It's A Mystery

If a company gives an employee two paid bereavement days, why is it so hard to actually get paid for them?

One day was a Friday, the other day was a Monday. This involves two separate checks. And both checks are 8 hours short. WTF?

Do you suppose someone is incapable of doing their job?

Me thinks so!

Oh Mr. SAND-man...

Yep, I had one of those nights again. You know, the kind where you think you're never going to fall asleep? I guess I do sleep off and on but it is such a light sleep that it seems like I've never slept at all. Very, very frustrating.

This is the second time now in the past week that it's happened. Once before Daylight Savings Time and once since, so I can't blame it on that. And then all day I'm yawning (did you just yawn?), I'm very tired and will probably fall asleep during prime time TV, like last time.

This is one of the worst things to have happen. You just cannot "will" yourself to sleep. I try all kinds of tricks and mind games but nothing works.
Damn. The worst part is, when I look at the clock it's later each time, but still no sleep. Ughhh!

Speaking of cats...

Well, I was. Catnaps?

Kally and her four kittens (Junior ~ Looks just like Mama, Blackie ~ solid black, Kitty ~ looks like Hubby's cat "Kitty" when he was oh so young, and
Twin ~ the other twin was hit by a car and we never named them), are all hanging around for now. Two other older kittens from another litter are hanging around too. Rusty and Linus. Of all these cats, the only one that trusts me, so far, is Kally. She sits within 5 feet of me while I am dishing out their food. Oh, one time Daddy Cat came over and sniffed my hand. He is a very slow cat, and I believe he is blind in one eye. Maybe that's why he came to me.

Meanwhile, I will keep feeding them and maybe one day they will not be so afraid of me.

Tales of My Past

There is a cartoon in today's paper that made me chuckle.

Woman #1: "We had a sad ceremony at home this weekend."

Woman #2: "Oh, did one of your pets die?"

Woman #1: "No, it was the annual ritual of placing the ice scraper in the trunk of the car."

I for one am so happy that I don't have to be one of those people anymore. And you know from some of my past posts that this is the truth. When I drove back and forth to work, I always dreaded the winter months. I have had far too many accidents in that nasty stuff (ice, snow, slush, etc.)

I used to own a 4-wheel drive Jeep convertible with a canvas top. When I drove it in bad weather, I occasionally used to get cocky and sometimes being careful just went out the window. It was a fun vehicle and, believe me, I had a lot of fun with it.

I remember one time in particular back in the '80's when it was very icy, and I was getting perturbed by the other cars and trucks that were going so slow and were in my way. I decided I was going to climb the slight hill by driving on the shoulder where there were pebbles that my tires could grip. It worked. When I got to the top where it was level, I continued on my way at the same rate of speed. I thought it was great.

It didn't take long for my Jeep's back end to come around and I was soon going backward in the other lane! My vehicle was now facing the same way as the others but was going a different way. I had skidded over the low median. Eventually my front square stock bumper wiped out the entire side of another car and I ended up facing a huge drop off the highway with the guard rail the only thing stopping me from going over the side.

That Jeep and I used to have some good times back then. And, yes, I would do it all over again.

Cowboy Up! @ Hot'lanta

I could hardly wait to watch Sunday's race. Junior tested at the track a few weeks ago, and his car was super fast. They also figured out the problems they have had at that track in the past. He was very confident.

Friday was practice and he was on the top of the speed charts pacing the field. The car was fast and handling great. So far, so good. Keep those fingers crossed for a good finish on Sunday.

Qualifications found Junior in the 17th spot (he said he messed up at one point). But, like his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., he doesn't qualify well. After qualifications all cars were impounded, not to be touched by anyone until just before the start of the race. I hate impound races. The majority of races next year will be that way.

When they interviewed Junior while sitting in his car waiting for the start of the race, he said he was excited to get going and that Saturday was a very long day for him. Even though his sister gave birth to her second daughter named Kennedy Grace Elledge.

By the 17th lap he moved up to the 5th spot when the first caution flag flew. Now that was the Junior we all remember! And at that point, I was happy enough to know that he and the car were "one." And if the race ended there all I needed to know was that, finally, he was back to being competitive. And whatever happened for the remainder of the race, whether it was good or bad, I was a happy camper.

By lap 54 he was leading the race, and he kept that lead for most of the day until lap 190 or so when the car got tight. Toward the end the car then got loose and the grip went away. He led the most laps of any other driver.

He managed to finish 4th and after his horrible season, I'll take it!

On to Texas Motor Speedway.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

My Apologies

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post today. I was kinda busy all day and

a little tied up watching a race. I will post about that tomorrow afternoon.

It was finally a fun day for me in that my driver did really well today.

Tune in tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.

Aye Caramba

My husband and I did something tonight that we haven't done in a long time. No, not that. We went to see a movie. In a real movie theater. Yes, folks, we really did.

When I saw the first commercials for "The Legend of Zorro" I told him I was NOT waiting for it to come to satellite TV. No siree. Not where Antonio Banderas is concerned. And especially as Zorro. Like I read somewhere, he was born to play Zorro.

I also liked him as El Mariachi in "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico." And of course he was cute as the voice of Puss In Boots in "Shrek 2". He will again be the voice of Puss In Boots in "Shrek 3" and "Puss In Boots" both due out in 2007.

There's just something about that man in a black outfit, silver on those black boots and that long hair. He may be 45 but that bad boy is one good lookin' dude. Must be that boyish charm.

Hey ~ Wake Up!

Helllooo.....
Is anybody out there? (as I knock on your computer screen). Anybody awake? I feel, sometimes, Like I'm writing for nothing. That there's no one "reading" me. I know that's not true because I average 5 hits a day. That makes me feel so unwanted. Can't we at least double that?

I created this blog to get some of my thoughts out there amongst the living, because I feel that I'm not always right or correct in what I think or write about. Therefore, I also was hoping to get comments back on some of my posts.

I welcome all feed back, good or bad, but please do be gentle. I do have feelings.

Granted, I am not the most prolific writer. When I read other blogs there are some that absolutely blow me away with not only what they write about but how they write. I can never measure up to most of them, but meanwhile I will try to do my best. That's all anyone can ask for.

I only hope I never run out of things to write about.

So what d'ya say ~ let me have it. And if I don't always answer you, don't let that stop you. Sometimes I just don't have an answer. Or a comeback. But I do read each and every comment.

Satisfy Me

I tried those "new" french fries ~ what? Oh, excuse me... freedom fries.
The ones you can make in the microwave and they get crunchy instead of soggy? They're called Ore Ida Easy Fries.

I know, they're not part of the South Beach Diet but I got them free via an internet coupon a few weeks ago. I knew they were in my freezer, and as all dieters know "they were bothering me." Not to mention I'd see the box everytime I opened the freezer.

Well, today was the day to put all that to rest.

The package says 2 servings so that means a total of 380 calories for approximately 36 fries. Ouch! When you split 36 in half you get 18 (wow, am I good or what?) and that is considered one serving at 190 calories.
Whoa! If you are one person and you eat both servings they still would not satisfy your craving for fries. And if you do share them with someone else, they'll think you're quite stingy.

So goes today's packaging gurus:

Make the box big, put a small amount inside, put 2 servings on the box at 190 calories per serving...

and

YOU HAVE A WINNER!

Yeah, right. They don't fool me.

Oh and one word of advice if you decide to try these fries: eat fast.
The smaller ones get rock hard very quickly. Maybe that's their plan ~ throw those away, less calories eaten.

Just for spite, I ate the whole box of fries. Naughty me. Actually they weren't that bad.

No Pressure There

It's almost five months since I last worked at a job away from home and it seems like I've simply traded one routine for another. Only one difference: I like my current routine a helluva lot better than the other one. Oh yeah!

I can sleep as long as I want ~ no pressure there.

I change my bunny's pen and feed her twice a day ~ no pressure there.

When I look out the window and see the cats mulling around the feeder I wander out and take care of them ~ no pressure there.

I read the daily paper any time, walk on my treadmill, shower and shampoo all at my leisure ~ no pressure there.

I watch some TV and play on the computer off and on all day ~ no pressure there.

And believe it or not, in between my daily routine I do accomplish some housecleaning, laundry, dishes etc ~ again...no pressure there.

And then...


My husband comes home. Uh Oh ~ pressure there!

Just kidding.

It's Crying Time Again

I was just thinking about a TV show I watched for the first time last Friday evening. It's called "Three Wishes." Be forewarned: I cry at the comics. Doesn't take much for me. Had I known it was that gut-wrenching I don't think I would have watched it.

And let me tell you, I went through a lot of Kleenex.

There was a 21-year-old that had a severe stutter, but with the help of a device he was able to talk normally. That was incredible for me because I didn't know such a device existed.

Another part of the show was about a woman, who at the age of 33, found out she was adopted and wanted to find her birth mother. It was tough to do but they did find her. And when they met, well that's when my floodgates opened. Really opened.

I haven't cried like that in a long time. I've got to stop watching that program ~ for my own good.

One Good Turn Deserves Another

There is a restaurant we have been visiting for a long time now. It's out of our way but the food is good and we like the atmosphere. The owner is Greek and he has three grown sons that all work in some capacity at the diner. The middle son is usually "on the floor" when we're there.

While going through things in my parents' attic, I found six inlaid ceramic discs with Greek designs on them. They reminded me of a coaster and they were very pretty. But I had no use for them. I immediately thought of "M" (the middle son). So last week we gave them to him. He was very appreciative and thanked us profusely. He wanted to pay us but I said "No, just seeing how much you like them is payment enough."

Last night we went back for dinner. Those discs were the farthest thing from our minds. Imagine our surprise when the waitress told us our bill was picked up by "M."

The funny side to this is that earlier my husband had asked the waitress to warm up his meal, as it was lukewarm when it was brought out. She told us that she informed "M" of this. When we were almost done that's when she told us our bill was being taken care of by the manager. (She probably thought he did that because of the 'complaint.' She's new, so she didn't know us and knew nothing about the discs.)

When we were done, we approached her to ask if she'd get "M" for us (we wanted to thank him but didn't tell her that). The look on her face was priceless. I can only assume she thought we were going to complain about her, when in essence she did nothing wrong.

She was reassured when she heard us thanking "M" with huge smiles on our faces.

Rain Rain Go Away

We're back to rain again. Sheesh! We had eight solid days of rain then some sunny days. Now rain again.

This is one crappy Autumn so far.

Makes me wonder just what kind of Winter is in store for us here in the northeast. I heard lots of snow and colder than usual.

Well, BRING IT ON! ~~ I don't have to drive in it this year! YEE-HA!

Where Did The Time Go?

You're born, you live, you die...

When you're young you think you're never going to get old. But then it creeps up on you and ~ BAM! ~ before you know it, you're old: facing whatever is left of your life and wondering just how long you have left.

I recently experienced something that put some things into perspective for me. My father-in-law passed away three weeks ago. He lived a full life and probably enjoyed every minute of it. I only knew him for about 15 years of his life.

A few years ago he moved to Arkansas to live with one of his sons. Eventually he ended up in a nursing home, had a stroke, was cremated, and now "rests" in an urn in that son's home.

No will, no burial ~ a life over in a matter of an eyeblink. Gone, just like that.

All we have are memories. Rest in peace Pop.

Slamming On The Brakes

After being off of work since June 1st, I have managed to gain 10 pounds. And I'm not too thrilled with that.

Two years ago, around this time, I started on the South Beach Diet. I fell in love with it. It was exactly the diet I had been searching for. Prior to that diet I had tried Atkins and lost 16 pounds but could never lose any more than that. Once I went on South Beach, I lost 25 pounds and was finally where I wanted to be. I felt good, my clothes were "bigger" (which absolutely thrilled me), and I was eating decently for a change.

And then my world went a little crazy. My father passed away in December 2004 and I found out about it when I saw his obituary four days later in the newspaper. He had been in a nursing home and they neglected to inform me of his death. I have two siblings who "thought" the home would tell me so neither one of them passed it on to me.

The following February my Mom died. And then on June 1st I was "separated" from my job after 13 years of loyal service. I then went through four months of turmoil. Being executrix of my parents' estate I had to tie up all the loose ends. The biggest loose end was selling the house and all its contents. I made it through all that as settlement occurred three weeks ago.

So I ask you...

Is it any wonder I gained those ten pounds? It's called emotional eating.

So I made a decision this morning to revisit South Beach. I love it there.

Gypsies Tramps & Thieves

I always liked that song by Cher. Nowadays whenever I hear it, I think of a former employer ~ the company was run by a brother and sister.

We got married 15 years ago and we both worked at the same place then too. While I was in the middle of cleaning out my spare bedroom (no, I still am not done), I came across some notes in an old purse. I didn't remember the "episode" I had written about but as I read it, it all came back to me.

Needless to say, we no longer work there and it has been quite some time since we both left. For Christmas the company used to give every employee a ham and $10.00. Since we were a married couple we each got $5.00 and to make matters worse, our ham was smaller than most. Well that just ticked me off. As if we were being penalized for being married. To me, every employee should have gotten $10.00. Fair is fair. I decided to make a fuss not only about the money but about the small ham too.

Can you believe my surprise when they gave both of us three days off without pay? Eventually I caved in and apologized (I hate when I have to do that), and they allowed me to return to work. My husband opted for the days off instead.

After 11 years for me and 16 years for my husband, the two of us finally left that company for greener pastures. Well, that's debatable too.

That song will always be my reminder. I can laugh at it now but back then it was no laughing matter.

Random Thoughts

Yesterday was a nice day weather-wise, except for the high winds. But beggars can't be choosy. And because it was a nice day we decided to do things we don't normally do on the weekend: gallivant.

We went back to the insurance company to find out why they couldn't find us when he went last week. I am the type of person that has to be shown the why of something; I don't always take people's words just because they say so. Show me and then I will believe. Well, after some investigation they did find all our policies. Tenacity and perseverence paid off once again.

My daughter and her boyfriend stopped by on Sunday. It was a good day for visiting. She and I went through things I have been finding as I clean out my spare room of "stuff" that got piled in there simply because we no longer needed it and I didn't have the heart to throw out. I hate when I am that way. I wish I could just look the other way, walk to the trash can and throw the damn stuff out. So because I didn't/couldn't do it then, I have the task of doing it now.

I received full size bottles of a leading hair shampoo and conditioner in the mail today. I belong to a survey group and every once in awhile they send things to me to do research on and then I get to answer questions about the product. Like how did it perform, did I like it etc. It's a fun thing to do and I never know what they will send me. This one will take four weeks till I finish it.

I had a pleasant surprise when I looked out the kitchen window this morning. Kally had her "brood" of four kittens with her. When we started having rain way back on Friday, she took them across the street, through the corn field, and somewhere she thought they would be safe. Like our huge barn/garage wouldn't work. They found a way in there and we don't mind as long as it is a safe haven for them. But Kally seemed to think her kids needed to explore. And eventually one of them got run over. There were originally five. So, I am so glad she has them back here. How long they will stay I don't know.

And that ends my random thoughts for today.

Full Moon

WHERE IS MY BROOM?

IT'S MY NIGHT TO RIDE!

Life

I usually post a verse from the Bible, but I am not going to do that.

Because that sunshine today was the best thing that has happened in the past 7 days. Very good for my soul. It started raining last Friday and rained every day since then until today.

When I woke up today and looked out the window it was a joy to behold. I couldn't wait to get outside. And once I was outside, all I could keep doing was taking deep breaths of all that fresh air.

So we did our normal things today: banking, breakfast, and groceries. And we finally cashed in his lottery tickets, including the rub off ones. We treated the pickup to a washing, had a snack, and back home to watch all the Nascar shows.

Well, that was a waste of my time. Once again Junior blew a tire and was out of the race. And the driver that won the race carries Lowes as his sponsor ~ not to mention the race was held at Lowes Motor Speedway. It seems he's the only one that can win at that track and after awhile it gets a tad sickening. So as soon as he crossed the finish line, I shut the TV off. And all I could think of at the time was "oh well, there's always next week."

Rip-Roaring Mad

I have about had it with people who don't do their job. People who are supposed to do customer service and don't. People who have a job and are there just to take a paycheck home, and nothing else!

My husband went to a local branch of the insurance company where we have life insurance. Actually, he went to find out about his father's policy. His father passed away a few weeks ago, in another state where he moved a couple years back. When my husband gave the insurance company his father's name, they could not find a damn thing on him! His name did not come up in the system.

OK, so now he asks about our policies. There is one where all we have is the policy number and no paperwork on it. Plus each of us has a policy for a couple grand just to cover incidentals when our time has come to leave this earth. They couldn't find them either. What they did find were two policies he had taken out in the 70's that are both worth a whopping $100.00 each!
And if he cashed them in today, they would be worth $38 and $41 respectively. We certainly won't get rich on those babies.

So now I think it is time that the "master" pays a visit to this insurance company. I would like to think I can rip them a new one. I just found out today that a year ago they merged with another insurance company. And that probably explains why they can't find anything. So I ask you, why the hell am I paying a monthly bill on our two policies when no one can find a damn thing on either one?

Dream On Girl

Back in '94 my husband and I drove to North Carolina for the 30th anniversary of the Mustang. We are huge Mustang buffs ('64-1/2-'73).

At one time we owned 20 in all forms (good, bad and ugly). The township got on us (something about running a junkyard) and now we're down to 8, including my '97, and they are all under roof. So no one can complain. You see, we live on the edge of a very small village, but one of those nasty developments arrived bringing with it people from out of state. They are usually the biggest complainers and I say if you don't like it, go back to where you came from. We were here first.

When we visited North Carolina back then I fell in love with the state and the people. The first day was spent at Charlotte Motor Speedway (I refuse to call it Lowes anything) where the get-together was held. I was in total awe as I stood in the infield and looked around.

The next day we drove to North Wilkesboro for the Nascar race being held there. That track is no longer being used, which is a shame. It was a good little track for racing.

Some of my best memories are tied to North Carolina and if I had one wish come true it would be that I could live there. Preferably close to Charlotte.
But I doubt it will ever come to pass, so that's why I say dream on girl...