Gotta love Friday!

I know I said I would post more a few days ago but I really haven't had anything exciting or blog worthy happen this week. The weather has been weird. Warm and sunny one day and then cold and rainy the next. Today was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 70's and tomorrow should be the same. Gotta love that! I have the weekend off and made sure I picked up my groceries today after work so I don't have to bother with that chore. I live near a campground and in the summer, the one grocery store in town is always busy on the weekends with the influx of campers. There is also a State Park about 3 miles away and a lot of people stop at the grocery store to pick up ice, beer and other necessities for a day at the lake.

I was supposed to go to a BBQ at a friends house this evening but she had to have outpatient surgery this morning and she isn't really feeling up to it. I called her earlier and we decided to reschedule for June 30th. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this rum now...but I can pretty much assure you the bottle won't stay sealed. I'll probably have to buy another bottle before the 30th.

Cal's daughter is home after spending a year in Arizona. He is so happy to see her since he hasn't seen her since January but the circumstance of her return home is not a happy one. She and her husband of 3 years have decided to end their marriage. It's a long dramatic story but in the end he decided that a fling with another woman means more to him that saving his marriage. I feel for Heather. She's a sweet, sweet girl, and like her father she always sees the good in everyone. She's been trying to hang on for several months now but she's finally realized that she just doesn't factor into his life anymore. She is heartbroken and was reluctant to come home but I think Cal and her mother convinced her that she should be with her family.
She wants to spend the weekend with her Daddy so I hope to finally meet her sometime next week.

Well I am boring myself so I can imagine how bad it is for those who might be reading this. LOL

While I was at the store earlier, I picked up People Magazine with Matthew McConaughey on the cover so I guess I'll go drool for awhile. Have a wonderful evening!

Hugs you all.

L

Update

Just a quick update...the doctors appointment went quite well, better than I expected. Blood pressure was remarkably good and although he detected a slight wheeze in the lower quadrant of my right lung, he said it wasn't anything to worry about and overall he was pleased. Since he had only given me a weeks worth of the steroid meds and I hadn't taken any in well over a week, he is going to grant my wish and hold off on the steroids for now. However, if I have a flare up then I can expect he will write a long term script...pronto. But a small victory nonetheless. I have to return in a month for a follow up and also have some bloodwork done before the next appointment because my thyroid levels are low and he's been keeping an eye on that too. The results from the bone density scan were not available yet so he will call me with those as soon as they come in.

I was pretty much skipping out of there today. Hopefully I can stay healthy and stay off the nasty steroids. That's my goal anyway. And I truly feel 100% better than I did 6 months ago.

Time for bed. Will post more tomorrow.

The Morning After

Good Morning everyone. A bright sunny day it is...should be in the mid 70's, sunny all day and just a beautiful late spring day. And why is this so significant, you might ask? Well let me tell you why. LOL Yesterday it was gloomy, overcast, chilly, and rained most of the day. Even had a bit of thunder rolling overhead off and on. NOT the nicest day for an outdoor pool party/BBQ at all. So we ditched the pool part of it and moved Sara's graduation party to my parents house which is just down the road from my brothers place. It was obvious the pool was not going to be used and my father offered his garage and patio where we would at least have some cover and still be able to use the grill. We set up some tables on the patio, part of which is covered, filled the coolers and made the best of it all. We had a blast. It all turned out just fine but I was not that optimistic when I got up Saturday morning and saw the weather report. Sara was so happy to have everyone there and you couldn't wipe the smile from her face all day. OK so maybe those frozen fruity rum drinks I was making for her helped just a little bit. Anyway, it turned out to be a really fun day and my brother has offered to host our 4th of July bash in a few weeks. Hopefully the weather will co-operate and the pool will get some use.

Since we kind of invaded my parents house, I stayed behind and cleaned up. I had bought way too much food so I packed all the uncooked food back into my car and stuck it in my big freezer. I could have saved the money I spent on Coke and Pepsi products and bought more beer. I would not recommend getting a cake with any kind of blue in the frosting. That stuff stains. We were all walking around with blue lips and teeth and I still have a slight shade of blue on my fingers.
I am glad I have today to recover. By the time I got home last night, all I wanted to do was take a shower and hit the sheets.

I do have to run to the store later today to pick up some milk and get my prescriptions at the pharmacy. Eventually I will get dressed and do that but for now, I am content to sip my coffee and relax.

Back to work tomorrow. And back to the doctors in the afternoon to discuss the results from the bone density scan. I'm getting to the point where I really hate going there now and see these visits as nothing but a waste of time. I wonder if he can tell? LOL

Happy Sunday...hope you are all able to enjoy the day.

TGIF

Good Morning! I hope you all have a wonderful start to the weekend. I definitely welcomed the extra sleep this morning. I've been doing a few boring jobs at work the last few days and it really makes me tired. One of my co workers is out of work indefinitely on medical leave so I've been picking up the slack a bit in her area. It's a job I did when I first started working there...entry position kind of work, and I had forgotten how boring a job it is. Also frustrating because I spent the week training someone to help out only to find out the trainee is leaving next week for a month's vacation to Bosnia. Communication people!! LOL

Sara came home last night and I could tell right away she was in a bad mood. I made a few light hearted comments to her and she pretty much grunted and blew me off so I gave up and went back to watching Jay Leno. She got ready for bed and then hollered out to me that she was freezing and the house was like a meat locker. LOL Slight exaggeration but she is always cold and I was comfortable. It was chilly outside but I had all the windows closed except for my bedroom windows. I got up and closed the windows and then turned turned the furnace on. She hollered out a thank you and all was quiet again. I could see the dollar bills flying out of the chimney but I really didn't want to hear her bitching all night.
This morning, she got up for work and her mood had not changed. Trouble in paradise, perhaps? She was trying to be quiet since I was still in bed but you know how that goes. You're going to drop the butter knife in the sink or knock over something as you tiptoe by. Plus...she may only weigh 125 lbs, but she walks like a 2 ton elephant. After she started to blow dry her hair...I had had enough and got up. She was making her lunch in the kitchen and I asked her if she was in a bad mood or something. She said rather sarcasticly, how could you tell? I asked her what was wrong and she didn't want to talk about it. She gave me a hug and a kiss and said she was supposed to be going to a graduation party tonight but wasn't sure of her plans now. I am guessing whatever happens today between her and Brad will dictate whether she goes to the party or not. She just better be here for her own party tomorrow.

Back to the dentist today to get that filling replaced. Then I am going to pick up my brother and finish up the details for the graduation party. My father has been hard at work making ice for the last couple of days. LOL He called me last night to tell me not to buy any because he's been using the ice machine at the lawyers office where he works and he's got several bags ready. He also brought a big ice chest to my brother Dave's house yesterday for all of the beer and soda. He thinks of everything. :-)
Dave said the pool is ready. The water is cold but it's clean and ready for swimming. The weather report is not going to be the best for swimming anyway...possible showers in the morning and maybe some sun in the afternoon. Oh well...that's just how my luck goes. Today would have been the perfect day for a pool party.

I better get moving here. I'm still not dressed and I have some laundry to finish.

I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore...or maybe I am?

Holy Smokes...what an afternoon of thunder and lightening we've just had! Last night the weather report was possible severe thunderstorms around noon time today and man he hit it right on the head. When I went outside for lunch around 11:45 the sun was shining and it was starting to warm up. By 12:00 the sky had clouded over and I could hear the rumbling of thunder way off in the distance. By 12:30, the storm was right over us and the rain was coming down in sheets. I had to leave work early this afternoon (more on that later) and of course my umbrella was in the car! Luckily, when I left, the rain had tapered to sprinkling but the sky was black in every direction and the thunder was still rumbling. I drove to my appointment and somehow managed to dodge the worst of the rain as I ran into the building. Thirty minutes later, the rain was coming down harder than it was earlier. Thankfully I remembered to bring the umbrella into the doctors office with me. I basicly followed the storm all the way home and it was pretty severe. Lightening every few minutes and the thunder was so loud. I got home and waited for a flash of lightening, then jumped out of the car and ran into the house. The dog was very happy to see me. The electricity was out. Here I am, home early for a change and I can't go online, watch tv, cook or do laundry. Hell I couldn't even flush the toilet! The storms ended a bit ago and I went outside and cooked on the grill. The power came on shortly after that. The weatherman said we are still under a severe thunderstorm watch and the sky does look a bit dark off to the southwest. Apparently there were a few funnel clouds spotted in some nearby towns as well. Geez...this is NOT tornado alley, ya know.

This afternoon I had to go for a bone density scan. My doctor scheduled the appointment last week after I went to see him regarding a pulmonary test I had a couple months ago. The results from that test told him I have severe asthma. No kidding. Didn't need an $800 test to tell me that. Anyway we've been on the debate regarding steroids to help control the asthma. The meds he had put me on back in December are helping and I do feel 100% better than I did, but he thinks the asthma should be in better control with fewer flare ups. He's probably right, but frankly, the idea of taking medication that has so many side effects, scares the hell out of me. I mean, I've weighed both sides and I do understand what he's telling me. Asthma can be very dangerous and limiting in a lot of ways, but ruining my liver & kidneys, thinning out my bones along with a whole assortment of other ailments seems like a huge risk to take. I'm still not convinced that this is the way to go. What he doesn't realize is I am very stubborn and this wouldn't be the first time I've argued against treatment that a doctor has tried to prescribe. He can write the script but that doesn't mean I am going to fill it.
I have to go back to see him next week. I guess the radiology report will be discussed regarding the bone density test...and we'll go from there.
The scan itself was a piece of cake though and only took a few minutes. The only complaint I would lodge is turn the freaking heat off in that room! LOL After laying on that table for 15 minutes I could have curled up and gone to sleep.

I hear thunder in the distance so I better shut this thing down. See ya all later.

Enjoying the weekend

Wahooo it's Friday! I never thought Friday would get here.

The weather was really good until yesterday. Warm, sunny, no humidity. But a thunderstorm blew through here around 10 last night and with it came the humidity. It's been overcast all day and 80 degrees but feels much warmer. It was raining this afternoon on my way home and got quite windy but right now it's pretty nice outside. I'm going to cook some burgers on the grill when Sara and Brad get here.

Brad has been staying here all week. He moved out of his apartment last weekend but his new place wasn't going to be ready for him to move into until this weekend so he moved his things into his landlords garage and has been sleeping on my couch all week. The only problem with the arrangement is lack of privacy for him. I am up at 4am every morning and I do try to keep the noise level down as much as possible but I know I wake him up. He's grateful for a place to sleep though so I don't think he's bothered too much by it all.

I went to the dentist this morning and even though it had been 2 years since my last cleaning, I only have to have 1 filling refilled, which will be taken care of next Friday. I don't have any teeth bothering me but I was expecting the worst. I did get the expected lecture about flossing and I promise to try but I won't lie...flossing has never been one of my strong suits.

I have no major plans for the weekend. I will be working tomorrow morning for 4 hours or so and then I am going to shop for the food for Sara's Graduation party next weekend. I'll pick up everything except the rolls, and I've made plenty of room in my freezer for the burgers and hotdogs. Note to self...call and order a cake. My brother is making chili and mom is making her famous potato salad. I'll make some pasta salad too since not everyone likes potato salad. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather.

Time to get grilling. Have a wonderful weekend.
L

Not your ordinary Monday.

I did something today that I haven't done in ages. I slept until almost 10am. Saturday night was not a good sleeping night for me and last night we stayed up til after midnight so I am glad I was able to catch up a little bit anyway. The birds are chirping and the sun is shining, it's a little chilly in here still but should warm up nicely.
Sometime around 1am I woke up to what sounded like a waterfall. It was pouring rain outside and I mean gully washer pouring, and I could hear thunder off in the distance. It wasn't long before the storm was right on top of us. A couple of good cracks of thunder and some very vivid lightening and it was over. I am glad the storm held off until after we were all back at home and not during the Fireworks show that went on a couple hours earlier.

Speaking of which, what a fantastic show. One of the best ever! We were all sitting around my mom and dad's house playing cards and the first explosion went off. The radio had said they would start around 9:15 and it was only 8:45. Eric, Jessie, Sara and Brad all took off running down the block to the park and my dad and Uncle Albert grabbed some chairs and headed for the corner. We could see the fireworks pretty well from the corner and except for the really low ones that didn't make it above the tree line, we had a pretty good seat.

Afterwards, we went back to our card game since traffic was going to be crazy anyway and there would be no getting out of there any time soon. We cracked open the strawberries and finished off the strawberry shortcakes Sara had made for dessert. Good job, kid. The only leftovers from dinner were a few hot dogs and some pasta salad which Eric and my brother Henry managed to finish off before we left.

I'm going to make another cup of coffee and flip through a magazine.

Happy Monday everyone.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead.

Just a little history lesson there...I was interested in when observing Memorial Day actually started. Now we all know. LOL

The weekend has started off quite nicely. I woke up around 7:30, which means I got an additional 3 hours sleep, and it is sunny and warm outside. The woods out back are alive with chirping and screeching and all other noises the little creatures make. I've showered and got laundry going and had a couple cups of coffee already while sitting outside on the deck. Cal mowed the lawn last night for me and there is still that fresh cut grass scent going on out there. I am not liking a section of the yard though that has become a bit overgrown with weeds and junk I can't recognize so I think I am going to stop at the flower shop down the road later and pick up a few flats of pansies and assorted colorful flowers and brighten up that area. I've got day lilies and a rose bush in that area but that stuff won't bloom for another month and I want to see some color. Everything in my yard seems to be a few weeks behind everyone else's yard for some reason. The violets and lily-of-the-valley are just now starting to bloom. The irises are tall but still have a way to go before blossoming. I've also got black eyed susans and daisies coming along. I love my neighbors lilac bush and wish I had one of my own. I think I'll go clip myself a bunch after they leave this morning. LOL

It is supposed to be in the mid 90's today which is fantastic since last weekend I had to have the heat on because it was so cold and rainy and raw. I've got the windows open and it is 77 out now but there's a nice breeze blowing and the sun hasn't settled on the house just yet. Once it does, it will get quite warm in here, but there is no humidity to worry about so it will cool down nicely this evening. I haven't installed the air conditioner just yet, I think I'll wait awhile and enjoy the fresh air for a few more weeks.

I've got a few errands to run this morning but then the weekend is pretty much free for yard work, reading and BBQing. I'm taking it easy. Last weekend was so busy and there was hardly time to breathe. I want to just slow it down and be a little lazy.

I suppose I should get the clothes out on the line and get moving. The sooner I get my chores finished, the sooner I can sit outside and start reading.

Be safe this weekend!

Welcome Home Joey!

Earlier today, the oldest son of my good friend Anne arrived in Boston after an 8 month tour of duty in Bagdad, Iraq. He joined the military 3 years ago and has spent most of his time overseas, first in England for a year and then in Italy and Germany for a bit before being deployed to Iraq. I know Anne and her husband are relieved that he is finally back on U.S. soil and I am thankful for his and all our military's service. I hope to be able to see him while he is on leave so I can personally express my gratitude.

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better around here. The last few days have been very sunny and warm and tomorrow we are expecting some 80 degree weather with possible 90's for Friday and part of the weekend. Bring on the sunscreen! I have the whole weekend off, including Friday, so I plan on working on my tan.

I really have no huge plans for the weekend. Friday morning I have to get my car inspected but the remainder of the day is free. Sunday I am going to a BBQ and then the annual fireworks show down by the river in Manchester. It is sponsored by a local radio station, ROCK 101, and officially kicks off the 101 days of summer. This fireworks show is normally way better than the 4th of July show and is synchronized with the music played by the radio station. It should be a good time, for sure.

I'm off to the shower and then to watch the last American Idol show of the season. My opinion is Jordin will win but Sara pointed out to me that last year between Katherine and Taylor, Katherine had a much better voice and Taylor was a better showman and we all know who won, so nothing is certain until the words are uttered by Ryan Seacrest. In any event, I think several of the Top 10 will have decent careers so everyone is a winner.

I hope you all are having a good week and Happy Memorial Day to you all.

A few more pics

Accepting her Award
Sara and her Grandparents
Sara and Brad

Graduation

Graduation

It's been a very busy weekend indeed.

Friday evening was Sara's awards ceremony at UNH. I would guess about 250 students were awarded various academic awards based on their credits and grade point average. Sara was awarded a white cord to wear with her cap and gown for her GPA which has stayed pretty much between 3.25-3.50.
After the ceremony her father and I took her and her boyfriend Brad out for dinner. It also happened to be my birthday so it was a nice combo celebration.


Saturday morning we were up early and headed to the University. Since the keynote speakers were the 41st and 42nd Presidents of the United States, I knew security was going to be tight and I wanted to make sure we had a decent seat. The weather was not going to co-operate so we decided we would watch the ceremony from the indoor arena. They were going to have jumbo screens set up so we could watch and I thought we would actually see better anyway. As soon as we got on campus, we were directed to a large parking facility and then boarded a bus that shuttled us to the arena. They had closed down the campus to traffic at 6am, and only necessary personel were getting through. We had plenty of time to spare so we wandered around a bit and picked a good seat. The rain tapered off right before the grads filed in to Cowell Stadium. (And no it was not named after Simon Cowell LOL) I spotted Sara in the crowd when the former Presidents were filing in. She was franticly taking pics and shook President Bush's hand.
The speeches were awesome and except for a couple of asides regarding female presidents made by Bill Clinton,(the university president is a female) the speeches were mostly geared towards the students being citizens and not politicaly influenced.
The last student received his diploma around 3 hours later and the last speech was given. Sara caught up to us after awhile and we all posed and took pics. She had to go back to her dorm and finish packing so we jumped back on the bus and got shuttled back to my car. We went to her dorm and helped her clean up, loaded my car with as much as it can hold and headed home. The rain started again right on cue as soon as we got home.
I am very proud of my baby and I know she worked really hard to get where she is today. We will have a big party for her on June 9th.

Today was supposed to be my day of rest. LOL I am so tired, I even took a nap this afternoon.
I've been helping Sara organize her room which is no easy task since she is a pack rat and her room was already packed with stuff before she moved the things from school into it. I think there will be some over spill into the spare bedroom but I am discouraging that because I have been trying to make that room into a sitting room. She seems to think every spare corner in the house is hers to fill up. NOT!
It's good to have her home again but I can already see issues that will need to be addressed. She is not the neatest person in the world and I have been used to cleaning up after myself the last 4 years and not her too. Funny how fast they return to their childhood when it suits them.

I have posted one of my favorite pics taken yesterday and that is of Sara and her big brother after graduation. Definitely a keeper.



Time for another nap, I think.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a very busy weekend so far. Starting on Friday, which was supposed to be my day off, I had to attend a class at work on time management. I am still not sure exactly why I was included because almost all of the other people in the class were managers, supervisors and group leaders, but I figured, why not, let's see if I can play with the big dogs. The class was an all day affair and actually was pretty informative. There were lectures and then hands on implementation of what was taught, work simulations, etc. After our last exercise, we were given a clock that we built during our simulations. So, the benefit for me was, a free lunch, a clock, and some hands on experience of what managers do to try to make the work flow easier and keep the wasted time to a minimum. Oh and 8 hours of overtime.

After class I went to visit my Mom and ended up staying for dinner. My brother BBQ'd and we played cards before and after dinner. Not a bad evening and I figured I would just get my banking, food shopping and other various errands done on Saturday. I would be wrong. LOL

Saturday morning I got up early and started on my laundry. I got tied up on the phone though, and never made it out of the house on time. So I skipped the grocery shopping and banking, and decided I can do that on Sunday, since the rest of my day was pretty full. I made my way to the post office and then to Manchester to pick up a birthday gift for my friend Elaine. She and I went to High School together and her birthday is on the 28th. We were having lunch at noon so I wanted to make sure I had her gift with me. I had planned on picking that up last weekend, but got lazy and never made it to the Mall. I wandered around the Mall for 20 minutes before I saw the perfect thing. She has 4 grandkids and she's always bringing photos of them for me to see when we get together so I picked out a pretty photo album that holds 48 photos. It's got a bright yellow sunflower on the cover. I also filled a gift bag with various chocolates and a Powerball ticket. I hope she remembers me if she gets lucky.
Anyway, we met at Cactus Jack's Restaurant, which serves very yummy Mexican food. It was awesome to see her again, and since we figured out it had been almost 2 years since we last managed to pull this off, we ended up sitting at the restaurant after lunch for about 2 more hours, chatting away. Of course, she pulled out her envelope with recent photos of the kids and grandkids, so she was thrilled when she opened her gift bag and saw the photo album.

By the time I left the restaurant it was after 3pm and I headed home to take the dog out and make sure he was fed. I then headed over to Eric and Jessie's new apartment. They moved in about a month ago and Jessie called earlier in the week and asked me to come hang out with them. Jessie had prepared a wonderful dinner and we then played Monopoly for several hours. I got my butt whipped, but that's ok. Right before I left, Eric handed me a box from Zales Jewelers ^insert eye popping here^. Inside was a beautiful, delicate tennis bracelet with Opals (his birthstone) and tiny diamonds. I was floored! Sooooooo pretty. It is a combination Mother's Day and Birthday gift. He said he knew my birthstone is Emerald, but I already have a lot of Emerald stuff (he's right) so he decided on the Opal. He couldn't have made a better choice. It's lovely and although I don't wear much jewelry, I will wear this. He was a little disappointed that I didn't cry. He said he always goes for the tear factor. I will be sure to brag and show it off every chance I get.

So, that brings me to today. I still have to pick up some groceries and I did my banking online already. The rest of the day will be relaxing and hanging out with Cal. I spoke to Sara on Friday and she 'might' stop in for a visit this afternoon, but she still has 2 more finals to take so she's got a ton of studying to do. She also has to start moving out of her dorm soon since Graduation is next week.
On Friday, I am taking a half day off work to go to her Academic Awards Ceremony. She will be getting an award for maintaining a 3.5 average and I think she gets a special colored cord to wear with her cap and gown. Then Saturday morning is the BIG DAY! I'm so so excited. I am sure it is going to be a three ring circus since Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. are the Commencement speakers but I wouldn't miss it for the world. Pictures to follow! ;-)

I hope all you mom's have a Happy Mother's Day today.

Apple News

Apple Computers announced today that it has developed a computer chip
that can store and play music in women's breast implants. The iBreast
will cost between $499 and $599.

This is considered to be a major breakthrough because women are always
complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to
them.

Thanks to Apple, everyone is now happy

Saturday Musings

It's the weekend...Yahoo LOL

The week was a tad bit long for me but I muddled thru. Things have been pretty slow at work since we've caught up on all our backlog. We were so used to having more work than we knew what to do with and 11 hour days were the norm for me and now we're back to our regular schedules with more people than we need. So three girls have been transferred to another department, and we've had all overtime cut for the time being. Yesterday I was asked if I would want to give my Supervisor a hand and do the daily production reports, line status and some general computer entries. It would give me an additional hour or two of work a day and frankly, all I want to do is keep busy because trying to make 4-5 hours of work last for 8-9 hours makes for a very long and tiring day. I also see this as a stepping stone to a promotion. I have my yearly review in December and it would be really nice to move up another notch.

I took the dog to the groomers this morning for his perdicure. They are so good there, very quick and accomodating. He got the award this morning for being the cutest white chihuahua they've seen today. Kind of funny since we were the first appointment. He has to make his rounds when he gets there and goes behind the desk to visit the ladies especially if they are busy and ignoring him. They also have a few cages with animals up for adoption and we always go and check out the new arrivals.
Casper is a white persian male cat that lives there and he wasn't having any of Hunter's hyper activity this morning. After three attempts to make friends and getting his nose swatted each time, Hunter decided my lap was a safer place to hang out. I think he was a little sad.

It's a little overcast and chilly this morning but the sun peeks out from time to time. It's going to be mid 60's by the afternoon and that is fine with me. I've got laundry out on the line and another load in the washer. Most of the housework is done for a change. I've just got the bathroom to clean and make up the bed once I get the sheets off the line. I am going shopping this afternoon for an outfit for Graduation. I've only got this weekend and next so I better get a move on.

Well that's about it for now. Such an unexciting life I lead. Take good care.

L

MEN'S ORTHOPEDIC MATTRESS





AVAILABLE AT BOOBS, BUTTS & BEYOND

It's Monday!

The weekend is here!

It's been a challenging but productive week. After all of the long hours and extra work, we finally shipped a 750 piece order to Iraq on Wednesday. It was the first on time order we've managed since last Fall and I will say...it felt GREAT. I did the final inspection with the Government Inspector on Tuesday morning and it really feels good to accomplish what we thought it would take another 6 months to do. Of course, now that we are back on track, we don't need all the extra help we were given and Thursday two of the girls were transferred to another department. I suspect a few more will be leaving us before too long. My job is safe because no one else wants the responsibility to do the Final Inspections with the Government dude. They all think he's scary. I know he has the power to shut down Production if he doesn't like something, but I am not intimidated. I make sure I have every thing dotted and crossed and I also have a hidden supply of chocolate to bribe him with. All you have to do is ask him about his grandchildren and you've got it made.

Because we shipped out order on time, our department was able to enjoy an entire weekend off. I also took Friday off as a Mental Health Day. I didn't get up until 7:30 and spent the morning drinking coffee and watching morning talk shows that I never get to see because I am working. Around 11:30 I headed out to run my errands and then stopped by my parents house for what was supposed to be a quick visit. I ended up staying for a couple of hours visiting with my folks, my brother and my niece and nephew. It was a nice afternoon. After I left there, I got some groceries and then came home. Cal got called into work so my dinner plans changed and I ended up reheating some leftover lasagna. I called my friend Rose and we spent a couple of hours on the phone. (She's doing very well btw and her hair is growing in really fast.)

I had lunch with some former co-workers this afternoon then went to Wal-Mart to pick up a new paper shredder. One thing I hate about Wal-Mart is it doesn't matter when I go into that store, I can never just buy the one thing I need. I always find things I want or could use on sale so of course what starts out as a quick trip in ends up as an hour long stroll through the store with a longer register receipt. But I have some nice new kitchen towels and new drinking glasses. I also picked up a nice picture frame for a friend who is having a birthday next month. Rather productive visit, I would say.
Lunch was pretty good. We went to an Oriental Buffet and Sushi Bar. I am not a Sushi eater but did manage to find lots of yummy items on the buffet. Not bad for $7. I seriously doubt I will need dinner tonight.

The rest of my day is free to do some housework (which I am NOT doing as you can see) and maybe watch the Baseball game a bit later. The NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox are always a good rivalry game to watch. The Sox have won the last 4 games between them this season. Let's hope they can win again today.

I guess I better get my butt in gear and get a few things done around here. The dust doesn't remove itself for some strange reason.

Me

TGIF

Wow another week in the books. I got paid today and enjoyed my dough for about 2 hours. LOL I paid some of my bills, picked up some Hydrangeas for my mom's birthday today, wrote a check for Sara who's birthday is tomorrow, and put some cash in my savings account. I still have to pick up my prescriptions tomorrow.

I stopped at my parents house this afternoon and dropped off the pot of Hydrangeas. I didn't know if my mom even liked them but I saw them in the flower shop and they were so beautiful, I couldn't resist. There are 5 huge blooms in the pot, bright pink, and she can plant them in her garden when she's ready. They should bloom again every year.
She has always had a green thumb, unlike me, and she normally has a very colorful array of flowers and plants all around her front and back yard. I wasn't the only one who brought her a plant. My brother gave her a beautiful hand painted flower pot filled with African Violets. They are very different because they have white petals with a blue center and the underside of the petals are a dark shade of blue. Usually the flowers are purple. Of course she didn't want to discuss her birthday and she wishes everyone would just forget about it, but after all of the health issues she's conquered in the last few years, I think she should celebrate being 77. It's been a busy couple of days for her and my dad. Yesterday they celebrated their 55th Wedding Anniversary. She said she is just glad she is still somewhat sane...my dad says he is happy she hasn't followed through with strangling him.

As mentioned, tomorrow is my baby girl's 22nd birthday. I had several ideas of ways to celebrate, but she has plans of her own so I guess I will have to just take what I can get and 'maybe' see her on Sunday. :-( Imagine that...the person who gave her life, carried her for 9 excruciating months, went through hours of labor, bandaged her bloody knees and elbows, stayed up nights when she had a tummy ache, drove her and all of her friends to the Mall before she could drive herself, made her chicken pot pie even though I was sick to death of it, (you get my drift) and she would rather party with her friends. What nerve! It's alright. I will just sit by myself and look through my photo albums. I still have my memories. (Am I breaking your heart?) LOL
Actually, since she will be busy tomorrow, it frees me up a bit and I can get my yard work done. I've got a lot of branches that came down during the last 2 storms and I want to clean up the deck so I can restain it in a few weeks. The weather should be perfect for some outside work.

At work, we have finally managed to catch up with our backlog, and next week we should make our April shipment on time. It's been 8 long months of late or shorted shipments, but finally, everything came together and we busted our hineys to git er done. As a reward, Dave has given us this Saturday off. (What a guy) I am hoping that if we can keep things going and make next months shipment on time as well, I can take an extra day off for Memorial Day Weekend. I am also looking into taking a full week off in July. I have nothing planned just yet, but I'm sure I can come up with something.

It's time to pour myself a tall one and kick back and relax. I've been reading a Stephen King book (Cell) and maybe I can actually finish it this weekend.

I hope it's warm where you are.

L

Sun's Out!

Just a quick update. It stopped raining this morning around 9am. The sun came out shortly after 10 and it's been a very bright and cheerful day. A little breezy but temps were in the mid 50's when I left work so I'm not complaining. And a sure sign of spring...I could hear the peepers (aka treefrogs) loud and clear in the pond beside the house. The weatherman is calling for mid 60's tomorrow and 70+ on Saturday. Yahooooo!

Many roads in town are still closed but not because they are flooded. In a lot of situations, there are huge sections of asphalt missing from the roads. I can pretty much get anywhere I need to go in town but I can't take the conventional way to get there. Just a minor inconvenience.

The phone lines are still down so we're being told to expect to pay for any purchases with cash or a check because the debit/credit card machines are offline. This is not a problem for me. I normally pay for everything with cash or a check anyway.

Gotta go cook dinner. Have a wonderful evening.

Me

Rudy's Last Chance To Save The Nation

April Showers...

...Ok well maybe not showers. More like April FLOODS! Holy smokes!! I can't believe the size of this Nor'Easter. It started here in southern NH around noon on Sunday, as wet snow/sleet. I would say about every half hour or so it changed over from snow to rain to sleet to snow again, etc etc, etc. By late afternoon it was coming down as all rain. That wouldn't have been so bad but then the wind kicked up and the rain was coming down sideways. It poured all night long and most of today. I am not sure how much rain we will get out of this but I am sooooooooo glad it isn't snow. It isn't raining right now but the sky is gray and the clouds are heavy. Weather reports say we will be getting rain and snow off and on until Thursday.
Getting to work today wasn't too much of a problem for me. I have a straight shot down my road for 1 mile to the entrance of the highway and then it's clear sailing (literally, LOL) for 20 minutes to work. Several of my co-workers however, weren't so lucky. Many of them had to turn around and go back home after finding roads on their way that were impassable. There were many tree limbs down across the roadways and a LOT of flooding. The rivers all around Southern New Hampshire and all over New England, I assume, are well beyond their banks. Hundereds of roads are completely under water. More than 700,000 people have no electricity. A lot of families have been evacuated from their homes.
I have power, my house is dry and secure, and I can get to and from work with no problem. I am very lucky.

My weekend was pretty good. I didn't have to work Saturday so I got a good jump on my housework early in the morning. I also got a lot of junk in the spare room cleared out. Most of it belongs to Sara but she hasn't bothered with any of it for over a year so I seriously doubt she will even notice I tossed out two large trash bags full of stuff. I can probably finish next weekend, and then I can get the futon set up and put my bookcase in there. It will make a real nice sitting room and the futon can be used as a bed when overnight company comes.

Gotta hit the shower. Catch you all later.

Lainie

The Afterlife

A couple made a deal that whomever died first would
come back and inform the other of the afterlife. Their biggest fear was that there was no afterlife.
After a long life together, the husband was the first to die. True to his word he made contact, "Connie....Connie. . .”
"Is that you, Joe?"
"Yes, I've come back like we agreed."
"That's wonderful! What's it like?"
"Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast and then it's off to the golf course. I have sex again, bathe in the warm sun and then have sex a couple of more times. Then I have lunch (you'd be proud ( lots of> greens) another romp around the golf course, then pretty much have sex the rest of the afternoon.
After supper, it's back to golf course again.
Then it's more sex until late at night. I catch some
much needed sleep and then the next day it starts all over again."
"Oh, Joe you surely must be in Heaven!"
"Not exactly... I'm a rabbit on a golf course in Arizona."

Happy Easter

Is it April or January?

I thought it was Spring. The calendar says it is Spring. The dang groundhog said way back in February that we would have an early spring. My Bo calendar says it is April but after a week of rain, snow, sleet and cold weather...I am beginning to wonder. It is supposed to be colder on Easter Sunday than it was on Christmas. What was supposed to be a little spring storm, became 6 inches of heavy wet snow Wednesday night into Thursday. Around 10 pm on Wednesday my power went out. I climbed into bed and tried to keep warm but I kept waking up every couple of hours. The alarm on my cell phone went off at 4am and still no electricity. That meant no heat, no water, no cooking. I had to get dressed in the dark, but I figured why stay home, there'd be nothing to do and it would be warmer at work. So off I went, took me 25 minutes to clean the snow off of my car and shovel the snow that was in front of my driveway so I could get the car out onto the road. The road hadn't been plowed at all. There were a couple sets of tire tracks on the roadway so I followed those, but keeping on the road was a real chore. There were several tree limbs, large and small all over the road and trying to get around them and maintaining traction was not an easy task. I thought I was going to end up in the ditch a few times. The only good thing was there was no other traffic at 5am. Yes, I guess I was the only idiot out at that hour of the morning.
I made it to work exhausted but in one piece and several of my co workers had also made it safely. I have to say, as horrendous as that drive was, the scenery was gorgeous. The snow was so heavy that it bent even the large branches on many of the trees. On several ocaissions I had to drive under an 'archway' made by the bending branches, hoping each time that wasn't the time when the bough would break. But it sure was pretty to look at.
The snow stopped mid morning and weather reports said the White Mountains got anywhere from 10 inches to 2 feet. 6 inches was the total in my yard, and my neighbor said the power came back on around 4pm. By 5 my house was warm again.
It was fairly cold today, just above freezing, and is going to be cold all weekend. I guess the snow isn't going to go away anytime soon. And we may be getting another big storm next week. ACK!

I've been really busy at work this week and that has made the week go by pretty quickly. I am tired but I have to work tomorrow morning for a few hours. It stinks because it is Easter weekend and I have a ton of things to do. The kids and I are having dinner Sunday at my parents house but I do a lot of the cooking with my brother's girlfriend so my mom doesn't have to. I will be making the desserts Saturday afternoon but most everything else can be made Sunday. I did get all of my shopping done after work today so that will be one less thing to worry about. I also stopped at the Candy Shoppe and picked up solid chocolate Easter Bunnies for the kids and some white chocolate Bunny Lollipops for my niece and nephews.

Time to tackle a few chores.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.

Lainie

I should be doing housework...

...but I'm not. LOL Good Morning and Happy Saturday to you. It's been a stressful week but that's all behind me now, so I look forward to a peaceful and relaxing weekend.
The week started out just fine. Work was good, we continue to make progress in dragging our asses out of the big hole and had another successful "sell-off" with the government dude. Wednesday morning I dropped my car off at the service station to get the thermostat replaced and pretty much waited all day for them to let me know when my car would be ready. By 3PM I still had not heard anything so I called. I was informed by Roger, the service manager, that he had tried calling me twice around 9:30 and the receptionist would not put my call through, nor would she take a message. While they were working on my car, they noticed the timing belt needed to be replaced and a few other things that were not under warranty as well. Since they won't proceed until they have authorization from me, my car sat in the bay all day waiting. I gave them permission to make the necessary repairs and then went straight to my manager to find out why my calls had not been put through. I can count on one hand how many personal phone calls I have received in the 4+ years I have worked there. It appears that Ms Receptionist is tired of doing her job. Answering the phone and rerouting calls must not be in her job description. We are not allowed to have our cell phones on the production floor, so from now on I guess I will have give everyone my managers extension so he can disrupt his busy day and find me.
Anyway...I called my dad and asked him to pick me up at work and he dropped me off at the service station. My car ended up not being ready until 7PM and I never got home until almost 8. Poor Roger kept apologizing, but it is clearly not his fault. I'm just happy they were able to get the job done so I didn't have to go without a car for another day.

Yesterday, I went for the dreaded Pulmonary test at the hospital. It wasn't as bad as I thought, mostly a series of breathing tests done on a machine that measures lung function and how the oxygen is filtered through the bloodstream, etc. I was stressing about this all week because I had no idea what was involved and was only told the test would take between 90 minutes to 2 hours. The only reason it takes so long is they give you a break after every series of tests. Also, after running all the tests, they gave me a treatment of albuterol on the nebulizer, then had to wait 30 minutes before repeating a few of the original tests. It went by fairly quickly and I will know the results when I see my doctor again in a couple of weeks.

After I left the hospital, I went to visit my parents for a bit and then ran a few errands. I picked Cal up at work and we went to Applebees for a salad. (Santa Fe chicken salad...yum yum) We talked about going to a movie but since he was yawning all during dinner, I really didn't want to have to elbow him during the movie while he snored...so I dropped him off at home so he could go to bed. It was an early night for me but I was pretty tired myself. My bed felt great, let me tell you! I slept like a baby, didn't get up until 8:30 this morning.

I still have to go to the post office and get groceries today. Sara will be home sometime this afternoon so I should get my errands done before she shows up. It looks to be a really nice day outside. Hopefully it will warm up a bit. It's only reading 45F right now. But the sun is out so that makes everything good. There is no snow left in my back yard and only a little left in the front where the plow piled it up on the side of the driveway. I can't wait for the trees to start budding. It looks so barren out there.

I hope you are enjoying a nice weekend. Can you believe Easter is only a week away?
Catch you all later.

Lainie

Time for a new post

Hello all. It's Saturday afternoon, and I am exhausted but decided to take some time and drop a few lines here. Actually I am too lazy to get out of my chair.

I had a fairly good week, work was busy but good. We all got a pat on the back on Wednesday for kicking some butt and making a huge dent in our backlog, and if things keep up, we should be out of the hole in a couple of months. We've been a month behind in our shipments due to a parts shortage way back in September but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I have no immediate plans for a vacation, but I would really like to utilize some of my 80+ vacation hours sometime this summer. I haven't been on a real vacation since June of 2005 when I went to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona for 10 days. I think I'm due.

The only bump in the road this week was Monday. I went to the doctor's for a follow up on my thyroid and all is fine. Nothing has changed in 4 years. The thyroid levels are a little up but not worthy of meds or surgery. We're just going to keep an eye on things. Blood pressure is good too, but now he is focusing on the asthma. He feels the meds are not controlling it as he would like so now I have to go for a pulmonary test on Friday and see how that goes. It measures lung function and will give him an idea on how to proceed. I've had uncontrolled asthma for many years but I have been feeling much better since he put me on new meds back in November. However, he could still hear wheezing when he listened to my lungs. I swear I was feeling great before my appointment, so I think I am having some major anxiety issues. All I know is I am sick of going to the doctors office every few weeks and that is the number one reason why I put off or cancel appointments alot. I'm already trying to think up an excuse to cancel this one.

Last night I went to see Wild Hogs at the movie theater. It was really an enjoyable movie with John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H Macy, all playing middle aged guys with motorcycles who go on a road trip to get away from the stress in their lives. The soundtrack is awesome, if you like classic rock. Can't wait to add that one to my collection. I will probably buy the DVD too when it comes out because it is a movie I can watch many times over. It was a good laugh, a lot of fun. After the movie, we went out for a drink at a nearby watering hole. Not my normal hangout, for sure. We were about to turn around and go right back out when this guy, a bouncer I think, noticed our trepidation and convinced us that no one in there bites. LOL So we grabbed a stool and ordered a drink. No fist fights broke out but we left after one drink. We both had to work this morning anyway.

So...today I got up and went to work, stayed there til 11:30 and then ran my errands. I went to Wally World and picked up Elliot Yamin's CD and a couple of new tee shirts. I also grabbed a new cordless phone and some cheapo drinking glasses. Then I proceeded to the hair salon and got my hair cut. I told her to hack 6 inches off the length but I am not sure she took off that much. My bangs are a little too short but there's nothing I can do about it now except wait for them to grow back in. Good thing my hair grows pretty fast. After that, I went to the grocery store and picked up a few things for the week. I am going to make a pot roast tomorrow in the crock pot. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
My work week is over, everything is put away, Elliot is singing, (I really am enjoying this CD, he's got a really nice voice), the phone is charging, and I am seriously thinking about getting up off my bum and doing some vacuuming and dusting.
I know there are other things I need to do but I don't want to tire myself out. I've got all day tomorrow too.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

Me

Snowed In For The Weekend

Mother Nature must be really pissed. Just 2 days ago we were enjoying 70 degree weather and today it's 20 and we are in the midst of another Nor'Easter. Oh happy day!
It started snowing around 2PM and I would guess there's about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground already. I left work at 3 and driving was HORRIBLE! The roads were slick but what is worse is people who drive just way too fast in this type of weather, trying to get home as fast as possible. They only slow everyone down when they slide off the road or crash into someone else and that just makes it impossible for everyone. I made the 22 mile commute home unscathed but it took me 45 minutes and I saw 4 vehicles off the road and a couple of accidents involving 2 or more vehicles. The latest weather reports are calling for 8-12 inches of snow before it turns to rain sometime tomorrow, ending by mid day. Needless to say, I am staying put for the night. I stopped at the grocery store and picked up the necessities, (milk, bread and Diet Coke), and the fixin's for my St. Patrick's Day dinner. I'll cook the corned beef and cabbage tomorrow since I won't be going anywhere.

Cyndie and I have decided to go to the movies another time. We were going to go see Wild Hogs this evening but neither one of us wants to be on the roads tonight. We'll try again next Friday.

My week has been a long one. I'm not sure if it is the time change or the hours at work catching up with me but I have been really tired all week. I never have been bothered by the time changes before but I really had a difficult time getting my butt out of bed every morning this week. I am soooo looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning and if I have it my way, I am not getting up til 9 or 10AM.

I was coming out of the Post Office on Wednesday and noticed what I thought was dirt on my car, just to the left of the center on the hood right above the front grill. I realized as I got closer that it wasn't dirt, but a lovely dent. My license plate took a bit of a hit too as it was scratched and the plastic frame around it was cracked. All I can assume is someone backed into my car while it was parked and then drove off. This could have happened anywhere, work, the grocery store, the bank, Applebees...I really don't know because I am not sure when it even happened. I am not in the habit of walking around my entire car and inspecting it everytime I park it somewhere. All I can say is some people suck. I realize my car is 5 years old but this is the first brand spanking new car I have ever bought in my whole life, and I work hard to keep it clean and nice looking. I have a $500 deductible and I don't think it will cost a lot more than that to fix the damage although I haven't had an estimate done yet. Either way, the repairs are going to come out of my pocket and that really rattles my chain.

The wind is howling outside now but it sure does look pretty with the snow all over the pine trees. I'm just glad I am inside and not out there. I wasn't hungry when I got home but I am now so I am going to make something for dinner.
See Ya!

Lainie

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Good Morning!
I hope you all remembered to turn your clocks ahead an hour, because I didn't. I just now figured out that I am an hour behind. Good thing I didn't have to be anywhere this morning.

Went out last night with Cyndie and we had a great time. We ended up watching a movie at her house and then went out to Applebees for dinner. Even at 8:00 we had to wait 15 minutes for a table. Dinner was excellent and then we hopped over to a local bar for a couple of drinks. I dropped her off back at her house around 11:45 and headed home. I think we're going to go see a movie on Friday evening...probably Wild Hogs with John Travolta and Tim Allen. It looks like it could be pretty funny.

It is so sunny and nice outside, I have my furnace shut off and a window open. It is supposed to stay in the 50's for the next few days so hopefully that will get rid of most of the snow in the yard. We had some rain last night which also helped with the melting. After being in a deep freeze for the last week, I am loving this. I may take a walk later but I don't plan on doing a whole lot today. I worked 59 hours last week and this is my day to lounge around and watch some movies. I have already cleaned the bathroom so I don't want to overdo it, you know.

Cal has someone going over to his place today to try to fix his computer. I personally think it's fried and he should just bury it. That dinosaur has seen better days, in fact, he's still running Windows98. When I saw that...all I could do was make the sign of the cross over it and say, "May you rest in peace." He wasn't amused. LOL

Sara was home yesterday and she wanted my opinion on which picture she should put in her college yearbook. They all came out really nice and we narrowed it down to two, then disagreed on which one to use. There isn't much difference between the two, so either one is fine. I'll scan and post them so you can see.

She also told me all about the date she had the other night with Brad. Brad??? Who the heck is Brad?? What happened to Travis?? I was shocked to find out she and Travis, her boyfriend of almost 2 years, had broken up 3 weeks ago. Don't these kids tell their mothers anything anymore? I don't know how she expects me to keep up if she keeps me in the dark. LOL Anyway, she hasn't been very happy for the last few months and I know Travis can be a bit rigid and controlling, and she was starting to feel like she was always the one who had to change plans or drop everything so they could spend some time together. He goes to college 2 hours north of here and he never seemed to want to drive down here to see her...it was always her going up there. So she broke up with him, and has been having a ball participating in school events, which I think is a good thing because she's only got a couple months left so she may as well enjoy it to the fullest. Reality sets in after graduation, baby, so have a blast NOW!

The sun is shining very brightly and I can see all the dust on the tv and entertainment center, so I better get my butt off here and take care of that. I hope the weather is nice where you are. Have a lovely Sunday!


Sara's Yearbook Photos

Baby it's cold outside!

Ok this below zero crap has got to stop. It's March already, where's the dang sun anyway? It's been below zero for the last three mornings and today it only got up to 8 degrees F as a high. The weatherman just said to expect up to -30F tonight with wind chill. I am glad I have no plans to go outside this evening. My car wasn't too happy about starting this morning and it's going to be even more miserable tomorrow. I certainly hope this is the last of the cold. It's time for some warmer weather.

I've been working late every night this week so by the time I get home, I eat and shower and it's time to sit in front of the tv for an hour before I fall asleep. I left work earlier today but got my taxes done so that's one more thing out of the way. I am getting a decent return back but I expect this will be the last time since I won't be able to claim Sara as a dependant next year. I am going to start having payroll take some additional money out of my check so I can be sure I overpay and get some money back. It's hard for me to save money week to week so I normally bank my entire return every year. I've never been one of those people who look forward to their return so they can splurge on all the things they have wanted all year. A few of my friends have already been on shopping sprees and have blown their entire return. I'll ask them a month from now what they spent it all on and I bet they won't be able to tell me.

I watched last week's Jericho episode on On Demand last night and wow...it's really getting good. I missed last night's episode but plan on catching that this weekend also on On Demand. Gotta love Comcast. LOL I have been keeping up with Survivor through On Demand too...since American Idol has had my full attention Tues. Wed. and Thurs. I have to say, I was not that impressed with the contestants in the beginning but I certainly am now. A few of them have really come into their own so to speak, and I am making an early prediciton that Melinda will come out the winner.
She really is my personal favorite. She's so humble and she seems surprised that people like her, every week. I think that girl is ready to become a star right now.

I was not able to get to Maine last weekend as planned, but I am hoping to get up there in 2 weeks. The roads weren't bad on Saturday morning but they were predicting snow for Saturday night into Sunday and I didn't want to take the chance of getting caught in that. I don't mind driving in snow when I have to, but when I don't have to...I'd rather stay put. You get my drift...I am sure. LOL

I am spending this Saturday morning working and Saturday evening I am going to hang out with my friend Cyndie. Her husband is away at some training school for the National Guard and it's my turn to keep her company. We're not quite sure what we're going to do but it will include a movie and food and drinks, although not necessarily in that order. However, if we start off drinking...we may as well stay in and cook dinner and watch a movie cos neither one of us will be in any condition to drive. I am sure we will figure out something.

Time for me to hit the shower. I hope you are all having a good week. Stay warm!

Lainie

Welcome to March

March 1st and it was a really nice day here today. 43 degrees, sunny and just plain spring like. However...tomorrow we are going to return to winter in a very nasty way. Another Nor'Easter coming up the coast and this time I think we are really in for it. Forecasts of late are calling for anywhere from 6 inches to a foot before changing over to sleet and freezing rain. This storm has a lot of moisture attached to it and depending how it tracks, the ski areas could get up to 2 feet of new snow in the next 24 hours. Thankfully I live a couple hours south of the ski areas. However, I am not a big fan of freezing rain. Knowing the storm will start out as snow during the night tonight, I am not too concerned with getting to work in the morning. But coming home is not going to be pretty. Of course, even with all the latest high tech equipment, the weather forecasters can only predict so much, so I guess I am going to keep a wait and see attitude. I'll get up in the morning and see what's on the ground, before making my decision. But a snow day sounds really good, especially for a Friday!
Of course this storm is also putting a huge dent in my weekend plans. I just talked to Rick in Maine and they are naturally going to get the same storm but hours after it hits here. They are also forecasting a lot of snow up in his area and a change over to sleet during Friday night. That means the roads might not be very good to be travelling on Saturday morning. I guess I am going to have to call there Saturday morning before heading out because no matter how much I love those guys, I am not going to get stuck on some ice covered road in the middle of Maine, or worse yet, end up in a ditch off the road.

I have been enjoying American Idol this season and I have picked my Top 6 favorites. I really liked Jared, Phil and Blake this week for the guys, and Melinda, Lakisha and Sabrina for the girls. I think the guys did way better than the girls this week, and I had a hard time picking just three guys. I love Chris Sligh's voice but not a fan of his personality. And I think Chris Richardson has great appeal and will do well.
I am anxious to see who will be voted off tonight.

I've got a ton of things to do before 8 so I better get off here and get moving.

Hope you are all having a good week.

Lazy Sunday

It's Sunday morning and I really should be doing something productive, but I am not. And I probably won't...it's my day of rest!

I had digital voice installed at my house yesterday to add to my digital cable and internet. Comcast made me an offer I couldn't refuse and with the free long distance and all of the phone features included (which I have been paying extra for using my other phone carrier) I should be saving a decent amount of money each month. I can also save some money on my cell phone bill by going with a cheaper plan since I won't be using that so much. One of the main reasons I had a cell phone in the first place was for the long distance. But in order to save minutes I would often wait until after 9pm to make calls. Now I can call anyone I want at any time and not be concerned about the time I spend on the phone. Considering that with Verizon, my free calling area was not very broad and even calls to my family just 20 miles away were considered long distance, this is really a nice benefit.
While the guys were here connecting my phone, they upgraded my modem and made sure everything with my computer was working great. They were very amused with my wallpaper on my computer, what I call my bedspread. I can just imagine what they all had to say once they left my house...like man, this woman lives in a real fantasy world...or something. LOL Had I known they were going to turn on my PC, I would have changed the picture. Oh well...what can I say? I love my bedspread!
Along with the "bundle' they offered me some premium movie channels for an additional $10. I've got HBO and STARZ with On Demand. I haven't been able to really check that feature out yet, but maybe today there will be some good movies on.

I was planning to stay home last night but ended up going out with some girls from work. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant and had our fair share of nachos and Margarita's. I only had 2 drinks because I had to drive home, but spread them out over the course of the evening and ended up having a real good time. At least I am not nursing a hangover this morning. I don't think that the rest of my companions are feeling too well. I'll be making some phone calls in a bit to find out.

I just talked to Rick in Maine and if the weather holds, I am going to go up there next weekend to visit the mainiacs. I haven't been up there since October and it is about time. They are all really super people and they make everyone feel so comfortable in their home. Rick said he is planning to make his chickenless pot pie for dinner Saturday night. LOL I offered to bring the chicken. I am sure most of you know the whole chickenless pot pie story, but for those who don't, Rick is an awesome cook and one night he was so proud of his chicken pot pie that he made. He even made the pie crust from scratch. Everything apparently was so delicious until they realized that there was no chicken in the pie. He cooked the chicken, but forgot to add it to the gravy with the veggies. :-) Blossom told us all about it and Rick has never been able to live that down. I am certainly looking forward to whatever culinary delicacy Rick has to offer. Haven't been disappointed yet with anything he has cooked. It's always a good party up there with Rick, Blossom, Mazz Tweetie, Pup and the gang. Let's just hope the weather co-operates!

I suppose I should get moving here but first I want to post a pic of my bedspread! Hope it comes out as good as it looks on my PC. LOL Enjoy!

Have a relaxing Sunday.

Me

It's HumpDay!

Having a Monday off from work, really makes the work week go by nice and fast. It's almost Thursday, which means it is almost Friday...etc, etc. I have to work this Saturday but only until noon so it won't be so bad. And since I pretty much goofed off all last weekend, I guess it wouldn't hurt me to put in a few extra hours. We have plenty of work, so my days have been flying by as well.
For those of you who don't know, I work for a government contractor who manufactures weapon sighting systems, infra red laser systems, night vision goggles, just about anything optical, for the military. I work out on the manufacturing floor doing a little bit of everything from assembly work to paperwork. Whenever we have completed an order that needs to be shipped, it is my job to do a final test of a certain amount of units randomly chosen by the government inspector. Everyone in my department is scared shitless of this man because basicly, he can shut down the entire operation if he sees something he doesn't think is up to par. Since I am the last person to test the units before they are prepared for shipping, I am 100% confident that they will pass his inspection. I am also not intimidated by this guy like everyone else is. It is my thinking that if I show fear, he will chew me up and spit me out every chance he gets. He tries to rattle me, but seems to be impressed that he doesn't. Today we had another successful 'sell off' shipping 400 units to the Army. I seriously doubt that today's events will prompt my boss, Dave, to give us a pat on the back, so I made sure I did it myself. LOL (Of course, Dave was not at work today. It was rather nice out for February 21st and I suspect he was busy taking advantage of a mid week ski package somewhere up North. Who needs him anyway?)
My mom had cataract surgery this morning on her right eye. Everything went very well. In fact, the surgery only took about 15 minutes and she was back at home within an hour of the time she left. She had her left eye done a few years ago and said the improvement in her vision was amazing. Just the thought of anyone poking or doing anything to my eyes makes my eyes water. I used to wear contact lenses and that wasn't ever a problem, probably because I was putting the lenses in myself.
I started watching cataract surgery on a medical show one time and couldn't bear to watch. I guess it's best not to think about it. I am sure eventually I will be in the same boat.
Time for my shower, then American Idol. Enjoy your evening.
Hugsss

Prez Day

Happy Monday! Today was an especially good Monday because I had the day off. Any day off with pay is a good day as far as I am concerned. It sure was nice to sleep in this morning. I had a lot of errands to take care of today, one being having some blood drawn at the Lab. My doctor was not pleased with my thyroid levels when I had blood drawn a few months back so he's been rechecking every 4-6 weeks to see if anything changes. It seems to me that I went through this 4 years ago but that was also around the time I ended up having gall bladder surgery and I think we all kind of forgot about the thyroid. I have to go back to see the doctor on March 1st for another blood pressure check, (he changed my meds last visit), and I am sure he will address this as well.
Saturday night Cal and I were supposed to go out for dinner but ended up having dinner here with Sara, Eric and Jessie. I know that there is going to come a time when I am going to have to beg them to come visit me (like when I am in the HOME) so we changed our plans and made it a family evening. It turned out to be a good time. We played cards after dinner until Eric and Jessie left, then Sara watched a movie with us. Well, let me rephrase that, we put The Departed in the DVD player and we all fell asleep for about 2 hours. I guess we'll have to try that one again.

It was a nice day yesterday and we wanted to get out of the house so we took a drive up to see Rose yesterday. She and her husband live about an hour North of here so it was a nice drive and a fun visit. Rose was very pleased to be able to whip off her hat and show me the peachfuzz growing on her lil bald head. If you close your eyes and rub her head, it feels like a tennis ball. LOL She looks really good and feels even better. On our way home, Cal and I stopped at a quiet little restaurant in Epsom and had an early dinner. I think they were happy to have some customers because we were treated like royalty. There was only one other couple seated at a table and a couple of single people sitting at the bar, but the place started filling up about half an hour after we got there. Every time I touched my water glass, it was refilled, and we were attended to by just about every person on the wait staff. The food was excellent, and I thought the prices were good, especially the daily specials. I had baked stuffed haddock with a salad and Cal had a steak, baked potato and cream of broccoli soup. The dessert menu looked awesome but I was too full from dinner to bother. Cal on the other hand...well when I asked him how his Whoopie Pie was he just smiled and nodded. I think that means it was good. It looked marvelous! LOL

It's back to work tomorrow. Ugh. Why do the weekends have to go by so fast? The only good thing is I know I will be very busy all day so hopefully the time will pass quickly.

I've got to go unload the dryer and make up my bed, then jump in the shower. Have a good week everyone, stay warm.

Lainie

St. Valentine's Day Blizzard

I know I am way overdue for a new post so I thought I would take a few minutes and wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. I hope all of your sweethearts showered you with candy and flowers. I won't see Cal until the weekend but I got a nice card from him in the mail today and he has called to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day. We are planning to go out to dinner Saturday evening, so I am looking forward to that.
Mother Nature decided to give us New Englanders a nice Nor'Easter today. We've had everything from snow to freezing rain, strong winds and white out conditions all day. I did get to work this morning without a whole lot of trouble. Amazingly enough, everyone in my department managed to come to work today, despite the storm. I think we were the only department with 100% attendance. Well that's not counting our managers...who BOTH decided to stay home. I decided to leave early and get a head start on the evening commute. As soon as I got outside and started cleaning off my car, the snow turned to sleet and that didn't feel so good on my face with the wind whipping everything around like it was. The drive home was horrific, to say the least. It was a struggle to keep my car on the road, and I had to stop a couple of times to chip the ice and snow off of my wiper blades. What normally takes me 25-30 minutes on a good day, was a 1 hour trip home. And when I got home, my driveway hadn't been plowed out yet so I had to dig out a spot for my car. Of course, about 15 minutes later, the plow dude showed up and I had to get my boots back on and move my car. I hate winter, I really do. It's just so inconvenient.
Anyway, the driveway is plowed, my car is cleaned off (although it is still sleeting out there so I know I will be chipping that off in the morning), I've had a hot shower and had some tomato soup for dinner. I'm half watching Return to Jericho, which is a 1 hour recap of the show Jericho which continues next Wednesday after a long hiatus. I'm only half watching because I have seen every episode so far. I'm really looking forward to it starting up again.
I just poked my head out the door and it looks like the snow has picked up again. I guess that's easier to brush off of the car than ice. It's 20 degrees outside but the wind chill makes it feel like zero. Brrrrrrrr (Have I mentioned how much I hate winter?)
I think I'm going to find my blanket and my puppy and get ready for Idol. Stay warm everyone, I hope you're all having a good week.

Hugsss
Lainie

Go Bears!

Sunday already...the weekends sure do go by quickly. I woke up yesterday not feeling very good, my head was hurting and my nose was all stuffed up. I thought I was coming down with a cold so I took some cold meds and went back to bed for a few hours. When I got up, I felt a tad bit better, although I couldn't shake the headache. I had a bunch of errands to run though so I got dressed and headed outside to clean the 3 inches of new snow off of my car. The snow was light anf fluffy, the sun was shining, but it was very windy. I jumped back into the car and blasted the heat. An hour later my errands were done and I was able to head back home. All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed but I made some tea and dragged my butt to the sofa. Next thing I know the phone is ringing and it's 2 hours later. Sara was on her way over and was hoping I had something cooking for dinner. Since I was going out, that was a negative, but I tossed a frozen pizza in the oven and it was ready by the time she got here. She stayed for about an hour and filled me in on graduation in May. Apparently they were able to get former Presidents Clinton and Bush, Sr, to be the keynote speakers at their Commencement. How awesome is that?? Security is going to be crazy...(hopefully I will be felt up...err...I mean patted down by a nice looking Secret Service dude.) They are still working out the details, since it would be nice if the families of the graduates could be at Memorial Field where the graduation is being held...but those bleachers only seat so many people and it is usually first come first served, then the rest go to the arena and watch the ceremony on the big closed circuit tv. Frankly, I wouldn't mind watching the Commencement from inside the arena...it is climate controlled and last year it poured throughout the entire ceremony. Considering they usually run around 3 hours or more...I'd rather take my chances indoors than being out in the rain or in the hot sun. Definitely will be an exciting day!!

Last night I went to Cal's brother's birthday party. It was a good time, kind of quiet for a party, but it seems that the whole family is pretty quiet and sedate. Glenn acted surprised but admitted later on that he had a suspicion that something was up. He seemed to enjoy all of the attention though, and liked his gifts. I didn't stay too late since I was still fighting a sinus headache, but I was glad I was there to meet some of the other siblings. Cal's older sister is like a mother to everyone she meets. She isn't much older than I am but she reminds me of Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show. You can just imagine her with an apron on baking pies in the kitchen.

I'm feeling a bit better today. No more headache and the over the counter meds are keeping my sinus passages drained. Hopefully it doesn't turn into an infection, definitely going to keep an eye on that situation.

I've made beef enchiladas and spanish rice for dinner. I was expecting Eric and Jessie to come for dinner but they decided to stay home to watch the game. Probably a good idea, since they both have to work in the morning and so do I. No problem...I will have dinner and leftovers for lunch tomorrow (and the next day LOL). I can now watch the game in my jammies too! LOL things are looking up.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Take care

Lainie

Hi honey, I'm home!

Hello hello I am home early today. Yipeeeee!! Well being home early is good but having to come home to let the appliance service guy in, well not so good. I haven't been able to use my oven all week because the igniter was dead. So I left work at 2pm and came home. Matt, the technician, was sitting in his truck in my driveway when I pulled in at exactly 2:30. Normally they tell you they will be there between 2 and 4 and show up at 6...he told me he would be here sometime after 2:30 and he was early! I'm still in shock. He replaced the igniter and was on his way 20 minutes later. Now that's what I call service! I've got a batch of brownies baking right now. The girls at work will be so happy tomorrow.

I hope everyone is having a good week. It's been rather chilly here the last few days but today it's not too bad, sunshine and 35 degrees right now. We are expecting snow tomorrow so I imagine my commute to work will be rather miserable, but I've driven in much worse so I'm not going to stress out over it. There's enough stress at work...believe me. Two days in a row my manager has managed to make the two supervisors in our department cry and that's not cool. I do understand he is under the watchful eye of his Supervisors but the problems we have encountered in our department are the result of mismanagement in other areas, not because we are all screwing around or because our supervisors don't know what they are doing. We got an entire month behind schedule because someone in Sales took orders without first checking to see if all the parts necessary to build these things were available. Had he/she done their job...they would have found out that one very key Printed Circuit Board was no longer in stock or available from the vendor. By the time a replacement was found, 4 weeks had passed and we were in deep doo-doo. So that is why we are all working 50+ hours a week and it never seem to be enough. Anyway, I'd rather not think about that now that I am off the clock.

On Saturday I am going to a birthday party for Cal's brother, Glenn. His 40th birthday was early last week but the siblings figured he was expecting a party last weekend, so they decided to put it off a week and really surprise him. He'll never be expecting it this weekend. As far as I know he has no idea, so this should be good. I have only met one of Cal's brothers and one of his sisters so I am pretty excited about meeting the rest of the family.

I really should go and get a jump on my chores. I've still got laundry to deal with and a puppy to play with. Hope you are all having a good week!

Lainie

Holy Moley it's cold outside!

Happy Friday to YOU! It's been a long work week and it isn't over quite yet since I have to work in the morning for 5-6 hours. I suppose I can manage that. I have only logged 52 hours so far this week, what's another 5 or 6 right?
Winter has made a very nasty appearance. When I got up this morning at 4am it was -4 degrees F outside and the wind was blowing like mad. Once I got dressed I ran outside and started my car, then ran back inside, finished getting my lunch together and finished my tea. By the time I was ready to leave, my car was plenty warm and I had a fairly decent ride to work, except for the few times the wind nearly blew me and my vehicle onto the other side of the highway. It's insane, how cold it is with the wind chill and all. I don't know how those crazy people who smoke can stand it, standing outside during their coffee breaks and lunch, puffing away. If I was a smoker, I think I would quit for the winter. LOL
Work was ok...I was pretty busy for the whole day so it pretty much flew by. I left at 3 today...decided to treat myself to a short day. Stopped at the bank and then picked up some groceries and came home. I've got some chicken boiling on the stove to make a big pot of soup with. I am hoping it will warm up these old bones. I can hear the wind howling out there now.
Short interruption...Sara just popped in for a quick visit. She's on her way to Plymouth to visit her boyfriend at school and had to pop in to pick up her mail and smooch her puppy, not necessarily in that order. And yes I got a smooch too! LOL
Anyway, I guess I am glad that I am staying in tonight. I opened the back door to let the dog out and had to boot his little rear end to get him out there. I think he took care of his business in record time!
Monday was my dad's 77th birthday. He had too many things to do last weekend so tomorrow afternoon I am taking him out for lunch. Not sure where he is going to want to go but I am betting he will either want Chinese or seafood. Either one works for me.
I suppose I better get busy in the kitchen...just wanted to catch up a bit. Hope you are all staying warm. Hugssss!
Elaine

BBBRRRRRRRR

Good Lord it is cold out there. I've got a reading of 9 degrees F but the wind is so strong, I am betting with wind chill it feels like -10.
The kids all just left after spending the evening here. I made chicken broccoli alfredo over pasta with garlic bread for dinner, and had a couple of movies to choose from to watch. But we got a card game going and we all just played until it was time to call it a night. Of course, calling it a night only pertained to the old folks, since the night was just beginning for the kids, who were all going to a friend's house for a party. I love having the kids around, but frankly, I welcome the time when they go their merry way too. I think I've had my house to myself way too long now, because sometimes the noise gets on my nerves. They tend to forget they are around a parental figure sometimes, which is a good thing I guess, but I am not a huge fan of the language and name calling (all in fun of course) they use around each other. I had to remind them a couple of times...hey mom in the room. All in all, though, I do like the fact that they still enjoy coming over to hang out with ole mom once in awhile.
Cal is about to fire up one of those movies so I am going to join him and take advantage of the body heat.
Stay warm.

Lainie

How's your weekend going?

Hello...Happy Weekend, what's left of it. This was my Saturday to work and thank goodness I only had to put in 5-6 hours. So I got up early and did my time...LOL...now I can relax for the rest of the weekend. I ran my errands after work yesterday and all I have to do today is vacuum and some laundry.

I think winter has finally arrived. It has been rather chilly the last few days and it is very dreary outside right now. The forecast calls for snow and freezing rain tomorrow and Monday, but it really looks like it could start at any minute. I guess our run of good luck has left us. I can't remember another January 13th and not a flake of snow on the ground in New Hampshire. Even the ski resorts have very little to work with although since the temperatures have dropped over the last couple of days, they have been able to call back a lot of the folks they laid off earlier in the month and can now get the snow guns blowing. I'm not a winter person even though I have lived here my entire life. I have only been on skis once, I don't ice skate and my days of sledding and tobogganing are longgggggg gone. Do you know you can break a freeking hip doing that? The older I get, the less I like dealing with the cold and snow. I will shovel, but only enough to dig a path from the road to my front steps. I will dig out the tires of my car then pray I can gun it and drive away. I have a very sweet neighbor who will plow my driveway for me for pretty cheap, but I have to be able to get my car out of the dooryard so he can do it. Aaahhhhhhhh winter in New England...the good news is...wait there is no good news. Spring is still too far away for there to be any good news.

Gonna hit the chores...have a wonderful Saturday.

Lainie

I got Mail!!

Had a wonderful surprise waiting for me when I got home this evening...I saw the box sitting in front of my door and could hardly wait to get in the house so I could open it. I had just about given up all hope that my surprise package from Marvin was going to make it at all. I tore open the box and dug down into the crumpled up paper inside and found something in the shape of a calendar there all wrapped up in pretty red Christmas paper. Wow someone must have been reading my mind cos I had just mentioned the other day that I didn't get any naked (or half naked) men calendars this year. Well...the man in this calendar is not naked but naked men are over rated. I have a clothed Bo Bice smiling at me every day now for a whole year! What a wonderful surprise, Marvin, thank you so much. (She knows me so well.) The pictures are awesome and when I get done drooling over them again, I'll put it up on the wall right beside my desk.
While I am here, let me just say the last couple of days have been crazy at work. Looks like I am back to my 50+ hours a week schedule. My boss spent part of last week rearranging our whole room, moving desks and work stations around, down sizing some of those work areas and generally causing a lot of discontent. I have several bruises already on my knee from whacking it on a rack that was too close to my chair, and my left elbow took a small beating banging into another piece of equipment. I did manage to reorganize some of the work space so I don't end up in a cast. So far he hasn't said anything, but if he does, he will see more of my leg than he ever planned to.
I'm off to make some dinner. Thanks again Marvin, I love it. I hope you have a GREAT vacation!!

Hugs
Lainie