A FUNNY

while looking for some new graphics,

i came across this animated one.

i thought it was so funny, i had to share.

i hope it comes through on my blog,

because anyone who owns, i mean,

who is owned by a canine, would love to see this.

the next time your pet sticks to the fridge,

you might want to check to see if the magnets are still there.

just tooooo funny.

see, i can enter a short, dramaless post!!!!

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LANDLORD DRAMA

what a day what a day what a day!

it turned out windy and cold today. temps will be getting colder over the next 48 hours. brrrr.

today was a little bit interesting. of course, there is always the drama at work. today it was 2 customers who were saying i was rude. long story short, i was a little curt with the woman because she was trying to put her basket of items behind the counter with a large picture she wanted. being busy with customers, i quickly told her they had to be put on the side or on the top of the counter. i wasn't rude, just didn't take up time with her since i was busy. she had to complain that the others let her put things behind the counter. then she said she wanted to make sure they would be safe and not sold to someone else. i quickly told her, while still waiting on customers, that if she wanted to guarantee that they would be safe, she would need to get in line, pay for them, and put them in her car.

nothing more was said, and i finished up my line of customers and the complainer was getting some dishes to purchase. i went to the back to get boxes for her dishes, and RC told me that 2 ladies told her that i was rude to one of the women. i went out and asked the first one what i had done that was rude and she said i wasn't rude to her, but to the other woman. i then confronted that woman and she said i was just plain rude to her. i told her i wasn't meaning to be, that maybe she misunderstood what i was trying to convey and she continued to say i was just rude.

i went back to the front and waited on some more customers and had one lady tell me she really liked me, i was always so pleasant and tried to be so helpful. so i guess it just depends on who you are talking to as to if i am nice or rude, lol.

later on AD's husband came up to me and was telling me that he actually confronted the woman who had complained about me and told her that she must be mistaken as to who was rude to her, for i was one of the nicest, jolliest, and helpful employees they had there. she continued to complain about me to him, and then stated that she and RC were friends and she was always nice to her. sigh.............

all this over someone who is spoiled and used to having their way being told "NO" for the first time.

good to know i have the assistant director, her husband and her daughter all on my side.

i also had a little disagreement over the phone with my landlord, the illustrious mayor. when i got my bill from him for the gas service, it itemized the bill and it subtotalled $98.14. but the total was $158.14. that is a $60 difference. since that $60 wasn't listed on the actual bill, but was included in the total, i figured it had to be the $60 cut-on fee, which i have already paid to the landlord 2 months ago. i had no intentions of paying this fee again, so only included the $98 in my payment. i knew i was going to hear from the mayor about it. so, today, i went to the city hall and paid my rent, electric bill and the gas bill ($98). the mayor was on the phone so i paid his secretary as usual.

as soon as i got back to work, my cell rang. it was the mayor.........and of course, he was complaining that i hadn't paid the entire gas bill. i told him i HAD paid the entire bill, that the rest was the connection fee and i had already paid it and wasn't paying it again. he yelled at me over the phone that yes i was going to pay what i owed.

i told him to look at the bill closely and then we would discuss it. he got out the bill and perused it while on the phone and then said i was right, it WAS the $60 connection fee, and yes i HAD already paid it. then he said that he had paid $158.14 just a little earlier in the day, so they OWED HIM $60 back, since he had already paid that when i paid him. it was nice hearing him say i was right, lol.

then when i got home from work the mayor had left me my rent and electric bill for february. there was a note at the bottom thanking me for pointing out the $60 overcharge and telling me he would be contacting me soon about inspecting the apartment. here we go again...........

for some reason i am extremely cold tonight. i don't usually get cold. i think my circulation is really bad. that is what happens when you get old.

i have a lot of things to do tomorrow. i am hardly ever off on saturday, so am taking advantage of being off 2 days in a row to get things accomplished. i have groceries to buy, freecycle items to pick up, onion rings to eat (gotta have some of those orgasmic onion rings, lol) and laundry to wash. i figured i would work really hard to get things done on saturday so that i could sleep on sunday. da boss is out of town on a cruise for over a week, so i am scheduled to work monday, tuesday and wednesday of next week. i hate working 3-4 days in a row. so is life...............

better scoot for the night.






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MISS BLOG-STAR

my four-legged child is at it again. her head was big enough before, now it is so huge it will need its own pillow. thanks to possum s. hemmingway for this new enlargement...............

check it out: http://coatiescorner2.blogspot.com/

POTPOURRI

i didn't work today, but did go by work and picked up my check. it was for a dollar more than i had anticipated. sigh..........

i got up around 10 am so that i could place the food items on my porch for the lady from freecycle to come pick up. i couldn't make myself get in gear to go run my errands. i finally got myself motivated by thinking about going to mrs. winners and getting fried chicken for lunch. i need it like i need a hole in the head, but hey, i love my fried chicken.

i drove over to work, found AD outside by her old car (she just bought a new one) with the hood up. i asked her why was she driving the old car and what was wrong with it. she said it was the same ole same ole, even though it was supposed to be fixed 2 days ago. she volunteered to go in and get my check for me, but i got out and went in and got it myself. i didn't go into the store part, just into the office. i wasn't in the mood for seeing any customers or co-workers.

as i was preparing to leave, KW and EJ drove up in EJ's suv. now, KW was mad at EJ all day yesterday, and didn't speak to her at all, all day. but who did she call and ask for a ride when her car wouldn't start this am?? and EJ is just sweet enough a girl that she went and picked her up. i spoke to them, hugged AD and left. i had my chicken lunch and headed south to cash my check. while in town, i went to the post office and had some interesting mail. the SA pays into a retirement fund for each employee after they have been there a year. i got my letter telling me mine had been opened. woohoo. retirement fund........with $0 in it, lol. but at least it IS A RETIREMENT FUND! i don't have one with any other company where i have worked. it will help me balance out my social security, if i get any social security. people laugh at me for saying i would like to retire now and draw my SS. it would be about $400 a month less if i did that instead of waiting till i was 65. but heck, with the government giving away our money left and right to people who are not even citizens of this country, there may not be any left in my account if i wait till 65. i could draw the amount i can get for now, and supplement with working part time. sounds like a plan to me, lol.

i went to the library to try to open my turbotax account to see if i needed to print the form for my signature, and make copies of the return itself. instead, i decided to just load it all on my flashdrive and bring it home and make my copies for free. i saved $1.40.

i went to my little bargain place and bought $1 worth of stuff.....2 bracelets. i also went to the other thrift store in mcdonough and bought a little mother's day plate for $1. then i headed home. i stopped by sonic to get my daily fix of a route 44 diet cherry limeade slush, then on home. the food items were gone off the porch, but i never got an email from the lady saying she got the food. so i hope she did.

i had a good supper of barbecued smoked pork chops and mixed veggies. of course, i was extremely full when i was done. i need to get my sink drain fixed so that i can wash dishes in the kitchen sink again. right now i am washing what i need for each meal in the bathroom sink. i know, disgusting. you do what you have to do to survive.

guess i better get into bed. i have to work tomorrow and i never know what i am going to be faced with. i was going to pay my rent today, changed my mind, decided to do it tomorrow, and then changed my mind again and decided to wait till monday. so i might go out to eat lunch tomorrow, by myself.

have a peaceful sleep and a great tomorrow.



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NEW GUY/MORE DRAMA/A HELPING HAND/TODAY'S QUOTE

amazing what a guy does for a gal. we, the female species, are always crying out "i am woman, hear me roar!", yet when a really sweet, cute fella comes along, we are the most useless embodiments of jello. we melt, we become totally helpless and do things we normally don't do..........well, most of you out there know the drill.

what am i talking about?? well, you see, my beautiful 23 year old daughter recently dumped her boyfriend of 3.5 years, met and started seeing another guy who she thought was the cat's meow, then dumped him, then, just a week ago, met another cute guy and has already done the jello thing. now, being 55, i don't understand today's "young people's dialogue/vocabulary". she claims this young man is NOT her boyfriend. they are NOT dating. but they ARE talking. ok, i talk to hundreds of people a week, but i am not "dating" them. he has spent the last week having a "sleepover" at my daughter's apartment, but they are not "dating". sigh.

anywho.........this adorably cute young man, who is also 23, had a little speeding problem and has to do some community service. since we use mostly community service people as workers at the SA, my daughter called me on friday of last week to see if i could get him in as a CS worker. it was already after 8:30 am, which usually means we have already taken all the CS workers we can use for that day. i told her to have him come on over and i would try to talk MW or DD into taking him and keeping him. when i asked both of them, they both said NO. they had already turned away 3 guys and couldn't take him. so he made plans to come back on monday and tuesday and be there early enough to get in.

monday morning i got there at my usual time of 8:45 am, and there were about 6 guys and 3 gals standing out back listening to DD. he told them he would take all of them, but that we couldn't take anyone else. i looked at each guy and figured out which one was my daughter's "friend" and introduced myself. he is very sweet, doesn't cuss, doesn't smoke, has great manners and i really like him. he has black hair and blue eyes, my weakness (no i am not after my daughter's friend, lol).

ok, now.........as to my reason for this entry.........

i have worked at the SA for a year and 2 months, and my daughter has NEVER come over to the store and brought me lunch, taken me out for lunch or even asked to come have lunch with me. this guy was at the SA for 2 days, monday and tuesday, and my daughter called me both days and asked me if i wanted something to eat, as she was bringing this guy some lunch and was going to sit and eat with us. now, i could have complained that she only did this because of him, which is the total truth, but i am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. i placed my order with her and sat down and ate lunch with the 2 of them, lol. i offered to pay her back, but she wouldn't let me. so, see how a guy can turn my daughter from a gal who never buys lunch for anyone unless it is their birthday, to a gal who, because of a guy, has brought mom lunch 2 days in a row. now, he wasn't there today, so i didn't even get a call from her asking if i wanted something to eat, lol. but it is ok. i vaguely remember being young.........and loving the attention of a male suitor. she will eventually get the stars out of her eyes, and realize he is just a guy.

i noticed that not only have i lost a lot of commenters, but i have also lost one of my followers. this really saddens me. i feel i have failed my friends out there in blogland by not writing something interesting for them to read. my poetry journal, Somewhere In Time,
http://regina-aoljournalsblog.blogspot.com/ has failed as well. i truly miss all my readers and commenters. i don't feel whole anymore without all of them. i do thank those who have read and commented, and even those who have read and not commented. i just don't know what to do to make my blog more readable, more enjoyable. if you have any suggestions, please, feel free to drop me an email at wumzels2@aol.com, or add a comment. i will take all suggestions into consideration.

of course, i worked today, and OF COURSE, there was drama. after being ruffed up by the sandpaper tongues of MW and YO, i was complimented by my boss, DD. he is about to embark on a cruise over the next couple of weeks, being on vacation. he told me he was counting on me to help keep the peace, and not let the others bother me with their cattiness. in other words, don't call me on the cruise ship.........lol.

there was a hush hush meeting this afternoon with DD, AD and KW. something about KW being in trouble because of something MW complained about her. KW left right at 5, seemingly very upset. KW had been angry with EJ, the other young cashier, all afternoon because she didn't come tell her she was at work. petty petty petty...........................

my online friend, Ne, got me hooked on a yahoo group called Freecycle.com. (link below)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Freecycle_Henry_County_South_Metro/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=26 this group offers items for free as long as you are willing to go and pick them up. i have gotten some nice things and have also offered some things that were picked up by others. recently a woman asked for food for her children. she could be a scammer, but it doesn't matter to me. i have been blessed with lots of canned goods that i will never get around to eating. i belong to a co-op that supplies me with lots of food. so i emailed her and asked if her whole family would eat rice, canned green beans, canned corn, canned carrots and boxed mac and cheese. she emailed back that they would love to have those items. so i put together a box of those items and some gatorade, and will let her pick those up tomorrow sometime. it made me feel really good to help someone in need, and whether she is scamming or not, i have done what i felt was right. it is between her and God if she is not needy. i have been on that side of the fence a lot over the last 5 years, and now that i have been blessed with more than enough food, i feel it is my duty and my desire to help someone else.

it is a really rainy, dreary night, so i should sleep really good. my house has a tin roof and it sounds so good when it rains on it.

today's quote: A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. (Herm Albright)

i better sign off before i have written another novelette.



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LUNCH WITH MY DAUGHTER

this, is a pig. and what does that have to do with anything?? i had something that belongs to this pig........riblets. let me explain.........

i slept in today since it is the only day i will have off for the next 4 days. my daughter called and woke me up around 12:30 pm. we decided we'd meet at applebee's for lunch at 2 pm. i got ready and headed that way. she called me back while i was on my way to tell me she was going to be a little late. i went on to applebee's and sat for 30 mintues in the car. she got there and we entered. i wasn't sure what i wanted, but i usually get the riblets. after perusing the whole menu, i went back to the same ole same ole......riblets. i got the platter instead of just the basket. and i was glad i did. as usual, they were fantastic. but since the bones are different from most ribs i have eaten, i was curious. so i came home and did some research. i still am not sure where they come from. some say they are the lower part of the ribcage, others say they are from the neck. i guess it doesn't matter, just as long as they don't come fom baby piglets. i couldn't handle that. i was going to post a picture of a cute piggy on this page, but just couldn't write about eating riblets and looking at an adorable little piggy. so, i went for clipart. sorry piggy piggy. but you sure were good.

my daughter and i had a great time. the waiter, wyatt, was a hoot. he is around 30 i would guess, long hair and a great personality. he would sit with us, talk to us, and joke around. we even talked about reviving a band.........yeah right, lol. an old rocker and young rocker together, on tour, hahahahahaha.

amanda and i talked about her new "male friend" (she won't let me call him a boyfriend, yet). he is about as useless as her previous one, but she seems to like him. he DOES work, but as a waiter at red lobster.........oh come on, amanda, get a REAL DUDE IN YOUR LIFE. there is nothing wrong with being on a wait staff, but if you are planning for a future, like with a wife, kids, home, cars, etc., you are going to have to do better than JUST being a waiter. after all, she is already working on her career, and thinking about getting another job to help her pay her bills. one thing i can say about her.......she is a go-getter. and she deserves a man who is the same.

we had good conversation with no fights or arguments. we are both maturing.

one of amanda's friends walked by the table, and i remember her from amanda's high school. they exchanged conversation briefly and the girl left. a friend of mine from when i worked at the craft store saw me, and she came over and sat down with me and talked for about 5 minutes. i thought it funny that my daughter thought she looked like paula deen of cooking and restaurant fame (lady and sons restaurant in savannah, GA). her party was leaving, so she said goodbye and left.

all in all, it was a good afternoon.

my computer is not keeping a good wifi signal, so i don't know if i will be able to return later, so will say "have a good week" here in case i don't get back.

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GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

i have some really good news.................I DID MY TAXES ONLINE AND SUBMITTED THEM.


i have some really bad news...................I DID MY TAXES ONLINE AND SUBMITTED THEM.



it didn't take me but half an hour to do them and submit them. but, i am getting back less than half of what i have gotten back for the last 4 years. and i had big plans for that money.......sigh.

i am still having a blast over at nostalgiaramblings, but have decided that i will continue blogging here, at least for now, and try my best to keep up with others' blogs and comment as often as i can. someone made the comment that new friends are like silver, but old friends are like gold. i would miss you guys too much if i left altogether. so, i will try my hardest to hang on here and over there.

i am supposed to have lunch with my daughter tomorrow (she is taking me out for my birthday), but i am not holding my breath. she has a new boyfriend who is having to do community service and she is trying to get him in at the store where i work to do it. i wish she wasn't like me.......she likes those bad boys!

i am going to keep this post really short...

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CHRISTMAS PARTY AND PRAYER REQUEST

i wanted to post before i went to bed and it is already so late.

we had our office Christmas party tonight at logan's roadhouse grill. it was fun, but we had problems just like last year. i got my steak, supposedly medium well, and it came medium rare, so i sent it back. by the time i got it back, everyone else was packing up the rest of their meal in styrofoam containers, so i put mine in one as well and brought it home for either lunch tomorrow or supper tomorrow night.

i dressed in my goth attire, and was actually complimented by 2 people. i didn't wear my black/pink wig, but did wear a black do-rag with white skulls all over it. we had fun throwing peanuts and joking around.

there was one incident where one of the volunteers, Mrs M, who was sitting beside me, stuck her arm all the way over my plate of food to get the salt, dragging part of her sleeve over my baked potato. i grabbed her arm and yelled "stop, you are all in my food. that is just rude!". she thought i was kidding i guess, because she kept on reaching for the salt. i repeated that it was rude and the other people at the table just stared at me. hell, it was MY food, not theres, and it WAS RUDE. i don't care who it is, i don't want their stuff in my food. i forgave her and we hugged. then she almost did it again..............sheeeeesh!! i guess it is because they are KUNTRY FOLK. you just reach and grab what you need, lol.

for those of you who pray, please keep another of the volunteers, Mr. B, in your prayers. he found out today that he has colon cancer and has to undergo more tests tomorrow to see if he is able to have the surgery. he is a big man, and plays santa claus every year for lots of groups and charities. so please, keep him in your prayers and thoughts. thank you.

gonna scoot for tonight. gotta work tomorrow.

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NO LUNCH FOR THE WEARY....

the wicked ole MW showed her true colors today. she brought a whole lot of food from home. salsa, sour cream, crackers, tostitos, a crock pot full of "taco soup" (never heard of it) and a homemade cake. i figured someone was having a birthday that i didn't know about. when my lunchtime rolled around (i try to go around 1:30 -2:00 pm) my backup, EJ, was in the kitchen eating with MW, RC and CG. i asked her when she would be done with lunch and she said she had just sat down for lunch.....it was 2:10. i was furious. that meant it would be 3:00 before i could go to lunch, getting back at 4:00, and we leave work at 5:00. i didn't say anything to DD, but when he came up to the front and asked what was wrong, i told him. he went to the back to see the circumstances, and came back up front to relieve me for lunch. the big boss was coming today, so i hated for DD to have to cover for me, but he insisted. so i went to lunch.

when i went back to the kitchen, i went straight to the fridge and got out the salad i had planned on eating for lunch. i sort of figured that someone would ask me to have some of what they had brought, but no, i was never even spoken to while i was preparing my salad. they all just continued to eat and talk amongst themselves. so i took my salad and went to AD's office with AD and L'il K. we closed the door to be more private. later on in the day, RC came up to me at the register and sorta apologized about the lunch situation........the part about me not being offered anything. she said that if SHE had brought the food, she would have offered me some, but since MW had brought it, she didn't feel it was her place to offer it to me. i later found out i was the only person who did not have the soup. but after MW was gone and took her soup with her and when i finally took my last 15 minute break around 4:15, i helped myself to a big piece of the cake. it was good. my salad made me sick........but i actually think it was the anger at the situation that upset my stomach. i work with a bunch of 3-5 year olds i think.

the really bright spot to my day was when K, an ex-employee, came into the store with a styrofoam container and asked me if i liked onion rings. i told her i loved them, and she opened the container and asked me to share them with her. ok, now seldom do i talk like this, but those dang things were nearly orgasmic. i am not kidding. whatever they put in the batter is the most wonderful tasting stuff in the world. they were extremely greasy, but man oh man, they were good. now i am going to have to go to uncle sam's (the restaurant) and get some at least once a week........cholesterol, watch out.

writing here in blogland has become less and less fun. i don't know why i have lost so many readers unless i have just become boring or long winded or both. i appreciate each and every one of you that does stop by and leaves a comment. but since i have joined nostalgiaramblings, i have really enjoyed writing again. it is a small online community and they all make you feel so at home. it is a community of poetry and prose writers, as well as those who enjoy other arts, such as photography and fantasy painting. i am not sure what i am going to do yet, but it is very possible that i will give up blogger, and spend my efforts on nostalgiaramblings. i would miss all of the folks i have met here in blogland, but i just feel i need some sort of feedback from people to keep my writing going. so, anyway, that is where i am right now, but things might change in the matter of a few minutes, so stay tuned and i will let you know what i plan on doing.

i am going to close now. may each and every one of you that still stop by from time to time have a truly blessed thursday (or whatever day it is in your part of the world).







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A FEW RAMBLINGS

i have been having so much fun over at NOSTALGIARAMBLINGS that i totally ignored my blogger blog duties tonight. sorry to my readers..........

i worked today and the day went fairly well. but it was horribly cold and windy. on 2 different occasions i tried to open the back door to call for one of the CS guys to come help me and i couldn't open the door. the wind was so fierce, it barricaded me in the building. the poor CS guys were even looking for ways to stay warm, so they took an old deep cooker barrel, and filled it with flammable items and started a nice drum fire. i told them they all looked liked homeless people out in the wind and cold. when the fire died down, they all came back inside. they once again had a home.........

i had a craving for zaxby's boneless wings today, so i weathered the windy cold and went to zaxby's and got me some, dipped in barbecue sauce. they were sooooooo good. it was well worth the adventure.

it is still extremely cold tonight. i am not sure what the temps are, as i didn't watch the news at 11, but with the wind chill figured in, i am sure it is near or below the freezing mark. i actually turned on the gas furnace tonight, as well as 2 electric space heaters, and have on sweats, but i am still cold. yep, you heard me say i am cold. first time in over a year i have said that. i intentionally didn't have my gas connected last year, and i almost froze to death.

well, it is now history. but there is much more history in the making to watch for. mr. barack h. obama is officially our 44th president. whether i voted for him or not, i wish him well and hope he can get our nation back on its feet.

i am so looking forward to spring........not just so that i won't have to wrap up in heavy clothing and turn on heaters, but because i really want to do some spring cleaning. i want to get things in order so that the rest of the furniture can be moved from the storage unit to the house. i have to do some throwing out before this can happen.

as i mentioned in an earlier post, i have joined a poetry/art site. i realize that it may seem a bit pretentious, but when i stopped getting comments from as many people on my blog, it caused me to not feel as compelled to write. on this new site, the comments are almost instantaneous. and they critique the poetry/prose, good or bad. a writer needs that. someone to bounce ideas off, and to get feedback. i don't really feel i am being egotistical about it, just needing opinions of others on my writings.

well, it is getting late, and i really do need to get into bed........mainly because it is so much warmer over there, lol.




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ANOTHER BIRTHDAY LUNCH

today was a good day. i was off work...that was one reason. the other is that my friend Betty took me out to eat lunch at a local family buffet. we had good conversation and a good meal. afterwards i had to pick up something from the dollar general store. as i was leaving the store one of my customers from the SA came in with her husband, who is a retired police officer, and she was telling me how someone had gone through all of the clothing and items that had been dropped off over the weekend at the store and strewn them all over the driveway. then another customer from the SA came into the store and said the same thing. so after i left there, i went by the SA store and of course, there were bags of clothing and other items strewn everywhere. i got out and was trying to contain it a bit, and suddenly MW pulled up in her van behind me. she asked what i was doing out there and i told her i was trying to straighten it up a little for tomorrow. she talked to me for a few minutes, then we both left.

we are supposed to have snow flurries tomorrow. i now have a weather channel, so i can check the weather more often than just at news time. i thought it was going to be a little warmer tonight, but i am actually chilly sitting her in my jammies. we need some really cold weather, but i had gotten used to it being warmer and now i am having problems adjusting.

i have recently joined a poetry group and so far, am really enjoying it. for anyone out there who likes to write, or just read, poetry or prose, go on over and sneak a peak.

http://nostalgiaramblings.ning.com/

my page is located at: http://nostalgiaramblings.ning.com/profile/Regina

most of what i have on my page is from my poetry journal, Somewhere In Time (http://regina-aoljournalsblog.blogspot.com/).

as here in blogland, some of the posters are from across the ocean from where i live. that is why blogging is such a wonderful experience. before computers, i had only a handful of friends or acquaintances from other countries. now i know numerous people from faraway lands. makes the world seem very small sometimes.............

i wish i could get into all this inauguration hooplah. i realize it is a history-making event, and it would be great to be a little piece of that history by being there, but those people are pitching tents and sleeping in extremely cold temps just to watch the whole thing on a jumbotron. of course, they will have bragging rights for years to come that THEY WERE ACTUALLY THERE. as i said before, i am taking the WAIT AND SEE stance. i do wish him well, as he is going to be the MAN IN CHARGE for at least the next 4 years.

our SA store is having its Christmas party this coming thursday. i was going to work thursday so that i could have saturday off, but decided i wanted to have the whole day to get ready for the party. i don't usually dress "unusually" for work or even when we go out to eat as a group. but i plan on donning full "goth" gear for the party. i will put on white-based makeup. i have black & pink fake eyelashes, a black celtic temporary tattoo, blood red lipstick and nail polish with black tips on the nails, a black top with leather buckles on the shoulders with slits down the tops of the sleeves, black goucho style pants and stacked black shoes. i will be wearing a sleek black wig as well. i will top off the outfit with a black leather purse with real handcuffs as the shoulder strap, and a long leather "matrix" coat. i love shocking those people. last year i was the only one dressed up. sweatshirts and jeans is what most will wear, other than the director and his wife. it will be fantastic, lol.



guess i better scoot for now. if i still have a wifi signal later on before going to bed, i might return to relate something else on my mind or heart.

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C-BOX SUCCESS

i promise this entry will be short.....i am about to fall asleep. and it is only 5 pm...........zzzzzzzzzzz.

success is mine.....finally. i did the unthinkable today.....unthinkable for me....

i WENT TO WALMART!! i hate going to walmart, even when it is not busy. i just hate the parking lot, and trying to find a space that doesn't require me to walk 50 miles. but anywho, i found a spot near the door and went in. i was in search of the digital converter boxes for my tv. they had told me they would be getting some in this weekend, so i held my breath until i reached the electronics department. and when i got there, i checked the shelf and VOILA....there they were. there were about 20 on the shelf, so i grabbed my share (2) and went to the checkout. the girl was really nice (another oddity at wallyworld these days) and she took both of my coupons and charged me $9 each for the boxes plus tax. woohoooooo! i only have one tv, but i figured that the salvation army store will be getting a lot of older tvs in over the next month or so due to the digital conversion on feb. 17th, and i could buy me another tv for the bedroom. then i would have another digital conversion box for that tv. if i don't get another tv, i can still sell the converter box to someone who needs it and doesn't have a coupon to go buy one.

ok, the next step.....connecting the box. i figured all i would need to do is hook up and plug in, sit back....and enjoy. WRONG!! it said "NO SIGNAL" on the screen. sigh.....why me??? then i got out the instructions and read them, lol. i was able to at least get programming to come up on my tv. some of the channels are not sending out good signals as of yet, but i am still getting all of the channels i was getting before, plus the extra ones you get with the box. so i am at least a halfway happy camper for now.

now i am going to take a nap......................................
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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FROM BAD, TO GOOD, TO WORSE.....

what a day this has been. it started out really bad, turned good during the day, then went downhill afterwards. when i arrived at the store, the gate was still locked and there were cars lined up outside the gate. RC and a couple of the CS workers were trying to open the lock. it appeared to be frozen. i finally drove my car over the curb, along the grass and into the back. but i forgot i didn't have a key. so i sat there and waited on someone to get around to the back and unlock the doors.

as i entered the building, everyone who had already gone in was saying someone had been hit by a car. i asked around and found out that one of the CS workers, SWH, had pulled his car around to turn into the driveway and while sitting waiting on traffic to clear so that he could turn, a woman, apparently not watching what she was doing, crashed into the back of his car. he has an older model, solid steel frame car, so i figured he was probably ok. but then i heard that she had never even hit her brakes, so it was a bad impact. they took SWH to the hospital. i later saw the 2 cars, and the woman's was probably totalled, even though a later model car, and his was smashed in on the back left quarter panel. it is totalled for sure. we never heard how he was, but the officer at the scene came up to borrow a broom and said he was complaining of his legs hurting, so they transported him to the hospital. i hope he will be ok, and hopefully he will get a newer and better car out of it.

things finally settled down. the day started out slow, but soon people started getting out in the cold weather to come in and shop. things went well, even though it got busy at times. shortly before lunchtime, RC came up to me at the register and asked if i wanted to have lunch with her and Miss S. they had brought some spaghetti and thought i might like some. i told them if they had enough i would be glad to join them.

about 20 minutes later KW came up, sounding a little miffed, and curtly told me to go on my lunch break. i asked her if she had gone yet and she said no, but for me to just go straight back to the breakroom. so, i did. when i got back there RC and Miss S had a cake lit with birthday candles. they sang happy birthday to me and i blew out the candles. then, we sat down to lunch of spaghetti, salad, soft bread and then chocolate cake with white chocolate shavings all over the icing. it was really good and very thoughtful. while i was still eating, KW came back to the breakroom and seemed quite flustered. she said that a man up front was cursing her out and telling her that i had told him he could get a voucher for free items in the store. i told her i never said that. the man had come up to me as i was getting ready to leave for lunch and asked me where he was supposed to drop off donations. i told him to drive around to the right and to the back. then i turned to go to lunch and he chased me down and asked if he could get a voucher for his donations. well, we give RECEIPTS for tax purposes for donations, so i ASSUMED that is what he meant, a receipt. i told him if he asked for one, they would give him one. he never mentioned wanting to get anything for free. he was really angry at KW and told her he wanted to see me. i told her i wasn't done with lunch, to take one of the big CS guys with her up there and tell the man that he can get a tax receipt for the donation he made, and then he needed to leave the store and not come back. i guess it must have worked, for she went back to the front and didn't come back to tell me anything more on the subject.

there was one other incident where a woman bought a table without looking at it fully first, and then when they took it out to carry to her vehicle, she didn't like the way it looked and wanted her money back. i told her we didn't give refunds, but she could pick out another table. she did, but there was still a $2 difference. she fussed about not getting her money back again, then went over and picked out a floral arrangement which was $3.99 and i put in 1.99 as what she owed and she said she wasn't paying anything more. so i voided the arrangement, and she still was fussing that she didn't want to exchange it for anything, she wanted her money back. so i called RC over and she told her the same thing i did. the woman said she would just get something else, but kept saying that everything was nothing but sh*t anyway, and when RC heard her say that, she GAVE the arrangement to her, just because she had said it was a piece of sh*t. she took it anyway, lol. so i guess RC killed her with kindness.

when we were ready to leave, i started counting the money and KW, who hadn't offered to help before, came over and started counting the money with me. when we finished, it came up $20 short. we counted it again, then called RC to the front to count it, and we still came up $18 short. KW started saying we could check her for the money, she never carries cash on her. she called DD on her cell and told him. he, of course, said to bag it and leave it till tuesday when we open again. now, this is my opinion, and my opinion only, but 1) when i close and count just by myself, i am usually right on the money or at least within a dollar over or under. 2) i felt that KW jumped to saying we could strip search her, check her purse, etc. TOO QUICKLY and was too adamant about it. it just seemed a little suspicious to me. i know she has had some serious money problems recently as well. so don't strike me dead, Lord, it is just a suspicion.

we closed up and went to our cars and KW, who ran for the door as soon as i took the money to the safe, was still sitting in her car. she asked if we could stay with her for a little while, as her car wouldn't start. so we did. i told Miss S and RC they could go on since they had so far to go. but they decided to stay with us. KW finally got her car started and we all left. i had brought the rest of the spaghetti home with me so ate some for supper.

the day ended on a sour note when i called my daughter to see if we were going out to eat or get together on sunday or monday. she was at home, but had company. i asked her if she had plans for tomorrow and she told me she did, that a friend was in from out of town and was staying with her for the next 2 days. ok, i understand that. then i asked her if she was feeling better and she said yes. i asked her if her boss had fussed at her the other day when she came out and told me it wasn't a good idea for me to come in, as he was in a bad mood. she said no he didn't. i asked if he was still being a jerk and she practically screamed at me that she never said he was a jerk. i told her that she had cried and told me he was in a bad mood, and she said yes, that is what she had said, but never said he was a jerk............well, if a boss is making my baby cry, HE IS A JERK. so maybe she wasn't crying because of him. either way, the call didn't go as well as i thought it should have. after i got off the phone with her, i called Betty, my ex-neighbor, and we made plans for lunch on monday. it is supposed to be nasty weather tomorrow, so i figured Betty didn't need to get out in it.

oh, i ran into my current downstairs neighbor as i was going to work this am, and she was very cordial. i asked her if the landlord had figured out where the water was coming from when it leaked down into her apartment. she said it hasn't happened again. then she told me there was a squirrel or rat living between my floor and her ceiling, as she hears it rolling something, maybe a nut, around, then a bowl or something. it might be my cat, but i wasn't going to tell her that, lol. then she had to leave to walk to the church and see her grandson play basketball.

i have written another book. sorry.

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JUST A LITTLE OF THIS AND THAT

as much as i love sitting in front of this screen typing my heart out, i am so sleepy tonight i feel i must soon crash. but first, an entry........

i worked today. it was hard after being off for two days. and before we even opened i had words with MW. she was telling DD that before he went on his cruise in about 10 days, he needed to set the cashiers straight about their duties. i was standing within 3 feet of both of them near the register and i swung around and told her if she had something specific to say, say directly to me, not via DD. she then tried to make it sound like she meant the other 2 cashiers. i was very indignant about it, as i feel i do my job and do it well. about 10 minutes later, MW sought me out and put her hand on my arm and told me she wanted to explain what she was saying. she said she was meaning the other 2 girls, because of the 3 of us, i was the only one who kept busy straightening the store when i wasn't busy. it was her way of apologizing......it was good enough for me.

i got a birthday card from Mrs. H today, which was nice. it was a really cute card.

YO was snippy with me all morning as well. but she is having surgery next tuesday, and i am sure, being 74 years old, she is a bit concerned about it. so i will let her snippiness slide for now.

around lunch time, EJ was asking me what i wanted to do about lunch. i told her i didn't really know, but was thinking about chicken from Mrs. Winners, since i didn't get it yesterday because they all took me out to eat. AD came up and said she wanted pizza, which sounded good to EJ and me, so we ended up going to call papa johns for pizza. they made the call from DD's office, and since they were all in there together, they somehow convinced DD to pay for the pizza.....that's what i'm talking about girls......

Miss S relieved me while EJ, DD, AD and AD's daughter, L'il K, ate pizza. i am not fond of papa johns, but heck, when it is free, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. at the end of the day we couldn't get the rest of the pizza in the fridge, and EJ didn't want to take it home, so it came home with me..........i think there is one piece left, lol.

it is still extremely cold here. it is going to be around 12-14 degrees in atlanta, and colder in the burbs. i might actually turn the heat on tonight........

sunday is going to possibly be a day of wintry mix......rain, sleet, snow.....and i have to go look for a converter box for my tv. i am also supposed to go out to eat with my daughter and/or betty. i might just go out to eat with my daughter on sunday and then wait till monday to shop for the box and eat lunch with betty.

well, i cannot keep either eye open now. i have been typing with one open and one closed. so i guess it is time for beddy-bye. sigh...............

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POLITICS AND RELIGION.....LUCK??

i hesitated to post this entry due to how the masses out there may feel about what i am going to say. i usually don't get involved with political or religious discussions, for often they turn ugly and feelings get hurt, people get angry. but i just wanted to voice an opinion......MINE.

i didn't vote for Obama. neither did i vote for McCain. I will not divulge who i voted for, for it is irrelevant here. so either way the election went, i was going to play the "wait and see" game. i am a registered but non-practicing democrat. i lean more toward the republicans the older i get. i have heard pros and cons on both of the candidates. i DO believe that, though i feel he may be very qualified as president, Obama was voted in mainly due to his ethnicity. is it time for an African-American president? maybe so. but not JUST because he is African-American. i am hoping that Obama can lead us into a better future, but like i said, i was, and still am, playing the "wait and see" game.

but something on our atlanta local news disturbed me somewhat. there is a woman in the metropolitan atlanta area that designs and manufactures "good luck" charms. one in particular has the word "luck" on one side in regular english letters, and in braile on the opposite side. Barack Obama carries one of those charms in his pocket. it was recently reported that he has a thing for good luck charms, so one of these specific charms was sent to him and has become his favorite, and he plans on having it in his pocket on the night of the inauguration.

now, being a Christian, i suddenly stopped to think.......do i want a president running this country of ours on LUCK? of course i cannot push my own beliefs on others, but i would much rather know that he depends on more than a bauble in his pocket. now this is where i might get some flack from this post. many Christians might say that having a good luck charm isn't a bad thing. well, i fully believe that if one has Salvation, Faith, and knows Christ and His powers, they don't need anything else. i don't believe in "luck". i believe in allowing God to work in my life, to direct me and lead me in the paths He wants for me.

again, i guess there is little i CAN do now, except "wait and see".

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MY ACTUALLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Well, here I am, older, and sleepy. But boy what a day it has been. I wanted to sleep in a little later than I had set the alarm for, but after resetting it from 9 to 10 am, I became wide awake and decided to get up around 10:30 am.

I had planned to jump up, get dressed and rush out into the world, run my errands and then stop at Mrs. Winners to pick up lunch. But after I got up, I got lazy. I ate a bowl of cereal, then sat and watched some courtroom shows on tv, then got online for a little bit, reading emails. I was surprised to see that all of the “sites” that I have signed up for online sent me birthday greetings, and one of my long time online friends sent me a birthday ecard. It was nice. I figured that would be the highlight of my day.

I finally got myself motivated and started out to my car. It was cold and windy, but the sun was out. I always look at my tires when I go out to my car, and when I did today, the front passenger tire looked low. The front driver side tire was already low. So I decided that on the way to pick up my check from work, I would stop at McDonough Tire and Auto (where they treat women right) to get them to check my air pressure in my tires. They were nice enough to do all 4 of them, and didn’t charge me.

Though you probably don’t really care, it is easier for me to use code names for my fellow co-workers. So here goes:

Mean Woman = MW
Resident Christian = RC
Yank Ogre = YO
Director = DD
Assistant Director = AD
RC’s Friend = Miss S.
My Adopted Daughter = EJ
The New Young Cashier = KW
Community Service Workers = CS
Electronics Volunteer = RE
Librarian Volunteers = (him) CG; (her) LG

Then I went on to work to get my check. As I was walking from my car to the building, one of my good customers, Mrs. H., came up to me and told me she wanted to do something for me for my birthday. I told her I wasn’t working today, but maybe we could do something another day. She said she would see me tomorrow. When I walked into DD’s office, AD was in there and she yelled my name, ran and hugged me and asked me what I was planning on doing after I left there. I told her I was cashing my check and paying my bills, then on to Mrs. Winner’s for lunch. She asked me if I had been to the new little sub shop right up the street. I told her I hadn’t, so she said she would like to take me out to eat. I told her it wasn’t necessary and she huffed and puffed and told me she would do what she wanted to, lol.

Then she gave me a little silver gift bag with several little items in it. One was a pencil with a girl’s cloth head on top, with braids. There were two sets of air fresheners that are skulls that clip onto your air vents in your car. There were 2 packs of the little envelopes that contain flavoring for your water….which she knows I love. And last, but not least, something I have to share with the whole store……..a money marking pen that attaches to the register. I have begged her and begged her to get us another one, so she did, and she said it was mine, but we all had to use it, lol. There has been a 2 drawer metal file cabinet sitting in the holding room for several months. It used to be AD’s, but she took it out of her office to use somewhere else. Well today, she decided she didn’t want it anymore, and gave it to me, as another birthday present, lol. I got one of the CS guys to help load it in my car. Now getting it out and up my stairs is going to be a trip.

YO came up to the office and told me that someone was looking for me. I went around the store looking for whoever it was, and she wasn’t there. I found her in the back….it was Betty, my ex-downstairs neighbor. She wanted to take me to lunch, but I told her the gang there was taking me out. So we plan on going out to eat sometime Sunday or Monday.

After much huffing and puffing from MW not wanting to relieve EJ, Miss S took over for her so that the 3 of them could take me to lunch. We all went together in KW’s car, and we had a blast. Of course, we had to get in a little bit of gossiping about the other employees and how 2-faced they were. I know, not a good thing……..and I guess we were really only telling the truth about them, but shouldn’t have even brought them up. Then poor AD got a call from her hubby and they were fussing back and forth about something and we all kept laughing at her, lol. She wasn’t amused, lol.

We came back and AD’s husband was there with a dog crate full of puppies. They were able to find homes for 2 of them. I wanted one of them, but of course cannot have a dog.
I already have an attack cat, lol. But they were all so cute.

To show you how mean MW is, she was in the break room while I was waiting on the girls to get ready to go to lunch, and DD came in, pacing, looking worried. I asked him if he was ok, and he said he had a lot on his mind. Then he told me not to keep the girls out too long, as he needed them back in the store. I was a bit miffed, since it wasn’t MY idea to go out to eat in the first place, and all the others take off and go to lunch with customers and each other and stay gone for over an hour. There is no fairness there
Anywho…I told DD that heck, it was them that were taking me out, and I had no control, and after all, IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY. Actually, neither MW or DD told me happy birthday. They were both mean, lol.

I went to cash my check, paid my car insurance, paid my post office box for another 6 months, checked my mail (all junk), and went to Bargainville. I bought a couple of sets of pillow cases that match a set of sheets I bought there awhile back, as well as a clothes pin hanging bag that I intend to use as a plastic bag holder. I stopped at Sonic to get my daily dose of DIET CHERRY LIMEADE SLUSH, ROUTE 44 SIZE, for $1.05. They messed up my order……how difficult is a drink??? Sheeeshhh!

I went to pay my rent, then stopped by my daughter’s place of work and her co-worker and friend told her I was in the parking lot, so she came out to meet me saying her boss was in a really bad mood and it was best I didn’t come in. So we stood in the cold wind and talked a minute. She had forgotten it was my birthday, but I told her it was ok. Then she started crying, saying she had a lot on her mind. She wouldn’t go into it, but it broke my heart to see her cry. I hate when my baby is unhappy or hurt. I am sure it has something to do with her old boyfriend, or maybe even a new one. Who knows. Maybe she will tell me when we go out to eat.

When I finally got home there was an envelope on the stairwell post for me. It was the dreaded gas bill. I was a bit surprised when I opened it. It was cheaper than I thought. But after looking at it, the landlord wrote a note saying it had to be paid IN FULL by 1-31-09. The bill was for $158 for 2 months. After a closer look, that amount includes the $60 I have already paid to him for the connection charge. And I AM NOT paying it again. So he is going to be surprised when he gets my payment for $98 instead of the $158. I am not privy to the downstairs tenant’s gas bill, it is separate, but as hot as she likes to keep her area, I am sure it is higher than mine. It is going to be tough coming up with the whole amount at one time. And with only 2 weeks notice……but I will manage somehow.

I guess the reason I have lost most of my readers is that my posts are TOOOOO LONG.
Heck, you should be in a face-to-face conversation with me, lol.

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I HAVE HIT 55........

Well, it is official…….I am 55 years old……….

Actually I think my actual time of birth was around 2:40 pm, but who cares, right???

I have worked hard to get to this point in my life. I used to look back and wonder what on earth had I accomplished. Then, after participating in Guido’s meme, I realized I had done quite a bit in my lifetime. The most treasured accomplishment is my daughter, who has gone from an out-of-control teen to a beautiful, responsible woman.

I don’t have any real plans for tomorrow, but I do have to pick up my paycheck and pay the rent. My daughter is working, so I won’t be able to “do” lunch with her.

I might call my ex-downstairs housemate, Betty, and ask her if she wants to go somewhere to eat. Everyone else is at work…..sigh…….I just don’t want to lay around and be lazy all day. I want to start making some memories on my birthday.

Today I was a bit lazy, but ended up accomplishing more than I had planned. I woke up late (around noon) and went to Sonic to eat. After eating I decided to get my car emission done so that I could go tomorrow and get my tag decal. I was afraid my car wouldn’t pass, but it did. As I was driving BACK over to Sonic to get a Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade Slush, I had to pass the tag office. I decided to go in and see if it was going to be a long wait. I walked right in and was seen immediately. In 10 minutes I was $61 poorer and had my tag decal. But I am now legal for another year.

I came home and got lazy again. I played on the computer for awhile (actually, I spent over an hour trying to fix the meme and post it, just to have the computer eat it and I started over, taking another hour or 2).

For supper I fixed a couple of nice sized Black Angus organic ribeye steaks with a side of steamed green beans and red potatoes in a garlic sauce. Of course, I only ate half of one steak and half of the veggies before my stomach felt full, so I stopped eating and saved it for later.
I just finished eating a probiotic yogurt for my stomach and am about ready for bed. I guess turning 55 isn’t all that exciting after all……..sigh.

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63 OUT OF 99, NOT BAD AFTER ALL

I don't usually do memes, but when I saw this one in Guido's blog, Atlantic Lines, I just couldn't resist. Of course, being the long-winded literary person that I am, I have added explanations to each of the items that I have experienced (in blue). I guess my life isn't as empty as I thought it was............

1. Started your own blog (actually, numerous blogs)

2. Slept under the stars (camping out, also leading a Girl Scout Troop)

3. Played in a band (was the lead female vocalist and bass guitarist for a band when in my late teens)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower (leonid ??sp?? with my daughter on a couple of occasions)

6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I felt they needed it more than I did)

7. Been to Disneyland/world (Disneyworld in Florida, 3 times, also Epcot Center)

8. Climbed a mountain (Stone Mountain in Georgia)

9. Held a praying mantis (I love the way they turn their little heads and stare at you)

10. Sang a solo (I cannot count how many solos I have sung in my lifetime…hundreds I guess)

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (I was on a trolling boat that didn’t get in quick enough so we watched a little of the storm on the way to dock)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (pen and ink, charcoal sketching, claywork, jewelry making, etc.)

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning (oh boy, numerous times….can you say “yo quero Taco Bell”?)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables (helped my granny as a child and then grew tomatoes as an adult)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train (once when young, traveling with my parents)

21. Had a pillow fight (um, numerous, but once with feather pillows…….not a good idea)

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (I would NEVER do that…..ok ok ok, numerous times, but usually I would get sick a couple of days later…karma?)

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb (as a child visiting a dairy farm, and as a Girl Scout Leader)

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse (numerous times)

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (I love a sunset, but have seen both; most beautiful was on the west coast of Florida)

31. Hit a home run (once and only once, when a kid in school….usually I closed my eyes when the ball came toward me)

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (the year before my mother died, I was 18. Our family took a trip from Georgia to Toronto, Canada and back)

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (not the countries of Ireland or Scotland, but the states where most of my ancestors were born)

35. Seen an Amish community (on one of our weekend trips that my Dad would take us on)

36. Taught yourself a new language (American Sign Language….then after I learned a good part of it, my job sent me to a college course to learn it properly so that I could interpret for our deaf customers)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke (only once, and that was enough. I had given up singing in public a few years before this and the stage fright was overwhelming)

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant (a co-worker and I bought a meal for a homeless man in the Doctor’s cafeteria at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. The man was eating leftover food off of people’s plates on the return cart, so we bought the meal, sat it on a cart next to where he was sitting and watched him turn around and pick it up and eat it. He never knew we had done it)

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (um, among other things I have done on the beach by moonlight, lol)

46. Been transported in an ambulance (2-1/2 years ago, and I hope it never happens again)

47. Had your portrait painted (once, by a street artist in New Orleans, LA)

48. Gone deep sea fishing (my father had wanted a boy and got me, so I grew up fishing. He took me deep sea fishing and trolling when we went to Florida)

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain (oh yeah!)

53. Played in the mud (only as a kid….I hate getting Georgia red clay/mud on me now)

54. Gone to a drive-in theater (numerous times, with family and with a date. And yes, I watched the movie…..well, part of it, lol)

55. Been in a movie (been in a couple of movies as an extra, as well as a couple of commercials)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business (actually, 3 businesses. One was a consignment shop 18-19 years ago, a jewelry/makeup business, and currently an online web-business)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (my daughter was a Girl Scout for several years and I was a leader for a year, so yes, we both sold a lot of cookies. My daughter’s troop was the top seller for southern Georgia for 2 years in a row)

62. Gone whale watching (totally by accident. While on a trip to Florida, we were watching the shoreline and saw whale tails flapping in and out of the water, then saw a baby whale jump up out of the water, sorta like a dolphin or porpoise)

63. Gotten flowers for no reason (Michael loves to give flowers for no particular reason)

64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma (not anymore, but I used to. I had mono in my 30’s and now I cannot give blood)

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check (2 that I knew were bad, and numerous that were due to Banking error or theft of my debit card)

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I still have it. It is a cow pull-toy that raises its head and moos as you pull it and push the little air pump. I gave it to my daughter when she was little and recently she gave it back to me to hold for her till she has children)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (on a trip with my parents when I was a child)

71. Eaten Caviar (several different kinds….not really fond of it)

72. Pieced a quilt (when I was a little girl, I used to go to quilting parties with my mother and granny and would help with the quilting)

73. Stood in Times Square (when my parents took a trip to New York to see some relatives who lived on Long Island, we went to Times Square. I don’t remember it, though)

74. Toured the Everglades (never by air-boat, but skirted the edges with a boat, and drove through most of the Everglades in a car)

75. Been fired from a job (twice. First time I worked for a 2-brother owned business where they didn’t have any problems with my performance for 7 years. Then when they wanted to stop paying benefits and hire only temps, they offered me 2 options…..resign and they would give me a glowing letter of reference, or they would fire me. I opted for the resignation, but the Labor Board said I had a case against them, so it was changed to fired and I collected unemployment. The second time I was a manager for a motel and due to being overweight and not liking to wear dresses, the Hindu Indian owner had me train a blonde bimbo with big boobs and thin figure who wore dresses and then I went in one day and she had taken my job. I went to the Labor Board again and they determined I was fired, and wrongfully, so they fined him, I got a settlement, as well as drew unemployment…….karma…….)

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone (2, maybe 3. My wrist when I was 5, my foot when I was in my 20’s, and possibly my lower left rib when I fell while moving some boxes several years ago. Of course, that doesn’t include the hundreds of broken toes, lol)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (first time was when I was 14, and they didn’t tell me to watch the tailpipe…I still have the scar, lol)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book (a small book of poetry that I wrote)

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car (2 in my lifetime. First was a 1977 green Mustang hatchback. Second was a 1981 silver Toyota Corolla)

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper (as a child, my mother would have my picture put in the paper when I had a big birthday party…gee mom….and then when I was in grammar school, I wrote a rather political/moral article that was published in the Atlanta Journal/Constitution along with my picture)

85. Read the entire Bible (several times. Then I realized that you have to STUDY the Bible, not just read it)

86. Visited the White House (when I was a child, with my parents)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (like I said, my dad wanted a boy, but got me. So I was raised fishing. I love to camp out by a lake or stream, catch the fish, scale, behead, gut and clean the fish, then cook it in butter over a campfire…mmmmmm)

88. Had chickenpox (not as a child, but as a grown woman in my 30’s which I caught from my daughter…….thanks, honey)

89. Saved someone’s life

80. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (Frankie Avalon, Burt Reynolds, John Lythgow, Peter Coyote, Mick Jagger and several others I cannot remember at this time)

92. Joined a book club (in school, I was a book nerd)

93. Lost a loved one (my mother, when I was 18; my father about 10 years ago; several dear friends over the years, an ex-boyfriend, as well as my best friend in high school to complications of a bone marrow transplant)

94. Had a baby (who has become a beautiful and smart young woman)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit (in the 80’s I was part of a class-action lawsuit against the Polybutelene plumbing manufacturer. I was awarded $1000 plus had my home completely replumbed with proper pipes, for free)

98. Owned a cell phone (2 total. The first was 2-1/2 years ago when I moved from the wicked witch’s house. The second was 9 months ago when I realized I was paying too much on the first one)

99. Been stung by a bee (numerous times….thank goodness I am not allergic)

NO WAR FOR NOW.......

we were really busy at work today. the director kept the sale from friday and saturday going. our daily totals have been so good with the sale, and the director's boss has complimented us on having the top sales in the metro atlanta area, he decided to keep it going.

the boss got a little testy with me today about 2 really stupid things. one of my pet peeves about thrift stores is the clutter and the smell. mostly the smell. the store was really rank today. it is beginning to smell like the goodwill store, and we definitely don't want that. i asked the boss for the can of oust (which he holds onto in his desk drawer afraid that we might actually use it). he told me he couldn't let me have it, he had to spray it. his boss had told him that we had to spray a certain way. omg you are kidding me? i usually walk down each row and spray the clothes all the way down. they are what stink, as well as the musty furniture. my boss says it has to be sprayed into the air at each corner of the room and allowed to seep up into the air vents and circulate throughout the building. there is only one problem with that bossman..........the air/heat isn't on, so there isn't any circulation. it is just going up into the corners and sticking to the top part of the wall. duh........

the other pet peeve is with sound levels. we have tvs for sale right in front of the cashier counter. they hook up several tvs to cable and electricity and let them play so that people will buy them. i cannot stand to have the sound on. why, you ask? in order for me to be able to handle the tv noise, i have to be able to actually hear it. i cannot stand to hear muffled clutter noise. and if it is loud enough for me to make out the words, then it is too loud.........so it is best to turn on the tv, but turn the sound down. if someone wants to listen to it, they can turn it up, and afterwards, i will turn it down again later. well the boss told me to not touch the volume and got really sorta angry about it. so i stood there and listened to drew carey hawk prizes on the price is right for about 20 minutes and then a customer wanted to check out another tv and disconnected that one. so the sound was turned off on the new one and i never turned it back up. the boss didn't say anything.......i don't even think he noticed it was off.

the 2 people who were having problems on saturday (the assistant director and the resident Christian), both came in late today, around 11 am (scheduled for 9 am each). it was almost as if they were both avoiding each other. i never heard any fallout from what happened on saturday, so i asked the assistant director if she said anything to the director. she said she did, but didn't go into detail with him as he seemed to not really have time to deal with it right then. so i didn't have to set up the bowling pins because heads didn't roll. but both of the persons involved were super nice to me all day. so i guess when the other employees are mad at each other i reap the benefits. sometimes it is good to be me..............

for supper tonight i fixed some frozen fried chicken fingers that i had gotten at the food pantry. the packaging wasn't marked as to what kind of chicken it was, but it looked normal enough. obviously it was drenched in hot wing sauce before it was fried. i thought seriously about calling the fire dept. to put my mouth out...............ouch. i think it tasted good, but my tastebuds were in such shock, it didn't register with my brain.

the weather is about to get nasty here. it was 68 degrees the other day for a high, now they are talking for 28 for a high sometime in the next 5 days. i mean, we need the cold weather, but not every other week and then florida weather the alternate weeks. no wonder everyone is sick. i have a new jacket i want to wear but it hasn't gotten cold enough. now, i will be able to wear it.

i think i will check out for right now. maybe if i think of something else i will stop by later.

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SUCCESS

Finally I got it to look like I want it to. What am I talking about? My framed picture at the top. I wanted a fancier frame, like I had before, but the site’s logo was etched across the bottom of each frame, and I had to airbrush that out. The first framed picture I had on there was the perfect frame, but you could see the airbrushing. On this frame, though not as fancy a frame, you cannot see the airbrushing……..well, not unless you look really close. Either way, I am satisfied with this effort. I might change it later if I find something I like better. I would like for it to fit the frame of the blog title, but haven’t figured out how to do that yet. And I AIN’T doing it tonight, lol. (Ok, so I lied.........I went back and changed the frame lines around the title of the blog to match the background, so they appear not there, but they really are, lol.)

After my last entry, I did go and lay down for a nap. It turned out I was out for some time. I wish I had more energy. I think it is mostly because my blood sugar levels are higher than they should be. I tested tonight after supper and it was 233. Not good at all. I might test before eating in the morning to see if it is any better while fasting. I just want to sleep all the time. And lately, when I have the chance, I do.

I had thin sliced barbecued pork chops tonight, along with a salad with bleu cheese dressing. It wasn’t as good as it looked. Maybe I should have turned out the lights and tried eating it……….and I have bad indigestion.

My sinuses have really been bothering me today. I think one of the reasons is the nut downstairs is smoking like a chimney in winter. I smelled it in the den, in the bedroom, out in the foyer, and in the kitchen. I DIDN’T smell mary jane wanner this time, though.

I have to go back to work tomorrow. Not looking forward to it. But I did want to tell about what happened on Saturday.

It was very dreary Saturday, drizzling now and again, sun coming out for maybe a minute, then going back to drizzle. The wind blew a good bit, and it started getting colder. But none of that stopped the customers from shopping nor the donators from donating. I was surprised to see the assistant director come in, since she never comes in on Saturdays. But she had a lot of paperwork to do and knew the director wouldn’t be there to bother her, so came in to get it done. Her husband came in with her and volunteered his time helping the cs guys unload donations and load furniture purchases. We sold a lot of big furniture items, as well as received a lot as donations.

I was about to go on break when a truck backed up to the front door and the assistant director’s husband and some of the cs guys were preparing to unload a huge sofa and loveseat. It was beginning to sprinkle so they were trying to get it inside out of the rain. The resident Christian came up and started yelling at them that she didn’t want it in the store, she wanted it in the trailer out back. Then she started yelling at the guys that she was very unhappy that there was a huge bedroom suite sitting right there in front of the register and she hadn’t authorized it to be put there. She started barking orders at the assistant director’s husband as well as the cs guys, and the assistant director’s husband got really po’d. he is a little round short man, very redneck, but with a heart of gold. He had had enough. He went and complained to his wife about the way the resident Christian had spoken to him and treated him, then she got upset. By this time I was going on break and my little adopted daughter cashier was relieving me. I went to the very back to sit down outside with some of the cs workers and suddenly the assistant director’s husband came out back fussing and fuming that he was NOT going to be talked to that way, and neither was his wife. I asked what had happened after I came to the back and he said that a woman had wanted to buy the sofa and loveseat off the truck and have the man deliver it to her house. We had had this happen once before, but in that case, the person wanted to pay the owner for the furniture, and not us. But this time, the woman was willing to pay us for the furniture and give us $150 for the set. The resident Christian adamantly said “NO”. The assistant director told her she thought it was be ok, and that way they wouldn’t have to bring it in and set it up and then reload it. That is when the yelling started and after some back and forth arguing, the resident Christian told the assistant director SHE WAS IN CHARGE when the director wasn’t there and she said it had to come in and be priced, not sold off the truck. (I think she is a little confused about the difference in the terms ASSISTANT DIRECTOR and EMPLOYEE.)

The assistant director, who is also a short little redneck bombshell, went off on the resident Christian. Both the assistant manager and her husband said that come Monday, heads were going to roll. Oh boy………..tomorrow is MONDAY!!!! Better get the bowling pins set up………

Earlier in the day one of the really sweet male cs workers was sitting in the breakroom talking to me while we were both on break, and he said that come lunchtime he was going home and not coming back. I asked why and he said that the mean ole woman in charge was being bitchy to him and the other cs workers. She yelled at him for loafing around that morning and he had just gotten out of his sister’s car and was walking to the building to sign in. Then she yelled at them all for sitting down. They had just unloaded several cars and were sitting down to transfer the clothing from the black garbage bags to our clear plastic bags while waiting on more cars to come around to unload. I told him to just ignore her and do what he was doing and let it go.

A little while later I went looking for the mean woman to ask her something and she was out by the big truck sitting on the curb with the resident Christian. I was told by the yank ogre not to bother them. I found out later that the cs workers were all talking about leaving because of the mean woman and the resident Christian took her out there to talk to her and give her a tongue lashing. All the cs workers stayed till the end of the day, so I guess whatever the resident Christian said, it worked.

Just glad that I wasn’t part of any of that which went on that day.

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UNBELIEVABLE

unbelievable.......just unbelievable...........

i have spent the last 2 hours attempting to retrieve my password from google. i tried to access my blog dashboard and it kept taking me to the home page where it tells you to create a blog. i tried over and over to access my blogs or my dashboard. it tells me that the username and the password do not match. WHAT??!! ok, i read the possibilities as to why this might happen, and it says if i have more than one google account, i might have signed in under the wrong one. i wasn't aware that i HAD more than one google account, but i checked it out, and i guess when i first tried to start my google account (in the midst of all the aol closings and being frantic to find something else) i inadvertantly opened 2 accounts, one in my regular email of wumzels2@aol.com and another in wumzels2@gmail.com. i never have used the gmail account, so forgot it existed.

anywhoooooooooo.............i finally got through to reset my password and it gives you one of those scrambled words to type in, and voila.............the word wasn't visible. just a little red x in the corner of a white square. so i tried to refresh, and it went to "internet cannot display webpage". omg!! so i retried, got the new scrambled code, typed it in, clicked on submit, and "internet cannot............". OKOKOKOK i get it...........you don't want me on the computer.

i went to the kitchen and did a couple of things to prepare for supper and went back to the big mean box on my computer desk that won't display my items............and i retried it. finally, i got through to the correct page. i changed the password (to the same one i had before, sheesh) and clicked submit. after 2 tries, it went through. then i had to wait an hour for the email that tells you that "you have been successful, just click on the button below". here we go again.....

i am finally here on my blog, so all is well for now.

after reading about google live writer from guido, i decided to try it. i am using a used computer a friend gave me, and there isn't a whole lot of space left on it for downloading things. i checked the amount of space it would require to download live writer, and i had plenty. so i tried to do so. it went to 99% complete and stopped. i waited a full hour before i decided to just stop it and start over. well, it wouldn't let me start over, but yet it said that it had not been downloaded to my computer......................sheesh.

after much agitation on my part, i finally decided to go to system restore and reset my computer to saturday, BEFORE i installed all the stuff from live writer. then i started downloading again. only this time it tells me that it will take 19 hours to complete the installation. 19 HOURS!!! i won't have a connection for that long. oh well, it is currently into the 2nd hour and is at 11% complete. i guess i will go take a nap and wake up to see where it has downloaded to.

i have a story about work to tell, but won't do it here. one never knows if my connection will be strong enough to support posting of the longer posts. i think blogger is having a lot of traffic right now, as well. it doesn't seem to be available due to heavy use. this entry might not even load.

i will mention that when i got home last night, tired, in a lot of pain and hungry, i found a note on a box of gatoraid that i had left in the downstairs hall because it was too heavy to bring up all at once. i was taking it up little by little since i brought it home on thursday night. the lovely landlord had come in to sweep and polish the hardwood floor downstairs and left me the note. he is such a bully............i have renamed him...........BILLY THE BULLY. (william is his real name, but he goes by billy, so that is very appropriate.)

ok, the eyes are not staying open so i am going to take a little nap and try to come back a little later and post about my day at work on saturday.

see ya'll later................

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FREE PHONE AND MINUTES??

did you know that i am eligible for a free phone and 68 free minutes a month???? why haven't i heard of this program before?? tracfone, which is the service i had before i got my a t & t pay-as-you-go phone, offers a free new phone and 68 minutes to low income people in my area. different areas and states have different options, but heck, i only use my phone about an hour a month. i could keep my current phone and not have to use it as much, and get the free one and use it for the short calls i have to make from time to time. how cool is this?? i think i am going to sign up. you just have to be below the poverty level (aren't we all?) and receive some sort of government assistance, which we get food stamps (not much, but it helps to qualify for this). i am not proud that i have to accept assistance, but i feel i have worked hard all my life and helped assist others through my tax dollars, so now it is MY turn to reap some of the rewards.

today was a good day at work, even though my back hurt like the dickens all day (a southernism). only one customer gave me some grief, and she always does every time she comes in. i was finishing up with the customer ahead of her and she kept trying to interrupt me and i kept ignoring her, she kept interrupting, so i told her to please wait till i finish with my other customer. she started fussing then that i should talk to her more politely and blah blah blah. i finished up with my customer and she then stepped in front of me and looked me in the eye and in her haitian accent, told me i had to talk to her slower, as she had a headache, and couldn't concentrate, and that i should be nicer to her instead of hateful. i told her i treat each customer with respect, but don't interrupt me while i am finishing up with another customer, for that is disrespecting me and my other customer. then she suddenly changed to as nice as she could be. maybe it is a problem that occurs when she gets these headaches. anyway, i was nice to her when it was HER TURN.

i got two really cute things at work today that i have to tell about. one is a huge stuffed mother tiger holding a tiger cub. the other is a cute little black purse with real handcuffs as a handle. i also got some more yarn that the resident Christian saved me, as well as a shrunken head/skull the cs workers saved for me. also, another of my good customers brought me a big glow-in-the-dark skull with a hinged mouth. really cool stuff.

my stomach is still giving me grief. i thought it was a stomach virus, but would it hold on this long?? it has been since last sunday that i have been sick. who knows, could be anything.

well, time for my nightly tv shows and working on my baby afghan (no, i am not pregnant, i am just making one in case someone either does have a baby or if someone wants to buy one).

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BLIND EATING

i am going to try this entry one more time...........maybe the fourth time will be a charm..........it didn't work on wednesday night, so let's try thursday night............

last night i had the most amazing experience.........NO, NOT THAT!!!

due to severe weather, a huge ancient oak tree fell across the street in front of my house, clogging traffic for hours as well as taking out all the power/phone/cable lines and 2 telephone poles. i was at work, but a couple of customers told me about it.

i assumed that the power would be back on by the time i got off work, but in the back of my mind i thought about getting home and not being able to cook supper. so i stopped at taco bell on the way home and got a taco salad with an extra side of sour cream and guacamole. when i got home the power WAS still off, so i fumbled my way into the house, stumbled around lighting candles for a little light, and sat down in flickering candlelight to eat my salad.

i adorned the salad with all the condiments, stirring blindly. when i placed the first bite into my mouth, i was amazed at how wonderful it tasted. every bite was a new taste sensation. i guess when we can see to eat, we expect certain things out of each bite according to how it looks. eating blindly makes your sense of taste come to life. it was the most amazingly delicious taco salad i have ever had. guess i better start eating every meal in the dark, lol. oddly enough the lights came back on with 2 bites left, and when i looked at what was left, it looked horrible. so of course, it didn't taste as good as the previous "bites in the darkness".

i was off work today (thursday), but had a good bit to do. i got up hungry, so decided to get dressed and go get something to eat, then go pick up the yarn that a freecycler was holding for me. when i got out on the road i couldn't decide what i had a taste for. then i realized i was heading toward mrs. winners. i got their 2 piece lunch deal with a sweet tea in the drive through and went back home to eat. afterwards i went to pick up the yarn. wow, the neighborhood where this woman lives is gorgeous........and very high class. i found the yarn on the front porch and left a note of thanks on the door.

on the way to locust grove i stopped at my second favorite store, bargainville, and got a toy for coatie and some skull shoelaces.

i then went to the post office in locust grove and got my mail, then to the outlet mall. i found the perfume called SODELARENTA that i like so much at perfumania. it was $31 with 20% off that. it would still be close to $30. i just can't afford to spend that on myself.

i drove over to petsense and got coatie a couple of catnip filled mice. all i gave her for Christmas was the scrub brush, so i felt i owed her, lol. i then went to the grocery store and was going to pick up some ice cream or frozen yogurt and a diet 2-litre soda, but walked out with $40 worth of groceries. i came home and tried to get all the stuff in the fridge and freezer.

i snacked on some dill dip and chips, watched some tv, tried to get my computer to stay on (they were still working on the power lines and it kept going on and off) and then went to the food pantry to pick up my monthly supply of food.

on the way to the pantry my stomach started complaining again like it did last sunday night. i got to the pantry at 5:25 pm and they don't open the door until 5:45 pm, so i went to the volunteer door and went in, asked to use the bathroom, then came out and asked if i could just stay inside, close to the bathroom. they allowed me to, so i filled out my paperwork and sat down. none of the volunteers showed up to open the door or start the process until almost 6 pm. so i was glad i was inside out of the windy cold and close to the bathroom.

i saw several people i know and had some conversations with them. one is sandra, a really sweet hispanic girl i met at the hands of hope clinic. she was telling me about the trouble she has been having with them, especially kay. kay is the one who i have been having so much trouble with, too. sandra told me that she thinks kay was either fired or asked to leave when the new administrator took over. THANK YOU JESUS !!!!!!! then sandra told me that janet, the founder of the clinic, had lost her husband last week. i was shocked. i never met him, but janet is such a wonderfully sweet woman, i hate that her husband is no longer with her. i have to find a way to get in touch with her. i hate to do it by email.

i came home and checked my food to see what needed to come inside and be put in the fridge/freezer and carried it in. i left the non perishables in the trunk. i got some really good stuff this time as far as frozen/refrigerated food. i got a huge bag of frozen fried chicken fingers, 3 large bags of microwave steamers vegetables and a nice coconut pie. since i was having tummy trouble, i didn't try to fix any of the chicken fingers for supper. i just fixed a small ham on rye sandwich and had a slice of the pie. and the tummy continues to rumble.

all in all, it was a pretty good day, other than the tummy troubles. i figure i had a stomach virus on sunday and monday, and then ate that delicious taco salad on wednesday and got my tummy started again. oh well, the salad was well worth it, lol.

coatie has enjoyed her catnip mouse. i gave her one catnip mouse, the feathered mouse and the feathered ball, but all she likes is the catnip mouse. go figure........my cat is a druggy.

i have to return to hades tomorrow (meaning work). i don't really dread it, i just don't relish it. but i do have a couple of things coming up to look forward to. 1) my birthday is january 15th and 2) my boss is hosting our Christmas party on january 22nd. yep, Christmas party. he does it every year. but who cares as long as we go somewhere nice or fun or both, and it is FREE? we all chose logan's roadhouse again this year. it was so much fun last year. only problem is, we can't have the private room we had last year. so we have to throw our peanuts a little less hard so that they won't hit unsuspecting diners in the other sections. i am looking forward to it. i think i am going to wear a red sequined one-shouldered top with black satin tuxedo pants and jacket. last year i dressed up and most of the others didn't. i want to be snazzy.

i will be off on my birthday, but don't know what i want to do. if i have any money i might treat myself to a shampoo/haircut and buy that perfume, lol.

i better get this posted before i lose my signal.

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