once-a-year

for our annual trip this year, mary and i went to port townsend. i had this thing about wanting to ride the train, so i took amtrak from bellingham to edmonds, got off, met mary, got in her car, drove around the block to get in line for ferry tickets, and 10 minutes later we were on the ferry which, nicely, is right-next-door to the amtrak station. thirty minutes later we got off the ferry and took a lovely 30 minute drive to port townsend. life doesn't get any better than that.

we stayed at fort worden which is a big, beautiful campus with old buildings, some of which are for admin purposes, and some of which are rentable -- duplexes, little houses, rv and tent sites, and a hostel.

we stayed in a little house which had a kitchen, living room, bathroom with shower and towels, and three bedrooms. the kitchen was fully equipped, all we needed to bring was the food.

the weather was perfect -- sunny and around 70*. we checked out the whole fort worden area including the castle (a three-story stone house which can be rented but has only 1 bedroom), the lighthouse, and the observation balloon building. the balloon building was a real stumper -- it is about 3-stories tall with huge doors on one end and several balconies on one side. we finally found the info which explained it was used to house observation balloons for three years back around 1918 and that it is now a pavilion. no further explanation, however, as to whether it's used or rentable or what. very curious building.

we shopped in port townsend (the fort is on the outskirts of town) which has lots of wonderful shops and eateries. there was a health food store for provisions and a goodwill for books.

our favorite eating places were Victorian Square Deli (underground) and the Landfall Restaurant with a gorgonzola and carmelized onion burger which is absolutely to die for!!!

i decided i really liked the town and when i came home i told the husband i thought we should move there. he readily agreed. so as soon as this housing market shows some energy, we will revisit the issue and get serious about maybe making a change. i expect it to be no sooner than 2-3 years, though.

an excellent vacation and one which recharged our batteries. yay for girlfriend get-aways!

overheardinnewyork

Man: Hey, is that postcard in 3D?
Woman: Nope. It's just normal d.

Student #1: Yeah, but for Christmas break I'm gonna be in South Carolina.
Student #2: Really? I'm gonna be in North Carolina! Maybe we'll run into each other!

Thug #1: Nigga, you all old-like 'n shit. You be like, sixteen goin' on sixty.
Thug #2: Me?! Nigga, you got that shit all backwards. Look at Jerome. He be sixteen goin' on dead.

Father, to five-year-old son: I had no idea you liked AC/DC!

Mother, to son in stroller watching two shady characters: Oh, a drug deal! Sam, your first drug deal encounter.

Girl #1: Oh my god, he is *so* hot!
Girl #2: That's a woman!
Girl #1: Oh my god! Does that make me gay? Am I gay?

poor yorick

hello again!

i don't know how it ends up that i have no time, but it's true. i need to tell you about my trip with my girlfriend, but it's time for me to get ready for work so ... alas.

i have another vignette i need to put in, but no time ... alas.

and i have other details i need to impart, but ... alas.

and it doesn't look like it's going to get a lot better. but i will try. for now -- the trip was great, the vignette is two-parts, my daughter-in-law had emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy and they hadn't even know she was pregnant but she's fine now, i'm getting a new computer, my grandaughter's first birthday is next monday, and i know there are more things which, of course, i can't think of now.

later.

alas.

coming right up

the girlfriend and i are taking our annual trip this weekend. we used to be gone for a week, but we're both so popular these days that it has been cut back. friday i'm taking the train south and when i get off the train i'll head next door to the ferry, meet her, and off we'll go into the wild blue. then we'll head back to civilization on monday, do some final things, and go our separate ways.

i expect to have a lovely time with lots of catching up, eating of wonderful foods, reading, and touristing.

next agenda: scotland!

astro-physics man

My Younger Son had his quals today. they're a very big deal. he did an excellent job of preparing himself for the ordeal and came through with flying colors! he was only stumped by one question out of the many the four advisors asked and he felt really good about the whole experience.

i am soooooooo proud of him! and for him, too!

now it's onward and upward to his ph.d. he's got about six projects in the mill and when he gets them finished, he'll be close to the prize.

isn't he excellent?!

today is ...

Mmmmmmm, i smell the smell of home-made bread, fresh from the bread maker. the loaf is filled with sesame seeds, flax, pearl millet, oats, pecans, cranberries, cherries, and cinnamon. delicious!!!

it's a lazy day today. raining, cool, quiet. the thermostat is set on 50* and it's about 65* right now. i'm comfortable with a couple of silk turtlenecks, a polartec vest, and polartec pants. this weather is just my style!!

the husband hired a young friend to install an awning over our west-facing window. the window is huge (58" by 52") and in the summer it lets in LOTS of light. and heat. so with the awning, we'll still have lots of sky-view, but the sun will have less entrance into the kitchen. it looks great and i think it will work nicely.

our next project will be to put a pergola on the deck. we found plans for a lovely-looking one and are anxious to get the project started. when that's finished we hope to plant some bushes strategically so as to maximize the privacy of our small yard. i think it's all going to turn out great.

make-up

heads up -- clinique is having their twice-yearly gift-with-purchase in bellingham at macy's october 12-26.

teeth, 2

and so while i was at the dentist office, they mentioned doing that test where they slide this super-sharp needle under your fingernails, i mean under your gums so they can take this mysterious measurement to see if you are having any gum disease.

that frickin' test hurts. i hate it. i don't want it. i told them so. they were unhappy/nervous. i love my dentist though, and she came in to talk with me about the whole thing saying it was something that was supposed to be done yearly, and that it had been three years since it had been done, and i asked who made this law or rule, and she said lawyers.

well, shit. so we talked a little longer and reached a compromise and went ahead with the test. as it turns out it was a good thing to have done. if a person gets 1, 2, or 3 with this test, that is normal. if they get a 4, that is a warning. if they get a 5, that means there is the grumblings of dental disease starting and measures need to be taken. i actually had several 5s.

considering how much trouble i take with my teeth, 5s is astonishing. i brush every day (sonicare) and sometimes twice, i floss at least twice a day, and i use that little rubber-tipped thingy to go around my gums while i'm sitting and reading.

so the hygienist told me about this little bristly toothpick thingy. i like it and bought a bunch. key-ryst ... i don't know what else i can do about these teeth.

but back to my original point -- there's a law or rule which says someone can invade your body against your will????? when did that rule get made? and how in the holy hell did the american public let it happen? that is so disgusting i can hardly sit still. it majorly pisses me off. and to my way of thinking, it is much, much worse than the motorcycle helmet law.

teeth, 1

i went last thursday to have my teeth cleaned. before i have that done, i always have to take four pills (antibiotics) because i have lymphedema although i'm not sure what the connection is. anyhow, this time when i swallowed the pills, something didn't go down right and i got this really bad pain in my chest. it would come and go throughout the day and it was always very uncomfortable. it was still there the next day. and the next. and the next.

here it is four days later and that pain hasn't quiiiiite disappeared. between feeling that pain if i'd swallow a bite or take a drink of water, and having a burp present itself at the most mysterious times, i really don't want to take any more pills.

i've lost five pounds though. i mean, who wants to eat something and feel pain with every swallow?!

i spy

counterintelligence is alive and well. check this out (edit below):

The U.S. Commerce Department's security office warns that "a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone." An article in the Financial Times last year said mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call."

Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones, said James Atkinson, a counter-surveillance consultant who has worked closely with government agencies. "They can be remotely accessed and made to transmit room audio all the time," he said. "You can do that without having physical access to the phone."

honestly, i'm all for whatever it takes to get the bad guys, but ... what the hell?! civil liberties!

revenge

a very good friend of mine mentioned recently that she has an aquaintance who has herpes. i don't know how long she's had it, but she was pissed when she found out she'd gotten it and now she's sleeping with every guy she can talk into going to bed with her -- without telling him about her condition.

yes, i'm sure she's very angry about having contracted the disease, but i'm appalled at her irresponsible behavior and complete disregard for everyone else. in fact, if there were some way to turn her into authorities and legal justification for it, i would do it.

sure, everyone has to be careful about sex these days, but for her to sweet-talk someone into bed with the express purpose of getting back at men? that's disgraceful and immoral and i wish it were punishable. a month in jail with daily appts with a counselor, for starters. this is one sick chick.

my weekend

don't you just love three-day weekends? you have an extra day to just do whatever you want. except they somehow fill up and you may or may not get to just lay around and do nothing. but still .... three days!

we went to see the grandaughter yesterday. she's growing so quickly. and cute!! she is adorable! and smart!! she is walking by herself (took off at 9 1/2 months) and saying words (she's 10 1/2 months now) like mama, dada, and lamp! they aren't crystal-clear yet, but by the time they are she may be reading the dictionary.

i simply cannot wait to see what she decides to do as an adult!

life

there are times when i wish the hubby and i had the same body-clock. i mean, he's a morning person and i'm a night person.

he wakes up all jouncy-bouncy-boy and i'm block-of-mud-girl. he hums, whistles, sings as he practically skips around the house. i stay tucked into myself trying to keep the world away, including sunshine, noises, and any form of cheerfulness.

in the evening i'm ready to PAR-TAY, run marathons, lead the charge, etc. he has faded into a gentle willow-the-wisp, droop-eyed, the switch almost turned to off.

i can't help but wonder what our lives would be like if we were on the same schedule.

milestones

my mother, Betty Rose, was born on this day eighty-two years ago. she died in january, 1988.

i still miss her.

food for the tummy

i made soup today! yummy!

it has: bacon, barley, basmati rice, onions, garlic, beets (beet, stem, and leaf), swiss chard (stem and leaf), carrots, tomato sauce, mushrooms, and radishes.

our weather this summer has been pretty excellent and i love it that i can have home-made soup in august!

number ple-yuz

well, this will be interesting. i've been fed up with verizon for more than a year and have diddled around trying to figure out which service to switch to. try as i did, i couldn't summon up any answers.

today i just happened to be glancing through the aarp bulletin (i have never looked at it before in all the years we've been getting it) and saw an ad for Consumer Cellular. the thing that caught my eye was that it doesn't insist on a contract. (there was also an ad for jitterbug cellular, but when i looked at them online i was very UNimpressed.)

so i went online to check it out and liked what i saw. one of the nicest things is that i don't have to call verizon to cancel my service and put up with them trying to talk me out of it. i just switch the number over to CC and it magically happens.

sure, it may turn out i don't like the phone i got (it's nokia which i already know i do like) or we may have a problem with service, but we'll see. i've got 30 days/30 minutes to make up my mind.

the monthly plan is 200 minutes for $19 with 100 texting messages for $2.38 (a 5% aarp discount is figured in -- when i gave them aaa as a reference, i didn't get ANY discount).

it may not be the best deal in the world, and i just remembered it doesn't have a camera, but, really -- how many times did i use the camera with verizon. not very often. and if i like the service i think i'm going to be happy with the phone. that will be a nice change.

p.s. the replacement battery for this new phone is half (ONE HALF) what it cost from verizon.

what i love

there are some really great artists who have their music played on Groovera and one of the most recent excellent artists is Ulrich Schnauss. every single one of his tunes which has played on Groovera has been superlative! his music is sort of in the style of Joey Fahrenbach, Jeff Woodall, and Delerium.

Excellent music from all four, wonderful, very talented artists/groups!!!!!

progress...

my work area is a reception area, complete with several two-minute chairs (you can only sit in them for two minutes before you need to get up and walk around), a couple of counters, some reading material, an office hallway, a door to a conference room, and a window to the main hallway upon which the elevator opens. the window starts about waist-high and goes up about three feet.

at any rate, the other day one of the officers i talk with poked his head in the front door and asked if i'd seen the escalator they'd put in out there in the hall. 'what?' i asked, amazed. 'i'll show you,' he said and turned and got on the down escalator whereby he smoothly traveled down past the window. in short order he came back up the escalator as i was laughing my head off.

he stuck his head back in and said, 'they put in an elevator, too,' and stood behind the window, reading an imaginary book, and descended. pretty quickly, still reading the same book, he ascended back to our floor.

it was hilarious and i am going to have to ask him to do it again the next time i see him!

z-z-z-z-z ...

and since i've been so busy at work, i've been dreaming like crazy at night.

last night i had a bunch of dreams, one of which involved living in a different house. it was a nice older neighborhood with nice wooden houses and nice yards. i don't remember much except that we lived in the third house from the corner, then my dream went somewhere else, then the dream went back and i had switched to living in the house on the corner. i couldn't figure out what had happened, but i liked the one on the corner better. and i didn't like the guy who was in the middle. i think i dreamed about the house because i had been looking at houses for sale in anchorage and found this absolutely darling house with a big yard on a corner. the problem was that it sat in an area which had a lot of businesses around it. too bad.

the next dream i had was the husband and myself going back to work as air traffic controllers. i can't remember what facility we were at, but after working one airplane, i decided i didn't want to be a controller after all. i wanted to be an instructor. then i woke up.

elegant professionalism

this has been a busy time at work -- the big boss has hosted a two-day conference which means that donna bobonna and i have been taking care of getting the table set up, the food put together and laid out, and cleaning things up to get the next layout in place.

sheesh! it's been stressful and exhausting. this is only the second one of these i've been involved in and i'm glad it doesn't happen very often. got there early yesterday, stayed late yesterday in addition to the day before. my mind can't get into my other work because i have to keep being aware of the timeframe/do the next thing on this conference.

ah well -- this afternoon it will be over. donna bobonna and i will take our tablecloths, platters, bowls, flowers, napkins, placemats, and other pretties back home and relax. but the next time i'm at value village i'm going to see if there are platters/tablecloths/etc which would do that i can just leave at work rather than toting my things around.

like i said, it hasn't been horrible, just stressful. and i think if i did it often enough i'd get good at it. i'm just not sure i want to be good at it.

just yanked that sucker out

well, that was interesting. my dental extraction was this morning. i got there in plenty of time and read while i waited for my 10:45 appt. then they took me back and the assistant talked with me about a couple of things, put some numbing gel in my mouth, and leaned me back a bit.

the doctor came in and said hello, looked in my mouth, then took the syringe in hand. remember in the old days when the doctors would shoot you full of novocaine, how it used to hurt when they'd give you the shot? this was like that. (it was septocaine, i think) the shot on the outside of my tooth caused me to flinch *owwie*, then he reached in to the inside side and gave me that *goddamnsonofa* shot and then he was done. it was pretty quick but yuck! the inside shot was no fun.

then he took his dental tool, grasped my tooth, gently wrestled it around a little, and voila! it was out! took about 90 seconds! apparently the tooth was being rejected by my body which helped it come out. i couldn't believe it had come out in one piece, but he got all of it and didn't even need to place any stitches. he left for other adventure, the assistant gave me the speel about not swishing/spitting/drinking with straws, gave me a handful of gauze, and sent me on my way. i was driving home by 11:30.

yes, i'm glad it was easy. no, i didn't like the shots. yes, i'm glad the trouble-making tooth is gone. no, i don't like having a tooth gone. yes, i know that life isn't fair.

honestly, bits and pieces of me are just disappearing into the past.

and that's the truth, by crackey!

my life has been very full lately. so full, in fact, that i haven't had a bit of time to devote to my volunteer job with Groovera. :( -- very frowny face!

the last thing to come up is i have a cracked tooth. a part of it came apart about three years ago, so my dentist put a crown on it and it worked fine. then it was giving me trouble so she did a root canal and it worked fine. now it appears to have a crack up into the root which means it needs to come out. the oral surgeon mentioned today that a tooth which has had a root canal can be brittle, and that must have contributed to the crack. it's been soooo uncomfortable that i just want it out. and so wednesday my wish will be granted. it's a fairly minor tooth (#4 -- upper right, toward the back) so he's just going to deaden it rather than do the whole iv/sedation thing. thank god.

a slight difference

i got this video from MYS and since i know you probably don't check out his website as often as i do, i wanted to give you an opportunity to see this video before it disappears into the milieu of the past. i was sooooooooo pulling for the guy at the end.

fun and games

my youngest bro sent me a fun time-waster the other day. just click on the ball and see it change color.

yelpie-yi-yo-ki-yay

hey, do you guys already know about yelp? i just discovered it today and signed up. mainly so i can write reviews on restaurants. i also wrote one on my dentist, who i really like.

finally you can complain/compliment someone or a place. hopefully the comments are true and not just blather.

so .... did you already know about it?

the old and the new

my co-worker, Mr. Billy GG, decided to start his own blog. if you're interested in reading the rants and ramblings of an old, opinionated, irish dude, go here. personally, i think he's going to get tired of it real fast, but we'll see. he has some good thoughts as well as some which are way out there. and it won't be hard to figure out that he's a republican.

we're off to see the wizard...

today was m's last day at work. she's moving to north dakota which is closer to her roots as well as her family.

my boss, patty cake, had several weeks ago asked me to come up with some decorating ideas, and since we were combining the going-away party with a potato salad throw down which someone decided should be a competition, she asked me to come up with a voting booth.

a voting booth?? for days i tried to figure out what kind of voting booth, how big, made of what, etc. and finally i came up with the perfect solution. i got some gauzy old curtains and hot-glue gunned them to an old wide-brimmed hat .... voila! instant voting booth!

i was so pleased with my solution since it was light-weight as well as extremely portable. when i showed it to patty cake yesterday, she was stunned. but not because she was awed by my great idea -- she was stunned because she had meant for me to come up with a voting box. something to put the votes in.

well, shit.

anyhow, i wish m the best in her new position, new town, and new friends. new adventures are always exciting.

yummy, yummy, yummy, i got love in my tummy

i ordered some very cool things and they finally arrived today. one of them is a pan which gives you a lot more sides when you make brownies...

i can't wait to try it! i mean, if you're going to run up the tab on calories, you might as well make them totally delicious!

and then i saw a thing i just couldn't resist:

these little cupcake holders are darling! they're silicone so you just pour the mixture in them, put them on the cookie sheet and bake -- then you have to be creative enough to add the icing faces. i'm not that much for cake, but i can't wait to try these!

we got a couple more things (little dishes you can chop things into, then moosh the sides together so it won't spill when you pour the stuff out; little butter-holder thingys so you can butter your corn-on-the-cob without the butter falling off your knife) but trying to get the pictures on here is just too much trouble.

if you're interested, go to the Solutions catalog/web site. it's way fun!

tGif

god, i'm beat. this has seemed like a long week, i still am trying to lose the cough i acquired when i started taking some new blood pressure medicine (which gave me this cough problem), my hand has been a little puffy all week, and i've got this tooth which i think has died. it aches a little bit all the time and has started extending the pain toward my ear and up my head. but it comes and goes (the pain, not my head), so maybe i can make it until tuesday when the dentist will be able to look at it. i think it's going to have to come out. actually, right now i WANT it out! it's just really uncomfortable.

grease is the word

Mr. Billy GG at work is letting his hair grow. it's a tad bit bald on top surrounded by grey and pretty white hairs. it's below his collar these days, with lots of bounce and turning under of the ends, and i keep telling him he needs to put it in a pony tail. i think he's reluctant to torque off the big boss by doing that, so he just wears it shaggy. i think it would look great in a pony tail. maybe it just needs to get a little bit longer before he gets up the nerve.

the other day i convinced him to let me put it in a pony tail while we were talking in the mailroom. i gathered it back and tried to put the rubber band on without pulling his hair, and one of the chiefs chose that moment to walk through. she saw what we were doing and gave me a look like, 'oh it's just the girls braiding each other's hair again', shook her head and walked on. hahahahaha....

it just needs to get a little bit longer.

a wonder to behold

we had company last weekend -- the grandaughter and her parents came up. she is just so adorable! she's got a great smile and is just delightful. and i think she's pretty strong-willed, too. if we hold her hands so she can walk around, if she wants to go a different direction she just turns her head and shoulders and expects you to go with her. kind of a reverse powering steering option. hard to explain, but really funny to experience!

i can't wait to see what she's like when she's grown! a space pilot? a professor of alien artifacts? director of a galactic battalion? she's a pretty smart cookie for 9 months -- we shall see!

the river is smooth

the crisis has been resolved. m will be going to her new job.

her roommate finally commited to moving with her, therefore they were able to afford a house which was out of m's bracket (by herself). the lease was faxed and signed, so no one should be able to come in and get it before she gets there.

this is a relief for everyone. m, because she can move forward with her life; slim jim, because he can move forward with learning his new job (m's old stuff); billy goat gruff, because he won't have to stress anymore about new changes reverting back to old ways; me, because everything is falling into place for everyone.

life is good!

one ringy dingy ...

do you pay any attention to the issue of cell phone radiation? apparently the federal communications commission has stats about which cell phones leak the most and the least radio frequency energy, and they are continuing research into whether this is a cancer-causing problem.

the five most problematic phones so far (according to their 'sar' -- specific absorption rate): motorola v195s, motorola slvr l6, motorola slvr l2, motorola w385, blackberry curve 8330. if you have one of those phones, throw it out the window.

the five least problematic phones: lg kg800, motorola razr v3x, nokia 9300, nokia n90, samsung sgh-g800. if you have one of those phones, you are a clever person.

trying to go with the flow...

one of the gals from my small group at work is in a real bind right now. she bid on a job in grand forks, north dakota and got it. it's a good step up for her -- gets her back to the part of the country where her family is and boosts her up a couple of pay grades.

the problem? as it turns out grand forks has a dearth of rental units. there's an air force base just outside of town. there is a university in town. and a flood wiped out a bunch of housing just a couple of years ago. once the college kids descend in mid-summer, there's no pot left to ... well, you know.

she flew out there last week, planning on looking at some units she had arranged to see. by the time she got there, they were gone. tacky on their part. she has two dogs and isn't willing to part with them so her options become even more limited.

when she was talking with me about it today, she started crying. i felt so bad. this is a gal who has faith and believes 'what will be will be' but her stress level had taken her to the breaking point. i just hope things work out for her -- i think she would be happy being back in the midwest.

curious

ah ... *ahem* ... excuse me, but what's the deal with the latest piercing thing? i've seen ears with this conical thing in the piercing and wondered, wha? then i heard someone say that people have started piercing like they do in africa, where they keep enlarging the hole until it's humongous.

i mean, eeuuuwwww. when they take the decoration out, the hole just hangs there in all its largeness.

uh ..... why?

oui, oui!

our front door is on the east side of the house and we have french doors on the south side. there's also a large patio outside the french doors and we finally decided to have convertible french doors installed outside the regular french doors. the convertible ones have full-screens which can be replaced with full-glass when it starts to get colder.

we are happy with the result. it looks nice and allows a nice air exchange.

we've toyed with putting in air conditioning, but two (both) of the people we've had give us an estimate have pushed hard for a heat pump. we rented a duplex in the 70's which had a heat pump and hated it! i've never heard anyone say they loved their heat pump, although they surely have changed for the better in the last 30 years. if our weather keeps being fairly nice, i'm really going to drag my feet about the a/c conundrum. maybe we'll get lucky and have to wait another year before we are again presented with hot, humid wx.

up with frenchy screeny doors. down (or at least level) with heat pumps. so sayeth the not-quite-informed.

from someone at work

things that are difficult to say when drunk:
innovative; preliminary; proliferation; cinnamon

things that are very difficult to say when drunk:
specificity; anti-constitutionalistically; passive-aggressive disorder; transubstantiate

things that are downright impossible to say when drunk:
thanks, but i don't want to have sex; nope, no more booze for me; sorry, but you're not really my type; taco bell? no thanks, i'm not hungry; good evening, officer. isn't it lovely out tonight?; oh, i couldn't! no one wants to hear me sing karaoke; i'm not interested in fighting you; thank you, but i won't make any attempt to dance, i have no coordination. i'd hate to look like a fool; where is the nearest bathroom? i refuse to pee in this parking lot or on the side of the road; i must be going home now, as i have to work in the morning.

lovely day; crime doesn't pay

oooooh, happy day! it's 65* in the house right now. i'm having the first cup of tea i've had in ages, the sky is blue, the sun is shining, the air is still, and the neighborhood is quiet. it's just lovely!

i meant to tell you about some excitement we had on thursday. a trucker came from canada to cross the border. he was in the 'fast' lane (free and secure trade) which means he had submitted to a background check and screening to allow him quicker crossing. truckers can get 'fast', people can get 'nexus'.

at any rate, the truck was empty, had cruised through the traffic, and pulled up to the checkpoint. it just so happened the officer who was at this particular checkpoint always sent empty trucks through the vacis (the x-ray area) -- it was this officer's own quirk. then when the truck was x-rayed, something showed up.

the trucker had to pull over to another area and a drug dog was brought. it alerted to trouble and additional officers checked in more depth. secret compartments were found which turned up 22 bags of cash -- $1s, $10s, $20s, and $50s. later that night, after being sorted with two counting machines, the total came out to $1,130,080. that's the biggest currency seizure ever in our area.

the big boss was back east during this time, but her big boss just happened to be visiting for a meeting and got to be present when this was going down. our local paper has an article, along with an article in a tacoma paper, and a seattle paper police blog. there are undoubtedly more, but those give the details.

the money was destined for the los angeles area for the purchasing of drugs which would then be taken back to canada and sold for quite a bit more. i imagine the guy who put up the money is a little ticked-off right now.

blast from the past

the husband sent me some pix of old cars -- i forgot about them until just now. aren't they cool?! or at least ... interesting?!

'38 Buick...


'41 Chrysler...


'51 Buick...


'51 Chrysler...

'54 Dodge...

old times

remember the bear and cat game? it's been forever since i played that ....

http://www.zeronews-fr.com/flash/bearandcat.php

stuff on my cat/mutt

Be honest...does this shirt make my head look big?

Put that tongue back-in young man!

Did I steal the car and go to Dairy Queen? Nope, you've got the wrong guy.

Next time... just let me stay dirty.

surfing

i haven't visited this web site in a long time -- http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

I Still Think She Was Just Fat from Eating
Woman #1 - “She wastes so much time at work. Did you ever notice she eats lunch, like, every day?”
Woman #2 - “Yeah, and do you really have to take maternity leave?”

I Can Feel My Pores Loosening Again
Girl to friend (smiling) - “I am so happy to have gone to the spa!”
Angry preacher passing by (screaming) - “You are all going to hell!”
Girl to friend (no longer smiling) - “I didn't need to hear that.”

We Heart This Guy
Awkward Japanese teacher - “So you guys use text messages, right? Like... L-O-L?”
(students look confused)
(awkward Japanese teacher laughs)
Student, proudly - “I know: L-O-L sensei!”
Awkward Japanese teacher - “Oh em gee.”

We Don't Serve That Here
Customer - “A hot coffee, please.”
Cashier - “Huh?”

Suit - “I think you would really like As Good As It Gets.”
Woman - “Is that the one with Jennifer Aniston?”
Suit - “No, it's Helen Keller.”

take a break

i get such a kick out of Improv Everywhere and had actually forgotten about them until i was scanning my blog entries today.

take a look at the pants-less gag -- i giggled and giggled. the mobile desktop was kinda funny and i loved the music with the brooklyn bridge flash thingy. go here for more vids.

and for sheer laughs, check this out. yes, i know i've had it on before, but it just really tickles me.

if you like to see little babies, go here.

and if you like mysterious cats, go here.

enjoy!!!

nice day

we went over to our friends' house last night for a 4th of july party. they have a lovely view and their neighbors and other friends all congregated on the large deck. it was very enjoyable. we left at about 8:15 (hubby was sleepy and needed to get up for work the next day) and it was still daylight. the husband went right to bed when we got home and i read for about 30 minutes, then took to the sheets myself. i heard the fireworks for awhile, but i must have been so tired, that when i crashed, i didn't hear anything else until my 2:30 a.m. potty break.

My Older Son, wife, and baby were going to the in-laws for celebrating, i think. and MYS was surely doing something with his soon-to-move-away sweetie.

it didn't rain on us and all-in-all it was a nice day! life is good!

all the news....

sooooo many things i intended to blog about this week, but time went right on by. and i, therefore, have forgotten all of them so i'm going to ramble and see if anything comes back.

my friend mary put her house on the market. they've moved a lot of their stuff out -- knickknacks, extra clothes, some pieces of furniture -- and with the rearranging and general sprucing, their place looks lovely and HUGE. if there are buyers on the market, it shouldn't take them long to sell. good luck, mary!!

this month was 'berry' month at our regular bring-food-to-work lunch. i always hate these things because i've never enjoyed cooking, and since i have so many other interests now and so little time, i begrudge doing the lunch thing. but, trooper that i am, i do try to bestir myself to do something. i bought blueberries and raspberries, washed and culled through them, then added them to a mixture of creamy cool whip, sour cream, and cherry yogurt. it was so delish!!! and how could it not be, eh?!!

and you know that dish which has mandarin oranges, coconut, nuts, other berries, in a creamy pink mixture? ambrosia or something? oh my god. one of the good guys (i really like him and he's such a sweetheart) brought this in and even though i was pretty sure i wouldn't like it, he was expecting everyone to love it, so i put a large dab on my plate. and ate most of it. and smiled. and somehow managed to not gag and throw up in front of everyone. i absolutely hate that stuff and even after i had downed most of it and secretly thrown the rest away, my mouth remembered that taste for at least three hours.

it's been hell here with the temps the last 8 or 9 days. our weather is usually so mild, even the cold isn't bad. but hot is hot everywhere. it was 78 or a few degrees more in the house, and 80s and low 90s outside. i wilt very quickly. and when my body gets hot, my lymphedema instantly gives me trouble. it's already bothering me because of allergies, so the heat just makes me double cranky. but finally the temp dropped into the 70s. the humidity is right on the verge of being a problem though.

and today is the 4th. we're supposed to go to a 'do' this evening, but the forecast is rain. the get-together will be nice, but we're going to be ready to go home hours before anyone else -- we're just not get-together-and-stay-up-late people. but we may surprise ourselves. we're open to surprises.

never did remember what i wanted to say. does this mean i'm a bullshitter?

who do i sleep with tonight?

i meant to tell you ....

i've read laurell k. hamilton's series Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. the first 8 or 10 of them were interesting/intriguing although pretty grisly at times. then she segued into this seamy, sordid, aberrant sexual miasma which just about turned me away from her stuff.

the latest, i think 15th, in her series is called The Harlequin and is pretty much a return to the style of her initial offerings. there are soooooo many characters by now that i get totally confused and wish i had started a list back in the beginning. regardless, it was good to see she wasn't still wallowing in the gutter. i hope she continues this upward trend, although, wow -- how far can she take anita?

they're trying to bring the future

i like the way some companies have been coming up with fuel-efficient vehicle options for us consumers.

Tesla has a neat car, but it's a little pricey (starts at $109,000).

there's a T-Rex, but it didn't really interest me, so i don't know the price.

there's the VentureOne (or Carver as i heard on one video) which is a little more interesting, but i don't know the price.

the two i was most interested in were the Aptera and the smart car fortwo.

the Aptera starts at $27,000 and goes to $30,000. the fortwo starts at $11,590 and goes to $16,590.

the Aptera is a new company based in california and you can't get one of those cars right now unless you have a california address. the fortwo is mercedes-benz.

if you'd like a few details about the Aptera, go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeN1Okyy05Q . if you'd like more technical details about the Aptera, go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XArAnuK3cW4&feature=related .

i've been excited about the smart car for a couple of years, but the Aptera .... it brings back memories of flash gordon, glimpses of the late 50's and early 60's, and thoughts of a simpler time. *sigh...*

movin' on out, er... in, er... right

i had an interesting heads-up just now. My Younger Son, who lives in rochester ny, sent me an article about the traffic cops in and around seattle. it seems they are pulling people over for being in the left lane and going the speed limit!!! the left lane is passing only and many people (mwah included) use it as a regular lane. i do that mainly 'cause i don't like people passing me -- juvenile, i know. at any rate, supposedly they are trying to keep road rage down and one way is to get people out of the way of other people wanting to move on down the road.

i'm going to give up the left lane 'cause i don't want to have to pay a $124 traffic ticket!

thank you My Younger Son -- you have once again been a blessing!

another seizure

i got an up-close look at more than $1,000,000 worth of diamonds last week. there were several pair of earrings and a couple of bracelets. one of the pair of earrings was really pretty and i could see wearing them (with a fancy dress, of course). another pair was very very fancy, but nothing i'd ever wear.

all the earrings were long and dangly, and one of the bracelets was one of those amazon-arm band things made up of small-diamond-studded wires going round and round ever-which-way. all-in-all i thought .... huh, no big deal.

if i were going to spend a LOT of money on expensive earrings, i would want understated, quiet ones which said expensive, classy good taste.

politics

voting republican? or undecided? maybe this will help: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqczNpLg9b8 (... tee, hee hee ...)

on the other hand, maybe you would like to diss all the candidates, but aren't sure what you'd say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPch2k63uj4

and for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3ZF2460bbI&feature=dir and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlYkWmjcAbs and this one is cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBUjWaa04N8

isn't youtube interesting? if i were really young, i would go into computer graphics!

do the best you can

this week was a surprise. well, last week first -- i had a huge project i needed to do, IMMEDIATELY, for the big boss. after almost two weeks, i got it done (two days early) and sent it off. as it turned out, we were one of only three offices in the whole country which completed this thing on time. (whoa -- what does that tell us?) the big boss was so pleased that she gave me an appreciative certificate to a very nice dining establishment in an upscale area on the water.

then this week, totally out-of-the-blue, one of the supervisors that i interact with, occasionally, presented me with a written certificate (which said all kinds of nice things about my helping people), and a gift certificate to a nice dining establishment. i was so stunned that i could only say 'thank you'. (well, duh. let's be a little more gracious next time, shall we?)

at the end of the week, the big boss told me one of the chiefs had mentioned she thought i always dressed nice and professional. that was good to hear because i try to vary what i wear and try to dress it up (scarf, jewelry, etc.). that it isn't easy because i prefer to wear jeans and flannel shirts. (and some days some of the people here dress very casually, which i envy.) in addition, i'm having to wear tennis shoes all the time these days because i have plantar fasciitis -- it could take up to a year before i can stop wearing tennis shoes to work. (with suits or nice clothes? yuck!)

at any rate, it felt good to hear all kinds of nice things, especially since i've put forth effort. so ..... a word to everyone: try to remember to express appreciation whenever you see someone putting out great effort. some people toot their own horn and that's fodder for another blog. and some people do things and expect to be recognized for it -- another blog. it's the ones who silently slog away, going above and beyond their duty without expectation of any extra remuneration who deserve accolades. that is your assignment -- express appreciation to the silent deserving.

taking time

during any particular day i see quite a few people at work. i don't recognize all 320+ people yet, but i do know quite a few of them by name. which, actually, for me is pretty amazing. i'm really terrible at memorizing.

one of the people (a person in management) is a really nice person. he's always friendly and smiles and is polite and 'feels' like a gentle person. so imagine my surprise when, after a year of knowing him, all of a sudden one day he snapped at me. i was so caught off-guard. my first thought was 'what did i do that was wrong?', then i thought 'wow, does he have a dark side which is just now coming out?', then i decided he was just probably having a bad day.

a little more than a week later he sent me an e-mail apologizing for his rudeness and explaining he'd been under a lot of pressure. he said he was sorry he'd been so sharp, especially when i'd always been so nice to him. i was so touched by him taking time to compose the e-mail and send it -- today's world can be so impersonal, rushed, and uncaring. i e-mailed back saying i appreciated his comments and had wondered about the incident and was pleased to hear from him and knew him to be a good person.

don't you wish everyone would reach out as nicely as he did?!

planned obsolescence

we had an interesting revelation this evening: our refrigerator took a powder, shot craps, sailed into the sunset, stuck its spoon into the wall. and this thing is only three years old. disgusting!

good thing we have an old one in the garage so we could salvage some of the stuff. but, i mean, really ... three years old?? it's a top-of-the-line maytag and all i have to say is, that's it maytag. never again.

blue man

i keep forgetting to show you one of hubby's projects. he has a lot of latitude at work since he's such a wonderful worker, and one day he decided to put his creativity to work and do something to hide an ugly water pipe. voila!







is he clever or what?!

grab another blanket

wow, can you believe this weather? i have on a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. the husband wore two sweatshirts today.

i mean, i think it's great! i HATE hot weather, so i'd be content to have these temps all year 'round. but the poor midwest is having storms and tornadoes!

relatives: you are welcome to come out and stay with us, anytime!!

sir, if you'll just pull over ....

we had a large seizure earlier this week. i noticed they had pulled a car into the sealable garage and knew something was up. this guy had sophisticatedly stashed $5 million worth of ecstasy.

ouch in somebody's pocket.

happy feet

there are a number of things that i really love, or at least enjoy with total abandon. one of these is my job. another is the music i listen to when i'm at my computer. groovera, specifically Low Mercury, is just the ult when i need to have music in my ears.


some of my favorite groups, which i wouldn't have known about except for Low Mercury, are: Alexander Chereshnev, All India Radio, Anyma, Bluetec, B-Tribe, Chilled C'Quence ... my list goes on and on. so far i have 1384 titles in my list, although for sure they're designated as to ones i love and ones i C-A-N-N-O-T stand.

and it is my definite luck and happiness to be asked to be part of the new Team Groovera! i'm tickled about this volunteer opportunity since i love the station so much. there are four of us (five counting the founder) who will be helping out and we're from all across the country. wish me luck as i get into the groove with this new endeavor. i'm really looking forward to it!!

tune in and listen to really great stuff!!! no ads, all music, 24/7!

astrophysics

MYS has submitted another paper for publication. go here, if you'd like to read it. the title is Hypersonic Buckshot: Astrophysical Jets as Heterogeneous Collimated Plasmoids. it's 15 pages, and interesting in its own way.

and i understood it!

vignette ~ The Bomb

Climbing ... climbing ... almost to the top ... bingo! She activated the fold-jump drive and crossed light years of space in seconds. She used her grandfather’s spatometer each and every time she made the jump. He’d given it her when she announced at her 12th birthday party that she was following in his footsteps with the space corps. It was her most prized possession and it never left her person, except when she took a bath, of course.

She missed her grandfather. He taught her many things about surviving in outer space and that, along with her own hard work, helped her graduate first in her class. Then she began her climb in the corps and now, at 28, she had her own ship and her own route. True, she flew all her missions by herself, but that was okay. Time enough for all those personnel problems later.

She jumped twice more before she arrived at Teyos. Dropping down to the dark side of the planet she homed in on the landing pad, then disembarked with her set of dispatches. Unlocking the corps’ shed, she got the snow tracker out and took off across the dark, rutted road. The crusty snow combined with a zillion stars to light up the barren landscape, even though there was nothing on the ground to see. It was a lonely planet with only three settlements, all on the dark side and only a hour apart from each other by snow tracker. This side of the planet never rotated into sunshine, but thermal activity not far beneath the surface kept the temperature a bearable 5 degrees, more or less.

She never got tired of looking at the night sky and, after delivering her papers, she enjoyed the stars all the way back to the ship. She took off again, jumped quickly and efficiently, and was back home and in bed a good two hours before her arrival estimate.

The next morning dawned grey and soggy. She was barely out of the bathroom when the order came. “Lieutenant Roperson, report to the Commander immediately.” So she hurriedly dressed and was in his outer office in 20 minutes. “Go ahead, Lieutenant, he’s waiting for you.”

She stepped into his office and saluted. “Sir!”

“At ease, Roperson.” He paused and looked her in the eye. “Did you beat your time yesterday?”

She grinned as she replied, “Yes sir! By more than 124 minutes. Sir!” Her grandfather’s old spatometer was better than any of the latest-and-greatest new-fangled ones, and she consistently arrived ahead of the estimates and the other pilots.

“And was everything fine on Teyos when you left?”

Her smile dimmed slightly as she cautiously replied, “Y-yes sir.”

“Well, it isn’t now. The settlement of Anders ceased to exist about an hour and 20 minutes after you left. It seems the dispatch you carried blew up and left no survivors.”

“But ... how can that be? And how did you find out so quickly?”

“We’ve already sent out a team to find out what we can. And by the greatest fortune, Lieutenant Forbes was on his way past Teyos, just about to start his return jump when he saw the flash of light from the explosion and delayed to check it out. He returned just an hour ago with his report.”

She stood there with her mouth open, trying to figure out what she was hearing.

“Oh, sit down, Roperson, before you fall down. And after you get your gears turning again, tell me your impression of all this.”

Katie sat there a bit, staring at the floor, then looked her commander square in the eye. “They were after me. The bomb. It was meant for me.”

“I wondered how quickly you’d see it that way. That’s my take on things, too.”

“But why ...”

He interrupted her. “That’s the big question, isn’t it. There’s absolutely no reason to destroy Anders, so it has to be you. Who’s threatened by you, Roperson? Do you have any enemies? Have you been promoted ahead of someone?”

“Sir, I ...” She could think of nothing to say. Nothing intelligent, that is.

“My feeling exactly, Roperson. So here’s what I’m going to do. Immediately, without even going back to your room, I want you to take my personal elevator to my private level, get in my ship, and head out of here. I’ve programmed it to take you someplace no one will think of.”

“But sir, how can we find the perpetrator if ...”

“No buts, Roperson. It goes against regulations, but I promised your grandfather I’d watch out for you. And I can hide you and call it an assignment. In fact, take this backpack with you and study the material while you’re away. There’s a new sector we’ve discovered which looks promising. I’ll want a full report and appraisal when you come back. Any questions?”

“But my clothes, my stuff ...”

“I know you’re carrying your grandfather’s spatometer and anything else is replaceable. Everything you need is on board, now get going. Dismissed!”

“Sir! Yes, sir!” She saluted, then stepped into the elevator which was normally hidden behind the paneling. Immediately she was whisked to his private level where the door opened onto a private landing area. She’d seen his ship before. From a distance. She hesitated briefly, wondering if anyone else was around, then stepped smartly to the ship’s entrance, climbed inside and sealed the door. As soon as she sat in the pilot seat the program commenced countdown. In five minutes she was off-planet and headed for sub-space. She watched for awhile, trying to figure out where she was headed, but the Commander was too smooth for that.

Her stomach told her to find the kitchen so she did, ate a quick bite, then came back to watch and learn. She dozed off at some point, because she was having a strange dream when the 30-minute bong sounded. She prepared herself as much as she could, then watched the approach to the small, lush planet. Trees, lakes, mountains -- she wondered if there were any settlements here. The ship set itself down and all the readings, of course, indicated it was safe for humanoids. Using the external camera, she scouted around 10 miles in each direction, trying to figure out what to do next. The camera panned across the landscape as she watched, then she grinned. He had a home here! She grabbed her backpack, secured the ship and climbed to the ground.

The air smelled clean, the trees looked vaguely familiar, and the gravity was just about right. That old dog! How has he kept this place secret? She hurried to the structure which blended in so well with the hillside that she almost missed it. A bermed home! She stopped and admired it, wondering how long it had taken to build. And really, how had he found this place anyhow?

She climbed up to the structure, walked across the stone portico, then stared at the door, trying to figure out how it worked. It actually looked pretty ordinary so she took hold of the handle, twisted it two times, then pushed. It opened right up. She grinned as she stepped inside, thinking that she should call out ‘hello’, then shaking her head at her silliness. The front room was wide, but not very deep and had several comfortable-looking chairs and couches. There were built-in bookshelves on the left, pictures on the walls, and a telescope on a tripod in front of the window.

It was so homey. She walked around the wall toward what she figured were the bedrooms and stumbled into a man. “Eeep!” she squeaked.

“Yeow!” he said, startled.

“Aaah!” she blurted, backing up and struggling to not panic. “Who are you?”

“Who am I? Who the hell are you?” he said, getting louder with every word. “What’s the big idea of barging in here and how did you find this place anyhow?”

“How did I ... how did you find this place, mister? This is a secluded location and you’re trespassing!”

“I’m trespassing? This is MY house, lady and I don’t know you. Now if you don’t want me to throw you down, tie you up, and start torturing you for information, you’d better start explaining.”

“Listen Mr. High-and-Mighty, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve been sent here by Commander Walskinsky, and unless you start explaining, you’re going to be the one tied up ... what? What, dammit ... what are you laughing about? Answer me, buster, or you’re going to be in ... oh, get up off the floor and quit laughing, will you. I want to know what’s going on.”

soul massage

i don't know if i've ever mentioned it (yeah, right) but i looooooove listening to Low Mercury. no commercials, no ads, just music -- laid back, down tempo, deep chill. it soaks right into my soul.

i have a list of music i've heard on Low Mercury -- most of the stuff i love, but a few artists i truly hate. at any rate, the list is up to 1355 songs now. one of these days i'm going to get an ipod and put my favs on it.

but the latest neat thing about Low Mercury is that i am doing volunteer work for them now. well, him, really. it's one guy -- just ONE -- who's running the whole show. he must be a genius 'cause i don't know how he does it. i mean, this Groovera.com isn't his day job. maybe he has more hours in his day than i do.

at any rate, check it out. and give yourself love.

a few of my favorite things...

okay, it's time once again to plug two of my most favorite things:

Groovera.com is all music, all the time, on your computer. no ads, no botheration. you have a choice of Jet City Lounge which features up-tempo jazzy stuff. or, Ambient Popsicle which features vocals and mid-tempo stuff. or, my absolute favorite, Low Mercury which is down-tempo, laid-back, soft jazz. ohmygod -- i have it on ALL THE TIME when i'm home. check it out.

i've been ordering clothes from Orvis for more than a year now. without counting i would guess i've spent around $4000 with them so i can be presentable at my job of receptionist/secretary. so you're thinking, wow those clothes are expensive. but no, i've ordered a lot of things. they have this one type of skirt/pant/vest called country suede. this stuff is soooooooo great. absolutely NO maintenance. just what a working girl needs. check them out.

gentle reassurance

imagine this: you're a parent. a responsible person with a responsible job and you're trying to be a good parent but there's no instruction manual. things aren't perfect and at some point you and your wife divorce with the twins (a boy and a girl) going to live with the ex-. you get re-married and things go well with your job, but the boy can't stay out of trouble. over the years the boy is in-and-out of juvie. the girl is killed in a bad car accident. you continue to do well at work and are well-liked. one day you show up at work and your son's picture is on the bulletin board as being wanted by the police for murder. there are witnesses to the confrontation, the fight, the stabbing.

this happened to a friend of mine last week. he hasn't been back to work for a week and the kid is on the lam. everyone feels for this guy but what do we say when he comes back to work? i don't want to pretend things aren't the way they are -- the elephant in the living room thing. i hate preaching, moralizing, platitudes, but i'm just not quite sure what to say.

jouncy, bouncy girl

we went down to visit the kids and grandaughter yesterday. it was lovely -- a sunny day, happy baby, smiling parents. we ate thai food and drove around a bit. spent time talking and laughing and holding a soft, wiggly, smiling, beautiful baby.

it was great.

wash your hands

okay. so i was reading this thing we got at work, about hepatitis c. it was all scary-like and i wasn't paying a lot of attention as i skimmed through. "liver disease ... spread by contact with blood ... don't ever shoot drugs ... if you shoot drugs, stop and get into ... if you cannot stop, never ... do not share ... always follow precautions ... consider the health risks ... you can get infected if the fools that have used them have ..."

?? ::blink blink:: ??

they actually said fools?

uhh no. my eyes got tired of skimming and started playing games. what it said was, "the tools that are used have someone else's ..."

oh.

the way-back machine

remember baby schlitzes? they were only 8 oz, but a lot of the time they were just the right size. the hubby and i actually lost weight on a baby schlitz and peanut butter diet.

really!

le shoes hot

(continued from last post.) at any rate, i am totally disgusted with Aerosoles these days and will not wear them again unless they manage to produce a good shoe with an excellent spongy, supportive heel bed. my Earth shoes, which i've always loved, seem to possibly not have enough heel support so they may be a thing of the past.

this condition prefers you not wear shoes lacking a back (like slides), but my Haflinger's have such excellent support i wear them when i want to and just be careful not to turn/twist my foot. and as it turns out, i found a new, very comfortable, fairly unique pair of spongy shoes which fit my feet beautifully and are a joy to wear. yes, they don't have a back, but i feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

i found them at one of my favorite shoe websites -- planetshoes.com -- and they're a brand i hadn't heard of: Mion. even though they look funky and are incredibly comfortable, i think the thing i like the most about them is that the company is so earth-friendly/environmentally-aware. it's impressive to read about their philosophy and i will be looking for additional styles from them. i urge you to check them out and support them.

pay attention to pain

ever have a splitting pain in your arch? i noticed one about 8 months ago, when i was wearing a cute pair of aerosoles. i've always liked aerosoles, but this pair, though cute, had given me trouble from the start. (we'll skip that story.) i didn't realize at the time that the pain was a clue to change my shoes.

i now have found out that this come-and-go pain, which occurs anywhere from my heel to my arch, is a condition called plantar fasciitis (plan-tar fash-ee-eye-tis). there are some exercises i can do (which i keep forgetting but will try to remember), and the doctor told me to wear tennis shoes all the time (to work? with my suits and dressy clothes? gah!). it will take from 6 months to a year to get over this. yuck!

at any rate, after doing some e-searching i found a really great pair of tennis shoes. they're an ice-aqua color (why do they call it emerald??) and are amazingly comfortable. made by ecco, they are specifically designed for the plantar fascia problem. the pink lines on the picture show the special bridge, which is part of the shoe. it actually is separate from the shoe where i've drawn the pink lines, which means i need to NEVER walk in mud. (story continues in next post.)

le gift hot

lancome is doing their every-three-months free-gift thing. it's 5/7 to 5/25, so you've got some time. i think this is only at the macy's stores in the northwest, so if you need something, just call macy's in bellingham and order $29.50 worth of stuff.

back to the community

i gave blood yesterday. the bloodmobile comes around every two months and people donate. it's something my father always did and i've occasionally thought about doing the same.

since i'm the one at work who posts the upcoming bloodmobile visit, it's pretty easy for me to know when it's happening. i haven't done it for awhile, so this time around i decided to try again.

try again? well, yes. since i had breast cancer 16 years ago, there was a long period of time when i couldn't donate. then, several years back, enough time had passed that i decided to donate when an urgent call went out. as soon as they started the draw, i came close to passing out. they laid the chair back, had me move my feet -- i felt like an idiot while they finished collecting and pacifying.

i didn't like that experience (i'm the oldest of four children, i should be an expert at everything), but thought surely i would be able to donate blood this time without problems. even though my veins are hard to find, roll around, collapse easily, i drink plenty of water and should be good to go.

so i went. there were mostly older people, like you'd expect, but while i was there a mid-20's gal came in and gave, and later a mid-20's guy did the same. i filled out the paperwork, waited for the chair (3 of them in this bloodmobile), climbed in and got comfortable, suffered through the VERY stinging stick, looked out the window and enjoyed the view while my blood drained away. after about 6 or 8 minutes, my body caught on to what i was doing and immediately called a halt. head got warm, body felt strange, vision starting going astral. i mentioned i didn't feel very good and they immediately arranged the chair position, told me to move my feet continuously, slapped two ice bags behind my neck, and gave me a small can of apple juice. i had actually lasted until they were finished drawing the blood (yay, me) and when i finished the apple juice and a cookie, i drank a small can of orange juice and ate another cookie. feeling better i drank a bottle of water and ate a third cookie before completely recovering.

they actually didn't invite me back, but i don't know if that was because they didn't want to push me into something i might not want to do, or if they really didn't want me to come back. i'm O-negative, so i'd think they'd just as soon i came back. maybe they just forgot.

i'd really like to be able to do this thing without the drama. i wonder if i just keep going every two months if my body will realize it's no big deal. sigh.

where you are is where you'll go...

some very good friends of ours are going to hawaii in two days. it's funny how i never really thought of hawaii as a destination until we moved to the northwest. back in the midwest i guess it was a vacation to go to kansas city, or dallas/houston. or maybe chicago. and i remember when we moved from seattle to oklahoma city that a friend of mine kept talking about bill gates and something he was doing. i mean, back in the midwest everyone was, 'wha? who? meh.'

different parts of the country do different things and all that. interesting.

except our hawaii-bound friends are from south dakota. huh .... messes with my theory.

netflix

did i tell you we found another tv series we've been renting from netflix? we enjoyed Jericho a couple of months ago, you remember. well now we've found The 4400.

it's been intriguing -- i've liked some of the actors and i've thought parts of it were hokey or juvenile, but it's kept me watching. we've finished the first season, so i guess we'll keep going until it's time to move on.

if you get bored with what you're doing, you might like to join in.

movie

i meant to share this with you -- hubby watched an irish movie called Once. he loved it. apparently it was made in 17 days, had real singers who were hired to be actors, and won the academy award for best song last year.

at any rate, if you like musicals, you might really enjoy this. i saw parts of it, liked the parts i saw, but know that the ending was bittersweet which is not really my thing. but that doesn't bother a lot of people, so take a chance and enjoy!!

new baby

My Younger Son had a friend in high school who was quite a bit taller than he. D and MYS had a lot of fun together. When D stayed in town for college, he met a really neat gal, they got married, then both got teaching positions way up in the outer wilderness in Alaska.

We just found out they had a baby boy in January. How neat for them! They seem to be totally happy with their lives/jobs/etc., so I don't know when we'd ever see them again, but we are happy for them and wish D, K, and little J every blessing!!