The popcorn was a huge success, much to my surprise. I was thinking it was a 'loser' idea. Most of the trick-or-treaters were really excited, exclaiming, we got popcorn!! as they walked away. Usually they just mumble, thank you. The 120 bags went way too quickly and I had to turn the porch lights off. Party's over. There were tons of 'out of area' kids. Parents in their vehicles, idling, waiting for their kids to finish so they could transport them to another street. It makes me wonder what their neighborhood is like and why they had to go elsewhere. In the meantime, I ate too much. I try to fight it, but I'm an all or nothing kind of girl.

I like to write every day. Sometimes there's just no time, especially on the two days I work late. Today I'm home by 5:30. The trick-or-treaters usually start coming by at around 6:00. This year I bought mini bags of microwave popcorn to give out. It seemed like a good idea at the time. When I told a co-worker she said, What?? No candy?? Then I thought about what I'd like to get if I were out there and thought, definitely not popcorn. Oh well, there's always next year. In the meantime I bought 2 cases of the stuff, and I want to give it all away. We get a good amount of trick-or-treaters. People drive their kids over from other neighborhoods and wait in their cars till the kids finish the street, then drive them over to another. I used to get annoyed, but then realized, hey, they're just kids. That's what it's about.

I'm heading out early. We have a class on selling retail this morning. It really is unusual to have so many classes. It's just been that way lately. Next week we have a Redken class, then that's it for a while.

Have a good Wednesday! Happy Halloween!

I finally got some cleaning done around here this morning. Mainly in my room. And, I moved the clothes in my closet so the winter clothes are in the front.

The class I went to was very good, and, I had a front row seat. As I wrote before, I already know and use the products and love them. If you have curly hair and want to know about the products, send me a e-mail.

Check out the diffuser on the blowdryer. It's shaped like a hand, and meant to get under the hair and placed against the head. I refrained from buying one, although of course I wanted it. I already have three work dryers. One is all I need.





I had a great view of him

And last, our friend the mannequin.


I came home and did more cleaning. Made dinner. And here I am. I'm trying to convince Emily to play cards with me, so I gotta go.

I had the best day. After dropping Emily off, I headed to Kohl's. First I hit the jeans department. I brought about 10 pairs into the dressing room...I hate having to go back and forth with sizes. I like that there's no attendant at Kohl's too see how much merchandise you bring in. Three pairs of Levi's fit me perfectly! Why have I suffered with one old pair of jeans for so long? I picked up two 'active wear' sets--zippered fleece jackets with matching bottoms in gray and in blue. I resisted the urge to buy a 7' pre-lit white Christmas tree. Really. I bought a hummingbird ornament that I put on a potted plant at home. I picked up a rug for in front of my kitchen sink. Picked up a birthday gift for my neighbor. Bought a new purse. All for the grand total of $160. And I now have 3 pairs of new jeans. La de da!!! I like them as much as the pair at The Gap.

My friend Kit came over on her way to bring a visiting friend to the airport. She wanted to show her friend my house, and I didn't even hear them come in, I was so intent on vacuuming. Lesson: don't leave your door unlocked while vacuuming. It could have been an intruder surprising me. I volunteered to drive to the airport since it's close and I know the way. When I got home, Emily was there and we talked about her day, and spent some time together.

I stopped by my folk's house to take care of an errand, then headed off with Kit to the book club. We were a lively group of 11. It gets really loud when we're together because there's so much to catch up on. We ordered Chinese food; the first time we've done that, and everyone was pleased. About the book: Two of us didn't like it. Three others didn't read it. Everyone else loved it. The next book on the agenda is Elsewhere. I hope the group likes it as much as I did. [Emily plans to read it and join in on the discussion. She's wanted to read it, so this will be perfect.] The December meeting is also our holiday party. It'll be the third time I'm hosting, and it means my house will be decked out in all it's Christmas finery. Nothing like a party to make you get ready. I really do want a white tree, and a tinsel tree. In addition to the other trees. Oh, I can see it now...

This morning finds my daughter and I at Panera's. She's sitting in a lounge chair eating a bagel and reading "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" while I'm sitting at a table drinking coffee (with a lid on), my computer in front of me. I'll be dropping her off at a friends's house while I do a little shopping. There's a Kohl's in this shopping center, along with Target and other stores, and I'll just take my time and wander.

We went to the mall last night. Emily wanted a new pair of skinny jeans from American Eagle. I did something I rarely do...actually try on clothes in different stores. I have one pair of jeans. One. Well, I have a pair of dress-up ones that I sometimes wear to work with good shoes. I'm talking about weekend jeans. Mine are old and not very flattering. We were passing The Gap and I said I said, let's to go in. I eyed a pair of great jeans, but the price was $60. I never even think of trying on something too expensive to buy, but I was just in the mood. The jeans were perfect in every way and I thought to myself, I spend so much money on Emily, why shouldn't I buy these jeans? Jeans last forever, and they're a clothing staple. So, I asked an associate if she could hold them for me while I continued shopping. I figured if I was willing to pay that price, that I might as well look at expensive jeans at other stores before making a decision. Well, American Eagle was out of skinny jeans. We went to Border's so Em could look at the newest Post Secret book, and when we finally walked out of there, the mall was closed. Along with The Gap and the greatest jeans. So, was it fate or just bad timing?

Well, it's time to drop Emily off. I hope I have some luck shopping today. I need new clothes. New clothes would be a good thing.

It rained, rained, rained all day. Amazing for these parts these days. I say if it's gonna be gray, it might as well rain.

I got an early start today and ran some errands before work. The work day flew by. I told some co-workers about my boring day yesterday. They agreed that they'd rather be in our bright salon with other people, than home alone on a dreary, rainy day. Glad to hear it's not just me. I love my days off, usually.

I came home and ate a bag of low fat popcorn. Not very good, but filling. Then I had a little strawberry ice cream cause I needed something sweet. Why does ice cream have to be so good? I'm regretting I ate it, but, oh well. And it was actually more than a little. Now I have to go to bed full. Not a good thing.

Sunday is my book club. Usually everyone cooks, but this time we're ordering Chinese. I wonder how many others, besides me, didn't read Pride and Prejudice? I know of at least four, and one of them never reads the books (you know who you are!). I really meant to finish the Cliffs Notes, but then I thought, why bother? I've mentioned the book to many of my clients, and they either say it's their all-time favorite book, or that it was a bore.

I'll be going to a hair show on Monday. The company sponsoring it, Deva Curl, makes fabulous products for curly hair. I've tried many brands that say they're for curly hair, but you'd never know why. They're ordinary. These products give you clumpy, soft curls and hair that smells wonderful. Many years ago my salon ventured to the salon that started this product line, in SoHo, NYC. We learned a haircut, then had models to do the haircuts on. Very cool. Now their products are national, and they have their own haircutting system. I'm looking forward to the show. I'm sure there'll be a lot of curly-haired stylists in the audience. Just like me.

Well, this post started out slow, then just rambled. I kind of like it when that happens. Is that called 'finding your muse?' or is that called 'finding your voice?'

Hanging out on a rainy day

I'd have to say it was not a very good day. I never even read. I did copy to disc all the photos on my computer to put in my new safe. I started organizing all the photo folders by month. I connected the printer to Emily's computer. I ate stupid stuff. Just a blah day. We went to my brother's house. I brought chips and dips. They bought dinner from KFC. My mother loves fried chicken. I got my mom what she really wanted--Hanes fleece sweatshirts and sweatpants from WalMart. That was easy. I was fascinated to see my brother's new LCD TV. It's huge. He put on a blue ray disc movie so we could see how spectacular it was. And it was. I've never seen a picture like that. It almost made me want to go out and buy one. I won't...I don't watch enough TV to need one. Like I don't do enough baking to have a Kitchen Aid mixer. Or listen to enough music to have an iPod video. Or talk enough on the phone to have an iPhone. Oh, let's see...what else do I want? The living room set. Hmmm, I think that's all. Oh, a SLR digital camera. That really is all. Luckily, I'm way too practical, so I don't buy those things that I don't need. Hmmm, I think I had fun writing that. I can go to bed now. Tomorrow I'm booked for 8 hours straight with 30 minutes off for lunch. It will be a completely different day than today. I'm glad.

I'm trying so hard to be motivated today, but it's just not happening. There's nothing really pressing that I have to do, so maybe I should just give up and get into bed with a book for a while. Isn't that what rainy days are for?

I did clear everything off of the dining room table. Went through the photo albums looking for a picture to include in the memory book my cousins are making for their parent's anniversary party. Grocery shopped. Um...that's it.

Emily and I will be going to my brother's tonight to celebrate my mother's birthday. Maybe I'll write about that when I get home.

How's your day?

I'm listening to Alison Krauss and Robert Plant performing on the Today show. Big disappointment. I think Alison sings like an angel, and you can't even hear her voice.

It's rainy and cool today. Who ever thought I'd be excited about that? I wish it would rain for days. We really need it. I think the cooler weather (60's) is here for a while. This might be my last week of wearing sandals to work. Boo hoo. I don't want to wear real shoes! Soon it will be clogs every day. To me, standing on my feet for a living, there's nothing more comfortable. Not so stylish, but neither am I.

I've been glued to the TV watching the coverage of the California fires. I can't begin to imagine what it's like to be there, to be evacuated, to lose everything. I contemplate what I would take if I had to leave my home, maybe forever. I worry that California will burn to the ground. I hope the fires end soon.

I'm procrastinating getting ready for work. Can't do it any longer...

Andrew wrote that he was looking forward to reading about my day. I better get busy and write.

I spoke to my mom this morning. She said she wanted me to take her to Giant so she could buy a cantaloupe that's on sale for 99 cents. I said, 'you want me to drive an hour round trip so you can buy a 99 cent cantaloupe???' See...I'm not always nice. She said no, she'd also like to go to WalMart. Oh, OK. I got there and spent some time straightening out her closet, moving the summer clothes to the back, etc... We left, and as I was driving, we both decided we were hungry. My mom asked if I wanted to go shopping first. I said, how do I get when I'm hungry? She said, in a bad mood. Right. So we went to a wonderful Chinese buffet that we love. Right, buffet. At 11:00. We were the first ones there and the food was wonderful. The diet will start back up tomorrow. We went to Walmart, and the grocery store for the cantaloupe. I hope I picked a good one. I brought my mom back home, then headed to my own house.

I finished up the laundry, and decided to read the past 3 days worth of newspapers while laying on the hammock. It was so nice outside! Probably about 70 degrees, and a little windy. The melody from my wind chimes were a delight to hear.

Views from my hammock










Why squirrels like my yard


It was a good day. I wish this wonderful weather could last. I wish the leaves would hang on for a while more. I'm not ready for the bare branches of winter. Still, every day that we're here is a good day.

I love long days. Today was one of them. I'm sitting at the dining room table. The mannequin is looking my way. An open bag of Tostidos Scoops is beside me and I'm full. If I don't get back to my routine, I'm going to gain the weight I lost, and that would be bad.

I got an early start on the day and drove over to Panera's. I forgot my laptop, but that was OK because Kit, who met me there, and I had a lot of catching up to do. We drank our coffee and took turns as we each shared our stories. Then we drove to Annapolis, and Kit showed me the sofa she was interested in buying. She did it! I found a living room set that I fell in love with. I'm going to wait, and think about it. It would mean making new window treatments (I just made them this year) and getting rid of a couch and stereo cabinet that are in good shape. Still... I'm not going to do anything impulsive. Then we went to the mall. We got photos processed at Ritz, and ate ice cream at the food court. We went out for pizza, and shopped at Trader Joe's. We haven't spent the whole day together in a long time.

Tomorrow I hope to spend time outside. Enjoy the beauty of fall. The weather has been exceptional. Today was another one of those bright blue sky days.

Almost time to watch Brothers and Sisters. That might be my favorite show right now.

So much for the fancy shoes...
The girls wore flip flops. I can't say I blame them. Who decided women should totter on heels in the first place?

Emily and her BFF got ready here and we had FUN! I curled Morgan's hair, dryed Emily's, applied their make-up, and helped them dress. Emily's dad came over to take pictures. How nice of a dad is that? Unfortunately, Blogger is not allowing uploads at the moment, so I can't share the pics with you. I took many. Before we left, Morgan said, shouldn't we eat something? Duh! I made mozzarella sticks and bagels for the girls. Nice and filling. It was bittersweet dropping them off. I want them to have a great time, but I will worry till they come home. I'm just waiting for the call.

It's been a day. I don't know if I should say long or short. My wonderful neighbor Kelly took me to my appointment. She's still wonderful even though she drank coffee in front of me when I couldn't have any. The waiting room at the Diagnostic Center was crowded with people waiting their turn to be seen and others waiting to drive patients home. I had to be there at 9:00 for my 10:00 procedure. I wasn't called till 10:40. That was a lot of waiting around. My RN took me back, and told me she'd be puttng an IV in. I told her that I don't like them, but know they're necessary. She put one in the top of my hand, and it really hurt. She hadn't done it right and put another one in the crook of my elbow. I relayed the story my co-worker told me about not staying asleep during her procedure. She told me this doctor was very good about prescribing enough. My nurse wheeled me in, had me lay on my side, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. I was messed up on that 'twilight sleep.' I couldn't talk right, kept repeating myself, and was aware that I was doing it. I really thought they'd keep me in the recovery room longer, but they let me go. Probably needed the space. They took a biopsy, and I'll have to wait about 10 days to get the results. That stinks. I do think it's kind of routine, though. It seems like it's taken most of the day for the effects of the anesthesia to wear off. I've just been kind of groggy. We stopped by Starbucks on the way home so I wouldn't feel deprived of my day-off coffee. I had a Pumpkin Latte. Yum. I ate as soon as I got home. Later I looked at the instructions and it said to eat beginning with a light diet-soup, toast, eggs. I didn't do that. It also said I could expect a mild sore throat. I don't have that either. I feel fine, just very tired.

I've mostly sat around today. I gave Emily a pedicure. I also practiced a hairdo on her-big barrel curls, but she hated it. Oh well. Sitting there used up all her patience and she didn't want me to do anything else. Her hair will look great just down and curly. I'll be taking pictures tomorrow, and will have her try on both dresses so you can see them. The new one is definitely fancier. I wonder how the other girls will dress? Emily's boyfriend isn't going. He doesn't like to dance, and Emily wanted to be able to hang out with her friends. She's going to have so much fun. I told her she could invite some friends (and boyfriend) over after the dance ends, and we'd order pizza or whatever she wants. I want my house to be the party house.

The Trader Joe's that's opening near my job should be ready any time now. I can't wait. I had one of their frozen pizzas for dinner tonight...Spinach pizza sprinkled with feta cheese and organic tomatoes. It was fantastic. I just finished up their frozen tropical fruit trios that I use in my smoothies. And the individual packets of flame raisins, and their birami rice. Oh, I just can't wait for that store to open.

Well, I'm heading upstairs to get in bed. I think I'll watch the shows I missed on Wednesday night on my laptop. That is, if I can stay awake.

That's me and my best friend. We played BHS today, and it's tradition to wear a white polo and tie against them...



Hey guys,
Long time no post right?! I know you guys miss me SO MUCH, but I've just been so busy with field hockey lately, I couldn't write. :]

Ok so, we played our last game tonight, against BHS, the undefeated team in the county. We lost 10-0, but it was the first time we had played on turf...
Pretty cool, but I always think we can do better than we do. Whatever, hopefully next season the girls we be more tolerant. So, you liked my eighties day outfit?? :D So did everyone at school! JD didn't seem to like it as much as me, HHA! But yeah, thanks for all the happy birthdays also, it was amazing. Ok so, I'm really tired! We got back from the game at ten. Bed time, leave me comments and I'll write again, okkkk?

p.s. You should go listen to this song by Kevin Michael, it's called It don't make any difference to me. It totally reminds me of J.D. and I, but besides that it's a nice song.

BYYYYYYE.

The doctor said no food or water after midnight. Did that mean I had to eat everything in sight when I got home from work tonight? No. Then why did I throw all my hard work out the window and first eat a caramel pretzel Klondike bar, then sour cream and onion potato chips that have been around forever, then chocolate ice cream? Was I trying to store up calories cause I won't eat again till noon or so? Geez. I'm so full. I'd highly recommend the Klondike bars, btw. I'm sure all that food will do nothing good for my reflux as I'll be going to bed soon. I have to be at the Diagnostic Center at 9 tomorrow morning and the endoscopy will be at 10:00. Someone I work with told me to tell the anesthesiologist to give me lots of meds because she was awake during her procedure. Great. I'll be sure to tell him/her. Wish me luck.

I received a e-mail from the couple I gave the bird to and thought I'd post it here. It looks like she's in the perfect home.

Just a quick note to let you know everything is fine. Joyce came up with April for her name. She is so loving it's incredible. She likes to climb up my shirt and sleep right under my chin. I missed a good picture of them sitting on the fireplace screen when I got home Monday from work. Until April got here, Pesto just sat on the cage waiting to see my car pull into the driveway. Not anymore. Now they both start chirping only when I open the back door and I never know where they will be. I got her to nibble a little on broccoli, carrot and apple tonight. A good start. April tried to preen Pesto Monday night, he wouldn't let her ... but it won't be long. They are never more than 2 feet apart. Pesto use to sleep in the cage, but now they both sleep on top of the cages. Oh, I forgot to ask, will she eventually go into the cage to get water? I have been leaving food and water on the ottoman until she feels more at home.

Nice, huh? I'll post pictures when I get them.

Last night's shopping trip was a huge success. We started off at Panera's for dinner. Emily must have been really hungry because she had a grilled cheese sandwich, a bowl of French Onion soup, yogurt, milk and some chips. Then we went to Arundel Mills, and parked by Off Broadway Shoes. Do you know that store? It's like a warehouse, but very organized. She loved the first pair of shoes we saw and they were perfect and on sale. What could be better? She also got a pair of Birkenstock style clogs. We walked the mall, and she ate a Cinnabon roll. When we got home she had a bowl of ice cream. Like I said, she must have been hungry.

I'm working my day off today, and it's time to get ready. Happy Thursday!

It's 80's Day


It's spirit week at Emily's school, leading up to Homecoming on Saturday. She went shopping with her father last night and bought this outfit. She was so excited about it. That's what spirit week is about. I forgot to ask her if her friends are dressing up. I thought she looked really cute in her outfit with her hair in a side ponytail. While shopping, her dad also bought Emily a beautiful dress to wear to Homecoming. She and I bought one weeks ago, but she tried it on yesterday and didn't like the way it fit. Her dad is a good shopper, and very generous. He has good taste too. We'll run around looking for shoes tonight. Nothing like waiting till the last minute.

Time for another day at work. Happy Wednesday!

I forgot to write about my bird's last day here. I let him hang out on my shoulder as I got ready for work on Saturday, knowing it was almost time for good-bye. His new owners, Gary and Joyce, got to my house at 5:00. They couldn't believe how beautiful he was and kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to do this. I told them I would miss him, but that it was the right thing to do. He stayed on my shoulder as we talked. They have a cockatiel, and have had as many as 3 at one time. I knew my bird would fit right in with their family. We talked for a long time, till it was time to say farewell. I got a few e-mails from the couple that night, telling me about the bird's antics. They sent pictures of him with their other cockatiel, climbing on Gary's leg. I asked them to let me know what they name him, and to send me pictures from time to time. The house is a little lonelier without him. I put away the cage last night.

Today's class was on hair texturizing. There were only 5 students, and the other 4 were from the same salon. We had long hair mannequins, and learned a few new techniques. Since my mannequin still has a lot of hair to work with, I'm going to do more cuts on her.




In most households it would be a little freaky to see a mannequin sitting around. Not here. I have a collection of them. This one was tonight's centerpiece.

I went to Marshall's after the class, but then didn't feel like shopping. I went to the grocery store. Came home and made tuna salad. Sat outside on the deck in the chaise lounge reading the last few day's newspapers. Picked up Emily from practice. Finally figured out how to install the Bose speakers on her computer (they sound awesome). Ate dinner, read blogs, watched TV, and here I am. What? You didn't ask what I did today? Well there it is, anyway...

Time to read more of the Cliffs Notes on Pride and Prejudice. I officially gave up on the book last night. I just can't tolerate it.

What I wanted to do, and what we did today, was to go to the National Mall in DC to see the Solar Decathlon. This link can tell you more than I possibly could, but I'll try. Twenty universities compete to build the most energy efficient homes powered solely by the sun. They transport the homes to DC, and give tours, and compete. I found out about this from a client who's brother is an engineer with the University of Colorado, the two-time champions. It was all pretty amazing. We (Emily, her boyfriend and I) took the Metro downtown, something I haven't done since before 9/11. I've been too scared. I think it only took about 23 minutes from our Metro stop, and there we were, surrounded by all the wonderful free museums and monuments. I really need to get out more and take advantage of what's in my 'backyard.'




Each house had it's own electric car and the 'charge' was generated from the solar power of the house.


It was a perfect day today, probably for most of the country. About 70 degrees, no humidity, and a bright blue sky. The Washington Monument was amazing against that sky. I couldn't stop taking pictures.









And, here's me at the end of the day. All I needed was a good book.

I wonder what the day will hold? It's beautiful outside, and there's something I'd like to do. It depends on my daughter. I'm going to do some cleaning while I wait for her to wake up. I'll update tonight.

There's nothing like a good night's sleep. I can give part of the credit to Jane Austin. Reading Pride and Prejudice was better than taking a sleeping pill. I switched over to Cliffs Notes, but that didn't help and it was lights out at 9:15. It was so nice to snuggle into bed in my chilly room. And sleep...

I'm spending some extra time with 'the bird' this morning. At 5:00 he's going home with his new owners, a couple who lost their bird this past summer. After concluding that this one wasn't theirs, I asked if they might want him if I couldn't find the owner, and they agreed. From the start I thought this bird had bonded with a male. You should have seen him with the man who found him. I think I've been an OK human, but not what this guy's been used to. I still think I want a bird, but I want a baby one that can bond with us from the start. I'm glad I was able to foster this bird for a while.

Time to work. It's a good thing I'm a morning person.

I want to write something. Really I do but I'm just too tired. It's a chilly night, and I'm getting into my P.J.'s and reading in bed. I'll write tomorrow when I have more energy. Border's. I'll be there before I know it.

I'm wasting my day away. I hate that. I went to the ear, nose and throat doctor this morning. I was pretty nervous. The doctor was young, and very nice. He looked over the results from my barium swallow test and upper g.i. He explained about the hiatal hernia. He put an instrument that looked like a piece of black spaghetti down my throat. It didn't hurt at all, much to my relief. He saw swelling exactly where I've been feeling it for almost 2 months, right by the hollow of my throat, and said it was caused by the acid reflux. He prescribed Prevacid, a pricey medication, and told me to come back in a month. I also made an appointment with the gastro doctor to get an endoscopy on the 19th. Hopefully that will be the end of the medical stuff and I'll just take pills. I'd be fine with that.

Back to my wasting the day. I went to Sam's Club to pick up my prescription. I wonder how much it would have cost elsewhere? With my insurance it cost $25 for a month's supply. I'll have to check mail-order, etc... if this is going to be a maintenance drug. Since I was at Sam's, with nothing pressing to do, I strolled the isles. I bought a small safe, something I've been meaning to do for a while. I bought this and that. You can always find things you never knew you wanted, unfortunately. I came home, and ate. And did this and that. And now it's almost 2:00 and I have to leave for Emily's game in an hour. What a day.

I was reading Josie's post today, and it got me thinking. What do you think happens to your soul when you die? Well, I read a book a while ago, young adult fiction, actually, and it's really stayed with me. It's a book about life after death, and if this could be the way it is, I think it would be wonderful. Here's a blurb about the book, Elsewhere. The book is an easy read, and really uplifting.

Time for the game. Later...

I feel like a slug. I've spent the night sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap, eating food I shouldn't have, while watching TV. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. New day, you know?

Isn't it great to check your blog and see comments? I want to say thank you to all of you who take the time to stop by and say hello. I love getting comments!

A couple of weeks ago I started using Google Reader. I think it's a great service, but can be overwhelming. I'll read all the blogs, leave comments on most of them, and find 42 new postings the next time I look. So, when you catch up, it's not for long. That's OK. It's a great way to see who's posted without having to go through your whole blogroll. It doesn't update instantly, but I'm OK with that too. I sometimes forget to add new blogs to the list, then wonder why I haven't read anything new from a particular person. I need to update that and the links on my blog.

I woke up briefly for Emily this morning then went back to bed till 8:00. That's LATE for me. I feel like I'm missing out on something when I get up late. So, I'm sitting here with a cup of decaf, the Today show on the telly, and the bird on my keyboard. I'd like to stay, but it's time to get busy.

What an easy day. In to work by 9:30. Color class till 11:00. Done with work by 3:00. I forgot I marked off to go to Emily's game. It was a really good one, and our team only lost by 1. Only. Unfortunately, they haven't scored this season. There's 3 more games to go, all away, so they still have a chance. Tonight we stayed till the Varsity game was over. It was nice spending so much time outside.

Tomorrow will be another short day. For some reason, I'm starting at noon instead of 10:00. I don't know why I marked my book that way. I'm not complaining.

I just watched a fascinating program on the History Channel about aluminum. Sometimes it's good to turn on the TV.

Tired. Later.

Well I finally got the results, today, from the upper GI series and barium swallow test that I had done on Sept.24. I've had a lot of time to be worried. I've felt like I've had a 300 pound person sitting on my neck and esophagus. My throat feels so tight, my chest hurts. Then I had that dream about not being able to breath. Then I worried about lung cancer. What a way to live. Well, what I have is treatable. I think my doctor said I have (might have?) a hiatal hernia around my esophagus. And that during the test, I had 2 episodes of reflux, which can cause sore throats and chest pain. It's silent reflux. Then she said I have something called a Schatzki ring, which is a tightening of your esophagus caused by acid reflux. It's all treatable. Big sigh of relief. I took a peek on the net to look up these things, but only glanced. I think you can get too much information, self-diagnose, and really scare yourself. I have an appointment with an ENT doctor on Thursday, and am waiting on a call from a gastroenterologist for a consult to get an endoscopy. Whew. So, I guess I'll be blogging about medical stuff, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. I can deal much better with the pain, now that I know the cause, and that it's not life-threatening.

Mom and I had a productive time together. I did some things around the house for her, then took care of her hair. We went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. It's also a sushi place, and although I don't eat it, I love watching it being made. I think sushi is beautiful to look at. Since coming home, I've been studying up on color theory. I borrowed a cosmetology textbook from one of our apprentices, to brush up on my 'book knowledge' before tomorrow's color class at work. I thought it would be good to do.

Time to pick Emily up from practice. She's probably so hot. Another day in the 90's.

Only one of these guys wanted to stick around for pictures. I was leaving the Dunkin Donuts parking lot (getting an apple fritter for Em, yum) when I saw 2 groundhogs with their noses in this container. I pulled over and whipped out the camera. Seems I chased one of them away. I'm just glad they're not hanging out in my cul-de-sac anymore.


I spent hours cleaning my car. I felt like a professional detailer, trying to get in every nook and cranny. Factory clean. The only thing left to do is use Rainex on the windows. I love that stuff. When it rains, the water just runs down the windshield in rivulets. You don't even need your wipers. It's distracting cause it's fun to watch. Anyway, I listened to my audio book as I worked. That was great. I'm listening to the new book by a favorite author, Elizabeth Berg.

We went out to dinner sans boyfriend. He was nervous; I don't blame him. He'll meet the family soon enough. We went to On The Border. Good Mexican food. I sneaked in a cake for Emily. Unfortunately, part of my writing stuck to the top of the box. We sang. The birthday is officially over. Decorations packed. I hope it seems like a long time till the next birthday.


When I got home, I had a burst of energy and vacuumed the whole house. Then I cleaned the wood floors. And used a spot cleaner on the spots on the carpet. And read the paper. It felt good to be done with those chores.

Was it hot out your way? It hit 92 today, only 2 degrees under the record set in 1941. It's supposed to be 90 tomorrow. Crazy.

I'll be at my folks tomorrow, doing my mom's cut and color. This will be the first time in a while that I'm doing it before it looks bad. Really, she shouldn't have to wait. We'll go out to lunch afterwards. Our old routine that we haven't done for a while. I'm still staying away from buffets.

A word about that no name pesky bird. He frayed the cord to my laptop. Bad bird. Where in the world is his real owner?

And this is the end of this rambling post. G'night.

I feel like I'm playing hooky. I'm at Caribou Coffee on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning. I woke up early, after a very weird dream. I was at some exotic place, and a man said, let's jump in my helicopter and see it from the air. He was a military pilot. We wanted to see if the place was surrounded by water. The helicopter was on a pad in a large resort-type pool. We took off, there were 3 of us, and circled around. Then we went in for the landing. He miscalculated, and the helicopter slipped off the pad and into the pool, and immediately began to sink. As it was going underwater, I thought, there must be oxygen on board, or, the pilot would break the windows open so we could swim up, but in the meantime I'd have to take very shallow breaths to conserve my oxygen till I got out. I woke up, breathing very shallowly.

I'm heading back home now. Emily will still be sleeping. Not sure of our plans till later in the day. We're meeting at least 4 members of the family at a restaurant for Emily's birthday. Emily's boyfriend will be going with us, and it will be the first time he meets the family. Should be interesting. I'm sure I'll be taking pictures.

Have a great Sunday.

I thought I'd write a long post tonight, but, that didn't happen.

It was an easy day at work. And, one of my clients left me a $25 gift card to Starbucks as a tip! Wasn't that wonderful? And, I got off early. I spent a long, leisurely time at Border's. I even read 2 magazines while I was there. I came home and Emily arrived shortly after. I took her and 2 friends to the go cart place. My friend Kit met me and we hung out and watched. We left for a while, and went to McDonald's. I was really craving a caramel sundae, and justified it by the small amount of food I'd eaten during the day. The McDonald's was newly redecorated in beiges and moss green with lots of wood accents. Very earthy. They even have free wireless. Imagine that.

...and another weekend rolls around.

It's Saturday morning. And, it's a good thing I have an internal clock or I'd be late for work. I set the alarm for 6:53 instead of 6:00. I'm up and ready to go but wanted to say hi, and thanks for all the birthday wishes. You guys are great.

Enjoy your Saturday. Mine will be work, Border's, then whatever Emily wants to do with me or her friends for her birthday. Cause when you're that age, you want it to last as long as it can.

My daughter gets SO excited about her birthday. I always worry that the reality is going to be a letdown, but it's never seemed that way. That might be due to the birthday traditions that have been going on since she was 2. Because Emily was always a heavy sleeper, I was able to go into her room and decorate it after she fell asleep. Streamers, balloons, and curled ribbon were hung from every surface, so that when she woke up, the room would be transformed. It was a lot of work. The tradition also requires me to hang streamers in the kitchen, family room and in the doorways. She's an only child! About 2 years ago, I thought we were kind of done with doing the bedroom, but when I talked to her, she said no way. Last year I decorated it while she lay in her darkened room with her eyes closed. It was still the first thing she saw in the morning. Emily came home from the football game last night to find the birthday flag hanging outside, but no inside decorations. So, while I sat on the couch trying to watch Gray's Anatomy, she got out the birthday box and put the streamers up in the kitchen and family room, and put the HB sign and Birthday bear by the mantle. While she was still downstairs, I went up and decorated her bedroom. This morning I surprised her with the cupcakes, balloons, and her gift, Bose speakers for her computer. You'll see that she's wearing a crown. She's posed in that crown on her birthday since she was 1. Yes, I'm all about traditions.

PS... I'm make sure Emily sees all your birthday wishes. Thank you!

Seems like ages since I've written. Was it only yesterday morning? I'll catch up in the morning with birthday pictures. Wow...14 years ago at this time I was in labor. Emily asked me what I was doing. I told her I was probably filing my nails. I did do that. With the epidural, I could do anything.

Good morning! Yes, I'm a morning person. Lately, though, my internal clock has been getting me up a little later than usual. Emily comes into my room at about 6:20 to put on make-up, then yells good-bye as she leaves the house. I never fall back asleep, but have been staying in bed for awhile. This morning I got up and offered to make breakfast. She said she didn't need any help. Hmmm... My goal is really to be up. We hardly spend any time together anymore, and I miss that, even though I know it's normal and natural. BTW, Emily turns 14 on Friday and she is so excited. I guess 13 made her a teenager, but 14 has more credence?

So, the bird. Yes, I'm still calling it that. The ads will go out tomorrow in the Pennysaver and the local paper. I'm really hoping to find the owner, but don't feel optimistic about it. I'm not sure what I'll do. Yes, I'm becoming attached to the bird, but it's not what I really wanted. We'll see. I do have a name in mind if I do wind up keeping it. We'll see.

Time to head to work. Hope ya'll have a good day.

Two posts in one day. I just spent some time catching up on reading blogs. Next I'm going to catch up on reading the newspapers before I add them to the recycle bin. Talking about that... We have a tall yellow bin; the size of a big outdoor trashcan. We fill it to the top almost every week, and only have a small bag of trash that goes out. Recycling is so automatic with us that I'm always surprised when I see people putting recyclable goods out with the trash.

Mom and I made the rounds today. We went to Annapolis Mall in search of a new comforter set and window treatments for my father's room. J.C. Penney's, Macy's and Sears. We found something promising at Sears, but they didn't have all the components. We went to lunch at Red Lobster. It was dark and a little smelly in there. I had a salad, broiled flounder and broccoli. My mom had a salad with lots of ranch dressing and two bowls of creamy and buttery clam chowder. It tasted like lobster bisque and was much more delicious than mine. I'm still dieting, and the meal left me feeling deprived. I had two tiny Dove dark chocolates afterwards and felt much better. Mom and I went to the Sears by her house after the mall and bought the bedding. My father could care less, but the room will look so much better, and that will make my mom feel good.

Emily and I had meatless meatballs with sauce and pasta, and broccoli, for dinner. The 'meatballs' were from Trader Joe's and were delicious. You'd never know they weren't meat. Yes! Something besides tofu for her to eat. Come to think of it, I don't remember the last time I had meat. I don't miss it.

The bird's been on my shoulder for hours. I guess I am starting to get a little attached. It's been a lonely night. Yuck...I turned to look at him after I typed that, and he sneezed in my face. Not attached!!!

OK...the pictures are uploading this morning. Here's an overhead view of the salon as the Cut-a-thon is getting started. This picture was taken from the loft office.


I'm getting a seated massage. The masseuse looked so familiar to me. It turns out I used to go to her house for massages at least 20 years ago. We never figured out how we met. She did a great job.


Me and the wonderful owners of my salon. Some people never post their pictures. I'm all over the place here. Wouldn't it be something if this wasn't really me and I've been fooling you all along, just to disguise my identity?



I had to rest up after I got home. Here's the view from my hammock. The weather was perfect. I'm so lucky to have a strand of trees in my backyard and the best place to hang a hammock from.


Lastly, me and the bird. Why does he have to land on my head all the time? It's hard to extract him from the curls. I would be so grossed out if he pooped on my head!


He likes my neighbor too, and is much more polite with her, thus the shoulder perch.

Well, time to head out to my parent's house. I wonder what adventures my mom and I will have today? I told her we could do whatever she wants, but no buffets.