Ditzy

My sister Ditzy is the one who, when asked to help out, will invariably say "I'm too tired", or "I have to take a nap". I ran into Ditzy last Sunday, and here was her agenda for the past weekend:

1. On Saturday, she and her new BF went to NYC. They saw the Radio City Christmas Show, walked 20 blocks to Central Park, walked around Central Park, ate lunch, toured St. Patrick's Cathedral, then returned home (3 hour trip each way).

2. On Sunday morning, they were taking a nice long walk around State Park (this is where I ran into them), and had unspecified plans for the afternoon.

Funny how she always has plenty of energy for the fun stuff, but ask her to wash the dishes, and she gets the vapors.

I don't have a lot of use for this kind of person.

Threadbared - a cool site

This is a test to see if I can figure out how links work. I sincerely doubt it, but I'm gonna try. Try clicking on the title of this entry to see if it will lead you to Threadbared, which is a funny, funny site. Let's go!

Holy crap! I just tried it and it works!! Good things really do happen on your birthday!

OK, for future reference (by me), here's how I did it - (1) bring up new (blank) post; (2) in the "title", put the name you want to give the link (for this one, it's "Threadbared - a cool site". (3) In the "link" section, put the official name of the site (for this one, it's http://www.threadbared.com/) Then put in your commentary, publish it, and when you click on the "title", it will send you right to the site selected in the link. Sorry to bore you, but if I don't write this tech stuff down, step by step, I will forget how to do it in approximately 30 seconds.

Oh, this is too, too cool. I love learning how to do new stuff.

Happy Birthday!

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too - yeah
- "Birthday" by the Beatles

Whoopee!

Smart People

The problem with smart people is that after a while, they start to think that they're smarter than everyone else. That's when the trouble starts.

Braaaaaaiiiinnss . . . .

I had a dream about zombies last night that scared me so badly I had to get up and turn on practically every light in the apartment and check underneath the bed to make sure a zombie wasn't hiding under there. Seriously. Am I the only one who still has very scary dreams about things that don't even exist, for pete's sake?
So when I went back to bed the cat jumped up next to me and stared intently out into the hallway for several minutes, like something scary was out there. Thanks, cat.
And why are zombies so scary, anyway? I mean, all you have to do is outrun them, and they're not exactly sprinters.

Living Room Ceiling

Yay! I did it! I painted the living room ceiling on Friday. And it looks really, really good. So good that I want to paint more of my apartment. Maybe after the holidays - I'm not going to have a lot of free time for the next month. So the ceiling looks great, and I spilled little drips of paint, but not whole buckets, like I was doing in my dreams. My neck and shoulders were really sore, though, from painting "up", but I feel good now.
And I scrubbed the kitchen floor, and that looks good. I went up to TIB's for Thanksgiving - it was her, her hubby, my mom, me, and my sister Ditzy. So TIB and her hubby start talking about how they are going to go visit their new grandson in Atlanta in January, and again in June. When I got home that night, I started thinking "uh-oh. What if they're hinting around for someone to take care of Mom while they're gone?" Last year, they made all these plans to go out of town but didn't bother to tell anyone until a month before they were to leave, at which point me & my sister Texas already had plans & plane tickets, Ditzy said she would be too tired, etc. The more I got thinking about it, the madder I got, because (a) why can't TIB just come out and say what her plans are, and that someone will need to take care of Mom - (b) why doesn't she ask if anyone will be available on the dates that they want to go out of town before she ups and makes all her plans - (c) why does this get dumped on me year after year when I have three other sisters and a brother who could be helping, but don't.
So I called TIB on Friday and laid it all out on the table. First, I asked if her comments from the night before were meant to solicit help in taking care of Mom. She said, of course, she was giving us early notice this year. At which point I asked her why she couldn't just straight out and say it, because frankly, I would have missed the point of her little hints if I hadn't got to thinking about it later. And she said, "I was being clear". Yeah.
So, on to the next bombshell - I told her to count me out for this upcoming year. I refreshed her memory that I have used up every bit of my vacation time for the last seven years, since Dad died, taking care of Mom. I reminded her that there are three other sisters and a brother who could be helping out, but don't. I told her that it was high time that other people in the family started helping out, and that was why I was opting out for the upcoming year.
At this point I know that steam had to be coming out of TIB's ears. I told her that if she thought it was time Mom went into a nursing home, the rest of the family would support that decision. That's when she told me, "it sickens and disgusts me that you think it's o.k. for Mom to be in a home. Mom belongs here with me". You have to understand, she treats Mom like a piece of furniture most of the time. But this particular piece of furniture is paying her (TIB's) bills, so she wants to keep it around. I thanked her for her opinion. I told her I knew she must feel like throwing down the phone at this point and running screaming into the yard, because believe me, I know she was pissed. I explained that I wanted to make my position clear as soon as possible, before we had another rerun of last year's debacle. And I got the heck off the phone before she could beam evil death rays through it and explode my head.
So. A hard job done. I was just determined not to be taken advantage of for another year while the rest of the family coasted. And of course, now I feel terribly, terribly guilty. But that's not going to change my mind this time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yay! I have to work today, and then I'm off until Monday! Tommorrow, Thanksgiving, I will have my annual Thanksgiving Morning Scrub the Kitchen Floor Marathon. Every Thanksgiving, I move everything that I can move out of the kitchen onto the back porch and scrub the kitchen floor, then wax it. Of course, I mop the floor at other times during the year (not really - ah hah hah hah!), but on Thanksgiving, I really give it a scrub. I'll have the Macy's Parade on the TV in the living room, and whenever I hear a marching band come on, I'll go in and give it a look, and it'll make me sniffle, just like it always does, for my fond memories of my marching band past (what a nerd!). While I'm scrubbing, I'll have the pies in the oven (one apple, one pumpkin). I always worry that they'll taste like Mr. Clean from the floor scrubbing aromas, but they never do. In the afternoon I'll head up to my sister TIB's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. I'll drink some beer and spend half the time out on the porch, smoking. At least it's not supposed to be too cold tomorrow!. I don't know who will be there - for sure TIB and her husband, my mom, and me. Hopefully TIB's daughter AM and her hubby will be there, because AM is a lot of fun. But she doesn't seem to be spending a lot of time at TIB's house anymore since TIB quit smoking and won't allow anyone to smoke in her house. (AM and her hubby both smoke.) AM's stepdaughter is 14 now and acts every inch of it. Just a couple of years ago she was a gawky, adorable little girl, and now she's this adolescent from hell, surly, incredibly beautiful, and will surely be causing heartache for everybody for the next several years.
On Friday I plan on painting the living room ceiling. Oh gosh, I hate to paint! And I am sure I will make an insane mess - I had a dream last night about repeatedly spilling huge amounts of paint on the carpet. I'm nervous already. But I'm going to give it a try!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's A Thought

Happiness is equilibrium. Shift your weight.

Why Am I Still No Good At This?

I've been doing this for a while now. Granted, I don't have a lot of free time, so it's not like I can spend hours perfecting this hobby. But you'd think I'd be better at it than this by now!

On Losing One's Wife

My sister TIB's mother-in-law passed away a few weeks ago. The mother-in-law's husband did not attend the calling hours, the funeral mass, or the luncheon afterward. They had been married for over 50 years. This guy has always been a jerk, but I thought not attending your own wife's funeral was taking it a bit far. Of course everyone said, "Oh, he's grieving", and I guess I understand that in a way, but I think he could go and grieve at the funeral.
This past Saturday, he had a stroke.

TGIF

Yay! It's Friday. This week did not start well - I was late to work on Monday because there was a six-car pileup on the highway. (It could have been worse - I could have been in the pileup!) Last night, it took me an hour to get home instead of 20 minutes because heavy rains yesterday caused major flash-flooding. But the weekend is here; unfortunately, tomorrow I have to do three weeks' worth of laundry (I postpone this particular chore as long as possible, especially since I have no washer & dryer and have to go to the laundromat). I don't have a computer at home either, which means (I admit it) I am doing all my blogging from work. Don't tell my boss! Although, actually, I am not sure he would mind if he found out - he's a nice man. Hunting season starts tomorrow, which means no walks in the woods for a while, but hopefully, this will give me a chance to do more art stuff. Just finished the "Catholicism as presented by Mastercard" flip book - it came out pretty good.
Have a good weekend!

I Miss My Mom

Part of my horoscope today says, "Your heart sings out, "Hey, Mom, look at me!"". I miss my Mom. I mean, she's still alive, but with the Alzheimer's, it's kind of like having a little kid around. I still share my accomplishments, problems, etc., with her, but she just doesn't understand very much. I mean, of course we still have long conversations, but they're one-sided, because she lacks the faculties to do a back-and-forth chat. Luckily, I'll talk all day, as long as there's someone there to listen. But it's sad not to be able to dish about The Young and The Restless (yes, I admit it, I've been watching Y&R for about 20 years! I even tape it & then watch it when I get home at night! Ay, Caramba!). It is just terribly, terribly sad to watch my Mom deteriorate like this. But I really think it bothers the people around her more than it does her, because she seems happy most of the time. And for some reason, that makes me even sadder.

Photo Enlargements

This is a picture that I am having enlarged to poster size (20" x 30") at (gasp) Walmart. They actually do a good job with enlargements, and for this size print it only costs $15.00, which is a lot cheaper than other places charge.

I had them do the picture below previously, and it came out really well. I am currently in the process of switching over from 35 mm to digital - seeing as how I am totally technologically retarded, this could be a real challenge!

That's Disgusting

There's a new guy at work. Let's call him "Hack 'Em Up Ed". Nice enough guy, but about every 15 minutes or so, he hawks up a loogie. And he works for it. It sounds just exactly like a dog trying to puke up a chicken bone.
That's disgusting.

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

I just finished the new Stephen King book, "Lisey's Story". Stephen King has always been one of my favorite authors, but lately, I find myself liking his old stuff better - kind of like I don't like anything Elton John did after about 1975. I find I like Stephen King best when he is just writing about normal, day-to-day stuff - he has a real eye for detail and dialogue. When his books inevitably veer into the supernatural (I know, I know, that's his genre), I lose interest a little. But to get back to Lisey's Story, it is a good book, and a fast read (even at over 500 pages, it's one of his shorter books). Should you buy it? If you are a diehard Stephen King fan, you will anyway. Otherwise, I would read it first (you can get it at the library, like I did, although there will probably be a waiting list), and then decide whether you want it for your bookshelf.

By the way, I think the critics tend to be much too harsh on poor Mr. King, so I was glad to see that this book has been pretty much well received. In my opinion, his best book, and the one you may want to start with if you are new to Stephen King, is "The Stand". Even if you saw the miniseries, the book goes into much more detail and is really an enjoyable read.

Oh and also by the way, I sincerely hope that never uses the word "smucking" in any of his books, ever again. I thought it was going to drive me nuts, and all I could think of was Smucker's Jam. If you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about.

As always, all comments - positive, negative or otherwise - are welcomed! Let me know what you think!

The Crab Is In

I made this little doodad & put it on my ledge at work.

Here's A Good Movie To Watch

I watched a really good movie on IFC last night - in fact that's the name of the movie - "Last Night". Please, please do not confuse it with that lameass movie "About Last Night". This movie, "Last Night", is about what people do when they know the world is going to end in six hours. It's a Canadian movie made in 1998 and is available on Amazon and several other sources, I'm sure. It also plays on IFC from time to time. Anyway, it really makes you think about mortality and about what you would do if you were in the same situation. If you get a chance, give it a watch - and if you don't like it, it's only 90 minutes long. Have you noticed that movies today are getting longer and longer? It's almost impossible to see anything with a running time of less than two hours. And if it's a bad movie you're watching, that's a long time to sit there.

I've Got Issues?

I like to check out other people's blogs, especially people who write about their day-to-day lives. I also like to read the comments other people leave. The other day I was reading a blog entry about this girl's new relationship, how great it was, etc. This gal has a history of getting herself in trouble with guys. All the comments were stuff like, "you go, girl", "yay for you", etc. I posted a comment that she might want to use caution, given her dating history. WELL!! I was immediately jumped on by the girl herself, and all her regular comment-ers, one of whom said that I (me) must have issues. I honestly never realized until now that you are only supposed to make positive, cheerleader-type comments on other people's blogs. I thought the reason people allowed comments on their blogs was because they welcomed other people's insight. I was wrong. So here's the deal. My blog is not going to be like that. Make any comment you want, positive, negative, or whatever. I am certainly thick-skinned enough not to be upset by what somebody else might think about what I put on my blog. And I really want to know what people think. So go ahead - make my day. Make a comment - anything at all.

P.S. - Just checked back to that site - now, in addition to "having issues", I am a "douchebag", a "loser", etc. Wow.

Delightful Blogs

Well, I did it! I submitted this blog to Delightfulblogs.com, which showcases the best/most interesting blogs! Gulp! It actually took me a few tries, because I am painfully ignorant about stuff like URLs, etc. Remember, I was all grown up by the time PCs came along, so this stuff does not come naturally to me.
I love doing my blog and it's been a great outlet for me, but sometimes, frankly, I wish someone else would read it. No one in my family, of course, because I blog about them, and no one at work, of course, because I blog about them, and none of my friends (if I had any), of course, because I would blog about them if I had any friends. So that leaves strangers to read my blog. Have at it, guys!

Mr. Z Dresses Up for Halloween

Here is Mr. Z wearing his Halloween costume. Check out his familiar in the window!

What Season Is It?

No posts for a while because I've been so darn busy, plus the wrist was in trouble. I finally went to Walmart & bought a splint that fits, & the wrist is feeling pretty good now. I never did go to the doctor, and now I'm glad I didn't, because evidently it was just a sprain. Albeit an extremely painful one.
I took Mom for a walk on Saturday morning, it was beautiful out, sunny and 60 degrees. A while back, Mom commented that she thought spring was coming, not winter. Who, for Christ's sake, doesn't know what season it is?
A person with Alzheimer's.

Raking Leaves Part II

After raking leaves for 3 hours on Sunday, all my aches and pains have faded away, except for my right hand, which I am beginning to suspect may have a couple of stress fractures. The pain is getting worse, not better. I should go to the doctor's, except that it's a $25.00 copay right off the bat. He will want to do x-rays, and no matter what time of day I go to the doctor, the x-ray guy is always at lunch, so that means a couple hours sitting around while the x-ray guy has lunch. Then, my doctor will read the x-rays, will say, hmmm, this could go either way, and send me to a bone doctor ($40.00 copay), who will want to take more x-rays, which means more sitting around. When I broke my left wrist several years ago, the bone doctor wanted to put it in a cast. When I explained to him that I lived alone and had no one to help me bathe, wash dishes, etc., and I requested a (removable) splint as opposed to a cast, he reluctantly agreed. It worked out quite well, and it was quite amusing (albeit painful) to take off the splint and watch my hand flop around. Why oh why don't they make waterproof casts? Or do they, but it's like a secret thing that only people with super special health insurance are eligible for?
So I may or may not go to the doctor.

Go Vote!

Today is Election Day, so please, if you are educated about the issues, go cast your vote! If you don't vote, you don't have a right to bitch about your elected officials! If you are not educated about the issues and have not been keeping up with current events, then you probably shouldn't vote. "Uneducated voter" should be an oxymoron. By "educated", I do not mean you have to have a college degree - I don't. I mean educated about the issues, the political parties, and the people who are running for office. And if you don't care enough to educate yourself about these matters, then you should be ashamed to call yourself an American. People are fighting and dying every day (Iraq) for this country - the least you can do is educate yourself about the process - voting - that gives us a say in how this country is run.

Raking Leaves

On Sunday, I raked leaves in the backyard until my arms gave out (which took three hours). I walked four miles going from the backyard to the curb with a bedsheet full of leaves across my back like Santa. That pile out by the curb should be the eighth wonder of the world! It's Huge! Sunday, my arms hurt. Yesterday, my legs hurt. And today, both my arms and my legs hurt. At least it's only once a year, and there is a great deal of satisfaction in this particular chore, because it makes a visible difference, unlike a lot of chores.

Flu Shot

I called my doctor's office last week to schedule a flu shot, and the soonest they could do me is the end of this month! Then, I called my mother's doctor's office to schedule a flu shot for her, and her doctor's office doesn't have the vaccine yet and therefore has no idea when they might start scheduling shots. All you hear this time of year is "Get a flu shot". Well, good luck.
P.S. Although I am not technically old enough (thank God) to be in one of the high risk groups, I get a flu shot every year because I actually got the flu a few years ago, and I thought I was going to die. Seriously, I thought the firemen would have to break into my place after no one had heard from me for a few weeks, and they would find my dead body, chewed on (the cat's gotta eat). I missed an entire week of work, and I was so sick, I don't even remember what was going on half the time (Saturday morning to Sunday night is this vague blur).
So now I get a flu shot every year.