What was once lost, is finally found !

WOWSER !! I couldn't for the life of me, find my info for this place until yesterday evening. Someone had pointed out that I hadn't posted in some time & I had to respond that it was purely brain farts to blame.

Anyhoo, I'm back (till I forget it AGAIN) and I continue to blessed with the ability to open my eyes & get out of bed every morning. Good things, I suspect.

Coming up on Turkey Day & a new experience for us ...... we'll NOT be home for the traditional "trash-OUR-house" marathon. We'll be supping with good friends at THEIR house. I'll be out of my element not getting in there & actively cooking, but mayhaps the matron of the house will allow me to help out is some way -- we'll see.

I'll be bringing a loverly butternut squash souffle & some nice dinner rolls & the SO will be bringing some dee-lish cookies. Good eats, good friends, good conversation -- one cannot ask for a better combo. Best part -- aside from the aforementioned ? We'll be doing the turkey, et al dance @ OUR house the next day for those who were unable to be with us on Thursday.

Here's to a wonderful, satisfying & family-oriented Thanksgiving for everyone !!

T Minus 2 & counting .......

Tick .... tick .... tick .... tick ..........time can NOT go by fast enough. At noon I will be leaving work to embark upon a mini-vacay to Williamsburg. I have been needing this respite for many, many months. Got all packed last night & even made one of those last-minute-things-I'll-probably-forget lists. This has got to be THE best planned excursion I've ever put together.

And to make things even easier -- on Monday I bought me a NEW CAR !!! So I will have no worries about whether my old Cav will survive another road trip. This new beauty only has 21 miles on it when I drove it off the lot ! Of course once the initial euphoria wore off & reality kicked my arse with the hard fact that I have picked up another payment to add to the list of those hungry for the remnants of my paycheck. siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

Pish posh !! I'm leaving on a mini-vacay in less then 2 hrs & DAMMIT I'M GOING TO ENJOY IT !!!! I'll worry bout all that other stuffs when I get back & the glow has faded.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Weekends in the office & thumping PsOS

Well, it's Saturday & I'm here at work. Just finished transcribing BoD meeting minutes. Somehow it seems to go by MUCH faster when you're THERE as opposed to hearing it all over again.

But it's done & now I'm rocking out to an Oldies station on the 'puter. Most people would probably say that my "age is showing." But not true, I've ALWAYS listened to this kind of music. I grew up with it and have never lost my love of it.

The crapola coming out nowadays is NOTHING close to what I'd consider music. Oooops, there's my Mom coming outta my mouth again ! Remember when your Mom would yell, "TURN THAT CRAP DOWN !! HOW CAN YOU CALL THAT MUSIC ?!" Shamelessly i find myself uttering a facsimile of those same words as I sit waiting for a traffic light to change and Mr. I-drive-a-POS-but-my-stereo-can-be-heard-for-10-blocks pulls along side thinking he's doing ME a favor by exposing me to HIS music.

As a return favor, I crank up my Oldies station AND add the personal serenade to drown him out. Most times, he'll either peel out laying down precious rubber in an effort to get away from my musical assault, or roll up his windows & just treat me to the echo vibrations of the bass threatening to shake his POS into a pile of metal and plastic. Either way HE'S the loser. I guarantee MY stereo will best his & he just might learn what REAL music is supposed to sound like. I WILL be victorious !

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Death makes a visit .... twice.

I had an interesting convo last night. Seems my aunt died (my father's brother's wife). Now, I didn't particularly like this aunt, but your relatives you're kinda stuck with. Anyhoo, come to find out this aunt died LAST MONTH & we're just now hearing about it. Not really unusual considering THIS particular side of the family -- saying they were/are kinda weird is being nice.

Then this very morning right after rising I had yet another encounter of sorts with Death. Went into the bathroom, turned on the light, proceeded across the hall into the office to turn on the 'puter & out of the corner of my eye I see a woman wearing a white-ish dress walk by. I walked out & down the hall, turned on the hall light to witness my Maine Coon Bennie, fully arched with fur at attention. No other pets were around & my SO was still peacefully snoring in the bedroom..

I wasn't freaked at the "sighting," as much as Bennie's reaction. THAT made the hairs on my neck & arms raise. Previous owner checking things out ? I doubt it. I know for a fact that the original owner of the house was alive when the people WE bought it from, purchased it. And that couple were both younger than us when WE bought it. Was it my unfavorite aunt visiting ? A fig newton of Bennie's & mine imaginations ? Who's to say for sure.

This is all slightly disconcertingly interesting. I can either chalk it up to trickery of lighting or the freaking out of the cat who in turn freaked ME out. Or wait to see if I'm the recipient of another visit. Either way, I'm not the type to turn ALL the lights on in the house & have TVs & stereos on to "ward off spirits." My philosophy is, if you leave them alone, they'll reciprocate in kind......... I hope.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Who stole Spring ?!!

WTF is Spring ???? This weather has been UNbelievable of late ! Where's the upper 60s to low 70s & the SUN ?!?!?! Now part of me says it's a good thing that it's been rainy -- keeps that nasty Mr. Drought at bay. But that part is getting drowned out by the restlessness of grilling, planting & swingin on the swing -- OUTSIDE.

My Mom says they've had warmer weather up home than we've been having here home. There's something decidedly wrong with that seeing how she lives 460+ miles NORTH of here. Positively disgusting. But not disgusting enough to make me move back up North -- sh-sh-sh-u-d-d-d-e-r-r-r-r.

Oh well as a great friend pointed out, the signs are EVERYWHERE ...... trees leafing, flowers showing off, lawns greening up & tree sex ........ I just want the temperatures to raise a tetch, thass all. Actually probably my favoritest seasons are Spring & Fall -- rebirth & pre-death. Kinda comforting in an oddly perverse way. But that's me ... attracted the extremes both in nature & life. Keeps people guessing ! Just call me Enigma ! ;-)

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

April Showers .......

I understand that the new burgeoning plant life needs to be fed a consistent diet of water, but REALLY how bout some WARMTH to go with ?! This has been a rainy and/or drizzly COLD start to Spring. Weather like this shit is why I left NYS !!! Com'onnnnnnnnn SUNSHINE !!!

blah ... blah .... blah ......

Anyhoo, due to the crappiness of the weekend's weather, NOTHING got done outside (save the running in & out of the car to & from) so it was pretty much a wash out (pun INTENDED). We DID however use the time to catch up on a Netflix DVD that has been sitting on the shelf for 2 weeks. Enchanted was ummmmmm, disappointing I'd have to say. A big 2 TD's for that one. However, Alvin & The Chipmunks was cute & hilarious so it got an enthusiastic 2 TU's. Can't wait for The Water Horse -- hope it's as good as the trailer shows. I reeeeeeeeeely want to see The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian on the BIG screen. THAT will be kool !

Speaking of the BIG screen -- remember when movies & the necessary accoutrements DIDN'T cost a US Grant ?? I remember going to the Saturday double feature matinees for $1.50 & I got a 5spot to cover the whole shooting match. Those were the days !

Some of the movies I remember seeing on the BIG screen as a kid or teen : Rascal, Friday the 13th, Rocky, Victor/Victoria, Cabaret, Dr. Zhivago, Tootsie, Star Wars, Nightmare on Elm Street, My Bloody Valentine ......... of all the ones I could see, the one I stood in line for 3x & have YET to see on the BIG screen is Rocky Horror Picture Show. The last movie I saw on the BIG screen was just a few months ago -- Juno. I was the only one who liked it -- go figure.

I'm soooooooo glad that they started putting some of my favorietest movies on video/DVD so that I can see them on my 47" sortaBIG screen at home any time I please. Trust me some get quite a work out ! HAHA ! Here's to the sliver screen -- may it NEVER go dark !!

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Obsession takes a BITCH

Have you ever known a person soooooooo obsessed that it was almost comical ? Comical and downright scary and/or weird depending on YOUR pov. I've recently become the "victim" of one person's obsession. Said person is not a very nice person & shows that component of their personality on a regular basis. I can't help but wonder what makes a person so very angry and lonely that their only chance at being happy is at the trashing of others.

I can be a BEYOTCH, don't get me wrong. It usually rears it's ugliness upon provocation & rarely sticks around long. Usually long enough to make the point & then disappears. THIS person however, is a bitch 24/365. Doesn't matter if YOU have made contact or not -- they SEEK you out in order to spill their obnoxious venom & then hang around waiting to strike over & over & over. How sad is this person ? No, I don't have empathy or sympathy for this person -- disdain & disgust, yes. I've even asked why ME ? They can't even be civil in their answer -- EVERYTHING is laced with venom.

WTF have I done to this person, you may ask ? Nada, nil, zippity-doo-dah, goose eggs. I guess I could say I AM & that's provocation enough, but that seems ridiculous & infantile. Nope can't think of anything, but then again this person rarely crosses my mind -- UNTIL I get blindsided by their nastiness & unhealthy obsession. I laughed at someones mention of cyber-stalking, but upon every new "encounter," I'm beginning to wonder myself. I've suggested they get a year's supply of AAA batteries so that their Pocket Rocket never runs down. I figured no one can continue being nasty whilst "riding the wave," right ? Obviously this person is a candidate for Ripley's Believe It or Not.

So I'll just not think about -- until the next encounter. Color me sooo anticipatory. /sarcasm

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

To slow or NOT to slow ........

THAT is the question I put before you this day. Is it better to have slowed and obeyed, than not and get ticketed ? Of course I speak (er -- I mean type) of the posted speed limit in the vicinity of schools (though NOT universities, oddly enough). There are these black & white signs bearing the warning that your vehicle is about to enter The School Zone. Big flashing yellow lights accompany said warning along with a speed limit deemed acceptable for passage thru said zone.

I pass thru one EVERY day on the way to work. And EVERY day I abide by the posted speed limit with in that couple hundred yards or so. However I witness those who zip thru these zones as if those flashey lights & speed limit are for OTHERS and not THEM.

Where is the local constabulary, you ask (I could make the stereotypical snarky remark bout donuts & such, but won't) ? Sometimes "the boys in brown" are indeed on the spot, but their sightings are rarer than a truly natural blond over the age of 30. Still without DAILY presence, the offenders quickly revert to their "meant-for-YOU-and-NOT-me-nanner-nanner-nanner" ways.

And who's the loser in this macabre dance of compliance & disobedience (and NOT even civil -- flipping the bird is NOT an act of civility !) ? The observant one -- both of the speed limit & successfully dodging the "rabbit," of course. In other words, ME. I obey the flashy yellow lighted sign EVERY day & suffer the horns & rude gestures of my fellow stupid commuters.

All I can say to them is some day, soon hopefully, I'LL be the one with the evil grin on my face as I pass by YOU as you try to explain to the nice officer WHY you can't read, or if you CAN read, why you chose to ignore the flashy yellow lighted sign. MAY THERE BE A "BOY IN BROWN" IN YOUR NEAR FUTURE !!!

/soapbox -- take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

April Fool ........ NOT

It's Monday ..... again. Drizzly, dark & dismal. But I'm alive, have a roof over my head & money in the bank. So all is not lost nor forgotten. I'd like to blame my foul mood on the weather, but truth be told it's just one component in a downward spiral.

Menopause is EVIL !! I don't remember puberty being this annoying. Now don't get me wrong -- I welcome it, but at the same time I curse the fact that I'm female & must endure this "rite of passage" as a part of the life cycle. Oh well, beats the alternative ..... for now anyway.

I gained TWO POUNDS last week ! HOW ?!!! I've been diligent in my diet (although exercise HAS suffered) & now that warmer weather is upon us, the veggie/fruit quota increases dramatically, I still can't see HOW it could have happened. Better half says it's "that time of the month." Hmmmm, coooooood be, but needless I was NOT happy when I stumbled onto the scale. Heading back to the gym this week ,so hopefully this is just a speed bump in my journey towards my goal weight.

Discovered a HUGE discrepancy in my checkbook .... to the tune of $298.00 AGAINST what I say is in my checkbook balance. 4 hrs & many expletives later I found it & it was the simplest of mistakes -- transposition of numbers. That's where you MEANT to write $145.00, but instead wrote $14.50 and continued merrily on your way. A misplaced zero can't cause HAVOC & baldness. ;-)

Well, Just one more day of March & it appears that it will be going out like a lamb. Does this mean we're reeeeeeeeeeeeeely going to get in April ?? Here's to NOT being anyone's April Fool.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Beat down & stumbling -- loaded up & shuffling

Ya ever have those days (or weeks, in MY case) where you find yourself making the stupidest mistakes (i.e. walking into a room & forgetting WHY or looking for your eyeglasses & they're on your HEAD) and wonder HTF did this middle-aged crapola creep up on you ?! In your tender teenage years, you watched your parents and swore you'd NEVER turn out like them. Irony is such a bite in the ass ! I find my formidable mother spewing Momalities from MY mouth with ever increasing frequency. S-C-A-R-Y. Does this mark the beginning of the "Sometimer's" portion of my life ?!

Sometimer's isn't to be confused with Alzheimers but close enough for it to make one go WTF ?! Like in sometimes you remember & sometimes you have no clue. Quite frankly, I know it's just part of the aging process, but @ 48 yrs young I DIDN'T expect it to show up now. I figured I had at least 15-20 yrs to go before I became the object of sniggering (& thankfully have just enough hearing loss to not hear it) from my successors.

This somehow doesn't seem quite fair. My body maybe slowing & creaking more, but my MIND ?! I've always thought my mind to be at least 20 yrs junior to my body. What if I have them REVERSED & my mind will be the consistency of oatmeal long before my body ceases to perform even the most rudimentary functions. Can we say Grampers ?

Then again, I figure it's only things coming full circle -- you come into the world drooling & diapered and most likely go out the same way. Like I said irony is a big ol' bite in the ass.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Another week ... another dollar

Friday, once again ...... thankfully. This has been one helluva week. Preparations for Open House, playing mediator with the tenants & the weather has been so wonderful that staying inside is pure misery.

Tomorrow is the first (hopefully not the last) Open House. Ran around all week getting flyers posted, ad in the newspaper, gathering stuffs for the "big day," and I'M POOPED ! I'm hoping upon hope that the weather will hold until AFTER the end of this event. Nothing says failure like uncooperative weather. The weather forecast has changed 3 times since Monday. THAT'S the job I need. Get paid handsomely to "come close." I've often said that if you REALLY want to know what the weather is -- step outside.

Just one more week & Easter will be here. EARLY, EARLY, EARLY this year ! But now that DST is upon us, it doesn't seem that bad. I truly enjoy that extra hour of daylight. We even "played" outside last night. Well SO played in the dirt & I played with the pups (out of the dirt). It was a fun time for all. Now if the temps would just stay right where they are YEAR ROUND, I'd be such a happy camper. Alas that won't happen & in a few months we'll all be bitching about the high temps & high humidity ....... siiiiigh.

Well gotta run & end this week. Here's hoping next week is slooooooower & more relaxed.

take care .... stay kool .... be content .... MK

T G I F

This has been quite a week ! 2 days in a workshop in DC, first week of the month & a fight with the "tax Man." No one can say I lead a dull life !

I learned some very valuable stuff in that workshop that will hopefully turn some hard work into GOLD ! My first chance to test it out will be this summer. I'm not intimidated by the work, however the amount of tee crossing & eye dotting will be daunting and probably have me second or even triple guessing myself & my abilities. We'll just have to wait & see ...."ever onward & upward."

I did NOT relish the getting up at 0'darkthirty to catch the train, but did enjoy the snooze on the way up there. Something lulling about the train -- even with the incessant clattering & yapping. I've tried to read & do puzzles but it reeeeeeeeely farks up my equilibrium & I'm nauseous for a long time afterwards. So sleep is the only thing left. And it helps to recoup the lost z's from having to get up so dammed early.

Alas it is that time & I must get my move on. Here's hoping today goes by super fast & that the weekend proves worth the wait.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

A week of Mondays

Monday once again. I'm trying to get not excited necessarily, but at least accepting. We did some MAJOR yardwork yesterday & my aging body is reminding me that I'm NOT 22 yrs old anymore. Sucks, but someone has to do it.

Watched a relatively informative (if depressing) DVD last night -- Two Weeks starring Sally Field & others. She played a woman dying of either stomach or intestinal cancer. The story revolved around her 4 children & HER video testament. Went thru 4 Kleenexes but came away with a new respect for dying & dignity. There were some very hilarious moments that I'm sure really DO happen in RL.

Before THAT DVD we watched Martian Child with John Cusak, Joan Cusak, Amanda Peet, & others. Moralistic, but not preachy movie about a kid who creates a world of his own as a coping mechanism to this world & John Cusak's character adopts him. It's a we-need-each-other-but-don't-know-it-yet movie.

So all tolled, twas a learning & depressing Sunday. I'm assuming the rest of the week will be mediocre in comparison. Although I DO have a 2 day workshop on Grant Writing come Wed. & Thurs. in DC. I'll get to ride the ol' VRE again. I'm hoping this workshop will allow me some insight on how to separate rich, benevolent philanthropic people/companies from their millions to aid in the provision of a relative normal life to disabled folks. We'll see.

Well it's 0720 & I'm supposed to be out the door in 10, so I'd better scoot. I may be back later ....... or not.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK

Happy Anniversary, Baby !

It's been 11 wonderful (if at times bumpy) years my sweet & I wouldn't trade them for all the tea In China ! People say (or mayhaps cynics) that many relationships wane after about 7 years. Lucky are we who prove that crapola to be not only wrong, but the exception instead of the rule.

I sincerely hope that the next 11 years will be as good if not better and that we still find each other irresistible, even with the extra pounds, gray hairs, thicker lenses & reduced hearing. HAHAHAHA !

I love your more today than yesterday, but not as much as next week. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY !!

A New Beginning ...... I hope

Today is a special day -- not only because it's Leap Day, but because decisions and affirmations, long deliberated & mulled over, have been put into motion. From hence forward it's out with the old & in with the "new & improved." No longer will I be shackled by the burden of uncertainty and guilt. New day, new outlook, new ME.

To borrow a phrase -- "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Only in MY case it would be "one small step at a time, one giant pay off down the road." So wish me luck & I'll do my best. Check back for ongoing happenings.

take care .... stay kool .... be content MK