My groundhog's back!

And she is driving Little Miss Piggie Pie crazy. :D

Checking to see if the coast is clear!

Ignoring the stupid dog...

still ignoring...

heading out after a hour or so of noshing.

Super Saturday

Mom picked me up at 9:30, and we went to the Ohio Mart at Stan Hywet.  The gate didn't open until 10, and we got there at 9:45, but instead of sitting in the nice dry car, Mom wanted to go stand in the wet grass by the gate.  So we did, and I started my looking and shopping with damp feet. :P

As always, there were many lovely things to look at, and I totally lost my heart to a panel that was a wood-burned picture of Severance Hall over stained glass and a whole collection of adorable Christmas and Halloween houses made of paper.  I found Christmas presents for my nieces, for Mallie & Jay, and for myself I got some dark chocolate with pumpkin pie spice and three used books.  Mom met the brain behind Thistle Dew, and got some of her gorgeous Soap in a Coat* for holiday gifts.  I met the woman who owns the new candle store on the upper end of my street and found out why the store is always closed when I drive past and found out when it is open.  We looked at, but did not buy, jewelry made by crocheting wire, faux concrete garden decor and lots and lots of other things I would happily have spent a fortune on.

Oddly enough, we didn't see anyone either of us knew this year.  Usually we get stopped by someone who knows Mom, most often a former client or a former student.  It's a good thing we didn't, because it was very warm, and while I might not have any new lesions, I do still have MS, and I was a sweaty, red-faced mess by the time we finished at 12:30.  We got Kettle Corn for Dad and The Awesome Nacho on the way out, and then Mom asked if we could please go to lunch at Aladdin's.  I was reluctant because of the aforementioned red-and-sweatiness, but we went and had a quick but nice lunch.  Mom dropped me off at home and I had a shower and then took a nap.

When I woke up, I fed the dogs, got dressed and headed to Casa de Senior Jammies for dinner with the family.  Mom made a wonderful dinner as always--standing rib, roasted green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, salad and corn.  Before dinner, I learned that a bear had attacked my brother's family**, resulting in a burn on Lady Margo, a broken pinkie for Jeeves and a sprained toe for The Awesome Nacho.  They had quite an eventful week!  Jeeves requested that someone get him a beer while he was getting some medical tape out of the car for the Nacho, so I got one and even opened it.  I handed it to him when he came in, and the following dialogue took place:

Jeeves: "Oh, you got me a beer--how nice!  Thank you."

Jammies: "You're welcome."

Jeeves: "Where's the glass?"

Jammies: "Bite me."

The Nacho, from the family room sofa: "Did she just say bite me?"


During dinner, we talked of shoes and ships and sealing wax, but got on to the subject of glasses, and Jeeves mentioned that he needs reading glasses and he's noticed that his distance vision isn't as good as it used to be.  Dad took him into the kitchen to try the eye chart on the pocket door***.  The verdict was that Jeeves needs bifocals, and after he moaned a bit about getting old, I reminded him that my baby brother is balding has a very high forehead and now my middle little brother needs bifocals, so however old he got, I'd always be older. :P  I also stunned him with how close I had to get to the eye chart to read it without my glasses.

The original plan for Saturday night was to attend the Hudson High School Parade of Bands, but given a very busy morning for all of us except Dad, that was given up.  When I left, Jeeves had gotten out the movie screen and was lobbying hard for an actual slideshow to give his boys the full experience, complete with the smell of burning dust, the click of the projector, the sight of a few slide in upside down and the potential for jumping in their seats at the noise of a bulb burning out.  I just hugged everyone and headed home.

*Soap in a Coat is a handmade lavender soap covered in hand-felted wool for both scrubbing and bubbling.
**No actual bears were involved, but it makes a better story.
***No, I do not know why my father put up an eye chart on the back of a pocket door.  He's weird.

Yup yup still alive in here!

There hasn't been much that's both noteworthy and post-to-the-blog-worthy lately.  Little Miss Piggie Pie is still a brat but a very sweet one, Mouse is doing amazingly well for a nearly 14 year-old Lab, work is good, the family is good bar some health issues, and I am fine.

Of course, the more interesting work is the less I can talk about it, but Mom gave me a raise for my part-time gig. :)  Oh, and my MRI on Thursday showed no new lesions, which given that I've been off the Copaxone for over three years is pretty damn impressive.  The lesions I do have are inactive, so basically the MS is in remission, which is good enough for me.

The best and biggest news is that Mallie is coming to visit with me for a weekend in November!  Maybe we'll have a birthday party for Mouse.  Or maybe we'll just eat good food, read books and yak.

All Hail Rusty!

That would be the owner of the auto shop where I got my second opinion this morning.  It's also the auto shop where I got both my brakes and my exhaust fixed for under $300.  I had to move some money out of savings, but I saved a thousand bucks I didn't have, so I feel like I came out ahead.

Also, note to self--have Steve do your oil changes, but never trust him with an estimate for anything more complicated!

*le sigh*

So after Mouse scared me to death with his pacing and panting and we did the flying panic run to the vet hospital, the Tramadol has worked freaking miracles and while his foot is still paralyzed and/or numb, he's back to bouncing when I get home, and mostly eating okay.  I wish Tramadol were this much help for the e-bro of my e-sis!

I had an appointment today for an oil change, and although I have an appointment elsewhere on Saturday for a muffler estimate, I told the mechanic that yes, he could give me a quote on the muffler.  He poked, prodded, hemmed and hawed and finally told me I needed a complete new exhaust system AND all new front brakes, and it would be around $1300.

Rationally, I know that if I go to a brake place and to the muffler place, it will probably cost less than that, I'm thinking it won't be much less than that, and considering I've got about $250 in savings right now, I'm feeling particularly depressed about money tonight.  Do I want to pour $1300 I'd have to borrow into a 16 year old car, or borrow a whole lot more to buy a new one?

*le sigh*

Whatever it was, it happened fast...

Yesterday morning, I was on the breezeway enjoying a cigarette and a book.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very fast shadow pass over the birdfeeder and Little Miss Piggie Pie went bonkers.  Assuming it was a squirrel, I set down the book and looked just in time to see a black cat drag itself out of the boxwoods and run off.  As near as I can tell, the cat made a jump for a bird, missed and landed in the bushes, then LMPP started vocalizing and the cat ran off.

That has been the most excitement my life has had in a month and I'm fine with that.

Noisy Butt Mutt

I don't know anything about the first six months of Little Miss Piggie Pie's life.  She was only a baby when she was dumped at a shelter three days after Christmas and 7 months after her birth.  But judging from her performance the last three evenings, I have to conclude that she was forced to watch endless streaming marathons of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Every evening after dinner, a cute little brown bunny hops up near the house, and nibbles on the wild strawberries and crabgrass that pretend to be my lawn.  Personally, as long as little brown bunny is not eating my plants, I'm content to live and let live.  Little Miss Piggie Pie, on the other hand, wants little brown bunny to GO AWAY and she is not shy about yelling this over and over again in Dog.  Little brown bunny somehow knows that Little Miss Piggie Pie can't get to him, and he is utterly unmoved by her noise.

Either that, or he's deaf.

Or he really does have nasty, big, pointy teeth.

Whatever, the bunny is having more relaxing evenings than I am. :P

Busy day

Since today was the only day in all of July & August Mom & I could work together, I was at her house and working on accountings at 8 a.m.  I also took my laundry, because my dryer has had it, and the eggs and coconut to make macaroons.  Mom & I worked steadily until 11, then I took a break to bake.  Unfortunately, Mom was out of sugar, so I had to run up to the grocery store, but I still got 4 dozen macaroons done in time for a late lunch.  Then I went back to my computer and got the forms done for her to take in and file tomorrow.  Then I ran out of energy, loaded up the car and came home and took a nap.

The macaroons are for a Probate Court tradition--each person brings treats for everyone else on his or her birthday.  It's certainly practical, because no one person gets stuck repeatedly baking cakes or cookies or buying bagels.  Mom says it's just like hobbits giving presents to others.  Since the judge is allergic to wheat, macaroons are perfect.  Any vegans in the office can just suck it, however. :P

My dryer is 47 years old, and despite a nagging feeling of disloyalty, my sheets were so hot when I took them out last week that I finally decided to bite the bullet and just replace it.  It's had at least two new motors, several full clean-outs, and two years ago, Dad removed the drum and re-painted the inside.  So it's time.  I got a no-frills dryer from Lowe's, and they're going to call me about delivery.

Both of my brothers called to wish me a happy birthday, and that just put the cap on my day.  Now I'm going to go take a cool shower and read the book Mom loaned me.

PicSpam!

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

 

First of the month

There's a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer that my dad has always liked:

Almighty and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us.

I was thinking of it today, because the first of the month in the Accounts Department means publishing and approving accounts done the preceding two months followed by sending notices to people who have failed to file accounts, inventories, certificates and reports in the preceding months.  So I spent my morning commending those who have done those things they ought to have done, and chastising those who have left undone those things which they ought to have done.

It certainly makes the day go quickly!

Courthouse snobservations

To the attorney who walked out of the court with her lighter in one hand and a cigarette in the other, I hope you weren't trying to preserve a poker face for your client, 'cause that's a big tell.

To my co-worker, just because your minimal makeup routine includes different products than mine does not mean I am less natural or more fake than you.  You're just jealous because I don't need mascara. :p

To the lady walking into the courthouse today--throwing a blazer over a mullet-skirted print gauze dress does not make it appropriate court attire.

And to the jerk silverback attorney who decided he'd quiz me about the judge's health, FOAD.

Not bad for a chick with a migraine!

Which appeared yesterday morning when I woke, ugh.  I did absolutely nothing but sleep yesterday. :(

Today, however, I have:

Changed the sheets on the bed
Trimmed the lilacs, the butterfly bushes, the boxwoods and the evergreen bushes,
Vacuumed the hall carpet
Written and scheduled tomorrow's post for Bubbles & Baubles
Loaded the dishwasher
Made chili chicken

My arms are still quivering from wrangling the trimmer, and it's a light one!  Tomorrow will be all inside jobs, cleaning and vacuuming and laundry and, ugh, putting clothes away.  I do have some lavender plants to get in the ground, but I can do that early and then get on with staying inside where it's cool.

I don't know how you're doing because you don't update your blog.

So said Captain Crossword when I talked to him on the phone last month, and it made me face something I've been ignoring.  I have been avoiding this blog, not because anything is wrong in my life, but because I felt blocked on writing about the end of the Disney adventure, and I wanted to finish that before going on to anything else.  So to un-block myself, here's a summation:

The last full day of the cruise was great.  The half-day at Hollywood Studios was nice, and a random guy called me "The best single-serving friend of the day."  The day at Epcot was half-okay, half-not for reasons I won't go into.  Princess Minnie was comped a pair of Disney princess sweatpants and SuperDonut got a set of bongo drums.  I liked the luxury of the Contemporary American resort where we stated, but hated the muddy colors and all of the shapes.  I flew home to eight inches of snow on my car and a dog with vestibular disorder.

The new job is still good.  I feel as though I'm getting a brain workout every day, and I'm still making mistakes but trying not to beat myself up about it.  I'm also trying to get back into a more professional look clothing-wise.

Little brother, I promise to be better about updating.  In the mean time, have some garden pictures:

One of my azaleas:

My double-flowered lilac:

Heliotrope in pots:

A classic lilac:

"Sensation" lilac

Disney Adventure Day 6, December 26, 2012 (Cozumel, Mexico)

Click "Read More" for the good stuff!

Disney Adventure Day 5, December 25, 2012 (Costa Maya, Mexico)

Pictures and blah, blah, blah after the jump. ;)

Disney Adventure Day 4, December 24, 2012 (Grand Cayman Island)

Same deal as yesterday, everything is behind the jump!

Disney Adventure Day 3, December 23, 2012 (Day at sea)

Today's post has the pictures mixed in with the text, and since there are lots of pictures, everything is after the jump.

Disney Adventure Day 2, December 22, 2012 (Cape Canaveral, Florida)

I woke up early, but sadly, did not remember to credit The Doctor with the continuing existence of the world—all I wanted was coffee.  Fortunately, it was available in the hotel’s gathering area well before the breakfast buffet was set up.  When I went to Mom and Dad’s room and knocked very quietly on the door, Mom let me in and after we’d talked for a bit, she told me that the Crossword-Mathgeek family was planning to have breakfast at 8:30, so I said I’d come back and join them.  However, when I went to get another cup of coffee, Jeeves and Superdoughnut were already having breakfast, so I joined them instead.

Breakfast was decent—the pineapple was good, the toaster was slooooow and the yogurt was Dannon, but I got plenty to eat and either the meds or the previous night’s salad solved one of my problems.  J  Jeeves made a Publix run and bought out the pharmacy aisle because Lady Margo woke up with a sore throat, and Mom had to get her bathing suit out of the car, but we all managed to get our stuff together and get on the bus for the Disney terminal on time.  Just as Dad was grumping that bus was supposed to leave at 11:15, it started up and we pulled out at 11:20.

Getting to the terminal was very quick, but since Mom and I did our online check-in late, we were not in the same boarding group as the rest of the family.  They all got to board at noon, while we had to hang around in the terminal until 1.  When they did call group 25, Mom and Dad and I managed to sneak on board behind another family and not be announced.   Dad kept saying he wanted to put his bag down and Mom and I kept telling him the rooms wouldn’t open until 1:30.  Rather than try to find the rest of the family, the three of us went to lunch at the Enchanted Garden, which is an extremely lovely restaurant.

After lunch, Dad and I both went to take naps.  We did get some family time, because all four rooms are in a line, and our verandas all line up.  There was a lot of talking back and forth, and that stayed true for the rest of the trip.

For some reason, I hadn’t turned off my cell, so what woke me was that ringing, followed by the message tone when I didn’t find the phone fast enough.  I looked at the caller ID, expecting that someone from the family was trying to wake me up, but instead it was the woman with whom I’d interviewed for a court job a week ago.  I GOT THE JOB!  I start on January 2^nd, which gives me the 1st for getting Mom’s office set up for her return.

I knocked on the connecting door between my room and my parents', and Dad was still napping, but Mom came to the door and I told her, then I went down to Jeeves and Lady Margo’s room and told them.  We all went out on the balcony and when I saw that Dad was on his balcony, I said, “Hey, Dad, who are you looking at?”  He said he didn’t know, and I said, “The newest probate court employee, that’s who!”

This time, we had the early dinner, so we all met in the hallway and headed for the Royal Court.  I’m not sure what happened, but I ate a really yummy bowl of French onion soup, had a Lemon Drop martini, took about four bites of my salad with goat cheese and knew I was going to be sick.  I excused myself from dinner, took the elevator up and made it back to my room before tossing my cookies.  I brushed my teeth, sat down and rested for a bit, then went back downstairs to see the tree lighting.  Mom was in her room reading when I got back upstairs, so we talked a little bit, then she fell asleep around 9.   I wasn’t going to buy internet service on this trip, but I had to go online and tell everyone about the job, so I bought 250 minutes. I managed to stay up until almost 10, and after a last smoke on the veranda, where I saw a lighted ship traveling away from us, I snuggled under my big poofy coverlet on my big poofy mattress and fell asleep.

Pictures of my room and the Towel Animal du Jour (a swan) after the jump!

Disney Adventure Day 1, December 21, 2012 (Akron and points south)

Like a good little traveler, I was up and moving early.  I had my two cups of coffee, brushed my hair & teeth, put my toothbrush and meds in my carryon, put the coffeepot in the dishwasher and started it, and headed out the door. 

Because it was so cold that morning, I wore black cargo pants, fuzzy socks, fuzzy black & white leg warmers from Sock Dreams, a black t-shirt, a white cotton shirt, a black jersey cardigan and my navy “spring” windbreaker.  It was very cold and very dark when I left at 6:15, and the roads were icy.  I was lucky in the first half of my trip, because I was right behind a salt truck, but once I got on 77 South, I was on my own.  Thankfully, traffic was light, so I did a steady 60 mph, and only had one scary moment.  Somebody thought I wasn’t going fast enough, so he or she passed me on the right and then zipped back into the middle lane, cutting me off.  My only thought as I tapped the brakes was “If I die, I hope my family goes on the cruise.”

Clearly, I didn’t die, and I made it to the airport in time to park and take a shuttle in and go through security and get to my gate just as they were boarding. J We took off a little late after de-icing, and arrived in Charlotte at 9:30 instead of 8:40, but the flight to Orlando wasn’t leaving until 11:25, so I had time to walk the entire length of the airport, buy a yogurt on the verge of sentience and what I thought was a bottle of water but which turned out to be Sprite. 

The woman Mom had hired to cover the phones had tried to call both of us,  but since I was the one who turned my phone back on first, I was the one who got to tell her that if she was sick, she should go home.  Eventually, Mom called me, and I told her that, then asked if the Jeeves-Margo family were in fact flying from Charlotte to Orlando with me.  She said yes, but their plane was landing around 11.  :o

Thus I spent the next 90 minutes both worrying and wondering why my carryon bag was so darned heavy.  I finished one book and started another, and was in the last group to board the plane.  I was chatting with my seatmate and worrying, and they were just about to close the door when I saw my family heading down the aisle.  Yaaaaay!  They were all flushed and a little breathless, because they had run from the same terminal at which my flight had arrived (reserved for “small airports” like Columbus) after being late owing to de-icing.

After that, the 90 minute flight to Orlando was a piece of cake, and we arrived only about 30 minutes late.  The Crossword-Mathgeek family was at baggage claim 5, and the shuttle was going to pick up their party and then come to baggage claim 20 and get us.  There was a joyful reunion and then a 1 hour trip to our hotel in Cape Canaveral.   During the trip, there were several different conversations going on.  At one of those natural pauses when everyone was quiet at once, the driver drifted over some rumble strips, and little Princess Minnie yelled “Road farts!”  This is one of the many lovely sayings passed on to the next generation from Grampa Scary Bear.

Mom met us in the lobby, we all got check in and dumped our bags in our rooms and then gathered in Mom & Dad’s room for snacks.  After some discussion, we decided on an early dinner, which we had at a decent tourist trap called Fishlips.  At dinner, Captain Crossword announced that Bookworm Mathgeek had gotten the highest possible grades in her two MBA courses for that semester, so we all raised our glasses to her. Then we went back to the hotel and celebrated Super Doughnut’s birthday in Mom and Dad’s room.  Mom had gotten vanilla ice cream and a personalized cake, and because we were in a residence hotel, there were plates and forks in the room.  Captain Crossword did a killer dance to “Ice Cream and Cake” and then was begged to repeat it 3 times until he was captured on video.  Even though it’s been 20 years since show choir, my little brother still has the moves.

After ice cream and cake, Mom took me on a drugstore run, as I was constipated and painfully bloated.  She came to my room to pick up some bills I'd brought for her, and that was when I discovered that my carry-on was so heavy because I'd brought the two pounds of mixed nuts that arrived at the house after Mom and Dad left!  I happily handed over the nuts and took some OTC meds and read in my room for a while, then just happened to visit the fire pit for a cigarette at the same time Annabel, Captain Crossword and all four kids were visiting.  It was a gas fire in a huge stone surround, and while pretty, it wasn’t really something that encouraged sitting around it.  Plus, we’d apparently brought some chilly Ohio weather with us, as it was 57º F when we landed and kept dropping.  I went to bed early, after taking a long hot shower and watching 2 episodes of Say Yes To The Bridesmaid’s Dress. *blush*  

Hi honeys, I'm home!

There will be a ton of pictures and stories from our Disney adventure, but I'm home safe and sound.  Mouse has Vestibular Disease, so my poor old man has to be helped outside to go potty and then back inside and he's not interested in eating, but his tail still wags for me and he's still sweet as pie.  Today was a whirlwind of stopping by Mom's house to check the voice messages and print some bank statements and tomorrow I start a new job, as an auditor for the Summit County Probate Courts Accounting Department.

Despite the snow and the mess in my house left by moving 20 houseplants into the kitchen, it's good to be home!

I should be packing

The guest room is a mess, with various piles of clothing awaiting either packing or putting away, depending on what I decide to take.  My suitcase has to be at my folks' house on Saturday, so it can go overland to Orlando, while I work in the office next week and then fly to Orlando on Friday.

This week has been absolutely hellish at work, as Mom and I scramble to get everything done before she leaves.  Of course, there have been crises, most notably four Wards in three different hospitals in two counties.  I think Tuesday was the worst, because we expected Monday to be a Monday, and we both got a lot done yesterday, but the phone would NOT stop ringing on Tuesday.

I'm getting cautiously excited about the cruise.  I've just purchased and downloaded 7 e-books to take with me, along with the physical books I've been hoarding, and I do know which nail polishes, perfumes and bath and body products I want to take.  I do need to find my lavender sugar scrub, which appears to be in hiding,  and as I said, I should be packing.

Instead, I am faffing about on Goodreads and playing a silly little shareware game.

WE GOT ONE!

If you didn't hear that in Annie Potts' voice, you're too young--go away!  I'm excited because five years after I first looked for it online and got directed back to this blog, I found a picture of the Terex reindeer!

Black Friday disgusts me

Thirty-plus years ago, my mom and my aunt used to go shopping the morning after Thanksgiving, because that was when the Christmas stuff was first sold and because it was a little time alone for them, with their families sleeping off turkey hangovers.  Now, we have people camping out for a week, with generators, to buy things that will wind up in a landfill; retailers making their staff work on Thanksgiving night, and herds of people who need nothing and want everything trampling each other for the latest plastic crap.

My mother taught consumer education for thirty years, so I grew up with Maslow's Heirarchy.  I may spend like a drunken monkey sometimes, but at least I always know that I'm buying stuff I want rather than stuff I need.  I don't have a problem with people out there buying Christmas presents that would otherwise be smaller or non-existent, and I don't have a problem with people out there buying clothing or home goods that they need.

But people like the jackass with the generator?  They're disgusting and they tarnish what Thanksgiving is supposed to mean.

Book review

The Painted Girls: A Novel by Cathy Marie Buchanan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although this is a fictional account of the van Goethem sisters, it's realistic while being engaging.  While some of the supporting characters are rather flat, the main characters are fully realized and I came to care what happens to them.  Without descending too far into adolescent angst, the author nevertheless manages to convey the pains and joys of growing up.  Without delving too far into grossness, Ms. Buchanan manages to convey the dangers and fears of a life lived on the ragged edge of poverty.  And without crossing the line into erotica, the author manages to convey the joy of sex with a loved one and the shame of sex for money.

After reading this book, I am torn between wanting to know more about the van Goethem sisters, and wanting not to know, so I can imagine them in a happy old age, chortling together over cups of tea and surrounded by reminders of lives well lived.

This book was sent to me for review


View all my reviews

...and then the princess turned back into a troll

Tuesday night was really lovely.  I got out, met new people, got my hair done and a goodie bag, ate lovely food and talked nail polish and techie toys, and just felt like a princess all evening.

Sadly, I woke up Wednesday morning at 3 a.m. with a migraine, too far advanced for me to keep anything down, including meds or coffee.   I relied on a hot shower followed by an ice pack until it was time to get dressed and go to work.  I had, I thought, brought home a bunch of documents that needed to be filed, so I headed for downtown Akron.  At the very end of my drive, a turnoff I needed to take was closed, so I wound up in an unfamiliar area and missed the detour.  Once I was done with a long trip the wrong way and back, I parked the car and went to put my wallet and car keys in the envelope folder where the documents were.  Ohshit.  I had picked up the wrong folder, and everything I needed to file was at Mom's house, 30 minutes away.

Head still hurting, I tried to do the rest of my errands.  I went to the bank, forgot to go to Office Max, went to drop off my vacuum at the repair shop only to find out that they didn't open until 10, and got lost trying to find the paper recycling dropoff.  So I went to the office, only to find myself in the middle of a shrill squabble between a nursing home and a ward's family.  By the time I left, driving home in the sunshine was miserable.

But at least after the Monday from Hell and before the Wednesday from Hell, I had a few hours of fun, and now I have a whole weekend under my bridge to nest and read and play before I have to go back out in the scary world, and I am thankful for that.

Of course, I am as always, thankful for my family, my friends, my dogs and my health, and I wish all of my US friends and family a very happy Thanksgiving.

From Hell to Heaven in 36 hours

Yesterday was Monday on steroids, a seriously horrible day full of angry clients, sobbing clients, drama-queen Wards, paperwork and even when I came home and called Mom in Dallas, she had to hang up immediately because Tinkerbell had fallen off her bike (Tink's okay, thankfully).  I wanted to hide under the bed, or yanno, in it, because when I'm depressed, I sleep.  However, I decided it was too late in the day to nap.

So I nuked a cup of coffee and turned on the computer, and checked my e-mail and found something that cheered me right the heck up--an invitation to a salon opening from Zoya Nail Polish!  I sent my HELL YES response immediately, told all my friends, and then spent the rest of the evening until bedtime fussing over what I was going to wear.

I will post details and pictures at Bubbles and Baubles soon, but I will say tonight started with a name tag, a shampoo and blow-dry that left my hair looking stunning, continued with gourmet food and a serious swag bag, meeting a ton of great new people, including several Zoya polish fairies, as they are known, and Zoya herself!   It really was the perfect antidote to Monday. :D

The turkeys were an omen.

Gah, what a day.

My drive to work this morning was perfectly normal, right up until I had to brake for the flock of wild turkeys crossing the road.  That was when my brakes went almost completely out on me.  Fortunately, I didn't hit a turkey.  I drove carefully and slowly the rest of the way to work, and told Mom what had happened.  Oh, Mom and Dad were supposed to be en route to Dallas for Thanksgiving, but they didn't leave on Wednesday because of Mom's work schedule and they didn't leave this morning because Dad didn't feel well.  I will spare my readers a rant on the idiocy of people who do not take antibiotics that have been prescribed for them and who instead prefer to fix dental problems on their own.

At any rate, Mom was home, and she and I talked while she had her second cup of coffee, and then I checked the voice mail while she paid bills.  There was a message from the outside company we use to prepare QDROs (court documents dealing with the division of retirement accounts for divorcing clients) saying that they didn't want the form we'd sent to them for one of our clients, they wanted a different form, which, btw, we'd sent to them in April, at which time they rejected it.  So the first thing I did was call the client and tell him what we now needed.  Next, I tried the local tire & brake shop, and got a busy signal.  So Mom and I started work with a look at the payroll account and then doing a bunch of letters.  When I finally got through to the tire place, they said if I could bring my car in and leave it for the day, they'd try to fix the brakes for me.

With Mom ahead of me in her car, I drove very, very slowly down a main road until we got to the tire place. I dropped off the keys, gave them my information, signed the form and hopped in with Mom to go to the post office and then back to work.  Almost immediately the phone rang, and a semi-hysterical non-client tried to drag us into an estate dispute involving one of our incompetent clients.  I told her Mom was unavailable, took her name and number and wrote up my notes from the call.

Mom then decreed a short break, and we went to the Disney Cruise website to complete our pre-registration.  That's when we discovered that there is no record of transportation from our hotel the day of the cruise to the ship.  Mom was livid.  She sent an e-mail to the travel agent (who still hasn't replied) and then had to pick up all of the assorted paperwork all over the floor.  While she did that, I talked to a client in a divorce case where opposing counsel is ignoring us AND ignoring the judge's office.  Unfortunately, we can't send enforcers to his office to make him return our calls.

Then the phone rang again, and it was one of our clients who is involved with a nasty estate dispute.  Mom did her best to talk to the client and tell her what she needed to do so Mom could do her job, and when that phone call ended, it was time for lunch.  While we were getting lunch ready, the phone rang again and it was the semi-hysterical non-client again.  This time Mom talked to her, then we ate, then she wrote up her notes and I went downstairs to look for some paperwork.

While I was down there the phone rang again, and the tire place told Mom that my car wouldn't be ready today, that they had to replace two brake lines and that it would cost at least $300.

The rest of the day went downhill.

Dad's Road Trip

2 a.m.: Go to bed

4 a.m.: Get up, eat ice cream

4:30 a.m.: Go back to bed

6 a.m.: Get up, drink coffee, surf the web, chain-smoke

6:30 a.m.: Panic!  Load the car.  Repeatedly call your wife out to the garage to help you, only to let her stand there for 10 minutes before you say you're not ready for her.

7:30 a.m.: Ask for pillows, a blanket, sandwiches, coffee and snacks.  Get them because your wife is awesome and did everything but the coffee last night.

7:50 a.m.: Leave 

10:30 a.m.: Take first nap

12:00 p.m.: Call home, joke that the food Mom packed means he's travelling the Trans-Fat Highway.

12:30 p.m.:  Take second nap

Arrive somewhere around 4 p.m.

On Saturday, Dad and his friend were driving back from somewhere when Dad's phone rang.  It was his friend D, whose family has known our family since the late '60s.  D was in New Jersey too, helping out his daughter who lives there, and he knew Dad was in NJ because Jeeves posted it on Facebook.

Dad thinks it's funny, Mom thinks it's an invasion of privacy, and I think the world just gets smaller and smaller. :)

Another hero (although this one's not soggy)

An old friend of my uncle's lives in New Jersey, and is without power.  Because my father is smart and caring and thoughtful, he purchased a generator today, and tomorrow morning he is driving to New Jersey to get it hooked up.  He just says that it's something he knows how to do and something he has the time to do, but I'm pretty damn impressed.

A damp hero

Last night was mostly a typical Monday night at Casa de Jammies.  Work sucked on toast, it was cold, raining and horrendously windy, and I was glad to get home, shuck out of my work clothes and settle down to read a nice, spooky, vampire apocalypse novel.  The Twelve, by Justin Cronin, if you're curious.   The dogs were both fairly needy, thanks to the wind, and after the third time Little Miss Piggie Pie tried to climb into my lap, I gave up on reading and headed for the computer.

Around nine o'clock, I was sitting at my desk with four programs running on my desktop computer when the power went out.  I waited a minute until I was sure that the power wasn't coming back on immediately, and then I reached over and turned off the power bar for the computer and peripherals before pushing back my chair.  Because the study is at the back of the house, there was very little light coming into the room.  When my eyes adjusted, the first thing I saw was six glowing spots to my right.  After a blink or two, I realized it was my glow-in-the-dark nail polishes!

If you've never tried to navigate a pitch-black house with dogs pressed to your legs, I can't give you any advice, because once I got past the study door to the hallway, I could see the light from the streetlamps.  All the lights were on at the sub-station across the street, so I lit some candles and called my folks to request a wake-up call in the morning in case the power wasn't back on by 6.

Okay, technically, I called my mother, because the only time my dad sees 6 a.m. is from the wrong side.

Then I picked up my knitting and did four rows on The Scarf That Will Take Forever.

At about twenty to ten, Little Miss Piggie Pie started going crazy, running back and forth from the living room window to the breezeway door, barking her head off.  I tried telling her that nobody would be walking or bicycling past her turf on a night like this, but she persisted.  I finished my row, set the knitting aside and walked out to the breezeway and looked out the door.

There was in fact someone out there, a dark shape on foot, with a flashlight.  After a minute or so, I realized that it was the poor city electrical worker who was on call last night, walking between the substation building and the cage full of, um, transformers?  about a house lot away.  And he stayed out there, going back and forth between the two, for the rest of the evening.  Granted, by the time I went to bed at 11:30, he was no longer on foot but taking his truck back and forth, but he was still working to get my power back on.

I read a few more chapters in my scary book, thanks to the LED book light Sherri gave me, then set up the coffee, set the alarm on my cell phone, and went to bed.  When I woke up at 5:30, the power was on, but I thought it was only 3:30, so it's a good thing Mom called at 6.

So tonight I am raising my glass to all of the gas and electric workers, the damp heroes out there getting the power back on and keeping people warm and safe and well-lit.  Thank you all.

Serious Paypal Stupidity

(cross-posted from Bubbles & Baubles)


Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab recently re-introduced single note scents, which change monthly.  This month, the scents are (or rather were) Iranian Galbanum and Rum-Soaked French Tonka.   If you're a reasonably internet-savvy person who doesn't happen to know that these are perfume components, you look them up.

If you're a drooling idiot who works for Paypal, however, you shut down the account of a perfume vendor who is selling a perfume with that name.  Really, Paypal, have you NO employees there with brains?

Wonderful video

The adorable Jack Russell?  He's co-owned and trained by one of my Goodreads pals.  Yay Milo!

Bits and pieces

Dad left for the lake house this afternoon, after staying up until 5:30 a.m., sleeping until 11 a.m. and packing the car/playing on the computer/drinking coffee until 1:30 p.m.  Mom's not going up until after her pre-trial on Friday, but my aunt and uncle arrive from Colorado tomorrow, so someone's got to be there.

Dad just e-mailed Mom and me a list of all the things he forgot to bring, which he wants Mom to bring with her, and closed the e-mail with "All is well here.  Buddy looks happy."  Buddy, of course, is the new golf cart.

Little Miss Piggie Pie just belched, and her breath is so incredibly stinky that the smell of my newly-polished nails is preferable.  That was disgusting.

I have a new floor steamer, a Haan FS20, and I love it!

That's pretty much the news from 'round here.

Ugh.

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Just ugh.  I give up.  The mention of Victorian perfumery sucked me in, but there's nothing of the art of perfume in this novel and not one likable character anywhere.  While I don't object to sex scenes in my reading, I do object to an abundance of dreary, joyless, sometimes disgusting sex scenes and overblown writing that gets the plot nowhere.


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A Jammies Family E-mail Exchange

Plaid Jammies:  I just bought a really fancy golf cart for the lake house.  It seats six!

Captain Crossword: Wow!

Jammies:  I bought a new coffeemaker for $20.

Jeeves:  SHOTGUN!

Of buying and books and boycotts and bastards

In February, one of my favorite contemporary authors was put through a miserable period of stress thanks to Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Ms. Seanan McGuire tells her story much better than I would, so please go here to read it.

I stopped buying from Amazon years ago, when they said they'd continue to sell magazines about dog-fighting even though dog-fighting is illegal, and I was glad of that when they unfairly de-rated LGBT authors.  But I've been a Barnes & Noble customer for ten years, and continued to buy from them, reasoning that it was a one-time error and wouldn't happen again.

Well, it did.  In fact, they're doing it right now, and so I am done giving them any of my money.  I pre-ordered the book I want from Books-A-Million, and will happily wait until September 4th to read it.

My discretionary spending isn't much.  It's a drop in the ocean compared to what Bastards & Noble get daily, let alone yearly.  Still, it's my drop, and I will not put it in their ocean until they stop this tactic.  *sigh*  It's very discouraging that they feel the need to put profit ahead of author relationships, but I guess that's the way the world is going.

Quick update

1. I turned down a job in Columbus because I'm not ready to move, but it was nice to have the offer.

2. I ripped off half a toenail a week ago and it still hurts.

3. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Mouse got distressingly and messily sick in my bedroom, leading to a 4 a.m. wakeup and much laundry, followed by an excruciating morning as Mom and I worked on an estate where the final balance had to be divided between 14 people in 3 generations.  Ack, fractions!

4. We got it done and out, yay!

5. Apparently, some people think it's okay to send 38 or 57 page faxes.  No, no it's not.

6. I am still alive. :)

Random pic spam!

The ice cream cone piñata that Mom and I made:

Sad Mouse with black eye:

 

 

Sad Mouse with ice pack:

Eventful!

The family schedule for June and July:

June 16th: my parents' 50th wedding anniversary
June 17th: Father's Day
July 4th through the 9th: Jammiesfest
July 13th through the 22nd: My nephews staying with Mom and Dad
July 25th: My father's birthday
July 28th through August 4th: My nieces staying with Mom and Dad

August 4th through August 12th: Most of the whole famdamily staying at Lakeside.

*whew*

Some highlights:

Jay, Sherri and Zeus the Wonder Poodle came for Jammiesfest and rearranged my living room, cleaned all the glassware and alphabetized the books.  Yes, I'm a little embarrassed by letting my friends see the cobwebby corners and work on their vacations, but I'm also thrilled at having a living room I can actually live in!  And I did take them out for Thai food and make yummy lemon pound cake...

On my birthday, I woke up to a dog who looked like a losing prizefighter.  Mr. Mouse had gotten stung or bitten and his right eye was swollen shut.  Two vet visits, two weeks in the Collar of Shame, two steroids, two antibiotics and close to two hundred dollars later and he is fine.

The Awesome Nacho remembered that I like lavender and got me a lovely lavender soap for my birthday, and SuperDoughnut got me an adorable birdhouse.

Thanks to the new working arrangements, I got to see my nephews every day they were here.

For his birthday, I took my retro Dad to RetroDog, which was fun.  My hot dog was good, Dad's onion rings looked superb and Dad liked it so much he and Mom took the girls there.

I got to see Bookworm Mathgeek for a couple of hours on the 28th, which was my only chance to spend some time with her before December, as she's not going up to the lake (and I'm only going for one day this year). 

The girls had a tea party and invited Vegan Lawyer, her granddaughter and her stepgranddaughter.  Cupcakes were decorated and frosted and eaten, fancy dresses were worn, t-shirts and hats and birdhouses were painted and a good time was had by all.

Mom took my nieces and I to the Natatorium, and Princess Mathgeek rode the water slide at least 10 times.  Tinkerbelle climbed all the way to the top of the stairs, only to be told she was too short. :(  So I went up with her and basically bullied the lifeguard into letting her go down once with me.  Then they both jumped off the diving board multiple times and swam with me in the current pool.  Mom took pictures and said the water was too cold.  The next day, Mom took the girls to the outdoor water park and Tinkerbelle was tall enough to ride two of the four waterslides.

My father was so excited about his new tablet that he backed into my car and tore the driver's side mirror loose. 

Despite all this, Mom and I managed to complete and send out three notary subpoenas, many letters, and 270 pages of responses to interrogatories.  Today I am doing laundry and making a half-hearted effort to clean, and then tomorrow I will drive up to the lake for a few hours, spend some time with Captain Crossword and Jeeves, and then drive home.

From "Erk" to "Ewwwwww!" in 63 pages.

The Scroll of Seduction: A Novel by Gioconda Belli





Actual review is after the jump because of spoilers.

Happy Anniversary!

My parents have been married 50 years!

Google Chrome sucks

and Blogger sucks for making me use it in order to upload photos and add links.  I will not be using Google+ any more in protest.  Assholes.

The Valiant Little Oxalis

Mom and Dad went to Dad's 50th college reunion last weekend, then spent a week up at the lake house with three other couples.  They had a good time, Aunt Sarah wore and got compliments on the nail polish necklace I made for her, and she and Mom did some wallet damage at a big nursery up there. 

Today, I went out to Mom and Dad's to drop off the tomato plants I've been coddling for Mom and to get drinking water (since Dad shuts off the house water when they're gone for more than 48 hours).  The house was quiet when I got there, and I figured Dad was still asleep and Mom was outside working, so I filled my water bottles, put them in the trunk, unloaded the tomato plants and then went looking for Mom.  She was doing cleanup in the side yard, but was happy to take a break and have a cup of coffee and talk with me. 

As we walked back to the house, Mom said, "Oh, look at that!" and pointed to the compost heap.  Growing out of the remains of a Boston fern that Mom had put on the compost early this spring was a big, beautiful burgundy oxalis!  Mom said it was a shame to leave it there, and I told her I'd be thrilled to take it.  We got a pot from the shed (which the plant was too big for!) and I put it in my car with the water bottles.  Then Mom told me that the gorgeous purple calla lilies in a matching pot on the porch table were for me!  So after Mom and I talked, Dad woke up and I said good morning to him and Mom had given me her opinion on the nail polish jewelry I brought, I headed back home, short four tomato plants but ahead on callas and oxalis.

Now I have to go do laundry, bleah.

Once upon a time...

I had a job that became unbearable and I quit.  Before I did, though, I had three years of working in an office that looked like a ski lodge and had floor-to-ceiling windows all the way around the first floor.  In winter, it was like working inside a snow globe.

Driving to and from work, I passed a cute little mid-century ranch with a breezeway connecting the garage to the house and sighed over it.  Three years after quitting the job, I saw a for sale sign on the house and bought it.

The daughter of one of my co-workers at the apartment complex replaced me as Mom's assistant when I went to work for Hyphenated Corp.

So there were a lot of complex emotions roiling around inside me when I heard about this:

Fire rips through apartment complex.

And when I saw this:



I sent one of the property managers an e-mail telling her to let me know if I could help, but I don't know if the address is even still valid.  *sigh*

Beautiful day for a road trip

Mom and Dad picked me up at 6:30 yesterday morning for a quick trip to Columbus.  It was my first time riding in Dad's new GMC Acadia, and it's a nice car, but the leg room in the back is really minimal!  Anyway, we made it to Powell in time to see the younger of my nephews test for and get his orange belt in Taekwondo, and then go out for brunch.

My elder nephew has celiac, and because he didn't want to make his brother choose a different restaurant than his favorite, he ate at the house before we went.  This is pretty typical of The Awesome Nacho, who is very considerate of others.  This is in complete contrast to his grandfather, who pitched a hissy fit about how expensive cigarettes are when I bummed one from him and then said he'd like to spend $10/month for a cell phone that would live on Mom's bike just in case she needed it.  He also made us late leaving for brunch and late leaving to come home, because it's all about him.  He was a little surprised and offended when we stopped at Starbucks on the way back and I refused his offer of a coffee.  After the little display in the car earlier, I was not going to spend any of his money!

The important thing, though, is that SuperDoughnut did very well on his test, got his new belt, and got brunch with his family on a beautiful day.  :)

Why I spent every free minute of the last four days...

reading the same book twice.  That book was Blackout by Mira Grant.
It's a sci-fi / horror / political thriller / love story / action movie novel all rolled into one, and it is intense.

Okay, thing one about this review--spoilers.  I'm not going to put them in individual spoiler tags, I'm going to spoil-code everything after thing two and if you keep reading, on your head be it.

Thing two--you need to read these books in order.  If you haven't read Feed and Deadline, stop reading this review, get your butt to the library or bookstore and read them.  Come back here in a week, when you've read both books and then had a meal, a shower and some sleep.  Trust me, you will only take time away from these books with great reluctance.

Spoilers ahoy!

Tomorrow...

will be the three year anniversary of Stormdog's death. This morning, on the way into work, I heard about a couple who paid $155,000 to have their dog cloned. I said three years ago, that if cloning ever became inexpensive, maybe I'd do it. But now I know that I wouldn't, even if it was only $155 instead of a hundred times that. I miss Stormy, I miss him every single day. But he was the dog he was not only because of his genetic makeup, but because of the experiences he had in his life and where I was in my life and the roads we traveled together. I could not be the same person I was eighteen years ago when a half-grown, all-legs, sweet-natured and much too smart puppy came into my life, and I don't want to be that person. Stormy will never be equaled in my life or in my heart, but I cherish his memory and try to be the person he thought I was. Until such time as Stormy and I are reunited, if such time ever comes, I will give the dogs in my life all the love and care they deserve, and honor his memory that way. I would not cheapen what Stormy and I had by buying a replica.

Ouch on several levels

My feet, my calves and my wallet!  After a long week at work, Mom and I had nice dinner out and then went shopping.  We went to two shoe stores with no success, then Burlington Coat Factory, Big Lots and Gabriel Brothers with a great deal of success.  Mom got red, white and blue pillows for the lake house, several cute tops, a pair of capris and a pair of shoes.  I got light summer dresses for wearing around the house, a pair of cute oxfords, three shirts, two pairs of pants, a grapefruit-scented candle, three Godiva chocolate bars and three new cushions for the wicker chairs on the breezeway.

The best moment was probably when I had found the two pairs of pants at Gabe's--one light aqua and one medium purple, both linen-look, for $3 and $8.  Mom said "I need some tan capris" and I reached over, looked at a tag, said, "Size 10?" and Mom said yes, so I handed them to her--$3!  She was thrilled, and called me this morning to tell me they fit. :)  She also liked her early Mother's Day gift, a necklace and earrings I made with nail polish:

The set is based on a lovely spring jacket of Mom's, which is white with pink and orange flowers, but it would also go with the orange shirt she got last night!

On the way home, we discussed our bargains and what new clothing we were going to wear with clothing we already had.  Mom helped me bring in all my bags of loot and then headed home, and I took a quick bath and collapsed into bed.  This morning, I tried everything on and it all fits, and now I have leftover Mongolian beef to have for lunch.

Still boring, but still here.

Spring is definitely here, because mulch is now available at my grocery store!  I'll be getting some next weekend and for a number of weekends thereafter, which may mean that Bubbles & Baubles goes on hiatus, given what I tend to do to my nails during mulch time. :) 

Temptation Nursery is open now, and Mom and I have a date for May 12th to go shopping for tomatoes and to fight about letting me buy her at least one plant for Mother's Day.  I swear, fighting with her over buying her things is as much of a tradition as giving her a card.

I also need to invest in a good spray bottle so I can get my butt outside and deal with the nettles.  I don't mind like dandelions, plus Snoopy mows 'em down regularly, but I will not allow prickly things in my flower beds!

Doc and I also have a date for lunch on the 12th, so I'll have to coordinate that with Mom, but then I get Doc to myself for a couple of hours.  She's had a lot of changes in a short period of time, and while we had a long phone conversation on Friday, nothing beats face-to-face chat over a bowl of white chili con queso and chips.

May is probably my favorite month of spring.  There are seeds and seedlings to plant, weeds to kill, mulch to spread, flowers blooming, lots of sun and the heat isn't usually ridiculous.  I'm looking forward to the next month.

The Most Boring Person on Earth

That would be me. I wake up, drink coffee, answer some want ads, go to work, come home, maybe go work out, eat dinner, read, play on the computer, play with nail polish, read some more, go to bed.

There are house finches nesting in the tree by the breezeway, which is fun.

There are nettles everywhere in my yard, which is not fun.

I have a ton of supplies to make nail polish jewelry, which is fun.

Other than that, there really isn't anything going on. The dogs are fine, I'm fine, the whole famdamily is fine. I just wish I could find a job for when Mom closes the office.

Yet another book review

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This didn't wow me--it's much better written than most of the Austen sequels/ripoffs/homages/reimaginings that have hit the market in the last few years, but it's by a professional writer, so that's not surprising. Most of the character have evolved in ways that fit with their original depictions, and the relationships have done the same. The mystery is decent if not innovative, and handled well, but overall, the book just didn't grab me or live up to the standard set by Ms. Austen.



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Another book review!

The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It was with reluctance that I closed this book and left the world of Gullstruck. Ms. Hardinge combined splendid world-building with fascinating character-building. Learning about a society reliant on those of its members who can project their astral selves and what happens when that ability is gone was fascinating, but the story of Hathin, the central character, was even more so. Watching Hathin cope with her duties and responsibilities and then with her fears and hopes was a rich and rewarding experience.

I hope that sometime in the future Ms. Hardinge will revisit this world--I would love to read more about it.



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Book review

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A note for Brooke--don't read this, I'm sending the book to you.

While the world-building and character-building in this novel are good and the plot is interesting, I just couldn't get past the (view spoiler)[animal abuse in the first chapter and the large-scale child abuse in the main plot (hide spoiler)].



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No more rubber ducks

A few years ago, I read and enjoyed A Year Without Made in China by Sara Bongiorni, and it made me realize how pervasive Chinese-made items were in the US. Then a good friend almost lost a cat due to tainted pet food made in China. Recently, I read Swindled, a very good and very scary book about how food has historically been adulterated and continues to be. The saddest and scariest parts were the New York swill milk scandals of the mid-1800s and the two Chinese milk scandals in the last ten years. Then came the revelation that MAC Cosmetics, which wants to sell to the growing Chinese middle class, will in fact be testing on animals, something which is required by Chinese law.

So the Chinese government does not care about food quality for either pets or babies, but requires makeup to be tested on animals? It won't make much, if any difference to the big picture, but unless it's something I need instead of something I want, I will not be buying anything Chinese-made.

I will be going through my cosmetics to see what has been made in China, and no, I won't discard anything I already have, but I won't buy more from that company. I already know that most, if not all, rubber ducks are made in China, so no more of those. For everything else, I'll look to see where it's made, and only buy it if A. I need it and B. I can't find an American-made alternative.

A Mouse milestone!

Yesterday afternoon, I was trying to take a nap. Little Miss Piggie Pie was curled up on my bed and Mouse was curled up on his bed. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Mouse got up and trotted out of the room. LMPP followed him, and about 30 seconds later I heard thumps and thuds. When the noise hadn't stopped in five minutes, I gave up on the nap and got up.

Mouse and Little Miss Piggie Pie were playing together, and he was participating with every aged bone and muscle. They were so cute that I didn't even think to grab the camera, just watched them and grinned. Of course, Mouse tired first and had to hide under the kitchen table until she finally got the idea that he was done, and he probably shouldn't have played with her on a full stomach (details omitted), but I feel as though he's finally truly happy to be here.

I think I have recovered from Monday...

I should have taken the flock of wild turkeys crossing my path as I drove to work as a hint from the universe and turned around and gone home!

A good man and good friend of the family died of lung cancer.

There were crises upon crises at work, and I'm finding that I do not function well with Mom out of the office for extensive periods.

I forgot my lunch and the soup of the day downstairs was broccoli cheddar (ick).

I ran out of antidepressant on Saturday.

In the line at the drive-through pharmacy, I was stuck inbetween two cars for fifteen minutes. Then when I got to the window, the pharmacy tech was moving like a glacier. If someone was in her way, she didn't go around them, she waited. She searched everywhere twice for my prescription, went back to the computer in between each location, and finally had to ask for help. It had been another seven minutes by the time she found it and ten by the time I was out of there.

The dogs were so hyper they nearly broke my fingers as I was trying to take Mouse off the chain and put Little Miss Piggie Pie on it.

When I took off my brand new earrings, one of them fell apart.

I would say the week got better, but since I woke up at 5 this morning with my third migraine in ten days, I can't. It's not getting worse, that's all.

Book review

Lady Almina And The Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy Of Highclere Castle by The Countess of Carnarvon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The book was interesting, although there were various grammar and spelling usages which threw me out of the narrative. These may just result from a difference between British and American English, so I didn't deduct any mental points. Almina, Countess Carnarvon, was certainly an interesting woman, but I did deduct a point for the marketing strategy of linking her life with a popular television show. The book could have stood on its own merits.



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Pennsylvania House of Criminals

The bare bones:

A Pennsylvania legislator decides PA needs one of those trendy new transvaginal ultrasound laws.

A blogger reads the entire bill, then writes him a letter.

The legislator responds with condescension, obfuscation and the disclosure of his own daughter's medical information.

The long version

Dear...

Grump ringing up my purchases at World Market,

If you don't like people, get a different job.

Opposing counsel,

We're in compliance, you're not. Straighten up!

Collection agency person,

No, I'm not going to prove to you that my boss is someone's guardian so you can serve the ward. Call the nursing home and see if you can get past the staff.

Mail order pharmacy,

You have the checking account information, STOP telling the nursing home staff they can't re-order without a credit card. Assholes.

Dog,

Get your stanky butt off my brand-new pillows.

Other dog,

No people food for puppies in this house. Get used to it.

Love,

MondayJammies

One good Valentine deserves another...

I had to stop at Petsmart tonight to pick up a tag for a client's dog, and there was a very long checkout line, and next to it a bin filled with dog toys for $1.47. So of course I succumbed--the toys were adorable, cheap, and they don't have faces. I brought home two toys, and Mouse went "Meh" and went back to sleep, and Little Miss Piggie Pie went nuts. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.








After Little Miss Piggie Pie had gone crazy, she walked away. Poor Mouse got curious and was left red-pawed with the evidence of the crime. Fortunately, he's got me as a character witness. ;)

She loves me, yeah, yeah, yeah, BLECH!

Valentine's Day is bad enough when it's a daylong reminder that I am a rejected spinster, but it didn't help that my first Valentine of the day was a dead mouse from the dog at oh-dark-hundred!

Oh, well, at least my nails looked pretty and we had a yummy lunch at work, complete with vegan strawberry cake and pitas and homemade snack mix. Of course afterwards, instead of napping my way out of a food coma, I had to help Mom with trial prep, but TANSTAAFL, right?

Happy Valentines to everyone!

Book Review

The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An intriguing story, a compelling if not particularly likeable subject, crisp writing, elegant language and an author who explains details and concepts without talking down to his reader all made this a wonderful reading experience.



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Book review

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Bleah. For a so-called "ghost story," this was terribly boring. The writing is technically proficient, but the characters are two-dimensional placeholders, which makes for absolutely no tension in the scary plot developments. Those plot developments are telegraphed loudly in advance, and there's no leavening humor or humanity to make a reader care enough to be scared on behalf of any of the cardboard figures populating the novel. Throughout the read I was irritated by the use of second person singular for chapters involving the main character, then ticked when the cat was killed for no apparent reason except to demonstrate which "herbalist" was the Big Bad and finally just bored right out of my little fuzzy socks



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Happy Massacre!

When I bought the gingerbread trains for my nephews, I also picked up a gingerbread house for me. Unfortunately, the weekend was just too crazy for me to do anything with it, so it's been sitting in my cupboard for the last two months. When I found out Mom was giving a Valentine's Day talk, I knew what I was going to do with the gingerbread house!







And because Mom mentioned the Valentine's Day Massacre in her talk and I had some extra pieces in the gingerbread house kit, well...