I know, right?

Weird is when your blog readership spikes 300 views in one day, presumably because of one three-year-old post that mentioned Craig Ferguson in the title.

The man is a demi-god, I grant you.  Attractive, intelligent, funny as the month is long, tall, sexy [wiping chin drool]....and that brogue!

But honestly, 300 views because of a title?

You people are funny. 

Sadly, the link included in that particular post was lost when the business hosting it went "belly up" about two years ago.  Sad, because the book review/interview with Mr. Ferguson was comic genius.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day. :) A great, great day.  [insert heavy Scottish brogue]

Cravings II

Hmmm...

Seems odd that we have fallen into a weather pattern of snow storms on Saturdays, yet, if you review the tapes I think you will find we do have some sort of snowy-Saturday-weather-anomaly trending.

However, I think I can safely predict that it should be ending within the next two weekends.

That's right! You read it here first, and you can quote me if you would like.

If that prognosticating ground hog was correct, the six "more" weeks of winter he jinxed us with will have run their course by next Wednesday (March 16th) - but being the magnanimous human being that I am, I am allowing for inclusion of the weekend in that time span. I mean, let's face it, varmints (i.e.; ground-dwelling rodents) are not necessarily known for their time telling acumen (and I am fairly certain Punxsutawney Phil hasn't got a calendar or a Timex).

You are welcome, faithful ground hog lovers.

So, as of March 20/21, prepare yourselves for an end to these freakish, neverending, horrifying, tiring, snowy onslaughts. I am craving green grass, budding trees and pretty, pretty flowers poking their way up through the ground.

Craving! Do you hear me?!!?

And while I'm at it, I am also craving a GB & NF sandwich.....but I think I have a better chance of getting this whole winter's-over-in-a-short-two-weeks-thing right more so than my meatwich thing coming true.

So there.

I'm just sayin'.

Amen and pass the bisquits.

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.

Things never go according to plan

Yesterday was one of those days where, no, I didn't do the things I most wanted/needed to do, but then I did get something I very badly needed for a quilt I plan to enter into (and win with) an upcoming contest. So, in the grand scheme of things...not a horrible day.

Spent it with Jean from mid-afternoon on, in a very round road trip. She had plans to drive to A2 to pick up and transport one of her daughters to the airport, stopping - of course - to eat dinner and to deliver a few belongings along the way.

Kismit!

No sooner had I blogged that I was in desperate need of a certain material for the afore mentioned quilt contest, then Jean called to ask if I would be interested in a road trip. Of course! but I cast my bid to stop at any JAFs that might be in the area - if we had the time - and sure enough it became one of those items on the road trip.

Jean had found two in the general area of Ann Arbor, and had put them into her nav system (A.K.A. "Louise"), and off we went.

The first store was large and well-stocked, as far as quilting cottons and bundles, but for all that they had, they didn't have the one material I needed. Found a decent substitute, though, and settled on 3/4 of a yard, then scooted out knowing full well there was little chance on locating any more of the project material I desired. As we drove to the next (hard to find) JAF, I tried to warm myself to the resolution of having to use the sub material and work it in the best I could.

Once we located the small (last) JAF, we hustled in, short on time and patience. Quickly navigating to the calicos in the back of the store, we divided and conquered the area, not finding anything but flatfolded FQs and bolts of cotton. Out of desperation I asked a store clerk if they had any quilt bundle packs, and she walked us even further back, to a very well concealed few bins on a wall. I don't know how we missed that, but wheeeee!

In we dove, and Jean came up with the one and only matching quilt bundle about 45 seconds into our frantic dig.

Yea!

After looking through the remaining bundles, we ran to the register and paid for our finds (which were on sale...without use of a coupon!), then scurried to the car only to get back on the road and become wedged in horrible afternoon A2 traffic. Jean grabbed daughter Julie about 10 minutes later than she'd wanted to, and then we drove to a cute little restaurant somewhere in the city (Casey's Tavern on Depot Street - yummy turkey burger and steak fries). We took the chow to go as the Friday night dinner crowd and noise was a little much, plus Julie needed to pack. We ate dinner and chatted a bit, then got back on the road. All in all, an eventful day on the road, sprinkled with tons of laughs, good company and typical MI orange-barrel season frustrations. We capped the day by watching some Firefly (mmmeat, Canadian BF) and then nodding off to sleep.

:)

Anyhow, today I am happy....and busy - between the fortunate find and the work that now lies ahead of me (to meet the contest deadline), and the kitchen project that still requires a good deal of daylight hours to complete, I have my work cut out for me.

For now (today), I think it will be painting first and doing quilting stuff while the paint dries.

For a head's-up on the quilt progress, don't forget to check out the quilt blog www.truenorthquilter.blogspot.com.

Now, if you will excuse me...

My boyfriend is on, and I need to go drool for an hour.

Bye!

Happy Birthday, Nathan Fillion!

I am going to look like such a dweeb all over again, but 'boy friends' must be wished a happy birthday when their special day arrives.

Mmmmm....Canadian meat!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, you lovely Canadian! Hope you had a shiney day!

With love and admiration,

Bill Pardy

(I know I used it before, but it bore repeating)

Ode to joy

Joy is experiencing the thrill of a Saturday morning theatre - light (almost non-existant) crowds and a $5 movie!

Holy schmoly, why did no one ever tell me how cool (and inexpensive) it is to see a new movie that way?

My boyfriend was splendid, and lovely, and his co-star was pretty darned good, too. Sorry Jean, but Gerard will always be the master of all I survey, and it truly has nothing to do with his striptease and close-on butt shot...and shirtless walk to the car in cuffs and low-slung jeans. Holy cow! and thank you Mr. Director!

Acting schmacting...you can't fake pecks, an incredible six-pack and mmmmmm-yum yum body.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you!

Go see Law Abiding Citizen.

Now, add to that the supreme satisfaction of an MSU win over Northwestern this afternoon (homecoming weekend for the Spartans), and you have a pretty good day. Top it with a nap and peanut butter cookies, and...well, what can you say? A little bit of quilting and the promise of warmer temperatures for tomorrow (maybe the chance to pull some freaking weeds from the once pretty flowerbeds) would be all it takes to turn this wreck of a life around.

Everybody, be well and happy.

RAM

Random Access Mom thoughts...sorry for the bad tease.

With my usual dose of determination, inquisitiveness, sense of fair play in an unfair world world (whoever said "it" was going to be fair, anyway?), a lack of willingness to wait too long (past stated deadlines and promised dates), a dash of desperation, and my nearly typical full speed ahead-ed-ness, I called the TV pilot producer (from the interview of almost two weeks ago) and asked the casual question: "Neh....what's up, doc?"

Of course, I did it on the terrible Wednesday, when the world was falling apart and nothing was going right. The day that made breathing and acting as humanly normal as possible become merely an illusion. People were in peril that day, and nobody knew a thing.

I called BK while sitting in my car at the OCC campus, after dropping Karl off for his Java class. See, normally, after letting Karl out of the car, I turn around and head for home. Let's face it, there is a lot to do - even without a full time job (or a part time job, for that matter).

Though, before we left the house that morning, I had already called several agencies supposed to be helping Karl and members of the OCC staff, and their supervisors, and was either awaiting callbacks or planning next moves. This whole "post-high" program they pretend to have Karl in is a huge sham, and I fell for it, just like I believed school personnel were behind him in HS. Thpppbbbbbt!

Turns out Karl's MRS (MI Rehabilitation Services) caseworker (Melanie) hasn't been working with MRS for weeks! and nobody let us know. Which really is par for the course since the woman never returned ANY calls during the last three months of attempts (January, February, March). I even asked his Care Coordinator to assist in contacting this new person, and she (Nancy) dropped off the radar!!

Sometimes it gets pretty overwhelming.

Cut to the chase: Her (Melanie's) supervisor - the District Manager for the Macomb/Oakland area - was astounded to learn we didn't know Melanie was no longer working on Karl's behalf...not that she ever was. Also, the DM was surprised to hear that nobody said a word about the lack of Melanie to us when I phoned and specifically asked for help regarding her at the office that morning. AND, the DM was more surprised to hear I left a VME for Melanie on her voicemail, where the outgoing message still gave instructions specifically for reaching Melanie at either that office number or another location with another phone number referenced! How's that for stirring the pot?

My incredulousness grew as the DM became surprised with the news.

Worse yet, Karl's "account" for assistance from this program reflects a substantial debit against the total for time against the balance...even though nothing was really ever done for him by anyone either from CLS or MRS. Twice, he received a ride to class at OCC from the Care Coordinator (Nancy), but that was a one way drive on two separate occasions, and the bill reflected shows hours of use! It's a twenty minute ride - so you KNOW she billed for a lot more than the pick up and delivery. So Karl's account balance dwindles with nothing to show of it all. I want to get paid for transporting him!!!!

Hey! Where's my paycheck??

Deep breath. In........... Out..........

Also that Wednesday, there was the phone run-in with a well-meaning but self-important, under-brain-challenged, sad-excuse-for-an-administrator woman at OCC (Mary) who tried to get out from under a blunder. As she was railing and spewing and pointing pointless fingers in my direction (and Karl's), I told her I was on campus and didn't think the conversation was best had over the phone, so I told her to hang tight for 5 minutes and I would find her office. This took her completely by surprise.

I was left in the outer waiting room to cool my heals, when suddenly a 'severe weather' announcement sounded and drove all occupants of the building to the shelter area, away for the small office.

Let's hear it for perfect timing.

I made my way to the corridor I knew Karl would be entering from, and caught up with him in order to spend that time productively.

Once the drill ended (half an hour later), Karl went with me to the office to have the meeting with Mary - and her supervisor, Mary.

I won't go into everything, because it was very long and involved, and it would be hard to navigate with all the blessed Marys in the room. Suffice to say, Karl was told he would have to make a big decision: drop/withdraw from the java class in order to save his GPA, or take an incomplete for the semester and repeat the entire class over the summer session, and try to improve the overall grade. A third option was to complete the class this term and hope that his grade would be good enough. Currently he has several missing assignments which he has not had any help with as his tutor has missed more than half of her time with him due to sick kids and her own flagging helth.

Any way you cut it, the options are bleak and unfairly balanced against Karl at this time.

He has until April 10th to withdraw, if he so chooses. More on this another time.

As I said much earlier, I did get a return call from BK regarding the camera position for the TV pilot, and the word is that they are hoping to get rolling by Easter, if not before. The Monday meeting (which should have been all-inclusive) sort of changed, and other conversations were had. So, this will be very much like other productions I have been involved with. Hopefully, as things become more stable and the show is up and running, communication will improve. For now...I sit and wait.

On a brighter note, here's a link to one of my BF's having an interview on The View, early in March. Ahhhhh, enjoy.

http://www.whedon.info/Nathan-Fillion-The-View-Tv-Show.html

If you watch it, Nathan goes on to talk briefly about his cat (due to Whoopi's question), and this aspect just makes him that much more adorable, and provides a reason to respect him beyond his Canadian meaty goodness. I always appreciate an update about the cat and a chance to watch those beautifully quirky facial expressions.

Brian's interview with the author who has asked him to illustrate his comic book went well, and Bud expects to be getting a copy of the story to begin illustrating to shortly. I am adamant about having a contract regarding the pay and use of the artwork, rights to it, etc., etc. This is critical, and I think Brian may be hesitant to bring it up for fear of losing out on the opportunity. There is still time, but he needs to be up front and proactive right from the get-go. I am proud of him for moving forward and trying this. As for his big southern excursion - yes, he still thinks he will be driving the rat trap of a pick-up to Georgia in June! Argh!!!

Dear Lord, please let me win the lottery before then.

As for the family pictorial project: I have nearly 400 photos edited - but I have not devoted time every day, as I thought I would, so I am not as close to the finish line for this portion of the project as I hoped to be. I still have over 500 photos yet to edit!

I know, right?!

Uh-oh news: The dryer is now not drying clothes any longer. It tumbles with great enthusiasm, but there is no hot air whatsoever, and so the clothes are nearly as damp coming out after 3 turns of the dial as when they entered. Can't tell you with any certainty when this whole death of the dryer happened, but it was quite recent.

I know one thing...it is going to make the last 4 loads of jeans and towels and such a real challenge! [Laughing madly to keep from crying] Have figured out I can simply wash them here at home, then bag the loads and drive them to a laundromat to dry for the time being. Once the weather turns nice I will take to hanging them outdoors on the line again. I used to love doing it on the farm in Hadley, so why not? All I need to get are clothes pins! tah-daaaaahhhh!

We have been rat-sitting Lillie (or is it Lilie...or Lily?) since last week. She is a cutie pie, and a lot of fun for the cats (and for the humans, too). She had an infection no too long ago which seems to have left her blind in one eye...so she is very challenged when it comes to looking around and taking it all in. It is sad to see her lose her balance and tumble just trying to do simple things, but she is a love and really perseveres, so you can't help but adore her.

The boys and I will head to Gram's tomorrow to visit both the grandmas for a short while. Brian has an outing planned, and I still have things to get done, but seeing mom and having the boys visit their great-Gram is important.

Today marked the 40th or 41st anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination...what a thing to memorialize. Saw a great bumper sticker on a car while out with Karl today. It was simply the drawings of Ghandi, Mother Theresa and MLK with something about your life's actions defining you or defining who you are. Karl thought about it for a moment then said, "George Carlin is the only thing missing from that bumper sticker." Huh.

And on that note...

See, I told you it was going to be a lot of random memory-type stuff. Hope some of it made sense

Blustery, blustery day

Ah, what Pooh would've done with a day like today.

Kite flying, balloon travels, sailing with a bedsheet tied to a lincoln log raft! Who knows?...but I'm bettin' it would have been an adventure.

The morning was crisp and springlike, but definitely warned that something was afoot for the remainder of the day. Who knew it would turn ugly and February-like? The wind, which blew slightly early on, now tugs and pushes at the barren trees and mocks the tulips and daffodils which are already well on their way to becoming lovely, waving greeters for spring. Grey clouds pile one on top of another, blocking the daylight and reminding me that we had an easy journey out of winter, and that my thankfulness for the mellow March must now be met with Mother Nature's gentle temporary rebuke.

What a hag!

So I busy myself with cleaning and weeding (papers), feeding critters and Trolls, contemplating sewing projects and next steps, and finally curling under a quilt on the sofa to watch a movie; something that will make me laugh and make me cry. The blustery wind outside my walls seems to be telling me I need some meat therapy from my Scottish boyfriend. Happily, I will comply!

As I head off to grab a box of tissue and a large glass of milk, I bid you all "ado" until tomorrow.

See you on the bright side!