I know I've been a bit neglectful, if you will, of my blog recently but I've really had a good reason. I've had zero computer access at home for the last two weeks and an unstable computer environment for a couple of weeks before that. It wasn't until last night that I was able to get back online at home (and don't think I'm not happy about it - I've been spending the last four hours catching up on internet surfing! :o) ).
Anyway, I found out just how little I really know about computer and I also learned that the experts don't know a whole lot more than I do. This all started the first weekend of the month when I noticed my computer was going slower than usual and I shut it off. It shut off alright . . . it wouldn't reboot for me to save my life.
I took it to work and, on the first try mind you, a co-worker got it up and running. I immediately started yelling "save my newsletter! I've gotta save my newsletter!" And then I promptly saved the one document (to a flash drive) that would be the most easy to recreate, should I lose everything and we shut 'er back down - where it once again died.
An "expert" told me I should try to re-boot it from my boot disk and I did, and it actually worked. At that time, I copied as many files as I could (starting with all my partial wips) on the flash drive. It didn't get everything but it got a lot. I'm thinking I'm doing pretty good. I was getting advice that I should re-install everything on my computer and start fresh (I'd bought Norton because the initial diagnosis was that I had a virus - and maybe I did but in the end, it wasn't my biggest problem, but it wouldn't install on my computer) but I wasn't finished with the newsletter I was working on and I really wanted to get it out before I wiped the slate clean, so to speak.
Well, with each change I made to the newsletter, I resaved it to the flash drive, right? That is until my computer quit recognizing the flash drive. You know, the one that had my life on it? Yeah, that one. Suddenly I didn't feel like I was doing so good anymore. That's when I started emailing EVERYTHING on my computer to my gmail account (gotta love 'em) so I could feel good again. :o)
So, I finally finished the newsletter and got it out and decided to reinstall everything. Oh, during all this, I was having some issues with my computer where if it stalled, I could tilt it and it would un-stall, if you know what I mean. The Pam said she thought it was my hard drive. I told the computer "expert" at work all this and he disagreed, saying that if it was my hard drive that I would hear a grinding noise and it would just crash. Which is exactly what happened after I stayed up all night reinstalling everything on my computer.
That was two weeks ago tomorrow.
Tuesday I went Best Buy and bought the hard drive that the computer "expert" from work told me to buy. To shorten the story, it was the wrong hard drive. Fortunately I made the decision to have the "geek squad" at Best Buy install it. Some thought it was a waste of money to do that but considering it turned out to be the wrong hard drive and they wouldn't have refunded my money had someone else opened the box and tried to install it, I think it was money well spent! Anyway, the geek squad had issues too but at the end of the day yesterday (and I mean the end of the day!), I was finally back up and running. (If you wonder why I wasn't up before then - let's just say this was a contributing factor.)
In any event, it's good to be back! :o)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Theatre
I'm a big fan of the theatre . The first time I remember going was to see Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr in The King and I back in 1982. It was either later that year or the next year that I went to see Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. LIVE and in person! There's nothing like it.Over the next many years, I went to the theatre with a regularity. When my ex-husband and I separated and divorced, I started taking my nieces and/or nephew with me before I made it a solo act, ocassionally deciding to go on the spur of the moment.
Only once was I disenchanted with a play I saw.
Anyway, back in the early '90s my mother and I went to Las Vegas. Debbie Reynolds had a hotel there at the time (off the strip) and we went to see her show which, in my opinion, is the best show I've ever seen in Vegas. She, in her show, commented that her fans were "of an age", suggesting that younger people didn't much care for her. Well after the show, she talked to and took pictures with anyone who wanted to chat or have their picture taken with her. I, of course, have a picture with me, my mother and her in it and made a point of telling her I (in my early 30's at the time) was a huge fan.
But, back to the theatre...I haven't been much in the last five to ten years or so. Something I keep telling myself that I will remedy soon.
At work this man who was transferred out before I arrived (over a year ago) occasionally gets mail from a theatre in Galveston...The Grand 1894 Opera House. It's what I've always pictured in my head when I read historicals and they talk about going to the theatre (although, when it tells you a seat is "obstructed", they mean it! Just so you know.). It's this quaint little place - very nice. Well, this man from work received another brochure this past week and Debbie Reynolds is going to be there this coming March. She's hosting a dance thing but I think I'm going to have to go. Galveston is less than an hour away so it's definitely doable.
It's almost a year away and I'm already excited about it. How silly is that? LOL
What celebrity would you like to see come to your area to perform?
Saturday, June 02, 2007
All the comforts of home
I called a contractor out earlier this week because I wanted to discuss installation of hurricane shutters. Before he got out here it occurred to me that I might need the HOA's approval to do this, so I called them. I do need it but I couldn't reach the contractor before he arrived so he came out.
As a result we started swapping contractor stories (mine coming from the side of "can you believe what that awful contractor did?" his being "then they wanted me to do so and so..." ). During the course of this discussion, he told me about a product I'd never heard of before...walk-in bathtubs! He said he'd installed one for this elderly couple, and that it'd be his last installation of a walk-in bathtub. Anyway, I was curious so I asked some questions about it and then looked it up online. You're looking at the Cambridge Walk-in Bathtub which is described as follows:
This standard length walk in bathtub provides a very effective solution to everyday bathing problems and can simply be fitted in place of your existing tub to allow you to continue to lie down and luxuriate in a bathtub full of water.
The Cambridge walk in bathtub allows you to simply step in through its conveniently sited side entry door.
Once in, make yourself comfortable on the contoured bath seat, turn the handle to seal the door and open the taps. It's as simple as that. Once the tub is filled to your satisfaction press the button and you will be gently lowered into the water. Lie back and enjoy your bath. There is of course a choice of tap options; from traditional cross-headed faucetts, lever style or a more contemporary style. All are available in Chrome or Gold finish to complement your bathroom fittings.
When you have finished your bath, simply press the control once more lift you back to the seated position ready to get out of the bath and into a comfortable position ready for standing again.
The Cambridge walk in bathtub is available in a range of colours to complement your bathroom.
Who wouldn't want one of those? :)
As a result we started swapping contractor stories (mine coming from the side of "can you believe what that awful contractor did?" his being "then they wanted me to do so and so..." ). During the course of this discussion, he told me about a product I'd never heard of before...walk-in bathtubs! He said he'd installed one for this elderly couple, and that it'd be his last installation of a walk-in bathtub. Anyway, I was curious so I asked some questions about it and then looked it up online. You're looking at the Cambridge Walk-in Bathtub which is described as follows:
This standard length walk in bathtub provides a very effective solution to everyday bathing problems and can simply be fitted in place of your existing tub to allow you to continue to lie down and luxuriate in a bathtub full of water.
The Cambridge walk in bathtub allows you to simply step in through its conveniently sited side entry door.
Once in, make yourself comfortable on the contoured bath seat, turn the handle to seal the door and open the taps. It's as simple as that. Once the tub is filled to your satisfaction press the button and you will be gently lowered into the water. Lie back and enjoy your bath. There is of course a choice of tap options; from traditional cross-headed faucetts, lever style or a more contemporary style. All are available in Chrome or Gold finish to complement your bathroom fittings.
When you have finished your bath, simply press the control once more lift you back to the seated position ready to get out of the bath and into a comfortable position ready for standing again.
The Cambridge walk in bathtub is available in a range of colours to complement your bathroom.
Who wouldn't want one of those? :)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Suspicious Minds
I've been trying to blog more consistently but some days nothing comes to me. Other days I have lots of ideas but have to settle on one. Today is one of those days (where I have more than one idea).
Anyway, today I wanted to blog on this segment they have on my local radio station. It's called Roula & Ryan's Roses. What happens is someone writes/emails in telling them why they think their significant other may be cheating on them. I have no idea how many letters/emails they get on this but every Thursday morning they take one and do their bit. Their bit being that they (well Roula) call the supposed cheating party and tell them that they've randomly been selected to receive a dozen long stem red roses that can be sent anywhere in the US within 24 hours, for free. She goes on to tell them that it's a promotional thing for her new business "plantsandflowers.com" and that her hope is that the flowers will be so great that they will consider doing business with her in the future, should they have a need. In most cases the supposed cheating party will accept the roses.
The whole time Roula is giving her spiel, the person who wrote in is listening in. They've been instructed not to jump in until after they've gotten the name and note for the card and Ryan has jumped in to say they are listening in.
Okay, so this morning's "couple" was a young married couple. The husband (named Fred) works for a company who takes its employees on all expense paid trips (I missed the part of why they do but I don't think it's important to the story). This weekend the company was paying for its employees to spend the long weekend (four days total) in Jamaica. Fred told his wife (whose name I don't remember) that spouses weren't invited this time. She was concerned because he works with a lot of attractive women and they would be at a place where those attractive women would be scantily clad. Not to mention that he's recently been putting in really long hours and their sex life is virtually non-existent of late. She "needed" to know who he would send the flowers to.
So Roula called. He accepted the flowers. He said he wanted them to go to Jennifer (funny how I remember HER name, huh? anyway) and the card to read (and he said this in a very seductive voice) something like "I can't wait until this weekend" or "I'm looking forward to this weekend".
At that point Ryan jumped in and told him what was going on. His wife jumps in and asks him what's going on, why would he send flowers to Jennifer and not her? He starts saying that Jennifer has been working really hard and he wanted to show his appreciation for all her hard work - that he wouldn't have survived (at work) without her that past couple of months. The wife starts whining that she was going to be home alone all weekend and she doesn't understand why he didn't send them to her. He goes on to point out that he spent $300 on a spa day for her and that should be enough.
Meanwhile, Ryan is jumping in going "Dude, the greeting on the card was (whatever it was). And it was red roses. Red usually signifies love!" Fred defends himself saying he had no idea what would be sent (Roula does say a dozen red roses, by the way) and he just wanted to recognize Jennifer's hard work. Roula is being uncharacteristically quiet and Ryan shuts up at this time.
The wife starts apologizing to Fred, saying she was just feeling a little insecure and hopes he will forgive her for doing this to him on the radio. She then, in a young child happy voice tells Fred, "If you come home early tonight I'll cook all your favorites, okay?!" Ryan, incredulous, jumps back in and says, "(her name - whatever it is), you're believing him?" She said she was so he tells them he's going to let them take it offline and they get the couple off the air.
As soon as they get the couple off the air, Roula jumps in and says, "Ohmigod! I had to hold my reaction but I cannot believe she was buying that! He was so LYING!" Roula and Ryan discussed their feelings about it (they do that each week, and then take listener calls) and they both believed he was lying out his backside but that they didn't press it because they believed the wife was one of those people who didn't want to know/believe the truth. All the callers I heard agreed.
So, my question to you is, you have a sneaking suspicion that your significant other may be getting some action on the side and when given the opportunity, s/he sends roses to someone else. How would you react?
Anyway, today I wanted to blog on this segment they have on my local radio station. It's called Roula & Ryan's Roses. What happens is someone writes/emails in telling them why they think their significant other may be cheating on them. I have no idea how many letters/emails they get on this but every Thursday morning they take one and do their bit. Their bit being that they (well Roula) call the supposed cheating party and tell them that they've randomly been selected to receive a dozen long stem red roses that can be sent anywhere in the US within 24 hours, for free. She goes on to tell them that it's a promotional thing for her new business "plantsandflowers.com" and that her hope is that the flowers will be so great that they will consider doing business with her in the future, should they have a need. In most cases the supposed cheating party will accept the roses.
The whole time Roula is giving her spiel, the person who wrote in is listening in. They've been instructed not to jump in until after they've gotten the name and note for the card and Ryan has jumped in to say they are listening in.
Okay, so this morning's "couple" was a young married couple. The husband (named Fred) works for a company who takes its employees on all expense paid trips (I missed the part of why they do but I don't think it's important to the story). This weekend the company was paying for its employees to spend the long weekend (four days total) in Jamaica. Fred told his wife (whose name I don't remember) that spouses weren't invited this time. She was concerned because he works with a lot of attractive women and they would be at a place where those attractive women would be scantily clad. Not to mention that he's recently been putting in really long hours and their sex life is virtually non-existent of late. She "needed" to know who he would send the flowers to.
So Roula called. He accepted the flowers. He said he wanted them to go to Jennifer (funny how I remember HER name, huh? anyway) and the card to read (and he said this in a very seductive voice) something like "I can't wait until this weekend" or "I'm looking forward to this weekend".
At that point Ryan jumped in and told him what was going on. His wife jumps in and asks him what's going on, why would he send flowers to Jennifer and not her? He starts saying that Jennifer has been working really hard and he wanted to show his appreciation for all her hard work - that he wouldn't have survived (at work) without her that past couple of months. The wife starts whining that she was going to be home alone all weekend and she doesn't understand why he didn't send them to her. He goes on to point out that he spent $300 on a spa day for her and that should be enough.
Meanwhile, Ryan is jumping in going "Dude, the greeting on the card was (whatever it was). And it was red roses. Red usually signifies love!" Fred defends himself saying he had no idea what would be sent (Roula does say a dozen red roses, by the way) and he just wanted to recognize Jennifer's hard work. Roula is being uncharacteristically quiet and Ryan shuts up at this time.
The wife starts apologizing to Fred, saying she was just feeling a little insecure and hopes he will forgive her for doing this to him on the radio. She then, in a young child happy voice tells Fred, "If you come home early tonight I'll cook all your favorites, okay?!" Ryan, incredulous, jumps back in and says, "(her name - whatever it is), you're believing him?" She said she was so he tells them he's going to let them take it offline and they get the couple off the air.
As soon as they get the couple off the air, Roula jumps in and says, "Ohmigod! I had to hold my reaction but I cannot believe she was buying that! He was so LYING!" Roula and Ryan discussed their feelings about it (they do that each week, and then take listener calls) and they both believed he was lying out his backside but that they didn't press it because they believed the wife was one of those people who didn't want to know/believe the truth. All the callers I heard agreed.
So, my question to you is, you have a sneaking suspicion that your significant other may be getting some action on the side and when given the opportunity, s/he sends roses to someone else. How would you react?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Finale
Congratulations Apolo and Julianne!
If you missed the finale, you missed that Apolo walked away with the mirrored trophy last night. I was so excited and thought it was so deserved.
It's funny because when the season started, well, actually BEFORE the season started I made a judgment based on his picture. I really hated the hair on his chin. It can't even be called a goatee. And I wanted him voted off in week one because it was so unattractive in his "official photo".
Well, after week one of dancing, I changed my mind. He was so good and his partner was adorable. And it wasn't long into the competition before I decided I wanted him to win the whole thing! AND HE DID!
He wasn't always number one with the judges (but then none of the past winners were either) but he was number one in the end, and that's what matters. And he won it all on his birthday!
I was so excited for him. So, happy birthday Apolo and congratulations!
Monday, May 21, 2007
New to the Pile
Today a friend at work asked me if I wanted to meet her at the bookstore at lunch. (Well DUH! know your audience girl!) So, I got there at the time she said to meet her...she showed up thirty minutes later. But I digress.
As I waited for my friend, I came across this book that looked like it might be interesting...The PMS Murder. I read the back cover and well, I bought it. It sounds like it will be fun. And if it is, I've found a new author to read. If not, it was just $7.00.
Here's the back blurb:
On the frontlines of the battle of the bulge, otherwise known as trying on bathing suits in the communal dressing room at Loehmann's, freelance writer Jaine Austen makes a new friend - a wanna be actress named Pam - and gets a new job: sprucing up Pam's bare-bones resume. Their feeling of connection is mutual, so Pam invites Jaine to join The PMS Club - a woman's support group that meets once a week over guacamole and margaritas.
But joining the club proves to be more a curse than a blessing for Jaine. Though she is warned that Rochelle, the hostess, makes a guacamole to die for, Jaine never takes the warning literally. Until another PMS member, Marybeth, drops dead over a mouthful of the green stuff after confessing she is having an affair with Rochelle's husband.
While Rochelle and her husband are the obvious suspects, everyone at that night's meeting is under suspicion, including Jaine. So, instead of dishing dirt with The PMS Club, Jaine has to dig up dirt on the surviving members. And soon it becomes clear: someone in this club thinks getting away with murder should be a privilege of membership...
So that's the newest on my TBR pile. What have you read lately?
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
*Sigh*
Tonight my dog, Harley, came in when he heard me open a muffin wrapper. He placed his chin on my leg and when he moved it, it was covered in mud. So I decided to investigate what he (and possibly the other dogs) had been doing outside. It was already dark outside so I took my flashlight with me.
Over in the front corner of the fence it appears like he/they have been digging a hole. O-kay. Now, I don't know if you've heard this but if you fill a hole where dogs have been digging with their own poop, they won't dig there anymore. I was told this a few years back when Max was a puppy and doing the digging - and it worked. So I went and got my shovel to fill the hole and go searching for poop (jealous are you? LOL).
First I filled in the hole and then went looking, shining my flashlight everywhere. The first "pile" I saw and approached turned out to be a dead bird. Poor thing. I hope it went quickly.
Anyway, I decided to look on the other side of my yard because that's where they do most of their business anyway and I headed out on the path that they've created out that way, watching my step. And you know what I found? Are you ready for this?
The cable line that the cable guy buried a couple of weeks ago (see Television Reception entry)? The cable line that I could barely tell WHERE the cable guy buried it because he did such a smooth, clean job? The cable line that is NOW exposed and just begging for Harley to rip it back out of the wall.
Yeah, that's what I found.
I'm telling you, I love the little guy but he is making me crazy.
In any event, I found some poop, filled the hole and disposed of the poor dead bird. Not exactly how I'd pictured this evening going but what are ya gonna do?
Over in the front corner of the fence it appears like he/they have been digging a hole. O-kay. Now, I don't know if you've heard this but if you fill a hole where dogs have been digging with their own poop, they won't dig there anymore. I was told this a few years back when Max was a puppy and doing the digging - and it worked. So I went and got my shovel to fill the hole and go searching for poop (jealous are you? LOL).
First I filled in the hole and then went looking, shining my flashlight everywhere. The first "pile" I saw and approached turned out to be a dead bird. Poor thing. I hope it went quickly.
Anyway, I decided to look on the other side of my yard because that's where they do most of their business anyway and I headed out on the path that they've created out that way, watching my step. And you know what I found? Are you ready for this?
The cable line that the cable guy buried a couple of weeks ago (see Television Reception entry)? The cable line that I could barely tell WHERE the cable guy buried it because he did such a smooth, clean job? The cable line that is NOW exposed and just begging for Harley to rip it back out of the wall.
Yeah, that's what I found.
I'm telling you, I love the little guy but he is making me crazy.
In any event, I found some poop, filled the hole and disposed of the poor dead bird. Not exactly how I'd pictured this evening going but what are ya gonna do?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Changes
Ever since my dog, Harley, took out my cable, I've been thinking about something. Those two days where I had no reception forced me to focus my energy otherwise (that is when I wasn't striking a pose to get in better television reception) and I realized how much time I waste with the TV on. Like now, the TV is on but the sound is muted - and I do that a lot. What's the point?
So, my thought was, I should try to go without cable during the summer. I went so far as calling the cable company to see what I would have to do and what it would cost to have it reinstalled (turned back on - whatever) at a later date. And they offered me "options". Right now I have the digital cable with a gazillion channels (I watch approximately 3 of them, but who's counting) and pay out the wazoo, what with the "extended cable" box in the bedroom and the DVR in the living room. I could cut back to the standard cable (channels 1-80) for about 1/3 of what I'm paying now (not including the DVR, which would add ~$16 back). Or I could just keep the cable line (aka basic cable) on to give me clear pictures on my local stations (and we already know I don't get reception for crap here on the local stations) for under $20.
If I do away with cable altogether and later want it reinstalled it will cost me ~$29 for the first connection and ~$19 for each additional (I currently have three lines - two in the living room but I like the option of being able to move my furniture around).
On the "basic cable" option it would cost me a one time fee of ~20 to fully upgrade - all lines.
With standard cable there would be no charge to reconnect/upgrade.
But here's the deal. I feel certain I will want my cable back when the fall line-up comes back on. Most shows I could watch online but I wouldn't be able to vote on Dancing with the Stars (unless I struck a pose at least once a week - which I could do if I had to!).
Actually, that's not even the whole deal. The reason I posted this entry tonight was, I was reading someone else's blog entry and they were talking about participating in Jessica Trapp's "100 days" and now adding a daily workout to go with it. Someone responded that they just never have time to work out anymore and that kind of hit a note with me. In Weight Watchers when they talk about exercise they bring up the things we did when we were growing up - things that we enjoyed. Things that we no longer indulge ourselves with because "we don't have time". Working out is no longer considered fun, like it was when we were younger. Instead, it's just one more thing on the long list of things we have to do and it's more like a chore. Only it's one we don't have to do, so it's one of the first ones we eliminate.
Personally, I want to make time for things. I want to read more. I want to write more. I want to start working out again. Walking the dogs (only not in my neighborhood since I'm only allowed two dogs and I have three). Yes, TV is something I sometimes enjoy but I think I indulge in it too much. And too much of a good thing is not good!
Anyway, I don't know if you've picked up on this but I think I'm talking myself more and more into getting rid of cable - at least for the summer. But I'd love to hear what others think. So if you don't have a TV or if you don't have cable - or if you know someone like that, let me hear from you and tell them to come on over and tell me why and what-for.
And for those that have TV and cable, could you give it up?
So, my thought was, I should try to go without cable during the summer. I went so far as calling the cable company to see what I would have to do and what it would cost to have it reinstalled (turned back on - whatever) at a later date. And they offered me "options". Right now I have the digital cable with a gazillion channels (I watch approximately 3 of them, but who's counting) and pay out the wazoo, what with the "extended cable" box in the bedroom and the DVR in the living room. I could cut back to the standard cable (channels 1-80) for about 1/3 of what I'm paying now (not including the DVR, which would add ~$16 back). Or I could just keep the cable line (aka basic cable) on to give me clear pictures on my local stations (and we already know I don't get reception for crap here on the local stations) for under $20.
If I do away with cable altogether and later want it reinstalled it will cost me ~$29 for the first connection and ~$19 for each additional (I currently have three lines - two in the living room but I like the option of being able to move my furniture around).
On the "basic cable" option it would cost me a one time fee of ~20 to fully upgrade - all lines.
With standard cable there would be no charge to reconnect/upgrade.
But here's the deal. I feel certain I will want my cable back when the fall line-up comes back on. Most shows I could watch online but I wouldn't be able to vote on Dancing with the Stars (unless I struck a pose at least once a week - which I could do if I had to!).
Actually, that's not even the whole deal. The reason I posted this entry tonight was, I was reading someone else's blog entry and they were talking about participating in Jessica Trapp's "100 days" and now adding a daily workout to go with it. Someone responded that they just never have time to work out anymore and that kind of hit a note with me. In Weight Watchers when they talk about exercise they bring up the things we did when we were growing up - things that we enjoyed. Things that we no longer indulge ourselves with because "we don't have time". Working out is no longer considered fun, like it was when we were younger. Instead, it's just one more thing on the long list of things we have to do and it's more like a chore. Only it's one we don't have to do, so it's one of the first ones we eliminate.
Personally, I want to make time for things. I want to read more. I want to write more. I want to start working out again. Walking the dogs (only not in my neighborhood since I'm only allowed two dogs and I have three). Yes, TV is something I sometimes enjoy but I think I indulge in it too much. And too much of a good thing is not good!
Anyway, I don't know if you've picked up on this but I think I'm talking myself more and more into getting rid of cable - at least for the summer. But I'd love to hear what others think. So if you don't have a TV or if you don't have cable - or if you know someone like that, let me hear from you and tell them to come on over and tell me why and what-for.
And for those that have TV and cable, could you give it up?
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Plan
Have you ever noticed that things don't always go as planned?
Yesterday, I got up early and went to the grocery store to buy more fruits and vegetables (I say more because I'd done the same thing Saturday morning too). You see, over at The Cupcake Police a couple of us are drinking our fruits and vegetables, which is working out great for me because I wasn't getting in my daily requirement otherwise.
Anyway, back to The Plan.
The plan was to bring home the items and chop them all up, ready to go. Only problem was my kitchen was a mess. I needed to clean up and THEN do the chopping. Okay, I can handle that, right?
So, I'm standing in the kitchen thinking "you know, my living room really needs cleaning worse than the kitchen. maybe I should clean that first." The fact that I wasn't going to chop the food in the living room, which was the reason for the cleaning, didn't even enter my head. I just started cleaning - the living room.
I dusted. I vacuumed the furniture. I put things away. I swept and I mopped. It looked good. I moved into the kitchen to continue there.
I unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it with the few dirty dishes (I don't cook often) I had. I wiped down the counter then went back over it with a lysol wipe. I took out the trash. I swept the floor and mopped. It looked good. But the floor was wet so I couldn't get to work on the food. So I moved into my bedroom.
All this while, I've also been doing laundry.
But I'm in the bedroom. I dusted. I put things away. I stripped the bed (to be added to the laundry loads). I swept and I mopped. And repeated in my closet and dressing area.
By then it was kind of late in the day (about 5:30) so I thought I'd sit down for a minute to watch the things I've DVR'd but really needed to be watched so I clear them so that there would be space for Dancing with the Stars (even though I'll be watching it live). So I'm watching last week's Brothers and Sisters (which I also watched when it aired) and I realized you know I don't really want to get into a clean bed after all this work - unless I take a shower. So after Brother and Sisters, I jumped in the shower and came back and watched a couple of Ellens and Murphy Browns before I watched Desperate Housewives and this week's Brothers and Sisters (which I DVR'd...both DH and B&S).
Then it was bedtime so I crawled in bed feeling pretty good about all I had done and I slept well.
Meanwhile, I never did chop up the fruits and vegetables - and that was the whole point of the day. LOL
Yesterday, I got up early and went to the grocery store to buy more fruits and vegetables (I say more because I'd done the same thing Saturday morning too). You see, over at The Cupcake Police a couple of us are drinking our fruits and vegetables, which is working out great for me because I wasn't getting in my daily requirement otherwise.
Anyway, back to The Plan.
The plan was to bring home the items and chop them all up, ready to go. Only problem was my kitchen was a mess. I needed to clean up and THEN do the chopping. Okay, I can handle that, right?
So, I'm standing in the kitchen thinking "you know, my living room really needs cleaning worse than the kitchen. maybe I should clean that first." The fact that I wasn't going to chop the food in the living room, which was the reason for the cleaning, didn't even enter my head. I just started cleaning - the living room.
I dusted. I vacuumed the furniture. I put things away. I swept and I mopped. It looked good. I moved into the kitchen to continue there.
I unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it with the few dirty dishes (I don't cook often) I had. I wiped down the counter then went back over it with a lysol wipe. I took out the trash. I swept the floor and mopped. It looked good. But the floor was wet so I couldn't get to work on the food. So I moved into my bedroom.
All this while, I've also been doing laundry.
But I'm in the bedroom. I dusted. I put things away. I stripped the bed (to be added to the laundry loads). I swept and I mopped. And repeated in my closet and dressing area.
By then it was kind of late in the day (about 5:30) so I thought I'd sit down for a minute to watch the things I've DVR'd but really needed to be watched so I clear them so that there would be space for Dancing with the Stars (even though I'll be watching it live). So I'm watching last week's Brothers and Sisters (which I also watched when it aired) and I realized you know I don't really want to get into a clean bed after all this work - unless I take a shower. So after Brother and Sisters, I jumped in the shower and came back and watched a couple of Ellens and Murphy Browns before I watched Desperate Housewives and this week's Brothers and Sisters (which I DVR'd...both DH and B&S).
Then it was bedtime so I crawled in bed feeling pretty good about all I had done and I slept well.
Meanwhile, I never did chop up the fruits and vegetables - and that was the whole point of the day. LOL
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
On Writing
Do you ever read a book that just annoys you to no end? That you wonder what the author was thinking when they wrote it and the publisher when they bought it? I feel like I've run in a few too many of those of late. But, I don't like to diss particular authors on my blog so I'm just going to make a list of things that annoy me. Feel free to add your own. :~)
1. If your story is a murder mystery, don't introduce the killer on page 347 of your 360 page (including epilogue) novel. Saying on page 107 "Remember that time Eunice got upset with Doris because she thought the boy was looking at her at the third grade picnic?" does not count as an introduction to a character when said boy is not identified by name, or description and not mentioned again until page 347, when it's revealed he's the killer.
2. Also, if writing a murder mystery, it's good to keep the reader guessing but when they reach the last page of a story and they still are wondering who the hell the killer is, something's wrong - and it's not with the reader. I may be dense but when you have to email the author and ask who the killer is and you still don't get/see it, there's a problem. S-P-E-L-L I-T O-U-T! There's your clue!
3. If you're writing a series, each book should be a stand-alone. Nothing pisses me off more than to get to the end of a book only to realize that resolution won't happen until later in the series. I won't know how it's resolved either because I will not be forced to buy another book to find out! You will have lost me for any other books you've written too because, I may not always remember who the best authors are, but I never forget an author who has pissed me off. I also don't want to be forced to read the story in a particular order. I want to be able to pick up any book in the series and be able to follow the action. If you don't know how this is done, go read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
4. Also in a series, do not introduce characters into the story in book one and make them pivotal characters if you're not going to deal with them until book three (see comment 3 above).
5. I read to escape. I want to be swept up in the fantasy. If I wanted to read something depressing, I'd subscribe to the newspaper. There doesn't have to be a hero / heroine traditional happily ever after but if I get to the end of the story and want to slit my own wrists, it's not good. Give the reader some hope.
6. No means no. I'm sorry but I cannot suspend disbelief when a woman says she doesn't want to have sex but the man "has his way" anyway. That's not an alpha male in my book, that's a rapist. As I read the rest of the book, I'll be wondering what message the author wanted to send by making a rapist the hero of her story. It will also likely be the last book of yours I'll read.
7. I don't write many "fan" emails to authors so if I write you one, it means I really LOVED your book and will be on the lookout for more of your books. It's not necessary to respond and plug your next book - I probably would've bought it anyway if I liked the one enough to write you. But, since I don't like pushy sales people, you just made me less likely to pick it up.
8. I know that bad things happen in life but I don't want to read about them (see comment 5 above) in your book. It is never necessary to be cruel to animals in a book. Do it once and I might be able to look the other way. Do it repeatedly and you will not only lose me as a reader, but anyone else I can influence.
9. If you're writing a comedy, tell more than one joke. What was funny on page 15 is not going to be funny if told again on page 16 and 17 and 18 and 19 and..... Lots of things can be funny. Be creative.
10. Be original. If you have to steal from another author, hang it up. This also goes for your own stories. If all you've done is superimpose new names over the characters of your last story, it's not good. I've heard there are no new stories and I'm easy enough to fool that it's a new story but you're gonna have to do more than change names.
Anyway, those are a few of my writing pet peeves. What annoys you?
1. If your story is a murder mystery, don't introduce the killer on page 347 of your 360 page (including epilogue) novel. Saying on page 107 "Remember that time Eunice got upset with Doris because she thought the boy was looking at her at the third grade picnic?" does not count as an introduction to a character when said boy is not identified by name, or description and not mentioned again until page 347, when it's revealed he's the killer.
2. Also, if writing a murder mystery, it's good to keep the reader guessing but when they reach the last page of a story and they still are wondering who the hell the killer is, something's wrong - and it's not with the reader. I may be dense but when you have to email the author and ask who the killer is and you still don't get/see it, there's a problem. S-P-E-L-L I-T O-U-T! There's your clue!
3. If you're writing a series, each book should be a stand-alone. Nothing pisses me off more than to get to the end of a book only to realize that resolution won't happen until later in the series. I won't know how it's resolved either because I will not be forced to buy another book to find out! You will have lost me for any other books you've written too because, I may not always remember who the best authors are, but I never forget an author who has pissed me off. I also don't want to be forced to read the story in a particular order. I want to be able to pick up any book in the series and be able to follow the action. If you don't know how this is done, go read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
4. Also in a series, do not introduce characters into the story in book one and make them pivotal characters if you're not going to deal with them until book three (see comment 3 above).
5. I read to escape. I want to be swept up in the fantasy. If I wanted to read something depressing, I'd subscribe to the newspaper. There doesn't have to be a hero / heroine traditional happily ever after but if I get to the end of the story and want to slit my own wrists, it's not good. Give the reader some hope.
6. No means no. I'm sorry but I cannot suspend disbelief when a woman says she doesn't want to have sex but the man "has his way" anyway. That's not an alpha male in my book, that's a rapist. As I read the rest of the book, I'll be wondering what message the author wanted to send by making a rapist the hero of her story. It will also likely be the last book of yours I'll read.
7. I don't write many "fan" emails to authors so if I write you one, it means I really LOVED your book and will be on the lookout for more of your books. It's not necessary to respond and plug your next book - I probably would've bought it anyway if I liked the one enough to write you. But, since I don't like pushy sales people, you just made me less likely to pick it up.
8. I know that bad things happen in life but I don't want to read about them (see comment 5 above) in your book. It is never necessary to be cruel to animals in a book. Do it once and I might be able to look the other way. Do it repeatedly and you will not only lose me as a reader, but anyone else I can influence.
9. If you're writing a comedy, tell more than one joke. What was funny on page 15 is not going to be funny if told again on page 16 and 17 and 18 and 19 and..... Lots of things can be funny. Be creative.
10. Be original. If you have to steal from another author, hang it up. This also goes for your own stories. If all you've done is superimpose new names over the characters of your last story, it's not good. I've heard there are no new stories and I'm easy enough to fool that it's a new story but you're gonna have to do more than change names.
Anyway, those are a few of my writing pet peeves. What annoys you?
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Squirrelly neighbors
I've blogged before about my neighbors. Neighbors whose names I don't know and who I could not pick out of a line up if my life depended on it (but I can identify when they're in their own yard). Neighbors who I've spoken to a couple of times in the couple of years they've been neighbors of mine but who set a bad first impression with me and I've never quite gotten over it.Yesterday did not help the impression.
I was sitting in my living room, minding my own business, when I see feet pass by one of my living room windows. (I raise the blinds a little so that the boys can look out and see what's going on in the world outside.) Now, I was expecting someone to come do some gutter work for me but seeing as the person coming for that was a stalker guy, I figured he would've rang my doorbell first (which, when he showed up, he did). So, I was curious who was on my property and went to look out the window than I'd seen the feet pass...a different window closer to my fenceline.
Imagine my surprise when I see a woman with a crazed look on her face looking intently at my window, a rake raised over her head and then swing it down HARD on my window. It totally freaked me out. I was staring in disbelief when she raised the rake over her head again. I yelled at her, asking "What are you doing?" There was no indication that she heard me as she brought the rake down on my window again hard (I figure the voices in her head had drowned me out.).
This time I see something fall down the window and then "fly" back up. The crazy lady is wielding her rake at some poor animal!
I ran outside in time to see the rake go over her head again. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" I yelled again.
She looked over at me and I watched in awe how the crazed look went to almost normal in seconds (how do they do that?) and she brought the rake down to her side. "That was in my attic," she said, pointing to the frightened squirrel that was hanging on for dear life to the side of my BRICK house (I've never seen any animal that clutched on to brick!).
She goes on to tell me how it had gotten into their attic through a hole in their overhang (which she pointed to, several times), that it made a lot of noise in the attic and they had to board the hole up. And all I can think is, it's out and they've blocked its entry and it's now on MY propery - leave it the f alone! I stepped towards the squirrel and it flinched, like an animal that's been abused does when it's approached and thinks it's about to be hit. It broke my heart.
So I kind of got between the squirrel and the crazy lady and asked if she was wanting to kill the poor thing and she said no. After that, I don't really remember what we said to each other after that (although I do remember her repeating several times "look at her! she was in my attic! we had to put up a board to keep her out!") but I said something and her response made me think she would leave the poor critter alone so I came into the house.
I really think she would have killed the squirrel had I not gone out there and I came into my house and all I could think was, "it was probably gathering nuts to take home to its family and what would have happened if it never made it back".
Is it too much to hope that one day I'll have a nice, normal, animal friendly family live next door to me? Although the lady who lived there before was a cat lover (known in the city - by everyone - as the cat lady). She was obsessed with cats and had dozens of them. She couldn't stand any other animal though. Someone in between the two extremes I've seen would be nice? Is that too much to ask?
But, what about you? Do you have good neighbors or not?
Sunday, April 29, 2007
More Headlines
Okay, one day soon I'll have more of a fun post (well, hopefully I will anyway) - and even the last thing on this one should be fun (at least I was amused) but anyway....here we go.
A couple of weeks ago I was waiting at the hairdresser to get my hair cut. I'd taken a magazine because I'd anticipated having to wait. It was a People Magazine. One of the stories was about two people who had fallen overboard off of a cruise ship. When the whole story was told you found out that they were in a room with a balcony and the man was out on the balcony. The woman ran out to jump on the man's back but came a little hard and had more of the "leap frog" (magazine's wording) effect and went right over his head. The man tried to grab her, to stop her from going overboard and got pulled out and down with her. Which is how they both ended up overboard. Completely unintentional. Fortunately there were others in their room who made the ship's personnel aware of the situation. Markers were immediately thrown out and the boat stopped and turned around to find the people. The whole process took a couple of hours, if I remember right. Announcements were made and people were asked to be quiet so they could hear any screams for help. Both people were rescued with minimal injuries. A miracle really. But here's the deal...there were people who actually complained that the rescue was an "inconvenience" and "annoyance" to their cruise! Yes, I realize it wasn't on the ship's original itinerary but give me a break! If the shoe were on the other foot, would they want the ship to forget them and carry on according to schedule? NO! This was brought to my mind again, as I read this week's people and someone had commented (in the letters to the editor section) that those people who went overboard owed apologies. Yes, their actions may have been less that "mature-based" but for crying outloud, no one intended to go overboard! People amaze me.
But on to something else that makes my blood boil even more. The now imfamous Alec Baldwin voicemail message. I know I don't have kids (but I've always wanted them), so my reaction may not be the same as someone who has kids. I think it's AWFUL! You just don't talk to your kids like that! Yes, I understand people get mad and say things they don't mean - I get that...I've DONE that. But all that because his daughter didn't answer the phone? And his response? He's really pissed at his ex but took it out on his daughter, who, by the way, is in violation of a gag order in releasing the tape. Apparently, his responses - including going on The View to discuss the tape - doesn't fall under the same gag order. Personally, I think Alec has issues and needs serious help. The message I heard didn't indicate that he was pissed at Kim Basinger - if he had've been, I think it would have been more of a "you tell your mother...." sort of talk, rather than telling his daughter that she "didn't have the brains or consideration to be a human being" and that she was "a thoughtless pig" or that he was going to come to LA to "straighten out her ass". No, those were directly straight at his daughter. And he wonders why she doesn't want to take his calls.
Okay, now for the one I think is fun. :~) This woman was on Ellen this week. She works at a convenience store and someone (a woman) had come in to buy lottery tickets. The customer told her what she wanted but there was a misunderstanding and the convenience store clerk was stuck with a ticket that was not paid for. So, at the end of her shift she felt she had to purchase the ticket herself (even though she didn't really want to, and suggested that it was more than she could afford - even at only $2). She WON! It wasn't the big winning but she did win $200,000. How cool is that?
Anyway, those are my "ripped from the headlines" for the day. We'll soon return to our light, fluff pieces (or at least that's the plan!).
~L
A couple of weeks ago I was waiting at the hairdresser to get my hair cut. I'd taken a magazine because I'd anticipated having to wait. It was a People Magazine. One of the stories was about two people who had fallen overboard off of a cruise ship. When the whole story was told you found out that they were in a room with a balcony and the man was out on the balcony. The woman ran out to jump on the man's back but came a little hard and had more of the "leap frog" (magazine's wording) effect and went right over his head. The man tried to grab her, to stop her from going overboard and got pulled out and down with her. Which is how they both ended up overboard. Completely unintentional. Fortunately there were others in their room who made the ship's personnel aware of the situation. Markers were immediately thrown out and the boat stopped and turned around to find the people. The whole process took a couple of hours, if I remember right. Announcements were made and people were asked to be quiet so they could hear any screams for help. Both people were rescued with minimal injuries. A miracle really. But here's the deal...there were people who actually complained that the rescue was an "inconvenience" and "annoyance" to their cruise! Yes, I realize it wasn't on the ship's original itinerary but give me a break! If the shoe were on the other foot, would they want the ship to forget them and carry on according to schedule? NO! This was brought to my mind again, as I read this week's people and someone had commented (in the letters to the editor section) that those people who went overboard owed apologies. Yes, their actions may have been less that "mature-based" but for crying outloud, no one intended to go overboard! People amaze me.
But on to something else that makes my blood boil even more. The now imfamous Alec Baldwin voicemail message. I know I don't have kids (but I've always wanted them), so my reaction may not be the same as someone who has kids. I think it's AWFUL! You just don't talk to your kids like that! Yes, I understand people get mad and say things they don't mean - I get that...I've DONE that. But all that because his daughter didn't answer the phone? And his response? He's really pissed at his ex but took it out on his daughter, who, by the way, is in violation of a gag order in releasing the tape. Apparently, his responses - including going on The View to discuss the tape - doesn't fall under the same gag order. Personally, I think Alec has issues and needs serious help. The message I heard didn't indicate that he was pissed at Kim Basinger - if he had've been, I think it would have been more of a "you tell your mother...." sort of talk, rather than telling his daughter that she "didn't have the brains or consideration to be a human being" and that she was "a thoughtless pig" or that he was going to come to LA to "straighten out her ass". No, those were directly straight at his daughter. And he wonders why she doesn't want to take his calls.
Okay, now for the one I think is fun. :~) This woman was on Ellen this week. She works at a convenience store and someone (a woman) had come in to buy lottery tickets. The customer told her what she wanted but there was a misunderstanding and the convenience store clerk was stuck with a ticket that was not paid for. So, at the end of her shift she felt she had to purchase the ticket herself (even though she didn't really want to, and suggested that it was more than she could afford - even at only $2). She WON! It wasn't the big winning but she did win $200,000. How cool is that?
Anyway, those are my "ripped from the headlines" for the day. We'll soon return to our light, fluff pieces (or at least that's the plan!).
~L
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Job Security
Recently there have been a couple of stories in the local news (one, at least, made national news) where someone thought their job was in jeopardy so they took, what they thought, was appropriate measures to "keep" their job?
One is the NASA, hostage/murder/suicide situation from last week. Some man thought he was about to be fired because he'd gotten negative performance feedback. His solution was to take someone hostage - kill them, then kill himself. He took a second hostage, as backup, but just "tied" her up with duct tape. As far as career planning, not his best move. And committing suicide gives new meaning to "dead-end job", don't you think?
Then, a few weeks ago, there was a major story about an office building fire. Someone from the freeway saw flames INSIDE the building, through the windows. They pulled over to check it out and sounded the alarms (which hadn't gone off - it was an old building) and called 9-1-1. Three people (possibly more...they were having difficulty going back into the building because the structure was so badly damaged in the fire...and I never heard if there was a change in the death count) died. A firefighter was injured and hospitalized. They covered the story for days because the investigators were having problems (the structure damage thing) determining the cause of the fire. Finally someone came forward saying that she was expected to turn in a report that she hadn't prepared yet so she thought if she caused a fire in her office (guess she didn't know it would spread?), it would buy her some time. She's since been arrested on murder charges. Murder charges! But hey, at least she'll have plenty of free time to work on that report now. And who knows, maybe they'll hold her job until she's released. (yeah right!)
So I'm wondering, how far would you go to to keep your job? Inquiring minds want to know.
One is the NASA, hostage/murder/suicide situation from last week. Some man thought he was about to be fired because he'd gotten negative performance feedback. His solution was to take someone hostage - kill them, then kill himself. He took a second hostage, as backup, but just "tied" her up with duct tape. As far as career planning, not his best move. And committing suicide gives new meaning to "dead-end job", don't you think?
Then, a few weeks ago, there was a major story about an office building fire. Someone from the freeway saw flames INSIDE the building, through the windows. They pulled over to check it out and sounded the alarms (which hadn't gone off - it was an old building) and called 9-1-1. Three people (possibly more...they were having difficulty going back into the building because the structure was so badly damaged in the fire...and I never heard if there was a change in the death count) died. A firefighter was injured and hospitalized. They covered the story for days because the investigators were having problems (the structure damage thing) determining the cause of the fire. Finally someone came forward saying that she was expected to turn in a report that she hadn't prepared yet so she thought if she caused a fire in her office (guess she didn't know it would spread?), it would buy her some time. She's since been arrested on murder charges. Murder charges! But hey, at least she'll have plenty of free time to work on that report now. And who knows, maybe they'll hold her job until she's released. (yeah right!)
So I'm wondering, how far would you go to to keep your job? Inquiring minds want to know.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Television Reception
Remember when you had to get your television antenna just right so that you'd have decent reception? You know, before cable.
Or how about skits about how families had to stand in a particular formation, each holding something related to the antenna to get a sharper image?
Yeah, well, that was me tonight. Seems the cable line that the cable company failed to bury when they replaced it a few years ago (lightening strike) was ripped out of place by the newest addition to my family...Harley.
And it was Dancing with the Stars night so I was not a happy camper. Tonight is the first night in the history of the show that I did not vote - because I couldn't see enough to give a fair judgment. I tried really hard to get a decent picture but it wasn't working - or when it did, it was fleeting.
The cable company won't come out until Wednesday (some time between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm - so glad they could narrow the time down) so until then, I'm basically without television. Oh, I know I could be doing something productive, like working on my wip, but whining feels so much better.
Pass the cheese and crackers please~
Or how about skits about how families had to stand in a particular formation, each holding something related to the antenna to get a sharper image?
Yeah, well, that was me tonight. Seems the cable line that the cable company failed to bury when they replaced it a few years ago (lightening strike) was ripped out of place by the newest addition to my family...Harley.
And it was Dancing with the Stars night so I was not a happy camper. Tonight is the first night in the history of the show that I did not vote - because I couldn't see enough to give a fair judgment. I tried really hard to get a decent picture but it wasn't working - or when it did, it was fleeting.
The cable company won't come out until Wednesday (some time between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm - so glad they could narrow the time down) so until then, I'm basically without television. Oh, I know I could be doing something productive, like working on my wip, but whining feels so much better.
Pass the cheese and crackers please~
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Lunch
I had lunch again today with the girl I made cry yesterday (I really think we're okay now LOL).
Anyway there were some things that happened that seemed kind of strange but were oddly amusing to me. So I thought I'd share...
The restaurant we went to is relatively new. It's not convenient (from my perspective) so I've only been twice since it opened (including today, that is) but I'm pretty sure it's been in the last year that it opened. But it's what we decided on, so there we went.
When we pull up into the parking lot there is a traffic jam of a gazillion cars (give or take) and we have to drive to the very back to find a spot. I did mention that it was for LUNCH, right? Not date night at prime time, but anyway... We get into the lobby and it's packed - again like date night at dinner time. I hear the hostess tell the guy in front of us (who said he needed a table for two - same as we would) that it would be 10 to 15 minutes for a table. Again - at LUNCH!
I stepped up to the hostess's table and said, "are those tables available?" pointing to the cocktail tables. She said they were and we didn't have to have our name written down - we were immediately seated (if only we were served as quickly but I digress). I felt the glares and stares from all the people who were (im)patiently waiting to be seated. But what did I care? I was getting seated immediately!
Now, the person who seated us (in chairs so high I had to ask for a leg-up but then again, I didn't have to wait so I shouldn't complain) kept going by our table (and staring at us when they weren't passing us). Let me tell you about this person. Buzz cut. Gorgeous eyes, which looked like they might have make up on them. And a little boy chest. A lot of conflicts so I wasn't sure what gender this person was. And I mention this to my friend, who is wondering the same thing. We talk about it a little and then drop the subject.
Finally our food is brought to us (I ordered the nachos supreme) and we're diving in. Well, let me tell you about my nachos. They were made like individual little tacos but caked with cheese. Lots of cheese. So I'm eating and I realize that there is no way I can get this huge glom of cheese in my mouth - it's not gonna fit, which is hard to believe because I have a big mouth - ask anyone! So I try to "carve" off a bit of the cheese to make it bite size and I'm having to get out my knife because it's glommed together like industrial glommed cheese or something. Anyway, I'm making one last little "cut" to it when it goes FLYING across the room before it lands on the floor. My friend only saw the look on my face but when it hit the floor I burst out laughing. Loudly. And I tell her what happened. But we decide we need to have someone clean it up so that no one slips and falls on it so we wave over a waitress (not ours - ours was the elusive waitress but again, I digress). She asked us if everything was okay and I have her lean in, conspiratorily, and tell her the gentlemen (who were dressed in suits and ties, mind you) behind us were throwing food about. She knew I was kidding (my friend's - on the other hand - jaw dropped...she doesn't know me well enough to know I'm rarely serious), said they were bad boys and cleaned it up with a smile on her face.
Then, we saw a working dog come into the restaurant. It looked like my Max but I thought of Maisy and was thinking about them both as it and its owner were taken to a table in another part of the restaurant. As they were walking out of sight, my friend is looking over her shoulder where they are and says, "It's a girl."
I was impressed. I was thinking about Maisy and my friend has picked up on enough / seen enough to know the dog was female. Wow! Then she says, "And she's confused."
Huh? The dog is confused? How can she tell? And I'm saying this when it dawns on me... she's talking about the waitstaff person whose gender we couldn't determine. Didn't we drop that subject? In the end, I still was unsure but what I am sure is that person had some of the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen and male or female, the buzz cut worked for them. That's all I'm saying.
So not your typical lunch but entertaining, to say the least. LOL
Anyway there were some things that happened that seemed kind of strange but were oddly amusing to me. So I thought I'd share...
The restaurant we went to is relatively new. It's not convenient (from my perspective) so I've only been twice since it opened (including today, that is) but I'm pretty sure it's been in the last year that it opened. But it's what we decided on, so there we went.
When we pull up into the parking lot there is a traffic jam of a gazillion cars (give or take) and we have to drive to the very back to find a spot. I did mention that it was for LUNCH, right? Not date night at prime time, but anyway... We get into the lobby and it's packed - again like date night at dinner time. I hear the hostess tell the guy in front of us (who said he needed a table for two - same as we would) that it would be 10 to 15 minutes for a table. Again - at LUNCH!
I stepped up to the hostess's table and said, "are those tables available?" pointing to the cocktail tables. She said they were and we didn't have to have our name written down - we were immediately seated (if only we were served as quickly but I digress). I felt the glares and stares from all the people who were (im)patiently waiting to be seated. But what did I care? I was getting seated immediately!
Now, the person who seated us (in chairs so high I had to ask for a leg-up but then again, I didn't have to wait so I shouldn't complain) kept going by our table (and staring at us when they weren't passing us). Let me tell you about this person. Buzz cut. Gorgeous eyes, which looked like they might have make up on them. And a little boy chest. A lot of conflicts so I wasn't sure what gender this person was. And I mention this to my friend, who is wondering the same thing. We talk about it a little and then drop the subject.
Finally our food is brought to us (I ordered the nachos supreme) and we're diving in. Well, let me tell you about my nachos. They were made like individual little tacos but caked with cheese. Lots of cheese. So I'm eating and I realize that there is no way I can get this huge glom of cheese in my mouth - it's not gonna fit, which is hard to believe because I have a big mouth - ask anyone! So I try to "carve" off a bit of the cheese to make it bite size and I'm having to get out my knife because it's glommed together like industrial glommed cheese or something. Anyway, I'm making one last little "cut" to it when it goes FLYING across the room before it lands on the floor. My friend only saw the look on my face but when it hit the floor I burst out laughing. Loudly. And I tell her what happened. But we decide we need to have someone clean it up so that no one slips and falls on it so we wave over a waitress (not ours - ours was the elusive waitress but again, I digress). She asked us if everything was okay and I have her lean in, conspiratorily, and tell her the gentlemen (who were dressed in suits and ties, mind you) behind us were throwing food about. She knew I was kidding (my friend's - on the other hand - jaw dropped...she doesn't know me well enough to know I'm rarely serious), said they were bad boys and cleaned it up with a smile on her face.
Then, we saw a working dog come into the restaurant. It looked like my Max but I thought of Maisy and was thinking about them both as it and its owner were taken to a table in another part of the restaurant. As they were walking out of sight, my friend is looking over her shoulder where they are and says, "It's a girl."
I was impressed. I was thinking about Maisy and my friend has picked up on enough / seen enough to know the dog was female. Wow! Then she says, "And she's confused."
Huh? The dog is confused? How can she tell? And I'm saying this when it dawns on me... she's talking about the waitstaff person whose gender we couldn't determine. Didn't we drop that subject? In the end, I still was unsure but what I am sure is that person had some of the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen and male or female, the buzz cut worked for them. That's all I'm saying.
So not your typical lunch but entertaining, to say the least. LOL
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Because I made someone cry today...
Someone at work did something today that ticked me off and I let them know it ticked me off. Now, I thought I was being diplomatic in my wording but considering she burst out crying, I'm thinking I might have been able to handle it better so...
I thought I'd share something that might put a smile on some faces. I'm totally stealing it from the Jaunty Quills so if you frequent over there, you may have already seen it.
Okay, here goes...
Go to Google
click on "Maps"
type in "New York to London"
and then scroll down to direction 23 (or may be 24)
Enjoy! :~)
I thought I'd share something that might put a smile on some faces. I'm totally stealing it from the Jaunty Quills so if you frequent over there, you may have already seen it.
Okay, here goes...
Go to Google
click on "Maps"
type in "New York to London"
and then scroll down to direction 23 (or may be 24)
Enjoy! :~)
Monday, April 16, 2007
Little Treat
I mentioned in my last post that I do my grocery shopping for the week at Walmart. Every week I stop by the book aisle and see what they have out - not that I need any more books but I like to check it out. Plus, I have a $5 gift card for use at Walmart and a book would be perfect. Well, this week I found a nice little surprise.
I found a new release of an author I love but whose name I can never remember. Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. For some reason when I go to look for her books I always (and I do mean always) think her name is Rosemary some middle name (I remember she has three names, just not what they are) and a last name like McMillan or something. Could I be any further off? Seriously.
Anyway, Nancy used to work in law enforcement and brings that experience to her stories. It sometimes gets graphic but it's always realistic. And it's always good. She's an author where I don't have to read the back blurb to be convinced to buy her book. If I read the back blurb, it's only to make sure I haven't read it before.
So, of course I bought a copy and can't wait to read it. I forgot to cash in my gift card but all that means is, I'll have to stop by the book section on my next visit. LOL
I found a new release of an author I love but whose name I can never remember. Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. For some reason when I go to look for her books I always (and I do mean always) think her name is Rosemary some middle name (I remember she has three names, just not what they are) and a last name like McMillan or something. Could I be any further off? Seriously.
Anyway, Nancy used to work in law enforcement and brings that experience to her stories. It sometimes gets graphic but it's always realistic. And it's always good. She's an author where I don't have to read the back blurb to be convinced to buy her book. If I read the back blurb, it's only to make sure I haven't read it before.
So, of course I bought a copy and can't wait to read it. I forgot to cash in my gift card but all that means is, I'll have to stop by the book section on my next visit. LOL
In the meantime, here's a book that's high in TBR pile.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Customer Service
Is it just me or is customer service just falling by the wayside? I do early morning, weekend shopping at WalMart to get my weekly groceries. When I'm there, there are usually few shoppers but lots of stockers. Boxes, crates and baskets full of stock clutter the aisles. And I'm okay with this because I don't like to shop when the store is crowded with shoppers. What I have a problem with though, is when you're trying to get down an aisle that has a product you want or need and the stocker has you completely blocked. Their boxes, crates, basket or whatever are blocking at least half of the aisle and they are standing in the lone pathway through. And they don't move. Now I realize they're doing their job but do they realize they're keeping me from buying stuff and that my buying stuff helps pay their salaries? Seriously people, when a customer wants to get through - LET THEM PASS.
But that's not my only example. Contractors are the worst. They don't bother to show up and offer no explanation. A few years ago I had tile laid throughout my house. It was almost like moving because you had to move EVERYTHING from the room they were going laying tile in and put it somewhere else. And it would cause at least one room to be functionless so when they would disappear for a few days, it was really annoying.
Then there was the guy who redid my fence gate last year. I took off of work to meet him - and he knew I was doing so - and he didn't bother to show up. When I finally reached him (hours later) he said, "oh, I wasn't feeling well today". Gee, thanks for letting me know. I had (and still have) a lot of work I need done around the house. If he'd been a little more responsible, he could have had all of it. But I need someone who will do what they promise so he did the fence (he was the only one that showed up when I called around looking for someone to do my fence) and I tossed out his number.
But what I really want to talk about is my latest customer service nightmare....lawn care services. My homeowner's association is giving me grief because I have grass in the cracks in my driveway. I have weed eater issues (I can do it but it's not easy for me) so I do it as infrequently as I can get by with. However, since my HOA is hounding me, I thought I'd call in a "professional". So last Thursday I placed a call to someone who had left their business card on my door. I reached his wife who told me he'd stop by that evening. He finally showed up after dark. Now here's the deal: I only wanted him to weed eat and edge my front yard. I didn't need it mowed and I didn't need my backyard done at all. His business card says "average yard $20". That covers all mowing, weed eating and edging - $20. All I want is weed eating and edging - and only in my front yard...and I have a small front yard (backyard is huge but front yard is small) - and he tells me it will be $20. I point out what it says on his business card and that I'm not asking for even half that work but he insists it will cost $20 to do what I need. Mind you, if he were doing everything to my whole yard, $40 would be reasonable - even cheap. But that's not what I'm asking him to do. So I told him we were done and headed back into my house. He stopped me and after some discussion we agreed on $10 and that he'd do it the next night. He never showed. Even after I spoke with his wife, who assured me he would be there or that she'd call and let me know why. Not only did he never show, she never called. And they weren't answering their phone. Okay, I figure it's a right-off.
I decided to do the work myself. I did a lot of the weed eating, until I ran out of the string/rope stuff. Then I did most of the edging. Then I decided to call someone to finish the job and ask that they do my front yard the whole season. I reached someone last night who said he'd do it today. Well, we were supposed to have really nasty weather starting this afternoon so when I came home at lunch and he hadn't been here, I called him (it was already drizzly - not raining hard and certainly no storms (which still haven't materialized) but I wanted to confirm if and when he was coming). He said he still planned on coming, storms didn't bother him or his work. He went so far as insisting he'd be here at 3:00 to 3:30. I got home at 5:00 and he hadn't been here. So I called. "I'll come out tomorrow," he said. Okay, so I should believe him why? He'd said he'd be here TODAY. I basically said that to him, but nicer because I did want him to come out and he got all ugly on me. Finally I said something like I was needing someone for the season and I needed to know I could rely on them to show up when they said they would and would he or did I need to call someone else? He told me to call someone else!
So I called back the guy from last week. The one that never showed and never called. The work is 90% done, I'm still willing to pay $10 and his wife insists he'll be here tomorrow morning (and she did actually call me back later this evening to confirm) but I'm doubtful.
When did people decide it was okay to screw over their customers and get pissy and demanding with them? That's so not my idea of customer service - not when I'm getting it and not when I'm providing it. But that's just me. Maybe it falls under the umbrella of "progress" but I'm just not buying it.
But that's not my only example. Contractors are the worst. They don't bother to show up and offer no explanation. A few years ago I had tile laid throughout my house. It was almost like moving because you had to move EVERYTHING from the room they were going laying tile in and put it somewhere else. And it would cause at least one room to be functionless so when they would disappear for a few days, it was really annoying.
Then there was the guy who redid my fence gate last year. I took off of work to meet him - and he knew I was doing so - and he didn't bother to show up. When I finally reached him (hours later) he said, "oh, I wasn't feeling well today". Gee, thanks for letting me know. I had (and still have) a lot of work I need done around the house. If he'd been a little more responsible, he could have had all of it. But I need someone who will do what they promise so he did the fence (he was the only one that showed up when I called around looking for someone to do my fence) and I tossed out his number.
But what I really want to talk about is my latest customer service nightmare....lawn care services. My homeowner's association is giving me grief because I have grass in the cracks in my driveway. I have weed eater issues (I can do it but it's not easy for me) so I do it as infrequently as I can get by with. However, since my HOA is hounding me, I thought I'd call in a "professional". So last Thursday I placed a call to someone who had left their business card on my door. I reached his wife who told me he'd stop by that evening. He finally showed up after dark. Now here's the deal: I only wanted him to weed eat and edge my front yard. I didn't need it mowed and I didn't need my backyard done at all. His business card says "average yard $20". That covers all mowing, weed eating and edging - $20. All I want is weed eating and edging - and only in my front yard...and I have a small front yard (backyard is huge but front yard is small) - and he tells me it will be $20. I point out what it says on his business card and that I'm not asking for even half that work but he insists it will cost $20 to do what I need. Mind you, if he were doing everything to my whole yard, $40 would be reasonable - even cheap. But that's not what I'm asking him to do. So I told him we were done and headed back into my house. He stopped me and after some discussion we agreed on $10 and that he'd do it the next night. He never showed. Even after I spoke with his wife, who assured me he would be there or that she'd call and let me know why. Not only did he never show, she never called. And they weren't answering their phone. Okay, I figure it's a right-off.
I decided to do the work myself. I did a lot of the weed eating, until I ran out of the string/rope stuff. Then I did most of the edging. Then I decided to call someone to finish the job and ask that they do my front yard the whole season. I reached someone last night who said he'd do it today. Well, we were supposed to have really nasty weather starting this afternoon so when I came home at lunch and he hadn't been here, I called him (it was already drizzly - not raining hard and certainly no storms (which still haven't materialized) but I wanted to confirm if and when he was coming). He said he still planned on coming, storms didn't bother him or his work. He went so far as insisting he'd be here at 3:00 to 3:30. I got home at 5:00 and he hadn't been here. So I called. "I'll come out tomorrow," he said. Okay, so I should believe him why? He'd said he'd be here TODAY. I basically said that to him, but nicer because I did want him to come out and he got all ugly on me. Finally I said something like I was needing someone for the season and I needed to know I could rely on them to show up when they said they would and would he or did I need to call someone else? He told me to call someone else!
So I called back the guy from last week. The one that never showed and never called. The work is 90% done, I'm still willing to pay $10 and his wife insists he'll be here tomorrow morning (and she did actually call me back later this evening to confirm) but I'm doubtful.
When did people decide it was okay to screw over their customers and get pissy and demanding with them? That's so not my idea of customer service - not when I'm getting it and not when I'm providing it. But that's just me. Maybe it falls under the umbrella of "progress" but I'm just not buying it.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Book Review
This past weekend the weather was predicted to be really nasty so I planned on staying inside, curled up with a good book and/or watching movies. Well, it was drizzly Saturday afternoon, rained hard in the middle of the night and then was nice on Sunday. Seriously, I could have given a better prediction, but that's not the point. The point is, I decided to stick with my weekend plan and read a book.
Linda Barrett is a member of my local chapter. She doesn't come to the meetings often but she came out last year and spoke about how she sold her Pilgrim Cove series (complete with the diagrams she used to pitch it). Anyway, they had her latest book as a give away at the meeting - The Daughter He Never Knew - and I really liked the cover. I didn't win a copy but when it (along with the rest of the series) was up for auction (I believe Brenda Novak's auction for Juvenile Diabetes - which is coming up again soon), I bid on it. That time I DID win. I read the series in order and just LOVED the way Linda wrote the stories (that's the series that has the Retired Old Men Eating Out, aka ROMEOs), so when her next book came out (A Man of Honor), I snatched it up. Loved it too.
So, it should be no surprise that I tell you, when her latest book (Houseful of Strangers) came out, I went right out and bought it. And that's what I read this weekend.
I absolutely loved it. It's a story about people who are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Allison Truesdale is a veterinarian whose son died about two years earlier. A month later her husband, unable to cope with it all drank himself silly and got behind the wheel of the car and killed himself (no one else was involved). Allison really hasn't recovered from all of that and accepts a temporary job with a large animal veterinarian who needs help with his practice because he's broken his arm and can't do the job. Allison will be living with Eric Mitchell (the vet with the broken arm) while she works for/with him. Allison knows his mother, Ruth (who I loved in this story), lives with Eric. But she didnt know Eric had a son - not to mention that he's about the age her son was when he died.
Eric, on the other hand, went through a very bitter divorce. His wife was from the city and couldn't handle life in the country as a country vet's wife and ripped his heart out when she left, so he's not issueless himself and has a preconceived idea about Allison because she happens to live in the city herself.
Meanwhile, there's Danielle (Dani). Dani ran away from home when she was 13 and has been living on the street for two years now. She keeps a journal (that was given to her by a runaway counselor)...well actually she keeps several and one is labeled RIP where she keeps a log of all the runaways she's known who have died (she does this because she believes they matter and she doesn't want to forget them - but the list is getting pretty long and she hates that). She's at the train station one day when she sees her father (who abused her, both physically and sexually), flashing her picture around so she buys a ticket on the first train out of there. Of course it takes her to the same country town our other characters are in and of course they find her and invite her to stay with them and of course they become "family". In that respect it was predictable but, it was so wonderfully told. I was crying as I read the story. It wasn't the sobbing kind of crying but the kind of crying you can't stop, where the tears are just flowing, but it's a good cry...you feel good about what is happening.
And then I started to ask myself why it affected me that way and this is what I came up with. All these people were broken in some way (well, except for Ruth and Eric's son) and they couldn't seem to fix themselves but coming together, they each gave each other what they needed. They completed each other (all of them, not just the hero and heroine) and made each other whole. They were a family. And I guess that just touched me in some way. I don't know what that says about me (okay, I guess I do but if I haven't already revealed that in what I've said...) but it did touch me.
So, on a scale of one to five, I'd give it an eight and a half.
What have you read recently (or at any point) that touched you deeply on an emotional level? Or, if you don't want to answer that, what are you reading now? :~)
~L
Thursday, March 29, 2007
For the easily amused
I've blogged before about my two favorite DJs, Roula and Ryan. They're on the air every morning from 6:00 - 10:00 and they do some amusing things - which is one of the reasons I listen to them.
Well, this morning they sent someone (I assume their intern) out to conduct an "experiment" at a local fast food restaurant. The premise was, drive-thru restaurants waste a lot of your time so they wanted to give some payback, right?
So they send out Kevin (aka Special K) to a local drive-thru restaurant for breakfast.
We first join Special K as he's one car back from placing his order. He acknowledges that there are cars behind him in line (which was the first time they considered that this would inconvenience customers probably more than the restaurant's staff but they decided to plow on anyway).
He pulls up to the thing (what do you call it?) you place your order at and orders a breakfast taco - that's it. We hear the lady tell him it will be $1.18. He pulls up.
When he gets to the window the lady says something we can't hear but Special K says, "You said it'd be $1.18."
(unintelligible talk from the lady)
Special K: "Can I borrow a quarter?"
Anyway, there was some more talk and he offered to buy her something (the DJs commented that it sounded bad that he couldn't afford his own breakfast but he's offering to buy her something...he said "she looks hungry!"). He paid for his food and they brought it out to him.
At which time he cut his engine and proceeded to eat his breakfast while still at the window. The DJs were expecting the staff to get ugly about it but they said nothing.
Meanwhile, the car behind him honks his horn at him. The DJs tell Special K that if they come to the window to investigate the honk to ask for more salsa. They did. He did. They brought him more salsa.
The car behind him honks again. The DJs tell Special K to prop his feet on the dashboard and get all comfortable while he's eating. He does.
The lady comes over to the window and politely asks him if he would go park "over there" to finish eating his meal. Special K says, "You want me to park over there to finish eating?"
"Yes."
"It's okay, I'm almost done. Can I buy you anything while I'm here?" He continues to eat, at the window.
The person in the car behind him lays on the horn.
Special K finishes up and drives off - the staff of the restaurant never getting ugly or rude. The guy in the car behind him though....
I was LMAO when this was going on. What can I say? I'm easily amused. LOL
Well, this morning they sent someone (I assume their intern) out to conduct an "experiment" at a local fast food restaurant. The premise was, drive-thru restaurants waste a lot of your time so they wanted to give some payback, right?
So they send out Kevin (aka Special K) to a local drive-thru restaurant for breakfast.
We first join Special K as he's one car back from placing his order. He acknowledges that there are cars behind him in line (which was the first time they considered that this would inconvenience customers probably more than the restaurant's staff but they decided to plow on anyway).
He pulls up to the thing (what do you call it?) you place your order at and orders a breakfast taco - that's it. We hear the lady tell him it will be $1.18. He pulls up.
When he gets to the window the lady says something we can't hear but Special K says, "You said it'd be $1.18."
(unintelligible talk from the lady)
Special K: "Can I borrow a quarter?"
Anyway, there was some more talk and he offered to buy her something (the DJs commented that it sounded bad that he couldn't afford his own breakfast but he's offering to buy her something...he said "she looks hungry!"). He paid for his food and they brought it out to him.
At which time he cut his engine and proceeded to eat his breakfast while still at the window. The DJs were expecting the staff to get ugly about it but they said nothing.
Meanwhile, the car behind him honks his horn at him. The DJs tell Special K that if they come to the window to investigate the honk to ask for more salsa. They did. He did. They brought him more salsa.
The car behind him honks again. The DJs tell Special K to prop his feet on the dashboard and get all comfortable while he's eating. He does.
The lady comes over to the window and politely asks him if he would go park "over there" to finish eating his meal. Special K says, "You want me to park over there to finish eating?"
"Yes."
"It's okay, I'm almost done. Can I buy you anything while I'm here?" He continues to eat, at the window.
The person in the car behind him lays on the horn.
Special K finishes up and drives off - the staff of the restaurant never getting ugly or rude. The guy in the car behind him though....
I was LMAO when this was going on. What can I say? I'm easily amused. LOL
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