Peeking Out from Safety

Sometimes you just feel like peeking out at life from the security of a box. At least that's how Widda feels most of the time. She has gotten my money's worth out of the laptop box. The hole is where I had to cut out the UPC/Barcodes/Hearts and Livers of the box to send in for my rebate. Which, by the way, I remembered to do and they are both sent off to the respective processing centers. Now I await my refund.


It was a snow-filled week in Cleveland. It started coming down on Tuesday and while it's nothing compared to what happened on the East Coast, it was enough to keep many of us off the roads on Wednesday. I - along with most of my department - stayed home on Wednesday and did some work on the computer from the warmth and comfort of my living room. It cleared up by Thursday, but it has started to come down again on & off today. Our driveway is heaped with snow on both sides and I feel like I'm driving in a toboggan chute and it scares me. I've been having the boys pull my car in & out for me when I'm nervous.


Our new living room furniture arrived about an hour ago. It's lovely. Like any change, it took a few minutes to get used to the look - it's very puffy compared to what we had, and much taller. The end tables & coffee table won't arrive until March 2nd, but it's starting to come together and is looking rather nice! I need to get some of my pictures out of the garage to hang up, but that's not going to happen until the snow thaws a bit - there's a huge embankment blocking access to the garage right now. I'm just a little anxious about the cats mixed with the new leather - I hope they keep their back toenails in and give me at least a few days without any scratches.





Speaking of pictures for the living room, the little Picasso-like beauty shown here has been a source of contention between Kenny and me. He HATES this picture and refuses to budge on this one - he does not want it hung anywhere in the house where he will be subjected to viewing it.


I got this picture from a gallery show at work, my friend Melissa Bollen made it and sold it to me for the cost of framing because I liked it so much. It used to hang over my bed in my past life. Funny enough, it's one of the four things that Fsteve and I were fighting over during the splitting of possessions era. He wanted it. I refused to give in on this one. And now Kenny wants to put it on the tree lawn. Funny how that works out. Actually, the four things I was fighting for - this picture, my 32" t.v., the treadmill, and .... well, whatever the last thing was, I can't even remember - have all ended up as being totally unimportant in my life now. Jill has the t.v. in her attic for future use, the treadmill is taken apart and resides in our garage until we one day, maybe, have space for it, and this picture will probably never again have a place of prominence in a home shared with Kenny. So what did any of it even matter. All the fighting, just boils down to a pissing contest for shit that doesn't even matter. I have the cats. Those are what I still enjoy and the only thing that truly mattered to me, in hindsight. Ah, well...live & learn.

Saturday was Girl Spa Day. I was too distracted to take pictures of the extravaganza, but it was a fun day nonetheless. We had a bit of a scare in the morning, Rusty wasn't feeling well and Geri took him to the emergency room/Urgent Care facility so she, of course, missed out on mani-pedi morning. We're all very - VERY - relieved that Rusty is going to be okay, it was some type of virus. Fran, Jill, Vicki, Kenny's mom Linda and I all got our fun treatments at the spa and then had a nice lunch at Maggiano's in Beachwood. I was supposed to get a microdermabrasion treatment with their new "diamond tip" face-sanding machine, but it was broken so they gave me a free $70 EuropeanPlus facial in lieu of this service. It was wonderful, with hot towels, lotions & mini-massages all over my face, chest & arms. It was Linda's first spa-type treatment ever and she seemed to love it. I treated her to it since she's always so nice to me. Frannie also had her hair done since she had a fundraising benefit that night, and she looked lovely. Of course, no pictures. Had Twinkle been getting a hairdo, you can believe I would have had a picture - I've always got pictures of cats. Here's a new one of Twink now that I've mentioned it:





I start 1/2 days with my new job tomorrow - I'm excited and a little nervous. I'll be glad to get out of my current department, though. My manager had me working on something and on Friday informed me that they were changing the format so there was no need to finish it - which is typical for that area. Very frustrating to know that the time I've spent on it was wasted. But I'm leaving so whatever.

We have a 50th birthday party to attend tonight for one of Kenny's friends. I think I'm going to take a nap on my new furniture so I'll be fresh for the extravaganza.

Stanley has made himself very comfortable on the new ottomon. He is conked completely out. Like his cat-mama (me!), he loves anything soft & puffy.

Peace out, stay healthy! I can't afford the worry-wrinkles.

Various Stages of Garbage

Holy Cold! February is not playing games in Cleveland for 2007. It has been cold all the way to the bone this weekend and more of the same is expected. I added weather stripping to the large picture window in the living room as well as our bedroom, and I believe it was in the nick of time. I used to feel a little whoosh of air through the panes and even in this cold the weatherstripping is keeping it at bay. We always have the option to cover up in cats to stay warm.

My big, big news is that I was offered a new position at work on Tuesday. I had interviewed for the job back in early January and I finally got an official offer this past week. I am so excited about this new opportunity! My new department is called Product Insights and as of the 19th I will be an official Product Analyst. Currently, I'm a Marketing Analyst so it's very similar to some of what I currently do at work. The difference is that I get to take the analysis even further and not just look at data but also at what the top raters/low performers have in common and foster some insights. Then I get to put all that info into a cohesive presentation and clue in everyone else. I hope I can do it - I'm a little nervous about knowing how to put all those words together for a presentation. Jill does it for her job and I want to know where she gets all the words. I have a lot of words, to be sure, but not sure I have "presentation" type words. I may have to copy Jill!!

Friday night we used Kenny's Christmas gift and went and saw Jerry Seinfeld at the Playhouse. He wasn't content just seeing the 7:00 show, he actually went online and bought last-minute tickets for the 9:30 show as well. I thought it was kinda over the top, but I didn't care - whatever makes ya happy in life. The opener was really funny and Jerry was better than I anticipated - both times. His second show varied by about 30% with different material from the first show. I expected the shows to be nearly identical and we wagered on it - I said it would be 99% the same, he said 80%. He won and he was really happy I was wrong. They sold really good cookies in the lobby of the Playhouse, by the way.

Jerry's show had a really funny bit about people and their stuff and how everything we get is eventually trash and it's just in varying stages of becoming garbage throughout it's life cycle. And once something makes it's way all the way to the garage, it never makes it back into the house - it's one step from being garbage. He said garage and garbage even sound the same....it was a funny - and true - little vignette. Kenny and I have a lot of shit that is one step from being trash. It's a treasure right now, can't part with it, but it's just on the verge of finding the treelawn - his stuff goes first, of course! Poor guy, he's had to throw out his computer desk, kitchen table (that went to the garage, along with the pinball machine :)), bed, kitchen applicances, coffee table, pillow - actually all bedding - his entertainment unit thing, and now his living room furniture. Wait, one of his living room chairs made it to the treelawn about a year ago. It's all new for him. I like to think it's all better!

Kenny and I used this very cold Saturday to do what else - shop! For new, wonderful things that will eventually just be garbage. His computer could not be revived and they told him it wasn't covered under the warranty because it had water damage inside. I had a few things to say at the Geek Squad counter today and let them know we'll be following up with the main headquarters on Monday or whenever we get his computer back - it's still at the repair center. There's no water in it - but it's the one excuse they can use to void a warranty if they can't fix the machine. It's not like we have a toddler running around who could have accidentally dropped something into it - I was sitting right next to Kenny when it just died, after he'd been using it all day long. So Best Buy doesn't have any problem taking your money for the warranty, as long as you don't ever intend to use it. To think I used to be particularly fond of Best Boys! The deal that comes with the policy is, if they can't fix it you get a credit for the value of your machine to put toward the purchase of something new. Well, he didn't get that but ended up buying a new laptop anyway. They wanted $990 to fix his old one. Yes, that's right, not a typo. He got a new Gateway for $850. It's a gigantic laptop. I can't even see his head while he's on the couch and I'm sitting in the chair - total obstruction. But he loves it.

Afterwards. we went to Circuit City in search of a new laptop for me - which I am now using at this very moment. I think I got a great deal on it, $699 after a mail-in rebate. Of course, I'm about to have an anxiety attack just trying to fill out the rebate forms. The child who sold me the computer told me I could bypass all the mail-in shenanigans and do it all online, which I just attempted to do. I got to the end of the various screens that needed filled out and then got the message that I need to print that screen, cut apart the box everything came in, divy up barcodes and mail it all in. So what, exactly, did the online exercise do for me? I still haven't received my $50 rebate from my new cellphone, which I purchased back in October. Odds are against me, I fear.

My old laptop had me concerned, I believe I had purchased it in '02 or '03 and it has been struggling for the past couple of months to work without freezing up. The good news is, Kenny will be on his own laptop and won't be able to play little "it's me, Tracye" jokes on Rob via IM. Kenny was having a fun time pretending to be me when Rob would send an IM. Rob, his name is crikey7878 (in deference to the Croc Hunter) if you want to add him to your your buddy list.

We went and got more new things after the computers were all squared away, heading to the furniture store. I wanted to pop in and look for a coffee table and end tables since we haven't had any since the summer. Kenny's found their way to the garage...... I gave mine to Fsteve in the divorce, but that's okay because I probably would have ended up just giving them to someone anyway. I'm all about a fresh start lately. I'm glad that I finally have a laptop that his nasty nancyfingerfuckers have never touched. Yeah, maybe still just a tich bitter :0 .... still working on that!

Back to the point of the story....we ended up with a new granite-top coffee table, sofa table and end tables as well as a new leather sofa, chair & ottoman. Kenny thought his were fine, and they actually aren't horrible, but they have lived a hard life in our house and it's time to move them along. We chose a darker leather in Cognac rather than the lighter tan similar to the current set. I've asked my little brother if he needs this and I hope he can use it -it's not that bad that it's unusable. If anyone out there could use the set, let me know, just in case Chucky can't use it. We deferred delivery until the 17th to see if we can find a home for the stuff we've got before the new set arrives. So it'll be a whole new setup in here - hooray! One room at a time and it's going to all come together. Sometimes I'd like to move to a large, modern place, but we sure can't beat the living expenses here so why should we lock into a large mortgage if we don't need to - I love vacationing instead! It's all a trade off, every decision we make. I sacrifice an orderly, more updated place to be able to go out and buy more crap I don't need (but like having!) and taking fun trips. I think that's working for me for now! We're looking at booking another cruise for September.

Mimi's coming back to work too soon to be happy about it. She's due back in about 2 weeks, I believe, and she thought she'd really be feeling well enough to be enjoying her days off. She was surprised to learn that she would spend the majority of her time just recovering. Mimi feels pretty great and her biggest happiness about the whole thing is that this huge pain that she had on her tailbone is gone - I guess that stupid fibroid she had was resting right on her tailbone and the source of the pain she's lived with for well over a year now. She feels like she has a new lease on life, and I'm so glad she got herself squared away down there.

My littlest nephew Trevor turned 13 today - he's a MAN! Well, if he were Jewish he'd now be considered a man. Since he's not Jewish he's just a teen. I got him a fun gift I think he'll like, an MP3 player. I usually spend only $25 on birthdays, but on the milestones I like to do something a little more special. I did make quite a gaffe with his card, however. I actually picked up one of our GI Joe cards for him - and received a look of disbelief from Kenny when I showed it to him. He informed me that it's a swell card for a boy 5-9, but NOT for a boy who's now an official teenager. The fact that the card came with stickers just added insult to injury, I was told. I have to go and get a new one, something from the "toilet humor" section, I guess. Trevor told me all about a card he got for his birthday from one of his little friends, it was a 'scratch & sniff" humor card, the punchline being "smells just like a birthday card, huh". Well, Trevor thought that was absolutely hysterical and apparently noteworthy, as he told me all about it on the phone. I still have their Christmas gifts, so I guess we need to somehow coordinate schedules for gift giving, I'm getting all backlogged with presents.

I caught a stomach virus on Wednesday, had me laid up for a couple of days this week. I'm all cleaned out inside, to be sure. Clean as a whistle in there. Luckily, the day I got sick I had only had an orange juice that morning so it wasn't entirely unpleasant - it came back up and left a little citrus flavor in it's wake. It also gave me horrendous indigestion which Pepcid was having a hard time controlling. I'm a terrible sick person, I laid around moaning loudly so Kenny could know how bad I felt. He was a very good caretaker and only threatened to smother me with a pillow once.

The girls had card night Friday while I was at Seinfeld. They celebrated Meggan's and Fran's January birthdays with cake and pizza and I'm sure a table laden with goodies. I wish I could have attended, I love card night - but next time. Meggan's in the process of having her bathroom entirely remodeled, which would be so much fun to plan. That will be a huge 2007 change for her!

Jill and I talked about starting a Bunco night, which is a type of dice game. We have a lot of info from the Internet and are going to look into getting that underway. It sounds like a lot of fun and would be one more reason to get together.

I bought a new book I'm very excited about starting: The 4th Summer of the Sisterhood.

I love this series, have not been disappointed yet, and I even liked the movie. Those girls are good friends, just like me and my friends, and even though they don't always get along perfectly, they always remain true to each other and there when they need each other. It's just a really good story, for girls that is. I've committed to finishing The Great Gatsby before I start this little nugget, so as of right now it's just sitting on the table tantalizing me. I can't wait to see what Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bridget are up to this summer!

I'm always surprised when I start writing just how many words I have to say about a week's happenings. And I'm worried I won't have enough words for presentations?? One thing I know for sure, I am rarely - if ever - out of words.

Blogging off for now, still updating my new laptop with my old "favorites" links, I'm surrounded by cats & computers.

Peace out & stay safe this week - bundle up!

Angel Wings

We had a scare this past Tuesday, my nephew Justin was in an accident. He lost control of his Jeep on Parsons Road while he and his friendie were on their way to go sledding or something. Anyway, the Jeep rolled over, landing on it's soft-top roof. Justin ended up with a cut artery in his head and his little friendie ended up with some cuts on his hand & fingers which required a few stitches. The accident looked a lot worse than it turned out to be, with the trooper who arrived on the scene calling the ambulance and telling them to prepare for a "dead on scene" situation - guess there was blood everywhere and Justin and his friend had climbed out of the vehicle, but then Justin lost consciousness. Every time his heart beat, blood was squirting out of his head, lending a fatal look to the scene. It's rather miraculous, but both boys got stitched up and were sent home from the hospital the same night.

I was scared to death and had a minor breakdown when Melinda called me at work with the news, but I pulled it together long enough to drive home so Kenny could drive me out there. By the time we got home that evening I was exhausted from the sheer stress of it all - Melinda was holding up very well, considering. Luckily this story had a very happy ending and I think they must have landed with angel wings. That's my story. The boys, on the other hand, were cooking up their own story to make it even more dramatic - they were corroborating their story and how many times they were going to say the jeep rolled. They wanted to say 8, but Kenny wisely informed them that sounded slightly unbelievable, so they settled on 3 times.

I think one of the most shocking parts of the whole evening was seeing my little baby nephew with hair on his chest. I used to pack him around with me wherever I went when he was a baby - he was my little guy. He shouldn't have chest hair! He's still a baby!

Speaking of babies, here's a picture of Twinkle when he was just a small little fella.

Other than that little slice of drama, it was a rather quiet week. The Baldwin/Anderson Movie Reviewers took in Children of Men on Wednesday evening. We both really enjoyed it and would recommend it, but not for Geri - she would HATE it.

Thursday evening was my planned work soiree, which was my first attempt to pull the girls in my department together a little bit more and help the new folks feel like part of the greater team. The weather forecast was horrible, with "blinding squalls" and "biting winds" on the Dopplar. I sent a formal cancellation notice to the 11 people who accepted the night out, but by 5:00 it still wasn't bad outside so a handful of us decided to go out as planned. Six of us went to TGI Fridays and we had a really good time. Two newer girls I haven't had the chance to talk to joined me, my friends Kristen & Emily and my new team member Kristin Barclay. I was by far the oldest in the group, with no one else over the age of 26. They even have young names - Chelsey, the Kristens, Stefanie (with an f of course!) and Emily. I felt like Mrs. Garrett from the Facts of Life. Surprisingly, we didn't get one free drink all evening. I'm going to have to teach the "kids" how to work it, I guess - that many hotties at one table, we shouldn't even be opening our purses!

On Tuesday I dragged Kristen & Emily to our first Toastmasters meeting at work. I decided that morning to sign up us, I need speaking/presentation skills on my resume. Kristen has so much public speaking anxiety, she will literally throw up before having to speak. Which is surprising because she doesn't have a bit of trouble gabbing with me all day! I told her that I refuse to allow that from her, she's 25 with the world at her feet and I'm not going to let some fear prevent her from being the best that she can. Emily decided to come for fun, so the three of us were surprise guests. We're officially joining next week and I even talked our department into paying our membership dues for us. So we'll be official Toastmasters! Now lets see if we can ever grow up enough to stop laughing at one of the other member's names, Susan Cox. We had a ball with that one (get it...a ball....with Cox...tee hee!!).

Wow, I guess the week was more interesting than I thought - joining groups, car accidents, movies, drinks with girls. No wonder I'm tired by the end of the week.

I hung out at home tonight and watched a tivo'd recording of North Country with Charlize Theron. It was excellent and I recommend it if you get the chance to see it. Kenny's running Karaoke at Blue Moose, he has his friend Pete going with him so I didn't feel obligated to go and keep him company. I was happy, I've been out enough this week already.

February's almost upon us with Groundhog Day coming up - can't wait to hear what Punxatawny has to reveal

Peace out and stay safe - hope you all have your own angel wings when you need to land softly!

2007 Gaming Adventures

The Bowens, Vargos, Kenny and I flew to Atlantic City last weekend. We got a great deal from Personal Travel Corporation, $250 included two nights at Harrah's, airfare and all transfers. They took your luggage from the shuttle bus to the room for you, and picked it up out of the room at noon on the day of checkout. It was a very smooth trip, not one glitch to speak of.....other than my luck at the gaming machines, of course. It seems that 2007 is going to continue the gambling trend for me, which is taking all my money, spanking me and sending me home.

Happily, Kenny had much better luck than I; he won $1,200 within the first thirty minutes of our arrival. He was very excited to find his favorite new slot machines were there, the World Series of Poker machines. They are super-fun, they're regular video poker with a Texas Hold 'Em bonus game that takes you into a simulated contest against other players. So he was a big winner right off the bat - too bad he isn't as good at the "saving your winnings" part of gambling. I would be good at that if I ever had the opportunity! Anyway, the two days had quite a few mini-jackpots for Kenny, and at one point he even won $1001 twice on the same machine, which was the best way to do it because both times were under the limit for paying taxes. He did have to fill out the tax form on his $1200 win, and he doesn't believe in the theory of write-offs so we'll see if he actually collects his losing lottery tickets for the next year to apply against his winnings. I'm going to bet no. I think that's one gamble I would win.

The Bowens & Vargos had on & off again luck, but on Sunday night Rusty found a three-card poker table and settled in for what turned into quite a lengthy ride. Geri had gone to bed and Rusty had text-messaged me, but I was already done for the night as well. So he played alone, and rocked out at that table. He couldn't lose, and was still there at 8:30 the following morning when Geri stumbled down to find her husband. He was still at the same table, playing two hands at once and apparently treating the cocktail lady exceptionally well - she brought him a cheese & cracker plate! I've never been served food snacks at the card tables - Rusty got snacks! It was so fun because that was just above & beyond ordinary service. I actually had the opposite problem at Harrah's and could not get a cocktail lady to wait on me. I asked for a soda at one point and was told "no, she's not in my area." I had to have Kenny get my drinks for me and bring them over to me. And I was gambling - and I would have tipped well!

While on our mini-trip, Dave Vargo mentioned to me that he had started to write a book, about four guys who take a trip to Las Vegas. He said he got the first few pages done, which are actually the hardest in my opinion. I hope he finishes it - Dave, just do it! If you want to be a writer, write. That's the advice I recently read. Now I have to practice what I read myself. I've got my book bottled up inside me and Rob has made a bet that by the end of this year I will be no further along than I am now. I hope he's not right.

Last night Kenny and I went and killed the evening at our fun little gaming places in Akron. We came out ahead, me by $100 (which I'll be adding to my trip pooch) and Kenny ahead about $230. He plays much harder than me so his winnings are always bigger. I was very excited, though, because I got a full-screen of pink diamonds on my favorite Queen Bee machine - it's the 2nd largest jackpot you can win! It actually looks more impressive than it really is, but I was thrilled and it was the end of the night so I took those winnings home with me. The Smoke Free Ohio apparently hasn't taken effect there yet because I smelled to high-heaven when we got home and jumped in the shower before I even kissed a cat - they would have stunk like smoke had I touched them. Ah well. What's a little lung cancer compared to the thrill of all pink diamonds on the Queen Bee?!

I'm getting closer to my resolutions for 2007. I've got some of them narrowed down so far. I think I'm struggling because I'm now 40 and feel the need to figure out what I truely want in life. Not that what I've got is bad now, but I need to figure out where I want to go on a personal level and make it happen. First and foremost is getting healthy. Kenny and I actually took the step and went and checked out Omni Gym in Parma yesterday. They have quite a bit to offer, and you can pay on a monthly basis, which is perfect for us right now. I felt a little uncomfortable there and it would definately be stepping out of my comfort zone to join that particular gym. I'm used to ladies only, with a bunch of overweight white women huffing & puffing along. This is co-ed, and much more utilitarian feeling than the pretty gyms with flowers & candles that I'm used to. The Omni is, however, mostly older men and once Kenny pointed that out to me I was better with it. They have a big pool there, which would be good for my crazy back - which, I must mention, is now doing something even crazier and and making my right arm feel like it's falling asleep. That's all I need, to have a still-numb left arm, a bad lower back and now lose the feeling in my right arm. How the hell did all this happen? So that's that. I'm going to wait and see if I become paralyzed one limb at a time.

We had movie night this past Thursday and went to see The Good Shepherd. Wow. I asked Kenny if we could get a refund after the first 40 minutes. I want my 2 hours and 39 minutes back. Not to mention my $8. Frannie had seen it and recommended it, and I'm really surprised she could even follow this movie, much less give it a thumbs up. I think she must have actually seen Blood Diamonds or something and thought she was seeing The Good Shepherd - that's the only explanation I have for her saying this was a good movie. Throughout the movie Kenny was asking me "what's happening" or "who's that" and my reply was the same throughout - I have no idea. More importantly, the movie was so bad I didn't even care who was who or what they were doing. Baldwin & Anderson give it two big thumbs down - WAY DOWN.

Work was work this week. I took the initiative on Friday and sent out a dinner/drink invite for all the marketing analysts & program administrators in my department. The whole area is so "clickish" and it frustrates me to watch the new people not get accepeted on a personal level. I really couldn't care less for myself, I've said before and I very much mean it, I know enough people. But I want these new people to find their feet in the company and make friends. I know that my friends at work are one of the reasons I love going there - if I didn't have my group of peeps I would be so unhappy. So far I've received a pretty good response for next Thursday.

I've taken this one step farther and sent an email to our Product Managers asking if we can get permission to leave early one day in February so I can organize an afternoon of bowling - without bosses. I think we need a social activity, even though I can't play myself because of my arm/back. I'll tell you what summed up the department mindset: I included our department secretary on my dinner invite and she emailed me back with the message "how fun! are you sure you meant to include me??" I told her of course I did, the people need to know she's more than just the keeper of the post-it-notes. She gets excluded from all our department stuff and I hate that. She's very nice with a really good sense of humor - and people need to know that. I guess I should have been a cruise director.

Kenny's computer died on him this week so we're sharing my laptop until they either repair it or declare it dead. It's hard because he's sitting around looking at me as I blog. I told him to go and read a magazine or something. Moments ago he asked me if I'd like him to whip up something for breakfast. I said sure, and he's now in the process of whipping up breakfast at Pappou's for us. He's showering, that's his prep work. So I need to go and throw my hair in a ponytail and get dressed so we can head out for his version of home cookin'.

Peace out & stay warm - winter's finally arrived!

Jack's Back!

Holy Hot, Jack's back - and looking better than ever! Four action-packed hours started this past Sunday and even though we were on a long weekend trip to Atlantic City, the Bowens, Kenny & I took a time-out for some Jack Action Sunday night. He didn't disappoint. Those who don't watch are missing the best show on network television. We were on the edge of our seat. I was so hyped up after the first two hours that I tried to do a karate kick to show how I would fend off a terrorist (of course, my first plan of attack would be to bite the ol' jugular, ala Bauer). Anyway, I apparently forgot who I am for a moment and as I raised my leg into high-kick position, I lost my balance and fell into my suitcase. Agile like a cat, that's me!

Peace out - Atlantic City update to come later. It's a big t.v. week for me - yes, I know I should do something more productive with my time but I LIKE t.v. - so Rob, suck it.

January Returns!

I made the first returns for 2007:

• a purplish microfiber/suede track suit (what the hell was I thinking??), it clung to every dip and dimple on my body


• a Superman DVD set (Kenny wanted the new 14 disc set with never-before-seen footage, this was just the 4 disc set)


• a little shelf for the kitchen that was missing some parts

Tina, Timmy and Kenny went to HH Gregg this morning because Tina purchased a new 32" t.v. which was supposed to be delivered yesterday and it is out of stock. The written policy of HH Gregg is "if it's out of stock you get a free upgrade to the next-best t.v. in stock." So they went to get her free upgraded model. They didn't take me with them, which was their first mistake. The manager of the store told them that while that may be their policy, they weren't going to honor it on this particular television. Something about it was an error and they were way oversold so a directive came down not to honor their policy. So they came away with nothing but a business card for the home office and some ideas about contacting Channel 8, etc. Shoulda took me. I returned a consumed rotisserie chicken with success - got my $5.99 refunded. I would have created a HUGE stink right in the middle of that store until they honored their policy. This isn't the first bad story I've heard about HH Gregg - it won't be on my shopping list going forward. Not that I ever bought anything from there anyway, but this just reinforces my decision. I never did like that store.

Kenny's still in the pit of betrayal. His ousting from The Nitelites is his divorce. Unlike me, he is not a naturally positive thinker and tends for the overdrama of giving up on life. I told him today that I was done with trying to give motivating ideas and suggestions as everything I mentioned was shot down in a flash. He thanked me for not even "letting the body get cold" before I gave up. I guess I do tend to run out of patience rather quickly...Fsteve accused me of the same thing on a few occassions. But I just don't tend to wallow...that doesn't mean I get over things quickly at all, but I turn to positive activities rather than allowing too many pajama days. When I was sad, I worked out in my basement, painted my entire house, and planted flower bulbs because I knew that by springtime things would be different and planting the bulbs was my way of telling myself that I would also be different and ready to see new life. I was planting hope. That's how I handle adversity. Oh, I stomp around and cry (for days, as Geri and Jill know) - but I bounce back and never say ridiculous things like "my life is over" or "I'd be better off dead". That's crazy talk and, good or bad, I value every day. Kenny leans towards the fatal and that overdrama is a struggle for me to deal with....but I'm trying. Betrayal runs so deep, it is hard to imagine ever feeling right again. Maybe you never really do, maybe it does change the fabric of your being. But you only get one chance here (unless you're a Buddist, then you believe in never-ending lives), so you might as well make the most of it.

I'm still working on my New Year's Resolutions. I haven't gotten my 2006 Inventory List completed yet, so I guess procrastination is still ruling my world. I am not just going to make a few resolutions, but am actually going to list out an action plan for each. "Eating better" doesn't really mean anything, unless you define what that means. My main goal is to be healthy, and again, that needs a definition. My back feels really good right at the moment - I know it's still not "right" but it's not dominating my thoughts. I want to start my Pilates DVD, but I'm holding off until Hot Dr. Golsch gives me the go-ahead. I was supposed to see him this morning at 9:00 a.m., and I realized that no amount of back pain gets me out of bed that early on a Saturday. That was just crazy for me even to pretend I could do that! I slept til 10:22 a.m. Then napped again in the early afternoon with the cats. It was a very restful day.

Jill has made an ambitious attempt to quit smoking. I hope she's able to accomplish it this time around. She's paused before...but hasn't made it to a full-fledge stop. I can't imagine the strength it takes to beat that addiction, but the only way to do it is the hard way - stopping. She might as well give it up since the new smoking laws passed - she's forced to change her habits so she might as well go all the way with it. Good luck, Jill! And remember, if you don't have a perfect day, try again tomorrow.

I'm very excited that it's been raining and I finally used my stylish Coach umbrella. I am nervous that I am going to leave it somewhere so I'm careful about bringing it out - if it's a light drizzle I won't take it with me. I think that's counterproductive to the function of the umbrella, but I've never had such a cute umbrella before! Geri got a compliment on hers the first time she used it.

I believe I've fallen a little in love with Jessica Alba, after seeing her pictures posted on The Superficial. Man, she is smokin' hot! I've posted her picture from People magazine on my fridge so I can use it as inspiration for my new 2007 body I'm hoping to get. I know that's a healthy aspiration, to use a 20-something movie star as my role model for my 40-something-year-old self.

That's as good as it gets from here this week.

Peace out & stay safe!

2007 Sucker Punch

Wow. We received a phone call this morning from Kenny's "friend" Johnny from his Doo Wop group that they were kicking him out of the group he started. Guess they had a meeting six weeks ago and decided he was holding them back from greatness. He started the group. They were his friends. And they all had the audacity to act as if nothing was wrong for the past six weeks, while they performed on New Year's Eve. The two other guys in the group were the real hold up, in my opinion - they have small kids and jobs that conflicted with singing opportunities.
None of them are so great they are on the verge of being discovered - they got together to sing because they all enjoyed it and they liked hanging out together. It's a cutthroat world out there. People suck. If you have two good friends in this world you're lucky - I mean true, there-for-you-no-matter-what friends. The longer I live the more jaded I'm becoming. He just lost four friends and my heart is breaking for him.