The Friday Doughnut

Why is it that the Friday doughnut is more exciting then doughnuts any other day of the week? I've pondered that for a while. People bring doughnuts on Monday...not thrilling. Same for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but bring in doughnuts on a Friday and you are every body's hero for the day. It's the talk of the shop. And news travels fast. I got the call a little after 8 that there were doughnuts in the lunchroom. And of course there is usually a reason (around here) for the doughnuts. Birthdays being the number one reason. This is funny because the production people haven't worked on Fridays for a year now and this seems to be when management or salaried people bring in the doughnuts. Of course because it's 8 less that you need to buy. Even though you see these people every day and eat lunch with them.
If you're a production person and bring doughnuts in on your birthday you need at least 2 dozen and that being if everyone just takes one. That is not the case around here. I'm a one doughnut eater. Usually half at break and the other half at lunch. The doughnuts that people bring in here are usually National Bakery or Grebes,so they're pretty big. None of those Krispy Kreme nightmares.
Is there a rule for one only? If you walk in the lunchroom and see the person delivering them does it give you freedom to sit down and eat 2 or 3 or does the politeness bell ring in your head. Around here the call that there are doughnuts will go out and people will break each other out so they can run and nab a doughnut. Some will chow them down right away and others will wrap one up and put it in their lunch bag for later. Some will chow 2 down right away, and then you have those that will ask you to save one for them. Yea, right. Not around here.
So like I said, I got the call around 8. I went to the lunchroom at 9:00 and there were two doughnuts left of 18. I should have went earlier because all that was left was the puss filled chocolate doughnuts. You snooze...you lose.

The Repercussions

Despite missing Opening Day, I feel pretty lucky that I got to go to a Brewers game during their first home series of the season. I wish I could say I can't complain about the weather, but then again it's Wisconsin and it's early in the season.
There was no set plan for this excursion which made me a little nervous. I got spoiled going to the games with my husband and friends. We always have a plan. This was a different group and I did not know what to expect. We parked by Wongs and I was just about ready to spring for the stadium parking when I found out there was a shuttle. On a normal, dry day maybe the walk wouldn't have been so bad but it was miserable out. I thought tickets were in hand but found out we'd be standing outside while my boss stood in line to claim his vouchers for the Upper Terrace Reserved Obstructed View Seats. The story was unfolding on the way to the game. He got these vouchers at BP for filling up his tank. I never knew until yesterday that there were obstructed view seats at Miller Park. I know now because I sat in one. The railing on the steps blocked my view of home plate. No problem as the 3 seats next to me were empty so I simply moved over and was lucky enough that no one showed up claiming the seat.
The game was good. A little nerve racking in the 1st inning but things settled down and the boys proceeded to win. Throughout the entire game I had some blast of cold air blowing down on me. I was freezing and had my jacket on during the entire game. I had to look around to see if I was the only one being hit by it and noticed the guy in front of me. His comb over was blowing around a little.
The problem with taking a shuttle is that after the game you need to find it and hope to get a seat. Seeing as you don't need a ticket for the return, just about anyone can get on. Of course the sky managed to open up right at the end of the game so we were soaked. We did manage to spot the Wongs van and got on. Had a pretty crabby driver until a conversation started about the Stadium charging for the shuttles. Mr. Shuttle Driver was upset because this year they put traffic directors in the shuttle area which he said were making a mess of things. He lightened up after a bit and had some stories.
I felt a little bit of a cold coming on yesterday and I guess sitting in damp clothes with cold air blowing on me didn't help the situation any. Today I am full blown snot nose, sore throat and ear ache. I'm returning my vitamins to the store as they have done nothing for me this season at all. I'm done with shots and antibiotics. I've wiped down things in my house with Lysol so many times this season that I should have stock in the product. Nothing is helping. Not even Stb's cure.

Here We Go Brewers...

Here I go. Off to the game today. After some arrangements were made to cover my duties it was confirmed that I would be going. It has been named a field trip.
It's odd when you attend a game outside of your normal circle of friends. I'm used to getting to the parking lot, kicking back for a few and taking in the sites around me. I asked if we were bringing anything along and was told by my boss that he doubted we'd be tailgating due to the weather. Hey, I've stood out there in worse weather. That's what jackets and gloves are for. So as of right now I'm not sure what to expect. I did somewhat prepare and purchased a bag of Brewers peanuts to munch on during the game. I'm trying to be a positive thinker and make it a fun time. I must remember to make note of where the vehicle is parked so I do not lose my ride back to work for my car. I'm horrible at being the one to remember where we parked.

So as if my body wasn't completely over my last illness I seem to have been blessed with a sore throat and cold. Started the extra dose of vitamins and cold tablets last night. I'm sure I got this one from my daughter as she was sick all weekend. No matter how much I tried to stay away from her and wiped everything down, it still got through to me. I'm wondering now if it was even worth it to get the flu shots I got. I know what I have this time isn't the flu, but this is ridiculous how many times I have been sick in the past 6 months. I'll need to make sure the cold tablets are taken before the game so I don't need to bring 7 boxes of Kleenex with me.

Go Brewers!

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

Last week I was notified by my Manager that I would be going along with him and 3 other QC employees to a Brewer game tomorrow. He informed my boss that he needed to find someone to take my place. I had this little bit of guilt going on(for a second or so) because I figured they'd find an operator to take my place. These are people I used to work right next to and here I was going off to a game while they did my job. That didn't last to long because I knew none of them would hesitate if the tables were turned.
So here it is the day before we're to go and my boss has yet to work on finding someone. I had a few suggestions but he claims he's on it. Yesterday when I had asked he cursed and said he'd forgotten about it. I have this feeling that at 10:00 tomorrow when we're supposed to leave that I'll be watching them pull away without me. Picture me running after their vehicle. I had some doubts about going with the three men but really all that matters to me is I'm going to the game. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
On another note today is officially known as "The day after Opening Day". I've heard 3 different radio stations use the phrase so far today.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

On a daily basis I encounter a few bicyclists on my way to work. They are easy to spot. Most of them wear reflective clothing or have flashers on their bikes. They tend to stay over in the parking lane and some ride on the sidewalks. It's still dark when I'm driving in. This morning was the worst exception of a cyclist I have ever seen. This guy is riding in the right lane and wearing pretty much all black except for the white on his shoes. No helmet, no reflectors and just tooling along like he owns the road. He's heading west on Watertown Plank Road and crosses over Highway 100 through the light. Am I wrong or are cyclists supposed to obey traffic signals? He almost gets clipped at that point. I happen to turn onto Watertown Plank and end up right behind him. I think I may have been the only driver that saw him. Guy on the left whipped by as I slowed down and attempted to change lanes to pass cycle man. Car in back of me slows down and as I change lanes just about clips the guy. I moved around him and back into the right lane and see another car just about clip him. Drivers were changing lanes at the last minute to avoid hitting him. It's one thing to drive in the parking lane and have drivers move over a little, but don't bike in the right lane if there is a parking lane. I wonder if he ever made it to his destination.
I saw buds this morning. On the trees. This is the beginning of my favorite season. Baseball and when everything starts to turn green. Not that green is my favorite color but it is a true sign that the long dreary winter may soon be over. It is a sign of outdoor activities beginning to take hold and a sure sign that camping is right around the corner. I also saw a fly, which I can do without. I know we have a few weeks to go yet but I sure am ready for the warmer weather and all that it brings with it.

7

Still a bit queasy and it's now day 7. I'm not quite sure if I've kicked the diet coke habit because I am craving one. Sprite has become my new friend. Sprite and Tums.
The good thing is my food is staying put but with the queasy feeling I have a feeling it's putting up a fight. The thought of certain foods can cause some nausea yet. My husbands offer to fry up some eggs Sunday morning sent me running and I tried to throw out the Swedish meatballs yesterday but he had a fit. They better be gone today by the time I get home or they're hitting the garbage.

Day 5 & Things I've Learned

As I enter day 5 of having this wonderful virus I starting to wonder when this little visitor of mine will decide to leave me. I've spent a lot of time laying either in bed or on the couch. This is not a norm for me therefore I felt my mind wandering to a zillion other things. Maybe I was trying the mind over matter method of healing. At this point I think the matter is winning. I have not been out of the house since Wednesday night and quite frankly I don't think I'm ready to head out anywhere as of yet.
This laying around has given me a lot of time to discover things and to think a lot.
Things I've discovered :

• I do not like the tile on my bathroom floor.
• My shower curtain does not match my bathroom
• The screw that is missing on the cabinet door handle has been missing for nearly 5 years. I know I asked my husband to fix it.
• My daughters cat loves hiding in the bathtub.
• Sprite has become my savior. 7 up just didn't work as well.
• A saltine cracker as small and dry as it may be can taste mighty good after 3 days of not eating.
• A bagel is not made to be eaten dry.
• When you have a stomach flu the thought of the last thing you ate will make you want to hurl all over again.
• The smell of someone heating up that certain food will send you running.
• The Urgent Care Nurses at the local hospital are all males.
• An IV can make you feel a little better.
• I think I'm going to need a refill on the anti-nausea medicine
• A baked potato with no butter is tolerable. I must really be sick.
• A sick person should not cook dinner for the rest of the family. What's wrong with that picture.
• My husband has done a fairly good job of making sure I'm ok, but I don't think he could ever be a full time caregiver.
• If there are 6 commercials on tv-at least 4 of them will be about food.
• Of the 4 food commercials shown only 1 may be of a remotely healthy food.
• Hunger will subside after 2 days. I'm wondering how long I can rely upon my stored up fat because I now have no urge to eat. (you don't have to answer this one, I already know it would be a long time)
• My stomach flu hit full cramping force on my son's birthday. If it was labor pains they'd be over by now and I'd have something wonderful to show for it.
• I'm almost out of bathroom cleaner.
• The Golden Girls can be funny when you are bored.
• Lifetime movies are all basically the same.
• I wonder how much of the Judy Garland movie was true.
• There sure are some goofy cartoons on now days.
• My left over cat loves me.
• I'm glad I had those coupons for the cushy toilet paper.

Thanks for Sharing?

Some things are just not meant to share. Take for example the stomach flu. Last week one of the twins had a two day bout with the stomach flu. I tried to keep my distance but living in the same house as a sick one can be a little tricky. I had the Lysol out and really tried to stay away. Then Dylan had it last week but was over Saturday & Sunday. On Sunday my stomach was feeling a bit queasy but I was still doing okay. Monday same thing. I took a couple of Tums through out the day and was careful to stay away from any dairy products.
It hit about mid-day Tuesday. Just a very sick feeling and a nice headache to accompany it. I was a good wife and went home and made dinner. Swedish meatballs and egg noodles. I took a few bites and then called it quits. Headed to bed early just to be interrupted by the effects of the flu. Never got much sleep and called in to work. It just wasn't going to happen. The work thing was out of the question.
I spent the next 24 hours very close to the toilet. Couldn't seem to find anything that would stop the pain in my stomach. Tums and 7 up were not doing it. I thought I was done with the bulk of it by yesterday afternoon and ate a cracker. Not so lucky there.
Around 9 last night the pain was just too bad and I opted to make a trip to Urgent Care. I had called my doctor and she suggested doing this rather than waiting until the next day to come in.
Several anti-nausea shots later and an IV for fluids I was on my way home. Scripts were written for more medicine. This is a type of stomach virus that has been going around.
Here we are a day later now. The pills are helping the pain but I'm still a little gurgly. The dry toast I ate an hour ago seems to be raising a ruckus. Right now I'm so hungry I could spit and I just go a whiff of the leftover meatballs my husband is heating up. Instant nausea feeling. Two days of work down the chute. This better clear up soon. I don't think Stb's cure will work for this. Haven't had a diet coke since Tuesday.

Not Working For Free

Time flies when you're having fun? It's been a year since I took the QC job and yes, I'll admit the time has gone by fast. The position keeps me busy which can make for a fast paced day. There are the days that drag by but something always comes up to keep things rolling along. I don't miss the days as an operator and can only hope that I will never need to take a position as one again.
So, as I said one year in this position. At my final interview when we went over all the terms and conditions of the position I was told that I was moving into a salaried position. The terms were I would be making the same amount of money but paid twice a month. I would no longer have a paid lunch and would need to work 1/2 hour extra a day. I was also told that if I worked in excess of 40 hours a week I would be compensated by either comp time off or over-time pay. I had accumulated 10 hours of comp time over the past few weeks and took some hours last week. I turned in my slip Thursday. Yesterday my boss tells me that word of the comp time has hit his boss and he needed to tell me that I was in a salaried position therefore do not receive comp time. I jogged his memory back to the final interview which he sat in on and he did seem to recall the conversation. Conversations went back and forth yesterday, but only between him & I and him and his boss (who is the one who set the conditions in the first place). I asked what I'm supposed to do when I'm in excess of 40 hours. I was told that as a salaried person I am expected to sometimes work in excess. Really?? because my salary is based upon a 40 hour week. So does that mean if I work 45 hours one week that the following week I can work 35? No answer.
The next subject that came up was lunch. I seem to be the only salaried person working 1/2 hour more per day for a lunch. I watch other salaried people walk in the door at 7 and are leaving at 3. I see them in the lunch room. Today we have a meeting. One I'm sure I'm not going to enjoy. I asked for the meeting so I know what I'm supposed to be doing. If my salary is based upon a 45 hour week am I wrong to ask to be paid for 45 hours. All they did when the change was made was take my prior years salary and spread it out over 24 pay periods.
I'm finding this all so very unorganized and having the feeling that this did not come about by him getting my comp time slip. I'm pretty certain that one of the cry babies I work with whose salary is based upon 45 hours a week and sits in a bar with this guy has whined.
I'm going into this meeting with a throbbing jaw from a root canal yesterday. I have the "bring it on attitude" going on right now.

The Cracker Girl

On my way home from work yesterday I decided to stop and return some items of clothing that I had purchased at a local Strip Mall Store. I was given an in-store credit for the items. I was able to find a few things but was about $20.00 short of the credit. I had the nagging feeling to spend it but couldn't find any further clothing items I wanted, and I didn't want to carry the credit around with me for another two months. I ventured over to the intimate apparel area and began to browse. It was then that I noticed three AA women enter the store. Hard not to notice as they were a little loud. "Oh, look at those yellow shoes. I need to get those". Not my style, but to each his own.
I was sifting through a pile of underwear which were on sale for 5 for 19.00. This was exactly what I needed to fill the credit. Minding my own business I proceeded to dig around for my size and the colors weren't exactly of my choice but they'd do. I must have been giving off the "help me" vibe because all of a sudden one woman walks over to me and loudly announces "Girl, why you gonna buy those bland ol' panties? Y'all need to look over here at these colorful ones. That's what's wrong with you crackers, y''all don't spice it up enough for your men". I immediately started to laugh. "Cracker???" Seriously??
She went as far as to pick some out for me. Nice purple lacy, cut to high heaven ones. This is not what I was looking for at this store. Then with them hanging from her hand goes over to find a matching bra. She hold up this bra and then looks at my chest and says "Maybe you need to go to a petite section for your bra. I don't think they carry your size here". I nicely told her that those panties were not what I was looking for today. She huffs and tells me she's just trying to help me out , gives me a little pat on the arm and goes back to join her friends.
This ordeal had caught the attention of the cashier who came over very shyly and asked if I was okay. I was still laughing at the "cracker" label I had been given. Should I have been offended? Not to long ago I watched a comedian who had a whole little blurb on a white person being labeled a cracker is equal to an AA being labeled the N word. Something I've never refered to anyone by. I found my new label quite funny.

The Circle

I credit my parents with putting a lot of time and effort into raising their children to work hard, have good morals, stand up for themselves and see the good in people. Of course in my teen years I thought they were a bunch of fuddy duds but eventually what they taught me kicked in.
In fact I can't think of much I would change about the way I was raised. My mom tended to yell a lot but with working full time and raising a bunch of kids I can see why. Dad was the logical "let's talk about this" guy and still is. I've seen him snap a few times but now understand why.
I had friends who's father's were at the local tap every night after work and Mom was expected to hold down the fort and make sure the dinner was warm when he decided to make an appearance. I chuckle when I think of my Mother keeping Dad's dinner warm while he was out tipping a few with his buds. Oh Lord, she would have put us all in the car and went to fetch him right out of there. My Mom had balls.
One of my parents favorite quotes was "YGY" (you'll get yours). Whenever we did something wrong they would curse us. Little did I know that these curses would carry over into my life of raising kids. As my kids grew up I found myself using some of their tatics. I would often try to remember my feelings toward my punishments and what was the most effective. Grounding wasn't always the best thing, plus they'd let me off early because I think I drove them nuts. Writing..that was always the most dreaded. I think I hit the nail on the head when that became my favorite punishment to give out. My son would just cringe. To this day we still hear about the camping trip where he was forced to sit and write 500 sentences. Was it effective? I think so because I don't remember him having to do it after that. Both my kids said we were the rottenest parents in the world for the writing punishment and vowed they would never, ever pass this punishment on to their kids. That is until...the other day when I heard my son tell Dylan that if he kept it up he would be sitting down and writing. My head snapped around so fast and I was able to catch the look on my son's face that said "Don't say anything Mom". But see this didn't just happen once in the past week, it also happened with the twins. I came upon them sitting at my kitchen table writing. It was then that I also noticed the Ipods and phones had been taken away. She must be the rottenest mother in the world.

Peaceful

I left work a little after 3 yesterday. It was snowing but the roads were just wet and traffic was moving along normally. This is until I hit Layton Avenue and headed east. It was like I turned the corner into a whole new world. Traffic was slowed and the streets were a little bit slick. I had plans to make a few stops but with the way things were going I took the safe route and headed home. I saw two little fender benders on my way home, one of which could have easily been prevented by waiting until traffic was clear before pulling out. Some things just take a little bit of common sense.
When arriving home it appeared as if we had quite a bit more snow than the western part of the county. I switched on the TV to catch the latest weather report. The stuff was really coming down and I one point I could barely make out the house across the street. The little kid inside me got a little excited. Could it be the big one? Could we be snowed in? When is the last time Milwaukee had a full blown blizzard? Could it last long enough to have my work called off? And then it was done. According to storm tracker tracker it's heading out east. They shall once again have snow days and everything shall just shut down. I know deep down inside all of you are hoping for a full blown snow day. I'm good with it as long as it doesn't impact any Brewer games.
Because of production needs this week I've been coming in early to catch up on the prior days testing. I have been able to do what would normally take me 3-4 hours in half the time. It is a wonder how much you can accomplish without interuption. My boss had mentioned staying later rather then getting up so early. Not a chance. There are certain people that once they notice I'm here late will suddenly have a need to ask me questions or just chat. Early mornings at work are peaceful and productive.

Rudeness

I'm going to look back at my postings and find how many times I've written about rudeness. I am sure that no matter how many times I write about it, not much will change. I like friendly people. You can be having the crummiest day and run into one person who will smile or do something nice and they can change your outlook on the day. There's the person you walk past in a hallway at work and give you the "Hey, how's it going". Not much, but they took the time to acknowledge you. The person who will hold the door open for you rather than let it slam, the person who will take your grocery cart back because they are going that way and the fellow driver who will let you out of a business lot.

I don't think it takes much to be that kind of person. I've never know an act of kindness to take away from your time. How much time does it take to smile? Where are you going in such a hurry that you can't let that one person out of a business lot? And how hard is it to take a cart back for someone when you are heading that way?

What prompts this is a trip to the grocery store yesterday. I thought I was safe as it was a Tuesday. Wednesday are usually rude days. I got behind some High & Mighty lady that felt she was to good to bag her own groceries. You must then get on a full service line. Hats off to the cashier for not losing it as Ms. H&M was giving orders on how she wanted they bagged.

I try to be friendly toward others. I'll take a cart back, I'll hold a door and I will let other drivers out. Your act of kindness is acknowledged by the friendly nod, wave or smile. Better than a glare, snide remark or the infamous salute.

Slush Anyone?

So the little guy that is my profile picture is no longer with us. The picture truly represents his attitude. It was a rough decision but in my heart I know we did the right thing. Little guy gave us a lot of laughs and joy.

Woke up this morning to some pretty heavy snow. Heavy meaning I could have used a firmer snow brush to get it all off my car. The roads were quite slushy when I left for work and had to slow it down a little. I scored and got the prime parking spot at work as it was the only one plowed out. Nice plow guy saw me pull in and plowed it out for me. One of the perks of getting here early. Once again we're not getting as much as the hype predicted yesterday. It is some good packing snow though so be careful of the mysterious snowballs today. I think the fine packing snow brings out the little kid in all of us.

Just listening to the story on the radio about how some group wants to ban the Betty White mud commercial claiming it shows violence. Really?? Someone needs to get a handle on these crying groups. Next thing you know the backwards horse commercial will be banned.

Good Times

My ride in today was a bit slow. I wondered if the cities of Milwaukee & Greenfield had woken up their plow drivers yet. Our street not being plowed was understandable but when I got to the main roads I began to wonder what was up. I found the same mess on the freeway. Along Highway 100 I saw dozens of private plows doing parking lots and such but still no sign of a city plow. The scene was to follow the ruts from the cars before you. A bit like in the pioneer days..follow the wagon trail ruts. I come in a hour or so before the beginning of rush hour. I can tell you there is a lot of work to do before then. My "spot" at work was plowed out and the two plow guys were working really hard to clear the entire lot. With the additional 8 inches to come during the day today it should be a nice ride home. Today I can't blame the fellow drivers for slowing down, it was pretty slick out there.

Had a great Superbowl Sunday with great friends. Once again way to much good food! Those of us on diets are now working extra hard to make up for the day of indulging. K & J did a great job hosting. I wasn't keeping an eye on my husband and didn't notice until the end of the game that he had become a bit snicked. It was right after one of our friends came upstairs and announced "I don't want you guys to be shocked or anything but my wife is drunk". We weren't' shocked! Her voice raises up a pitch for every drink she has. Dead give a way every time. He was sitting with her so I figured he must be getting there also. I went downstairs to find him complaining that someone had made him a drink and it was way to strong. Sitting next to him was the bottle of coke to add if needed. Never saw him add any coke. Once everyone else had left I figured it was time to go. Well he got his gab on, which he does when he's had a few. There was no shutting him up. Thanks to Ben for lending his ear. After the fourth "Are you ready to go" he finally gave in.
It's always nice to have a person who is unable to drive give you instructions on the way home. After 5 minutes I made the comment that it's a wonder I can get to work every day without him sitting next to me. That didn't shut him up either. Once home he was able to carry in our loot without dumping it, and then announce that the burritos were his midnight snack. Within 5 minutes I found him on the bed and out. I'm not sure he moved at all the entire night.
I had an early appointment and when I had come back in the room prior to leaving I noticed a cartoon channel was on. He wasn't awake but mumbling something. Dora was on TV and he was either singing along with the song or just calling her name. Of course he's denying that now.
I got home around noon and he was lounging and didn't seem to be moving to fast. He was fine though (according to him). He doesn't do this to often so I kept the ribbing at bay. Needless to say not a lot got done yesterday and he had big plans for his day off.

Move It To Lose It

While I was doing my routine walking on the Wii Fit last night my mind began to wander. Of course I was able to continue walking at the set pace, daydream and manage not to fall off the board. I started to think about how many times in my life I had attempted to lose weight. How many exercise routines I started and followed, how many diets (healthy and fad) I had been on and the results I've had.
Thinking back I tried to remember the first weight loss kick I did. Funny how weight loss commercials have been around forever. I remember my mom taking Ayds. The little chocolate tasting candy that was supposed to suppress your appetite. She had a box hidden in her night stand. I think I was around 12 and was called fat by one of those gangely boys at school. As luck would have it he was the one boy I had a crush on so I was devastated. I recall asking my mom for help and her telling me I wasn't fat, a typical mom answer. So I took matters into my own hands and "borrowed" a few of her candies. I also went on a diet of jello and hot dogs. My summer vacation was spent eating as little as possible and riding on this rickety old exercise bike my dad picked up from a rummage sale. Success had me at about a 40 lb. weight loss. My mom was a little ticked that I needed all new school clothes. I somehow managed to keep this under control for several years. I'd gain a few pounds and work it off.
Then came the marriage and the first baby. Whoa momma! Whoever told me it was okay to eat for two needs a swift kick. By my eighth month I had the gain under control. I was also so naive that I thought the rest would melt away when the baby was born. Another routine of losing weight. This time it was some stupid fad drink twice a day. Once again worked, but once I started eating again I had to watch it. Stuff creeps back on you.
Over the years I tried other drinks which are off my list now. Of course they work, you're not eating anything. Once you go back to eating it's all over. Weight Watchers was the single most successful thing I've ever done. Years back I met my goal and felt I didn't need to go to their meetings any longer. Thought I learned enough to continue on my own. This is where the neglectful part comes in. I knew exactly when I was eating more than I should. I knew exactly when I needed to exercise more. So now I will once again take my punishment and will once again tell myself that I need to keep this in control.

Hermits

We were pretty busy leading up to and through out the Holidays. It seemed like there wasn't enough time in a weekend as it was taken up in some type of social event. Then there was the few weekends after that were also quite busy. The past couple weeks have been quiet. Beside two dinners with friends we have gone into a social slump. If it wasn't for basketball on Saturday mornings we may not have even left the house. It is a sad day when grocery shopping gives you a little rush. Not at all for the shopping part, just the fact that I left the house.

Barney has been using the time somewhat wisely. He has begun to tackle his workshop. I ventured downstairs Saturday evening to see what he was up to. Laid out on a table were assorted tools. I could hear him moving things around and noticed a few bags of garbage stacked up. No need to stop a man in motion so I made a hasty retreat back upstairs.

This lull in social activities has given me more than enough time to begin a work-out routine. Maybe to much time. I've gone into the stage of working out for at least an hour a day, but then find myself walking on the balance board for another 1/2 hour or so while watching tv. I think it may be more out of boredom. Over the weekend I purchased the 3 inch height extension for the balance board. This investment really makes a difference. The old calves haven't seen this much action in a while and they were screaming at me a few hours after that workout. It's a good thing!

This lull in social activities have also forced me to cook dinner more often. That and the fact that with 3 more people in the house (on various days) there are no left-overs. I've been forced to become more creative in dinner planning. Healthy yet stretchable. The cobwebs have come off the slowcooker and the meals are being planned out.

As much as this lull can be a good thing I'm getting itchy for some social activities. Good thing I have something to look forward to this weekend.

Day 3

Squats! Gotta love them. A squat has got to be the one exercise that will make you mad that you ever stopped doing them in the first place. They are a reminder that you will be punished if you ignore them. My first indication of pain was Monday morning when I went to sit down for the morning business. I could have probably used a Life Alert or done a commercial "Help I've sat down and can't get up". It's a good thing that we have a counter right next to the toilet otherwise I may have been stuck there for some time.
As the day went on the pain lessened. I actually did a few half squats at work to try and loosen things up a bit. Monday night was right back at it and though the pain was less, it was still there. Tuesday morning was an easier morning and I went right back at it Tuesday night. Now there is just a slight presence of pain. It's a good pain. It means I moved some muscles that haven't been used so intensely in a while. I think it's now time to increase the reps.

All in all I have to say I am pleased with the EA Active so far. I may be looking into the expansion pack soon.

Way To Go

In true form Brett came out and lost the game for the Vikings. At my house there were some doubts whether he'd come back in the game after being helped off the field. I knew he'd come back out. I felt a little bad for him at that point because he was getting beat up and you could see the pain in his face. The ever present smile was gone. I was pulling for the Saints and received some lectures from in-laws about it but it was never for resentment toward Favre, it was all for dislike of the Vikings. It was a good game and I'm sure within the next week or so when Brett heals he will make his announcement for next years plan, and will change his mind several times. The question is...who will he play for?
I felt a little like Brett this morning. Over the weekend I started a new workout routine and with the amount of squats I did I knew I'd be feeling it. It's a good pain (I keep telling myself that). Getting out of bed this morning was a little painful but it's easing up the more I walk around. I may have hit it a little strong but it felt good while I was working out. I broke down and purchased the EA Fitness program for the Wii. The personal trainer is no where near as annoying as the Fitness Coach program. The EA allows you to set up your own program and mix up sports, cardio and fitness. I tend to enjoy boxing a lot. A great stress reliever. The only problem I had was getting the controller into the leg band the right way and getting the leg band positioned correctly. That would be part of the reason I had to do so many squats because until I got it positioned right it wasn't counting the squats. There were a few words to my trainer until I got things set up and reading right.
I probably should not have sold off our second Wii because all of a sudden everyone wants to play something. I can't discourage it as they're on the Wii fit or programs where they're moving around. I am using my seniority and getting my hour a day in. Once I'm done they can play away. In the future we may be purchasing one for the basement. I'm not about having an audience while I work out. I'm nice enough now to do my walking while my husband enjoys his nightly viewing of Wheel of Fortune. I walk, we watch the Wheel. Good bonding time. Then I kick him out of the living room.

It's Performance Review Time

Our company has implemented a new system for performance reviews. We now have to complete our assessment of our performance for the past year and set goals toward the following year. New to us is assessing our direct supervisor. This system was in place when I started here and then dropped off for a few years. Granted there are only 2 questions. "What do I do to support your job" and "What can I do to assist you in obtaining your goals". Seeing that QC in our department consists of my boss and myself my only answer is "help me out as needed". There are some days that I do have to call on him for help but they are few and far between. The most he does is cover for me over lunch on occasion and cover for me when I have a day off.
So in 10 minutes I am off to a meeting to discuss my performance over the past year and come to terms on obtainable goals for the next year. We receive these reviews now, with no indication of a pay increase until maybe May. Should be fun. The meeting is scheduled for one hour. I give it 15-20 minutes at the most.

Lazy Girls

Yesterday was a lazy day at our house. That is for everyone except for my grandson and I. We were all up pretty late Saturday night but him and I were still up by mid morning. He's like his Grandma..hates to waste a day.
By the time the rest of the family decided to greet the day we had already played a few games, made some breakfast and had a few discussions. By noon when the game started my sore throat hit. A little scratchy at first but progressively worse through out the day. I curled up on the couch with my warm blanket and settled down to watch the Cowboys kick some butt. That didn't happen. I'm not quite sure what happened. I thought they could take the Vikings. Romo looked scared every time he had the ball. I'll admit I dozed off a few times but I blame that on the medicine I took, not the nightmare of the game.
After dinner I decided it was time to work out. The twins were all pumped to work along with me. I didn't know it was possible to do Yoga while laying on the couch. I explained the lack of benefit by not doing the exercise correctly and finally got them on the floor, but then a incoming text message prevented one of them from going on. So tonight we shall have no interruption. We are getting dropped off 2 miles from home and walking. No phone, no couch, no snacks, just us and the open road.

Hoarders

Last week I was given the task of cleaning up the 2 labs I work in. This is all part of a new program which hit the lines last year. I was a part if the initial start up of this program and remain on the "team" so I had a good idea of what had to be done in the labs.
Now I will admit that I am a pen hoarder. I need to have one at each area I work in and have taken to carrying one in my pocket so I am never without pen. I lose a lot of pens to people who come in the lab for a quick test and take off with pens. That and post-its. I have a stock of each in a drawer (hidden). My little pen hoarding is nothing compared to what I have thrown out or returned to the supply cabinet this week. Tablets of paper, two full boxes of print paper (why?) rulers (12) scissors (10 or more) enough tape to probably get to the moon and back and 4 hole punches to name a few.
At one time there were up to 4 people per shift in the lab so they must have felt the need to stock up. Did I mention the supply cabinet is very close to the lab? Part of this program is to only keep what you need on hand. To rid the excess or not used items. This is going to take a while. I just need to find a good place to hide my pens.
My husband has taken up his hobby since leaving his part time job. He has spent the past few nights going through all our family videos and transferring them to DVD and doing a lot of editing. I think he is now perfectly happy in his man cave. Got the big screen down there and his sound system working well and a stocked fridge. My only problem now is that I do not need to fall asleep every night to the sound of Elvis.

That's All Folks

Silence..mouths hanging open..utter disbelief..That's what happened at the end of the Packers/Cardinals game yesterday. Bottom line is..the Packers should have played better. They should have never been in the position they were in. My thought is they totally under estimated Arizona. Why did some people think they were going to breeze through this game? I knew it would be a tough one to win and the Packers would have to step it up.
It was a good game. They managed to come back and tie the game. There was the missed face mask penalty that everyone is talking about today. We saw it, but the ref's didn't and that's what matters in football. I give them a lot of credit for fighting back, but there were once again missed opportunities. Thanks to the Packers for an exciting season. On to next week when I will cheer on the Cowboys against the Vikings and see how the Cards do.

The Tailgator

I expected to see a lot more snow this morning. From the newscasts last night it appeared that we would be buried. Knowing I had to put in four hours at work today I slept in a little longer and then volunteered to take the girls to school so my daughter wouldn't have to dig out her car. I took a different route which put me on the city streets rather than the freeway. Traffic was moving along pretty good despite rush hour and the slightly snow covered roads.
I took the road toward Miller Park (gee I miss baseball) and turned up Greenfield Avenue. Made the drop off and proceeded. I noticed the guy in the station wagon in front of me seemed to be tailgating the truck in front of him. He was taking up two lanes by driving down the middle of the road looking for a chance to pass. I stayed back a little ways because he looked like an accident ready to happen.
This went on for a good mile or so when he must of thought he could make a break for it and pass on the right. I saw the car turning into the right lane just as he made his break. Needless to say, he is now probably waiting for the tow truck to get him out of the snow bank he ended up in. Stupid is as Stupid does. I was already past him and watched from my rear view mirror. If he was hoping to not be late for work in the first place then he's later now. BTW, he appeared to be uninjured as he did get out of his car. Didn't hit that hard, just skidded into it.

Earl & Merle

My husband quit his part time job right after Christmas. This was supposed to be a temporary job when he started almost 9 years ago. He used to like going there until they changed hands and things got a little unorganized. Another winter season of being on the cold docks was just not to his liking, so quitting was prompted by me also. I just didn't want to go through another season of him complaining. His time was up there and his "to do" list was growing.
What was I thinking?? It's been almost three weeks now and I'm ready for him to go back. I need to compile a list of things he may enjoy doing. The new TV kept him busy for a few days and moving the other one downstairs (a separate post in its own) has kept him occupied for a day or so.
Tuesday and Thursday nights were my time to catch up on chores and just have some peace and quiet. It's not to much fun having someone "watch" you work out. I offered to get another Wii fit so he could actually join in rather than sit on the couch and watch. He's good at telling me I'm doing something wrong. You think he'd actually answer the phone when I'm working out?
The other night he decided to do laundry. This consisted of throwing a load of towels in. That was the extent of it. The nice part of him being home is that he's now here to carry in groceries as I usually shop on Thursdays. He also has to have a break after dinner to watch "his show". I thought it was something really interesting at first and then discovered it was Wheel of Fortune, when I heard him yelling out answers and telling the contestants they were wasting their money. Maybe he'll try out for the show.
Tonight I was talking to Nanette, who was also a little fed up with her Ben. We were discussing the tearing up of their carpeting. She suggested that she may tear up the carpet and roll Ben and Barney in it. From the back ground Ben says "Who, Earl and Merle". Perfect nicknames for the two buddies.
Ben wants to know what I'm going to do when we're both retired. Well as much as I'm looking forward to the day I don't have to work again, I figure I'll have three years of time to myself for 8 hours a day. By the second week I'll probably be waiting at the door for him to get home.
I think the problem is that he has so much that he wants to do and just doesn't know where to start. He's enjoying the freedom of not having to rush home, eat and leave. I'm sure in a month or so we'll settle in to this change. I just need to hold on that long.

Responsibility

I am on a rant again about responsibility. The production hours at work changed today. A normal start time of 7am was moved to 5am so the operators could get out at 1 and rest up for their New Years celebrations. Very nice on the part of their boss who usually won't allow this to happen. In the past there have been communication issues when hours have changed. Forgetting to notify QC or maintenance of the change and operators forgetting to set timers for the change. I was notified of the change two days ago and wasn't to happy. I only had to work 3.5 hours in the first place and would have liked the extra two hours of sleep, but I complied with the operators wishes.
The four operators that were to work today were the one's that pushed for the time change. When I got in this morning they were all sitting in the lunch room as usual. For the past year or so I've been in earlier then them and have gone and turned on some melters to allow them to start up on time. I told them yesterday that I wouldn't be in until 5, therefore they would have to turn the glue on. No one did. They all forgot. As I went out to turn it on I noticed that the major melters were not running. They are on a clock which should have been changed yesterday to reflect the starting time change. No one did it. This glue takes 1 1/2 hours to heat up from cold. This caused a 1 1/2 hour delay in their start up time. The acting Production Supervisor took the fall for this. I say it wasn't his fault. He notified them that their wishes for an earlier time change had been granted. It is not up to him to make sure the line is ready to start up. These people work on a line every day and know their start times. They tried to lay it on the operator who isn't here today. I say no! One of them should have taken the initiative to make sure the timers were set. He could care less, he's off today. He probably could have looked into it but in the long run these operators should take the fall. This is why their boss doesn't allow different start times. This is why I am no longer a boss...I cannot stand when people cannot take the blame for their own mistakes. Sad thing is that I know come Monday when the Production Supervisor is going through the numbers from today he will announce the delay and stand there and take the fall. Not one of them will speak up and claim responsibility.

Happy New Year to all! May you all have a safe and fun evening.

9

That is what my car told me the temperature was at 5:45 this morning. "9". By the time I hit Highway 100 it was 11. The creaking of the frozen porch door told me it was cold. The crackling of my car door when I opened it seconded that motion. Funny how it didn't really feel that cold. Maybe I've become used to the cold. The perk was that it was cold without wind so the coldness just kind of sat there.
When I got to work I noticed the abundance of salt in the parking lot and on the walkways. I think our service overdid it a tad. It may be a good idea for them to spread it out a little more evenly. There are literally piles of salt in some areas that if you're not careful could trip you. I'm sure that at some point this winter someone will be writing up an incident report for unsure footing on the salt.
The birds got me this morning again. There is an evergreen tree close to the side of the building that one has to walk by to get to the door. A flock of birds has made this there evening resting place. Usually they fly out around 7 am. This morning it was still dark when I walked past and I saw the tree branches moving a bit. Out they came. I stopped while they began their flight into morning. I felt a little like Tippy for a minute or so. I'm not quite sure how all those birds fit into that tree but can picture them all huddled together to stay warm. Their path out was not all on the same course so I think some of them were a bit shocked to see me in their way. I'm just glad that I was alone at the moment and no one got to see the show. I see this as being a pay back for my laughter last week when one of the guys I work with was walking past at the time of their departure from the tree. I happened to be outside and got a good laugh at him dropping his lunch bag and taking off with some not so nice words coming from his mouth. A good idea to solve this problem might be taken from Steel Magnolias. Get a gun!

My Shadow

It's a tough transition from being very busy to being idle. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium. I went from going non -stop the few days before Christmas and right up to Christmas morning then it was like all of a sudden someone slammed on the brakes. It was over just like that.
We did have one social event the day after Christmas but it was very low key and was only a few hours. It involved snacks which I avoided and cake which had the yucky whipped cream frosting, so that didn't interest me either.
I am beginning to see the inside of the fridge again. The hash brown casserole is gone, finally. I couldn't eat it again. There's still some dips, polish sausage and cheese & sausage. I need to get rid of some cookies and pretzels and then things will be good. Yesterday I did make another batch of peanut butter balls as they went fast and I'll need them for New Years.
So in all total I had 5 days off. Two were pretty busy. The remaining three were a bit boring. Apparently my husband was also bored as he took to following me around. He assisted with setting up the new printer he bought me and it was then I discovered the poor guy got no toys for Christmas. He received clothes and gift cards. I don't think he knew what to do with himself. That and the fact that the kids didn't get any toys so he had nothing to put together.
This is quite unusual as he usually gets something to putz with. Last night I told him to dig out the beer making kit he got at least 5 years ago and hasn't touched. It was on his list.
I may make a "to do" list for all the idle time he will have.

Taking A Lesson

There was drama this weekend. Some of it started in the middle of my Friday afternoon chocolate dipping. The drama was on my husband's side of the family this time. Things are a mess over at the family homestead and we were called to action. Arnie went first to try to sort things out and make sure that his mother was okay. She's been doing so much better since her hip surgery and this was just a kick in the butt for her. Arnie has a way of keeping his cool and assessing a situation prior to flying off the handle. He's a talker, not a screamer. Because I was in the middle of something I waited until later to take the trip over. This was good as it gave me time to cool down and take a look at the problem at hand.
It appears that one of the kids was dipping into Mom's emergency cash. I feel bad because at first we questioned the amount of money she had. With the surgery and meds she had been on we wanted to make sure she did in fact have the cash. There was enough evidence supporting that she did. The guilty one also fessed up to the crime. My heart went out to my mother-in-law as she's always been there to help the kids. She's borrowed money, charged things and paid for certain things for them , all while being on a limited income herself. This was money she had put away for a trip she wanted to take and just little things for herself. I cannot fathom the hurt she was feeling. The trust that has been lost. This of course affected my sister-in-law also who has just recently had surgery and is in frail health herself. She's right in the middle. Trying to find a reason for this and yet feeling the hurt also.
The story filtered through the family and some first reactions were to pounce on the guilty one. Call the police! I didn't see her the first day but upon my return the second day she was home. We had a talk. I never once raised my voice. I told her that she had to make it right with her grandmother and not just by paying her back. She needed to earn her trust back. She told me she intended to pay her back before she discovered it was gone, but she just got caught up in things. There's no admission of drugs or any addictions. It's just car problems and the fact that she likes to hang out in the bar. She likes to buy drinks for people. This is where Arnie stepped in and talked to her about priorities in life. He had my full attention also. All done without raising his voice. Reminding me so much of when my kids would be in trouble and he'd wait awhile and then talk it out.
On the other hand, we have the brother and sister-in-law that went marching over there the next day and totally screamed their fool heads off at all the kids and the sister-in-law. Threatened to have them evicted and flat out told them they were all losers. We were again called to pick up the pieces. When I talked to the screamer she told me that they needed it. She feels no remorse in freaking out my mother in law, and has now written the family off. Good way to handle life...you don't like it..just write them all off. She was at one time one of my closest friends and I have seen this change in the way she deals with life coming for years now. I will give her the benefit of doubt as her husband has had some medical issues for the past three years. This, I would think, would make her a little sympathetic to the health issues of others. You just don't raise hell in a house with two people who's blood pressure is already being monitored.
I tried to not bawl my eyes out when I got there and found my mother in law in tears huddled up in her bed with no intentions of ever coming out. She had already begun to find a way to begin patching things up with the niece , and although still hurt was defending her. The "take control, and scream at everyone tactics" didn't quite work.
I am guilty of bashing my niece at first. My first reaction. I need to take a good lesson from my husband and take the step back before opening my mouth. You think after 25 years I'd have that downpat.

Stay Tuned

Our "Holiday" Party is being held today. This is an on site party complete with Wii bowling and some game show activities. I would venture to guess that the reason for the on-site location is the budget cuts. Rumor has it that another reason is low attendance at the past Holiday functions. They're usually held at Country Clubs or the ICC and are held on a weekend two weeks prior to Christmas. In 9 years, I've never made one. The company picnic on the other hand is usually more populated. Hence location and it's summer and it's not two weeks before a Holiday. I just choose not to go for my own reasons and don't fault anyone involved in the preparation and planning. I know what goes in to planning a party and trying to make everyone happy.

Yesterday we received a memo with details of the party. One thing that struck a lot of people was the raffle ticket rules. In the past when you attended a function you received a raffle ticket toward one of many prizes they were giving out. This year you may purchase raffle tickets, with proceeds going to a local charity. You must also be present to win with the drawing being at 4:15. There was a lot of barking about that. Quite a few people in our department planned on attending the party until 3 and then cutting out. I have decided to stay. There are some good things at stake here. A 32 inch Sony flat screen HD tv, a Bose home music center, Ipods, Brewer tickets and various gift certificates. For the cost of $3.00 per ticket or 2 for $5.00 you really can't go wrong. Spend $20.00 on tickets for a charity cause and have a chance to go home with one of these things. No, wine glasses are not a prize this time. Even the chance of paying $20.00 for a vacation day is appealing to me. So, I will attend until the end and hopefully go home with something. We'll see.

Charlie Brown Ain't Got Nothin

this is the tree that my husband worked so hard on Sunday afternoon. After positioning it where he wanted it I made him move it to right under the front window. I was afraid that all that hard work would go to waste if some hoodlum should decide to steal it. Here it stands in all it's glory. I may add a decoration or two as Christmas Day draws nearer.

Rembering Randy

One year ago today we lost a good friend. A man full of laughter and with a compassion to enjoy life to it's fullest. To this day I still can hear his hearty laugh. To many times we shared laughter that would bring tears to our eyes.

A year has gone by fast. Yes, it still feels like a few days ago we were chatting on the phone and making plans to get together for a few beers and a game. I can honestly say that not a day goes by that something doesn't remind me of him. There are days I can smile to myself over a funny memory, but also days that I really miss him. I get plenty of hugs from my husband, but he had this way of giving a hug goodbye at the end of a fun night out. He always had all the right words and always made light of any situation.

I know he's probably sitting up there with Big Dave and my brother getting in all sorts of trouble and just having a good time. Probably the last one to leave any type of social event and probably in the middle of a circle of others telling one last joke. Void of any pain and problems. I can't picture him any other way. Probably made supervisor by now.

So on this day I remeber him. I'm a little sad because I miss him. I smile when I think of certain things. I'm still trying to make sense of it. I'm proud of Jodi for being so strong and know she also misses him. Forever in our hearts!

Panic In The City....

Here we go! Will the city shut down? Will school be called off? Will the grocery stores be packed with people in fear of running out of food? It's 2-4 inches possible by midnight. Not that I like snow or anything but it's no reason to panic. Yes, it can cause some inconveniences at times but if you plan accordingly you'll be fine.

I heard the first report around 11:30 stating that the National Weather Bureau had issued a snow advisory. By the time I got out onto the production floor 15 minutes later there was panic in the air. These are mostly people who have lived in Wisconsin all their lives. One guy who's been in Wisconsin for 2 years was calm and assuring everyone that they'd be fine. 2-4 inches. To me that's wimpy snow. I say bring it on! Give us something worth panicking over. No need to rush to the store as I doubt anyone will starve in the 24 hours it would take the city to dig out after a big one. Maybe for some batteries, beer or diapers (if you had babies). Drive according to the weather conditions at hand and all will be fine.

Snow does make everything look clean for a while. It covers up all the deadness of fall. It looks good until the dirt and sludge from the snowplows is tossed onto the clean piles of snow. I am more partial to the big flakes that fall at night. It does have a certain prettiness about it. One that maybe the warmer climate inhabitants could be slightly jealous of. I just hate the cold that comes with winter. I hate the crunch of the frozen snow beneath your feet. I hate the blast of cold that goes down the back of your coat and the tingling of your ears as they begin to freeze. I hate that your face is frozen but your nose will still run. That's not to far away. And to think 3 months ago we were trying to find ways to cool off while camping. Ah, yes, Wisconsin! Gotta love it.

The other excitement at work today was the coyote spotting. For years those of us coming in at 4 & 5 am are used to seeing them. We've gotten to where it doesn't even phase us. Some of the office and management personnel have spotted them roaming our parking lot as late as 8 am. They put out a warning to us. If we see them we should stay in our cars and honk the horn to scare them away. When all is clear you may then exit your car for the building. There is one guy that still rides his bike and he's thinking of ditching that mode of transportation for fear that the coyotes will chase him. I think he should carry a few morsels in his basket and throw them out if they do. At any rate, there are enough rabbits and squirrels around here to keep the coyotes from bothering any people. If they're so worried about the pesky critters then they need to speak to the people at the back side of the parking lot that put food out for the geese & deer. They have created a death trap for them.

25 Years

Yes, today is the official date. 25 years ago Barney & I said our vows in front of our families & friends. It just doesn't seem like that long. My first marriage lasted 5 years and it seemed like forever. This one has gone by quickly. Maybe because the first one was the marriage from hell and the second one has been fun.

We've accomplished a lot in 25 years and also accumulated a lot as can be seen by our storage areas in our home. I've switched jobs 3 times, he's had the same job. We've managed to stay afloat financially and have been blessed with good health. We've had 4 dogs, several birds, hamsters and cats. He's been a great father to my kids (truly grateful and blessed for that) and shared the good times and sad times. We are pretty equal when it comes to family members and their need for help. The one thing we can never do is use each others families in an argument.

Things have been good but with any marriage there have been some struggles along the way. We have managed to work through them. We've both put effort into this marriage. I remember the first year being pretty shaky, but it was also a learning experience for both of us. So today as I look over the past 25 years I can truthfully say that it's been fun, interesting, frustrating at times, exciting and adventurous. I can go for another 25.

Today I am also celebrating the fact that the ol' snowmobile has also been with me for 25 years.

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful every day for the people & things in my life, but today seems to be the day that one vocally expresses the feelings.
I'm thankful that I was able to get up this morning and prepare a Turkey. I'm thankful that I had a Turkey to prepare as so many people don't.
I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head to share these things with.
I'm thankful that I have family to share this day with.
I'm thankful for those who are not with their families, but instead fighting for our right to do so and for those who have done so in the past, and for those who will do so in the future.
I'm thankful for my husband, who has been a rock for me throughout 25 years of marriage.
I'm thankful that we are both still employed, as so many have lost their jobs this past year.
I'm thankful for all the past experiences in my life that have allowed me to learn from the bad ones and rejoice in the good ones.
I'm thankful for my friends. I think I may qualify as one who has been blessed with only the best of them.
I'm thankful for the fond memories of have of those who can't be with us any longer. Although still sad at times, I'm thankful that I have been able to lean toward focusing on the goodness of their lives.
I'm thankful for my children. Without them I wouldn't be the person I am. They have brought plenty of joy to my life, and without them I wouldn't have the three wonderful Grandchildren that I have.

I'm sure I may have missed something, but to sum it up...I'm thankful!

Parade Issues

The annual Christmas parade has always been a "thing" for our family. It started with my dad taking us and I think it was just to get us out of the house so Mom could relax and do whatever Mom's do when kids aren't around. There were some years we missed but I've always had memories of silly things that happened and my dad always seemed to have this certain look on his face when he took us. Going places with dad were more relaxed then with Mom. He let us run around, he bought us cotton candy & popcorn and he poked good hearted fun at things at the parade. He bought us McDonald's after the parade and told us not to tell Mom.
Before I had my kids I took my sisters a few times when Dad couldn't. It made me feel good to take time out of my life to bring a little joy to them. Since I've had my own kids we've tried to go, weather permitting but have missed a few. I was hoping the tradition wouldn't die once they got older. We went along with them when they were teens and dealt with some of their friends sitting in the car because they were cold, but eventually coming out to check things out.
When the grand kids were old enough to go without being bundled we headed out again. Instead of our group getting smaller it's gotten bigger. It's more like a family gathering where we get to be silly, eat doughnuts, drink hot chocolate and hopefully not freeze. My brother David was big on the parade and always made sure his girls got to go.
We have this "spot" we always try to get and by leaving at 8am were always assured to get it. This year the route changed! We had to find a spot a block over. As we were walking up they were closing the street and the island was available for the taking. We scooped in and staked our claim. Set up the chairs & blankets and made sure the kids had prime spots. All was well until about 10 minutes before the parade. Things were getting squishy. We were all about cheer and moved closer together several times to accommodate late arrivals. Then it got ugly. My sister & family were down on the end. A late arriving group of people with kids came and decided to cram in next to her. One of the larger woman was just about sitting on my sister's lap and they were shoving her kids out of their spot. One of my niece's wasn't having it. She did a little shove back at this kid twice her size and told him to move. She didn't care, she was there first and no one was getting her spot. My sister nicely told this woman that we would slide down a bit to let her kids have a spot on the curb. We did so, and big woman then squeezes in and stands right in front of my sister. I heard the arguing. Then brother-in-law stepped in and explained how this was for the kids and we've been here since 8am and could she at least stand in back of her kids. She does this eye rolling thing and excuses herself for "sleeping in". Some how it got resolved for the moment.
The parade went on, the kids were happy, warm and well snacked up. The weather was great, they got to see Auntie Nannette and Uncle Benny in the parade and were delighted that they were waved at by someone they knew. They were like celebrities. Santa came and the parade ended. We began to clean up our mess of cups, and wrappers, chairs, blankets and most of all kids. A lady on the other side of us offered the late arrival a bag for her kid's trash. She stated nicely that we should leave it as we found it. The woman poo-poos her and states that they have people to clean the mess up. The other woman states that it's proper to clean up after yourself, at which point late arrival woman says "What is up with you white people. You all think you own the world". Fighting words were coming out. We took out trash and left.
Will we go again next year. Yes. That's what us white people do.

Working On My Last Nerve

In the past week we have received ten or more calls from toll free numbers. They show up on our caller ID and I brush them off as being un-important as theres no message left. My daughter picked one up the other day and it was for the Heart Association wanting me to pass out envelopes to my neighbors. She told them I was out of town. They call back 1/2 hour later and I answer. I nicely explain to them that my neighbor does this and I contribute therefore there are no other neighbors to ask. I live next door to her and she has it covered. He's very persistent and I continue to try to be nice. Finally I ask him if he understood me and he persists. I hang up. Last night the call comes again. I explain, he persists, I ask to speak to a manager, he declines my request. I proceed to tell him that I want to be taken off the calling list or I will call and complain. He thanks me for my time and hangs up. Sure enough, at 8 pm last night the same number! I'm done with these people. Being on the no call list does not block non-profit organizations, which is fine but once you tell them no then they should not return the call for a least 6 months. Today my call is going in to the American Heart Association.

Too Early...

3:15 a.m. is just to early to be getting up, no matter what it's for. As usual our business seems to pick up the last quarter of the year. Just when everyone is becoming busy with the Holidays and shopping. What's nice is the production associates are now back to 40 hours after being on 32 since March. And I should mention that fact that I am grateful to have a job when so many people are still losing their jobs or out of work. The downside to this is by mid January they will be back to 32 hours unless the industry picks up.

Our company Christmas party this year is an on-site event. The boss raised quite a ruckus around here regarding the party. Our work week for production is Monday-Thursday. The Christmas party is being held on a Friday afternoon. He took it upon himself to change the work week schedule to Tuesday through Friday so everyone would be here for the party. I think having a Monday off would be nice, but also see the conflict others are having. Not many of the production workers have attended the Christmas parties in the past. I have never been to one, simply because I don't enjoy them. I enjoy going out with the people I work with in a comfortable environment. The problem that arose with switching the hours is that some people have taken part-time weekend jobs to make up for the loss in hours. He's now telling these people to take either take off from those jobs or take a vacation day from here for that Friday because he's not changing the schedule. A few unhappy campers around here now.

Yesterday we received an email with details of the party. It's from 2:30 to 4:30. We are scheduled to work 5am-3. He was asked if we were shutting down 1/2 hour early to attend and they were told they can shut down at 3 and go. I'm almost certain that no one will be attending the event. It's not mandatory. The problem here is that this is considered a during the work day event. Beside the production employees the majority of the work force have a 8-4 or 9-5 workday. They are being paid to attend the event and odds are will be there the entire time.
He was asked if we could work 6-4 and shut down at 3 and go. Denied. So he came to me to find out why all the complaints when he tried to do something nice. He didn't want people to have to come in on their off day. After a brief discussion regarding production workers attire and hat hair and not much time to clean up or change I think he understood a little. The question from him that I couldn't answer was "How many production associates do you think will come" and "how many do you think will take off after their 10 hours are in"? I'm guilty of being one of them that will take off. Not because of the pay, but simply because I feel we're being forced to attend an event.

Sometimes you find the most unlikely people listening to Christmas music. It's a nice change for an hour or so a day but they've got it blasting out on the lines. Big old goofy guys singing along to Janet's favorite donkey song.

They Got Us

The past couple weeks a group of friends have been planning a small cribbage tournament. Ben, Nannette, Arn & I even had a little practice prior to a Packer game to brush up on our skills. The tournament was to be Saturday. Snacks were assigned to everyone and things were rolling into place. I received several emails regarding the tournament and noticed a few facebook posts by friends also in regards to the tournament.
Saturday morning things were going along as usual. The taco roll-ups were made and waiting. I did the weekly keep in touch phone calls to some friends & family. Everyone was pretty busy. My friend asked what we were doing after cribbage and suggested we get together. My daughter and the girls were up and out of the house for a "brunch" with a friend. We were told to be at cribbage by 1:30 to register so we could start by 2. We left the house, taco roll-ups in hand around 1:20. The thrill of the day so far was we found the bridge on Grange Avenue to be finally open. My daughter and I had walked over it the night before but the road was not open. I called her to somewhat brag about going over the fence but got no response. She called back a few minutes later and sounded pretty busy with her girls and her friend's dog. I could hear the girls practicing their "cheerleading cheers" in the background. I decided to hang up as we were pulling in the lot. Arn made the comment that he didn't want to be at the bar all night. "Let's not make this a 9 or 10 pm night". I rolled my eyes as usual.
As we were walking toward the bar I saw my husbands brother Ike walking toward the bar. "What is your brother doing here". We both paused and noticed that he just kept walking in. Hmm..Maybe he was getting in on the cribbage. We kept walking and then Arn spotted my son's truck. By that time it was to late, we were walking onto the porch of the bar. We both tried to turn around but heard the laughter and camera's were flashing. "Happy Anniversary". What a surprise! "No cribbage" was just about all we could say at first.
These guys are great. All the planning and little white lies they told. All the effort put into making it a special day for us. Neither one of us expected this. We were (still are) going out of town for our Anniversary weekend. Never, ever expected anything. We had a great time with all the people that matter the most to us. Great friends, great family, and man there was a lot of food.
Things I'm thankful for that day..of course everyone who made this possible plus Arn decided to go get his hair cut Saturday morning. Also that I changed my clothes at the last moment. I had running pants and a tee shirt on. Heck, we were just going to play cribbage.
Thanks again too all those who made this possible.
I can't leave this post without mentioning the Packers win over Dallas. I must admit that I was a leaning toward a Cowboy's win. It was just an added plus to an already great weekend.

What To Do...

Tomorrow will be my first Friday off in quite a while due to some accumulated comp time and a little bit of a lack of work. I'm wondering if I'll be able to sleep past 5 a.m. I'm thinking negative to that because of the snooze hitter that sleeps next to me. I find myself to be a very polite riser. My alarm goes off and I get up and shut it off and head for the shower. Mr. Snooze isn't so polite. He hits the snooze several times. In the past I have found the way to solve this is to just stay up as long as I can. If I'm in a deep sleep I don't hear it. I hear nothing until he slams the door when he leaves.

I'm trying to think of things to do tomorrow. I've got some shopping to do and had plans to haul some things to Goodwill. If I get the junk I want to rid myself of in the truck tonight then I don't have to deal with my better half wondering what I'm getting rid of. Sorry to say that I can't get into his stuff. I have noticed him loading up the back of his truck with junk and making a few trips to the dump over the past several weeks. The other day I saw the snowmobile sitting in the driveway on wheels. I got a little excited thinking it was going to the dump. "Hey, is that going to the dump" I asked. "If you can move it, you can take it to the dump" was the reply. I walked over and started pushing it. He never moved so fast! Stood right between me and the hunk of scrap. My only recourse was to comment "Well, I guess it's been with me for as long as you have. Dang that thing is old". I have come to the conclusion that I am married to one stubborn man. Either that or there's some hidden treasure under that snowmobile seat. I can't think of any sentimental value it has and it's not like he's ever going to fix it. Not quite sure what goes on in the head of his sometimes.

Maybe I should just take the day for myself. Sleep in, laze on the couch and watch some Lifetime tv, prepare the taco roll-ups for the Cribbage tournament Saturday, read one of the four books I have started, watch the Wii fit video.......

Could This Be Relief?

I get up and leave for work a little earlier than most of you so I'm not sure you got to experience the frost on the car windows this morning. Yep, there is was, nice and thick and not just the windshield, the side windows also. I turned the wipers on and heard the all to familiar noise of the wiper blades scraping across the frost. I rolled down the side windows and upon coming back up the frost remained. Because I was not in that big of a hurry I waited for them to clear while I sat in my car. Must remember to dig out the handy frost removing tool.

I should be happy to see this frost. Yesterday my doctor told me that as soon as the first big freeze comes, I should see some relief from the allergies I have suddenly encountered. Yesterday was not a good day. The month long cold and sinus headache finally got to me and I could not cure this on my own or with otc drugs any longer. I was spending just as much on DayQuil as I would on a prescription that could clear it up faster. I'm not one to run to the doctor, but I know when I can't do it without help. She was kind enough to give me some good antibiotics which I must take for 7 days. She said between that and some allergy medication she suggested I should be good to go in a few days. I took the antibiotics around 5 last night and did sleep well. For 4 hours. I woke up at 1 am wide awake. Part of this temporary sickness was feeling tired all the time. 4 hours wasn't going to cut it. I strolled around the house for a bit, took some NyQuil and went back to bed. As soon as I started feeling like I was going to fall asleep, the snoring began. WTF!! He hasn't snored like that in ages. I tried to pull the extra pillow out from under his head (not to smack him with it or smother him) because it looked like his head was propped up to high. Boy did I get a glare. But at least he turned on his side and stopped (for a short time). I think I may have dozed off for an hour or so until it started again. Chucked it in around 3:30 and got up. As far as dose number one of the medicine...nothing. I did sleep good for 4 hours but the headache is still present. I've now taken dose number two and the nose is starting to run now. I am armed with two boxes of Kleenex and lots of hand sanitizer.

This just in...Dairyland Greyhound Park is closing December 1st. Good. It was really going downhill the past few years. Although they did have some good cheese fries. We'll have to look for another spot for those on the rainy camping days.

I Wasn't Shocked....

Watching the Packers loose to Tampa Bay wasn't at all shocking. They are a poorly coached team being killed by their own penalities. By the middle of the first half I began to laugh at all the mishaps. Next up..the Cowboy's. This should be good. I shall not wager anything because I already know what the outcome of that game will be. I'm loving all the morning talk shows trying to make sense of it. Plain and simple...they are a bad team right now.

We had Dylan yesterday and it became more amusing as he started analyzing what was going wrong. My little Fantasy Football kid was flipping channels for scores. He looked like a minature bookie. Him and my daughter were still watching toward the end of the 4th quarter. I heard the yelling and knew that TB had gotten in one more time. No use crying over spilled milk.

Putting that loss aside, I had a very productive weekend thanks to the nice weather. The yard is all cleaned up and I got a lot of cleaning done. Nice to have the doors open to aide in drying the cleaned carpets.
Made several trips to my mother-in-laws house for items she needed. It appears that now that she's home the help has subsided. Sure people will run to the store for her but then leave everything on the counters. She's still using a walker and isn't quite able to put things away yet. I give her credit for trying. But, I'd like to give the two older kids a good kick in the butt. I guess they were to young to remember everything she had done for them. Put a roof over their heads and basically supported them because their drunken, deadbeat father couldn't.
She made live good for them. Yes, things suck at home for them. Their mother is going in for her 2nd hip surgery soon and depends on them a lot for help. "What 21 year old wants to be stuck taking care of people" is the comment that was made. So you leave you 15 year old sister there to do everything. The 19 year old man boy has a job now (finally) so because he works 30 hours a week he feels it's not necessary for him to do anything at home. I'm seriously thinking of getting her on the Hoarders show just so that house can get cleaned up. I will go over and clean my mother in laws house but I refuse to clean a house with 3 adults living in it. Two that should have the sense to figure out that their mother needs help right now. Either that, or they need to get out and fend for themselves.

I Don't Think So

My husband raised a question to me last night. Should he put the camper away or am I interested in going this weekend. Granted the weather man said we would have highs in the 60's for the weekend, but I think he forgot to check the lows (30's). The man who goes to bed in sweats, socks and a sweatshirt and has to have the flannel sheets on while at home in the heated house wants to camp when it's going to be in the 30's at night. Sure..I'll get right on packing up. I'm sure it would be nice during the day and we'd have a good time, once we defrosted from the night before. Now if we had the ultimate home on wheels I may reconsider. I'm thinking that once the sunsets at 4:45 pm there may not be a fire big enough to stay warm. Plus the fact that the only bathrooms available are the pit toilets makes me think this through logically. No!

Update on the football pool at work...I am still without a win. I wonder just how far this loosing streak will go on.

I received a few emails yesterday regarding the Packers loss. Most of them were expressing sympathy. I don't feel bad about it. They played horribly! Our quarterback did finally decide to scramble and run in the 3rd quarter which made the game a little more exciting, but once again penalties cost them. The whole Brett thing was over played. Nice to have a camera focused totally on him so we could see him blow snot out of his nose. My highlight of the game was hearing the comment regarding Rogers "He's a nifty runner". Cute.

So this whole cold thing is really starting to frustrate me. I have been stuck with it since October 2nd when I went to Arizona. I have gone through the sinus part, the stomach part and the returning sinus thing. My home remedies are not doing it and Stb's remedy isn't working either. I'm pretty close to going to the doctor for something to wipe it out. Problem is every time I'm ready to call and make an appointment, I feel better for a few days. It's back again, and along with it is the totally wiped out feeling. Can't seem to get enough sleep. Maybe if I just became a booze hound for a weekend I'd burn it out.

Boredom=exercise

The past month or so has been a bit hectic around my house. My daughter moved back home and her girls are over a few nights a week. There was a bit of an adjustment period but I think we're on our way to things settling down to normal. We had about 2 years after my brother moved out where it was just the two of us, two cats & Sadie. Dinner got made once in awhile, there was a minimal amount of clutter and we sunk into a routine.
That's changed. We now have an additional dog (my daughter thinks she's getting her back when she moves out) and a dog that visits (when the soon to be ex son-in-law is out of town) and two 11 year old girls. We now have to worry about lunches, what to have for dinner, homework and little girl stuff. It's a little fun. More fun because I'm not totally responsible for them. I can stand back and watch their mother take charge. I thought I was strict as a mother?? You don't want to mess with Momma Shelle! She is on them.
I had to set some ground rules, but I'm still the Grandma. I'm still the one that gets to spoil them a little and have fun with them. I don't want to loose that by having them live with us. The good thing is they're well behaved and polite. As girls their age, then can be a little messy and unorganized. Going in their room reminds me of going into their mother's room years ago. I'll never forget when she wanted new carpeting and Barney went in and looked at her room and told her "When we can actually see what the carpet looks like, we'll think about it". We never knew what her carpet looked like until she moved out. But boy that girl had my bathroom and kitchen sparkling.
Last night was a rare occasion. I was the only one home. Of course the pets were all there, but it was quiet. This was the time I was supposed to catch up on things and do whatever I wanted. I can't believe I got bored. I made some dinner, did some laundry, cleaned up a few things and it was only 6pm. So it was then that I decided to get back on the wagon. I haven't had a regular routine for working out for a few weeks. Baseball season for Dylan is over and I was walking to his games a few times a week. Took the dogs for a walk a few times. It paid off for Sadie as she lost 7 lbs. I decided to pop open the Wii Fit Plus program I purchased last weekend and check it out. Not bad. It has a few added features and about 20 new exercises. I tried a few of them and then came across Kung Fu Rhythm. The first time through I was lost. What the mess am I supposed to be doing? Tried it again and caught on. Difference between first try (41 points) and second try(265 points). Then there was this Parade Marching aerobic game I tried and laughed through the first try. It's one of those things that are goofy and you hope no one walks in and sees you marching and waving your arms around. Those few things plus the regular routine I was doing have shown some benefits this morning. Maybe an 1 1/2 hours was a little to much. I guess if boredom puts me to getting off my butt and exercising I can't be upset. I shall try again to master the Kung Fu game (and march).

Did You Know?

That there is a trailer park on Highway 100 just a few blocks north of Greenfield Avenue. I go this way every day and never really noticed it. I stopped at a small gas station this morning, that I've stopped at before and there it was. I'm guessing there to be at least 150 mobile homes in the small area.
I remember when I was younger I had a friend in my class that lived in a trailer park. I went to her "home" a few times and thought it was pretty cool. It was like camping. At that point I was to young to realize that it may not be all that it's cracked up to be. I can see a newly married couple hanging out in one while waiting to buy their first home, or maybe a single person, or perhaps a retired couple who spend part of a year there. What I can never imagine is Barney and I living in one. We'd have to have one hell of a rummage sale and really downsize our possessions to ever think of living in one. No basement, no garage, no attic. We'd have an issue. Then there is the added fact that you are right on top of each other, so it's worse then camping. They had an article in the paper a few weeks back about the historic trailer park on 27th street. How they're all like family and help each other out. That's a small one and it's been there forever. It's convenient that the historic bar is the center of the trailer park. The city wants to get rid of it to improve the quality and appearance of this area. It's going to take more than that. So they're going after the little people first rather than the business's in the area. I say "leave them alone".
Then there's the one on 6th & College next to the old Blue Canary tavern. I used to drop a girl I worked with off there. It was nasty. This place was like a ghetto. My friend's mother lived in this park for 2 weeks and got out. I know they've been warned to clean the place up several times. Come to think of it there are several trailer parks within a mile area. Further up on College Avenue you have a nicer park. These appear to be more like permanent homes. They have decks and sheds and it's all kept very neat. When I was a paper girl this was part of my route. I recall a lot of elderly people living there. People who had decided that they don't need all the crap that fills up an attic, garage or basement. There's no bar on the grounds of that one. Then you have the 27th & College one that is also pretty run down. Hmmm...there's a bar right there also.
On to other things. I am enjoying the 1/2 hour of peace and quiet I'm getting this morning. This is one of the joys of coming in early. Within the next 1/2 hour people will start rolling in. If it's anything like yesterday I may need to start handing out numbers. I may also need to hire a phone operator.

Come On Dere Hey!

Isn't that how all Wisconsinites talk? Not so. In listening to a talk radio show on my way in this morning, they had clips from the Regis & Kelly show. They were talking with an actor who was born and raised in Appleton. They asked him to speak Wisconsin. He's from Appleton! He breaks out in this language I've never heard unless I was in extreme northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan ( or was making fun of Fargo). They got on the subject of Milwaukee and noted that in this area we speak with the same accent. In fact they said "all of Wisconsin speaks this way". Made us out to be a state of goof balls.
I know we have the old Polish & German accents still floating around. (I still get a kick out of my childhood friends mother swearing in Polish). Maybe we're portrayed this way because we have such a mixture of nationalities in this state. Pretty soon we'll have our own language, but it won't be what was portrayed by this doofas on TV.

The football game we attended the other night in honor of our late friend Randy, was once again a reminder of what an impact he made on people. I've felt bad for almost a year now for never attending a game he coached. He'd ask all the time and would speak proudly of the team, but we never made one. We left the game at half time and caught the team walking back toward the field after their break. Somehow I could just picture Randy walking with them. The image was perfect and just gave me a little chill. Pretty sure he knew we were there. The almost emotional moment was broke when we had to lighten it up a little by painting the mental picture of him jogging along with the boys. I know exactly what he would have responded to us "What, you don't think I could jog from the school back out to the field? Come on, let's put 5 buck on it". And somehow he'd get out of it. You live on, my friend.

I Do Not Like You!

I'm a little confused as to why my ex-husband would feel the sudden need to speak to me at Dylan's game Saturday. I pulled in the lot right behind him and purposely parked two aisles away to avoid having to walk anywhere near him. (There's some history in this latest dislike of him and I though I made my thoughts pretty clear to him via a phone call when I was in Arizona).
Anyway, somehow I managed to make it to the Dylan fan clan way before him. My son questioned his where abouts and seeing as there is a bar on the same property as the field we all just naturally assumed that's where he parked his ass. Nice.

He showed up a few minutes after the 2nd quarter and felt the need to stand near me, not talking to me, but rather directing comments to my kids about me. Not nasty, just sickening. All that kept running through my head was the Green Eggs and Ham poem. I chuckled as I wished for Annette to be there adding to my crafty poetry. "I do not like you, you're a louse. I did not like you as a spouse". I cannot stand you anymore, I'd like to knock you to the floor.
Then he starts goofing around with the twins and wrestling with them. One of them gets knocked into me smack into the small of my back. Jolt down my legs, but I withstood screaming out loud and found joy in the time I smacked him so hard I split his lip open. (No, I'm not a violent person). Then my son stepped up. "Dad, what are you doing? Don't mess with her, it's pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with you". His reply "Yeah, she's still mad at me for screwing up our marriage". "HUH"....I pride myself in keeping my mouth shut. As I listened to my kids laugh and sarcastically assure him that's what the problem is I came up with one more line. " I wish you'd stumble from the bar, so I could hit you with my car." It needs work, but it kept me from making a scene. Yeah, real grown up ex I have. Not the time or place to hash out your indifference's. The thing he doesn't understand is...My kids are grown now. I don't have to pretend to like him anymore. That was hard enough to do when they were younger.

The game was good until the last 2 minutes when the other team scored and beat the Buc's by 1 point. Lot of rukus going on about the ref's missing the block in the back which would have wiped out the td. Playoffs are next. Hopefully it won't be as cold Saturday. (I like to tell myself foolish things sometimes).

I Can't Win

Plain and simple. I cannot win a football pool this year. Of the 10 people in our pool I am the only one who has yet to win. I'm close until a team scores in the last minute or so of the half. I'm not complaining because I feel confident that my day will come.

I did however hit my first Royal Flush on a poker machine. Yet my glory was short lived. I hit it on nickles as I was trying to regain some of my loss's. I felt a little excitement as this was the largest pot I hit in Laughlin in two days. I quickly cashed out and went to find my mother. The smile on my face was instantly gone when she showed me her own Royal Flush (the second one hit in two days) for 5 times the amount of mine. Oh well. Short lived glory.

The bad thing about coming back from vacation is going back to work. The good thing is my past two days at work have flown by. I'm off my normal QC job and working QC for a pretty important customer trial. Very busy, yet very interesting. It's a change of scenery and a change of pace. Keeps my mind off other things.

Mother-in-law had hip replacement surgery Monday and is doing well (so I thought). One of the siblings claims she whiny and a patient from hell. Maybe she changes when I get there to see her. I'm not sure this is going to solve all her problems, but it's a start. She finally decided to take the smart route and go into a Rehab center for two weeks. It was a divided family for a while on where she should go. Home was not an option. The rehab will get her more and better quality care than sitting at home.

I though I could make it through Halloween without turning the heat on but on it went when I got home Friday night. Granted 64 is good for now, but I was bummed to come home to 40 degree weather. I think I'm just about over it. The shocker was sitting through the girls cheer leading debut on Saturday afternoon and then Dylan's game Sunday morning. I was a bit chilled and am still feeling the effects. I don't think that what I thought were allergies while in Arizona were. I was trying to convince myself, but can't seem to be fooled.