Thursday, December 30, 2010

Missing: 1 Apatite Ring

My 3 day weekend started today at 1:45 when I left work.  So nice!
As I sit here typing I can hear my Zoe playing happily in her bathtub.  It used to be my bathtub but I gave it away.  She collects her toys and puts them in there and then plays in there many times a day.  Right now she is playing with a bottle cap from a soda bottle.  Out of all her toys, her favorites are not the ones I spent a lot of money on but instead the free ones (i.e. bottle cap).  This story leads me into my next story which is not so cute but entertaining nonetheless.  People who really know me know that I am not a big fan of jewelry.  Some of it's pretty and certainly if someone wants to buy me a round cut diamond, I would make the sacrifice and wear it.  I don't see that happening so I revert back to the minimal jewelry thing.  I have a few rings, very few, that I have received over the years or else purchased myself.  I don't wear them but I have them and am fond of them.  I have 2 tanzanites, 1 sapphire, 1 pearl, and 1 apatite.  I keep them on a ring holder on my dresser.  Well at least I used to.  One day I came home to find the ring holder on the floor and the rings were gone!  No sign of them anywhere.  I looked for them to no avail. The rings were stolen and the ring holder knocked on the floor.  I kind of had an idea what kind of thief I had but one is certainly innocent until proven guilty.  Fast forward a couple of days...  I am in bed asleep and hear the usual bathtub playtime commotion.  I keep hearing a "clinking" sound.  I finally got up to see what was going on and to my amazement there was a sapphire ring being batted around in the tub.  I snatched it up and hid it.  The next night?  A multi-colored stone ring that I got in Catalina one year.  I hid it.  A week went by and I heard the "clink".  Ran into the bathroom and much to my joy...my tanzanite.  This wasn't just a tanzanite but a rather special tanzanite that I had received for my 42nd birthday.  Not something that came out of a gumball machine.  I was SO thankful to get it back.  And last night?  1 pearl ring showed up.  In the bathtub of course!  Luigi found my other tanzanite on the floor in the bedroom.  I am down to the apetite ring.  I really would like it back.  It's a light aqua stone - very pretty.  I eagerly await the "clink".
Damn kitten!  Here she is with her bottle cap...


And no, I do not shower with Dawn dish soap!  Like I said, the bathtub belongs to Zoe.  In addition, I have given up my whole bathroom to Zoe.  That would be her dish soap for when she scrubs out her litter box.  Uh huh - she's quite self sufficient.  And I am lying.  And that's all I've got for tonight! ♥

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A love crush lost on Christmas Eve

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED ON CHRISTMAS MORNING...MY BAD!

Merry Christmas!  My favorite holiday.
Christmas Eve day was crazy busy for me.  I took Roxie to the doggie salon in the morning.  She was shaking because she hates going to the groomer.  Her tail was tucked and she was pulling me back out the door.  I feel so horrible making her do something she doesn't want to do.  I had tears in my eyes when I left her there.  I am hopeless!
I stopped at my very favorite coffee place...Ryan Bros Coffee in San Marcos.  Here is why I no longer go to Starbucks...I walk in and while I am placing my order I see the manager go into the kitchen.  She comes out with her bag of dog biscuits and says "Julie take what you want for her".  (they usually have them outside in a container next to a bowl of water). Who at Starbucks knows that my dog is always in the car and knows that where there is coffee, there are dog biscuits?!  No one!  Ryan Bros is the best.  And they have a motto that I try follow but fail quite often.  "Life is too short to be bitter".  Yes it is.
I know there is a psychological term for my behavior in what I am about to say but I can't remember what it is.  I took psychology in college but that was, well...never mind - a very, very long time ago.  The boys upstairs had a party last night.  They have been so quiet lately that sometimes I forget they are up there.   I have called Travis the Sheriff on more than one occasion to go upstairs and quiet them down.  It's really bad.  But last night I decided to feel the Christmas spirit and let them party all they wanted.  It was hard but I did it.  And I was so proud of my loving heart.  And this is where my twisted and warped brain kicks in.  This morning I was getting in my car.  Our condo and the one upstairs where the boys live both have 4 windows facing the parking lot.  So on one hand I let them make noise out of the goodness of my heart and on the other hand?  I couldn't help it that I hit the red panic button on my car and let it rip!  I have such an annoying alarm.  And I got such pleasure in setting off that alarm and hoping beyond hope that it was truly bothering them as they slept in this morning!  Good morning boys...rise and and shine!
Now here is my story relating to today's title...It seems to me that a lot of women have crushes on "hot" men.  I can't think of a single actor who I think is hot.  They do nothing for me.  I don't get many crushes but about 15 years ago my parakeet was sick so I took him into the vet and they scheduled me to see Dr. Bausone who specializes in birds.  I took one look at Dr. Carmine Bausone and I thought I was going to faint.  I had an instant crush on him.  I think one of the things about him was that he was tall.  I like tall men.  And he had dark hair - perfect.  And handsome - yes, he was handsome.  Just perfection (to a 30 year old).  As time has gone by - I have always been more than happy to take my parakeets in to see the "bird doctor".  I even took Emily my kitty in to see him one day.  Dr. Mosley was out that day and they said I could see Dr. Bausone.  Yes!  Be right there!  Over the years I haven't had much opportunity to see Carmine Bausone.  Sometimes will catch a glimpse of him at the office when we are there to see the girls' doctor.  I just knew he would be my forever crush.  Until today.  No, nothing bad happened today.  Except a strong dose of reality.  I was at the vet's office waiting for Zoe to come out and a woman walked in with 2 hyper kids and 2 hyper dogs.  She breezed past reception and said she was going to take her dogs right to the pet resort.  I then heard the receptionist at the front desk call back to the pet resort to let them know that the BAUSONE FAMILY was walking back there.  And the next event is what made me realize that my long term crush and forever love affair has ended.  Zoe and I were walking back to the car and there parked next to me was the Bausone Family.  My tall handsome Dr. Bausone is just a regular husband and father.  His hair is ugly.  He has quite a bit of insulation around his middle.  And to top it off and seal the deal...Dr. Bausone drives a blue, boring, and outdated MINI VAN!  There he was climbing into his light blue mini van aka a looser cruiser and drove his family off down Citracado Pkwy on the way to Christmas vacation.  My 16 year romance...broken in a turn of the key starting up a mini van.  It's over.  Kapoot.  Done.  True love is quite over-rated I'm afraid!  Geez, I sure hope my parakeet, Blueberry, never gets sick...
I did a good thing which turned out pretty darn funny.  I was at the grocery store in the afternoon and there was the Salvation Army girl out there ringing her bell.  I decided to give her all the spare change I had.  I dug in the bottom of my purse and came up with a couple of dollars in quarters, dimes, and nickels.  I stopped to drop this change in her red can and let go of my cart.  Runaway cart heads into parking lot straight for a line of cars.  Good deeds never go unpunished!  Some guy grabbed my cart but was scared of me because he thought I would think he was grabbing my purse out of the cart!  I told him no worries that he was welcome to my purse and if he had any luck finding something in that quagmire that he was welcome to it!
So last night we needed to stop at Vons.  Nothing like last minute Christmas Eve needs.  Luigi went into the store and I said I would wait in the car.  I do that a lot when we go to the store.  Sorry Luigi!  Anyway...as always he wants me to lock the doors to stay safe.  But to no surprise to him he came out of the store and I was gone.  I had been watching a homeless man and his dog standing near the store.  I couldn't stand it anymore and had to go talk to them.  That is where Luigi found me...hanging out with the guy with no teeth and his dog named Tequila.  And what a blessing I got from both of them.  I know a lot of people (esp women) are afraid to talk to people like that but it's hard to keep me from them.  I saw him and told myself that whatever money I had in my purse (remember, I had no change as that was in the Salvation Army can), was going to him.  I emptied out my purse and came up with $3.00.  And I also raided Roxie's cookie bag for the dog.  Roxie looked at me like I had lost my mind.  I told her sorry but she has endless cookies and that black lab look like she needed a cookie.  I got out of the car and walked over to him.  I handed him the $3.00 and asked him if his dog could have a cookie.  He said of course.  She was SO happy to get the cookie.  I think happier than he was to get the $3.00.  He had Tequila do tricks for me and then we talked about Christmas and he told me how his Christmas' used to be when his kids were around.  I petted Tequila.  He offered me a bag of mistletoe that he was selling.  I declined but thanked him.  It was a really cool conversation on a cold Christmas Eve.  Glad I got out of the car and talked to him.  I thanked God for all I had and asked him to please watch over the man and his dog.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Eve Day

Went to the mall this afternoon.  I can't even begin to describe the crowds.  And the strollers.  Honestly, they are the most annoying contraptions.  And where are the kids that should be in these strollers?  Why are they not in these puke-stained cheerio encrusted little seats on wheels?  I will tell you where they are.  They are looking one way and running into me at full speed.  Kids are the craziest little beings.  They look one way, walk another, and then when they run into you they give you the look.  The "what the hell" look.  If they could think and talk fast enough they would be saying "I'm telling my mommy you biznotch".  Meanwhile...back at the mall...Mommy is pushing this creepy looking stroller with a crazed look in her eyes and she has completely filled this thing with shopping bags.  I'm pretty sure that there are shoppers in the mall who leave the kid at home and just take the stroller.  I'll bet you big money on that one! It's a sure-fire way of getting everyone else to move the heck out of the way or get crushed!  Craziness I tell you. 
I had a coupon for a free burger at Red Robin and it's at the mall so I wanted to redeem it.  They call it the birthday burger.  Hey, what a concept.  Anyway, it's nice to get a free $10 burger.  But as I found out today, nothing is free.  The other night I was at PF Changs.  The server brings me a dessert and discreetly says "happy birthday".  And my dad says "aren't you going to embarrass her and sing"?  And the server whispers..."we are not allowed to sing - we will get fired if we do".  Amen to that!  My kind of place.  Back at Red Robin...they give you this free burger and you think they couldn't possibly want to do more for you.  Wrong.  I am pretty sure about 87 employees walked up to the table.  The server placed a hot fudge sundae in front of me, and they all belted out some sort of crazy sounding birthday tune.  I was completely surprised and embarassed!  And as you sit there while they are serenading you, can see all the other customers staring.  Stop staring, people!  Take your strollers and get out!
On a serious note, as we sat in Red Robin a woman came along pushing her elderly mother in a wheelchair (NOT a stroller).  She got her mom seated - it was just a small table for 2.  It was one of those half-booth, half-tables.  Mom sat in the booth.  But instead of this woman sitting in her chair she went and shared that small little space on the bench with her mother.  It was sweet to see.  They both ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and they sat there enjoying the wine and sharing a chicken quesadilla.  They didn't talk.  I don't know why but I guess they didn't really need to.  Will I do something like that someday with my mother?  Well...no.  She does not like Red Robin, she does not like cheese quesadillas, and she certainly would not like a glass of cab.  But this mother and daughter did and it seemed as if they were having a delightful meal.  Like I said, it was sweet.
It's past midnight.  It is officially Christmas Eve Day and tomorrow is Christmas 2010.  Wish I were having Christmas where it snows...♥

Monday, December 20, 2010

46...no different than 45

I am now 46 years old and I'm ok with that.  Can't say I feel any older. Yesterday was a nice birthday.  Got my first call at about 2:30 in the morning!  Actually someone called me by mistake but I still consider it my very first call to welcome in a new year!  It rained all day.  I took a nice long nap.  Had dinner at PF Changs and then went to my church's Christmas program.  It was the strangest performance I have ever been to.  I just didn't get it.  It took a whole lot of artsy fartsy confusion to get to the core of the story at the end which was about Jesus.  Frankly, it was a nightmare.  I think it was too trendy and modern for my simple tastes. 
I am in the process of making 21 Christmas treat boxes for Luigi's employees and his bosses at Henry's Market.  I tried to figure out something cute yet cost efficient.  I found boxes like Chinese food take-out boxes that were for Christmas.  Found those at Michael's for a dollar a piece.  I'm going to layer in them.  Bottom layer will be homemade caramel corn, next layer cookies, and the top layer will be decorated chocolate covered pretzels and peppermint bark.  A Candy Cane on the outside and we're good to go!
Went to Target today.  Awful.  Crazy people out there.  Not much more to say about that.
Leaving on another cruise in just about a month.  Please don't envy me.  I'm going with my parents.  Not much more to say about that one either.  I'll bring it  up again later in January.  I am scared.  Very scared.
Very busy work week ahead.  I have an ugly project to do.  But the 4 days should go by pretty quick.  And then it's my favorite holiday...Christmas! ♥

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Busy!

This is a very busy week for me.  And for some reason my place of employment expects me to show up and actually work 8 hours a day.  They obviously didn't get the memo that I AM BUSY.
Last night I met Brenda in Temecula.  Great to see her.  She was really kind and treated me to a pedicure and then to dinner at PF Changs as a birthday gift.  Delicious food and enjoyable company to share it with!
Tonight...I wonder if I will get a Christmas Tree?  It is 6:40 and I haven't left the house yet.  I think I'm running about 50/50 here.  I don't plan on mentioning the tree again unless I get it done and post a pic.  Other than that, it's all talk.
Saturday was a fun but different kind of day.  Had lunch with Rhonda at Olive Garden (thank you, Rhonda) and then we went over to the coast to visit a little place called Tracy's Piercing.  For some reason beyond my comprehension, Rhonda wanted her nose pierced!  I think it hurt me more than it hurt her.  I spent half the time watching the piercing and the other half trying to figure out if the "piercer" was a guy or a girl with a lot of testosterone!  Jury still out on that one for me.  Is "Mel" a Melvyn or a Melinda?  Here are a couple of pics.  Not sure if it's visible or not but the second picture shows a long needle (3 inches) going from the outside and coming out the nostril.  I kept making horrible faces and Rhonda kept telling me to stop it!  I think she was about ready to send me to my room.  Well, in this case she would have had to send me to the car!  Cheers, Rhonda!



I found out yesterday that I was accepted into a book club!  My very first one and I'm super excited.  I tend to read the same types of books so maybe this will nudge me out of my comfort zone which is often a good thing.  My friend Jeanette invited me.  They meet every 6 weeks on a Sunday afternoon.  The person who picks the book, hosts dinner at her home.  Sounds like fun!  When I find out the name of the book I will be reading, I will let you know!
I am a little "iffy" on the whole concept of "online shopping".  On one hand, it's a few clicks and voila, stuff is at your door.  On the other hand, I actually like to touch things before I buy them so it's tough for me make those "clicks" on the computer.  And I noticed that almost everything I want to order is either out of stock or back ordered.  But I guess that is no different than going into a store and something not being available (which is usually my luck).  I was really upset when I ordered something DAYS ago...something that said "in stock and available to ship".  And then time goes by and all of a sudden it's on back order with no projected date of delivery.  I called again today and was told it's a specialty item - limited quantities - seasonal - and whatever else.  I finally just canceled the stupid order and I am not a happy shopper.  It was important to me so I am really bummed.  Merry Christmas anyway - I'm told it's the thought that counts.  I hope so.
Zoe is growing (fast) and doing just fine (proof below). In case you are wondering...YES, I do serve meals on clean dishes - don't worry about dining at my house and finding cat hair in your lasagna.  I promise! ♥

Opening up mouth to meow!

Really Zoe?!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Got Business Cards?

Happy Friday to me!  Today was the County Counsel party.  It kinda sucked.  The food was good.  I thought if the entertainment was as good as last year, it would be a great time.  Think again.  The head of County Counsel is retiring in January.  So they had this brilliant idea to combine the two events.  The holiday party and the retirement party.  (By the way, I did not go to a Holiday Party.  I attended a CHRISTMAS party).  How is listening to a guy who makes $300k a year talk about how he got his job any kind of a party?  It was painful.  They kept mentioning his brand new home in La Jolla.  WTF?  It's their 3rd new home in 4 years.  They couldn't find the right fit.  4 stories with a jacuzzi on the top floor outside.  Poor people.  Yeah - it was a fun party all right.  I loved the chocolate cake.
The call came in last night...the call that a lot of people hope and pray for!  Luigi's mom decided that she is not having Christmas at her house and she does not want to see us.  I'm devastated.  Really.  Actually, I feel as if I won the lottery!  And I do understand it works both ways.  If my mom called and said that, Luigi would have won the lottery.
The vet put my roly poly Roxie Doxie on a diet today.  Ok, so she started out weighing 17 pounds and is now 25.  Now that I see those numbers in black and white, it doesn't look so good.  She left the vet's office and immediately had diarrhea and vomiting.  I would too if I went to the doctor and he politely called me a fatso!
Going with Rhonda to have her nose pierced tomorrow.  No comment.
Christmas shopping this weekend.  Mostly online but I do have a few stores to hit.  I need to do a few Christmas cards.  I need to mail one box to Greendale, WI.  Nothing more to ship!  I have lots and lots of cookies to make.  That's about it - sounds simple (even though it's not).  Heading to Wal Mart tomorrow night to find the perfect tree.  I mean the perfectly cheap tree!  As long as it smells good, I'm a happy girl.  I know fake (artificial is the pc term) trees are perfectly acceptable these days but it's not real Christmas without a tree with twinkling lights and a wonderful smell!  I do have a major problem this year...her name is Zoe.  Not quite sure how this whole tree thing will play out.  From the havoc she's been causing, I have a feeling it's not gonna be pretty!  She's like a destroyer missile.  She was into collecting coins but she has a new hobby going on this week.  She collects business cards!  She brings them to me in the middle of the night and places them strategically on the bed.  Where she finds these things is beyond my comprehension. Weirdo! ♥

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Christmas chit chat

So I stepped into the mall last night, took one look at all the people, and ran!  I had a plan but I couldn't see it through.  My plan was to be in and out in 20 minutes.  I survived 30 seconds.  I am going to attempt it again next week in the middle of a week day and see if that works better for me.
New favorite item of the month...Trader Joe's Peppermint Stick Green Tea.  Very yummy and I'm told, very good for me.  Seems as if Green Tea is a cure-all for all kinds of ailments.  And it keeps your immune system healthy.  And last year it was a different product.  And next year will be different yet.  If someone wrote an article and said that eating cow balls would keep us from getting cancer do you know how many castrated cows would be running around?  Darn near every one of them!  It's crazy.  There is a reason I am not rich and famous.  I have not yet announced a secret potion.
Still reading postsecret.com every week.  Some secrets are so very disturbing.  Every time I think I am unique and have strange thoughts in my head I find out I am in good company.  Some secrets are haunting and disturbing.  Its a good place to relate sometimes though.  Every now and again I will read something and say to myself "I'm not the only one?"  Very intriguing.
If I hear Santa Baby or Feliz Navidad one more time I'm not sure what I will do.  I can't stand all these "Christmas" songs.  It's really sad.  I'm sad that Christmas isn't what is used to be - now it's so commercial and promotes such greed.  I miss the Christmas' of long ago.  My grandma always made sure we had the world's best Christmas.  I would think it couldn't get any better but the next year it was.  And it wasn't about all the presents (although I got plenty of those).  We had those kind of Christmas' that you see on TV.  The full on decorated house with the big tree and Santa would visit (literally - we had Santa knock on the door every Christmas Eve - too fat for the chimney!).  I would leave cookies and milk for him when he came around again on Christmas morning.  Sure enough - he ate all the cookies and drank the milk!  Amazing!  We always had a big fire in the fireplace and lots of people would come over.  We would have green punch and green jello salad (yuck on that one).  My great-grandma made green Christmas sugar cookies.  I'm glad I have all those memories.  It's certainly not like that anymore.  And I sure do miss my grandma and my great-grandma.  The kindest most loving women I have ever known and loved.  Mimi and Nanny.  Mimi's birthday would have been next Tuesday.  I plan to take a poinsettia to my grandparents gravesite this year.  I haven't been there in a long while and I think it's time.  I am the only one in the family who has ever been to the cemetary.  I think it makes them sad.  But it makes me happy because they are just resting and I will see them again one day!
By the way...my Grandma did NOT get run over by a reindeer (it was cancer - obviously she did not eat enough cow balls and wash them down with green tea)!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Reality TV - Hello Kitty - Incompetent Parenting

What in the world was I thinking last night when I said I was happy to go back to work today?  That was a truly stupid thing to say.  Work S-U-C-K-E-D today.  One of the attorneys was such a mean be-otch today.  I just don't understand why some people feel the need to be spiteful and nasty sometimes.  It makes no sense to me.  It's so immature and downright hateful.  And I know this might upset some people but I seem to have noticed that some of the worst culprits are supposedly "Christians".  I want to ask what they think is the correct definition and behavior for a Christian.  I got through the day but I really wanted to be home with my pets.
Ok...so I say I want to be home with the pets.  But I also find myself wanting to be home for an entirely different reason.  The most utterly ridiculous and wasteful reason to be home...reality TV.  Honestly, it's addicting.  And the more ridiculous the better.  I talked about my Facebook Games addiction.  I'm thinking that's not so bad after all!  This weekend I discovered a new show.  New for me.  I am seriously embarassed to say this but this is a tell-all Blog.  My name is Julie and I admit that I watched several episodes of...
MARRIED TO ROCK

Really Julie?  Really?!  Could I have found a bigger waste of time?  I don't think so!  These women are married to rock stars.  And this show follows these women around to watch them shop or eat or cry.  I found them to be the most interesting of creatures.  Here's what intrigued me the most and got me hooked.  One of the women (Josie) loves the color pink.  Everything is pink.  Her kitchen cupboards are painted pink, her appliances are pink, her clothes are pink, and pretty much anything around her is pink.  She decides one day that she wants a real wedding, not just the little ceremony they had the first time.  She wants a pink wedding of course!  So I watch these friends follow her around while she plans her pink wedding.  Of  course drama ensued as it does when you have 4 spoiled, whiney, fake-boobed, rich women walking around Los Angeles.  Bottom line is that Josie wanted a HELLO KITTY wedding.  Is that not the cutest but most immature thing EVER?!  What grown woman wants to run around talking about Hello Kitty all the time?  Josie.  She even has a Hello Kitty cell phone.  I'm pretty sure that women who love Hello Kitty have had some sort of brain scrambling going on in there.  Possibly dropped too many times as a baby?  Weaned from the nipple too soon?  What is it?  I admit, I had a lapse in my own judgment at one time and jumped on the Hello Kitty litter box.  I'm all grown up now.  Now I watch reality TV!  Hee Hee!  Josie got her Hello Kitty wedding.  Pink cupcakes with Hello Kitty decorations on top.  And I think if she gets any more botox she will soon look like a Hello Kitty herself!  I need an intervention because I keep thinking about this stupid show.  Somebody help me!  And to make it worse...if "Married to Rock" was not on, I was watching 16 and Pregnant on MTV.  What are those little girls thinking?  Makes me shudder.  Glad I don't have teenagers.
And before I sign off I have to admit that I get the award for the world's worst Mommy today.  The parents picked me up at a restaurant and drove me home.  Mom wanted to use my computer.  By the way, Mom does not have the internet because she doesn't need it.  Funny thing though...she is always using mine!  Am I a sucker or what?  Anyway, I got off subject.  So Mom, Dad, Julie, Roxie, and Cassie, all head upstairs to my front door.  Zoe is looking out the window...so cute.  Look at the cute kitty everyone!  Hi Zoe!  Let's open the front door and see Zoe!  So we all go in the house and get settled.  Bev is using the computer.  Hugh is on the sofa watching TV.  His dog is in his lap (she's scared of Zoe).  I'm on the sofa myself going through my mail and watching TV and e-mailing someone on my phone.  Multi-tasking.  And time goes on.  And on.  All of a sudden I feel a loss.  Like a piece is missing to my puzzle.  I said "where's Roxie?"  Dad says "she should be right here".  I look around...no Rox.  I call her.  No Rox.  I start running around looking for my beloved pup.  No Rox.  And I knew.  It was true.  I went to the front door, unlocked it, opened it, and standing there in the cold was my poor, forlorn puppy girl.  She never said a word.  Just stood there waiting for me like a good dog.  She knows I always promise to come back for her so I guess this time was no different.  I felt like crap.  I invited her into her own home and begged for forgiveness!  Yeah, I shed a tear.  Because I felt so darn bad.  I gave her a kiss and a cookie.  She is considering taking me back as her mom...


Sunday, December 5, 2010

Fun Weekend (I'm lying)

I feel as if this has been the longest weekend of my life.  Usually weekends fly by and it's sad to go back to work but I think I am ready to sit at my desk tomorrow.
Friday really sucked.  It started out with the 333 bus not showing up at the courthouse to pick me up at 4:38.  I should have thrown in the towel right then and there.  What didn't suck was that my friend Barbara happened to drive by and offered me a ride.  Not just to the train but all the way to Escondido.  Bless her.  But as we got on the freeway I got a call from Luigi saying that he was on his way to pick me up at work.  Huh?  He said I knew he was coming to get me.  No.  As it turned out, he assumed I knew he was coming to get me and it never crossed my mind.  I think he was a bit upset but you can't really get mad at Jules who was just doing her normal thing - getting herself home as best she could!  I told him to turn around and avoid the bedlam known as Vista and the eastbound 78 freeway and go to Escondido instead.  So things weren't going too good for me.  Then I got a call that I really wanted and voila - no cell service!  After 3 attempts we gave up.  Got home to an annoying call on my machine from Roxie's vet's office (one of those "sure we will do that for you but it will cost you" kind of calls).  Then I opened my mail and found a bill from Kaiser for just under $1000.00.  Really?  I have excellent med insurance and I never pay more than a $20.00 co-pay and sometimes not even that.  So I went into complete panic mode.  Those were just a few of the things I was dealing with and being that it was the end of the week and I was tired, I did not handle it well.  We'll just leave it at that.  I had no idea that it costs $320.00 to see a therapist for an hour at Kaiser without insurance.  And an endoscope down your throat?  $650.00.  I thank God for insurance.  As it turned out, there was no need to panic.  The bill was 100% an error.  I don't owe them a dime.  I tend to think the worst and obviously that is not always the best route.
Saturday night I attended a memorial service for our friend, Doug Mitchell.  What an amazing man - suffered with a terrible disease and NEVER uttered a word of complaint.  Definitely a man to admire.
Then I had some self-inflicted suffering of my own (and yes, I complain a lot).  I went to Applebees on my second shop of the week for the same restaurant, different location.  What a nightmare.  Picture this...9:00 at night...a quiet restaurant.  A nice meal out.  Oh heck no.  In a matter of 5 minutes there was an invasion of approximately 70 San Marcos high school students.  Any idea what a room sounds like with a table of twenty 15 year old girls who have no way of communication except to yell and scream?  My head was spinning.  I couldn't even hear myself think.  If I had not been doing a "job" I would have left, but not me - I had to sit through until the bitter end of my "job".  So not worth it for a free meal.
The tone of this Blog sounds rather negative but what can I say?  It was one hell of a weekend!  Not to be repeated.  I hope!  So tomorrow I will go back to my desk, surrounded by files and phones, and complaints, and annoying bosses.  Will I complain?  Absolutely! ♥

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year was at the Hesseltine home in Beaumont CA...nice setting with the snow on the mountains.  And a COLD wind blowing down!...




It was a typical Thanksgiving.  First we had a fire...


And then we had a spill...


But then we all sat at the table...


And all was well.

There were 14 of us in total. 11 adults and 3 kids.  We had the usual fare...turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, yams, vegetarian casseroles, and pie.  Lots of pie.  I made all the pies.  That would be the last real thing I have made in my kitchen.  Because on Wednesday night we had a plumbing problem.  It is now Sunday and there is still a plumbing problem.  I cannot wash dishes so I have quite the pile going on.  We have used up all the paper plates and eaten out quite a bit.  I have never rented a place that is privately owned so I assume the landlord needs to be alerted before I call a plumber.  Well, she is on vacation and I am getting desperate.  I have texted and called her voice mail and no answer.  So tomorrow morning Nathan from Palomar Plumbing is coming over to take care of the grayish, smelly water.  We met Nathan at the dog park.  He has dogs, he is honest.  That's how I look at it!

Next year there will be no pies.  This girl is going out of town.  Thanksgiving will be in a restaurant in a different city and hopefully state.  I have never been out of town on a major holiday before so I think there is a first for everything.  The fires, the spills, the food, the leftovers, and the dishes I gladly give to another family!

Bring on Christmas!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Dogs, Tents, and Mae

It was a good day.  I got my Roxie's blood test results late this evening and she is very healthy.  With the exception of the Pancreatitis.  Kidneys, liver, and everything else is perfect.  And no cancer.  I have been so worried about her but all is well.

Thanksgiving week sure did get here fast.  With the passing of Thanksgiving, there comes the grand entrance to Christmas.  My favorite holiday.  As long as I don't buy into the hype of it all, it is definitely the most wonderful time of the year.  Hype to me is rushing to Target at 4:00a.m. this Friday and flying down the aisles like that ridiculous woman on the TV commercials.  Where in the heck did Target find her?  She is a freak! Speaking of hype and freaks, I just read a news story that there is some family camping out in front of Best Buy in St. Petersburg, FL.  They are waiting for Black Friday.  This woman wants a Notebook, a TV, and a Blue Ray.  Maybe just a tad greedy?  THAT is what I don't want Christmas to be.

On the subject of Christmas...my sister was on her way to my house about 4 years ago with Christmas gifts.  She never made it.  Not sure if she got robbed, lost, or gave them away to the homeless.  I'm hoping for the latter.  I'm always trying to figure out if she is truly full of crap or if she means well but is an idiot!  Here is her latest endeavor...She plans to be THE grandma of the century.  She is beyond obsessed with the upcoming arrival of her first grandchild.  My sister always goes overboard no matter what she does.  This time is no exception.  She bought the little darling so many clothes and toys that she could not shove them all into her Honda Accord.  She has rented an apartment near her son and daughter-in-law ("so I will have easy access to take the baby").  She claims the baby's parents will never see the baby because she will have it.  She has talked her way into the delivery room.  She has made her son promise that she can hold the baby before he does.  I asked her if her daughter-in-law is registered at Babies R Us or Target and she said absolutely not.  "She doesn't need to register for gifts because she has me and I will take of EVERYTHING".  She even begged to name this child.  She was given the green light to give it a middle name.  Her choice is ..."Mae" - I said "as in Mae West"?  She corrected me and said that our grandma's name was Mae.  Alrighty then.  She's not MY grandmother! Kind of like when she refers to her mother as "my mother" and then corrects herself and says "our mother".  NO, she is not "our" mother.  She is YOUR mother.  So this baby...Kensey Mae...will be here in February.  I'm pretty sure it will make the news.  My sister will see to it.  Good grief!

Until next time...♥

Friday, November 19, 2010

They say Money Grows on Trees...

I have the biggest cold sore ever.  It is by far the biggest, ugliest one I have ever owned.  Hideous really.  Every time I look in the mirror I feel as if it has grown.  If you can't take ugly, don't look...


Somebody PLEASE help me!  I have tried Lysine, Abreva, and even covered it with Milk of Magnesia.  I thought these things were supposed to get better with time but it ain't happening here.  My friend Patty told me they have something called Valtrex (prescription) so that may be tomorrow's attempt.

As I write this, my upstairs neighbors seemed to have just gotten home.  Last night I had to call the sheriff on them.  Partying on a Thursday night - loud music,  yelling, rolling stuff across the floor...not my idea of a work night.  Any night for that matter.  After the sheriff left, the party somewhat broke up but they thought they would teach me a lesson and stomp on the floor until 1:30ish a.m.  From the sounds of it, they intend to punish me tonight too.

Roxie claimed she was ill tonight so yours truly took her to the vet.  $178.00 later...she was the Belle of the Ball at the animal center.  Wagging the poofy tail, shaking paws, smiling, accepting cookies from strangers, and laughing at me the whole time. She did have a complete blood panel done.  If there is nothing wrong with her blood work, they believe she may have a serious case of Zoe-itis which is depression over having a new kitten in the house to share the attention.  Nice.  It's ok - money does grow on trees after all.  Right?

I said I would talk about my sister today but I think I will leave that for tomorrow.  I'm too tired and broke to even think about her.

Wishing all a wonderful weekend (rain here in Southern Cali). ♥

P.S.  Remember the 24 hours with no Facebook games?  I relapsed.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

My Name is Julie

My name is Julie and I am an addict.  I am addicted to the stupid, moronic, dumb, flippin video poker in Facebook games.   What the heck?  I need help.  I hereby pledge that I will JUST SAY NO for the next 24 hours.  No facebook games whatsoever.  I shall read a book on my lunch or talk to my best friend.  One person I do not want to talk to?  My sister.  And how about I address that issue on here tomorrow?!

And to that special someone in my life who ended the day on a high...I am very, very happy.  Tomorrow may not be as good (although hopefully it will) but for today, we can be thankful!  I love you.

Off to bed...thankful that tomorrow is Friday.

Night night world. ♥

Monday, November 15, 2010

Mystery Shopping Payday and Purple Purses

So I am really loving my little side job as a "Mystery Shopper".  I just got paid $50.00 today for eating at Hooters 3 weeks ago.  I love it.  Yes, most of it was for reimbursement but by the time you get paid you forget you are being reimbursed and think you are making big money for eating out!  Next pay will be $20.00 for testing out 3 mattresses at Jerome's Furniture and then $45.00 for eating at Phil's BBQ in San Marcos.  Some jobs pay well and some jobs not so much.  I came across a job today that made my mouth drop.  The job is to spend 2 nights at Pechanga Casino and Resort.  The requirement is that you have to eat and you have to gamble.  I don't qualify to do the job because my rating isn't high enough for that particular company yet but it sounds fun for someone.  My other problem is that you have to wait to be reimbursed.  I can't afford to front so much money.  It's $275.00 for the hotel room, $325.00 for food, and $995.00 for gambling. Seriously!  I'm more the mattress tester kind of girl who eats at that Fire and Brimstone place called Hooters.  (It's ok - their wings are REALLY good!).

I had someone I barely know confide in me today about something very personal.  She felt that it was ok.  I was really touched by that.  And the irony of it all is that (she does not know this) that the issue which she confided in me about is something that I have been through myself.  I believe that sometimes people cross paths for the most interesting of reasons.

So I got it in my head that I really needed a purple purse.  I don't know why.  Purple was my favorite color when I was a kid but it isn't anymore.  I like it but I normally don't go in search of purple.  So my mission yesterday was a purple purse for whatever reason.  I went to a store and I found one that was ehhh, ok, I guess.  It was cute.  I carried it around the handbag department.  Mind you, I was NOT at Coach.  I was not toting around $400.00 purses.  I love my Coach bags but I don't generally get to shop there.  All of a sudden, sitting on the bottom shelf, was MY purple purse.  I had to have it.  So I picked it up and was in search of the ever-dreaded price tag.  I seem to have a knack for always picking up the  most expensive item in a store.  It just so happened that this particular bag did not have a price tag attached.  So I started looking for one just like it for the price.  There wasn't one.  There was one very similar so I looked at that price.  $79.00.  I was not in a $79.00 mood yesterday.  So I found another that looked even more like it.  $89.00.  Ok, this was not going well.  They were all 30% off but that still didn't make it ok for the money I had available to spend.  I took it to the cash register and I explained that I needed a price for this tagless purse.  She couldn't help me so she called a manager.  The manager came over and looked at it and then asked me what comparable purses were on that shelf.  I wanted to say $25.00 but I was honest and said $79.00 and $89.00.  She said she believed that this particular one was priced right up there with the rest.  I thought for sure she would either say $79.00 or maybe knock $10.00 off and say $69.00.  Even at $69.00 I was not going to be able to afford it.  I was already prepared for them to be annoyed when I walked away and said I couldn't pay it.  Oh well - it was worth a try to ask.  Finally the manager said "I'll be right back".  She came back with a teeny tiny bag - almost a mini version of MY bag.  She told the cashier to ring up the bitty bag and sell me the purse for whatever came up.  After discount...$31.00!  Oh, did I mention I had a $10.00 coupon?!  I got my purple purse for $21.00!  Yippee!!!!  The manager looked at me and said "you got a really good bargain there".  Yes, I did!  And here is my purchase (sorry you can't see the handles)...♥

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Tote Bags and Plumbing

Every year at work we have a "Health Fair" which is basically a whole bunch of booths where you collect junk.  Papers, pens, and silly gadgets.  They usually have booths with ice cream, cookies, and candy.  Totally negates the whole "Health" concept but why not?  Anyway, every year I go to this thing and they give me a "reusable tote" which is earth-friendly.  We then go around and fill it with endless pieces of paper that are not earth-friendly.  So a few weeks ago I filled up my tote and brought it home with the full intention of going through it, cleaning it out, and using the tote.  So here it sits (in my home office) staring at me week after week.  Every few days I look at it and say "oh yeah I need to do that".  Well...the tote has been emptied.  No thanks to me...


That yellow piece of tape is "Sears" tape.  That did not come from the Health Fair.  I'm not sure where that came from because I don't normally shop at Sears.  However, that tape is one of Zoe's favorite collectibles so she carries it around with her everywhere.  And when you empty out a bag, here's what you do with it. You eat a pencil...



And then you make it into a really cool "fort" and you hide...



So today my garbage disposal broke (or so I thought).  Darn thing wouldn't move at all.  My first thought is "oh no, please don't make me call the landlord".  Then I decided to show the crack and be the plumber.  Well, really I decided to be the hot plumber in a thong but that's for another type of Blog!  Anyhow...got my tools - that would be my flashlight and my hand - and got to work.  Please refer back to picture #1 of my sweet, innocent kitten.  Darn girl was on one of her money hunts.  She found a penny and dropped it down the drain for me.  This came as a surprise since she has been dropping all found coins in Roxie's water bowl.  A couple of days ago she blessed me with 11 cents!  While we were on vacation she left Grandma (aka kitten-sitter) a dime one day and a nickel the next.  If you need financial advisement...you know where she lives!

To all who have served or are serving in our armed forces...thank you very much!  Happy Veteran's Day.  And don't forget to go get your free entree at Chili's or Applebee's (according to TV).  For the rest of you...I have heard that the Carnival Splendor docked at the Port of San Diego has some left-over Spam sandwiches for all to enjoy!

Peace Out♥

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Vacation Recap and John the Cruise Director

Had a relaxing and fun vacation!  Glad to be home though.  Especially since the ship I was on this past week caught fire yesterday and is now being towed to Ensenada.  I consider myself very lucky.  Not fun to be drifting in the ocean eating canned food and hoping the toilet will flush.
I came home sick.  Today was my first day back to work and I had to call in sick.  Not cool.  But if you are sick, what else can you do?  I have been fighting something all week.  I got a bad cough the first night on the ship because I was out in the cold wind watching a coast guard helicoptor hover over the ship to rescue a sick crew member on board.  I have never been on a helicoptor and thus did not realize how much wind they produce.  I'm not skinny yet the combination of the wind and the helicoptor-induced wind, kept moving me on deck.  I think a 100 pound person could have been blown overboard!
We made 3 stops on the trip...here's the run-down...
Puerto Vallarta - Sort of a nice place.  People not particularly friendly to tourists.  Rode in a taxi into downtown and back again.  Both times I thought my life was coming to an end.  Scary as heck!  A co-worker of Luigi's had recommended a little family run restaurant downtown.  We found it (pure luck) and had lunch there.  We were the only ones in the place.  Found out that was because they were not open yet!  However, they welcomed us and said they were happy to feed us.  It was called Melissa's.  It was run by Melissa and her husband, Jorge.  Really nice people.  I was served my Red Snapper with the head on.  First time ever...but I ate it and I liked it!  I would recommend this place to anyone visiting Puerto Vallarta.  Went to the Mexican Wal Mart.  Got in trouble by security for having my picture taken in front of the frosted corn flakes and Tony the Tigre!  Oops - glad they didn't haul me to jail for such a crime.  Here is the evidence against me...



Horrendous pic of me but that's exactly what I looked like after 2 hellish taxi rides and eating a fish with the head on!  Oh, and did I mention it was in the 90s with humidity to match?

Mazatlan - I found out that you have to take a taxi to go to the main shopping area of Mazat54ln*988 (sorry, that was Zoe walking across the keyboard) Mazatlan.  Heck no I was not taking a taxi.  We had not purchased a shore excursion so we were kind of stuck on the ship.  Which is not a bad thing - to be on a huge ship with about 80% of the passengers in town.  It's like having a cruise ship to yourself.  During lunch, the woman sitting in the booth across from me told me to take the little shuttle from the ship to the Mazatlan terminal and there would be a shopping area and a couple of bars serving up beer and margaritas.  I was interested in the shopping so we did that.  I was thrilled with the shopping.  Really nice people and fairly priced items.  Found a cute little gift for my friend, Marianne, who lives in Wisconsin.  I had to laugh though because most of the items said "Mazatlan" on them.  The guy who makes them had not painted "Mazatlan" on the particular one that I picked out though.  He told me it was no problem and he could put it on there.  Yes, please!  So what does he do?  He gets out a Sharpie and writes "Mazatlan" on it!  Who knew?!  I told him I could have gotten a Sharpie and done that!  He just looked at me strangely.  Ok, guess he didn't like my comment.  Here is Mazatlan...



Again, not a most attractive picture of me but let's blame this solely on the heat since I wasn't in a taxi.

Cabo San Lucas - Beautiful place.  Would love to go back there. In fact, I will be in January.  Beautiful scenery and the water was a very pretty turquoise color.  We did a shore excursion in Cabo.  Took a catamaran out to "Lands End" where the famous rock formations are.  Such a nice trip and a great photo opportunity.  Did a little shopping right there by the port and was back on board the Splendor by 11:30 which was great - just in time for lunch (which by the way made Luigi sick and took him out of commission for the evening.  He did go to dinner with me but after that I went to the showroom for a trivia game and then the evening show.  Was out until the late hour of 11:45!  I had fun...sorry he was sick but glad I went ahead and went out.  Here is Cabo...





I met the cruise director, John Heald.  Really nice man and one of the funniest people I have ever met.  His humor is so much like mine and he was just a delightful man.  I have been following his Blog for quite a while now and mentioned that to him.  He asked for my Blog address so he can read mine too.  I left him a note at Guest Services the last day of the cruise.  I hope he gets it because since that time, he has been dealing with the fire on board and all that goes with that.  I'm sure keeping 3000 people as happy as possible during such a mess is a horrendous job.  He has got the toughest job by far.  Here is his picture...



I ended up saying something to him during the picture so I have a ridiculous looking mouth but oh well.  I'm not perfect and learning its ok either way!  There you have it - a summary of my vacation.  Back to work tomorrow and then Veteran's Day on Thursday.  Hope I can make it through one whole day!

♥Julie

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Last Blog for a Week

Leaving tomorrow on vacation!  Sailing out of Long Beach at 5:30 pm.  Monday and Tuesday are days at sea.  Wednesday is Puerto Vallerta, Thursday is Mazatlan, and Friday is Cabo.  Saturday is another day at sea and home early Sunday.  I really need a vacation.
I wish Roxie could go with me.  I will definitely miss all of my girls.
Our friend, Doug, passed away yesterday morning.  He is at peace now.
Rhonda had to say good bye to her girl dog, Myka, on Tuesday. And today she had to say good bye to her boy dog, Parker Brown.  They were sweet Australian Shepards.  They had fierce barks but they were good dogs!  It's such a blessing to have pets but so very difficult to say good bye.
I will miss certain routines while I am gone...
Oh!  And for those who are interested...I am going on a 7 day cruise and I packed 14 underwears.  A girl can never have enough!  Ok...I tend to over-pack just a tad.  But dammit - if that ship is going down, it's taking me with it in clean tidy whiteys!
Be back with you in a week... ♥

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Seeing What IS Important

I'm trying to think if I should share the good or the bad...ha! there is no good!  Actually that is not true but it's just more on the bad side than the good.

New "do".  I think I like it.  It's a lot shorter.  Kind of got a bob cut.  No more a-line.  Was getting tired of it being longer in the front than the back.  I have decided I don't like the dark hair anymore so I am going to gradually go lighter without bleach.  I don't think bleach and hair should mix.  I was telling my hair stylist about a technical hair term that she is too young to know about.  Remember "frosting"?  My grandma would say "I really need to get my hair frosted"!  Oh the good 'ol days.  So the hair is the good part of my day.

Woke up and could hardly walk.  My lower back was siezing up.  It is better tonight though.  Went to see the Opthlmologist today for the flashes in my eye.  He never came out and said it but I believe what I was diagnosed with was old age.  Seriously.  Fortunately, there is nothing terribly wrong with my eye.

When Luigi lost his mortgage job, he had to pretty much do away with his business attire wardrobe.  I took most of his shirts and put them in a heavy duty laundry bag and figured one day I would go through it and keep or give away.  I decided tonight was that time.  He went to the garage to get the bag.  All was well until he got into the house and we smelled this horrible stench.  There was a dead man in the bag!  No, I am kidding.  Really I am!  Actually the bag was wet and had obviously been wet for some time.  Everything in the bag was ruined.  Hundreds of dollars of shirts and pants.  Very painful throwing away Brooks Bros and Ralph Lauren dress shirts.  I wanted to cry.  But in the end, it's all just material stuff and does it really matter?  Well in this case it was rotten material stuff!  Where the water came from I have no idea.  The day we moved it was pouring rain so maybe it got wet then?  Who knows.

The bad (actually sad) part of my day...a very genuine and nice man is dying tonight.  I have probably never mentioned him to anyone at any time.  He goes to my parents' church.  Doug Mitchell. Loves the Lord.  Loves animals.  His best friend is his 3 year old dog, Ty.  Less than a year ago Doug started to get unsteady on his feet.  He finally told a few people that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gherigs Disease.  Every single day he has suffered.  I have never seen anyone lose quality of life as fast as Doug has.  He was just here in July for my mom's party.  He was in a wheelchair.  Still able to get on his feet but better in his chair.  3 months later...he is on hospice.  My parents took him some lunch on Sunday.  He has a hard time swallowing.  He ate the applesauce that my dad made.  Today...he slipped into a semi-lucid coma.  Hospice nurses left his wife with some bottles of morphine this afternoon and said to call if need be. The blessing would be for Doug to go tonight.  Hospice said it could be a couple of weeks but that seems highly doubtful.  I am so sad.  But I know he is headed for sleep and there is no pain when you sleep.  I pray that God and the Angels watch over him tonight and give him peace.

So truly...losing a bag of stupid clothes is NOT so bad after all.  Losing Doug is what is bad.  I'm glad I know the difference.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Eye Can't See

A neighbor has Christmas lights up already.  What the heck is that about?  I absolutely love Christmas - it's my favorite holiday.  But I believe that all Christmas cheer belongs in the month of December.  Come to think of it, all birthday cheer belongs there too!  Ok, I'm a little biased.
Part of having a Blog is that it's a good place to vent.  So here goes.  Am I the only one in the world with a less than desirable Father in Law?  Damn he makes me so angry.  He is a self-centered asshole.  He's not happy unless he can be mad at someone.  He is so miserable. That's my only solace...that he probably IS miserable. The story is too long for this poor Blog but just know that if it isn't about him, it ain't worth being about anyone or anything.  Ok, I feel better now.
In my quest to be the unluckiest woman on earth...I am having blurry spots and flashes of black and white in my right eye.  I went to the eye doctor this afternoon.  He had to refer me to an opthamologist.  I got the "I'm sure you are fine BUT just in case..." scenario.  It appears (punny!) that there might be a problem with my retina.  So I have to see the big people to look at my little eye.  I pray it doesn't have a hole in it because that would mean surgery.  Wait and see (there I go being punny again)!
This morning at about 9:00 I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed at work.  And then I thought of this...Next Monday at this time I will be in my jammies outside on my balcony overlooking the ocean.  The cabin steward will bring me a tray of coffee, danishes, and fruit.  Ahhhh - work who?  And I love that I will leave my cabin and come back and my room will have been cleaned and the bed made.  And I can mess up my room all I want during the day and when I go back...it will have been cleaned again!  With a chocolate on my pillow and a towel animal waiting on the bed.  Vacation rocks!
Next year's agenda... Niagara Falls. 

Friday, October 22, 2010

Packing Obsession

TGIF.  I am not kidding.  Very busy week and next week will be worse.  Leaving on vacation in 9 days and I always seem to put tremendous pressure on myself to be "ready" for a trip.  I am obsessed with planning and packing.  I really envy those people who calmly pack the night before.  A friend went on a week vacation to Myrtle Beach a couple of weeks ago.  It's Friday afternoon, about 12 hours before departure, and I say "whatcha doing tonight"?  His answer..."Packing for my trip".  How is that possible?  I have 2 lists going, I have clothes stacked in groups, and I am already worrying about the animals missing me.  Good grief!  Now that I see it in black and white...I am a bit of a crazy traveler.  Ok, a lot crazy!
I had a bit of a bichon poo melt-down tonight.  I realized my girl is getting old.  I started to cry.  I love that dog more than anything in the whole world.  Luigi reminded me how much love I have given her and how I have made her life so much better than it was.  But the truth of the matter is that Roxie is the one who has made MY life better.  God blessed me with her and she's not done yet.  I need to back up and keep having a good time with her.  We have some years left together!
I had a mystery shopping job at Hooters tonight.  Fun!  I have to admit that Hooters Girls are some of the nicest servers ever.  If you've never been to Hooters it's not as bad as you may think.  It's not a bunch of dirty old men trying to cop a "hooter" feel.  There were about 4 tables of just guys.  The rest of the tables were either male/female couples or families.  The food is pretty darn good.  Hootin' tootin!  Oh, I meant rootin' tootin!
I'm liking the new side-job of Mystery Shopper.  I'm not making a whole lot of money (yet!) but I am having fun.  To get paid to eat or shop is pretty awesome.  So far I have eaten at BJs Brewhouse, Smashburger, Hooters.  I have driven a very cool Mercedes.  I tried out a really comfy mattress at Jeromes, and my next venture is to make a purchase at Bed Bath and Beyond. 
It's 9:45 and definitely time for bed on a Friday night.  Signing off with a picture of my Bichon Poo who seriously needs a haircut! ♥

Monday, October 18, 2010

Getting My Warrant Cleared...Who knew?

I should not have gotten out of bed today. What a pain in the ass kind of day.  It was a day of missing trains and buses.  Missed lunch (not a good idea to be replaced with Hostess Donettes and a Vitamin Water).  Also missed a couple of phone calls that I was looking forward to. 
My day started out standing with my friend Barbara at our bus stop with no bus.  A know-it-all woman who asked if we were going to the courthouse informed us that the bus would be arriving in 3 minutes.  No you idiot. We should be at work in 3 minutes.  So idiot lady looks at both of us and says "are you two going to the courthouse to clear your warrants?"  Seriously?  I looked at Barbara and said "do we look THAT bad today?"  Good grief!
On Friday I had a woman come up to me while waiting for my afternoon bus and after introducing herself, stating her homeless status, and claiming she had money, asked me this..."do you by chance have any drugs that I can buy from you?"  Dammit - why did I leave my bottle of Vicadin at home?  Kidding!  I told her the only thing I had on me was an anti-depressant pill at the bottom of my purse.  For some reason she was not interested in my offer.  She then said "I just thought you could help me out - you know - woman to woman".  Ok, this woman (meaning me) is ready to get on the bus and get the heck home!
And the day before that...(from a guy on the bus)..."hey, are you a Judge?"  If I were a Judge would I be on this damn bus?  I think not.
I so need a vacation.  Oh wait!  12 more days and my wish will come true...
But I am already missing my Roxie and my Zoe.  Such a pathetic animal mom.