Is it Saturday yet?

Kidding. Today was still my Sunday, so I have days to go. I think I get it. Work starts on Tuesday, and Saturday's not that far away. That's why time seems to fly.

It was an unproductive day, but I was fine with that. There was nothing pressing. I have the morning to make today's phone calls. I threw out the pile of papers I wanted to read. What I don't know, I won't miss. Less stress. I had my Verizon buddy Ray here for a couple of hours. My odd problems seem to be fixed. I'm nervously optimistic. Well, really, I don't believe the fix is real but I hope to be proven wrong. I made lasagna today. It was just OK but I've been making Texas Toast, and that stuff is killer! It's like the Hamburger Helper of any meal. Does that make sense?

That's all I've got. A quickie. A hello to my friends. Thanks for being there. For being here.

Spring+Sunday

Today I'm thankful for the warmth and breeze of this day, and the sounds of my chimes and the peepers. I'm thankful for a lot more than that, of course, but right now it's making me very happy. I took a long walk and talked the while with a cousin I haven't seen or spoken to in probably 40 years. We've reconnected through Facebook. We've always been close to my mom's side of the family but not my dad's. He wasn't close to his siblings and they lived out of state. Through Facebook, I'm getting to know them.

I'm going to attempt to start my book club book, Love in the Time of Cholera. I've put it off long enough. If that fails, I'm going to a neighbor's to watch her Tivo'd American Idol.

Happy Sunday!

SAT

Saturday again. A rainy start. A new client awaiting me. A short day. A big drink. A possible dinner out. An evening of??? Peace, hopefully.

Happy Saturday.

I'm back

Hi! I feel like I'm back in the land of the living. Yesterday's time off did me a world of good. I went to the dermatologist in the morning for a follow-up. Boy does that man like his liquid nitrogen. That was fine with me. He finished 'cleaning me up.' I came home, turned on my laptop and indulged in online time all day. The 2 Verizon workers got here at a decent time and stayed for hours. They were baffled by my problem. It was interesting to watch them troubleshoot. They were on their cells with tech support all the while. In the end, they came up with a round-about way for me to use my DVR. It's a temporary fix. I will say that all 5 of the Verizon workers who have been here have been courteous and hard-working and have done all they could to fix the problem. They've replaced 4 sets of set top cable boxes in the last week. Every show I've managed to record has been lost as each box was replaced, including Wednesday's American Idol that I really wanted to see. The others I can find online or on demand, but not FOX. Oh well. On an ironical note, I just sped through last night's results show, deleted it, watched a minute of the Today show, and the set top box shut itself off. Then turned back on. I swear it's possessed.

Not much else going on. Things are OK here. The sun is trying to shine through the fog. The trees are in bud and the spring flowers are starting to bloom. Life is good.

Ouch my head hurts

I'm the bad kind of sick. The one where you would be under the covers with a box of tissues by your side. Instead I'm ready to leave for work. I felt this way yesterday and didn't know if I'd make it through work. We're talking sneezing, dripping nose, etc.. I'm washing my hands all the time. Using Purell. Spraying everything I come into contact with with Lysol. I'm booked solid and just can't take the time off. So, I'll slog on. Is it fair to my clients? They all agree that they'd rather have me sick than not have me. I was asleep an hour after I got home last night. I'm sure it will be the same today.

And, hey, my Verizon DVR still isn't working. Yup, they'll be here again tomorrow. At least the TV and Internet works.

Happy Wednesday :))

Halfway through the weekend

It's Sunday night. Where'd the time go? Why am I spending every weekend in? Oh, right, Winter. Well, it's Spring now and the weather's going to warm up and I'll be out and about more. It was a nice day today. I tried to start my mower but it wouldn't start. And I didn't want to try too many times because of the bad shoulder and having to pull the cord. I need help putting it in my car to have a tune-up. It's time. I did some gardening. Raking. Puttering. I took a wimpy walk. Twenty minutes and I was winded. That's what happens when you stop exercising. I was doing so well before the knee and shoulder problems; now I've lost my mojo. Just in time for less clothes :))

I had a great night last night after a hard day at work. I met my cousin Jill at a favorite restaurant, Pei Wei. It's owned by PF Chang, a chain, and I love everything I've eaten there. So we hung out, then went to Starbucks to hang some more. When we parted I stopped off at another Starbucks...I just wasn't in the mood to be home. Emily was out for the evening. I turned the TV on when I got in and after a while decided to program the DVR to record my series. Guess what happened?? Try hard... The set top box turned off. And on. And off. And off. And no more TV. So this morning I texted my tech, but he didn't return my text. And I called the second tech. And was assured someone would show up. And that they would call my cell when they were on their way. Every once in a while the TV would randomly turn itself on and stay on for 10 seconds or so. That was weird. I took Emily to the store for some supplies for a project. And came home to a message on my home phone saying Verizon was here at 5:15 and no one was home so I should call to schedule a new service call. I got home at 5:16. Can you feel my blood boiling? I called Verizon, talked to someone, relayed my sad saga and was assured someone would be here by 6:00. I called again at 7:30 and guess what? Someone will be here between 1-5 tomorrow and will call my cell first. Believe that? And guess what else? My TV has been working for the last hour. I'm not touching the DVR. I'm not holding my breath for them to show up either.

So...Facebook. 'They' say it's becoming the portal to the web. The first place people go to when they sign in. A bunch of us are friends on Facebook. Are you on Facebook? Do you want to be my friend? Email me to let me know so I can friend you. I like that you can write just a little. Sometimes that's so much easier.

Well, it's 9 PM. I think I'll read the newspaper. Kind of backwards, but hey...

Again?

I want to know how it can be Saturday again. It seems like it was Saturday two days ago. Slow down, time. You're moving too fast.

Does your hair grow while you wait?

I had a Happy lunch with Happyone at Mimi's Cafe. She recommended a salad with pistachios, strawberries, craisins, feta cheese, chicken, greens and a vinaigrette. Every single bite was a party in my mouth! I could eat that salad every day for a long time and not get tired of it. While we were at the restaurant the Verizon tech called to tell me that he was going to try to be at my house at 1:00, but it might be 1:30 or 2:00, though he thought he could be there at 1:00. He gave me his phone number in case I needed to contact him. Sweet! I wouldn't have to wait all day for him! I went to the grocery store after lunch and got home at 1:00 on the dot. My friend Sarah came over and I cut her hair. Then I vacuumed the downstairs and mopped the floor. Got the upstairs vacuumed too. I called the tech at 3:00 and asked if he forgot me. He told me he was having 'vehicle issues' but that if he couldn't get here because of his 'vehicle issues' that someone else would be here. It's 4:20. Did I mention the 1-5 window? Grrrr. At least I didn't have anything else planned for the day. At least I got the floors done. Dinner is prepped and in the refrigerator. Watch...the tech will show up at 6:00, the time I'm supposed to pick up Emily. I don't mean to sound cynical. That's Jay's thing :)

I've got Oprah on in the background. Her guests are men who abused their wives or girlfriends. It's very hard to watch. Is she doing this show for Rihanna and Chris Brown? I think it's time to turn it off. I've got some TV shows to catch up on that would be a lot more enjoyable than this.


A new tech just called. It's 4:40. He said he'll be here in 15-20 minutes. Wish me luck that he gets the job done.

Later!

PS

The guys didn't show up till around 6:00, after some not so nice phone calls from me. They left after 8:00, and it's still not working. They were really nice, at least. Thankfully it's the TV and not the Internet that's not working :)

Just a place-saver

I'm off for errands and lunch. Meeting Happyone. Then stuck at home waiting for Verizon. I'll put up a real post later. Happy day!

Deja Vu

Seems like I was just here. Oh, I was. Yesterday. Same spot. Good spot.

I spent the first part of the day with my mom. Went to Kohl's. Did the wheelchair thing. While we were there she got a call that her new eyeglasses were ready, so off to Annapolis we went. I mentioned it's right next to Old Country Buffet, right? So, lunch with a mega dessert. Didn't help my thighs at all. Got the glasses. Took my mom home and tried to get the movie Australia to work on their Blu-ray player. Not. I hope they liked the movie I put in and left in. I drove over to Caribou and here I am. Same chair as yesterday. Comfy leather. Nice atmosphere. Why not?

Hope it's a happy Monday in your world.

Hello Sunday

This morning was like the old days when I'd get up early and rush out to Caribou coffee to meet Kit. Kit's friend Alicia is visiting from San Diego and it was great to see her again. The visit was long, but too short. They just left to get on with their day and I'm staying a bit longer. This shopping center has Homegoods and Marshall's and I'll stop by and do some looking, at least.

Not much planned for the day. Its cold and rainy and gray. A good day for something, but I'm not sure what. Definitely finishing organizing my tax info so I can get my taxes filed. My neighbor has done my taxes for years and I'm so grateful. Kelly, if you're reading this, thank you in advance. She's a whiz with the software. I should do something like make a start on cleaning out my bedroom walk-in closet. Or clean. Do something busy. So, it's a mystery day that will unfold.

I trimmed Emily's hair on Friday. It's never fun for either of us when I do her hair. She thinks I pull too hard, cut it too short, take too long, etc... I'm always nervous. This time was no exception. I'm sure we're both glad it won't have to be done for a while. Her hair is amazingly long!



Time for me to run. Happy Sunday!

Just this and that

Could the time change still be affecting me? Why am I so tired about after dinner time? Don't know. Of course, it could be the lack of exercise. I just can't seem to get myself back into the groove. I'm not surprised, though. Anyone remember my saying it wouldn't last? Well, it didn't. I'm not giving up though. The weather is getting nicer. I did used to walk outside. Maybe I'll start that up again.

I spent a while on the phone with Dell this morning. I'm having a problem with my hard drive and they're sending out a new one. I got it working again myself, and transferred all my pictures and files to my external drive. Whew. Lucky me. I went to the mall today. Bought new lipstick and went out to lunch. Came home and did some running around with Emily. She had leftover dinner and I made my own. Just having a quiet night in.

Random stuff. I love a bargain. I called Crest about the lids on the two tubes of toothpaste I bought. The hinges were flimsy and broke and toothpaste was leaking out. A real design flaw. I called about it and they sent out coupons for two Crest products. I bought Crest Reflections with white strips at almost $11 each. Woo hoo for free. ,

I wake up every morning and make Emily breakfast and lunch. I like doing it. She used to not eat any breakfast, and I hated that but tried to keep my mouth closed. I figured out she wouldn't starve, but I knew she'd have a better school day if she ate. Then she wanted a half bagel and cream cheese. Then it was home made waffles. Now it's scrambled eggs and a waffle, or eggs and sausage. I love it when she has a good breakfast. I make her weak coffee too. Lunch always consisted of a PB&J sandwich, red seedless grapes and a snack. For a while it changed to ham and cheese. Now it's southwestern chicken and Mexican cheese spread with sour cream and wrapped in a tortilla. What did we do before tortillas? So, my mornings are busy getting her off to school. She wakes up at 5:15 AM. I get up at 6:15 and she's out the door at 6:43. Whew.

I started blow drying my bangs again. Can you tell in my picture? I never did get used to those curls in front of my face. The first day I straightened them I also wore lipstick. Everyone and their mother asked if I had make-up on. No, I said. It's the lipstick. Every time I wear it everyone asks if I have make-up on. I always have make-up on. I bought Aveda lipstick today. It feels yummy and tastes peppermint-y. When Emily and I were checking books out at the library today, the person said, you're both so beautiful! What a nice thing to say! I thanked her,and as I was walking out I told Emily it was because she was young and beautiful and I was wearing lipstick! She thought it was because of our curly hair. What a nice thing for a stranger to give such a nice compliment!

Emily checked out the the book Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin from the library. It's young adult fiction, and I've read it two times. I know she'll love it. I also convinced her to get Catcher in the Rye. I hope she takes the time to read them.

My dishwasher is on it's last leg. I went to Sears and did a little looking around. I really don't want to buy a new one yet, so I've been washing everything by hand. I used to do that, so it's not such a big deal. Still.

OK, I went from nothing to say to a ramble. I'll stop now while I can. La de da!

Bore warning

The clock says 8:09 PM, but it sure feels earlier. Daylight Savings Time takes some getting used to.

I met my father at the mechanic's at 8 this morning for scheduled maintenance that I was 6,700 miles behind on. My mom was really happy to have me be the one to take her to the eye doctor's. Both parents belong to Kaiser, and the few times I've been there I've noticed how nice everyone is to older people. My mom got the royal treatment: I used one of their wheelchairs to take her where she needed to go. My dad drops her off at the curb, and there's so much walking involved. I don't know how she does it; it seems to me like her walking days are almost over. I suggested we drive to Annapolis to the eyeglass store. I made her choice in about 3 minutes. She had drops put in at the optometrists so she couldn't really see what I picked out for her. She'll like them. They'll be ready in two weeks and guess what? The store is right next to Old Country Buffet!

I ran some errands while Mom stayed in the car. I always make sure I bring a magazine for her to read. I hung out at their house till I got the call that the car was ready. $400 later, I'm set for a while. Last week I paid the $500 deductible for my car accident. It's been an expensive month. I'll go back to the body shop soon and have the scratches on my car fixed, then I'm done with car stuff. Oh, and I make my very last car payment next week! I'll be adding that amount to my savings account from now on.

With that, I'll say good-bye, cause I'm boring myself :))

Itinerary, not that you asked

Here was my day:
Sweep deck
Sweep driveway
Turn on outdoor water and bring out hoses
Straighten out garage a little
Set up laptop on deck and do stuff on the Internet while watching/listening to birds
Eat a grilled cheese sandwich on the deck
Make some phone calls while out on the deck
Totally detail the inside of my car while listening to my iPod/iPhone
Watch my neighbor's tree being cut down while talking to neighbors
Read three day's worth of newspapers on the deck
Eat a Lean Cuisine on the deck


Bring laptop back out to deck and do stuff on the Internet while watching/listening to birds
Stay out till it's too dark to see (after 7:00!)
Vacuum whole house
Mop kitchen floor
Clean one bathroom
Set up laptop on kitchen table and do stuff on the Internet

Tomorrow:
Meet my father at the mechanics at 8:00 AM. I'll leave the car there and have my 60,000 mile service done. Then I'll use his car and take my mom to the doctor's, out to lunch, etc... I'll probably be there all day waiting for the car to be ready. Don't think the day will be quite as much fun.

My weekend is almost here

It's going to be warm today. Maybe in the 70's? I wish I could play outside all day. Well, stay outside, at least. I'll be in, working, but busy, which is good. Going to an anniversary party after work. Wishing I had better clothes. Oh well. The party is for old neighbors and I'll be seeing all the kids that I grew up with. Should be just great.

Happy Saturday.

Best laid plans...you know how that goes

My heater blew out freezing cold air. The temperature gauge was above the red "H" for hot. I drove home from the restaurant last night scared. The body shop didn't open till 8:30 this morning. I had to cancel my 8:45 dermatologist appointment. The guy, Doug, felt so bad. He drove to my house to look at my car. When he got here he told me he lost sleep over the scratches I told him about. I told him I had thought he was an upfront guy, but now with the scratches and what happened on my way home, I wasn't sure. He assured me he was for real and would fix whatever was wrong. Seems the problem was an air pocket in the radiator or something like that. He had to put in more fluid a few times. He fix the heat. He let it run for a very long time. He told me to make an appointment to have the scratches fixed at my convenience and he would pay for a rental for me. I really did like the guy. Not in that way...he's married. I told him I would call him later in the day when I drove the car. I was able to reschedule the doctor's appointment for 1:45. How lucky was that? The car drove like a charm and Doug was very relieved. So the doctor....I'd last seen him about 30 years ago. His hair was tinted an awful color. He was a mover and a shaker. Very easy to talk to and got right down to business. I went to have a skin tag removed, plus a total body check too. Hear that Mo? He went crazy with his liquid nitrogen. Must have hit about 40 spots on my back. I have 'seborrheic keratoses'. Growths on the outer layer of the skin. They run in families and I'm the lucky one in mine. Me and my dad. They're not cancerous or caused by the sun. They come with age. Great. Then there were the skin tags on my neck and chest. It just went on and on. Every spot he worked on swelled and itched and it felt like I'd been stung all over by bees. I asked if he enjoyed a patient like me with lots of stuff to remove. He said yes, because the outcome is always so good. Yeah! He gave me lotion and I tried to get it on my back as best I could. To make a long story shorter, after about an hour or two all pain and uncomfortableness was gone. Now it just looks very yucky. Thankfully my face is fine. I'll go back in 3 weeks, and I'll be recommending him to everyone I know.

I hung out in Panera's for a while after that. Then took Emily to the mall. I wore my sneakers and walked while she shopped at American Eagle. It was so nice not to have to stay in the store like the other bored parents and wait.

So that was my day. It all turned out well. I'll have to make the day up to my mom, though.

A two poster not bed

I'm at Caribou Coffee. Part of the plan to get out of the funk. It's working. I only had two clients today. That's very bad, but I'm OK. I was running errands when I got the call saying my car is ready. Yeah! I returned the rental and got a ride to the body shop. Apparently there was a lot of damage when they opened the hood. I got a new radiator, air conditioning stuff, etc.. When I got to the coffee shop I looked at the the car. Why didn't I do that when I was there? The hood has scratches on it that weren't there before. I called the shop and the guy knew just what I was talking about, but thought they were there before the accident. He was very nice, and said I could bring the car by tomorrow. Also, and I didn't say this, but the car is making noises that it shouldn't. I don't want to be a pain, but...

Tomorrow's plan is to go to the dermatologist in the morning. It's time for a total body look-over. Afterward I'll go see my mom. We'll go to our favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. Then the body shop.

So, I'm hanging out. Waiting for Kit to meet me. Drinking a latte late in the day. Happy.

Nothing like the sun

Still pretty frigid out my way, but being Maryland, that will change soon. It's supposed to be in the 60's by Saturday. That's a happy number. I'm looking at the paper and it says our average winter snowfall, since 1888, is 15.2". The only time it's gone above that since 2000 was in 02-03 when we had 40.4". I remember that one well because we had a major blizzard and we were stuck at home. I kind of remember it fondly. All the neighbors banding together to help each other out, etc. Last year we had 4.9" and the winter just didn't seem right. I'm not saying I wish I lived in a snowy state; I just like at least one good one. Talking about numbers, here's a little trivia. The Pew Center on the States found that ID and GA had the highest percent of population in corrections system, with GA having the highest at 7.70% and NH having the lowest at 1.10%. Idaho? That's a real surprise. Do they transfer them in from other states? Maryland has a lot of 'correctional facilities'. I pass one of them on my drive to work. I'm pretty sure it's for the criminally insane. I had to take a detour the other day that took me by a complex of prisons. There's another one, huge with amazing architecture that I'd like to get close enough to see, but the road is off-limits. There's another town in the state that's known for the number of prisons. There's something about prisons I find fascinating, but not enough that I'd want to live in one.

As some of you may know, I've given up swimming because of my shoulder. I hope it's not forever, but it's left a mental void. It was such a stress-reliever and I really miss it. There's nothing like the feeling of being immersed in water and having the only thing on your mind being counting to take your thoughts away from what might be troubling you. After writing the above paragraph, a thought jumped in my head: go to the mall and walk. So, I drove the 10 minutes to Arundel Mills Mall and walked three laps. I believe one lap is a mile. I listened to Toby Keith's 'Pull My Chain' CD. I was back home in a little over an hour after I first left. Now I'm ready for my day (thanks Kit for the inspiration) with a new attitude.

I hope the sun's shining out your way.

Snow day

It's been a boring day. Blah. The shoveling was pretty easy. It's the first time in years that I either didn't borrow my neighbor's snow blower or that she didn't do it for me. It's the first time Emily and I have done the shoveling together. That was nice. I plowed through a year's worth of paperwork, sorting, trashing, recycling, saving. I have a pile of stuff that pertains to taxes, but I'll sort that another day. I'm so done with it for now. Emily and I watched last night's Brothers and Sisters. She's out with some neighborhood kids now. I know she's bored silly. I can't imagine being out in this cold...I'll just remain in and bored till I go to sleep.

I made a great dinner last night. I pounded chicken breasts just enough to get them uniform but keep them thick. Coated them with egg, then thickly coated them with crunched up French's French Fried Onions and baked them at 400 for 20 minutes. They were crispy and tender and delicious.

We watched the DVD Harold and Maude last night. Unfortunately it got all pixelated and skippy at the end, so we had to infer the conclusion as best we could. I think I might stay away from movies that bill themselves as 'classic cult films'. They're always weird.

Well, I'm going to put some more laundry in, read me some blogs, and perhaps tackle some newspapers. Is it time for bed yet? Nope, only 6:00.

Snow day

I don't want to be stuck on the couch. As soon as I finish this I'm getting up. I swear it!

I have at least 5 tomatoes. They're a little smaller than marbles. My babies!


We've had our first big snowstorm. I'm going to guess about 7-9" of the white stuff. It's so cold...in the 20's and the winds are ferocious!


Room with a View
/>

I planned to write more, but Emily is going to help me shovel, so I'm gonna split. More later.