tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-289559212024-03-12T22:21:25.775-04:00CurmudgeonetteCleveland Amory once said that only men could be curmudgeons. Fine. I've set out to be a curmudgeonette.
I'm middle-aged, single, owned by a stubborn dog and so white bread all my clothes should say "Wonder." If it weren't for a few little quirks, I would be absolutely indistinguishable from other Midwestern females. Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.comBlogger931125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-17996742296852155482019-05-27T20:26:00.000-04:002019-05-27T22:52:04.867-04:00Started with barfing, ended with gigglingLast Saturday, Mom and I spent the morning cleaning my breezeway (after ripping out the carpet on Monday!) and it was hot, hot, hot. She left around 4, and I took a shower and a nap, packed a bag for two nights and headed to Mom & Dad's for an exciting evening of making 4 large batches of buffalo chicken dip.<br />
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Sunday morning I had a headache and Dad was grumpy, but we were on the road by 9:30 and headed for Columbus. The elder of my nephews graduated from high school on May 20, and his party was set for Memorial Day. In addition to the buffalo chicken dip, we also had 7 1-gallon bags of sweet snack mix and 5.5 1-gallon bags of savory snack mix, plus the big cooler which was temporarily full of bags of tortilla chips & corn chips.<br />
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We pulled into the driveway at 11:30ish. Mom popped right out of the car, and I saw my brother approach the front passenger side where Dad was sitting. As Dad rolled down the window, he said, "What is Captain Crossword doing here?" and I thought he was talking about Jeeves until I looked up and saw that my baby brother was in fact in Columbus instead of Dallas! Turns out that Mom had arranged to fly CC, Bookworm Mathgeek and the girls in and kept it a surprise from everyone.U<br />
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After that we had a quick lunch of New York-style pizza, then commenced with the party prep. It was nice to chat with CC and Bookworm and catch up.<br />
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Unfortunately, I woke up at 7 with the beginning of a migraine, including the barfing. Mom went out and got me some Excedrin Migraine, I took 2, had a hot shower and went back to sleep. When I woke up at 11, the nausea was gone and my headache was manageable, so I took 2 more pills and got dressed.<br />
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The party went very well, with tons of friends, neighbors and family, including my mom's brother from Florida and her sister from Cincinnati. The food was great, there was lots of laughter and silliness and everyone had a good time. <br />
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The best part of the day for me was late at night, when the cleanup was done, the outdoor light was off but the pool was still illuminated, and Jeeves and I had a long heart-to-heart talk. Of course, because we are siblings, he had to psych me out, pretending he was going to shove me in the pool. :-D<br />
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So the day that started with barfing, ended with giggling as I lay in bed thinking about my brother.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-3663784004751492282017-05-29T10:54:00.001-04:002017-05-29T10:55:47.418-04:00Notes to self1. You need a new shovel.<br />
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2. The morning after a hard rain is a great time to pull up unwanted saplings and other weeds.<br />
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3. When you are pulling up something rooted deeply, brace yourself or plan to land on your butt. Hard.<br />
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4. If you are standing facing uphill and you hear a jet, do not tip your head back to look for it, or plan to land on your butt. Hard.<br />
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5. Your neighbors now have conclusive proof that you are crazy if they heard you apologize to the trees you were trimming.<br />
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6. You need a new nail brush!<br />
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7. Your co-workers do not need to know that you habitually turn a towel into <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Twi%27lek">lekku</a> after your shower.<br />
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8. Your true friends, on the other hand, will be delighted.<br />
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<br />Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-11903767125150616962017-04-23T20:14:00.001-04:002017-04-23T20:14:21.478-04:00Kolymsky Heights by Lionel Davidson<div style="color: #272727; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">
The fact that I was expecting a horror novel and got a thriller is my fault, not the author's or the publisher. And since I am not a big fan of thrillers, I went into this book with a feeling of obligation rather than excitement.</div>
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I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. While I wouldn't re-read it, the pacing was good, all the characters enjoyable (although the Russian Major General is a bit two-dimensional) and the plot kept my attention.</div>
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This novel might be an even bigger pleasure for someone who loves thrillers, but for me it was still an engaging read.</div>
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<em style="outline: none;">I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</em></div>
Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-28190250855440602162017-04-07T18:28:00.001-04:002017-04-07T18:28:35.681-04:00Goodnight, Smoky Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Smoky Moon, aka Little Miss Piggie Pie</div>
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June, 1998-April 2017</div>
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<br />Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-17078553889338785532016-11-24T10:44:00.000-05:002016-11-26T17:46:10.330-05:00Thanksgiving Weekend To-Do ListUpdated Saturday, 11/26/16<br />
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1. Be thankful. Doing that all day, for my family, my friends, my dog, my job, that there are books and food and music in my life.<br />
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2. <strike>Take out compost</strike>. Once, plus washed out the sink-side container and have started a box for floor sweepings and plant trimmings. </div>
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3. <strike>Take out recyclable</strike>s. I made two trips out on Thursday and one on Friday, and then took the container out. After the pickup I realized I still had a bagful of stuff from work, so I went out and got the bin and re-filled it halfway.</div>
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4. <strike>Load dishwasher</strike>, <strike>run dishwasher</strike>, <strike>unload</strike>, <strike>load</strike>. I'll probably run it once more tomorrow night.</div>
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5. <strike>Scan and e-mail stuff to Mom</strike>. Done, despite an elderly and cranky printer</div>
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6. <strike> Make my bed</strike>. Every single day, yay me!</div>
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7. <strike>Make the dog's bed</strike>. Also every single day, so another yay!</div>
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8. <strike>Fold and put away clean clothes</strike>. Done, but will have to do it again tomorrow night after laundry morning at Mom's.</div>
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9. <strike>Hang up and put away other clean clothes</strike>. Same as #8</div>
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10. Clear off flat surfaces. Didn't get done. :-(</div>
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11. Clean said flat surfaces. Didn't get done. :-(</div>
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12. Hook up Magic Jack and call Scary Bear. Didn't get done. :-( But if I clean off the desk, maybe he can do it while he's waiting for the washing machine... }:)</div>
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13. <strike>Buy washing machine</strike>. Got a great buy on an Electrolux from HH Gregg, and they surprised me by saying it will be delivered on Tuesday, which is too soon. When I called to reschedule, the CSR told me my order had been cancelled and if I attempted to place it again it would be cancelled again and I should go to the store. Ugh.</div>
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14. <strike>Get all plants in from the garage</strike>. All 28 of them. Ouch.</div>
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15. <strike>Get all plants arranged in house</strike>. I've got one spider plant I don't have room for and am loath to toss onto the compost because it's healthy, damnit!</div>
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16. Go water-walking. Gave this up in lieu of getting plants in and the breezeway semi-tidied because I am hoping Dad will be here to let the washing machine people in.</div>
Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-4627228514753587862016-09-03T20:17:00.001-04:002016-09-03T20:17:19.722-04:00Six thousand steps before lunch and panhandled by a toddlerIt's been a bit since I posted here, and I still need to finish my travelogue! All I can say is that I haven't felt like writing. Somehow, the day on Thursday made me want to write it up. A couple of weeks ago I bought I cheap pedometer from Walgreens. I've been averaging 4-5000 steps per day and hoping to get better as time goes on. On Thursday I had 6000 by lunch and another 3000 by bedtime!<br />
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A little background: in 2014, the judge set up twice-monthly hearings where interested* parties have a chance to object to estate inventories and accounts. I'm in charge of pulling the files, giving them to the magistrate covering the hearing, explaining the rules to people who want to object, checking folks in and sometimes explaining to people who show up that they don't need to be there when nobody has objected.<br />
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Some hearing days we have no cases, some days we have lots of cases, and on days like Thursday, we have only a few cases with a boatload of people. They all need to be herded into groups and then into the hearing room one case at a time, and sometimes kept apart if there are strong emotions at play. The magistrate took people into the hearing room on the basis of "First case with all their people here goes first" and once she had the first case being heard, I had a minute to call the attorney for one side of the third case, because she hadn't shown up yet.<br />
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The parties for our three cases were interesting. One had a trio of African-American great-aunts, ladies who looked like they had seen some shit and weren't taking any, another had a really arrogant asshole attorney and the third had a guy who looked, sounded, and shook hands like he'd been living in a cave his whole life. Damp, pallid, skinny and doughy. ::shudder::<br />
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So in the middle of running back and forth herding cats and occasionally stopping at my desk to try to work on guardians' accounts, I was stopped by the gumball machine by an adorable little boy who asked me if I had a quarter. Softie that I am, I gave him two.<br />
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Things were calmer once the magistrate cleared all the cases. I call her "The Fastest Pen in the Midwest" for good reason--in one of the cases, she had her decision to me before my colleague had even docketed the attorney's notice of appearance. :-)<br />
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I did manage to get all the accounts and inventories published or approved that afternoon and cleared my desk of a boatload of work. I also got a notification that a library book I'd been waiting on had come in, so I stopped on my way home to pick it up. My phone rang when I was two blocks from home, but I knew it just meant Mom had beat me to the house, so I didn't answer.<br />
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Mom and Dad have been emptying the attic, so Mom brought over a bunch of unused carpet scraps for me to put out for the fabric recycling company to pick up Friday morning. I fed the dog and let her out and put her away again while Mom was stuffing bags and carrying them to the curb. I helped with the last bag and then we were off to Home Goods. Mom had a bunch of rewards, so she gave me half, and I got the softest new blanket and a shedload of hand soaps (for home and for work) and three yummy-smelling Halloween candles.<br />
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After that we had dinner at Aladdin's and then went to Gabriel Brothers, where I found a gorgeous fall jacket for only $12.99 and Mom looked at all the bras and didn't buy any because they were all push-ups. I got home about 9, lit the juniper and clementine candle and was glad that Mom & I had gone out, even after a very busy day.<br />
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*"Interested" is used here as a legal term--someone has to have a stake or share in the estate, not an interest in the sense of curiosity.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-14123878055802350252016-05-16T21:27:00.000-04:002017-04-24T22:33:50.926-04:00Bordeaux to Britain, Days 6-8<u>Day 6, 4/28/16</u><br />
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After coming back to the ship from Guernsey, getting cleaned up and eating dinner, Mom & I skipped the reception line for our distinguished guest and spent a quiet evening reading, writing notes on the day (Mom) and downloading photos (me). Thursday, April 28 was a day at sea as we moved from Guernsey to Normandy, France.<br />
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Mom and I had our usual breakfast, hung around for a bit afterwards and talked to people, and then went back to the room to get ready to face the day. Dressed and made up and all that jazz, we headed up to the little theater to listen to a talk from our guest lecturer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Eisenhower">David Eisenhower</a>. I'm sorry that link doesn't have a current picture, because he does look very much like his grandfather. His wife, who is equally recognizable, is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Nixon_Eisenhower">Julie Nixon Eisenhower</a>.<br />
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The lecture was good, mostly about Normandy, both the history and then the events of WWII, culminating of course in D-Day. After the lecture, we had lunch, then spent a quiet afternoon, including a nap for me.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><u>Day 7, 4/29/16</u><br />
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Everyone was up and moving very early Friday morning--we had a quick breakfast at 7:30 then disembarked and boarded buses headed for Omaha Beach. <br />
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<br />Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-49275337717112926482016-05-14T11:24:00.003-04:002016-05-14T20:51:48.693-04:00Get off mah lawn!<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news is that I now have a cane to wave at any young whippersnappers, plus I have really adorable knee dimples.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bad news is that I have a fucking <i>cane</i> on the day I am reading at the wedding of my oldest friend in the world because I wasn't paying attention last night and missed a step into the garage.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One. Damn. Step.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got up, got the dog food out of the car, came in the house and went about my normal routine, including evening meds and bed at 11. I woke up at 3 with horrible pain, and because my knee wouldn't support my weight, it took me an hour to get dressed and put the dog downstairs and drive myself to the hospital.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After x-rays, ibuprofen, an ice pack and some shade from a young male doc about my weight, they set me free at 6 to go pick up more meds and a cane. I have to give a huge thanks to the pharmacist on duty at my local Walgreen's. He let me wait in my car in the drive-through, went out to the retail side and got me a quad cane, filled my prescriptions and ran it all through my insurance while being incredibly nice. Then we worked together to get the cane through the drive-through window so I didn't have to go inside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I got home, fed LMPP, took some ibuprofen and fell asleep for a few hours. I <i>am</i> going to this wedding and I <i>am</i> stopping to pick up a frame for the magical wedding certificate Violante de Rojas made for the brides. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, I am also going to look like a damn fool, because I am one. </span>Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-80558597860629645922016-05-11T21:31:00.000-04:002017-04-23T22:47:43.462-04:00Bordeaux to Britain Days 4-5<u>Day 4, 4/26</u><br />
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Day 4 was St. Malo, France, where there is a medieval abbey, Mont St. Michel. Our daily info sheet warned us the walk was pretty rugged, and my ankle still hurt, so I opted to stay on the ship. There were only 2 other wimps, but we had a nice lunch and I read a lot, put my foot up and took a long nap. The only thing missing was a hot bath!<br />
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<u>Day 5, 4/27</u><br />
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On day 5, we got an extra hour, due to being on British time rather than French, and so we got to see the ship approach Guernsey, one of Britain's Channel Islands. <br />
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Again, there was no way to tell if the light was operative, but the little lighthouse was very cute!<br />
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The view of St. Peter Port, with its houses built into the hillside, was adorable!<br />
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A pilot boat came to guide us in to the harbor:<br />
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But even our tiny ship was too big for the docks, so we took a tender and disembarked at the harbor.<br />
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As we left the ship, I saw our guest lecturer and his wife on their way onto the ship. He looks just like his grandfather, and she's instantly recognizable to someone who grew up in the 1970s!<br />
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Unlike in Belle <span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Île</span></span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">our buses were right in the parking lot at the top of the ramp, so hooray for that. Guernsey is an interesting mix of old structures and new. </span></span><br />
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The newer buildings are almost all finance-related, Guenrnsey has a lot of headquarters for various financial institutions.<br />
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There's a monument to all the lorry drivers killed in a German attack at the beginning of WWII.<br />
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After the Nazis occupied Guernsey, they dug lots and lots and lots of bunkers. Now, the people who own the land own the bunker.<br />
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A pretty Norman church:</div>
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Very narrow roads (this is two lanes!):</div>
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We had a long stop at one of the stations on Hitler's Atlantic Wall, including the gun:<br />
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Which was reached by a trench:<br />
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Into which I did not climb, but Mom did!<br />
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Then a walk over to the Atlantic-facing bunker:<br />
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I finally know what gorse looks like!<br />
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And I'm reasonably sure these pretties are members of the chive family:<br />
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This tiny island is part of Guernsey. Apparently there's actually 1 house on it:<br />
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Gorgeous view, but a bit of a drop!</div>
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A horse in a coat:</div>
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An abandoned tomato greenhouse, one of many:</div>
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Our guide explained that Guernsey tomatoes were a huge part of the economy until the fuel shortages in the 1970s drove up the cost of heating the greenhouses</div>
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Fort Grey, which is a Martello tower:</div>
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A miniature version of Fort Grey in a store parking lot:</div>
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Another tower:</div>
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More of the Atlantic:</div>
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A very old gristmill:</div>
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Another German installation:</div>
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Super narrow streets! o.O</div>
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A house I'd like to own:</div>
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A private school I'd like to attend:</div>
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On the left is a very worn gargoyle, attached to a church. On the right is a bar, making this the shortest distance from church to booze anywhere in Europe:</div>
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A close-up of the gargoyle:</div>
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The bar sign:</div>
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A Guernsey pig:</div>
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After the bus tour was over, Mom and I walked around the shopping district of St. Peter Port. It was too cold for ice cream from iconic Guernsey cows, but we found a place that sold charms, so I could get two for my charm bracelet and one for a work friend, and then a fancy chocolate store for various gifts (and stuff for me, too!)<br />
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The young sales associate identified us as Americans, and then could not for the life of her understand why anyone would come to Guernsey on vacation! I guess it's all a matter of what's routine and therefore boring, and what's different from what you're used to.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-11008499504292810752016-05-09T21:35:00.000-04:002017-04-23T20:42:35.702-04:00Bordeaux to Britain, Days 1-3 <u>Day 1, 4/23/16</u><br />
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Mom and I both had milestone birthdays last year, so this year we celebrated with our first <a href="http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/">Smithsonian</a> trip. From Bordeaux to Britain was a 7 night cruise about the French ship <a href="http://en.ponant.com/Ships/L-Austral?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Cpc&utm_content=Brand&utm_campaign=Brand&ectrans=1&gclid=COLc2puXzswCFYQ2gQod6DgOVw">L'Austra</a>l. Of course, first we had to get to Bordeaux. <br />
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Mom and Dad picked me up at 3:00 Saturday afternoon and Dad dropped us off at the airport to catch a 5:30 flight to Detroit. I stopped at an airport newsstand to pick up a bottle of water and a granola bar, and caught up with Mom, only to find her at the bar on the way to our gate, chatting with the county executive and a local mayor on their way to Hanover, Germany for a trade conference. They were on our flight to Detroit. The flight was short, only 25 minutes, and we had plenty of time to eat overpriced caprese sandwiches near the gate before our 8 p.m. flight to Amsterdam.<br />
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On board the big-ass Delta Airbus, we met another mother-daughter duo who were going on the same cruise but with a different group, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. B and her mom W are from Columbus, and the daughter and widow respectively of a WWII veteran who participated in the landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day. W is 90, which is not something I would ordinarily mention, but which became important later. We got all settled in the plane and then sat on the runway for a hour while they replaced the radio. Delta wouldn't move us to another plane because it was "not a safety issue".<br />
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Once we were in the air and the cabin crew started serving drinks, they apparently got enough questions about potential missed connections that the captain came on and said don't pester the cabin crew, they can't do anything. Then he said, "We are aware that some of you have tight connections. Delta is aware our flight is late, staff on the ground is late, and <i>we will do everything we can to see that you make your connections</i>" (emphasis mine). So I tried some of the pasta that smelled wonderful and wasn't, enjoyed the brownie, drank a boatload of water and napped fitfully while one of my seatmates watched <i>The Revenant</i>.<br />
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Eventually we landed, at 11:45 a.m. Amsterdam time, which was 5:45 a.m. Akron time. Delta's idea of doing everything they could to make sure we made our connection was to have an employee meet us at the gate, look at our boarding passes and tell the 4 of us to go to gate B-36. No one offered to call the gate and have them keep the doors open, no one offered transportation to the departure gate, and no one seemed to care that they were telling a 90 year old woman to walk from one end of the A terminal to the opposite end of the B terminal in under 10 minutes when it was a minimum of a 20 minute walk for an average adult. A non-Delta airport employee helped us whisk through Customs but to no avail, by the time we made the gate they'd closed the doors of the plane.<br />
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After we walked all the way back to the A terminal, we got to stand for another 45 minutes while KLM agents tried to book us on the next day's flight and tried to call the ship to tell them not to expect us until Monday. Then it was downstairs all the way through cavernous baggage claim to get our hotel and meal vouchers, then back upstairs and out of the damn airport to wait for the bus to our hotel. It was 2:30 p.m. Amsterdam time when we got to the hotel and grabbed some lunch. That's 8:30 a.m. Akron time and we'd basically been up for 26 hours and traveling for 19 hours.<br />
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Short digression: the dog knocked me over about a week before we left and I was so concerned with the giant bruises that I didn't really notice I had a sprained ankle. I very much noticed it by the time we'd walked all over Hell's high acre, aka the Amsterdam airport. I'd also forgotten to pack any ibuprofen. Because our hotel was in a freeway service plaza, after lunch Mom and I walked over to the gas station to see if they had any ibuprofen or aspirin. Unfortunately, all they had was paracetemol, aka Tylenol, which does zip for me. However, the flowers at the gas station were exquisite and heart-lifting. After we walked back to the hotel, I took a nap, and then Mom and i had coffee in the lounge, then read for a bit, then had dinner. After dinner, we both took the showers we desperately needed and washed our socks and such and then left a wake-up call and went to bed.<br />
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The next morning we were on the bus headed for the airport at 8:20, managed to catch the 12:30 flight to Bordeaux with no problems. As dog is my witness, I will never willingly fly Delta again.<br />
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Days 2 and 3 with lots of pictures after the jump!<br />
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<u>Day 2, 4/24/16</u><br />
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Mom and I got up when the hotel called on Monday morning, ate a quick breakfast with 4 demitasse sized cups of coffee each, then waited in the lobby for our bus to the airport. Despite the fact that the hotel was part of a service plaza on the freeway, there had been two weddings the night before, and we got to see a very large group of Italians gather in the lobby, talking and gesticulating. Their tour bus arrived before our bus did, and the lobby seemed very quiet after they left. We got to the airport, along with B and W, in plenty of time to clear security and catch our flight to Bordeaux. It was a short flight, just a little over an hour, but the snack was a cup of water in a container that looked like a pudding cup and a slice of vanilla poundcake with a heart-shaped center of chocolate poundcake.<br />
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At the Bordeaux airport, we had to wait a bit for our taxi to the ship, but we got to see a yellow Lab sniffing luggage for contraband or bombs. By the time our taxi came, I asked the driver if we could stop at a drugstore on the way, as my ankle was really hurting and I'd realized I'd forgotten my Prilosec. He was nice enough to stop, and I got some Paracetemol and generic Prilosec. It was interesting how few medications were available over the counter, and in fact the pharmacist told me that if I were French, I'd need a prescription for the Prilosec, but because I am American, she would sell it to me. Thank goodness! And French omeprazole works exactly like the American stuff. :-D<br />
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My camera was still at the bottom of my carryon, but Bordeaux is a very pretty and interesting mix of old buildings and new, and the sun was shining, so we all enjoyed the ride. The driver let us off at the docks, and we had a bit of a hike to the ship, but once we got there, I was delighted to see we were docked next to a dog park. I sat on the balcony and watched dogs play for a bit, and got a picture of this handsome pup:<br />
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Then I turned my camera to the street opposite the dog park and took a picture of a gorgeous building:<br />
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I don't know if that building still functions as a stock exchange or if it's been re-purposed, but it was certainly lovely.<br />
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After watching the puppies play, I took a nap and Mom read, then we went to dinner, skipping the captain's reception because neither of us had packed a cocktail dress and heels. Dinner was served at 7:30, but we were so far north that it was light past 9:30. That led to an error on both our parts of having coffee after dinner, and Mom didn't sleep that well. The ship left port at 8:00, so we got to watch the landscape change to seascape as we ate a delicious meal, including an incredible dessert which was made of equal parts coffee meringue, caramel and ice cream.<br />
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At Dad's request, we'd paid for internet access, but it wasn't working that night, so we brushed our teeth and went to bed without e-mailing him. I do very much like sleeping on ships, and the bed was lovely, but the room was SO warm that around 3 I woke up sweating and Mom was awake and warm too, so I opened the balcony door and went back to sleep.<br />
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<u>Day 3, 4/25/16</u><br />
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Even though neither of us slept well, we were up early Tuesday morning, got dressed and went down to breakfast on Deck 2, where the dining room is just above the water. The breakfast buffet had all the traditional offerings, but the stars for Mom and I were the fresh croissants, much smaller and tastier than U.S. versions, and the cheese selection. I had what became my traditional breakfast on the cruise, a croissant with Brie and Camembert, plus bacon and fresh pineapple. Mom tried all of the dozen or so kinds of bread over the course of the week and said they were all good. She also had yogurt and muesli every morning. There was also a breakfast menu, which we never even looked at because the buffet was so good.<br />
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After breakfast, Mom went to both of the lectures on offer and I went back to the room, put up my foot and took a nap. Then we went down to the dining room for lunch, then back to the room for sweaters, coats, purses, ID cards and in my case, a hat. The ship doc<span style="font-family: inherit;">ked at <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_%C3%8Ele">Belle-Île-en-Mer</a> and this was the view from our balcony:</span></span><br />
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Belle-Île is a lovely island in the Atlantic ocean near the Brittany coast. We weren't at the docks but anchored a way out. Lots of ships at the dock, from yachts to sailboats!<br />
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We took a tender to the harbor, which is marked off by these lovely lighthouses.<br />
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I'm not sure if they work or are decorative, because we weren't there past dark. Either way, they were beautiful. Then it was a long walk through town to the buses, with lots to look at.<br />
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I don't know if this was a canal or an inlet running through the town of Le Palais, but either way it made for a very pretty walk. It was also a very chilly walk, since the temperatures were unseasonably low. It seems Mom and I brought some Ohio weather with us. Fortunately, we'd both packed lots of layers! After a long walk (mostly uphill), we got to footbridges crossing the canal/inlet, and this little building, which is actually inside the hill:<br />
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Then it was a fairly steep but mercifully short walk uphill to the parking lot. While we were driving around the island, the guide told us about the island's history of belonging mostly to France but sometimes to England, and that the local language is a Germanic language. When she pronounced the town name Sauson, it sounded like something from my History of the English Language class.<br />
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The guide also told us that<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the island was a favorite painting spot for Monet, who painted quite a few versions of the <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 17.3186px;">Côte sauvage (wild coast). We stopped there first, and saw a German bunker, part of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Wall">Hitler's Atlantic Wall</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 17.3186px;"><br /></span></span>Very close to this bunker is one hell of a cliff where Monet painted <i>Cliffs at Belle Ile</i>. The little specks on top of the cliff in the first picture below and on the beach in the second picture below are people, to give you some idea of the size of the cliffs!<br />
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There are rock formations just off the coast, and the one in the middle is called the Howling Dog:<br />
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I loved the howling dog and wanted to take him home with me, but I'm pretty sure that he'd be over the baggage weight allowance. I also loved this cheeky gull who clearly DGAF about the people invading his launch platform:<br />
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Our next stop was Sarah Bernhardt's home on Belle-Île. Evidently she fell in love with the island and converted an old fort to a home.<br />
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There's a pretty little church nearby, plus pretty road signs and French cows.</div>
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We passed a French trailer park, which looks like an American one, but sounds better when it's called Parc Par La Mer. It's amazing what the constant sea wind does to the plants, and a little scary, too.</div>
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Our final stop was at a huge rock building called The Citadel. It's very old, and there wasn't much of the building to see, except for a small and very eclectic museum on the ground floor, but the grounds were extensive and lovely. We were passed by a French Labrador Retriever, out for an amble with his person:<br />
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And we got a glimpse of our ship, and I got a fuzzy picture because I was chilly and my hands were shaking:<br />
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Then it was on to the Citadel.<br />
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I really wish I could do a better job of conveying the sheer size of the place.<br />
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Although the person in the middle right of this picture does help with scale:<br />
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There was lots of wild geranium in the citadel.<br />
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And there were plants growing out of the walls! I think but am not positive that this is some kind of laurel.<br />
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Inside the Citadel on the ground floor, there was a very eclectic museum, with everything from a vintage map,<br />
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to Victorian medical supplies,<br />
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to a lot of Sarah Bernhardt souvenirs of bygone days,</div>
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to completely modern dioramas.<br />
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Next we wandered around the outside of the building, peeking into claustrophobic holes like the place where they stored the gunpowder and weird things like a greenhouse with Sarah Bernhardt's cactus collection.<br />
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When it was time to leave we walked through the central courtyard, lined with very large artillery shells<br />
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And, of course, cannons! Also over the baggage weight limit, alas. Also also too small for the shells decorating the walkway.<br />
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Then we walked around the entire outside of the Citadel, down and down and down until we were back at the little hill house and then down and around some more until we were in the town, where we stopped at a chocolatier called La Palatine and I bought lots and lots of chocolates, both for me and to share with my co-workers. Then we stopped at a darling little accessories shop, and Mom bought me my birthday present, which I am trying to forget so it will be a surprise on Bastille Day.<br />
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After that we walked to the harbor, waited in the cold for the tender, which arrived back at the ship and decanted us into the lounge just in time for the cocktail hour. Mom and I both had coffee, which was free, rather than drinks, which were not, and Mom was very unimpressed when one of the waiters tried to slide past us without dropping off the shaker full of snack mix.<br />
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Then, surprise, we went back to the room and I took a nap, then read for a bit and washed my face before we went to dinner. I have to say that two of my fellow passengers, B from Ohio and M from Texas were very generous in sharing their anti-inflammatories, which helped me get through the week. My dinner was very good, and Mom enjoyed hers, but she did note that the vegetarian desserts were awful and after the previous night's frozen paper-thin pineapple slices, she ordered the dessert from the carnivore menu. Other than the first dinner, I can't remember which dessert was which night, but in no particular order, I had strawberries with pudding, balls that were half lemon gelato and half lemon shortbread, fudge cake with a mint meringue straw on top, all of which were incredible.<br />
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After dinner, we still didn't have internet, so we couldn't e-mail Dad, but Mom wrote up her travel notes from the day and I downloaded pictures from my camera to first my computer, then hers. We took turns showering and then it was lights out.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-54747975375238980692016-04-23T13:51:00.001-04:002016-04-23T13:51:27.614-04:00What HAVE I forgotten?Mom and Dad are picking me up between 3 and 3:15. Dad is taking us to the airport, where we will board a 5:30 flight to Detroit, where we change planes for Amsterdam, where we change planes for Bordeaux. Mom and I are going on a 7-night Smithsonian cruise from <a href="http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/tours/bordeaux-britain-cruise/itinerary/">Bordeaux to Britain</a>! <br />
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I have packed:<br />
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2 skirts<br />
4 pairs of pants<br />
1 pair of capris<br />
4 collared shirts<br />
1 jacket<br />
1 cardigan<br />
9 pairs underwear<br />
8 pairs socks<br />
3 bras<br />
2 pairs tennis shoes<br />
1 pair sandals<br />
shampoo<br />
conditioner<br />
body butter<br />
perfume<br />
makeup<br />
3 inhalers<br />
1 bottle vitamins<br />
3 ponytail holders<br />
4 bottles medication<br />
toothbrush<br />
toothpaste<br />
mouthwash<br />
camera<br />
netbook<br />
sunscreen<br />
cash<br />
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and I still feel as if I'm forgetting something! :headdesk:<br />
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Ya'll be good while I'm gone, and no raucous parties!Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-33366286076733049422016-04-10T21:36:00.002-04:002016-04-10T21:36:23.106-04:00Leftovers from the trip and a great reason to be homeMy flight home was unremarkable except for the couple of hours I got to spend at the airport with Captain Crossword and the princesses. <br />
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I see that I forgot to post this picture of a calm, cool and collected Jack Russell terrier being a service dog:<br />
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He and his person were seeing the sights as I was waiting for John and Jen at the Leaky Cauldron.<br />
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One thing I discovered was that wearing my glasses for 4 straight days (I need them for distance vision, so I usually only wear them for driving) plus putting 3D glasses over top of them at least 3 times, made the nose pads push into my nose and leave an actual bruise. So I hopped over to <a href="http://www.zennioptical.com/">Zenni</a> and ordered two pairs with solid frames. They cost me $30 total and arrived in two weeks. I've been wearing the heck out of the green frames because they make my eyes look green.<br />
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More importantly than new glasses or even cute dogs, I got to do something very important at work. My friend Doc and I have known each other since 3rd grade, and last year when the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obergefell_v._Hodges">Obergfell</a> decision came down, I sent her a text saying that I wanted to be the clerk who signed her marriage license. Doc and Red weren't ready last summer, but they are ready now. My friend the Time Lord walked me through taking their oath and signing their license while another clerk took pictures. The judge was even around and she met them both!<br />
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I showed them my desk and introduced them to some of my co-workers, and then we made plans to meet for an early dinner. I felt a little bad for Red because Doc and I were chattering so hard and fast that she didn't get a word in edgewise, but I couldn't help noticing a ton of non-verbal communication between the two of them. All I want is for my oldest friend in the world to be happy, and I think she's there with more happiness to come. <3 p=""></3>Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-63706544293672538402016-04-02T11:29:00.002-04:002016-04-07T16:14:53.317-04:00Universal Studios Day Three: Saturday, March 19On Saturday, we all went to the park. Mom had us all organized and eating breakfast at 8 and on the shuttle by 8:30, even Scary Bear. We got off the bus, hiked the mile to security and got held up because NONE of us remembered that Dad carries a Swiss Army knife. It's just a normal part of his pocket detritus, and he's had it for 40 or so years and didn't want to lose it. Eventually, he checked the knife with security and we were free to go on our way.<br />
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We went on the Shrek ride, which was really a 3D movie in a theater with moving seats. The movie was so clever and funny and of course there's a happy ending. My favorite bit was the shout-out to the Blues Brothers. After the show, we walked over to Diagon Alley, and the girls decided they wanted to ride the Gringott's ride again, and this time Mom and I went with them. We didn't need a locker because we had Scary Bear and Captain Crossword!<br />
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There's a "gold" statue of the founding goblin outside Gringott's, a beautiful main gallery and lots of animatronic goblins hard at work with quills, parchment and scales. The ride was as good as the Hogwarts ride, and I see why the girls wanted to do it again. <br />
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It was drizzling when we left Gringott's, and we walked over to the Magical Menagerie where I had gotten Fluffy. Captain Crossword went across the street to get another Butterbeer and the girls and I went shopping.<br />
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There were giant toads in the window and they moved, plus an entire upper level full of animals and cages. <br />
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Both the girls fell in love, so I texted little bro and he came over. Princess STEM got a phoenix and Princess Minnie got a hippogriff. After that I got some ice cream from Florian Fortescue's and ate it while we all gathered under an overhang.<br />
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I got one scoop of vanilla and one of sticky toffee pudding, which was vanilla with chunks of the aforesaid pudding. It was very good ice cream, but the rain was starting to come down hard. We bunched together and talked, and decided we would go back to the hotel. I led my merry band through Knockturn Alley, and lo, they were all brave and nobody got eaten by Dementors. <br />
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We exited by the Knight Bus and walked through the San Francisco section of the park. When the rain got really bad, we stopped at the patio of a patisserie, where a very nice gentleman from Chicago offered Mom his chair and when she wouldn't take it, stayed standing anyway. Captain Crossword ran across the "street" to grab some hot pretzels from a vendor, and Mom took Princess M inside the pastry place for something chocolate (of course!). We ate our snacks standing around among a crowd of strangers, all with that curious camaraderie that comes from huddling together away from a storm. Eventually, we decided that it wasn't going to lighten up any further, so we started walking back to security, where we stopped long enough for Dad to get his knife back.<br />
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On the bus back to the hotel, CC laughed because despite all the rain, Princess M still had chocolate all over her face. When we got back, I tried to check in for my flights the next day, but American Airlines wouldn't let me check in without a seat assignment, and the only seat available had an upcharge of $50. I'm still pissed at them for that little trick. After arguing with a customer service rep over the phone and getting nowhere, I went back to the room and took a nap.<br />
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Mom woke me in time to get dressed for dinner. We went back to the San Francisco section of the park, and waited a bit for our reservation at Lombard's. While we waited outside, we watched an amazing street show of jugglers in the style of the <a href="http://www.fkb.com/">Flying Karamazov Brothers</a>. We were actually behind them, so I didn't get any pictures, but the show was impressive even from the back. Here's a video from You Tube:<br />
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Dinner was absolutely amazing. We had an edamame combo appetizer with steamed beans plus garlicky deep-fried wontons, then I had an absolutely stellar steak sandwich with more garlic. After dinner, we walked back over to Diagon Alley, and I treated Princess S to a lemon squash at the Leaky Cauldron. I had to explain why Brits say lemon squash instead of lemonade because Princess S was offended that something as wonderful as a lemonade would share the name of a "horrible vegetable". She enjoyed watching the barista squash the lemons, though! We drank our lemon squash while everyone else went to Florian Fortescue's for ice cream.<br />
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CC got a killer shot of the dragon flaming and I just may be weakening on the idea of getting a smartphone. While we were eating ice cream (those of us who had it), we saw a lot of kids with the interactive wands making windows light up, trolls dance and a thunderstorm appear. If I manage to realize my dream of going to Universal Studios in California when they finish their new Harry Potter attraction, I will probably spring for one of those wands!<br />
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When the ice cream was finished, we walked over to Krustyland to get Princess S her doughnut sundae and show Scary Bear the doughnut fan what <a href="http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Lard_Lad_Donuts">Lard Lad</a> from the Simpson's looks like. I was flabbergasted when I realized the 8" square pastry boxes I saw people carrying held not multiple doughnuts, but ONE, Lard Lad's signature Big Pink. There's also a sculpture of Chief Wiggam and his police car jammed into a fire hydrant, so we got a pic of Princess S with the Chief. I treated Dad to a churro while we were in Krustyland, but it was older and therefore not as yummy as the one I had the day before.<br />
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On our way out of the park, we stopped at <a href="http://www.piqproducts.com/">P!Q</a> so I could get some amazing artwork from Bianca Roman-Stumpff and have it signed by the artist. I first saw Bianca's work on <a href="http://www.epbot.com/2013/02/february-art-round-up-and-give-away.html">Epbot</a>, and when I sent an e-mail saying I'd met her, John sent me a pic of Bianca and Jen together. I got four gorgeous pieces of art, and had Bianca sign one for me and one for my friend K, who's having a rough year so far. I don't have a picture of that one, but here are the other three:<br />
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After that, it was time to hike back to the shuttle. There were two adorable little boys on our bus with Minions plushies, saying "Ba, Nan. A." to everyone. If the bus ride had been longer, it could have gotten tiresome, but instead it was adorable. We got back to the hotel and I washed my face, brushed my teeth, threw everything I didn't need in the morning in my suitcase, set two alarms and went to bed.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-43927755853745740242016-03-23T22:40:00.001-04:002016-03-26T18:13:58.044-04:00Universal Studios Day Two: Friday, March 18I woke up at 6:30 and was out of the room and looking for coffee by 6:40. Unfortunately the food court/diner didn't open until 7:00 and there was a line, so I went to Starbucks and paid $3 for a non-refillable cup of mediocre coffee and drank it outside. I then wandered back to the room and saw that Mom was awake, but she told me she was going to go back to sleep if she could, so read quietly for a while. Eventually, I got my sunscreen and makeup on, pulled my hair into a ponytail and grabbed my phone and my camera. I sent a quick text to my brother, and found out that he and the girls were headed down for breakfast, so I met them there.<br />
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Both girls had chocolate chip pancakes, since they'd had waffles for breakfast every day since Sunday. I had scrambled eggs, potatoes and sausage gravy, and Captain Crossword had an omelet. After breakfast we walked to the end of the parking lot and caught the shuttle to the park. The ride was about 5 minutes, and then we walked about a mile to get to security. After that we had to walk through the City Center section of the park, which does not require admission and is probably about another half mile long. <br />
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Finally we were in the park! I loved the Minion recruiting posters:<br />
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And then the Minions ride, which started at Gru's house:<br />
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Many more pictures after the jump!<br />
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We didn't do the Minions ride. Captain Crossword had downloaded Universal's app, and it said that the current shortest line was the Gringott's ride in the Wizarding World section of the main Universal park. <br />
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Just entering Diagon Alley was breathtaking. The first thing you see is the dragon chained atop Gringott's Bank:<br />
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We were about to get in line when we found out that we couldn't take anything on the ride that didn't fit in a pocket. The line for lockers was so long I was afraid it would double our wait, so I told the Captain to take the girls and I'd see them after the ride.<br />
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I had a lot of chances to look around Diagon Alley. The kiosk selling drinks was absolutely gorgeous and I treated myself to a bottle of Gilly Water (i.e. DHMO).<br />
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While waiting, I got to see Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees perform. Celestina opened with "Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" of course!<br />
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Then I went to the Magical Menagerie and embracing the philosophy of You're Never Too Old for Plushies, I got myself a new friend, Fluffy.<br />
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Shortly afterward, Captain and the girls emerged from the ride, which they said was amazing, and we started walking around. There was next to no one in line at Ollivander's, so we headed for the door.<br />
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a charming wandmaker named Juan greeted us at the door.<br />
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Ollivander's is rather dim and mysterious and there are wand boxes <i>everywhere</i>!<br />
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Soon enough, we were ushered into the presence of the wandmaster.<br />
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He selected my nieces for his demonstration of how to choose a wand, and after Princess STEM killed a plant with magic and Princess Minnie nearly brought the <strike>house</strike> shop down, he found them wands of holly and reed respectively, both with a core of dragon heartstring from the very same dragon (you'd think he knew they were sisters). <br />
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Despite looking around a bit in the shop, the girls decided to stick with the wands that chose them, so we bid farewell to Ollivander's.<br />
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After more wandering around (SO much to look at) we decided to take the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. The entrance replicates Platform 9 ¾ and it looks to people farther behind in line that you are disappearing into a brick wall. Sadly, we couldn't get a picture of the effect--it's easier to fool the eye than a camera!<br />
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The Express is really phenomenal--it's a ride both in the sense of a means of transport and in the sense of an amusement park ride. You ride six to a compartment, and when the doors are shut there are amazing scenes "outside" the train on the window, including the Knight Bus expanding and shrinking and popping out of impossible places, centaurs running in the forest, Mr. Weasley's flying car and so many others. On the translucent window to the corridor, there were shadows of characters from the books and movies, and you can hear their voices as they go through scenes from the movies.<br />
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The train lets out in Hogsmeade, a short walk from Hogwarts. Hogwarts is breathtaking.<br />
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We got in line for the Hogwarts ride. The line starts outside, then goes through a cellar with beautiful arches, then through Professor Sprout's greenhouse, then into the school itself.<br />
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I am an idiot who didn't get any pictures of the greenhouse. :-(<br />
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The ride itself was fantastic, aside from some heart-stopping giant 3-D spiders. I closed my eyes and waited until they were done spitting until I opened them. I have never felt so much as if I were actually flying. Afterwards, Captain Crossword wanted to try the Butterbeer, but all the lines were too long (unlike the books, Universal's Butter Beer is non-alcoholic). We walked around Jurassic Park, I had my first churro and fell in love, then we decided to skip the Dr. Seuss section, and headed back to the train and back to Diagon Alley.<br />
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When we got off the train, we stopped at the Knight Bus just outside of Diagon Alley with a cute driver and a not-cute talking head who made horrible, corny jokes. <br />
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Lots of jokes about how Fluffy had a "ruff" night and so on.<br />
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We went back in to Diagon Alley, and Captain Crossword got a Butter Beer from the much-shorter line there. It was very good, cream soda with caramel-flavored whipped cream on top. Then we went to the stage to watch a performance of Tales of Beadle the Bard, which was done with puppets. It was very good, but my knees couldn't cope with sitting on the ground and I didn't feel like standing, so I walked over towards the Leaky Cauldron, where I was meeting Jen and John of Cakewrecks and Epbot. <br />
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My first perch was on the steps of Flourish and Botts, where I sat beside a window full of Monster Books of Monsters.<br />
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They were all growling and flapping--so cute! A family came by and the little boy and girl looked in the window and the girl asked her dad if they were real. He said yes, and I told her not to get too close to the window. When the mom suggested they take a picture, she shrieked and ran to mom, yelling that she didn't want a picture with the monsters. Oops. #sorrynotsorry<br />
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I credit G of <a href="http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/">Nouveau Cheap</a> for making sure I always look up. Thanks to that habit, I saw all kinds of neat things, like a steam kettle on a wall:<br />
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A rabbit in a top hat:<br />
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The bunny even waived her ears!<br />
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My late lunch with Jen and John was amazing. I felt super comfortable with both of them--after all, as John said, I know what their <a href="http://www.epbot.com/2013/03/steampunk-laundry-room-reveal.html">laundry room</a> looks like! I had great fish and chips and the best lemonade I've had in years, but also some really comfortable, friendly conversation. I felt a little bad bailing on them after only a couple of hours, but it had been a long day and I was ready to take off my stinky sneakers and rest for a bit.<br />
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I had a quick shower at the hotel, then we all went to dinner in the diner and afterwards, Captain Crossword and the girls went for a swim while Mom and I lay in some lounge chairs and chatted. Once again, I was sound asleep by 10. Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-44304825378790090852016-03-22T20:07:00.001-04:002016-03-22T20:07:48.496-04:00Universal Studios Day One: Thursday, March 17Last Wednesday, I came home from work, threw the dog in the car and took her to the kennel. Then I went to bed early so I could get up at 5:30 Thursday morning, drink my coffee, get dressed, and get to the airport in time for a 9:30 flight. At this point, my caloric intake for the day consisted of two cups of coffee with milk & sweetener.<br />
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The flight to Philly was on time leaving and on time landing, but I still had fewer than 30 minutes to get from the terminal in which I arrived to the one from which my plane was departing. I made it and boarded, only to run out of battery life on my netbook. So I tried to nap until we landed in Orlando.<br />
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After a difficult experience picking up my brother and nieces at the airport, Mom and Dad asked me to find my own way from the airport to the hotel. Unlike Disney World, Universal Studios does not have a shuttle from the airport to their hotels, but I went with the one they recommended and had a decent ride for less than the cost of a taxi. We were staying at the <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Cabana-Bay-Beach-Resort.aspx">Cabana Bay Beach Resort</a> at Universal.<br />
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When I got to the hotel at 3ish, they told me that since Mom and I forgot to change my initial reservation from starting on 3/16 to starting on 3/17, they rented the room to someone else. Then, they wouldn't let me stay in one of the remaining rooms unless I paid off the balance on both rooms for 3 nights. So I called Mom and had a meltdown on the phone, then went to the restaurant and had an overpriced and misspelled lunch. Ceasar salad, anyone? :-p<br />
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By the time the family pulled into the hotel parking lot, overheated and exhausted, I was more or less over my fit of pique, and after we'd all checked in and hauled luggage to our rooms (I shared with Mom & Dad), Dad took a nap and Mom and I went to the pool with Captain Crossword and the princesses. The hotel pools were both very fancy, and the girls had a few rides on the slide before they decided they'd rather play Hop on Pop and try to drown my brother. :-D<br />
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After we were all cooled off and calmed down, we went and had dinner at the "diner" in the hotel. It's much too big to be a diner, but it had the decor, there were hamburgers available at the food court, and the four giant TV screens on the walls showed a loop of NBC and Universal logos and TV commercials from the 1950s and 1960s. Mom and I split a Margherita pizza and then my niece and I both had the lemon tart for dessert. Princess STEM loves lemon and lemon flavored things as much as I do (or maybe even more). I had a quick shower and plugged in the netbook and my phone for charging and was out like a light by 10.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-14931645833197803332016-03-12T19:31:00.001-05:002016-03-12T19:35:59.297-05:00Downs and ups<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 18.2px;">Wednesday was Call Day, which is the one day of the month when I play bailiff, and although I've gotten much better at it in the last year, it's still a little stressful. Then I had a co-worker have a hissy fit at me (I think as a stand-in for the rest of the world) and give me work that she didn't feel she could do impartially. So I fell off the non-smoking wagon. :-(</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 18.2px;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 18.2px;">Thursday was an appointment with my regular doc to see if she'd be willing to take over prescribing my Lexapro. My neurologist was responsible for it, but it costs $500 to see him, and even if I only pay $60 of it, add in driving time, cost of gas, cost of parking and it adds up quickly. In addition, the county is self-insured and I'd like not to be the straw that broke the county's back. Dr. J was willing to prescribe Lexapro for me, but when I asked about an increase, she said I'm at the maximum safe dosage. So she put me on 5 milligrams of Wellbutrin, and asked me to come back in 6 weeks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">I went in to work, did the Orders from Call Day, which the judge has to sign, and came home and slept. I'm not proud of that bout of self-pity, but it happened and now it's over and I'm moving on. Moving on was helped immeasurably by a phone call from my friend Doc, who has been my friend since second grade--she's getting married, and she graciously acceded to my demand to be the clerk who signs her marriage license.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Three of us had drinks after work Friday night and had fun. I'm still looking forward to Universal with Captain Crossword and the Princesses, and meeting Jen and John from Cakewrecks, and yes, my friend Donna backed up the wagon so I can climb back on. So life is far from awful, and I have many, many, lots of things to which I look forward.</span></span>Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-14085818189394502192016-03-06T20:35:00.002-05:002016-04-02T12:53:54.436-04:00Leftovers and unremembered dreamsMom and Dad are leaving tomorrow for Florida, so yesterday when I was at their house, Mom gave me a bunch of perishables. Since the sour cream absolutely had to be used up first, I started with a batch of picnic potatoes, or as Sherri named them, Potatoes of Doom:<br />
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The ham adds the protein these needed, and because I am a lazy Jammies, or perhaps because I got all the laundry done, the sheets changed and made a quick trip to the grocery store before I ran out of spoons, I didn't have a veggie. I drank 4 oz. of grapefruit juice and called it a complete meal.<br />
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Dessert will be something I've fallen hard for:<br />
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Lemon Peeps! This was a total surprise. I blame their purchase on <a href="http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/">The Impulsive Buy</a>, but they're my new addiction because they're very good. Ordinary Peeps are far too sweet, but the lemon perfectly balances the sweetness. <br />
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I did of course take a nap today, because it's Sunday. I woke up with a frustrating awareness of having had VERY odd dreams but not being able to recall them. It may be because I am always unsettled when my mom is out of town. I miss her a great deal.<br />
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Well, it's time to set up the coffee for tomorrow morning, start the dishwasher and settle in for the finale/Christmas special of <i>Downton Abbey</i>.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-62704907582430069372016-02-18T21:38:00.002-05:002016-02-18T21:39:26.483-05:00By the numbersAttorneys I've dealt with this week:<br />
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Passive-aggressive, 2<br />
Patronizing, 1<br />
Argumentative, 3<br />
Determined to re-write a previous discussion, 1<br />
Funny, 2<br />
Charming, 2<br />
Irritating poser, 1<br />
Failure who tried to go over my head, 1<br />
Lying sack of weasel shit, 1<br />
Irritating because they're filing stuff at 3:59, 2<br />
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Members of the public I've dealt with this week:<br />
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Sweet and sad, 1<br />
Slightly odd, 1<br />
Loud but adorable, 2<br />
Loud and argumentative, 1<br />
Prone to empty promises, 1<br />
Bat-shit crazy, 2<br />
Just did not understand, 1<br />
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But thankfully, unlike last week, no one screamed at our chief magistrate so loudly that 4 people pushed their panic buttons.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-64217290877991531352016-02-15T21:30:00.000-05:002016-02-15T21:30:06.558-05:00That was fun, I should have done it sooner and I will do it againLast night I did something I don't ordinarily do, and made a phone call at 10:00. When I got my aunt's answering machine, I apologized for calling so late, but I just had to talk about <u>Downton Abbey</u>. Thankfully, she picked up and I hadn't scared her, and we had a wonderful conversation about the show. Next week, I promised to call her on Monday, but last night I couldn't wait BECAUSE PUPPY!<br />
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Speaking of puppies, my next dog is going to be either a lab or a lab/shepherd mix. Of course, with any luck, it will be a good long while before I get to the next dog. Little Miss Piggie Pie is still going strong, although she has packed on some poundage (just like her owner) and I've been calling her <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/squirrels-are-getting-tubby-warm-winter-weather">Fat Squirrel</a>.<br />
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I enjoyed my 3-day weekend, but didn't get as much done as I wanted to. The laundry is done, the sheets changed and 4 of 6 storage cubes are put together. Work tomorrow should be, erm, interesting (objection hearings).Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-38155620352873448742016-02-07T18:07:00.002-05:002016-02-07T18:09:04.901-05:00A lovely ordinary dayI woke up at 5:50, absolutely convinced that it was Monday. As the dog was eating and the coffee was dripping, I realized that it's Sunday! <br />
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Then I got my grocery shopping done and realized my rewards card was up to 10¢ off per gallon of gas, which was presently $1.409, so I filled my tank for $1.3309 per gallon!<br />
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Then I got the laundry done by 5 p.m. and found a $10 bill in the process!<br />
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Yeah, James pretty well summed it up for me:<br />
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<br />Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-12168024792055881032016-02-04T16:58:00.000-05:002016-02-04T16:58:22.695-05:00This is your brain on migraineSo I missed work yesterday because of the first migraine in 5 or 6 months. I spent the day sleeping, got up and assessed, had a hot bath and some more meds and then moar sleeping. <br />
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I woke up with a bit of a headache but also with my typical post-migraine thing where I'm jittery and so sensitive that it feels like my nerves start four inches outside of my skin. I managed to get dressed and drive to work, and get through 3 hours (including auditing one fiduciary account and one guardian account) before the headache started to grow and my sense of smell tripled. The latter is my biggest pre-migraine warning, and I heeded it and gtfo of work.<br />
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When I got home, I let the dog out, explained to her that it wasn't 4:20 so no, not dinnnertime, took off my coat and went to turn up the heat. Oh, shit, the thermostat screen is blank and none of the buttons make it be not-blank. <br />
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Schlep down to the basement and check the breaker, which is in its proper position. Flip it off and then back on again on General Principles (salutes). Come back upstairs and call 1-800-DADHELP.<br />
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Unfortunately, Dad is still sick with flu or norovirus, whichever one he got last week. He listens to me try to word and tells me to call Hudson Heating. I do, and speak with a nice young woman who tells me they can have someone at my house between 1 and 4. There goes my nap, but okay, maybe I can color while I wait. Two minutes after we hang up, a different young woman calls and asks if I checked the batteries in the thermostat. <br />
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Headdesk. No, I did not. Guess what it turned out to be? I called everyone back, with lavish praise for the young woman at HH who saved me the cost and embarrassment of a service call. <br />
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I forgive both Dad and myself for missing something so obvious because WE R SEECK and I have heat and a marginally clearer head after meds and a three hour rest.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-39448487428925102882016-02-01T19:31:00.000-05:002016-02-01T19:31:29.570-05:00The Cupcake of Doomaka my day.<br />
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Today being the first day of the month, we had objection hearings. The magistrate doing them was ready, the hearing room was set up, and we had a LOT more people show up than we were planning for. Two of the cases wound up being re-directed to another magistrate, and as I was running back and forth with files and making sure everyone was checked in, a co-worker snapped at me about how poorly organized the hearings were and how a third co-worker (who hadn't said a thing to me) was being importuned by people asking her questions.<br />
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Later, when my boss said something to me, I told him the truth about how I felt, and essentially got told to get over it, that's just this co-worker's personality. HellOOO that does not make it okay. If I went around interrupting visibly busy people just to snipe at them and then said it was how I roll I don't think I'd keep my job very long. Fortunately, the magistrate didn't think it was a big deal and the actual hearings went smoothly.<br />
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By the time all of that stuff was handled, it was lunchtime. An hour away from my desk was really not long enough, but I went back like a good employee, only to spend the afternoon <i>trying</i> to audit inventories while taking phone calls from idiots. <br />
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After work, I went to Staples, intending to mail three simple packages. Of course, instead I locked my purse, packages, phone and AAA card in the car. A nice manager at Staples let me use their phone to call Mom and ask her to call AAA, which she did. I waited for almost an hour, missing the UPS pickup while I did, but eventually a tow truck arrived. The idiot inside said truck pulled up behind my car and sat in there until I approached him, then rolled down his window and asked for my card. IT'S IN THE CAR, IDIOT! is what I did not scream at him.<br />
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Once the car was unlocked, I got my stuff out and turned in and paid for, got back in the car and came home with a pounding headache. At least the poor neglected hound was glad to see me, oh, and my hair still looks good.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-24447227828737100152016-01-25T21:45:00.001-05:002016-01-25T21:45:12.994-05:00Sea changeToday is Monday, so I'm rather surprised to find myself in a better mood than I was yesterday. Granted, I did not have to do laundry all day, but I did have to deal with needy customers, entitled attorneys and slightly grumpy co-workers. <br />
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Still, I got awesome pens for everyone for 60¢ each, wore a kickass outfit, had a carrot cake cupcake for breakfast and didn't make any egregious errors. Plus, I was reminded that my presence at Friday night's after-work drinks party was appreciated, and I reminded myself that on Saturday, I by-golly started and finished Mom's payroll taxes in 3.5 hours.<br />
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And then I came home and there was a sweetly supportive comment on a blog entry that made me A. smile and B. resolve to get someone's birthday pressie mailed ASAP.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-85991667902232741012016-01-24T18:45:00.003-05:002016-01-24T18:45:36.283-05:00Some days I wish I were a dogLittle Miss Piggie Pie is sleeping on the floor by my chair, blissfully ignorant of the nasty things called "consequences" which have plagued me all day. It's not that they don't apply to her, just that she doesn't think that far ahead.<br />
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Ignore your laundry for two weeks, get a Horta on the basement floor (image courtesy of <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/103708629946648098196">Mallie</a>)<br />
Smoke for 35 years, have lung issues.<br />
Quit smoking, gain 11 pounds.<br />
Sleep on an 18 year old mattress, have a sore back.<br />
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Nothing horrible, nothing earth-shaking, just irritating, especially because it's my own fricking fault.Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28955921.post-6188985285185790392016-01-17T10:12:00.000-05:002016-01-17T10:12:20.269-05:00Car stuff!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1958 Volvo PV544 with my dad in the driver's seat.</div>
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In Dad's own words:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 100%; white-space: pre-wrap;">
In spring of 1963 this Little marvel of Swedish engineering agreed to take me across the plains and deserts of Rt. 66 to the Mojave Desert. It never failed me, although it sacrificed portions of its valves and piston rings to get me there. Long May it Run.</blockquote>
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<br />
I have my oil change appointment tomorrow morning at 8:42 (yes, they're that precise). <br />
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In other car stuff, to the owner(s) of the nice house in the spottily-gentrified area of Akron I drive through on my way to and from work, your BEWARE of dog signs only work as long as people don't see your two little terriers in the yard being all adorbs. Hyperbole aside, cuteness is not a killing weapon.<br />
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To the dude with the Star Trek personalized message on a Superman license plate, I am really impressed at your mingling of fandoms and a little bummed that you're probably married.<br />
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To the person with the plate 8U4DNR, why would you hate someone for choosing a Do Not Resuscitate order? That's very selfish.<br />
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To the person with the plate N8FKIN, whose next of kin and why does it matter?Jammieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935368176384833431noreply@blogger.com0