We went to see Bolt today... just a FABULOUS movie!! Really well-done and a lot of fun.
Tonight, we're going to see The Sisters Rosenzweig-- I can't wait... I LOVE Wendy Wasserstein!!!!! We were going to go to C's house and watch The Secret, but we're going to wait until January when another girl from the cast can join us. :)
Trying also to get the house cleaned up a bit and will need to do some work for work tomorrow-- this weekend has gone by SOOOO fast. After? We went to Golden Corral... and all of a sudden, I hear, "Ms. XXXXX! Ms. XXXXXX!!!" And, there, big as life, was one of my kids. One of my favorite kids, but it's my time OFF!! LOL!! He's such a sweetie, though.. so we talked for a minute. He didn't seem thrilled with his Thanksgiving. :( Oh, well, we all needed a break anyway.
Tomorrow, Sis is coming up and she may take my old car. I took it and got it cleaned yesterday. Still need to get the oil changed and new windshield wipers. If she doesn't want to keep it after she drives it, she'll take it down to Mom... thing is, it's got over 100,000 miles on it....
I STILL have to deal with the insurance on my BRAND NEW car. Parked on the street last week, and someone trying to pull out apparently didn't make it and cracked the bumper and the tail light... ::SIGH:: I'm STILL pissed. AND I'm going to have to pay for it BIG time. :(
Anyway, we'll probably go out to eat.
I need to work on my lines, too.... BIG time-- before Monday. We took pics last Monday, and I need to get my bio to M tonight, too.... so not a whole lot of rest this weekend, but some time to get some stuff done that I might not have gotten done otherwise.
Hope everyone's having a nice weekend!!
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
Well, it's here. I'm doing a little cooking, but not cooking the whole thing this year, and we are going to a friend's house. I said I'd come by early and help her cook! ACK!!
Anyway, I'm having some real difficulty getting that thankful feeling right now-- the last few weeks have been very difficult, and every time I get any news, it seems it's bad news. :(
Anyway, I'm going to get myself in that mood, no matter what. I DO know I have a lot to be thankful for, and my problems are nothing compared to what a lot of people are going through right now.... I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for everything to just disappear. I can't help it, I feel like I'm on tenterhooks, and you can cut the tension with a knife just walking down the street or into a store-- EVERYONE seems to be feeling it, even the kids, who have been really off the last few weeks-- I really do think they are feeling it, as well, even if no-one's talking about it to or in front of them.
Anyway, here's my 'Thankful for' list this year.
1) My mom and my family. We may argue and fight, but I love them and don't think I could make it without them.
2) That I have a job.... at least, as Avenue Q puts it, "for now...."
3) That I have health insurance.... even if it is costing more than I can afford.
4) That I have a car to worry about getting crunched while parked on the street... I am PISSED, especially because it's a new car... but it IS only a car.... even though my insurance premiums are now going to skyrocket (::SIGH::).
5) That I have a house-- even if it is having plumbing problems, and needs to be painted, and the roof needs to be inspected, and the foundation needs to be fixed, and the water heater just had to be replaced, and..... it's a house, we can afford it ('for now'), and overall, I am happy in it. It's got good 'vibes.'
6) My friends. I have the BEST friends around.
7) My kitties-- they give so much love, and ask for only a bit of food and loving in return. :)
8) That our health seems to be holding its own, including Mom's.....
9) My kids, who really are great, even when they're driving me crazy!!!!!
And now, I need to go cook, and get over my feeling of wanting to hibernate and not talk to anybody tonight.....
Anyway, I'm having some real difficulty getting that thankful feeling right now-- the last few weeks have been very difficult, and every time I get any news, it seems it's bad news. :(
Anyway, I'm going to get myself in that mood, no matter what. I DO know I have a lot to be thankful for, and my problems are nothing compared to what a lot of people are going through right now.... I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for everything to just disappear. I can't help it, I feel like I'm on tenterhooks, and you can cut the tension with a knife just walking down the street or into a store-- EVERYONE seems to be feeling it, even the kids, who have been really off the last few weeks-- I really do think they are feeling it, as well, even if no-one's talking about it to or in front of them.
Anyway, here's my 'Thankful for' list this year.
1) My mom and my family. We may argue and fight, but I love them and don't think I could make it without them.
2) That I have a job.... at least, as Avenue Q puts it, "for now...."
3) That I have health insurance.... even if it is costing more than I can afford.
4) That I have a car to worry about getting crunched while parked on the street... I am PISSED, especially because it's a new car... but it IS only a car.... even though my insurance premiums are now going to skyrocket (::SIGH::).
5) That I have a house-- even if it is having plumbing problems, and needs to be painted, and the roof needs to be inspected, and the foundation needs to be fixed, and the water heater just had to be replaced, and..... it's a house, we can afford it ('for now'), and overall, I am happy in it. It's got good 'vibes.'
6) My friends. I have the BEST friends around.
7) My kitties-- they give so much love, and ask for only a bit of food and loving in return. :)
8) That our health seems to be holding its own, including Mom's.....
9) My kids, who really are great, even when they're driving me crazy!!!!!
And now, I need to go cook, and get over my feeling of wanting to hibernate and not talk to anybody tonight.....
Friday, November 23, 2007
WHEW!!!!!
Can I sleep now??? PLEASE?????????????????
After Tuesday night rehearsal (and photo call), aided by yet ANOTHER major accident that had ALL of the roads blocked (1 mile took about 30 minutes... I finally gave up and turned around), causing many people to be late to rehearsal, and a very LATE rehearsal after photo call, I faced Wednesday.
Last day before Thanksgiving. Just EXHAUSTING. Kids all wound up, trying to teach anything almost impossible.
Then I came home and started cooking. Cooked until about 12 am (after making a trip to the grocery store for pie crusts, which I had forgotten). I thought the grocery store was full on Sunday!! That was NOTHING compared to Wednesday night! And it seemed like everyone there was doing ALL of their Thanksgiving grocery shopping on Wednesday night!! YIKES!! So, after waiting forever just for two lousy pie crusts, I came back home and continued cooking. By the time the pies were cooked and then allowed to cool, it was way after 12 and I tumbled off to bed. And my oven is now going to need to be cleaned because the pies, while they turned out wonderfully, managed to boil over and/or spill out of the DEEP DISH pie crusts in which I placed them, leaving nice burned spots on my oven. I tried to clean up the spill on the door, but quickly gave up-- it was WAY too hot to touch even with a wet cloth. It'll just have to burn on and be cleaned off!!
Table was set (well, as set as it CAN be with two cats-- table cloth on, and china washed and stacked on the table under cloths to protect it from little cat paws just in case, and cat hair). D, the cat, decided she wanted to taste the sweetened condensed milk, and it was interesting keeping her away from it while mixing!!! She had already decided that the aluminum roasting pan I was GOING to use made a great sleeping place-- so I ended up having to use the metal roasting pan I have, but didn't want to clean!
Anyway, so, turkey was thawed, eggs boiled for deviled eggs, pies made, cole slaw, cherry salad made.
Next morning, up early and the whole morning was spent cleaning-- the downstairs was not in great shape, so it took a bit of cleaning, plus both the bathrooms had to be presentable for company. WHEW!!
Turkey went in at 11, although the top rack was too low, really-- I thought it would fit, but it was already hot when I put the turkey in, so I thought I would just deal.. except that the top started browning almost immediately, so I needed to put aluminum foil over the turkey-- NOT going to happen with the top rack in the way. So, I grabbed the potholders and took out the top rack, and put it on top of the stove to cool-- burning my arm when it flipped back. ::SIGH:: But, hey, I could now baste and cover the turkey!!!!! And, the lovely burned spots from the pies are making the smoke alarms give off a LOVELY high-pitched squeal!! Fortunately, it was warm enough that I could open the doors and let the smoke out....
Meanwhile, I'm fixing the mashed potatoes, dressing, corn and gravy, and making the deviled eggs. The turkey took (as always) longer than it's supposed to to cook, but that was okay, because I put it in a little early to give it time to cool when it was done. People brought salad, drinks, rolls, other vegetable dishes, so we were not short of food, that's for sure!!
We had a wonderful time eating and talking, and when people went to get leftovers to take home, I discovered I had forgotten to put out the cherry salad, so it went home as leftovers!! I was absolutely exhausted, so it was nice to be able to sit and relax for a while when everyone was gone. But it was a lot of fun! I did not even bother to TRY to start washing dishes, because most of them have to be washed by hand, and I was NOT up to it last night.
And, S., the other cat, who usually will try to grab anything you have to eat, just LAY there when I tried to give them a bit of turkey! I gave some to D., who after a minute of checking it out, not sure what this strange thing was, gobbled it down and quickly asked for more. S., who usually doesn't allow the other one to get ANYTHING that SHE doesn't get, didn't even bat an eyelash. Just lay there in the dining room and watched. I called her, showed her, told her-- nope. "YOU bring the food to ME... I AM, after all, mistress of the house!" No WAY! You want it, you gotta come into the kitchen to get it. Regal swish of tail in reply. So, D. got two pieces of turkey for Thanksgiving. S., for once, doesn't seem to mind. She doesn't like turkey??????
Did have to call the plumber this morning because someone stopped up the toilet-- ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, well, c'est la vie. At least there was one who could come out today, thank goodness-- although they charge an arm and a leg!!!!!!!
Didn't sleep late this morning, too much to do, and I was still a wound up. Did get the kitchen all cleaned up this morning, dishes washed, the dishwasher run (HOW did we use so many utensils????????), and the house more or less restored to order-- in fact, better order than it was before they came (good thing about having company-- gives you REAL incentive to clean up).
Called the plumber, of course, who charge HUGE bucks for a 10-minute job... but it was worth it.. it was NOT fun having to go down two floors to use the restroom!
They had sent my replacement phone, which I got on Wednesday, but of course, hadn't even LOOKED at until today. Got it programmed, activated and about as set up as I can.... I have been told that I should go to Verizon's store and they will transfer all my stuff from the old one to this one. I hope so, will try to maybe deal with that tomorrow.
I'm not sure I like this one, the numbers are more firm (which in most cases is a good thing), but the 7 seems hard to push and doesn't always respond... you sometimes have to hit it 2 or three times to get it to work. Well, I'll give it a few days, and we'll see. I have to get the old one in the mail back to them or they'll charge me 'full retail.' Which is why I hope that Verizon will transfer all my stuff, because it's going to be a royal pain to try to do it all by hand-- and I still don't have any way to get my photos off.
I REALLY would like to go with T-Mobile next time, but then I wouldn't be able to talk to my sis or mom as much (it would cost them minutes), so we'll see.
J. had to work this morning, so she didn't take leftovers home with her last night. She just called and is planning to stop by in a few minutes to get some (I don't know how much is left-- I'll have to go see!).
Talked to Mom and her neighbor who had invited her for Thanksgiving dinner brought her a huge plate full of food when she begged off. Had told K. that she wasn't feeling well, so K. brought dinner to her, which I thought was very nice.
I want to know WHO the heck was out shopping in the middle of the night last night?? Apparently, it was half the free world!! I cannot think of ANYTHING I need that badly. I wasn't even about to go out today-- the radio was giving 'parking lot reports' this morning-- how full this lot is and that lot, and you might as well forget this store for right now, and in Boston there were MILES of backups to get to the stores at TWO IN THE MORNING!!!!!! I can only shake my head. All I wanted to do was SLEEP!!!
Oh, well, that was my Thanksgiving.... how was YOURS? :)
After Tuesday night rehearsal (and photo call), aided by yet ANOTHER major accident that had ALL of the roads blocked (1 mile took about 30 minutes... I finally gave up and turned around), causing many people to be late to rehearsal, and a very LATE rehearsal after photo call, I faced Wednesday.
Last day before Thanksgiving. Just EXHAUSTING. Kids all wound up, trying to teach anything almost impossible.
Then I came home and started cooking. Cooked until about 12 am (after making a trip to the grocery store for pie crusts, which I had forgotten). I thought the grocery store was full on Sunday!! That was NOTHING compared to Wednesday night! And it seemed like everyone there was doing ALL of their Thanksgiving grocery shopping on Wednesday night!! YIKES!! So, after waiting forever just for two lousy pie crusts, I came back home and continued cooking. By the time the pies were cooked and then allowed to cool, it was way after 12 and I tumbled off to bed. And my oven is now going to need to be cleaned because the pies, while they turned out wonderfully, managed to boil over and/or spill out of the DEEP DISH pie crusts in which I placed them, leaving nice burned spots on my oven. I tried to clean up the spill on the door, but quickly gave up-- it was WAY too hot to touch even with a wet cloth. It'll just have to burn on and be cleaned off!!
Table was set (well, as set as it CAN be with two cats-- table cloth on, and china washed and stacked on the table under cloths to protect it from little cat paws just in case, and cat hair). D, the cat, decided she wanted to taste the sweetened condensed milk, and it was interesting keeping her away from it while mixing!!! She had already decided that the aluminum roasting pan I was GOING to use made a great sleeping place-- so I ended up having to use the metal roasting pan I have, but didn't want to clean!
Anyway, so, turkey was thawed, eggs boiled for deviled eggs, pies made, cole slaw, cherry salad made.
Next morning, up early and the whole morning was spent cleaning-- the downstairs was not in great shape, so it took a bit of cleaning, plus both the bathrooms had to be presentable for company. WHEW!!
Turkey went in at 11, although the top rack was too low, really-- I thought it would fit, but it was already hot when I put the turkey in, so I thought I would just deal.. except that the top started browning almost immediately, so I needed to put aluminum foil over the turkey-- NOT going to happen with the top rack in the way. So, I grabbed the potholders and took out the top rack, and put it on top of the stove to cool-- burning my arm when it flipped back. ::SIGH:: But, hey, I could now baste and cover the turkey!!!!! And, the lovely burned spots from the pies are making the smoke alarms give off a LOVELY high-pitched squeal!! Fortunately, it was warm enough that I could open the doors and let the smoke out....
Meanwhile, I'm fixing the mashed potatoes, dressing, corn and gravy, and making the deviled eggs. The turkey took (as always) longer than it's supposed to to cook, but that was okay, because I put it in a little early to give it time to cool when it was done. People brought salad, drinks, rolls, other vegetable dishes, so we were not short of food, that's for sure!!
We had a wonderful time eating and talking, and when people went to get leftovers to take home, I discovered I had forgotten to put out the cherry salad, so it went home as leftovers!! I was absolutely exhausted, so it was nice to be able to sit and relax for a while when everyone was gone. But it was a lot of fun! I did not even bother to TRY to start washing dishes, because most of them have to be washed by hand, and I was NOT up to it last night.
And, S., the other cat, who usually will try to grab anything you have to eat, just LAY there when I tried to give them a bit of turkey! I gave some to D., who after a minute of checking it out, not sure what this strange thing was, gobbled it down and quickly asked for more. S., who usually doesn't allow the other one to get ANYTHING that SHE doesn't get, didn't even bat an eyelash. Just lay there in the dining room and watched. I called her, showed her, told her-- nope. "YOU bring the food to ME... I AM, after all, mistress of the house!" No WAY! You want it, you gotta come into the kitchen to get it. Regal swish of tail in reply. So, D. got two pieces of turkey for Thanksgiving. S., for once, doesn't seem to mind. She doesn't like turkey??????
Did have to call the plumber this morning because someone stopped up the toilet-- ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, well, c'est la vie. At least there was one who could come out today, thank goodness-- although they charge an arm and a leg!!!!!!!
Didn't sleep late this morning, too much to do, and I was still a wound up. Did get the kitchen all cleaned up this morning, dishes washed, the dishwasher run (HOW did we use so many utensils????????), and the house more or less restored to order-- in fact, better order than it was before they came (good thing about having company-- gives you REAL incentive to clean up).
Called the plumber, of course, who charge HUGE bucks for a 10-minute job... but it was worth it.. it was NOT fun having to go down two floors to use the restroom!
They had sent my replacement phone, which I got on Wednesday, but of course, hadn't even LOOKED at until today. Got it programmed, activated and about as set up as I can.... I have been told that I should go to Verizon's store and they will transfer all my stuff from the old one to this one. I hope so, will try to maybe deal with that tomorrow.
I'm not sure I like this one, the numbers are more firm (which in most cases is a good thing), but the 7 seems hard to push and doesn't always respond... you sometimes have to hit it 2 or three times to get it to work. Well, I'll give it a few days, and we'll see. I have to get the old one in the mail back to them or they'll charge me 'full retail.' Which is why I hope that Verizon will transfer all my stuff, because it's going to be a royal pain to try to do it all by hand-- and I still don't have any way to get my photos off.
I REALLY would like to go with T-Mobile next time, but then I wouldn't be able to talk to my sis or mom as much (it would cost them minutes), so we'll see.
J. had to work this morning, so she didn't take leftovers home with her last night. She just called and is planning to stop by in a few minutes to get some (I don't know how much is left-- I'll have to go see!).
Talked to Mom and her neighbor who had invited her for Thanksgiving dinner brought her a huge plate full of food when she begged off. Had told K. that she wasn't feeling well, so K. brought dinner to her, which I thought was very nice.
I want to know WHO the heck was out shopping in the middle of the night last night?? Apparently, it was half the free world!! I cannot think of ANYTHING I need that badly. I wasn't even about to go out today-- the radio was giving 'parking lot reports' this morning-- how full this lot is and that lot, and you might as well forget this store for right now, and in Boston there were MILES of backups to get to the stores at TWO IN THE MORNING!!!!!! I can only shake my head. All I wanted to do was SLEEP!!!
Oh, well, that was my Thanksgiving.... how was YOURS? :)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Thanksgiving!!!
I cannot BELIEVE Thanksgiving is only a few days away!! Tomorrow, I have to take the turkey out of the freezer, and today I HAVE to sit down, plan what we're going to have, make a list and go shopping. Fortunately, no rehearsal on Wednesday, so I can cook.
Don't know if J is going to work or not, so I don't know what time we're going to eat. Need to talk to her and find out. I'm going to wash Grandmother's china, and we'll use that... whether I'm going to polish the silver and use it or not, I don't know. We'll see.
Meanwhile, it's COLD here. Down into the 20s last night. I found some extra fuel for the gel fuel fireplace, so we're having the first fire of the season. :) I thought we'd used it all up last year, but not, and you're supposed to use it within a year, so.....
This year, we'll have the fireplace for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just got it last year (in January), and loved it. It's so nice to have a fire without worrying about cleaning anything up, wood, or the flue..... It looks really nice and matches the entertainment center in wood tone and design.
The Real Flame gel fuel, though, has a particular odor. I don't smell it here as much, but at Mother's house, I really smelled it. I'm surprised it didn't really bother her; asked her several times. I found this new stuff (I can't remember the name right now) that is supposed to not have that odor. Gonna use up the rest of the old stuff first, though. Got some for J., too, for hers, and I'm going to send a couple of the new ones down to Mother's to see if they are better. If she likes them better, I'll get her some of them, too. I think the new ones last longer, too.
Don't know if J is going to work or not, so I don't know what time we're going to eat. Need to talk to her and find out. I'm going to wash Grandmother's china, and we'll use that... whether I'm going to polish the silver and use it or not, I don't know. We'll see.
Meanwhile, it's COLD here. Down into the 20s last night. I found some extra fuel for the gel fuel fireplace, so we're having the first fire of the season. :) I thought we'd used it all up last year, but not, and you're supposed to use it within a year, so.....
This year, we'll have the fireplace for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just got it last year (in January), and loved it. It's so nice to have a fire without worrying about cleaning anything up, wood, or the flue..... It looks really nice and matches the entertainment center in wood tone and design.
The Real Flame gel fuel, though, has a particular odor. I don't smell it here as much, but at Mother's house, I really smelled it. I'm surprised it didn't really bother her; asked her several times. I found this new stuff (I can't remember the name right now) that is supposed to not have that odor. Gonna use up the rest of the old stuff first, though. Got some for J., too, for hers, and I'm going to send a couple of the new ones down to Mother's to see if they are better. If she likes them better, I'll get her some of them, too. I think the new ones last longer, too.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Cats and Cashiers......
What do they have in common? They do things that are COMPLETELY incomprehensible!!! My beautiful little orange tabby female, Secret, has a thing about things that roll. She doesn't like regular cat toys (none of my cats do/have, for some reason). They STARE at them and at me, like I have three heads, when I give them the toys I spent a million dollars on! A piece of string or a pencil.... THOSE are real toys! And since Secret likes to stand in front of me when I'm on the computer (with her bum in my face, of course!) so I can't see the screen, when I make her move, she will almost always knock over the pencil/pen cup on the desk... and then proceed to stand on the printer and roll those same pens/pencils INTO THE PRINTER! THEN... you've heard of a lap cat? Secret is a chest/shoulder cat!!! Especially when I'm sitting at the computer... she feels the need to climb on my arms/chest/shoulders and lay there-- and heaven help me if I somehow let her slide or fall!! If looks could kill!!!!
Meanwhile, WHY is it that cashiers INSIST on putting bread on top of HARD objects in plastic bags? Where they don't STAY on top? And have none of them heard of 'keep raw meat away from other things, especially things you plan to eat RAW?" When I complain, I am told, "Was the bread on the TOP of the bag?" "Um, well, maybe when she PUT it there, but once you pick it up, it doesn't STAY there!" "Was the meat in a separate plastic bag?" "Um, a SMALL one that won't keep it from leaking on my vegetables!" "Oh, well, that's the way they're TAUGHT to bag things."
A nice (but, again, way too short) weekend. Friday I was supposed to go to J's after work to be there when the window guy came. She's going to get replacement windows. However, I ended up leaving work later than I planned, and HE ended up getting there a lot EARLIER than planned, so he was already gone before I got there. So, we decided to go get something to eat.... of course, J. couldn't decide whether we should stay in and order pizza or go out and get something. She didn't feel like going out, really, but we both wanted a salad, so I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up. She immediately said, "YES!" Not sure if she was just tired or what, but she did NOT want to drive. Not a problem, since I was out anyway.
Yesterday, I drove to Virginia. More about why later. So that was most of the day, there and back. Did I mention I really DO NOT like driving? Especially spending up to 2 hours each DAY in my car? And that I RELISH a day where I do not have to get into my car at ALL???????? Though they very rarely happen.
Today was a very relaxing day, for the most part. J., L., and I thought about going to a movie. Since L. was at home and J. was at work, I ended up playing phone tag between the two of them to make arrangements.... eventually we decided that there wasn't a movie we really want to see that badly-- well, not that we ALL want to see-- so we just went out to get something to eat. We discussed Thanksgiving-- it's definitely going to be here... since Bob Evans has great banana bread, I ended up promising I'd make some banana bread for Thanksgiving, along with the usual rolls.... then L. decided she'd like pumpkin bread even better, but since everyone wants a pumpkin pie, I guess banana bread it will be. But, I already told them, NO NUTS. I HATE nuts, especially when they ruin my wonderful banana bread. They said they'd bring their own and stuff them in the bread before they eat it!!!
Mom is going to send me some pecans because I cannot find chopped pecans here, and I really don't like to use half-pecans for pecan pie.... now, of course, I COULD chop them myself (and DID the first year I was here and was shocked that they didn't have them-- chopped walnuts, yes. Chopped pecans, no). But, the ones Mom can get are better. :) No-one here had ever had pecan pie before I made it for Thanksgiving one year, so that one they always want. I made a chess pie one year instead (which is very similar), which they liked, too, but since Sis is coming, I'm going to stick with pecan... it's her favourite.
Anyway, after we ate, I had to do all the things I had put off.. .going to Target, going to the grocery, washing clothes, changing the bed, etc., etc., etc. I also got some Halloween decorations and a whole bunch of cute little $1 stuff for my 'treasure box' at school that I think the kids will love.... so it was worth the aggravation of trying to maneuver through all of the people out shopping-- you'd think people had NOTHING else to do!!!!!!!!!!! Other little rant, which is towards myself-- I spend a lot of time going through coupons, trying to find the ones (VERY few) that I might actually USE, that aren't ".50 off of FOUR of....".... and then totally go and forget to use them! ::SIGH:: There they sit, in my purse!
When I talked to Mom today, she informed me that someone had 'invited herself' for Christmas dinner... her down-the-street neighbour, Katie, who is a divorcee who is used to having a lot of money to spend and time to 'go have lunch,' etc. She is now living on much less since the divorce, and is very lonely. The problem is that she doesn't want to do anything about it! Mom volunteers at the Senior Center, and invited Katie along. Nope. Told her she should get a part-time job (to get out of the house and earn some extra money). Nope. Told her she should get some hobbies. Nope. She calls several times a day and wants to talk-- for HOURS. Which Mom is too busy to do. I said, "If she doesn't have anyone to spend Christmas with, let her come!" Which she will, I know. Mom is nothing if not generous and kind. And when we were there in August, we kind of 'hid' from her, so she didn't get to see me, and was very disappointed and upset. So, hey, when I'm there for Christmas, I don't mind spending some time with her..... she is a very nice person, just very needy and lonely. She's actually quite a bit younger than Mom, though you'd never know it.
Meanwhile, WHY is it that cashiers INSIST on putting bread on top of HARD objects in plastic bags? Where they don't STAY on top? And have none of them heard of 'keep raw meat away from other things, especially things you plan to eat RAW?" When I complain, I am told, "Was the bread on the TOP of the bag?" "Um, well, maybe when she PUT it there, but once you pick it up, it doesn't STAY there!" "Was the meat in a separate plastic bag?" "Um, a SMALL one that won't keep it from leaking on my vegetables!" "Oh, well, that's the way they're TAUGHT to bag things."
A nice (but, again, way too short) weekend. Friday I was supposed to go to J's after work to be there when the window guy came. She's going to get replacement windows. However, I ended up leaving work later than I planned, and HE ended up getting there a lot EARLIER than planned, so he was already gone before I got there. So, we decided to go get something to eat.... of course, J. couldn't decide whether we should stay in and order pizza or go out and get something. She didn't feel like going out, really, but we both wanted a salad, so I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up. She immediately said, "YES!" Not sure if she was just tired or what, but she did NOT want to drive. Not a problem, since I was out anyway.
Yesterday, I drove to Virginia. More about why later. So that was most of the day, there and back. Did I mention I really DO NOT like driving? Especially spending up to 2 hours each DAY in my car? And that I RELISH a day where I do not have to get into my car at ALL???????? Though they very rarely happen.
Today was a very relaxing day, for the most part. J., L., and I thought about going to a movie. Since L. was at home and J. was at work, I ended up playing phone tag between the two of them to make arrangements.... eventually we decided that there wasn't a movie we really want to see that badly-- well, not that we ALL want to see-- so we just went out to get something to eat. We discussed Thanksgiving-- it's definitely going to be here... since Bob Evans has great banana bread, I ended up promising I'd make some banana bread for Thanksgiving, along with the usual rolls.... then L. decided she'd like pumpkin bread even better, but since everyone wants a pumpkin pie, I guess banana bread it will be. But, I already told them, NO NUTS. I HATE nuts, especially when they ruin my wonderful banana bread. They said they'd bring their own and stuff them in the bread before they eat it!!!
Mom is going to send me some pecans because I cannot find chopped pecans here, and I really don't like to use half-pecans for pecan pie.... now, of course, I COULD chop them myself (and DID the first year I was here and was shocked that they didn't have them-- chopped walnuts, yes. Chopped pecans, no). But, the ones Mom can get are better. :) No-one here had ever had pecan pie before I made it for Thanksgiving one year, so that one they always want. I made a chess pie one year instead (which is very similar), which they liked, too, but since Sis is coming, I'm going to stick with pecan... it's her favourite.
Anyway, after we ate, I had to do all the things I had put off.. .going to Target, going to the grocery, washing clothes, changing the bed, etc., etc., etc. I also got some Halloween decorations and a whole bunch of cute little $1 stuff for my 'treasure box' at school that I think the kids will love.... so it was worth the aggravation of trying to maneuver through all of the people out shopping-- you'd think people had NOTHING else to do!!!!!!!!!!! Other little rant, which is towards myself-- I spend a lot of time going through coupons, trying to find the ones (VERY few) that I might actually USE, that aren't ".50 off of FOUR of....".... and then totally go and forget to use them! ::SIGH:: There they sit, in my purse!
When I talked to Mom today, she informed me that someone had 'invited herself' for Christmas dinner... her down-the-street neighbour, Katie, who is a divorcee who is used to having a lot of money to spend and time to 'go have lunch,' etc. She is now living on much less since the divorce, and is very lonely. The problem is that she doesn't want to do anything about it! Mom volunteers at the Senior Center, and invited Katie along. Nope. Told her she should get a part-time job (to get out of the house and earn some extra money). Nope. Told her she should get some hobbies. Nope. She calls several times a day and wants to talk-- for HOURS. Which Mom is too busy to do. I said, "If she doesn't have anyone to spend Christmas with, let her come!" Which she will, I know. Mom is nothing if not generous and kind. And when we were there in August, we kind of 'hid' from her, so she didn't get to see me, and was very disappointed and upset. So, hey, when I'm there for Christmas, I don't mind spending some time with her..... she is a very nice person, just very needy and lonely. She's actually quite a bit younger than Mom, though you'd never know it.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Monday, Monday!
Well, the weekend was nice (but WAY too short!!!). Didn't do the work for work I had planned to do, but, hey.... got some things done around the house (family room is STILL a mess!), and got my hair done, deep conditioned, and the 'caterpillars' (otherwise known as eyebrows) whipped-- or should I say waxed-- into shape. :) BOY, did I feel (and LOOK!) better after that!!!!!!!
My friend J., who is from England but used to live here and work with me, is visiting! So, tomorrow, we and our boss (well, still my boss), and another friend/coworker, are going to have lunch tomorrow. YAY! It'll be a lot of fun!
The other J. called today, too. P. is going to visit family for Thanksgiving and she wanted to know what we might be doing (if we're going home). Since I usually do Thanksgiving for everyone, I guess I'm back on the hook this year! :) P. doesn't really like to come over to my house, because of the steps and the fact that there's not a half-bath on the floor (and I can't blame her!), so if she's here, we go to her house, and if not, it's usually here. I got out of it for two years... so, I guess it's my turn again. Hey, I don't mind. Will ask sis and partner if they want to come, too. And, J. had BETTER not be working this year!!!! But, that also means that I am going to HAVE to get the family room cleaned up!!! BLECH.
Heard this on the radio this morning, and went to see the video. EVERY mom HAS to see this! You will hurt yourself laughing!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM
Oops! Doesn't look like it's going to link-- well, just copy and paste... it is VERY DEFINITELY WORTH IT!!!!!!
And, on the not so light side, here's a video of a police officer arresting a 15-year-old girl... a girl who resisted arrest and then bit him. What do you think? Do you think it was justified or not? I'll wait a while and then post what I think about it.
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=6414
I still can't get over George Bush vetoing the SCHIPS bill.... I really can't. This program has been a GODSEND for a lot of my kids' families. I went to graduate school with a girl who had had to give up her job while raising her son because she simply could NOT afford to be without insurance and she couldn't work and get medicaid and her job didn't include benefits. If she'd had something like this when she was raising him, it would have allowed her to work instead of having to be on welfare. I certainly think it would be much cheaper in the long run to provide preventive care than ER care when it gets dicey, or having a child die (as did a 12-year-old last year) from an infected tooth (which became septic), because his mother AND social worker, try as they might, could not get an appt. with a dentist who would accept medicaid. Not only was it more expensive financially to treat that child for sepsis, he lost his life...... this is INEXCUSABLE, in my opinion, in this country. I think that Massachusetts has the right idea, however. I'm not convinced that single-payer is the right way to go. I think requiring insurance, and providing assistance in paying the premiums, is a better option. The thing is that right now we pay more than almost any industrialized (or should I say, post-industrial) country in the world, and it doesn't seem to be providing better care. We are 41st in life expectancy. I think that says a LOT about our focus on treating illness instead of preventing it. In any case, children should NEVER be without health care.... it is better for ALL of us if our children are healthy.
My friend J., who is from England but used to live here and work with me, is visiting! So, tomorrow, we and our boss (well, still my boss), and another friend/coworker, are going to have lunch tomorrow. YAY! It'll be a lot of fun!
The other J. called today, too. P. is going to visit family for Thanksgiving and she wanted to know what we might be doing (if we're going home). Since I usually do Thanksgiving for everyone, I guess I'm back on the hook this year! :) P. doesn't really like to come over to my house, because of the steps and the fact that there's not a half-bath on the floor (and I can't blame her!), so if she's here, we go to her house, and if not, it's usually here. I got out of it for two years... so, I guess it's my turn again. Hey, I don't mind. Will ask sis and partner if they want to come, too. And, J. had BETTER not be working this year!!!! But, that also means that I am going to HAVE to get the family room cleaned up!!! BLECH.
Heard this on the radio this morning, and went to see the video. EVERY mom HAS to see this! You will hurt yourself laughing!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM
Oops! Doesn't look like it's going to link-- well, just copy and paste... it is VERY DEFINITELY WORTH IT!!!!!!
And, on the not so light side, here's a video of a police officer arresting a 15-year-old girl... a girl who resisted arrest and then bit him. What do you think? Do you think it was justified or not? I'll wait a while and then post what I think about it.
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=6414
I still can't get over George Bush vetoing the SCHIPS bill.... I really can't. This program has been a GODSEND for a lot of my kids' families. I went to graduate school with a girl who had had to give up her job while raising her son because she simply could NOT afford to be without insurance and she couldn't work and get medicaid and her job didn't include benefits. If she'd had something like this when she was raising him, it would have allowed her to work instead of having to be on welfare. I certainly think it would be much cheaper in the long run to provide preventive care than ER care when it gets dicey, or having a child die (as did a 12-year-old last year) from an infected tooth (which became septic), because his mother AND social worker, try as they might, could not get an appt. with a dentist who would accept medicaid. Not only was it more expensive financially to treat that child for sepsis, he lost his life...... this is INEXCUSABLE, in my opinion, in this country. I think that Massachusetts has the right idea, however. I'm not convinced that single-payer is the right way to go. I think requiring insurance, and providing assistance in paying the premiums, is a better option. The thing is that right now we pay more than almost any industrialized (or should I say, post-industrial) country in the world, and it doesn't seem to be providing better care. We are 41st in life expectancy. I think that says a LOT about our focus on treating illness instead of preventing it. In any case, children should NEVER be without health care.... it is better for ALL of us if our children are healthy.
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