Hunkering down

With the huge storm on its way and the prospect of being marooned in the house for a couple days, I took it upon myself to hit the store and stock up on necessary things.

Canned cat food, ground turkey and buns for turkey burgers, chips (of course), lunch meat and hoagie rolls, milk (two gallons of each), potatoes, carrots, lettuce, bananas, etc, etc, etc. [sigh of relief and chocolate]

We are all set and a day ahead of schedule, so there!

With the groceries put away and dinner taken care of, I set to work building a small mound of films to pass the time. "Feel good" movies to put a smile on my face, or at the very least, take my mind off of the lack of work. Oddly, I need to keep from watching the credits to ensure I don't think about not having a job! LOL

I've just finished watching the first of my movie mania choices, Love Actually, and it never ceases to amaze me that I can still get choked up watching certain parts. I'll let you know what comes next, but for now.... it's Monday night and time for House, and then my 'boyfriend" at 10pm.

Craving meatloaf

Yes, that's right. I am craving meatloaf. I want so badly to make *one* - have the smell of a baking meatloaf fill the house - then slice into it and savor the texture and flavor of a fresh meatloaf. [drool]

[How many times can this chick use the word "meatloaf"? I know, right? Well, just so's ya know, I edited one "meatloaf" out* of the opening salvo. So-o-o-o-o...yer welcome.]

When I made that pot roast the other day (more like a week ago, I suppose), I really wanted.........you guessed it.

My heart and taste buds are set on having one, too. So much so that my brain is now picturing the beautiful mound of meat on a plate (and yes, I am still talking about an actual meatloaf, and not Nathan....or Gerry)! Juicy and steaming and mmmmm. That, to me, is real comfort food.

"So make one already," I hear you screaming. Well, I would, but it's not that simple. Remember, I have no oven.

OK, so technically, I do have an oven....in a crate....in the garage, but that is a long way from being able to use it.

Karl's solution is to make "mini meatloaves." We'll just fry them..."like hamburgers" he says.

Brilliant, but they'd still just be hamburgers, so it's not the same thing. Not really, not by a long shot. Got give him credit for the suggestion, though.

It's like making cookies on the stove - and, yes, it can be done. I've been faux-baking on the stove top for the better part of the year, now, and if you stay diligent and attentive, and don't try to rush the process, you can make some very passable baked goods on top of your range.

Corn bread, cookies, muffins, biscuits - either store bought in a tube or scratch-made - they all can be made with patience and a spatula. Of course, you have to be able to regulate the temps of the cooking surface to get the desired results, and therein lies the rub.

It seems our four-burner range top is sympathizing with the plight of former oven.

Some time ago, one of the burners gave up the nuances of temperature regulation in favor of perpetual burn mode. That is to say, that one particular 'burner' now only works on high temp, there is no way to turn it down, so it isn't used for cooking any longer.

And now, it seems another of the cooking spirals has decided to become temperamental, and is slowly becoming overzealous in heat production. I am forever turning it down before cooking disasters occur.

Hopefully, this summer will see more work and more cash flow so I can complete the current phase of the kitchen metamorphosis.

Actually, that is another reason why I am trying to sell my books online. When I can manage to have the funds in my account to pay the carpenter to return and install the new range, that is when I can make a meatloaf!

The BBC never fails to impress and entertain

Just viewed the final installment (part 4) of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Theater, which broadcasts on PBS (for you Philistines). We began watching the episodic story the first night it aired here in the states, and I am so glad we did. What a tremendous way to cruise through the month of January!

If you missed seeing it, you will want to catch up online (if it can be downloaded), or go to the PBS store online and buy it! I promise you will not be disappointed.

Good news: It turns out the BBC has decided to produce more of the story for another season, so I have something to look forward to (besides Castle and finding work)!!

Yea!

More paring down

Still cleaning and sorting and throwing (throwing out, that is).

I am finding myself more capable lately of letting go of things, and it feels good.

Clothes that I haven't been able to wear for some time; objects that are not truly usable but are still too good to pitch in the trash (you know what I mean); and papers that I have lugged with me from one house to the next (which are now suddenly of little importance). These things have all found their way out of my life. Out of my space. Out of my home.

I still have my fabric stash (honestly, I am trying not to add to it - too much), and the library is notoriously full of books (I highly doubt I will ever be able to let go of a single cookbook - whether I use it or not), and until I have a place to put them officially, my collection of dishes is still boxed up and residing in the garage...but I have pared it all down.

Some of the exorcism has been small, but I still give myself credit for having begun the process. Baby steps...right?

It isn't easy letting go, and goodness knows I am not going to rid myself of stuff in a weekend or two when it's taken me years to accumulate it all.

By the same token, I am also relinquishing some bad habits (or, starting the process of change), and letting go of mental ills and harsh thoughts that plague me. Energy suckers.

Yeah, that's going to take a much longer period of time...and a bigger broom.

Food

Today is a pot roast kind of day.

Outside it's dreary, cold (what else), icey, bleak and grey. So, so grey. I awoke very early this morning and had a sense of wanting. What exactly, I don't know........and I still don't.

I let my kitchen skills take the lead, though, and decided comfort food was needed to try and keep the 'wanting' from getting any worse. Checking out the frozen larder I found a large piece of beef (over 3lbs), chicken, some stew meat and ground turkey. I quickly ruled out anything Mexican, oriental/Asian, pasta-filled and fried, and since we are still without oven (SWO), I also put the kibosh on meatloaf (although that was the front runner).

Since I'd made chicken soup over the weekend (which only lasted two meals!), I knew I shouldn't repeat that sort of dish too soon - although I don't think the boys would've complained if I had. So what was left?

I immediately put the roast into one of my lovely old cast iron dutch ovens to brown, and set to work filling the house with delicious smells. Once the meat was browned all over I added spoonfuls of minced garlic and a heaping dose of horseradish. Covered the ingredients with several cups of water, liberally dosed the hunk of meat with freshly ground black pepper and set the heavy lid on snugly. Several hours later we added onions and carrots to simmer in the pot while I made garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes.

Oh, bubba!

Brian left for his evening shift with a full belly. Karl is content and stuffed; and delicious smells are wafting throughout the house.

I still don't know what I'm wanting, but a good meal isn't it.

Hitting the skids

For whatever reason I am feeling downright blue, and it began a couple of days ago. Everything wrong with life in general is stacking up and weighing heavily.

I am saddened by not getting responses to email and follow-up phone calls. Disappointed by broken promises of prospective/interested production managers. Disheartened to be thrown onto rocky shoals after being buoyed by good news and thoughts of work coming my way.

It all leaves me feeling unmotivated and sullen.

Add to that other abuses by profiteers who have taken money for services paid for and never rendered.

I look around my house and see things falling apart or jobs that are incomplete...things that I paid others to do years ago, that are now beginning to worry me. Cracks in the corners of two adjoining walls (some repeat cracks and others which are new). New floorboards that are developing wider than normal gaps between, and after I sanded and finished them so beautifully. Popping/pealing drywall tape here and there; and the counter - along the outside wall in the kitchen - that seems to be pulling away from the wall (or, is the wall pulling away from the rest of the house?).

Adding insult to injury, it's very apparent in these extended frigid temperatures the kitchen is most certainly lacking the insulation that was supposed to have been blown into the back wall and into the wall which separates the garage and kitchen! I paid for it, and the robber barons charged as though they used all those sacks for the square footage calculated, but the temperature differences in that area are unforgivably different.

I am tired and sad, broke and defeated, horribly inconsolable and woefully unemployed.

Maybe blue isn't the right color.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Turn and face the change!

You classic rock fans will recognize those scant lyrics, and if you don't (and you're of a "certain age"), kindly close the page, go take your Metamucil and have a seat in your rocker by the window.

Yesterday morning I went to the second support group meeting for ASD caregivers, and was suddenly caught off-guard by the realization that I was not there to get help (for Karl) so much as I was there to offer help and guidance for others with much younger children. These are folks who are just starting the maze of "what now?" who will be able to take advantage of [our] knowledge and experience and be able to push through the challenges of what will come for them - as parents of children with ASD.

Karl's journey is at a different point, and there is no turning back, there are no do-overs and no fixes or helping hands to ease the way for his adult years. He is a trailblazer (although so many more have gone before him, misdiagnosed and unrecognized as Aspys or those suffering ASD), but I intend to make these new parents stand up and take charge. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT FOR YOUR CHILD - THEY CANNOT DO IT FOR THEMSELVES!

There is no way to erase the frustration and torture that plagued Karl all throughout his young life at school and home, at playdates and family gatherings (and all points in between). And I am still only learning things about him that I didn't know.

Lord, please help me be a better parent for my sons.

I need help with the changes that are to come, and help preparing him for the future - with and without me in it.

Nothing

Nothing much to say.

Today involved an early morning appointment for Karl at MRS, for which he had to brush his hair (and not in his usual "I-tried-but-it-just-won't-listen-to-me" fashion, but using water and mom persuasion) and dress less casually then the Karl norm.

Oh yeah, and I should mention that "early morning" means 10AM, since that is normally the hour he rises, give or take half an hour.

Try and remain upbeat and cheerful with the grumpiest person in your world fully loaded and shooting double rounds of mean and spite (covered with threats and sprinkles) at your head. Oh, heck, forget the cheerful attitude...just try to keep from drinking and barricading yourself behind closed doors and never answering your phone every day, and there you have it.

Had to mandate a change of clothes, even though the t-shirt he donned was clean and cat hair-free; that created friction on top of the mounting anger.

The MRS rep requires Karl to dress a little more as if he wants a job and is willing to "play the game" to prove the point. Dressing like you are going to a prospective employer is huge points with these program people. So then you couple the hair thing with the wardrobe bit and the very thought of having to go to the meeting to begin with, and you have lousy mood and attitude.

[Heavy, heavy sigh]

The meeting was short and sweet. She didn't take any of his guff and he was short tempered and sullen.

I can see both sides of the conflict...but how does one remain "Switzerland" when the answer to some of his needs (MRS rep) is trying to help and is pushing his buttons, and he is digging in his heels and being overly confrontational (which doesn't help his cause). It's been so long that this agency has done nothing but spin their wheels and send Karl to "test centers" (one after another) to "evaluate his job potential," but then never move on to next steps. He sees the BS they are shoveling, and he feels let down...and I know my opinion of their brand of crap has not helped the matter, but they are great at dangling that carrot further and further 'out there,' while heaping on more forms and hoops to jump through, and then never really fulfil anything they set in place once all the requirements are met.

Promises, promises.

Meanwhile, they all have jobs and pencils to push while the poor clients follow directions and bend over backwards to meet deadlines and qualifications and whatever else is shoved at them.

Karl has even experienced three of his reps moving on to other jobs while pawning him off on yet another new rep, who starts back at square one, handicapping his efforts to move ahead.

See, lots of nothing.

Oh, yeah, and...

I received a quick note from one of the cameramen I worked with last year who said he recommended me for a scripty job. [Couldn't] tell me any more than I should be receiving an email from an "Anthony" about a gig on a horror film sometime in the near future.

Please, Lord, let at least one of these new productions pick me up and be a paying job.

If I worked half as often as I had nibbles on jobs, I'd be alright in the bank account (that is, if those nibbles and jobs all paid).

Paid - FINALLY

Finally received payment for the three days of production work on James and Jenna - shot in the "D" in November!

I know, right?

I am finding this industry to be unscrupulous from stem to stern...everybody tries to stiff you out of something all along the way, and if you aren't careful - and diligent - you wind up without. Sometimes it isn't dishonesty or the outright attempt to keep you from getting what you worked for, sometimes there is just this crack, see? And you fall in it...see? And if you don't kick and scream and cry for help, nothing gets done.

PLEASE ALLOW ME TO ADD that Angel was most helpful in securing payment after I contacted him (and harrassed him). No, he was wonderful, and I hope I get the chance to work with him again.

Hey, I'm selling books again!

Albeit the sales are online, and not face to face.....but I am now online and selling books.

OK, to be 100% honest, I've started an account and registered books on the Half.com site to sell (thanks for the help, Jean), and I have roughly 20 titles listed thus far, but at the blinding rate of a handful of books registered per hour (LOL), I should have a fair amount 'out there' that people will realize they can't live without in very short order.

Hey, if your child has a favorite teacher, or you would like to gift your local elementary or high school library, here is a great and fairly inexpensive way to do it. Head to Half.com and look for my "store" - Funnyladyinred - and find nothing but new books for sale there. I have all sorts of books that are no longer in print (OOP) and first editions, which are great collectibles.

Please be patient - until I manage to upload a fair portion of my stock, you may not find a title you are looking for....OR, you may happily find books you never knew about before! Either way, feel free to send a note and ask. I probably have it and just haven't gotten it listed, yet.

What a week

There were appointments a-plenty, meetings up the hoo-ha, bills to pay, emergencies to manage and things to get done. Conversations about jobs, visits with friends, shopping and time spent with my sons. There was even some time spent on the road delivering people to college dorms. Blitzkrieg-cleaning and scheming and laundry, and the arrival (finally) of the software and the last bit of hardware for Karl to be able to animate/illustrate here at home. Yea!

Oh, and sadly, the realization that I have managed to put back all of the pounds that I whittled away over the last year. It begins again. [heavy sigh]

And the good news....[we] get to do it all again beginning Monday!

Also with the new week, I will begin to sell - online - the stock remaining from the children's bookshop I once owned and operated. Hopefully I will begin that enterprise (with help from Jean) tomorrow.

For the better part of the last two weeks or so I have been pulling in titles from storage and pairing books with corresponding themes and/or age ranges to make assortments for folks to purchase, instead of just one book at a time. Books about colors, numbers, the alphabet, science, summer activities, dogs and cats, feelings, etc., will be paired and sold in bundles, perhaps enabling me to sell more in a shorter amount of time. Hopefully it will also eliminate a good portion of the leftover stock and put some badly needed cash into the coffers.

The cleaning and planning will continue. I find a lot of satisfaction and relief in paring down and clearing corners and shelves. The thought of entering another 'age decade' this spring has given me a new sense of purpose in attacking ghosts and shadows (and accumulating piles) and sweeping them out of my life. Focusing on the necessary and the here-and-now means having to 'make room,' and what better way to do that than to let go of those things that are weighing me down and holding me back. The stuff that is taking up space physically and emotionally needs to go away. Far, far away.

What a revelation.

What a week.

Encouraged

Karl likes the woman he will be working with.

Bonny, who heads the program for Autism at OU, is his counselor, and he had his first meeting with her yesterday afternoon. They spoke for the better part of two hours; he was in a pretty good mood when they emerged.

He felt comfortable and said they talked about a "a lot."

Before leaving we made another appointment for next week, but I don't mind saying that feels like a lifetime away.

It is always remarkable to me to see how Karl becomes very stiff and formal when meeting someone, with his gaze almost meeting theirs. He will be slouching in a chair, seemingly relaxed and questioning me (for the third time) as to why we are where we are, and what is the point of this meeting (or playing on one of his little handheld games), when the person [we] are there to talk with appears and he suddenly rights himself in the chair and becomes 'British' in posture. Sometimes he offers his hand to shake, other times he just recites "it's nice to meet you" and nods his head like an animatron droid - one nod down and back up....very cold and formal and old fashioned.

It was difficult getting him to this level of interraction...to this social skill level. And if I found the way difficult, don't you know how much more difficult it had to have been for him?! That fact is never far from my thoughts.

Karl is remarkable, and the progress he has made over the years is truly amazing, and I thank God for making the changes possible. Even though there is so much more to accomplish, obstacles to overcome - or at least learn to deal with - I am still thankful for the achievements to this point in time.

That is why I am encouraged to have found the services afforded to the Autistic spectrum community at OU. This is Karl's year...his chance to grow and blossom. Thank you, God.

Here, at long last

And I do mean l-o-n-g last. :)

Even though the holiday season is officially past, please accept our little slice of seasonal greetings to bring a smile to your face.

This was the last assigned project from Karl's animation class (however, we do have one more animation "in the wings," and hope to load it soon).

The video would load faster for you here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YldqQgFNY7Q , and you can also find a small handful of other pieces from his class at the link (click on the button just above the video and below the title).

Until then, please enjoy this little offering.

Just silliness

Not for nothin', but did you happen to notice the time on this post?

Heh heh heh.

Can't wait for November! ;)

I've been trying to post Karl's latest video here, but for some reason blogspot would not finalize the upload. After four hours I gave up. Tomorrow I will try it again in a different way.

Possible gig in Muncie, IN

Spoke with a producer tonight about a project starting this spring! It isn't the same job I wrote about earlier, but it is a legit job and it will be fun to work.

She was very positive and receptive to my becoming their script super...as long as I would double as a 2nd AC, too.

She will speak to her director and another producer on the team about me tonight, and then will arrange a phone call between us all (they are in California and NY) later in the week. From there, I will get a copy of the script and then things will move forward. Oddly, she was hoping (I think) that I would be interested in the Art Dept/Set Dec or Props, and I suppose I could go that way if it was truly necessary, but I told her I would prefer Scripty first (and role into EPK, too), assisting in the camera area to a point.

I guess we'll see.

There are several gigs I applied to over the last 2+ weeks, least of which is a month long (or more) gig in Africa over the tale end of the spring. I am certain they have probably more responses than they can go through, and I most likely won't hear from them, but it's been fun to daydream about the idea of traveling to Africa for a film job!

Anyhow, I have a lead on a fresh job. And I've spoken with someone regarding that project, and passed the first hurdle. Soooooo....I am already head and shoulders up on last year. :)

Power should never 'go out'

The neighborhood went dark last night just about 11:15PM.

I was blogging when zzzztt pfft!

The boys said there had been a brown out earlier in the day in my absence, but that it was a one-shot and nothing severe.

We seem to have a lot of those - more than four times a month...and yes, that's a lot.

When calling DTE to report the trouble, and to get an estimate on the repair time, we were told to expect power (and heat) sometime between seven and nine in the morning. So we quickly hunkered in and bedded down for the night.

I offered the boys my bed and prepared to sleep on the sofa; since the fireplace on the lower level would sufficiently heat the immediate space - without the fan to circulate the heat - I figured we could at least stay comfy for the long night.

Karl declined and stayed in his room, with blankets from Brian's bed added to his own. Brian took the couch and fell asleep fairly quickly, and I kept an eye on the fireplace, getting up to turn it off after an hour or so.

Somewhere around 3AM the power was restored and I quickly ran through the house turning off lights and appliances that were on as the power went out.

Bud's alarm sounded at 6:45AM and he got himself ready for work and out the door. I tried to ignore everything and drift back to sleep, but just as he departed, one of the cats began to deliver a hairball. What a noise!

So here I am!

Happily, I found yet another invitation for a phone interview for a different gig - a Muncie IN production for the spring - in my inbox. I have already responded saying I can speak with them today or tomorrow at their earliest convenience, and that I am looking forward to the opportunity! Will need to keep a close eye on my inbox throughout the day and keep my phone in my hand.

Oh jeez...I need to charge my phone! Don't need to run out of power during an interview.

If I were fishing, this would have been a 'nibble'

A strange, poorly written, fairly confusing "Hey, we'd like to speak with you regarding a position" note showed up in my inbox a day or two ago, and of course it was a last minute invite to join a "local crew" for beers and bowling to get to know one another.

What was confusing was that this person had also mentioned that the first of the auditions was to be held over the weekend and that the "meeting" was to be Monday. A casting super is usually in attendance during auditions. Well, here, let me show you:

"J*** **I is doing its first auditions this weekend in [local town], and a development crew meeting is supposed to happen the following Monday - for some bowling and beers. I would happily have you come out if you are interested in hanging with a gang of locals to see what we can do for you as a potential CAST SUPER for the project, and am looking at doing the bowling meeting at something like 2pm. If you feel you can attend, just message me back.

M"

I responded with "sure, I would like the opportunity to meet and hear about the project and get to know folks, and learn of my role. Please send the location and time and I will see you there."

Haven't heard a word since.

Typical. Sad but typical.

But, hey....when fishing, a nibble is a nibble.

Autism day

Spent a good deal of today getting my foot in the door at OU; attended a parent/guardian/caregiver group meeting, and then had an intake meeting and interview with the person who will counsel and help Karl.

I am not keen on getting my hopes up again [without due provocation] but this felt a little more like traveling in the right direction for a change.

Oh hell.....it felt like moving in A direction for a change. MRS and CLS are less than helpful (and have been for such a long time), and the longer he is in their "programs" the less gets done. It feels as though they are timing him out of the system...biding their time with worthless, endless paperwork and platitudes, hoops and dangling carrots, until he is too old for them to be bothered with any longer.

It's all (been) a sham, and at Karl's expense!

I pray this new road will yield beneficial results.

Mundane

How does a garbage company decide what the route will be for their trucks?

I mean, it's a little arbitrary (and weird) for pick-up to begin in an obscure part of a subdivision at 7AM. And it's not 6:45 or 6:52, or even 6:59. Nope, it's 7AM, and we aren't even the middle of town, let alone the center of the sub! I mean I could understand if we were the dead center of the "bulls eye," for example, but we're not; and I could understand of it was one trash company, but it isn't - it's all of them (and there are four!).

It's just odd, that's all.

I am not complaining about the time, or the noise....just perplexed by the choice of location for trash collection to begin. I mean, why not start at one end and drive on through to the other? What's the point of beginning with us?

It's 7:14 and the first truck has just whisked away the bags for one of my neighbors, and since we don't have the same company collecting our rubbish, mine will remain at the curb a little while longer.

It is now 7:27 and truck number two has just stopped at the driveway for my neighbor directly to the south. After gathering and compacting the load, they then inexplicably rolled slowly to my driveway and collected my bags as well!

"Aha," you say to yourself, "maybe it was your garbage team. In the December darkness you simply couldn't tell who it was out there with your trash." Well, the sky has lightened enough for me to be able to discern the writing on the side of a bright red truck, and trust me when I say it is not my team. My garbage company is cloaked in green with white and gold lettering. Nope, my trash has just been kidnapped!!

Boy, is my trash company going to be surprised. Maybe I can get Brian up and around shortly to do the cat box, just so there will be something at the curb when our guys roll by.

It's now one hour after I placed the garbage at the curb, and I can hear the next round of trucks rumbling into action somewhere within a block or two. I am not familiar enough with the schedule of our new collection company to know when to expect them, so I wonder if the approaching noise is 'us' or another of the many trash haulers that roam the neighborhood on Thursday morning.

Maybe I'll stick around to see who shows up next, it may be useful to know when WM does their thing for when I feel like sleeping in some morning. ;)

People suck

Once you get used to the idea, it's less of a disappointment every time the fact is reinforced.

I'm a people, so I should know. And, I do.

Curiosity

I am amazed with how we (humans) can communicate so easily with friends, loved ones, strangers, etc., all around the globe...in seconds.

In the blink of an eye a video can become "viral." Conversations, actor's rants, accidents, exchanges of happiness, 'flash' dances - joyous and exuberant, and even acts of terrorism and bullying, posted between friends and family members, become instant entertainment for the masses. Everything is open for everyone - there is very little privacy any more.

The advent of the internet and nearly instantaneous transmission and retrieval of information is a boon in many ways: at a business level; for medical concerns; as it pertains to national security, and on and on. Instant gratification....just add a UI and a search engine and you have it made. Presto!

Military personnel stationed thousands of miles from home can see their child's first steps or hear their first word, even if they can't be home. That seems just a little too bittersweet to me, but it is a blessing as much as it is a curse, I suppose.

So, I can't help but wonder, how it is that some of you have come to read my blog from some of your locations. Certainly, I know nobody in France, or Malaysia. I've no connection to China, the Koreas, Croatia or Spain, yet there you are...reading my words or glancing at my photos from time to time. How is it that you found me in the Ukraine?

It seems odd to me that someone can reference "kitchen remodeling" in an internet search in Russia, and my blog would somehow manage to appear in the results simply because I mentioned my own kitchen project six months ago. Very cool, but very weird.

Maybe some day in the near future you wouldn't mind dropping me a line and saying "hello." Perhaps tell me a little about yourself or your projects...your job...your every day life (lives). It can't be all that different from mine - but if it is, I would love to learn more about our ever-shrinking world.

Have a great day!

Warned you it would happen again :)

It's now 11:11AM on 1/11!

Well, well

Look, it's a new year!

As a child, it always seemed so magical to me that you could go to bed as you always do - brush your teeth, don your pj's, kiss your folks good night, throw a pillow at your brother's head, lie down and drop off to sleep, and when you awaken the next morning you're entrenched in a whole new year!

I went to bed in 1969, but whoa! Now it's 1970! The calendar, which is now and fat and full of (the same old) months we need to get to, is suddenly new and wondrous. [gasp] A chance to do it all again!

As I grew older, I was allowed to stay up (if I could keep my eyes open) and witness the passing of old year to new year, and it struck me last night that the last time I held any awe for the commotion was when the world toppled from the 1900's into the new millennium. Amazingly, it's been 12 years since the excitement of a new year's celebration has made me sit up and take notice.

That's sad. What do I have to do to get back the new year mojo? My last fortune cookie of 2010 told me: "Listen these next few days to your friends to get answers you seek."

Ok, friends, let's hear it.

Happy New Year!

It's 1:11AM on 1/11.

You KNOW I'll be doing this again...at least three more times this year, right? [cheesey grin]