Noticeably thankful today...what about the rest of the year?

I am at Gram's, spending this holiday - and the weekend - with her; my sons soon to be driving in for dinner and a few hours of visiting. Spent the bulk of yesterday packing, preparing, packing, schlepping, driving, unpacking, schlepping, unpacking some more...then peeling, cutting, chopping, mixing, pre-baking (hey, at least it wasn't more "packing"), cleaning. And all of that before dinner! :)

Just the journey to Gram's alone is orchestrated chaos. Taking things to do for the time there, and making certain to have all of the do-dads necessary otherwise having taken all of the stuff was sort of a waste. (Found that out the hard way, once...but only once.) Making certain the ride down won't interfere with Brian's schedule, or anything else scheduled for that time - nope, still don't have a car, but then, I don't have a job either, so I guess that explains why I don't have a car, yet. Planning and doing to have some things in order at home before leaving so that I do not come home to more chaos than I left behind.

All the while I wonder what am I forgetting, and what have I left behind?

Bills, clothes, food, boys, cats, meetings, undone things that will now have to wait until I return.

I need a haircut (random, no?).

I am thankful I have these things to occupy my mind and my time. Although, there are days when I turn around and retrace my steps wondering what it was exactly that I accomplished. Honestly, there are days when the answer would be "not a damn thing." Lots of days when it is more like "not a whole hell of a lot." Still, many, many more where I would have to answer "oh well...I guess there is always tomorrow."

I am thankful to still have my house.

Thankful to have skills and talents - and would be even more thankful to be able to share them with a PAYING employer. That sounded a bit more ungrateful and bitter, didn't it? Sorry.

I am thankful the kids are healthy and intelligent, and possess talents of their own. I am also thankful they can take care of themselves and the house - for the most part - in my absence.

I am thankful for my mother, and if you know me well, you know why.

I am thankful for my improving health.

Thankful that next year I will have the chance to ply my trade, skills and initiative with gusto, instead of sitting on the sidelines because Harvey kept me down.

Supremely thankful for friends - and you know who you are. Without you I would be...friendless.

Oh, I am sorry. That was too easy and very predictable.

I am thankful that my friends would smile at that last attempt at humor.

I am thankful the heat is on, the electricity works (without many problems), the water from my tap is clean and tastes good, my cats aren't gourmet catfood eaters, and that I have had the pleasure to have known all of my grandparents and most of my GREAT grandparents in my lifetime - a distinction I find many people sadly do without.

I realize these things, and MANY more, every day and relish my blessings on some level all of the time. What about you?

I hope you have things to be thankful for, and that you can recognize them without having to really try too hard. Even the adversities are a blessing...for they make us stronger and more prepared for the next time.

Thanks for stopping by.

No news, yet

I am keeping my thoughts positive, but not getting my hopes up.

Went on an interview last week, and I know it will be a while (or, that is what I am expecting) before calls are made or emails are sent to inform some of the 44 interview-ees of the positive results.

Mom says not to get my hopes up or want it too badly. After 2.5 years of unemployment that is sort of hard to do.

No news (is good news?), but I will let you know when the paper finally hits the doorstep.

Keep good thoughts, everybody.

Nutty weather

We have been enjoying a rather unusual weather pattern for...well, all of November. Yes, all of it! The last time I remember weather being this nice in November was just about a dozen years ago.

The boys were little, and I had a best friend. We were still a family living in the boonies - just before I decided I had had enough and began looking into divorce and starting over.

Things at home were tense and becoming uncomfortable day by day, and I leaned on my friend for my mental stability. I was also seeing a therapist (as I had been for years). It began with my going to appointments to benefit Karl, but grew into his therapist recommending I also seek out someone to talk to.

I did.

It worked. After nearly four years, I realized I was never going to be happy with the way things were going in my family. The more I worked to improve life, the harder 'he' ran in the other direction to destroy the peace. To shatter my calm. To trash our marriage and our family.

At the height (or, depth) of this discovery, Linda and I decided it was the perfect time for us to take a mommy trip for some fun and time away. After all, them men took their hunting trips and reserve weeks away from us, so why not turn the tide and return the favor. Two homemakers on the road and kicking up their heels.

She had four boys, and I had two. When we got together it was usually at her home, and it was as though the Lost Boys had control of the kingdom. She was used to it - I was not. She and her husband had the large family my ex wanted (but he could never have been the kind of father it would take to raise that sort of brood). Linda had everything but their finances under control, so I often wondered why she wanted to go on mommy trips when they had no way to afford it.

Anyhow, one year we decided to go to Chicago - and off we went. The temperatures hung in the 60's and we couldn't believe our good fortune! Wandering around the Windy City in lovely weather and holiday lights...what fun.

Well, here we are again - maybe not the 60's, but these mild temps are pretty darned nice, so no complaints (unless it gets gray).

Enjoy your week, people, and (at the risk of sounding trite) remember to be thankful for all things.

Never having anything you can count on

...except the sting of diappointment in most details of your life.

Not for nothing...

...but I joined Twitter. Don't ask me why, but I did. Ellen now has one more follower - stalkers in training, more or less.

Nothing like perseverance

It took quite a bit of pushing, several telephone calls and some email to get it done, but the video is finally out there for viewing. Here is the link to the Faygo site where I have an entry in the latest contest.

"HOOAHS LOVE FAYGO" at http://faygo.com/ContestDisplay.aspx?id=401.

I would appreciate your support in accruing votes during this competition. It's very easy to do - simply click on the link and vote for the video (it will start automatically). The three fields to fill in require only your name and a valid email address...don't worry! you can deselect the little box to make certain you don't get Faygo spam (unless you want to), and your vote is verified to count. Yes, they have to go to this extreme because in previous contests, people were "stuffing" their website with fake email addresses to win.

If you have access to more than one computer and several email addresses to choose from, you can "vote" more than one time per day, unfortunately, you need to be certain each vote (from a particular PC) comes in more than 24 hours apart - they are not too technically savvy and have really made it tough to get the job done. Ah well.

I appreciate your efforts so very much, and if you wouldn't mind recruiting a few friends or family members, too, we can really rack up the votes. The entry was posted very late in the competition due to many errors and difficulty made on the Faygo marketing end, so we are at a bit of a disadvantage, but...a new vote from you, every day, puts us closer to our goal...Thank You for your support!

With a lot of perseverance, we can push to the top 5!

Numbers

The big five-oh.

Oh yes, my older brother is 50, and I am scratching my head trying to figure out when that happened, because I am not at all happy with the knowledge that I am not all that much younger than he.

Happy Birthday, Aaron! Wishing you were closer so I could cook you dinner and serve you mom's cake. [Hugs] to you, big brother.

Nearly 8 o'clock

I have been awake since six a.m., wondering how long into the business day it would be before Faygo reps loaded my video into the public viewing area of their contest page. Now, I am excited and nervous...hoping the same viewers online through YouTube will revisit the Faygo site to vote and push our last minute entry into one of the top five spots.

It's crazy to think that as of this morning the views have blown past 300! Can you imagine! We would most certaily have a chance to win one of the top five prizes if this were on the contest site. Ah well, at least it is getting looked at, and the comments (for the most part) have been very good. One rotter decided to say "What has this got to do with Faygo?" - to which other viewers smacked him about by suggesting he learn the Faygo theme song and adopt a better attitude!

If Faygo...sorry. WHEN Faygo finally gets the video approved and out there, I will post the link so that you can go to watch the two minute video and vote for the entry. You can vote once per day with your legitimate email address, and so if you have more than one working email address, you can vote once per day with each one! [wink wink...nudge nudge]

Good morning, and thanks for looking in. More soon, I hope.

Nucking Futz!

That's right, I said it. Nucking futz!

And if you keep staring at the screen like a guppy saying hello to the outside world, I'm gonna say it again.

It looks as though Faygo won't be loading the video entry until Monday sometime. It appears as though whomever approves entries before they appear on the website for viewing doesn't review over the weekend (wish they bothered to mention that in their web page with all of the garbage they did post). Seriously, something simple like: "Please note, all entries will be reviewed prior to posting to our contest page. We regret there may be a delay over the weekend." You know, something that says 'we won't be bothered to be diligent with your entry and update our site daily.'

Nucking futz and doggone it! Two days of voting time lost!

I guess I am not surprised as they did not even bother to state a deadline with the contest rules for the first 2 months the contest was open.

At any rate, the video of the Hooahs playing the Faygo theme song (fading into a rousing ending of the MSU fight song) was uploaded to YouTube for the band members to see, while we waited for the silly thing to be viewable online with Faygo. All weekend it's been garnering views - and I have to laugh, because between Saturday morning and now, it's been viewed over 260 times! Just imagine if those could have been votes online at Faygo instead of mere views!

Nucking futz!

Well, we have until December 1st to get votes in, and we only have to catch up to the first five places with 1000 votes cast (probably more now). Nucking futz!

Well, if we can get 300 views in just 2 days, I guess we can get enough in the next 14 days or so, provided Faygo gets off of their collective Mountain Mists and gets the darn video loaded into the public viewing arena!

It's nucking futz, I tell ya!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

I have a last-minute addition to my calendar - I will be going to Gram's soon to help cover some time my mom couldn't manage, due to car issues. The trip for her to get to Gram's is roughly 540 miles -/+ (for me it's about 35), so when she has a car issue, it sort of takes over. So I am sneaking a little prep time to type this update before finishing getting ready for the fast approaching time away.

Friday the 13th had me in Detroit with Karl for his post extraction check-up, and it looks good according to the dentist who checked him over and answered our questions. This young Dr. removed some of the more stubborn stitches they placed on the left side, and Karl did a great job despite nerves and trepidation. The kid had "stuff" to say, and didn't pull any punches when there was a little discomfort for one set. The doctor laughed and said, "I love your humor and sarcasm." Karl looked at him strangely, trying to gauge exactly what was meant, but he couldn't quite, and since there were hands and instruments in his mouth, Karl just relaxed and let the dentist finish his work.

Karl was given the 'all clear' to eat more solid food again, and the first thing he said was he wanted a Panera sandwich!

Well, OK.

After making the rounds and saying goodbye to the receptionist and friendly nurses, dental assistants and office manager, we hightailed it to the car and pointed ourselves in the direction of the Rochester Panera Bread restaurant for that sandwich he wanted so very badly. We arrived to find Phil at the counter, smiling and welcoming, and very genuine. We ordered the sandwiches (including one for Brian), got a few bagels for breakfast the next day, a couple of 'celebratory cookies' and a pumpkin muffin for desert. Phil tried to cajole Karl into a cold coffee drink - an iced mocha or a caramel frappacino... you get the picture, but Karl declined, and Phil said "well, if you're not in the mood, then that's that," smiled and totalled us up. We were starving, to say the least.

A couple of minutes later Phil said to Karl "Hey, I forgot, we have smoothies. How about a delicious smoothy?"

Karl struck a pose, and actually appeared to be contemplating it when Phil then quietly said "How would you like one on the house? C'mon, you have to celebrate getting your stitches out."

I had to kick Karl in the butt by telling him you never turn down something "on the house," cowboy! With that, Phil set to work making Karl a free strawberry smoothie - can you beat that?!

For Karl the day just kept improving, and by the time we got home, he had snarfed down the first half of his turkey and artichoke panini and finished the smoothie, still raving about Phil. I told him he should put it all in a simple note to the manager of that store so that Phil can see it and get a good review from his boss (for his excellent customer service). I will let you know what comes of it.

I finished the video I have been working on for a competition, and while it's been posted to the web site, it still hasn't been approved for viewing, so no votes can be cast until that happens. No doubt the approval won't happen until Monday, so there are two days lost, putting us further behind the other entries already gathering ballots. But, the video is on YouTube for the Hooahs to see before it can be voted on, so hopefully it will gather steam, and once we can begin gathering votes, we should be ok. The contest ends the first of December. As of this morning, there were 6 views, but I checked half an hour ago and there were over 120 views! Kind of cool, really.

More on that another time, for now I really need to finish getting things in order and plow through the rest of the laundry, too. Best thoughts to you all, and keep checking back. When I return from Gram's I expect to have the newest quilt top pieced completely and a photo posted of the progress, and another color combo cut to assemble. I'll show you those colors, too.

I know, I know...why cut out another when you have three that still need quilting (well, 6, really)?

Hey, nothing ventured...

'Til we meet again, stay healthy and happy.

Nearly nightfall

It's closing in on four o'clock in the afternoon, and I love this time of the day (at this point in the year, that is). The alcove in the library, where my PCs live, is not exactly bathed in sunlight - or, any light, truth be told - unless I want to open up my emaciated coffers and throw money at the energy company to turn on a light.

I had replaced the center ceiling light (a standard fixture in ALL mid-fifties-built ranch-style homes) with several recessed lights to make it easier to see book titles anywhere on the shelves, which now line most walls in the room. Years ago, I even included the installation of a lamp in what once was the closet when I reallocated the little room for a better purpose.

What once was a bedroom you entered through a door mid-way down the central narrow hall is now a sweet extension of the typical ranch living room - a library you access through French doors between it and the living room.

The sun at this time of year sets at such an angle as to penetrate the library around 3 or so, and move lovingly around the room until it reaches the alcove and covers my keyboards with glorious sunlight, unimpeded by leafy trees and heavy shades, drawn to keep the heat at bay. After little more than an hour or so, the power of the direct sunlight wanes, and while still providing workable light, it begins to feel - and look - more twilight in nature. It approaches the roofline of the houses on the next street over as it sinks in the sky and our planet turns, and soon, the beautiful orb will be settling in the sky for another evening. I always make certain I am sitting in the library on fall afternoons.

So quickly fly the daylight hours in the late fall and winter months.

No way! Binary Day!

I just think it's funny/odd/a quirk of happenstance, whatever you want to call it, when the date and time provide us with little coinkydink things like................

Say it together, class!

Binary Day!

What? You've never heard of it?! Oh my, what rock have you been hiding under?

Look at the date and time of this blog entry. Yup!

It's eleventh hour and eleventh minute after, into the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year.

OK, so I know it's not 2011 ('11), but it is now officially 11:11 11/11/09. That's close enough for rock-n-roll, don't you think?

News

For those of you wondering 'why hasn't she written anything in two weeks?', well, let me fill you in.

I began two entries while at Gram's, but never got around to finishing them - so many intermitant interruptions in being there that sometimes I get derailed and never go back to finish the thoughts and post the entry.

You will find two of those entries at the end of October, should you care to back up and read them. They aren't long and may even be fun to catch up on. Otherwise...

November crept in and I watched in horror as realization of another lost year was a meer 60 days away.

It's been a somewhat busy handful of days, and while I certainly have had time to write, my desire just isn't 'there'.

Karl had his wisdom teeth extracted on the 5th, and that was a day - let me tell you. On that same day the taping for Bible Quiz Time started up for the new season, and I am once again sitting in the Sound Engineering seat. Third year!

I had to be in Dearborn (by 8:00am, I thought, as we have always been), only to find everybody else far behind timewise. That's OK, I used the time well.

Sweetly, Brian agreed to drive Karl south to meet me at Ford Road and Telegraph by 12:15pm so that I could take him to Detroit's St. John Hospital Center of Dentistry for the surgery. Since you shouldn't have anything to eat or drink at least six hours prior to anesthesia, I had to get Karl up for a bowl of hot cereal and milk before jumping in the car to head to Dearborn. That all happened around 6am.

I know, right!

The hand-off went well, and both Karl and I were starving on the drive to Detroit. He was nervous but did a great job all around. On the drive home he said he was thirsty and ravenous, so we opted for a malt from Big Boy to make things better. His incredibly numb tongue almost tasted the flavor, but the cold liquid was a gift, and it took his mind off of some of the happenings (at least for a little while).

On the way home I called around to find an inexpensive way to buy the antibiotic and pain meds prescribed for the boy, and it wasn't until I got home and was in panic mode that I called the little family pharmacy I used to frequent when I had a job and insurance, and found they were only asking for a FRACTION of the cost of the antibiotic! Go figure.

Fast forward: Karl is doing splendidly; eating soft foods has morphed into soft homemade chicken fingers, salmon patties and spaghetti with meatballs. Most of his discomfort has been on the lefthand side where the dentist said one of the teeth was a little more trouble than the others, and they ended up putting a couple stitches in to keep things closed. Laughing and smiling are now his biggest pains, for the most part, but I think he is keeping his teeth clean and rinsing enough, so we may have passed the roughest part without incident and infection. He has roughly four days left of the antibiotic, and we go back to St. Johns for a final appointment/check-up on Friday.

Thanks for caring and for your good thoughts and prayers.

November nothing

For the past nine or ten days I have been waiting and looking and corresponding and nursing and hoping, and have been hopeful...but mostly, I've been waiting. Oh, and wary, let's not forget that one.

Do you know that expression "knock on wood"? It sort of goes hand-in-hand with "bite your tongue", the evil eye and "ptooh, ptooh, ptooh!" (you Greek friends will understand that last reference).

I have been editing and practicing with the PS, but as of yesterday, my 'monster'' is basically worthless. I am dead in the water.

I was all set to spend the day cutting in the last of any video footage into the Faygo contest piece and to insert a bunch of stills - I even edited the MSU gnome and an old Faygo bottle to use as pop-ups - when, to my utter shock and dismay, the timeline wouldn't play and there is no sound when I manually scrub the video!!!

What the #!&%!?*%$!&*!!

The idea of having to drive the CPU and both monitors down to Sterling Hts is not an option (at least, not one I want to think about, if I can get around it somehow).

I won't even go into how much time I spent on hold (29 minutes) with the Micro Center helpline technerd before he told me the extended warranty I bought (for hundreds of dollars on my $3600+ monster unit) does not entitle me to troubleshooting privileges over the phone. But, I could pay by the 15-minute increment for that sort of assistance, if I wanted to! Argh!! Grrrrrr. "Sorry, ma'am."

My head was going to explode.

The cats scattered to dark corners and places they knew I wouldn't storm off to. The boys tried to console and cajole me, but I was snarky. Even the TV was berated and nearly strangulated, and I am not through - even though it has been overnight already, I am still in no better frame of mind.

So, back to what I was saying...

I made the stupid decision to verbally flip off the karma deities by uttering that ignorant - and harmful - phrase, "it can't get any worse," and I knocked on the table when I said it, too! I mean, for me I figured I was already at the bottom of that barrel and there wasn't anywhere left for me to go but up, right? I mean, improvement in my entire situation (employment-wise, health-wise, etc) was imminent, or so I thought. I mean, when I said it to myself I was being hopeful, not bitter or recriminating of the crap that has already befallen me (over the last 2+ years). I wasn't sneering at my circumstances and cursing at the fate hags and morons. No! I was, in fact, saying I was ready for my turnaround. My inference was wishful and hopeful and positive. I knew good fortune and a turnaround was forthcoming.

No, no, no.

Nope, karma bit me in the butt once more.

Who knew 'they' could let the bottom fall out of the barrel?! Really! Who knew? Actually, truthfully, I think it wasn't so much that the bottom fell out as 'they' took a hacksaw to it to make their point. Really! I am pretty certain I heard the sounds of sawing a la Loony Toons.

Never...and I mean NEVER, ever ask yourself how much worse can something get. Never! At least, don't do it while I am anywhere around.