. I can enjoy the scent of coffee while it's brewing, read the newspaper for two hours and think about nothing else.
I always start with the front page. The main section of the paper takes me the most time to get through - all that tragedy in the world. After that I move on to the Metro section to get more tragedy only locally. I do enjoy reading Eugene Kane. Good or bad, he's one of the few writers that can get an emotional response out of me and I count on him for that. I usually get through the serious sections that are left, Business, Real Estate, and sometimes I even let my guard down and read the Editorial section. Normally I don't care about others opinions, only mine so why bother. Then it's on to the trivial - Sports.
The fun sections follow, Cue and Lifestyle. I usually save the comics for last. By then the coffee's almost gone anyway so it's time to get the day going.
The cartoon Mutts is the greatest. But my all-time favorite will always be Peanuts. Since the characters died with their creator I'm trying to fill the void. It will never be the same but I can relate to Mooch (the cat) and Earl (the dog). Mooch says many words with a "sh" sound (mostly Yesh). My sister does that "sh" thing. So it has a place in my heart.
I always start with the front page. The main section of the paper takes me the most time to get through - all that tragedy in the world. After that I move on to the Metro section to get more tragedy only locally. I do enjoy reading Eugene Kane. Good or bad, he's one of the few writers that can get an emotional response out of me and I count on him for that. I usually get through the serious sections that are left, Business, Real Estate, and sometimes I even let my guard down and read the Editorial section. Normally I don't care about others opinions, only mine so why bother. Then it's on to the trivial - Sports.
The fun sections follow, Cue and Lifestyle. I usually save the comics for last. By then the coffee's almost gone anyway so it's time to get the day going.
The cartoon Mutts is the greatest. But my all-time favorite will always be Peanuts. Since the characters died with their creator I'm trying to fill the void. It will never be the same but I can relate to Mooch (the cat) and Earl (the dog). Mooch says many words with a "sh" sound (mostly Yesh). My sister does that "sh" thing. So it has a place in my heart.
I had so much fun reading this ... http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/ I've never really been a fan of his, but maybe I should re-think that - before I get my ass kicked!
I didn't realize it until I broke it, but I must have my iPod. I have become so dependent on it that now that I don't have it, I feel like I lost an appendage. It gave me refuge from my co-workers when their uninteresting complaints and comments were about to drive me over the edge. It motivated me to run faster every morning. It gave me solace when I felt overwhelmed and wanted to escape. Linus has his blanket and I have my iPod.
All I wanted to do was update my playlist. So I did what I normally do, I connected the USB port from the iPod to my computer. I got a message when the computer found the new hardware that said 'F:\iPod\iControl\iTunes has errors. Run checkdisk utility'. So after going through that process, I tried again with the same bad results. I checked the Apple website support and their suggestion was to upgrade the iPod software and the iTunes software so they are in synch. The iTunes software was already at the most current version, so all I had to do was upgrade the iPod software. This was making sense. So I downloaded the new version, connected my iPod and then I got the error 'formatting failure . disk write error'. So now the thing is really hosed. Back at the Apple support website, I searched for more options. The only suggestion left was to restore the iPod back to the original settings where I would lose everything I had stored. I was OK with this, all I would have to do is re-download all my music which could be done overnight and it would be ready in the morning. Only problem was that I got the error 'firmware update failure' and now there's nothing on the iPod but the image of an exclamation point and a folder with the www.apple .com/support/ipod. Now I'm really screwed, the operating system is gone.
When I mentioned my dilemma to my techy co-workers and friends the only suggestion they could come up with was "The Nano is really cheap now." After some contemplation and going all day without my little device, I was seriously considering the idea. That's when I realized it's time to step away from my pride as a techy guru and make the phone call to the Apple store to see what my options are.
All I wanted to do was update my playlist. So I did what I normally do, I connected the USB port from the iPod to my computer. I got a message when the computer found the new hardware that said 'F:\iPod\iControl\iTunes has errors. Run checkdisk utility'. So after going through that process, I tried again with the same bad results. I checked the Apple website support and their suggestion was to upgrade the iPod software and the iTunes software so they are in synch. The iTunes software was already at the most current version, so all I had to do was upgrade the iPod software. This was making sense. So I downloaded the new version, connected my iPod and then I got the error 'formatting failure . disk write error'. So now the thing is really hosed. Back at the Apple support website, I searched for more options. The only suggestion left was to restore the iPod back to the original settings where I would lose everything I had stored. I was OK with this, all I would have to do is re-download all my music which could be done overnight and it would be ready in the morning. Only problem was that I got the error 'firmware update failure' and now there's nothing on the iPod but the image of an exclamation point and a folder with the www.apple .com/support/ipod. Now I'm really screwed, the operating system is gone.
When I mentioned my dilemma to my techy co-workers and friends the only suggestion they could come up with was "The Nano is really cheap now." After some contemplation and going all day without my little device, I was seriously considering the idea. That's when I realized it's time to step away from my pride as a techy guru and make the phone call to the Apple store to see what my options are.
I should be working right now, but with my job it's either feast or famine. Right now - famine. At least I have homework to fill in during the slow times and because of school this job suits me well. Since I don't have much work to do, I should be getting caught up on school work, ain't procrastination great! No one here has a stressful job. I am reminded of that everyday. I sit near the kitchen and the chatter in there never ends. I wonder if it would be as bad if they all knew I can hear every word that is spoken. With that said, I would like to thank Apple for creating my favorite little gadget, my Ipod mini. I can shut the world out with my pretty little pink device. Norah Jones sounds so good today.
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