Long weekend

I'm leaving for Jersey in the morning. Catch you all when I return. Have a great weekend everyone!

Meet the Parents

We survived! Meeting Jessie's parents last night was not as bad as Jessie had expected. When I arrived, about 10 minutes early, I could tell she was in a state of panic. Her nerves were shot, she was babbling about nothing and everything. Eric was relaxed and chuckling to himself. He told me she always gets like this when the parents are coming. I sat her down and asked her what subjects should be avoided. First one out of her mouth was religion. Then anything to do with weddings, engagements, etc. OK I can do that. Then she said she had to keep her swearing in check because her father really took issue with it. OK again, nothing I can't handle. Then she asked me if I wanted a beer. She said her father wouldn't say anything about her having one (she's underage) if Eric and I were drinking too. Ok I don't need an excuse to have an ice cold beer on a 98 degree day. LOL This was turning out to be a lot more fun than I expected!
Jay and Della arrived a half hour late but had rib eye steaks and boneless chicken marinated and ready for the grill. Introductions were made and we girls sat around talking while Eric and Jay went out on the deck to get grilling. The remaining menu consisted of pasta salad and corn on the cob, and Jay decided to make some garlic bread also out on the grill. Everything was delicious, and conversation flowed around the table. Oh my one mistake...while plating up my dinner, I chomped down on a piece of the garlic bread before sitting down and felt kinda dumb when Jessie said...'Dad, would you like to say the blessing?' Oh shit. LOL (I was told afterwards that Jay had already been nibbling on his steak so I was fine.)

Ok so one of the subjects at the table was about someone's upcoming wedding and that subject was brought up by Jessie. Eric and I exchanged looks. I smirked, he rolled his eyes. Then somehow the subject moved onto whether the couple to be married was getting married in a church or by a JP. Slight segue into religion. I concentrated on my steak. Then the obvious question. "Elaine, you are Catholic, right?" Oh crap...here we go. I shot Jessie a look (through my brilliant smile). She's killing me here. LOL I belong to St. Joseph's Church but I haven't been there in ages. But that wasn't the question, right? I told them yes, I was Catholic and was a member of St. Joe's and that satisfied them.

So after dinner I helped Eric clean up a bit while Jessie and her parents decided on a movie to watch. I was surprised to see their choice was Inside Man with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen only because there is some pretty colorful language in that movie. But they seemed to ignore the language and enjoyed the movie. We talked a little off and on and munched on the turtle brownies I had made for dessert. It was warm in the apartment even with the A/C going and frankly, after 3 beers and all that food, I was ready for a nap. Jay and Della left right after the movie and I was right on their heels. It's a good 45 minute drive for me and I got home around 10.

Not a bad evening at all, I would say. Nothing like Ben Stiller's Meet The Parents!

It is going to be another hot one today although I think thunderstorms are going to make an appearance and cool things off later this afternoon. Yesterday was brutal. When I drove through Dover, the temperature at the bank read 101. I believe it. And the humidity was way up there. It is already 77 and it's 9am. I'll kick on the A/C by noon I am betting.

I don't have any plans for today other than clean my room a bit. I noticed while getting dressed yesterday that there is a good layer of dust on my dresser and I have been very lazy about putting my clothes away. I just fold them and leave the pile on the blanket chest and go through it during the week. It's starting to look like my daughter's room. I'll have to sort through the summer and winter stuff soon so may as well get a start on that.

I am very glad we have a long weekend next weekend and I also have this Friday off so it will be a nice 4 day weekend for me. I am considering going to Jersey for the weekend. Haven't made a final decision yet but it's looking pretty good.


Oh and if you see Mazz or Rick online today wish them a Happy Birthday!

Saturday musings

Good Morning! It is already 72 humid degrees here in the Granite State and it's only 7:30 in the morning. I guess that means we are in for a hot one today. As I peek out my window here, the sun is out but it's a tad bit hazy. The air is still and heavy. The air conditioner will be getting some use today.

I had a fairly unproductive and very long week. I was very happy to see Friday, that's for sure. All of us at work are feeling pretty much the same. We count down the hours and look forward to lunch or our next coffee break. Something has to happen soon or we are all going to go insane. The sad part is our manager just doesn't seem to be doing anything to push some work our way. He just says to keep doing what we're doing, always have something in front of us and keep our hands moving. What a way to run a company! I can't imagine the amounts of money they have to be losing because we are not the only department in this predicament. We even have someone squishing Q-Tips. Yes, that's right. We use the industrial cotton swabs to wipe bond off of some of our parts and sometimes we have to squeeze the tips of the swabs to get into a tight spot. So one of the girls is using a pair of pliers and squeezing the swabs and placing them into a bin for future use. Now there's a carpal tunnel patient in the making.

Thursday evening I went over to Paul's house to watch Disturbia with him and his daughter Jenna. A bit of a change of pace for me because normally I don't go out on weeknights and I am in bed by 9 or 10 pm. But sometimes you have to step out of the box, you know? Ok so I paid for it a bit yesterday but I can catch up on my sleep this weekend. The movie was ok, I didn't get to finish it because it was getting late. We had a couple of interruptions and had to stop the movie a few times but hopefully I can see the end of it soon before I forget the whole thing.

I really enjoy spending time with Paul but being around his daughter is a challenge for me. I can already tell she doesn't like me being in her territory. Paul has been a single dad for 14 years and in that time she has had him pretty much all to herself. Daddy's little girl and all that and yes, he admits to spoiling her a bit along the way. The few times I have been over there she's been cold and rude. I expected the chill but there is no excuse for being rude. The first time I went over there I introduced myself to her and she looked me up and down and then dismissed me by turning her attention to her father. Okay, that went well. NOT! LOL Second time I got a hi...then she high tailed it to her room and left me standing in the kitchen for a couple minutes while her father was on the phone in another room. Thursday night she never spoke directly to me even though I was sitting right there and trying to engage her in conversation. Paul was embarrassed and apologetic. I could tell he didn't know what to do. Hell I don't know what to do. My kids are always polite and friendly to any friend or date of mine that they have been introduced to. I was involved with one particular guy for a long time and my daughter disliked him right from the beginning but she was never rude to him. Well maybe once but he deserved it. LOL The point is, she should get to know me before she decides she hates me. She's not a little kid...she's 18. Time to grow up. But I will hold my tongue for now and see what develops. The way my luck runs...nothing will develop and I am sweating it for nothing. LOL

Tonight is the night I get to meet Jessie's parents. She is very nervous about it all but Eric said he's cool. That's cos he has a cool mom and he knows he doesn't have to worry about me burping at the table or making an ass out of myself. I will have to watch my language though. Cuss words are not allowed. Not that I use those or anything. Well not very often. :-) I have been warned that conversation may be directed towards the fact that Jessie and Eric are living together without being engaged or married. Apparently her parents feel this is wrong and will probably ask my opinion. I will be honest...they are too young to get married. Plain and simple. And I have no problem with them living together. Jessie is a lovely girl and she is responsible and most importantly, she makes my son happy. I see no reason to rush things.

I have to get started on making something for dessert for tonight. I am thinking about whipping up a batch of turtle brownies. Those are always a big hit.

It's up to 82 degrees now. I got distracted writing this post and set it aside for a bit but I better get it posted and get those brownies in the oven before the temperature gets into the 90's.

Enjoy your Saturday!

L

Colonoscopies

Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite
humorous.... . A physician claimed that the following are actual comments
made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their
colonoscopies:

1. "Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!

2. "Find Amelia Earhart yet?"

3. "Can you hear me NOW?"

4. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

5. "You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married."

6. "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?"

7. "You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out..."

8. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"

9. "If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!

10. "Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity."

11. "You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?"

12. "God, now I know why I am not gay."

And the best one of all..

13. "Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up
there?"

Monday, Monday

Dinner with the kids was fun. Sara and Brad showed up first and we played cribbage (or tried to teach Sara how to play cribbage) while we waited for Eric and Jessie. I had already made up three pizza's, one veggie, one pepperoni and one bbq chicken, and they were just waiting to be put into the oven. Eric called and said they were running late, which is nothing new, and they showed up around 6. I popped the pizzas into the oven and we sat around and talked while we waited.
After dinner we cleaned off the table and played Uno. That game can go on for hours and it did. LOL We had a good time though. I have no idea who won, we just played til we couldn't stand it anymore. It's always a good time when we all get together. Both kids said that the next time I have to invite my parents along because they missed having them there. Consider it done.

Sunday was kind of a quiet day. I watched a couple of movies, took a nap and finished reading a book. It was a bit chilly outside but I kept the windows opened and enjoyed the fresh air. A couple more weeks and it will be football on Sunday afternoons. Nothing like watching tight ends run around all afternoon. :-)

Work was soooo boring this morning I thought I was going to just close my eyes and fall asleep at my work station. I can't stand much more of the inactivity. It's so hard to look busy. I did manage to get a couple orders done this afternoon and tomorrow I am going to learn some more data entry. Hopefully that takes up a good portion of the day. It's going to be a long week!

Looks like my dad came up today and mowed my lawn. I thought it smelled like fresh cut grass when I pulled into the driveway. Can't see the back yard from the front of the house but I can see the back yard from my window here and the back yard looks nice. I can mow the lawn myself...I have for many years, but he likes to help out and I let him because it keeps him out of my mother's hair. He is 77 years old and says the day he stops working is the day he dies. So I let him come up here and fix my porch steps and anything else that needs fixing. My brother does the same thing, so we are definitely contributing to my mother's mental health! LOL

I am going to kick back and relax tonight. Probably hit the sheets early. I slept pretty well last night considering it was a Sunday and I took a nap in the afternoon. I have some chicken in the oven and the last of the corn on the cob in the pot. That should make for a good supper I think. It should be ready in 15 minutes or so.

Have a great week everyone.
Me

Good Morning

I decided to stay home after speaking with Sara yesterday morning. She and Brad were supposed to go to Massachusetts to visit his family this weekend but changed their plans when I mentioned having them all over for dinner. So the trip to NJ was scrapped and I ended up running my errands and then going to the beach by myself. My call to Paul was not returned until much later in the day so I am glad I didn't wait around for him. (Note to self:find some new friends.) I am not much of a beach bum. I don't like the heat and humidity and I dislike the crowds. So yesterday was perfect for me. Not too hot, a little breezy, and I know of a spot by North Beach that is not very crowded. I grabbed my book and my chair and made my way there. I sat and read my book for awhile then took a walk along the beach since it was low tide. There was a couple there with a toddler and a Jack Russell terrier. The puppy was so active and friendly, running all over the beach and just having a blast. He ran over to me at one point and dropped his ball at my feet. This was an obvious invitation to play...and I tossed the ball for him for about 30 minutes. The woman kept calling him and telling him to stop bothering me but I was having fun so I told her to let him be, he was fine. That brought the baby over, I would guess about 2 years old, cute little boy with huge brown eyes and curly brown hair. I couldn't understand a word he was saying but he plopped himself down by my chair and started going through my bag. LOL Good thing I left my purse locked up in my car. All that was in there was my keys, a sweatshirt, towel, and a bottle of water. He was fascinated with my keys of course and I was a little scared he might bury them in the sand so I managed to rescue them and stick them in my pocket. His mom was a little embarrassed and apologized several times for the intrusion but it was alright. I love kids almost as much as I love dogs. LOL (These aren't the kind of friends I was talking about.) Anyway I stayed there for a couple of hours and then decided it was time to head home. I got to my car and made my way back to the highway. The beach is about a 30 minute drive from my house if I take the highway but there was quite a bit of traffic on the main road to the beach so I decided to take the back road through Porstmouth and North Hampton and go back home that way. It's not as fast but scenic and if I am going to be stuck in traffic, may as well have something of interest to look at. The drive home took me about 45-50 minutes with no stopping, traffic moved along at an even pace, so that was good.

While I was out earlier in the morning, I stopped at the farm stand in Chester and bought some corn on the cob. I haven't had any at all this summer and I heard they were picking so I bought a half dozen. All I kept thinking about yesterday afternoon was hot buttered corn, so I shucked a couple of ears and made that my dinner. OH BABY was it good! Sweet and juicy, nothing on it but butter and salt. Delicious!
I can't wait to have some more.

Last evening I didn't do much at all. Rose called and we talked for about 90 minutes, then I watched the rest of the baseball game and went to bed. It has been cool at night and I have had the windows open so it's good sleeping weather. I got up a bit ago and made some coffee, thinking about making an english muffin in a few and then hopping in the shower. I think I'll head down to my folk's house later on and visit with them for awhile. The kids will be here around 5. Looking forward to having them all here. Should be a good time.

Ok I am off. hugs!

It's FRIDAY!!

Good Morning everyone.

Today is my "Off" Friday and I have no definite plans at this moment, although I do have a couple of options. Here's my dilemma. I was invited last evening to drive down to New Jersey to visit a friend of mine this weekend. This is a good plan if I have nothing better to do, mainly because I hate having nothing to do. I have tentative plans for today and Saturday evening here at home but I can change them if I decide to go to Jersey. I am not 100% sure I want to go to Jersey. I made a list of reasons why I should and should not go. Pros...something to do, haven't seen my friend in a long time. Cons...gas expense, 5 hour drive, have to find someone to look after the dog, short notice. Plan B consists of spending today with my friend Paul and going to the beach and then having the kids over for dinner on Saturday. The only problem with that is Paul sometimes makes plans and then has to break them because of work. We talked about going to the beach on Monday, so plans were tentative depending on the weather, etc. The weather looks good...so I am just waiting to hear from him. I would much rather spend the day with him, but there is a good chance something has come up since Monday. He owns his own business and hasn't been very busy lately but needs to work when he has the chance. If he blows me off...then I may as well go to Jersey. I guess I will just hang on for a bit and see what happens. I've set a deadline of noon to decide. I can pack a bag and get a dog sitter by then, I am sure.

I tried to sleep in this morning but by 5:30 am I was wide awake. So I got up and played Literati for awhile, then made some coffee and some scrambled eggs. I suppose I will jump in the shower soon and get dressed. I do have a few errands to run this morning but nothing that will take long.

It's been so very slow at work lately that I begged my supervisor to give me some data entry work to do. I spent yesterday learning one of the programs on her computer. If I can catch on (and I know I can) then she will see about getting a computer for me set up in a corner of her office so I can take this job on as my own. It can only help in my quest for a promotion. I also had a really nice compliment paid me on Wednesday. The Quality Control Supervisor, Rochelle, asked my boss who I was and told her she was very impressed with my work. My initials are on just about every piece of paper that goes into her office because I do the final verification of the finished product and all of the electrical testing. My boss came over and told me what Rochelle said. I was blown away. About a half hour later Rochelle came over to me and told me herself just what she told Sue. She said she's been inspecting things in every department within the company and had to give credit where credit was due. She then marched right into my managers office and told him the same thing. I have a review coming up in December. I hope that helps to give me a very nice raise.

I will be having about $20 extra in my check now because I am finally able to drop Sara from my health insurance. That in itself will feel like a nice raise. I also dropped her from my car insurance so she will have to start coming up with the sum of money on her own. I can no longer get the multi family discount because she doesn't live here so she is on her own. I am going to feel like I've hit the lottery since I've been paying her car insurance for her all through college. Hell she makes as much as I do now so she can cough up the money by herself.

We had a terrible thunder storm roll through here last night. Lots of lightening and some very loud thunder and very gusty winds. We didn't lose power here but some areas did and are still without power. I saw some reports on the news this morning of trees uprooted and many trees and branches down. Several roads are still closed in Enfield, which is near North Conway, about 30 miles north of me. My car has pine needles and acorns all over it but is not damaged.

I am off to the shower. Have a great weekend, everyone. hugsss

Quick update

3 days on meds and I am feeling much better. Wheezing hasn't been an issue since going on the oral steroid burst and the sinuses are clear most of the day. I woke up last night with a stuffy head but used the nasal spray and cleared right out.
This was my work Friday and I got there early so I could leave early. We still don't have too much work but some parts have been filtering in so we've managed to stay somewhat busy.
I couldn't believe that someone actually asked if we could come in to work tomorrow. Come in and do what? Geez people...do you see anything on the shelves to do???

After work I went to the grocery store and the bank. When I got home, Sara was here playing with the poochie. She wasn't here for long since she had a hair appointment but it was good to see her. I am hoping I can get all the kids together next weekend and maybe have a small family bbq or pizza night and play some cards. It's been way too long.

Going out this evening with some friends from work. Hope all of you had an awesome week.

Me

I hate being sick

A fun day was not had by all. I spent most of last night blowing my nose and clearing my throat thanks to some heavy duty post nasal drip. When I got up this morning, all kinds of disgusting goo was coming from my nose and chest and I felt like C R A P. I went to work but I could tell shortly after I got there that it was not going to be a fun day. My temperature spiked up during the morning and I had a horrible sinus headache. I called the doctor around 9:30 and left a message with the nurse since there were no available appointments for the entire day and I wanted to start on an antibiotic right away. They normally won't call in a prescription unless you see the doctor so the nurse was going to check with a doctor and see what she should do. We played phone tag all day long. I finally got mad after I was told she was busy but would call me back for the third time...and said I would wait on hold until she could speak to me. 16 minutes later I got her on the phone. I had to get an appointment at 6:30 with the Urgent Care department and that usually means you wait and wait and wait, especially if someone comes in with a more serious ailment or injury than what you have. I got there on time and waited for about 15 minutes, which wasn't bad. The doctor took my history and after looking up my nose and listening to my lungs, decided I had a sinus infection and the beginnings of bronchitis. Nothing new to me...I get bronchitis at the drop of a germ anyway. So off I went with three prescriptions. One is an antibiotic, one is a cough syrup with codeine (yay) and the last one is a oral steroid burst for the inflamed bronchial tubes. $110 now in the hole but I should be right as rain in a couple days.

I stayed at work all day despite feeling crappy and decided to go to my parents house after work to hang out until my appointment. My doctors office is just 10 minutes away from my folks house and I live about 30 minutes away so it made more sense to hang out there. I met my niece's new boyfriend Jeremy (way cute too I might add) and stayed for dinner. My brother was making BLT's so who can pass that up? It is quite humid outside and my parents air conditioner was not working for some reason so it was a bit steamy in their house but I survived.

It is again very slow at work. We are all making ourselves look busy, something, it is sad to say, we are all very adept at. My boss has been running around like a mad woman trying to find parts and work for everyone and sometimes I think she is going to snap. Her boss doesn't seem too concerned about it all but I tell you what, if he sees us goofing around there will be hell to pay. So we redo work and reclean things and don't complain about being bored to keep Sue's ass out of the sling.
She is by far, the best boss I have ever worked for so I will do whatever I can to help her out. We also were trained today on how to use the laser wand to electronically keep track of which departments to charge our time to. I am not the smartest person in the world...but man when some people have to change their routines, it screws them all up. It really isn't that much different from clocking in and out, just 2 more steps and you are right there at the time clock to do it anyway so I really don't know what the big deal is. But I can't tell you how many times I had to get up and show someone how to clock into a different department. I am sure everyone's time is going to be all screwed up all week until everyone gets the hang of it.

Ok Since I am really late getting home, I had better get into the shower and start these meds. Bedtime is right around the corner tonight since I didn't get much sleep last night.
I hope everyone is having a good week so far.

Me

Company Picnic

I am home...phew...I am exhausted. I think I walked enough today to last me for about a month or so. I suppose it wouldn't have been that bad but it was soooo hot outside today. I would guess low 90's and humid. Every once in awhile there was a breeze but I have to honestly say I am not cut out for outdoor activities when the thermometer gets past 85.
The picnic was really fun. The food was plentiful and delicious, and the place was packed. We met up with Cyndie and Bob and Hali and her boyfriend Eric and had lunch, then we all walked around the park a bit to let our food digest.
Richie is a very nice guy, 48 years old, salt and pepper hair, about 5'10" tall. He has a 15 year old son that he has custody of 9 months out of the year. We decided to meet there at the gate because we both live in opposite directions about an hour away from the park. It made no sense for him to come pick me up because he would have had to go past the park to do so and then drive about an hour, only to drive back another hour to get to the park. He enjoyed the rides we went on and got along pretty well with everyone. I was told he was pretty shy and that part was true. He did seem to loosen up a bit as the afternoon went on. He is very attentive. I'm not used to that...but I think I could easily force myself to like it. :-) We decided that our feet couldn't take anymore after about 5 hours of roaming around and Richie and I left. I followed him to a nearby pub and we sat in the air conditioned bar. He was a bit more talkative there. After 2 drinks, we decided to call it a day and head home. I was kind of happy about that because I had been all sweaty after being out in the sun all afternoon and I wasn't feeling very comfortable. He walked me to my car and yes...I got a big hug and a nice kiss. All I could think about though was I hoped I didn't stink. LOL I couldn't wait to get home and jump in the shower. Soap and water never felt so good.

So once again I will say I am exhausted. I have the air conditioner going and plan on running it all night.

I am all blogged out. I am going to turn on the tv and fall asleep.

...So take off all your clothes

Oh my goodness, another post. Two days in a row even. I must be bored. LOL

I've done my banking and bills, cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry and cleaned up and defragged my PC. It's only 11:30. I showered but I am still in my bathrobe. It's already hot outside, 89 last time I checked. I have the A/C on low so it's not too bad in the house at the moment. I have some errands to run a bit later and I have to stop at my parent's house and drop off some boxes for my niece Crystal. She's packing up some things for storage and I always have packing boxes around here. All of the Avon is delivered in heavy cardboard boxes that are the perfect size for storage.

From there, I will be heading to Rose's house. She lives about 45 minutes north of me in a small town called Pittsfield. It is located in the Suncook Valley along the Suncook River. The river runs right down the middle of town, and is actually the 'centerpiece' of the downtown area. Rose and Steve live in a house way up on a hill that pretty much overlooks the town. In the summer you can't really see much because all of the trees are in bloom, but in the winter it is an amazing sight. They have about 5 acres of land and there's a huge apple orchard down behind their property. It's very peaceful up there and when I have been up there at night, we will sit out on the deck and do some stargazing through Steve's telescope.
The hot air balloon festival doesn't actually start until 4pm and there is a threat of thunderstorms later this afternoon so I am going to go to her house around 4 and we will assess the situation then. If the weather holds, we will take a ride over to the fairgrounds. Otherwise, we will hang out at her house and enjoy each others company. One thing we both can do well is talk and entertain each other.

Jessie called me last evening and her parents want to meet me so she and Eric are planning a dinner at the end of the month. She is very nervous about this because her parents are, in her words, 'very different' from me. I laughed and told her I would be on my best behavior, I won't use any cuss words and I will use the right fork and all that. LOL She said I wasn't the one she was worried about. Apparently her parents are not supportive of her living with my son without being engaged or married and have been pushing them for a change in their marital status. I think it's crazy, they have only been a couple for less than a year and have only been living together since April. And Jessie is only 18. I think that's way too young to get married. Anyway, should be interesting. LOL I'll take pics.

Lazy Lainie needs to get off her ass and get dressed. I'm coming down from my caffeine high...I drank about a half a pot of coffee this morning.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Me

It's Too Freeking hot!

94 degrees here at home but I know for a fact it was hotter in the city. I am sure someone out there is loving this heat but I am not. The good thing is it is very cool in the building where I work. They keep the A/C going full blast and we actually need a sweater or long sleeve shirt in there most afternoons. I don't complain, I keep a long sleeved denim shirt in my locker for that reason anyway. But man...when I walked outside, the heat was like a slap in the face today. Definitely up about 10 degrees from yesterday.

It was moving day today at work. Every once in awhile, some dumbass gets an idea and decides that rearranging the production floor is necessary. Usually it is because one department is downsizing and doesn't need all the space they have, or someone is gearing up because of increased orders. In any event, our happy little home in the bowels of the building, was turned upside down this morning and we were all moved out onto the main production floor. They are apparently going to expand our room and add more work stations and be ready to start work on a brand new contract. Once the managers make up their mind...they waste no time, believe me. In about an hours time, they had every work station moved and ready to go. It was one big rush. We didn't even have time to clean our area, they just put our work benches on wheels and moved them to our new home. Not so sure I like this very much because my seat is in a direct line with my managers office and he is going to see every move I make. I am a good worker, don't get me wrong. But I also like to alleviate stress sometimes by instigating the others. I am now afraid that my actions will get someone else in trouble so I am going to have to watch out. I also heard he has told other people in that area to stop talking or to be quiet. This sucks, because I love to talk. LOL And our group is a good group and we all laugh and get along great together. Gawd, I am going to have a hard time behaving myself.

I have tomorrow off so I plan on sleeping in and then running errands. Sometime in the afternoon I am going up to Pittsfield to the Hot Air Balloon Festival. I missed it last year but I won't this year. I know the best time to go is early on Saturday morning because that's when all the balloons go up...but I have the company picnic on Saturday so I am going to go up tomorrow and take my chances. They have all kinds of events and vendors but I really just want to see the balloons. My friend Rose lives nearby so I am going to pick her up and take her with me. I haven't seen her in a couple of months so I am looking forward to it. After we walk around and get some pictures, I am going back to her house to have dinner and hang out.

Saturday is the company picnic and so far the weather forecast looks good. Usually it rains...so I normally don't bother going. But I got tickets this year regardless. I actually have a date too...so it will be fun.

Shaping up to be a very busy weekend. I hope everyone is staying cool. I'm keeping the A/C going, that's for sure.

Lainie