Attorneys I've dealt with this week:
Passive-aggressive, 2
Patronizing, 1
Argumentative, 3
Determined to re-write a previous discussion, 1
Funny, 2
Charming, 2
Irritating poser, 1
Failure who tried to go over my head, 1
Lying sack of weasel shit, 1
Irritating because they're filing stuff at 3:59, 2
Members of the public I've dealt with this week:
Sweet and sad, 1
Slightly odd, 1
Loud but adorable, 2
Loud and argumentative, 1
Prone to empty promises, 1
Bat-shit crazy, 2
Just did not understand, 1
But thankfully, unlike last week, no one screamed at our chief magistrate so loudly that 4 people pushed their panic buttons.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
That was fun, I should have done it sooner and I will do it again
Last 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 Downton Abbey. 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!
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 Fat Squirrel.
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).
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 Fat Squirrel.
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).
Sunday, February 07, 2016
A lovely ordinary day
I 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!
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!
Then I got the laundry done by 5 p.m. and found a $10 bill in the process!
Yeah, James pretty well summed it up for me:
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!
Then I got the laundry done by 5 p.m. and found a $10 bill in the process!
Yeah, James pretty well summed it up for me:
Thursday, February 04, 2016
This is your brain on migraine
So 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, February 01, 2016
The Cupcake of Doom
aka my day.
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.
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.
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 trying to audit inventories while taking phone calls from idiots.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 trying to audit inventories while taking phone calls from idiots.
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.
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.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Sea change
Today 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Some days I wish I were a dog
Little 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.
Ignore your laundry for two weeks, get a Horta on the basement floor (image courtesy of Mallie)
Smoke for 35 years, have lung issues.
Quit smoking, gain 11 pounds.
Sleep on an 18 year old mattress, have a sore back.
Nothing horrible, nothing earth-shaking, just irritating, especially because it's my own fricking fault.
Ignore your laundry for two weeks, get a Horta on the basement floor (image courtesy of Mallie)
Smoke for 35 years, have lung issues.
Quit smoking, gain 11 pounds.
Sleep on an 18 year old mattress, have a sore back.
Nothing horrible, nothing earth-shaking, just irritating, especially because it's my own fricking fault.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Car stuff!
1958 Volvo PV544 with my dad in the driver's seat.
In Dad's own words:
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.
I have my oil change appointment tomorrow morning at 8:42 (yes, they're that precise).
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.
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.
To the person with the plate 8U4DNR, why would you hate someone for choosing a Do Not Resuscitate order? That's very selfish.
To the person with the plate N8FKIN, whose next of kin and why does it matter?
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Bits and pieces
My adorable dog is hard on toys, so I buy inexpensive ones with no faces. This is what she does to them:
So on Sunday night, I went in with the big trash can and cleaned up all the bits of stuffing and other debris while LMPP made pathetic noises which I translated as "I'm not done with that" and "That one's still good, really!"
When I got out of the shower, she was lying in the hall on top of two unshredded toys, nibbling on a third. Nobody is going to get Smaugette's hoard now!
Work is interesting right now. We've had a streak of people doing really dumb things, like forgetting to mail in paperwork, etc. There is also lots of work going on as the front counter area gets renovated. Most of the work is being done at night, but today maintenance was taking apart half of our file storage shelves and moving the other half.
Power tools on metal shelving made our court sound as if we should be answering the phones "Stormer's Tire and Lube, how may I help you?"
Yesterday was Call Day, so that's over for the month and we have Monday off, so I'm getting an oil change. For the first time since I bought Edgar, I am truly angry with Ford. The coolant light was on, so I bought universal coolant and then couldn't get any in the car because the fill opening was under the rigid part of the hood. I wound up using a kitchen funnel held at an extreme angle and my hand braced around it to catch any spills, all at 7 p.m. in my unheated garage. But the light went off today, so victory for me!
So on Sunday night, I went in with the big trash can and cleaned up all the bits of stuffing and other debris while LMPP made pathetic noises which I translated as "I'm not done with that" and "That one's still good, really!"
When I got out of the shower, she was lying in the hall on top of two unshredded toys, nibbling on a third. Nobody is going to get Smaugette's hoard now!
Work is interesting right now. We've had a streak of people doing really dumb things, like forgetting to mail in paperwork, etc. There is also lots of work going on as the front counter area gets renovated. Most of the work is being done at night, but today maintenance was taking apart half of our file storage shelves and moving the other half.
Power tools on metal shelving made our court sound as if we should be answering the phones "Stormer's Tire and Lube, how may I help you?"
Yesterday was Call Day, so that's over for the month and we have Monday off, so I'm getting an oil change. For the first time since I bought Edgar, I am truly angry with Ford. The coolant light was on, so I bought universal coolant and then couldn't get any in the car because the fill opening was under the rigid part of the hood. I wound up using a kitchen funnel held at an extreme angle and my hand braced around it to catch any spills, all at 7 p.m. in my unheated garage. But the light went off today, so victory for me!
Sunday, January 10, 2016
This post brought to you by the letter W, for whining...
because all I can think of this a clip from Murphy Brown in which Candice Bergen, with the help of her castmates, sings the following song to a cigarette:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etObzeLEjDM&list=PL3067A5A3AAE31596&index=9
I have had one cigarette in the last week, and a very expensive boatload of nicotine gum and lozenges. It has made me worry about how self-destructive I am, because even when I can feel that my lungs need me to quit, I still want to smoke. I've gained seven pounds, and I know it's just a matter of keeping on, but damn, it's hard. My boss and my mom are being super-supportive on a daily basis, and I know that my friends are there for me. One pssstinking* day at a time.
*neologism courtesy of Smoke and Mirrors by Tanya Huff, a true 5-star book and one of my comfort reads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etObzeLEjDM&list=PL3067A5A3AAE31596&index=9
I have had one cigarette in the last week, and a very expensive boatload of nicotine gum and lozenges. It has made me worry about how self-destructive I am, because even when I can feel that my lungs need me to quit, I still want to smoke. I've gained seven pounds, and I know it's just a matter of keeping on, but damn, it's hard. My boss and my mom are being super-supportive on a daily basis, and I know that my friends are there for me. One pssstinking* day at a time.
*neologism courtesy of Smoke and Mirrors by Tanya Huff, a true 5-star book and one of my comfort reads.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Happy Hogswatch!
The Hogfather does not leave pork products in my stocking, but family and friends were awfully good to me this year! I had a home-cooked brunch with family, and got the following:
5 pairs of socks (I am truly loved!)
1 pair of handmade mittens
3 gorgeous artisanal candles
A frog keychain
4 books
Christmas ornament earrings
4 Lush bath bars/bubble bombs
Purple fleece jammies
A box of awesome candy from a local chocolatier
A pretty tone-on-tone grey pashmina
A purse made from a man's suit
2 containers of my SIL's homemade cookies
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Grr
I woke up at 6:20 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep, which made me cranky and made the dog very happy because BREAKFAST NOW PLEASE. So I got up, got dressed, and went to do my shopping. I hit two grocery stores and the drugstore, finding everything except wintergreen lozenges for my little brother, then got gas and stopped at the warehouse store for lightbulbs, and then went to Staples, where I hit a snag--they don't open until 11 on Sundays. :-(
So it was home again and unload the groceries, change the sheets, unload the dishwasher and put new lightbulbs and decorations on the outdoor lights by the front door. All that by 10:30 and I am Out Of Spoons.
Since I just can't make myself go back to the mall area on the Sunday before Christmas, I have now officially missed the shipping window for Christmas delivery to Jay and Mallie. I know that they won't hold it against me, but I do. I think Imma go take a nap now.
So it was home again and unload the groceries, change the sheets, unload the dishwasher and put new lightbulbs and decorations on the outdoor lights by the front door. All that by 10:30 and I am Out Of Spoons.
Since I just can't make myself go back to the mall area on the Sunday before Christmas, I have now officially missed the shipping window for Christmas delivery to Jay and Mallie. I know that they won't hold it against me, but I do. I think Imma go take a nap now.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Somewhere, somewhen, I did something right.
Yesterday was Call Day, which is smoother now, and on my review the judge noted "great improvement" since I took charge of it in January. So I got through that and still managed to audit and docket filings for 15 or so cases, yay me!
Last night was the office Christmas party and gift exchange. We met at a localbar music room for a yummy buffet and the budget covered everyone's first drink. I had a wonderful, very very spicy Bloody Mary which came with an olive, a slice of lemon, a dill pickle spear and a piece of bacon. It was a meal in a glass, basically.
When everyone had eaten, the judge stood by the stage and thanked us all for coming and then started the gift exchange. This is our third year of doing a White Elephant/Steal the Present and it's a lot of fun. My gift to the exchange was the cowboy boot-shaped shot glasses I got at the 2013 party, and a growler of my brother's Buttface Amber Ale. My office-mate originally got it, but had it stolen from her by one of our investigators. I originally opened a gift bag with a "bathroom book" 52 Things to Do While You Poo plus a travel-sized assortment of Poo-Pourri products.
Gifts ran the gamut from beer (mine and a mini-keg of Heineken) to light-up yard decorations (a dachshund in a Santa suit) to assorted Christmas decor both tacky and classy, and cookware and such. Our chief magistrate was delighted with a set of decorate-your-own gingerbread men and our judicial attorney threatened repercussions if anyone stole her Christmas lights. Luckily for me, I was not stuck with my poo-related present and was able to steal the gift that made my night and my year, hand-painted by one of our marriage license clerks.
I try to avoid names, but this particular co-worker is young, incredibly nice, an artist, a skilled baker and apparently, she also paints pottery!
Behold, a mug I will love for a long time:
Last night was the office Christmas party and gift exchange. We met at a local
When everyone had eaten, the judge stood by the stage and thanked us all for coming and then started the gift exchange. This is our third year of doing a White Elephant/Steal the Present and it's a lot of fun. My gift to the exchange was the cowboy boot-shaped shot glasses I got at the 2013 party, and a growler of my brother's Buttface Amber Ale. My office-mate originally got it, but had it stolen from her by one of our investigators. I originally opened a gift bag with a "bathroom book" 52 Things to Do While You Poo plus a travel-sized assortment of Poo-Pourri products.
Gifts ran the gamut from beer (mine and a mini-keg of Heineken) to light-up yard decorations (a dachshund in a Santa suit) to assorted Christmas decor both tacky and classy, and cookware and such. Our chief magistrate was delighted with a set of decorate-your-own gingerbread men and our judicial attorney threatened repercussions if anyone stole her Christmas lights. Luckily for me, I was not stuck with my poo-related present and was able to steal the gift that made my night and my year, hand-painted by one of our marriage license clerks.
I try to avoid names, but this particular co-worker is young, incredibly nice, an artist, a skilled baker and apparently, she also paints pottery!
Behold, a mug I will love for a long time:
Sunday, November 29, 2015
So much accomplished, so much yet to do
So far on this long weekend I have:
Gotten all the houseplants but one in from the garage, arranged and watered.
Gotten the final 40 pound bag of softener salt down to the basement and in the softener.
Done 4 loads of laundry and put clothes away.
Went to the grocery store and got my contribution to Tuesday's 'comfort food' lunch at work.
Moved my vintage trunk so it is under the antique map.
Gone out to Mom's house, watered her plants and sorted 10 days' worth of mail.
Cleaned the bathroom & kitchen sinks plus the tub & toilet.
Swept the kitchen floor.
Remembered to take the recyclables to the curb on Friday night.
Took compostables out to the pile.
Changed the sheets.
Changed to my holiday blanket and comforter (with help).
Blanket:
Comforter:
Things I still need to do:
Finish the laundry, including the fall comforter and blanket, and put it all away.
Sweep and steam the bathroom floor.
Take all the dog hair to the compost pile!
Set up my new nail polish storage system.
Vacuum.
Shower, exfoliate, all that.
Manicure.
I'm realistic enough to know that the vacuuming may not happen along with the bathroom floor, because I definitely can't skip showering and washing my hair and I've only got one back and a few spoons. Still, when I type up my list, I can see that I wasn't lazy, I did get stuff done, and if I did it with lots of breaks, then who cares?
Gotten all the houseplants but one in from the garage, arranged and watered.
Gotten the final 40 pound bag of softener salt down to the basement and in the softener.
Done 4 loads of laundry and put clothes away.
Went to the grocery store and got my contribution to Tuesday's 'comfort food' lunch at work.
Moved my vintage trunk so it is under the antique map.
Gone out to Mom's house, watered her plants and sorted 10 days' worth of mail.
Cleaned the bathroom & kitchen sinks plus the tub & toilet.
Swept the kitchen floor.
Remembered to take the recyclables to the curb on Friday night.
Took compostables out to the pile.
Changed the sheets.
Changed to my holiday blanket and comforter (with help).
Blanket:
Comforter:
Things I still need to do:
Finish the laundry, including the fall comforter and blanket, and put it all away.
Sweep and steam the bathroom floor.
Take all the dog hair to the compost pile!
Set up my new nail polish storage system.
Vacuum.
Shower, exfoliate, all that.
Manicure.
I'm realistic enough to know that the vacuuming may not happen along with the bathroom floor, because I definitely can't skip showering and washing my hair and I've only got one back and a few spoons. Still, when I type up my list, I can see that I wasn't lazy, I did get stuff done, and if I did it with lots of breaks, then who cares?
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Not my best Sunday
Oof and oww. My day started with me spilling coffee on the counter and into an open drawer full of clean dish cloths, and then I went on to haul two 40 pound bags of softener salt into the basement and doing laundry. Then I hauled 10 or so houseplants in from the garage and hauled raw water up the basement stairs to give them and their 10 cousins who were already in the house a drink. I stepped on a stone in the garage and got a bruise on my heel right through my slipper. I am sore, tired, cranky and so not ready for work tomorrow.
On the other hand, my nails look pretty and it's a short week. So I am saying good-bye to this day and going to bed early.
On the other hand, my nails look pretty and it's a short week. So I am saying good-bye to this day and going to bed early.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
My Friday the 13th
started out thirteeny, as I looked out from the kitchen window and saw my recyclable can on its side and all of my recyclables in the driveway, both ditches and generally higgledy-piggledy. Then as I drove to work, the dog at the towing place was sleeping on his back with his feet up in the air and I worried that he was dead. I worry about that dog anyway, wondering if he gets pats and love as well as food and a doghouse. :-(
Then I got to work and it was all guardian's accounts and getting ready for Call Day and then it was 1:30 and I was being a bailiff and we had the fewest cases and the largest number of people we've had all year, and Magistrate H and I worked really well together. Then it was 2:30, only 90 minutes of work left and I got to make one of my co-workers do a happy dance when I told him yes, my mom will bring back some of my brother's beer for him.
Then I went home and the headache hit, so I took a nap, ate dinner, loafed online and then went back to bed.
Today was much better. My head only hurt a little bit, I got the presents for Texas all wrapped and out to Mom & Dad's for delivery. Plus, Mom made an amazing turkey dinner because I will be alone on Thanksgiving, and then sent me home with pounds and pounds of leftovers, PLUS snack mix.
Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to laundry, cleaning another quarter of the breezeway, and moving more houseplants inside from the garage.
Then I got to work and it was all guardian's accounts and getting ready for Call Day and then it was 1:30 and I was being a bailiff and we had the fewest cases and the largest number of people we've had all year, and Magistrate H and I worked really well together. Then it was 2:30, only 90 minutes of work left and I got to make one of my co-workers do a happy dance when I told him yes, my mom will bring back some of my brother's beer for him.
Then I went home and the headache hit, so I took a nap, ate dinner, loafed online and then went back to bed.
Today was much better. My head only hurt a little bit, I got the presents for Texas all wrapped and out to Mom & Dad's for delivery. Plus, Mom made an amazing turkey dinner because I will be alone on Thanksgiving, and then sent me home with pounds and pounds of leftovers, PLUS snack mix.
Tomorrow is going to be dedicated to laundry, cleaning another quarter of the breezeway, and moving more houseplants inside from the garage.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Close your eyes and imagine...
a rat running across your front lawn. And then another. Would you not shiver, perhaps shriek, and hope that there weren't more? Of course you would!
Then why in the name of all that's good, do you think squirrels are cute? They are RATS. Rats with fluffy tails and good PR, but still Satan's little disease-carrying minions.
Oh, and btw, they tried to kill me again today. This time, it was a walnut left on the front sidewalk from the walnut tree that is in the very back of my very long yard.
So fine, keep on giving them peanuts and bird seed. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
P.S. All the houseplants are either in the garage or in the house, sans walnuts.
Then why in the name of all that's good, do you think squirrels are cute? They are RATS. Rats with fluffy tails and good PR, but still Satan's little disease-carrying minions.
Oh, and btw, they tried to kill me again today. This time, it was a walnut left on the front sidewalk from the walnut tree that is in the very back of my very long yard.
So fine, keep on giving them peanuts and bird seed. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
P.S. All the houseplants are either in the garage or in the house, sans walnuts.
Sunday, November 08, 2015
Elections, attorneys and flash crushes
Everything I wanted happened at the polls on Tuesday. One of our magistrates was elected as a Municipal Court judge, my school district's bond issue passed, Ohioans said Hell No to amending the constitution to create a monopoly and a qualified candidate was elected as Municipal Court Clerk of Courts.
I was both surprised and amused to see that a local attorney who's been doing domestic cases for a long time has absolutely plastered her truck with Bernie Sanders signs. And on October 30, a group of local attorneys who perform as a rock band called Roxy Moron dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz and played live at the Tangier. I didn't go, admission was $50, but I got to see pictures, including one of our Chief Magistrate dressed as the gatekeeper of Emerald City!
Everyone's heard of flash mobs, flash fiction and flash floods, but on Thursday I had three successive flash crushes. :-) All were on attorneys, two of whom were definitely my "type", and all three of whom made me laugh.
I am looking forward to my day off on Wednesday, and I have lots of plans which may or may not come to fruition.
I was both surprised and amused to see that a local attorney who's been doing domestic cases for a long time has absolutely plastered her truck with Bernie Sanders signs. And on October 30, a group of local attorneys who perform as a rock band called Roxy Moron dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz and played live at the Tangier. I didn't go, admission was $50, but I got to see pictures, including one of our Chief Magistrate dressed as the gatekeeper of Emerald City!
Everyone's heard of flash mobs, flash fiction and flash floods, but on Thursday I had three successive flash crushes. :-) All were on attorneys, two of whom were definitely my "type", and all three of whom made me laugh.
I am looking forward to my day off on Wednesday, and I have lots of plans which may or may not come to fruition.
Monday, November 02, 2015
My words have left the building
I'm fine, I just have no interest in putting words together here, or on Bubbles & Baubles, or even on G+. I'm just gonna let everything go fallow for a little bit and see if maybe the desire to yak returns.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
NYC Day 5, Monday, October 12
Sunday night I was in bed and asleep by 10, only to wake up at 3 because I was coughing so hard. Trying to avoid waking Mom (ha!) I got up and made a bed on the sofa where I could sleep upright. Well, I managed the upright, but not the sleeping. Mom slept a bit, but mostly didn't because I was noisy and she was worried about me. When it got light, she got dressed and went to two different drugstores looking for an expectorant. All of my effort was going to getting oxygen into my body. At this point I was pretty sure that the chest cold had deepened into bronchitis, and all I wanted to do was get home.
What I experienced was a combination of asthma attack and panic attack. I was gasping for air and not getting it and my brain was doing panicked little rodent dashes in every direction. Not something I want to experience again.
After some discussion between all four of us, we decided to leave for the airport in time to put the early flyers (both Bookworm and Anabel) on their planes, since Mom and I would have to move very slowly. However, that plan went out the window when I lost all my breath walking the ten or so steps from our room door to the elevator. I told Mom I was going downstairs and have the clerk call 911, which I did.
After a short wait time, during which my sisters-in-law agreed to go to the airport so they didn't miss their planes, an ambulance and two nice EMTs arrived. They asked some questions, listened to my lungs and my heart and told me they needed to take me to ER. So we left my carry-on and both of our suitcases at the hotel and got in the ambulance. The EMTs gave me a breathing treatment in the ambulance, and somehow it was vanilla-scented.
Everyone at Mount Sinai Roosevelt was very nice. I saw a nurse, the attending physician, the X-ray tech and two residents and they all worked very hard to help me get home. I had an additional two breathing treatments and an order to see my primary physician (who I don't have) and got the news that although the ER docs did not want to make an official diagnosis, all three are pretty sure I have COPD. A warning--that link has a very unpretty picture right at the top of the page. The hospital discharged me in time to take a cab back to the hotel for our bags and out to the airport. Fortunately, the line for security was very light and the gate was close-ish to security.
Getting out of the airplane at Cleveland turned out to be more of a task. Climbing up the ramp exhausted me to the point where all I could do was collapse into a chair. Fortunately, Cleveland Hopkins has some exceptional special employees who help customers who need assistance, and one of them got me into a wheelchair and all the way down to baggage and then to the park and fly shuttle. I know Mom tipped her, but I really wish I could remember her name.
Anyway, yes, the elephant in the blog--am I going to quit smoking? I already have, thanks to Monday, the only question is whether or not I can make it stick.
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