The Long Way Home

After what seemed to be forever we made it home safe and sound. For some reason it seemed that we got there a lot quicker. Maybe it was the straight through drive on the way there. I don't think any of us got more than 2-3 hours of sleep on the way out. I have problems sleeping in a car. I did note some people nodding off here and there and being awaken by their own snores. It's always funny to witness this, but funnier when it happens to you. A sudden snort will jar you out of complete sleep and you look around to see who made the noise and then realize it came from your own nose or mouth. I also noticed that sleep talking is not only Annette's thing. Interesting speech will jar anyone awake.

Interesting but funny license plate on the way home today "WHUZ HIZ". On the Illinois turnpike.

Not much new on the home front. House was still standing, grass is long, no water in the basement and the fridge and freezer were both running. The fridge has been re-stocked after a visit to the local P&S. There must have been something big going on there earlier today as they had stands set up all over the store. Most of the signs were for Roundy's food items. Guess they're pushing the Roundy's brand this week.

Things I learned on this trip:
Rhode Islander's are very friendly people. All you have to do is step off a curb (not even in a cross walk) and cars will stop and let you cross.
Boston sucks
The entire New England area is windy-forget about any hair styles out there
Croc's are popular nation wide.
There are some wealthy people out there. Newport & Jamestown make Bay Shore & River Hills look like pauper land.
Rhode Islanders are very laid back.
Flatulence is everywhere
A Cozy Cab is a cozy cab
My husband cannot read a map.
Toll booths suck! Wisconsin needs to start charging for road usage
There's a whole hell of a lot of road kill out there.
We have the worst radio stations in the nation
All Super 8's are not the same
Minor League baseball is quite entertaining
Fast food is fast food, no matter where it's from.
Lobster continues to gross me out. (Lobster splatter on the dining room window is even grosser)
When traveling always have beef jerky-it hits the spot
Cosmos are yummy
Someone told their son that I indulge in Bloody Mary's-had to save face
The worst part of a vacation is the end.

It's Raining On My Parade

We've been pretty fortunate with weather so far. Yesterday we went to a Pawsocks game which was enjoyable. The hot dogs were a little weak, but the beer was tasty. Stopped at the Warwick Hooters afterwards for wings, a passport stamp and some tee shirts. Wings were good, service sucked. Our service was slow because "our waitress was in a meeting" then "she was outside". We couldn't figure out if she was fired or what. It also seemed strange to hold a shift meeting with tables full of people waiting for service. Never quite figured it out. One girl served our drinks and took our order. Food came, no plates. Things were a little amiss. Then when a waitress finally did appear I almost chocked on my wing when she stood next to me and yelled in a very thick Jersey accent "Is everything all right here" Scared the crap out of me. I'm trying to figure out why everyone yells around here. At the stadium a young girl selling freeze pops just about shoves them in your face while screaming "Freeze Pops" at the top of her lungs. Gave J & I something to laugh about for awhile.

Woke up this morning to cloudy,cold and raining. It's off to Boston and then Maine as soon as we all start hauling ass out of bed. Guess who's still laying in bed? Give you a hint- I'm blogging, J's showering, K's upright and eating left over Hooters Wings.

It's All In The Family

After a 20 hour road trip we arrived safe and sound in Rhode Island. I was impressed at the Travel Stations along the way. I'm pretty sure we missed a few as my husband seems to have developed an adult bladder now.

J's family was generous enough to stock our room with a few necessities ( beer was a total score). We then went on a little tour of Middleton/ Newport over to their house. Yesterday was just a hang out and relax day and pizza which was yummy. This brought on a little gas from everyone. You'll all be happy to know that the flatulence in this family starts at Bonnie and Mick and goes right on down to little Tizzy. However I must say the Mick II has beat out everyone in the oder department.

Today it's off to the waterfront if we catch the bus. I'm in search of sea glass and the souvenir spoon for the mother-in-law, then it's over to the family for a barbecue. The sun is shining it's probably in the low 70's, I'm on vacation and life is grand.

I did score on a 12 pack of diet coke yesterday. Walking through the store parking lot with J on our way to a little pampering at the local nail place when I saw it. In the cart coral on the bottom of a cart was one lonely 12 pack of diet coke. I looked around to assure that no one was driving off without it and then snatched it up. I was on my way back into the store to turn it in when I ummm.. forgot and carried it into the Nail place with me. I meant to take it on the way back to the hotel but totally forgot. Lugging it up the hill to the hotel was a chore. Maybe I'll take it back today...if I have time.

Yep..You Guessed It-1 More Week on Third

The part that broke on our machine has now been semi-fixed. I was able to begin training associates on 3rd shift last night. There are still some kinks to work out with the system but I got through it pretty well. The problem is 1 night is not enough time to get everyone trained and comfortable. They are not running the line next week, so when I return from a much needed vacation I will be working the shift for one more week.

I mentioned to my husband this morning that it was very quiet on 3rd and you don't have people bugging you or constantly walking through the line. There are no trials, except that trials are a huge learning experience. The night goes by pretty fast as it's busy. He got this frightful look on his face and asked if I was thinking of staying on 3rd. Not for .35 per hour I'm not. Not for the constant tiredness and inability to sleep during the day.

When working days I average about 6 to 6 1/2 hours a sleep per night. On third it's about 5 hours of very broken up sleep. One guy that works on 3rd was telling me he sleeps from 8am to 2-gets up for lunch-sleeps again from 3-9. When I mentioned that he was getting 12 hours of sleep a day he looked a little shocked. "Wakes up for lunch" What a kook.

So J's family has got to be proud of her brother making Commander. I'll bet Bonnie had to let all the buttons out of Mick's shirts to allow for the pride. I'm happy for all them. This is a big deal. I'll have 17 hours to think of an appropriate gift.

So long all, for now! Have a good Memorial Day and remember to log on to WKLH.com to pledge to the Childrens Hospital.

It's Gonna Be A Long Ride

It is one more day before we leave on our trip to Rhode Island. The plan is to depart around 8 pm tomorrow night. I need to pack. I have things piled up and ready but they need to make their way into the suitcase. I have a mental checklist of what to bring and if something should be forgotten, I'm sure RI has stores.
Has anyone ever made a list of the absolute essentials for traveling? I jot things down but leave the notes at work or crunched up in my purse. I truly think that because we camp so much that some things are just a natural. Camping is different though as the stores are sometimes a bit out of the way. Therefore I have made a list of things that I never want to forget.

Toothbrush & toothpaste- you can borrow toothpaste, but not a toothbrush
Undergarments- nuff said
Soap- I simply refuse to use my husbands bar soap. Hotel soap is sticky and as much as I rinse I feel like there is a film of soap on me.
Money/wallet/purse-Ask J about this.
Tampons- so I don't have to send my husband, K & R to the local store for them.
A change of clothes until I can get to a store and buy more
Hair bands so when I forget my blow dryer I can just put my hair in a pony tail
Hat-so when I put my hair in a ponytail I can cover it with a hat
Lotion-My use of lotion is for dry skin
Makeup-something else you don't want to borrow.
books or magazines- so someone else can read them to me as I can't read on a plane or in the car.
My phone-so my kids can call me.
Cigarettes-a nasty habit.
I'm fairly sure I could survive a day or so on the above items. I'm sure that I better not forget anything that's essential for the car trip as the trip Nazi does not like to make unscheduled stops. The only relaxing part of this may be that he will sleep for a portion of the ride. We may be able to pull off a smoke/pee stop without him waking up. I wonder if there's a CD we can purchase with sounds of driving or traffic that we could put in while we stop.

A Value Meal For a Home Run

I've come to the conclusion that I will need to spring for a new computer after our vacation. I'm a little outdated and funky things are starting to happen. I'm just glad that the bitch hung on as long as she has. (Isn't that what men do? Give a name to items.) She's 9 years old now and in computer years probably 90. She is unable to be upgraded or have any more memory added to her. I believe she is gracefully fading in senility.

My first clue that there was a problem was when I started getting lines across the screen whenever I scrolled down. Of course once you clicked the cursor on something the lines would disappear. Tried another monitor and the same thing happened. Well now the lines aren't always going away so when I'm reading emails I'm feeling a little like Steve Martin in the jerk. Something just don't make sense. I tried to cut and copy them and low and behold the little lines appear on the copies. I have now lost the ability to change my fonts and sizes. Don't get that one at all. Probably within a week or so I will be typing minute size in wingdings.

I have begun to seriously check out PC's and compare prices and packages. With the help of my son-in-law I should be able to complete this task within the next two weeks.

Like the loyal grandparents we are we sat on the warm bleachers (I remembered the blanket) and watched yet another interesting Little League game last night. In the past few weeks Dylan has had a little problem connecting at the plate. Not so true last night. Of course there was a little bribing game going on. "Get a hit, get a burger after the game". His first at bat he hit a line drive that got him to 1st base. The not so fast kid running from 2nd to 3rd was a little confused and was tagged out well after Dylan was safe. I say give him the burger still. Before his second at bat I told him if he hit a home run I'd upgrade the burger to a value meal. He hit well into right field and drove himself and two runs in. He wanted to know what a grand slam would get him. This is where I drew the line and pulled one out from the past. "It will give you the satisfaction of knowing you did well". I was shocked when there was no face, no comment, just a pumped up fist.

They were up 15-0 going into the 3rd inning. That's when all hell broke loose. Is it possible to walk 23 people? That was the coach's comment to the home plate Ump. "I call um as I see em sir" was the Grizzly Adams Ump's response. Immediately after that the pitcher who couldn't throw a strike was striking people out. The final score of the game 15-15 with exactly one hit made by the other team. These games are to say the least, exciting.

Keep Your Rain

The weather this weekend wasn't as cold as we thought it would be. Friday afternoon was actually quite warm but the chill came when the sun went down. It was a tad bit windy but the rain held out. The carefully tended campfire kept us all warm. Saturday afternoon was a keeper, but the evening put a damper on things with the rain. Had the rain been steady it would have been less frustrating. Old Mother Nature couldn't decide whether she wanted an annoying drizzle or a little steady rain and stop, rain and stop. I say either poop or get off the pot. The good thing was there were no pesty bugs. A few spiders here and there and some ants in the bathroom but they're harmless.

I think the next time we have pizza on the menu I may take a trip to the local tavern and purchase my frozen pizza from them. We had an assortment of pizza's but none of them tasted as good as the DeRangos from the tavern. Once again we were not lacking in the food or alcohol department.


I purchased a 7 inch flat screen color TV for my husband for Christmas. I could give a rat's ass about TV when I'm camping. This guy sat for a couple of hours playing with this thing to get it "set up". Saturday night I was a little peeved at him for having his TV on while some of us were attempting to listen to the Brewer game. I myself found it a little rude. I don't think it enters his mind or he can completely block out a radio. At home I'll have the radio on in the kitchen and he'll walk in and flick on the TV. I give up , I've been trying to figure him out for 24 years.

I got to work tonight only to find out that the part we're waiting for which will enable us to run and enable me to train people has still not arrived. Apparently as of Friday they still had no idea when it would be in. I figure by the time I get used to 3rd they'll put me back on 1st.

Last night was rough, but the first night usually is. I don't feel so bad as everyone on the shift looks about the same. I think they're on the buddy system to keep each other awake. Speaking of sleeping...I'm gonna go get me some.

13-1

I have to remember to bring a blanket to watch Dylan's games. The new metal bleachers are a tad bit cold on the butt. It was an interesting game. They won 13-1. In the 2nd inning they scored 10 runs. I felt comfortable with that much of a lead as when I looked over to the other two diamonds the scores for those teams were close. Slugger does have to learn to relax at the plate and not try to kill every ball pitched to him. He did get on base on balls twice which means he's paying attention but at his 3rd at bat he struck out. Got a piece of two but not enough to make them fair. It's off to the batting cages this weekend. I'm impressed by the coaches on this team as they treat the kids good. They're called off to the side and told of their mistakes rather than signaling them out. We were watching the coach from the other team (The Cubs) ream out every kid that made a error. I also noticed last night that the bleachers for Dylan's team are filled with parents and family members. The other team had more kids on the team than parents in the bleachers.

I am spending my morning baking cookies for my fellow camp mates. One special order of oatmeal/choc. chip is currently in the works. I seemed to have gotten my second wind after my tiring ride home. I think it was the price at the gas pump that shocked me into awareness.

Right before I left work today I have my annual "This is how much your raise is " meeting. Needless to say I didn't expect a windfall and although we always want more I can live with this. I think it was the added bonus of a $50.00 gift check that made it all good. The raise itself was 3 1/4 %. Once again, although I'm grateful it's not covering the cost of everything that's going up. Maybe that part-time job at Steins is looking better.

I smell burning...I better go.

The Chili (Chilie) Is Brewing

Yes, that's my assignment for this weekends camping outing. A big slow cooker chock full of chili. I came home from work this morning and started the concoction I call chili. I think I have just the right amount of ingredients in it however will have to check after it cooks for a few hours. I hate the smell of food cooking when I'm sleeping so I'll be keeping the window open and the bedroom door closed. Since my husband was robbed of his chili at Brat & Beer the other day I may allow him a small bowl. (I made extra)

The weather forecast looks to be nice during the day but chilly at night. Hopefully the boys have remembered to fill the propane. There will be plenty of warm clothing packed. The first time out is always the hardest in getting used to the cold nights. The fire master will keep the fire hot but as he said the walk to the bathroom may be a little nippely. Hopefully by the time it gets cold I'll be numb to it. Warning!! It's been a while since I've had more than 2 beers.

I fear it's going to be a long spring/summer unless we put the kabosh on the neighbor kids. Last year we went through fetching their ball from our backyard quite often. I mentioned before that if Sadie is outside the balls are pretty much toast. We've warned the kids and father of this fact. I'm not replacing balls that she gets. Yesterday afternoon my doorbell rings and here stands the younger kid asking if I can get his ball. I think the older one sent him over. I got the ball and threw it back over the fence. Ten minutes later, the same thing. When I threw it over this time I watched for a few minutes to see how they can possibly be getting this thing over the fence all the time. Well it appears that they were using the fence as a target for practicing pitching. As the ball came over the third time I got it and walked to the fence and nicely said "Use your dad's garage for a target, not my fence". I then "nicely" explained how if they used the garage it wouldn't fly into my yard and the dog won't get it. The little kid looked really scared. The older 10 year old had this smirk on his face that I wanted to wipe off.

When my sisters were younger the old neighbors would yell if they stepped on the grass. My one sister led the younger one astray in smearing dog crap all over this woman's garage as they were sick of her bitching at them. The woman came to the door to tell my mother of this caper as they were caught in the act. Of course the girls were punished but my parents then installed the privacy fence which still remains standing. I'm wondering how long it will take them to smear dog crap on my house since I talked to them yesterday. Mark my words, one ounce of crap on my house and no more balls for them.

Day Two

I knew I'd be tired at work last night. I have a problem sleeping at night so the day time sleep just doesn't fly. I did manage to sleep but it was very broken up. We must have the loudest garbage men in the city and I'm not sure if anyone works in this area as I heard lawn mowers several times.

We went to Dylan's game around 530 and it started out being warm enough for just a sweatshirt. That changed rapidly when the wind shifted a little. Even sitting facing the sun wasn't helping. I need to remember to bring a blanket to sit on as the metal bleacher seats are a tad bit chilly on the ass. They lost last night. I know bottom line is they lost but they had went into the last inning down by 6. They did not allow any runs after the 3rd inning. They scored 3 runs in the 6th and had the bases loaded with 2 outs and the tying run at the plate. The kid hits a nice ground ball into center field and two runs score. The Ump made a terrible call in calling out the runner going to 2nd. The kid clearly was safe. The coach goes out to argue and the Ump calls time. The games are supposed to last 7 innings or 2 hours. It started at 530. At 720 they decided to let them play through the 6th inning as there was no other team scheduled to take the field. What was sad was walking past the other teams dugout after the game and hearing the coach say they got a break. I know it happens all the time but it's frustrating that you cannot challenge an Ump's bad call.

As we were sitting out there freezing I asked my husband if he was sure he wanted to camp this weekend. With the stern look I got I figure there's no backing out.

In answer to STB's comment regarding Brat & Beer. The only brat item I saw on their menu was the brat pattie special.

A Strange New World

You know when you leave work and you're hyped up to do things? Like make a quick stop at the store or run an errand that is on your way home. Or you think about things that you need to or could do when you get home? This is all good when you're working a day shift. Not so true when you're coming home at 7a.m. Beside Walgreens, a few fast food places, doughnut shops, P&S or gas stations, not much else is open.

When I work days I have this small time span when I'm very tired but once 3pm rolls around I'm awake and ready to tackle things. Not so on the night shift. I started getting tired around 5am and by 7 it was worse. The drive home was chilly as I left the heat off and drove home with my window 1/2 open. About 1/2 way home I got my second wind.

I was asked to work 3rd this week for training the current 3rd shift people. This worked to my advantage for the weekend. The night did go by rather fast which I was thankful for. Hopefully the remainder of the week will go as fast. I just have to get a sleeping pattern down pat as I hate the broken sleep. Ahhh, it'll be over before I know it.

My husband and I tried out the newly remodeled Brat & Beer yesterday. This was after we drove to Night Owl only to find out it was closed. I had a taste for a good burger , which doesn't happen to often. I would not recommend the Brat & Beer to anyone. First downer was the chili is not in season. I chuckled when the waitress told us and I remarked that it was 50 degrees outside. We opted for the Turkey noodle soup. This consisted of two noodles, a small chunk of turkey and broth for $2.95. The burger itself was good but the fries were so salty I was beyond thirsty the remainder of the night. The service sucked and they were a little under staffed. I found this odd as they advertised a Mothers Day Buffet and Brunch. Gone is the brat link special and California Burger. We were also trying to figure out why the had Metro's outside. Couldn't have been that they were so crowded that there were lines to the bathrooms inside. We were both a little disappointed as this used to be a place we'd stop at once in awhile for a quick bite.

So I'm not sure if I'm supposed to watch the weather for the weekend and if it's over 50 not make the chili for camping. Could be that it's not seasonal.

Strange Dream

I used to have a dream book that every once in a while would look up what a dream I had meant, but sometimes I didn't like the explaination so I tossed the book. Unless it said I was going to prosper and be rich I usually ignored the explaination.

Last night I had a dream that my mother and father came for a visit and my mother's belly was huge. At first the family was polite and didn't say "God Mom, you're pretty fat" but I think it got to us so we asked. She explained that she was pregnant. "It's lonely in Arizona with just your father and I so we opted to have another child". There was only one problem. They didn't think the baby could take the summer heat in Arizona so they were going to leave it with me for the summer. The dream goes on to me shopping at Target for baby items and finding wads of cash in my purse when I was trying to figure out how to pay for all the stuff I had to buy for someone else's child. On our way home from the store my husband says "Your parents are not going to come back for this kid. We will be stuck with it. What's your plan?. This kid will live with us just as every family member of yours has lived with us at one time or another." I woke up in a bit of a panic and before I would gather my thoughts I felt a little sad knowing that he was right but I couldn't turn my back on this kid. Time to fully wake and shrug this off.

My husbands family is now having some issues with Mom and the sister downstairs from her. Not so much ths sister as her kids. Just as in the winter when not one of those lazy kids would go out and shovel, we are now faced with the lawn mowing issues. His mom wants to pay some guy to come and mow the lawn. I feel those kids should pay it. This is their home, and they need to kick it up a notch or get out on their own. My sister-in-law in stressed from being in the middle. She needs to lay down the law to them or it's going to be another long summer. In my childhood years it was just a natural that if dad said "the grass needs cut" out we went. We didn't have a weed whacker so this involved trimming the fence lines on your knees by hand. Shoveling in the winter was a given. You live here you get your ass out and shovel. Mom's home with groceries, you get your ass out and help carry the bags in. These chores were also expected of us when we got jobs. This is a constant battle with these kids and when we step in and try to lay down some ground rules we are told by their mother to back off, she'll handle it. I have no love lost for disrespectful kids (I should say adults as the two worst ones are 19 &21) so I've already said my peace to them which is probably the reason that they don't talk to me much. It just burns my ass that anyone would treat their mother or grandmother the way they do. My husband is slowly developing the balls to go over and lay down some rules. In the mean time caller ID is a wonderful thing.

Where Are All The Fans

Did anyone else watch the Brewers/Marlins game? I was in awe over the lack of people in the Marlins Stadium. There was an entire top section all the way around with not one person in it. Even in a major slump I'm willing to bet that fans at Miller Park would have out-numbered them 50-1. It looked as if there would be a glimmer of hope in the 9th but the Marlins had to go and change their pitcher. At least the games have been exciting verses sleepers.

I want to know how many people have screen doors on their garage. I didn't catch it until today but my husband replaced the storm/screen door on our porch and put the old screen door on the side (man) door of the garage. According to him, I need to look around and take note of all the screen doors on garages. I may just do that.

Be on the look out for anyone who has never invited you to a cook out to come over for one. Ben & Annette were victims of thieves today. Their grill seems to have been stolen. Is nothing sacred? I did try to reassure her by noting that at least there was not food on it at the time. That happened to us once while at my brother-in-laws house. Bastards stole the grill right out of the back yard complete with ribs and chicken. People just need to leave what's not theirs alone.

The Party's Over

I know many of you can agree with me that coming back to work after a relaxing vacation sucks. I had a hard time sleeping last night and woke up every hour on the hour until I finally shut the alarm off at 430 and just got up. What's another 1/2 hour of crappy sleep. I was moving in slow motion so it took me just as long to do my morning routine.

Things went pretty smooth until I got out to the line and stood in total confusion. I had no clue what they were running and I'm pretty sure the 3 people I was working with were clueless also. I'm still not sure what the hell was going on. We ran for a few hours and then shut down for a major change in the equipment. (to boring to go into). All I know is the day dragged and it is extremely hot in our room. I can work in 70-72 degrees but 86 is going a little to far. I know my boss is looking into the problem , or should be before he finds a crew of melted people.

On another note I will be going to 3rd shift for one week starting next Sunday. As much as I hate the hours it's in my favor this time as our first camping trip is on the Friday that week. On first I would be working until 3 and rushing home to fight the traffic and get to the campground. Now I can just go home and catch a nap. I say now that it'll be okay but by the 2nd or 3rd day I know my mind will change. I've been told it's one week only.

Dylan's first season baseball game was tonight. I guess the 3 times per week practices have paid off. They played very well as a team and won 16-4. He started out on 1st base, then left field for one inning and finally to the catcher position for 3 innings. They let those kids drink so much water and Gatorade that there was a bee-line to the bathrooms as soon as the game ended.

I'm missing Arizona. Although it was warm today I was a little annoyed by the chilliness that set in around 7pm. Better a little chilly then hot and buggy.

Back Home

Eight days is not a long enough vacation. I have always hated the feeling of coming back home after a vacation. Not because I don't miss my family or dog but I hate the thought of returning to work. One can become very used to the lifestyle of being non-commital and layed back. The thought of an alarm clock waking me up rather than the soft coo of the dove's outside the bedroom of my parent's home is just not right. The thought of possible frost on my windshield or having to wear a jacket at 6am rather than it being 65-70 at 6am is just not right. But that's what vacations are for : a teaser to let you know what could be in store for you if you plan things out right and can retire at an early enough age to enjoy these things.

My dad is doing good. He's a little scared after the stroke, but I think he's relaxing a bit now. Mom is mom and always will be. My dad want's to come back to Wisconsin to be near family and of course is worried that he may be leaving her in a quandry should something happen. The hardest thing I had to do was inquire about their plans for the future. I don't want them to feel as if their kids are ripping their lives out from under them, but we all live in Wisconsin. I case of and emergency we'd have to find the quickest way there. Is it fair to suggest they move back because of that? I'll answer my own question..No. They are both in good sound mind, they're a little slower getting around now but who isn't at 75? My mom claims she enjoys the weather but from June to August rarely goes outside due to the heat. My dad is miserable from March thru August due to allergies to dust, pollen and the catcus flowers.

My dad has this old solid wooden rocking chair that he moved from Wisconsin to Arizona 16 years ago. It's out of his patio and he still sits in it and reads his paper daily. We fight over it when I'm there. As old and rickity as the chair is its comfortable. The chair has history, it was my Grandfathers. He asked me if I wanted the chair should something happen to him. My mom didn't think I was to funny when I said I'd tie it to the roof of the truck and tie her in it. It will save storage space on the trip back. She can sit up there and knit away. I did promise not to forget about her when we stopped to eat or gas up on the way back.

In a way it's good to be home. I had tulips in my yard that the rabbits must have moved from someone else's yard over the winter. I have never planted red tulips and I have about 6 of them in full bloom. This is the season I enjoy the most in Wisconsin. Everything is blooming and turning green, baseball is in full swing and the weather is getting nicer every day. It's two more weeks until the first "freeze your ass off" camping weekend. It doesn't get much better than this.