,,,,
~Came home Friday and couldn't get into my house. My landlord's maintnence guy had broken the lock or something when he'd come to fix the toilet earlier in the day. I called them. He came back. We ultimately had to break in. They're coming to fix the locks tomorrow morning.
~Went to dinner with Stephen, Denny & Zella on Fri night at Blue Star Cafe--the weak link in Eddie Bernal's restaurants, as far as I'm concerned, but a fine choice for being able to get into on a stunningly nice Friday night. (and quite ironic since when they first opened, it was billed an non-kid friendly, but now it's pack with families with small kids during the kid hours!) Julio's would've been out of the question. We'd originally started for Santa Rita, but apparently it was packed, with no parking or anything. Great to see them and see Zella, who's 3 now and quite the charming little girl. A great time.
~Sat, I did two loads of laundry...before late in the day, having re-set the dryer about 5 times, realized the heating element had gone out on it. Dang. Well, it's their washer/dryer. Mine are in storage. They can either replace it or I pull mine out... but still. I didn't get to wash jeans this weekend. I'm lucky I own one of those euro-drying racks. I normally use it for sweaters, but now it's covered in underwear and socks.
~Ran some errands--exercised, biked over to Toy Joy for things to make a proper hat for a wedding parade! Ran into Amy Rudy and Elle and biked home and realized I'd have to punt on some things and that I"m the only theatre person in Austin without a glue-gun, which would've save hours...intead of heating up an ice-pick in the flame of the stove and melting holes in the little plastic figurines of hubby/wife and cupid and white swans, and then tying them with blue curling ribbon. (A gerund of sorts, but somewhat festive afterall.) (huh?) (tee-hee)
~I literally finished my hat at 3:44. I left here at 3:50. I was at Plaza Satillo at 4:00, for the wedding. Wow. And I didn't speed--not really. I wore my best salmon sweater and my wedding parade hat. It was a fabulous event! A 3 minute, 19 second ceremony (saw the whole thing on youTube a little bit ago and that's how long the tape was) and then the Minor Mishap Marching Band in their yellow jerseys struck up the band and we all marched a block west on 5th street, up the hill to 6th street, one block on 6th street (obviously blocking traffic--people came out to watch and cheer us on), and then turned left and left again into the alley and ended up for a celebration in the patio of Rio Rita! It was Susan Todd and her (now) husband Prentice's wedding. Great fun! Everyone was in fun costumes and paraphanalia and such. There were skits and such. Kids and dogs. Show girls and flappers, knights and vagabonds, kings and turtles, pirates, colorful mardi-gras type outfits, etc. So much fun. First ran into my neighbor, Dave, from behind me, who knew Prentice--I know Susan from school. (She's a playwright and leader of the The Weird Sisters theatre company and we used to be in a writing group together and all that.) Then I ran into Martha Lynn, Hannes and Henny. Later, Henny was grumpy so we bailed on the dinner at Nuevo Leon and went to Papa Tios or something like that, right next door. Pretty good. And pretty hip and such. (You know how much that matters to me--especially in my wedding parade hat!) (Pictures when I figure out how to get them off my iPhone! I took some great video, but apparently did it wrong and it didn't take... I think I hit the close program to end it, instead of the end button. oh well.)
~Today, an even prettier day than yesterday. Another quick bike ride. Another ran out of time. Another rushing to an unusual event. Tonight's was Margaret Key's 70th bday event at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, right next to her house, which is an integral part of her life and becoming bigger every day. Wow. Great gospel, the original Belles of Joy, tons of folks, raised good money to raise their roof (it's 140 year old black church in a freedman's colony that was the original Clarksville,) Sarah Hickman and daughter, Lily, etc. A long, but special event. I went with Eugene and Steven. We made our rounds and said hellos afterwards and saw Margaret's new house next door and had some snacks and then went back to their house and ate some leftovers. Really an amazing night, actually. My arms are sore from clapping. (It was also their regular Sunday night service, of sorts.) A lot of standing and feeling the music and the spirit!
~Charles Gentry's obit was in today's paper. Made me a little sad. He was such a nice guy, whom I've know since, who knows? Late 80s? Early 90s?
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=charles-gentry&pid=155672280
It made me a little sad to see it there.
~Then at another point today I saw on FB that Tim Young lost his other son. He'd already lost one son. I was blown away. To think you lose 2 of your 3 children in their young 20s. Wow. Tim is such a great guy. I remember those kids hunting easter eggs at the Caswell house Octopus event back in the late 90s, early 2000s. My love goes out to him and all of his family.
,,,,,
But now it's past midnight, somehow. I didn't tell you about the naps I took catching up on sleep. I didn't tell you about falling asleep, yet again, trying to finish the book for book club on Tuesday, which is apparently postponed. Good thing? I didn't tell you about sitting on the porch with candles and journaling for the first time since right after Biggun died (before new job.) I didn't tell you how pretty it was in Austin this weekend, if not a bit chilly at times. I didn't tell you how tall and thick the weeds are because we've had no freeze this year and it's so warm and all that rain. My front yard is a foot tall (higher in places) with all the mid-Spring weeds and such. Much worse than I've ever had before--especially after working so hard to pull them last year. A lot of good that did me. I didn't tell you about the stars and late night kitty walks and such.
But there's no time left. I've got to walk Kitty right now--and then be up in less than 6 hours and process documents all day. I better get outta here!
Cheers!
Oh, and I didn't adequately convey how much I think wedding parades should become a part of the Austin scene! Just so cool!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wow! Look at the size of...
...
...those feet!
So.
Those who know me know I've been perplexed by the fact that in the 1970s, working at my dad's clothing store, we stocked a ranged of shoes that started at 7 1/2 and went up to 12--with very few of either of those sizes (say one out of every other style or so,) but we'd stock two of every style between sizes 9 and 10 1/2. Almost a perfect bell curve... of sorts.
And,
I've been totally perplexed how in one generation we suddenly have a whole slew of kids with size 14 feet? Get real. Size 14 didn't (hardly) exist a generation ago. Yeah, okay, sure we evolve, but not like that. There is no evolutionary benefit for big feet that would translate into natural selection increasing them to that big that fast. I know. I know. Yes, there is the whole big feet, big ___ theory, which many of my friends would argue until they're blue in the face is a fine evoltuionary benefit for natural selection to select for and they could totally get the speed by which it's happened. They might even get a bit religious about it and thank God for answering prayers or something! Size Queens aside, let's get real--evolution doesn't work like that.
WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED?
WHAT CAUSED IT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Then,
Friday at lunch it struck me. A co-worker and I had had a conversation earlier about why I eat as little meat as possible: all the hormones and antibiotics in meat. He'd said, "Dude, I get it. Girls used to not mature until much later, but now I see little kids maturing real fast--especially little girls, and I'm like, dude, something's up with that. It didn't used to happen until late middle school, but now..."
That's it! Got to be!
In that one generation we suddenly filled the meat and diary supply with hormones (and antibiotics, but this argument really only works with hormones--the resistant staph and other things goes to the over-use of antibiotics column!) and that has to be why so many guys under 30 have huge feet! Wow!
How else could you explain it?!?
Seriously people--big agri-business is killing us. Faster than you think. Eat organic as much as you possibly can--or don't eat it. Seriously. Go soy as far as diary is concerned. (okay, except ice cream, but still...) Eat free range meat, whenever you can. Only organic meat, if you can. It's not possible to do it all the time, and we know most restaurants don't use it, but if I were you, I'd try as much as possible to limit that hormone/antibiotic injected meat, by either eating vegetarian more or buying less of the better stuff.
Seriously.
Or what? In another generation....
Wow..look at the size of those skis on the bottom of his legs. You know what they say? Big skis, big...
mountains!
Addendum:
Oh yes, and Denny commented that his aunt raises chickens for Tyson and they grind their beaks down and inject them with stuff, which makes them become full size in about a fourth of the time it would normally take to get there, which corresponds a lot with what the guy in my office was saying about the attrocities KFC does to its chickens. Yikes.
Beans, soy, etc all are excellent sources of protein!
...those feet!
So.
Those who know me know I've been perplexed by the fact that in the 1970s, working at my dad's clothing store, we stocked a ranged of shoes that started at 7 1/2 and went up to 12--with very few of either of those sizes (say one out of every other style or so,) but we'd stock two of every style between sizes 9 and 10 1/2. Almost a perfect bell curve... of sorts.
And,
I've been totally perplexed how in one generation we suddenly have a whole slew of kids with size 14 feet? Get real. Size 14 didn't (hardly) exist a generation ago. Yeah, okay, sure we evolve, but not like that. There is no evolutionary benefit for big feet that would translate into natural selection increasing them to that big that fast. I know. I know. Yes, there is the whole big feet, big ___ theory, which many of my friends would argue until they're blue in the face is a fine evoltuionary benefit for natural selection to select for and they could totally get the speed by which it's happened. They might even get a bit religious about it and thank God for answering prayers or something! Size Queens aside, let's get real--evolution doesn't work like that.
WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED?
WHAT CAUSED IT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Then,
Friday at lunch it struck me. A co-worker and I had had a conversation earlier about why I eat as little meat as possible: all the hormones and antibiotics in meat. He'd said, "Dude, I get it. Girls used to not mature until much later, but now I see little kids maturing real fast--especially little girls, and I'm like, dude, something's up with that. It didn't used to happen until late middle school, but now..."
That's it! Got to be!
In that one generation we suddenly filled the meat and diary supply with hormones (and antibiotics, but this argument really only works with hormones--the resistant staph and other things goes to the over-use of antibiotics column!) and that has to be why so many guys under 30 have huge feet! Wow!
How else could you explain it?!?
Seriously people--big agri-business is killing us. Faster than you think. Eat organic as much as you possibly can--or don't eat it. Seriously. Go soy as far as diary is concerned. (okay, except ice cream, but still...) Eat free range meat, whenever you can. Only organic meat, if you can. It's not possible to do it all the time, and we know most restaurants don't use it, but if I were you, I'd try as much as possible to limit that hormone/antibiotic injected meat, by either eating vegetarian more or buying less of the better stuff.
Seriously.
Or what? In another generation....
Wow..look at the size of those skis on the bottom of his legs. You know what they say? Big skis, big...
mountains!
Addendum:
Oh yes, and Denny commented that his aunt raises chickens for Tyson and they grind their beaks down and inject them with stuff, which makes them become full size in about a fourth of the time it would normally take to get there, which corresponds a lot with what the guy in my office was saying about the attrocities KFC does to its chickens. Yikes.
Beans, soy, etc all are excellent sources of protein!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Crazy, Good Week...
...
Sunday, I went to Houston mid-day and hung out with the Helms family in their new house. Had a most fun time and then ate at a scrumptiously yummy place in River Oaks shopping center, Brassierre (Some number...19? 16?) Wow! We had a delicious bottle of red, shared some shrimp/grits for appetizer, then all three of us ordered their plate of the day: a stunning cassoulet! Loved their new house, which as the crow flies is only about a block from their old one in the Memorial Villages section of Houston. It even has a secret room behind some bookshelves that open up--how cool is that?!
Monday, realized the MDA scheduler had scheduled my labs after my bone marrow biopsy, but I knew from experience that it has to happen prior to. Got there a little early. Went up to the bone marrow section. They told me to go do labs and then come back and we'd go from there. The lab on a Monday can be a nightmare, but they've re-organized it and it's not quite so oppressive--and for whatever reason, I was in and out in 15 minutes. (I've waited 1.5 hours on a Monday before.)
But it takes about an hour for those results to post and thus, before you can do the biopsy. (and/or the CT scans, etc.) So I had to hang out awhile in that waiting room. And because of a planned gap after that, it really didn't throw me off too much.
I got complimented on my firm, strong bones by the P.A. giving the biopsy. I got complimented on my good veins by the RN putting the IV into me for my iodine contrast injection. (Maybe I should put those in a personal ad!? Strong bones, great veins seeks same.)
The woman sitting next to me was duly impressed by my veins too. She's only 50. Has a very rare form of cervical cancer. Was told 2 years ago, she only had a month. She lives in Dallas and talked about her discovery of it and how it affected her sex life and all that. She's on an experimental treatment that seems to be working very well. She looks good. She was turned over to a collection agency for over $2million in bills. She laughed. What the hell? At that point, who cares? (They're obviously not cutting her off, because they need her for the study....but still, $2 million! Yikes! She has to go down there every Monday for treatment--and every 3rd week is an extra day of scans and doctor visit, etc.) It was a funny, forty-five minute, bonding type conversation between two people in big green vinyl recliners, wearing scrubs, drinking differently flavored bottles of barium, who'll likely never see each other again.
Treated myself to a Goode's Taqueria Hamburger and Onion Rings (on Kirby) since I hadn't eaten all day.... and took the opportunity to use their bathroom to blast out another round of barium before the i-10 traffic and the long ride home. Got home about 9pm.
(Listened to two old favorites on the trip: All That Jazz on the way down, and The Wiz on the way back.)
Was fairly spacey the next day at work, but got through it just fine. It was a crazy day. But then got caught up by the time I left last night.
Had a loud, long 3 inches of rain storm the other night. Kitty was a mess. (He hates thunder and this was some thunder!)
Trying to read my book for bookclub next week, but keep falling asleep--not from the book, but from the week, etc.
Today drove back down to Houston, for a grand total of 10 minutes facetime with the nurse, P.A., and doctor, because there was nothing to report. Still all clear. Still in remission. Keep doing what you're doing.
Was pleased with that. Very!
Had been über-spacey all day long... almost like chemo-brain, spacey. Not remembering things that had happened a few minutes ago, etc. Today, I got home about 6:45. Today, I'm tired. Today I'm over this blogging site where I hit the wrong thing 3 times in a row because of where shift v. control is on my keyboard versus my keyboard at work.... and it's deleted whole sections of this post 3 times....and I keep putting things in all dyslexic style, scrambled and such...
But what I was going to say, but I don't remember where exactly is that the PA looked at the place that my dentist got all excited about last fall and then looked back at my scans since 2008 and says it's a cyst, which reminded me that after previous MRI or CT or whatever in 2001, the neurologist commented on the cyst in my sinuses and said most Austinites have them because of the allergens. The PA said it can't be an abcess. Also my white blood count was 3900 today--highest ever since starting chemo and all that. Is it the astragulus and echinecea I've been taking for 6 weeks now to keep from getting sick in an office where germs fly around all day--from customers and other employees with colds, etc? (We have anti-bacterial stuff on every desk and on the counters and everywhere, which also helps!) We'll see!
(Guy with great WBC and long-time sinus cyst seeks same.)
I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm stopping MDA, and just using my Austin oncologist from this point forward. If it were to get bad again, I could always go back. But it's not going to get bad again. I'm tired of all that travel, preparation, etc. Days off, expense, etc.
Yet, there is something in that community that I will miss...(see story of woman in scrubs above)
And they sure do a smooooooth bone marrow biopsy. Almost a massage!
But still.
Right now I'm going to go try to read my book. It's already late and I'll likely be falling asleep over it... I hadn't intended to take this long posting and blogging and such...
No time for editing... we're goin' live!
Cheers!
,m
Sunday, I went to Houston mid-day and hung out with the Helms family in their new house. Had a most fun time and then ate at a scrumptiously yummy place in River Oaks shopping center, Brassierre (Some number...19? 16?) Wow! We had a delicious bottle of red, shared some shrimp/grits for appetizer, then all three of us ordered their plate of the day: a stunning cassoulet! Loved their new house, which as the crow flies is only about a block from their old one in the Memorial Villages section of Houston. It even has a secret room behind some bookshelves that open up--how cool is that?!
Monday, realized the MDA scheduler had scheduled my labs after my bone marrow biopsy, but I knew from experience that it has to happen prior to. Got there a little early. Went up to the bone marrow section. They told me to go do labs and then come back and we'd go from there. The lab on a Monday can be a nightmare, but they've re-organized it and it's not quite so oppressive--and for whatever reason, I was in and out in 15 minutes. (I've waited 1.5 hours on a Monday before.)
But it takes about an hour for those results to post and thus, before you can do the biopsy. (and/or the CT scans, etc.) So I had to hang out awhile in that waiting room. And because of a planned gap after that, it really didn't throw me off too much.
I got complimented on my firm, strong bones by the P.A. giving the biopsy. I got complimented on my good veins by the RN putting the IV into me for my iodine contrast injection. (Maybe I should put those in a personal ad!? Strong bones, great veins seeks same.)
The woman sitting next to me was duly impressed by my veins too. She's only 50. Has a very rare form of cervical cancer. Was told 2 years ago, she only had a month. She lives in Dallas and talked about her discovery of it and how it affected her sex life and all that. She's on an experimental treatment that seems to be working very well. She looks good. She was turned over to a collection agency for over $2million in bills. She laughed. What the hell? At that point, who cares? (They're obviously not cutting her off, because they need her for the study....but still, $2 million! Yikes! She has to go down there every Monday for treatment--and every 3rd week is an extra day of scans and doctor visit, etc.) It was a funny, forty-five minute, bonding type conversation between two people in big green vinyl recliners, wearing scrubs, drinking differently flavored bottles of barium, who'll likely never see each other again.
Treated myself to a Goode's Taqueria Hamburger and Onion Rings (on Kirby) since I hadn't eaten all day.... and took the opportunity to use their bathroom to blast out another round of barium before the i-10 traffic and the long ride home. Got home about 9pm.
(Listened to two old favorites on the trip: All That Jazz on the way down, and The Wiz on the way back.)
Was fairly spacey the next day at work, but got through it just fine. It was a crazy day. But then got caught up by the time I left last night.
Had a loud, long 3 inches of rain storm the other night. Kitty was a mess. (He hates thunder and this was some thunder!)
Trying to read my book for bookclub next week, but keep falling asleep--not from the book, but from the week, etc.
Today drove back down to Houston, for a grand total of 10 minutes facetime with the nurse, P.A., and doctor, because there was nothing to report. Still all clear. Still in remission. Keep doing what you're doing.
Was pleased with that. Very!
Had been über-spacey all day long... almost like chemo-brain, spacey. Not remembering things that had happened a few minutes ago, etc. Today, I got home about 6:45. Today, I'm tired. Today I'm over this blogging site where I hit the wrong thing 3 times in a row because of where shift v. control is on my keyboard versus my keyboard at work.... and it's deleted whole sections of this post 3 times....and I keep putting things in all dyslexic style, scrambled and such...
But what I was going to say, but I don't remember where exactly is that the PA looked at the place that my dentist got all excited about last fall and then looked back at my scans since 2008 and says it's a cyst, which reminded me that after previous MRI or CT or whatever in 2001, the neurologist commented on the cyst in my sinuses and said most Austinites have them because of the allergens. The PA said it can't be an abcess. Also my white blood count was 3900 today--highest ever since starting chemo and all that. Is it the astragulus and echinecea I've been taking for 6 weeks now to keep from getting sick in an office where germs fly around all day--from customers and other employees with colds, etc? (We have anti-bacterial stuff on every desk and on the counters and everywhere, which also helps!) We'll see!
(Guy with great WBC and long-time sinus cyst seeks same.)
I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm stopping MDA, and just using my Austin oncologist from this point forward. If it were to get bad again, I could always go back. But it's not going to get bad again. I'm tired of all that travel, preparation, etc. Days off, expense, etc.
Yet, there is something in that community that I will miss...(see story of woman in scrubs above)
And they sure do a smooooooth bone marrow biopsy. Almost a massage!
But still.
Right now I'm going to go try to read my book. It's already late and I'll likely be falling asleep over it... I hadn't intended to take this long posting and blogging and such...
No time for editing... we're goin' live!
Cheers!
,m
Friday, January 20, 2012
Today I...
...
...went in almost 2 hours late because I had time I had to use from working late a few nights. Thus I enter the weekend a little less needy for sleep.
...worked a lot of customers during the lunch hours, instead of just doing title and e-recordings and mail... it a nice diversion; i like both mindsets... but... today's customers were more fun oriented... for some reason a lot of music types getting DBAs ("doing business as" AKA "assumed names")...
...left work right on time and came home and took a nap...and probably will read in book for book club
...enjoyed the windows/doors being open
...got two calls confirming next week's MDA appointments
...got on facebook after my nap and was a little blown away because I...
...learned a long time friend was found by his maid in a coma today and died later in the day...
...learned that another friend from way back and his husband are selling their house and much of their furniture and things in an "estate" sell tomorrow in order for them to downsize, so that they and their two boys can concentrate on fighting his cancer...
...learned that Mayor Leffingwell was one of many mayors of major American cities today who signed "right to marry" pledges to work toward establishing the rights of gays and lesbians to get married... and was glad I live in one of those cities. (Ask your mayor if he/she signed.)
...learned that apparently a number of gays in Houston attend Joel Osteen's mega-church, in spite of the fact that he preaches regularly that being gay is a sin... (did so on Oprah apparently too... great post on this on Huffington post...) a friend of the facebook friend who posted the comment is apparently one of them and jumped in defending him. Was more than a little blown away by the subliminal self-hate--or more softly stated, internalized homophobia. We all go through that because...well... see next comment... but to claim that all preachers call homosexuality a sin or else they'd be accused of not going by the bible is a bit...much. (I could name a whole list of pastors that don't--and churches that welcome gays and lesbians...)
...thought that all parents should read that story on Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-kort-phd/joel-osteen-gay_b_1217447.html?ref=fb
How many times do you joke about a little boy and a little girl being boyfriend and girlfriends? do you post a pic of a kid and jokingly call the opposite sex other kid their boy/girlfriend? How many times do you ask little boys if they have a girlfriend yet or "who's your girlfriend?" Actually, this is much more likely of friends of parents and extended family like grandparents and uncles and such. When you're a kid and whether you really know you're gay or not, this question is just horrible. This kind of teasing re-inforces how wrong you are inside... even if you don't really know why yet...
...learned that Etta James died, and even though I thought she'd died a couple of weeks ago, it made me sad all over.
...watched a couple of Etta James videos on facebook
...saw pics of what people who weren't filing documents did outside today on this stunning Texas winter day...
...saw a pic of the suspect in the NY Eve murder that happened not too far from here, and for the first time since I've lived here, wondered for about half a second about having the front door open. In case you're wondering, it's still open. At least they've apparently got a name and pic and are narrowing it down.
...saw cute pics of dogs and kids and food and creeks and things.
...watched a very cool (short) dance video... made cooler by the twist... Steve Ochoa, a dancer friend of mine posted it... here, watch it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OR-n3Rg6E8&feature=player_embedded
...sat on the porch with a beer and looked at the stars and the Speedway moonlight tower through the trees
...wilted some Poteet Spinach, ground sea salt and pepper on top, and ate it with some cheese slices and was thinking it was about as perfect a meal as there is (get it while it's in season at CM!)
...learned on facebook that it's National Cheese Day
...saw the obligatory fb posts about Newt (I'm seriously over the R's this year. I hope you are too.)
...saw a Perry post or two (I'm seriously over the Perry Period. I hope you are too.)
and I,
sat down to update Squirrels in the Attic...
I think I'll go read my book.
Cheers.
...went in almost 2 hours late because I had time I had to use from working late a few nights. Thus I enter the weekend a little less needy for sleep.
...worked a lot of customers during the lunch hours, instead of just doing title and e-recordings and mail... it a nice diversion; i like both mindsets... but... today's customers were more fun oriented... for some reason a lot of music types getting DBAs ("doing business as" AKA "assumed names")...
...left work right on time and came home and took a nap...and probably will read in book for book club
...enjoyed the windows/doors being open
...got two calls confirming next week's MDA appointments
...got on facebook after my nap and was a little blown away because I...
...learned a long time friend was found by his maid in a coma today and died later in the day...
...learned that another friend from way back and his husband are selling their house and much of their furniture and things in an "estate" sell tomorrow in order for them to downsize, so that they and their two boys can concentrate on fighting his cancer...
...learned that Mayor Leffingwell was one of many mayors of major American cities today who signed "right to marry" pledges to work toward establishing the rights of gays and lesbians to get married... and was glad I live in one of those cities. (Ask your mayor if he/she signed.)
...learned that apparently a number of gays in Houston attend Joel Osteen's mega-church, in spite of the fact that he preaches regularly that being gay is a sin... (did so on Oprah apparently too... great post on this on Huffington post...) a friend of the facebook friend who posted the comment is apparently one of them and jumped in defending him. Was more than a little blown away by the subliminal self-hate--or more softly stated, internalized homophobia. We all go through that because...well... see next comment... but to claim that all preachers call homosexuality a sin or else they'd be accused of not going by the bible is a bit...much. (I could name a whole list of pastors that don't--and churches that welcome gays and lesbians...)
...thought that all parents should read that story on Huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-kort-phd/joel-osteen-gay_b_1217447.html?ref=fb
How many times do you joke about a little boy and a little girl being boyfriend and girlfriends? do you post a pic of a kid and jokingly call the opposite sex other kid their boy/girlfriend? How many times do you ask little boys if they have a girlfriend yet or "who's your girlfriend?" Actually, this is much more likely of friends of parents and extended family like grandparents and uncles and such. When you're a kid and whether you really know you're gay or not, this question is just horrible. This kind of teasing re-inforces how wrong you are inside... even if you don't really know why yet...
...learned that Etta James died, and even though I thought she'd died a couple of weeks ago, it made me sad all over.
...watched a couple of Etta James videos on facebook
...saw pics of what people who weren't filing documents did outside today on this stunning Texas winter day...
...saw a pic of the suspect in the NY Eve murder that happened not too far from here, and for the first time since I've lived here, wondered for about half a second about having the front door open. In case you're wondering, it's still open. At least they've apparently got a name and pic and are narrowing it down.
...saw cute pics of dogs and kids and food and creeks and things.
...watched a very cool (short) dance video... made cooler by the twist... Steve Ochoa, a dancer friend of mine posted it... here, watch it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OR-n3Rg6E8&feature=player_embedded
...sat on the porch with a beer and looked at the stars and the Speedway moonlight tower through the trees
...wilted some Poteet Spinach, ground sea salt and pepper on top, and ate it with some cheese slices and was thinking it was about as perfect a meal as there is (get it while it's in season at CM!)
...learned on facebook that it's National Cheese Day
...saw the obligatory fb posts about Newt (I'm seriously over the R's this year. I hope you are too.)
...saw a Perry post or two (I'm seriously over the Perry Period. I hope you are too.)
and I,
sat down to update Squirrels in the Attic...
I think I'll go read my book.
Cheers.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Late Night, per se, Quickies
...
Okay, so it's not that late, but since the last post was early morning and it somewhat kicked off the long weekend, I figured, what the hell, let's bookend the weekend... so here it is:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
LATE NIGHT QUICKIES!
per se
(Or as Joe Christie says, Excuse me while I swallow my grape.)
With no further adieu....THE QUICKIES:
~Got to work Friday. Slow day, until I had to go into a meeting with TNR folks about processing their work separately from general public. (TNR=the dept of the county where I used to work, back in the day.) About that time, all hell broke lose and we were swamped the rest of the day. The mail finally came through. I ended up staying more than an hour past closing, just processing FedEx's.
~Came home. Brain dead. Slept. Chilled. Played with my play a bit. Slept. Etc.
~Sat was stunningly beautiful. Sunny, warm. Nicer than supposed to have been. I immediately did laundry and changed the bed, but before I could get too caught up in things to do, I just found myself in the warm sun on the chaise on the front porch. Wonderful!
~Came in. Took a nap.
~Woke up and immediately went to Sears and bought new tires. (One thing down.)
~Came home and was going to work, cuddled up in the big chair, under flannel throws--it had cooled off rather quickly, but I slept in the chair for the better part of 2 hours. Got up, walked kitty, went to bed. (It's amazing how much I slept this weekend!)
~Sunday, papers, then to Costco, which was beyond crazi-licous with people! Wow. Packed. Came home. Napped. Did some other things--don't really remember what.
~Lived in the world of my play...worked on it on the front porch on Sat night. Not really writing, but rehashing. It's not the form, shape, story I want to tell...yet. Have been re-envisioning it--which means, could be a lot of the same text, playing to different end, etc. or a complete re-envisioning. (On Fri night, I'd played with about a page and a half of totally different structure...before I fell asleep. Does that mean I was just über-sleepy or the idea was bad?)
~Great bike ride on Sunday. Stopped by Barbara Jordan and Martin Luther King statues, in honor of the weekend. Really really enjoyed that. (I had one earlier in the week too--first night in January that I left the office on time. And the weather was fine for a ride that night too.)
~Sun night with the Johanson-Berman family, a couple of blocks up Ave G, where we had her stew over mashed potatoes and watched a DVR'd playoff game--they're all huge Giants fans. So they were happy. The kids were "on". Fun night with kids and dogs and cats and wine!
~Today, no naps...so I'll likely crash soon. Did get in another great bike ride. Went to HEB and PETCO. HEB was swamped today; took forever to get through check out.
~Followed up on some MDA plans/things to do for next week's appointments.
~Re-potted a plant that had blown off the porch and come undone. Looked at things I'd like to do and need to do in the yard, but didn't and won't--not anytime soon. (Oh yeah, I twined some ivy in the warm Saturday sun, when I should've been doing something else.)
~Had drinks with some fun folks over at Eugene's house tonight. Stayed late to talk with his neighbors and their Russian friend from San Francisco. Nice night.
~Was going to come home and do some things....but thinking I'll just walk kitty and go on to bed soon. It's amazing how much I slept--needed to sleep. Dang.
~Got a call from the vet today...Fernando is fine. His white blood cell count was a little high, but could just be his allergies or an infection or whatever. I'm going to take him by there in a few months to get his weight. If it's gone down further, then the vet wants to do some intestinal scans or whatever. But the weight loss could be attributed to a change in diet about a year ago, from a food with a lot of fillers to a natural food. Or to different eating habits once Benjamin was gone. Etc. We'll watch and see, but overall, he looks good.
~Cheers.
^^^Addendum^^^
~No squirrels in the attic, but a mouse or small rat on Ave H. First time, in a very long time, I remember Fernando catching something on a walk. I heard the squeals. Turned around and kitties were coming out of the bushes everywhere. Fernando had it in his mouth. Couldn't tell what it was, for sure. He growled at me, like I was going to take it away from him. I just walked on home. For all I know he's still over there--head kitty supreme. I'm going to bed. He'll eat about a third of it and then throw up. He can just stay outside for awhile.
Nightie Nite.
,m
Okay, so it's not that late, but since the last post was early morning and it somewhat kicked off the long weekend, I figured, what the hell, let's bookend the weekend... so here it is:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
LATE NIGHT QUICKIES!
per se
(Or as Joe Christie says, Excuse me while I swallow my grape.)
With no further adieu....THE QUICKIES:
~Got to work Friday. Slow day, until I had to go into a meeting with TNR folks about processing their work separately from general public. (TNR=the dept of the county where I used to work, back in the day.) About that time, all hell broke lose and we were swamped the rest of the day. The mail finally came through. I ended up staying more than an hour past closing, just processing FedEx's.
~Came home. Brain dead. Slept. Chilled. Played with my play a bit. Slept. Etc.
~Sat was stunningly beautiful. Sunny, warm. Nicer than supposed to have been. I immediately did laundry and changed the bed, but before I could get too caught up in things to do, I just found myself in the warm sun on the chaise on the front porch. Wonderful!
~Came in. Took a nap.
~Woke up and immediately went to Sears and bought new tires. (One thing down.)
~Came home and was going to work, cuddled up in the big chair, under flannel throws--it had cooled off rather quickly, but I slept in the chair for the better part of 2 hours. Got up, walked kitty, went to bed. (It's amazing how much I slept this weekend!)
~Sunday, papers, then to Costco, which was beyond crazi-licous with people! Wow. Packed. Came home. Napped. Did some other things--don't really remember what.
~Lived in the world of my play...worked on it on the front porch on Sat night. Not really writing, but rehashing. It's not the form, shape, story I want to tell...yet. Have been re-envisioning it--which means, could be a lot of the same text, playing to different end, etc. or a complete re-envisioning. (On Fri night, I'd played with about a page and a half of totally different structure...before I fell asleep. Does that mean I was just über-sleepy or the idea was bad?)
~Great bike ride on Sunday. Stopped by Barbara Jordan and Martin Luther King statues, in honor of the weekend. Really really enjoyed that. (I had one earlier in the week too--first night in January that I left the office on time. And the weather was fine for a ride that night too.)
~Sun night with the Johanson-Berman family, a couple of blocks up Ave G, where we had her stew over mashed potatoes and watched a DVR'd playoff game--they're all huge Giants fans. So they were happy. The kids were "on". Fun night with kids and dogs and cats and wine!
~Today, no naps...so I'll likely crash soon. Did get in another great bike ride. Went to HEB and PETCO. HEB was swamped today; took forever to get through check out.
~Followed up on some MDA plans/things to do for next week's appointments.
~Re-potted a plant that had blown off the porch and come undone. Looked at things I'd like to do and need to do in the yard, but didn't and won't--not anytime soon. (Oh yeah, I twined some ivy in the warm Saturday sun, when I should've been doing something else.)
~Had drinks with some fun folks over at Eugene's house tonight. Stayed late to talk with his neighbors and their Russian friend from San Francisco. Nice night.
~Was going to come home and do some things....but thinking I'll just walk kitty and go on to bed soon. It's amazing how much I slept--needed to sleep. Dang.
~Got a call from the vet today...Fernando is fine. His white blood cell count was a little high, but could just be his allergies or an infection or whatever. I'm going to take him by there in a few months to get his weight. If it's gone down further, then the vet wants to do some intestinal scans or whatever. But the weight loss could be attributed to a change in diet about a year ago, from a food with a lot of fillers to a natural food. Or to different eating habits once Benjamin was gone. Etc. We'll watch and see, but overall, he looks good.
~Cheers.
^^^Addendum^^^
~No squirrels in the attic, but a mouse or small rat on Ave H. First time, in a very long time, I remember Fernando catching something on a walk. I heard the squeals. Turned around and kitties were coming out of the bushes everywhere. Fernando had it in his mouth. Couldn't tell what it was, for sure. He growled at me, like I was going to take it away from him. I just walked on home. For all I know he's still over there--head kitty supreme. I'm going to bed. He'll eat about a third of it and then throw up. He can just stay outside for awhile.
Nightie Nite.
,m
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mornin' Quickies!
...
~ Have a little bit more time before I have to get to work. I'm using some time I had to take this pay period. I took Fernando to the vet. LOVE the 8:30 slot for him: it's quiet; no dogs in waiting room; he gets right in; he's a lot less cantankerous...we get home w/out blood. Vet says he looks like a cat in excellent shape--except, he's lost 3 lbs. Down from 13.2 (was in the 14 range at one point)... It may be just life adjustments--was he competitively eating w/ Biggun? Etc. But we did bloodwork to make sure there's not a bigger cause. I'd noticed he'd dropped weight. Milinda had too. We'll see.
~ Last night, on Fernando and my walk, there was a huge bank of white clouds coming in at an angle, which made it look like we were in a quaint mountain town and that was the snow covered mountain rising up over town. The moon was just above it, like it was coming up over the mountain. I just stood and stared and realized how much I miss winter in the mountains.
~ That being said, a good friend tore up his knee skiing last week and is in for surgery soon. Yikes. Would I still ski? Sure--but I'd probably take it pretty easy.
~ I've somewhat landed in the title company section of the county clerk's office--right now, mostly doing e-recordings and mail, but some walk-throughs, etc. We had a big mix-up of people--shifting people around to different sections. Not everybody, but a lot. Apparently it's the pattern in the office. It gets everybody cross-trained in all sections. So, there's good and bad about working in title. I miss the customers, but at the same time, I like the predictability of it. Get into a groove and go. You don't suddenly have 5 TABC filings, which can disrupt your day. Yet, there've been some crazy days there too.
~ MLK Weekend: The start of the post-holidays, new year! Yes! I'm looking forward to a weekend of writing and three practical things: 1. trips to HEB/Costco. 2. Thin out my clothes/closets. 3. Buy new tires for my car. But mostly I'm looking to write. So I'm planning to just get into that space and see where it takes me.
~ I've been missing my writing. So far, it's not working with the job thing, but the jury is still way out on that. Meaning: I started on the 16th of November and there's been an incredible amount to learn and shortages of staff as people took time at end of year/holidays and end of year business/rush. Coupled with when I came home it was holidays and all that entailed. So this weekend starts the test period to see how compatible these are. Overall, I like the job. Let's hope they mesh.
~ Only in Austin: Didn't have to mow all summer because of the drought, but the yard needs mowing now! The weeds that used to come in March, but had been coming in February the past few years, crept up in December this year. And about all those leaves, which I take as they're named: leave them on the ground! I was hoping it would freeze last night and kill some of those weeds, but that fabulous bank of "snow" clouds killed the freeze instead. (after all that work prepping for it!)
~ The day before was the first day of 2012 that I got out of the office on time and it was mid-70s and fabulous. So I took a bike ride--my first in a couple of weeks. Really enjoyed that! My tummy is getting puffy with all this sitting and intermittant exercise! Yikes.
~ You add work into the day of a single person and a lot has to slip. I'm trying to dish it around evenly, but it includes: exercise, writing, journalling, blogging, house cleaning, yard, the marketing, seeing plays, socializing, phone calls/chats, etc. Yikes. I was pretty dang spoiled.
~ LOVE my iPhone! Easiest phone to use ever! And does so many cool things. If you need me during the day, text me on it and I'll get it every now and then.
And with that, I must wrap up and head to the office.
Cheers!
,m
~ Have a little bit more time before I have to get to work. I'm using some time I had to take this pay period. I took Fernando to the vet. LOVE the 8:30 slot for him: it's quiet; no dogs in waiting room; he gets right in; he's a lot less cantankerous...we get home w/out blood. Vet says he looks like a cat in excellent shape--except, he's lost 3 lbs. Down from 13.2 (was in the 14 range at one point)... It may be just life adjustments--was he competitively eating w/ Biggun? Etc. But we did bloodwork to make sure there's not a bigger cause. I'd noticed he'd dropped weight. Milinda had too. We'll see.
~ Last night, on Fernando and my walk, there was a huge bank of white clouds coming in at an angle, which made it look like we were in a quaint mountain town and that was the snow covered mountain rising up over town. The moon was just above it, like it was coming up over the mountain. I just stood and stared and realized how much I miss winter in the mountains.
~ That being said, a good friend tore up his knee skiing last week and is in for surgery soon. Yikes. Would I still ski? Sure--but I'd probably take it pretty easy.
~ I've somewhat landed in the title company section of the county clerk's office--right now, mostly doing e-recordings and mail, but some walk-throughs, etc. We had a big mix-up of people--shifting people around to different sections. Not everybody, but a lot. Apparently it's the pattern in the office. It gets everybody cross-trained in all sections. So, there's good and bad about working in title. I miss the customers, but at the same time, I like the predictability of it. Get into a groove and go. You don't suddenly have 5 TABC filings, which can disrupt your day. Yet, there've been some crazy days there too.
~ MLK Weekend: The start of the post-holidays, new year! Yes! I'm looking forward to a weekend of writing and three practical things: 1. trips to HEB/Costco. 2. Thin out my clothes/closets. 3. Buy new tires for my car. But mostly I'm looking to write. So I'm planning to just get into that space and see where it takes me.
~ I've been missing my writing. So far, it's not working with the job thing, but the jury is still way out on that. Meaning: I started on the 16th of November and there's been an incredible amount to learn and shortages of staff as people took time at end of year/holidays and end of year business/rush. Coupled with when I came home it was holidays and all that entailed. So this weekend starts the test period to see how compatible these are. Overall, I like the job. Let's hope they mesh.
~ Only in Austin: Didn't have to mow all summer because of the drought, but the yard needs mowing now! The weeds that used to come in March, but had been coming in February the past few years, crept up in December this year. And about all those leaves, which I take as they're named: leave them on the ground! I was hoping it would freeze last night and kill some of those weeds, but that fabulous bank of "snow" clouds killed the freeze instead. (after all that work prepping for it!)
~ The day before was the first day of 2012 that I got out of the office on time and it was mid-70s and fabulous. So I took a bike ride--my first in a couple of weeks. Really enjoyed that! My tummy is getting puffy with all this sitting and intermittant exercise! Yikes.
~ You add work into the day of a single person and a lot has to slip. I'm trying to dish it around evenly, but it includes: exercise, writing, journalling, blogging, house cleaning, yard, the marketing, seeing plays, socializing, phone calls/chats, etc. Yikes. I was pretty dang spoiled.
~ LOVE my iPhone! Easiest phone to use ever! And does so many cool things. If you need me during the day, text me on it and I'll get it every now and then.
And with that, I must wrap up and head to the office.
Cheers!
,m
Monday, January 9, 2012
freewill astrology 4 libra typed w/ 1 hand &cut/paste because there's a big grey kitty asleep in my lap w/ head resting on my left hand
...libra:
Before he died in 1902, Libran cartoonist Thomas Nast left a potent legacy. Among his enduring creations were the modern image of Santa Claus, the iconic donkey for America's Democratic Party, and the elephant for the Republican Party. I'm guessing that 2012 is going to be a Thomas Nast kind of year for you Librans. The work you do and the ripples you set in motion are likely to last a long time. So I suggest you choose the influences you unleash with great care and integrity.
Before he died in 1902, Libran cartoonist Thomas Nast left a potent legacy. Among his enduring creations were the modern image of Santa Claus, the iconic donkey for America's Democratic Party, and the elephant for the Republican Party. I'm guessing that 2012 is going to be a Thomas Nast kind of year for you Librans. The work you do and the ripples you set in motion are likely to last a long time. So I suggest you choose the influences you unleash with great care and integrity.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thanks to Tana for Forwarding this Article!
...
click on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/fashion/men-shop-in-bulk.html
It sums me up, exactly. I've done almost every thing in it.
Except my Adidas were/are Stan Smiths. (I rationed wearing a pair through the discontinued years to make them last as long as possible. I was ecstatic when they returned in the 2000s!) I have two identical pairs of house shoes from 1997 from LLBean, that I want another one, exactly like. I still wear these, but it's time to add another into the rotation. I have multiple colors of favorite shirts--multiple same colors, of others. Ditto. And yes, Squirrels Readers, we all know the Levi's 505 Regular Fit saga!
For me, shopping is a chore, not an opportunity. But if you do it right, the right things last forever--and then, who cares!?
For example...
I was thinking about what I should wear to Granddaddy's memorial service on Saturday. I thought about my wool, tweedish jacket...but then I remembered I wore it to his 80th bday party in 1997. And his 90th in 2007--at which I read the same rambling, rhyme-y poem that I was commissioned to write for him, that I've been asked to re-read for the service.
Or wait, did I not wear it to his 90th because I thought about it and then realized all the camera folks would be taking shots left and right and I'd be wearing the same thing.... hmmm? Maybe I didn't wear it to 90, which means, of course I can wear it to the memorial service! Oh hell, it's Granddaddy's service. He wore the same thing to lots of things--maybe it's hereditary!
Cheers!
,m
click on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/fashion/men-shop-in-bulk.html
It sums me up, exactly. I've done almost every thing in it.
Except my Adidas were/are Stan Smiths. (I rationed wearing a pair through the discontinued years to make them last as long as possible. I was ecstatic when they returned in the 2000s!) I have two identical pairs of house shoes from 1997 from LLBean, that I want another one, exactly like. I still wear these, but it's time to add another into the rotation. I have multiple colors of favorite shirts--multiple same colors, of others. Ditto. And yes, Squirrels Readers, we all know the Levi's 505 Regular Fit saga!
For me, shopping is a chore, not an opportunity. But if you do it right, the right things last forever--and then, who cares!?
For example...
I was thinking about what I should wear to Granddaddy's memorial service on Saturday. I thought about my wool, tweedish jacket...but then I remembered I wore it to his 80th bday party in 1997. And his 90th in 2007--at which I read the same rambling, rhyme-y poem that I was commissioned to write for him, that I've been asked to re-read for the service.
Or wait, did I not wear it to his 90th because I thought about it and then realized all the camera folks would be taking shots left and right and I'd be wearing the same thing.... hmmm? Maybe I didn't wear it to 90, which means, of course I can wear it to the memorial service! Oh hell, it's Granddaddy's service. He wore the same thing to lots of things--maybe it's hereditary!
Cheers!
,m
Monday, January 2, 2012
Two Thousand Twelve
...
Things about 2012:
The word in the picture associated with that horoscope was: faith.
If any of you sitting out there in my metaphorical stands feels punched, to you, my sincerest apologies. Otherwise, if you run into me on the street and ask me what I'm up to, who knows? Maybe I'll just answer, "I'm looking to initiate a rite of passage. And you?"
Happy Two Thousand and Twelve to Squirrels Readers everywhere!
Cheers!
Things about 2012:
- I believe the Mayans, like the fundamentalist Christians of late, will be wrong. The world will not end.
- The US Presidential election will. Finally.
- It's a leap year.
- It's the year of the summer Olympics. London?
- I might be a touch more katywompus in 2012. I bought a calendar at Book People this weekend. It's a colorful collection of Picaso pieces. Not until I opened it could I know that it begins the weeks with Monday. Even then, I didn't notice until I had already started putting birthdays on it. I mean, yes, it makes more sense: put the weekends at the end instead of splitting them up; start the week with the first day of the week, Monday. Yet, I'm sure I'll mess up many things because of years of conditioning as to what days are where on a normal calendar. (I did some extra color coding to try to help, but the first thing I went to put on there for a Monday, I instictively wrote in the Tuesday slot.)
- At 5:30 on New Year's Eve, I left the ATT store at 5th & Baylor via bike (en route to BookPeople in search of said calendar, etc.) with a freshly activated iPhone. Yes, when you pull yourself up off the floor, you can look again, and yes, you did read that correctly. 2012 will be a year of big changes in my accessibility and connections with the world. Or not.
As Squirrels Readers know, my Razr died last summer and I'd been using an old flip-phone I found in my drawer of defunct phones. The latter had serious issues getting a signal. So much so that it was essentially useless on my trip to Sherman for Christmas. I'm very happy with my iPhone! I'm sure that will mean changes in how I communicate. I'll likely text/receive texts much more since it's so much easier to do--and because that's really the only way to get in touch with me at work. (Not that I'll have time to answer texts I get there, but I might, every now and then.) And I'm still paying for each text individually--incoming and outgoing. So don't send me silly stuff via text, for that there is email. (There is an iPhone message feature and from what I can tell, it doesn't cost to send from one iPhone to another. If I'm wrong there, let me know.) At this point I haven't figured out if I want to get email on it or not. Probably not. I don't want another email address.
The salesman told me as I use it, I'll want to do a lot more with it. Maybe, and yes, I'm sure he's right, but I doubt it'll be a dramatic as he thinks. I'm not planning to put facebook on it. I'm happy to have a handy quick camera and internet source, and I'm excited to put some of the aps on it. (Any suggestions?) He assured me I'll want to stream videos or watch shows or listen to music on it. I doubt it.
Don't believe me? Perhaps you should read this amazing piece in yesterday's NY Times, The Joy of Quiet. Click on it anyway, it's a good read. I have no desire to be über-connected, but y'all knew that already. Just a little more so. Really, I mean it. I swear I do...
No, all kidding aside, I do cherish my quiet and my space. I do like to disconnect and put distance between me and the chaos. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html - 2012 is the first year kicked off with a full time job job since 2003.
- I'm not on Texas Risk Pool Health Insurance as of yesterday.
- I'm hoping 2012 does permanent damage to the political careers of the following people: Rick Perry (emphasis added), Newt Gingrich, Rick Sanatorum, Michelle Bachman, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. (Jon Huntsman can still do something Republican, if he wants.) As well as John Boener, Paul Rand, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel, Warren Chisum, David Dewhurst, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Jeff Wentworth, Lamar Smith, Michael McCaul and so on and so on.
- I'm not into resolutions. Mine are all the same ones I make year round: healthier, write more and more effectively, live robustly, enjoy people, be open to saying yes, be okay saying no, more focus, spread things out, breathe, etc.
- My word for the year is something I coined especially for the occasion: equiprogress, which means progress through equilibrium.
- I'm not into predictions, per se. So, I'll just leave you, dear Squirrels Readers, with this week's FreeWill Astrology Horoscope for us Libras:
The word in the picture associated with that horoscope was: faith.
If any of you sitting out there in my metaphorical stands feels punched, to you, my sincerest apologies. Otherwise, if you run into me on the street and ask me what I'm up to, who knows? Maybe I'll just answer, "I'm looking to initiate a rite of passage. And you?"
Happy Two Thousand and Twelve to Squirrels Readers everywhere!
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Miss Me? Miss U.
...
Well last week was a race to Christmas. After a couple of fun Christmas parties the weekend before, and beginning and mostly finishing my shopping on that Sunday (the 18th), it was a week of planning and prepping and further shopping and tweaking and wrapping--all while working and napping once I got home, etc.
(And yes, I had one more overage--but my supervisor immediately saw it the next day. I had accidently clicked on something as "change" instead of adding it to an account. Thus my cash total reflected it should be that much lower and when it wasn't: overage. It was quickly fixed with a re-categorization of the offending few dollars. And she traced one of the ones the week prior, to a different but similar situation. Thus, I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself. They're learning mistakes, made by the type of teaching which is called indoctrination by fire, aka just jumping in and doing it and learning as you go. Whew! That last one was on Monday the 19th--I've had none since then. That sound you hear is me knocking on my credenza.)
And I was writing a little campy Christmas story for Melissa's bday present, which was great fun since there was no thinking, all letting the cluttered brain unleash it--but it took a bit of time during a crazy week. Thurs, the 22nd, Milinda and I had Christmas at Drew and Melissa's house, which looked fabulous with a big warm fire and their Christmas tree, etc. It was a fun night of warm dog kisses and cuddles and laughs and a delicious dinner they made, of one of Tom's old recipes (It was also the 12th anniversary of his death.) Because I'd been up late the night before writing her story and had to look at it with fresh eyes a day later, I'd missed my nap. I was fine for a little while, but started fading fast a little past 10pm and seriously thought I might fall asleep at the wheel coming south on Mopac afterwards. I came home and made Kitty forego his walk (it was rainy afterall; he probably wouldn't have enjoyed it much anyway) and crashed.
Friday, I prepped for and headed to Sherman. I hadn't known what time I'd get away. I thought since I've been getting up earlier, I might get away that am...but no, it was 4;17 when I backed out of the driveway. I was fearing the worst, but it was easy as pie travelling at that time. My only sluggish traffic was north of Temple. I hit Dallas past any traffic and arrived in Sherman at 8:20--stellar travel time under any conditions! Hark Herald!
It was my first time to stay in town in at least 5 years, probably more. Since it was a short trip and there were no possible dog conflicts with Benjamin not there, I decided it would be easier and more relaxing to stay in town. If I'd been going for longer, I would've wanted to have stayed at the cabin--but alas, that's another day.
It was a little sad that most everybody was gone. Julie, Nathan and Walter were in Corpus with her family. Cousins didn't make it in on the same schedules--if at all due to serious dog issues, new babies on the way, plans in Dallas, etc.
On the other hand it was really quiet and nice and a provided a lot of great quality time with Mom, Dad and Milinda. They remodeled the house I grew up in (in about 1997 or 98) in a way that turned a nice, but not anything special ranch house design, into a wonderful Colorado ski home feel. It faces the creek and the pasture on the other side of it. It gets plenty of wonderful flat light on grey winter days...with a warm fire oven thingie by the brick wall (that was once an exterior wall) and the beautiful Christmas tree. There were no parties this year. A few quick drop bys of friends or neighbors, and some time spent with Mom's best friend, Rusty's family on Christmas morning, for our traditional bloody marys.
A wonderfully quiet, simple, relaxing Christmas.
The ride back on Monday wasn't as easy--but I'd left early and it didn't really get bad until Hillsboro. And going south, it was mostly just heavy traffic and dealing with dwindling lanes as we hit construction projects. But we passed wreck after wreck after wreck of traffic going north. Hunh. Not sure what that means, but let me tell you Dallas drivers are the most aggressive/dangerous drivers in the state. Period. Maybe they're that way when they're trying to get home on IH35 the day after Christmas too. (Chill, people!) I hope nobody was seriously hurt.
Fernando was very happy to see me. I came home and immediately got into cleaning mode in the bathroom and did laundry and got Christmas gifts incorporated into the house and scooted over to the BB&B in Mueller to get a new rug for the bathroom, etc. (I had vacuumed and done some tweaking before I left. It was sooo nice to come home to a neat house and fresh sheets!) It's sooo nice to have a clean house this week. I've never been so happy that I didn't decorate for Christmas and have nothing to do to return to post-holiday normalcy.
Yesterday was busy at work and we were with a smaller crew, since people were out for holidays. And my brain wasn't functioning well. I kept putting the wrong dates on things. (A big no-no in legal documents land.) Etc. But I think I caught most of them. (I hope.) Yesterday, I think I did 12 or so marriage licenses (getting ahead of the 72 hour wait time for a NY Eve or NY Wedding--every clerk was doing a lot of them.) Today, my brain was on and our staff a little more flush and the crowd a little less consistent, but the computer I was working on had to be worked on, which put me behind on my mail. The next two days might be crazy as people try to get things recorded by the end of the year. The tax office across the hall looks like Macy's on Black Friday! Let's hope the Clerk's office stays relatively calm.
Oh yeah, and my nephew Walter, only applied to two universities for next year: UT and Ol' Miss. He's been accepted to both. He just learned he was offered a large scholarship to Ol' Miss, which more than equals out the out-of-state expenses. Here's hoping UT can come up with some too--but they haven't been as generous recently since they haven't had to be. Either way, very proud that he pulled it off. (He long ago decided he's not playing football in college. Did I tell you he made second-team all district?) Cheers to Walter!
And Cheers to y'all, Squirrels Readers. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, and thus it's such a catch-up mode posting. But I did miss you.
KissKiss
Well last week was a race to Christmas. After a couple of fun Christmas parties the weekend before, and beginning and mostly finishing my shopping on that Sunday (the 18th), it was a week of planning and prepping and further shopping and tweaking and wrapping--all while working and napping once I got home, etc.
(And yes, I had one more overage--but my supervisor immediately saw it the next day. I had accidently clicked on something as "change" instead of adding it to an account. Thus my cash total reflected it should be that much lower and when it wasn't: overage. It was quickly fixed with a re-categorization of the offending few dollars. And she traced one of the ones the week prior, to a different but similar situation. Thus, I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself. They're learning mistakes, made by the type of teaching which is called indoctrination by fire, aka just jumping in and doing it and learning as you go. Whew! That last one was on Monday the 19th--I've had none since then. That sound you hear is me knocking on my credenza.)
And I was writing a little campy Christmas story for Melissa's bday present, which was great fun since there was no thinking, all letting the cluttered brain unleash it--but it took a bit of time during a crazy week. Thurs, the 22nd, Milinda and I had Christmas at Drew and Melissa's house, which looked fabulous with a big warm fire and their Christmas tree, etc. It was a fun night of warm dog kisses and cuddles and laughs and a delicious dinner they made, of one of Tom's old recipes (It was also the 12th anniversary of his death.) Because I'd been up late the night before writing her story and had to look at it with fresh eyes a day later, I'd missed my nap. I was fine for a little while, but started fading fast a little past 10pm and seriously thought I might fall asleep at the wheel coming south on Mopac afterwards. I came home and made Kitty forego his walk (it was rainy afterall; he probably wouldn't have enjoyed it much anyway) and crashed.
Friday, I prepped for and headed to Sherman. I hadn't known what time I'd get away. I thought since I've been getting up earlier, I might get away that am...but no, it was 4;17 when I backed out of the driveway. I was fearing the worst, but it was easy as pie travelling at that time. My only sluggish traffic was north of Temple. I hit Dallas past any traffic and arrived in Sherman at 8:20--stellar travel time under any conditions! Hark Herald!
It was my first time to stay in town in at least 5 years, probably more. Since it was a short trip and there were no possible dog conflicts with Benjamin not there, I decided it would be easier and more relaxing to stay in town. If I'd been going for longer, I would've wanted to have stayed at the cabin--but alas, that's another day.
It was a little sad that most everybody was gone. Julie, Nathan and Walter were in Corpus with her family. Cousins didn't make it in on the same schedules--if at all due to serious dog issues, new babies on the way, plans in Dallas, etc.
On the other hand it was really quiet and nice and a provided a lot of great quality time with Mom, Dad and Milinda. They remodeled the house I grew up in (in about 1997 or 98) in a way that turned a nice, but not anything special ranch house design, into a wonderful Colorado ski home feel. It faces the creek and the pasture on the other side of it. It gets plenty of wonderful flat light on grey winter days...with a warm fire oven thingie by the brick wall (that was once an exterior wall) and the beautiful Christmas tree. There were no parties this year. A few quick drop bys of friends or neighbors, and some time spent with Mom's best friend, Rusty's family on Christmas morning, for our traditional bloody marys.
A wonderfully quiet, simple, relaxing Christmas.
The ride back on Monday wasn't as easy--but I'd left early and it didn't really get bad until Hillsboro. And going south, it was mostly just heavy traffic and dealing with dwindling lanes as we hit construction projects. But we passed wreck after wreck after wreck of traffic going north. Hunh. Not sure what that means, but let me tell you Dallas drivers are the most aggressive/dangerous drivers in the state. Period. Maybe they're that way when they're trying to get home on IH35 the day after Christmas too. (Chill, people!) I hope nobody was seriously hurt.
Fernando was very happy to see me. I came home and immediately got into cleaning mode in the bathroom and did laundry and got Christmas gifts incorporated into the house and scooted over to the BB&B in Mueller to get a new rug for the bathroom, etc. (I had vacuumed and done some tweaking before I left. It was sooo nice to come home to a neat house and fresh sheets!) It's sooo nice to have a clean house this week. I've never been so happy that I didn't decorate for Christmas and have nothing to do to return to post-holiday normalcy.
Yesterday was busy at work and we were with a smaller crew, since people were out for holidays. And my brain wasn't functioning well. I kept putting the wrong dates on things. (A big no-no in legal documents land.) Etc. But I think I caught most of them. (I hope.) Yesterday, I think I did 12 or so marriage licenses (getting ahead of the 72 hour wait time for a NY Eve or NY Wedding--every clerk was doing a lot of them.) Today, my brain was on and our staff a little more flush and the crowd a little less consistent, but the computer I was working on had to be worked on, which put me behind on my mail. The next two days might be crazy as people try to get things recorded by the end of the year. The tax office across the hall looks like Macy's on Black Friday! Let's hope the Clerk's office stays relatively calm.
Oh yeah, and my nephew Walter, only applied to two universities for next year: UT and Ol' Miss. He's been accepted to both. He just learned he was offered a large scholarship to Ol' Miss, which more than equals out the out-of-state expenses. Here's hoping UT can come up with some too--but they haven't been as generous recently since they haven't had to be. Either way, very proud that he pulled it off. (He long ago decided he's not playing football in college. Did I tell you he made second-team all district?) Cheers to Walter!
And Cheers to y'all, Squirrels Readers. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, and thus it's such a catch-up mode posting. But I did miss you.
KissKiss
Merry Christmas / Happy New Year! (et al)
....
I'm sorry, Squirrels Readers, it has been a bit of a whirlwind, of late. I feel remiss having not even popped in to wish you the best of the season. Well, here I am--albeit a bit late, but let's just split the difference and do a collective cyber group hug. Now isn't that better? Yes, yes... it is for me too.
Belated Happy Hanukkah!
Belated Solstice Greetings!
Belated comments on the passing of the 12th anniversary of Tom's passing on the 22nd.
Belated Welcome and Congratulations to my cousin Jason and dear wife Annie on the birth of their second son, Theodore John, on the 23rd!
Belated Merry Christmas!
Belated Boxing Day Wishes!
Belated and On-Going Kawazaa Cheer!
Belated and On-Going Birthday Happies to some of you and yours!
Happy (Right Now) Holiday Bowl, in which the two old Flagships of the two Largest States in the Union, both with Mediocre yet Winning Seasons, battle it out in San Diego.
Happy Week Between Christmas and New Years!
And... most of all (at least for now) a Happy and Prosperous
and Healthy and Fun and Balanced
and Introspective and Sane 2012!
CHEERS!
I'm sorry, Squirrels Readers, it has been a bit of a whirlwind, of late. I feel remiss having not even popped in to wish you the best of the season. Well, here I am--albeit a bit late, but let's just split the difference and do a collective cyber group hug. Now isn't that better? Yes, yes... it is for me too.
Belated Happy Hanukkah!
Belated Solstice Greetings!
Belated comments on the passing of the 12th anniversary of Tom's passing on the 22nd.
Belated Welcome and Congratulations to my cousin Jason and dear wife Annie on the birth of their second son, Theodore John, on the 23rd!
Belated Merry Christmas!
Belated Boxing Day Wishes!
Belated and On-Going Kawazaa Cheer!
Belated and On-Going Birthday Happies to some of you and yours!
Happy (Right Now) Holiday Bowl, in which the two old Flagships of the two Largest States in the Union, both with Mediocre yet Winning Seasons, battle it out in San Diego.
Happy Week Between Christmas and New Years!
And... most of all (at least for now) a Happy and Prosperous
and Healthy and Fun and Balanced
and Introspective and Sane 2012!
CHEERS!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Overages
...
Twice this week I was over on my cash, which is a huge no-no. Not quite as huge as being under, but still something you can "get written up for." Maybe I'm not yet because I'm a trainee still. Or maybe I am. I don't know.
I plucked my brain trying to figure out how I could be over. I mean I count back everybody's cash in the old fashioned way: You state the amount of the sale (say, 26) and then you count back the ones (27, 28, 29, 30) and lay down the 10 (and ten makes 40.) I do that religiously. It's the way I counted money back in the day. Yes, it's old school, but it's how I learned--not sticking a clump of change into a person's hand with a receipt and telling them how much it is. Lazy!
Tonight I think I figured it out. It's not a cheating-the-customers thing; it's a not-ringing-up-copies thing. Especially on assumed names, which are $14, plus $2 if we acknowledge it, plus $2 if they want a copy (a dollar a page) to take with them, which most of them do. Today I was $2 over. Obviously I told someone how much it was going to be, but failed to click on one of the many steps to add one of those $2 charges in to the system. Thus they handed me a twenty and I made change based upon what I'd told them and not what the computer said. I forget to add the surcharges about 50% of the time, but 99% of those times I notice it when I go to collect (as we say, when referring to inputing the info into the receipt part of the process.) Thus, in almost all of those 50% of the time, I fix it before I collect, but in those rare times mixed into the chaos of the day when I don't, the computer records a lesser amount of cash due than I collect. (Someday I'll post about how much redundancy there is in our system! Often having to type and re-type and re-type names and addresses for one transacton.)
Monday I was $3.50 over. (There's a 50 cent charge for an extra name on an assumed name.) It's got to be what's happening.
Today was a-hundred-miles-an-hour. Okay, maybe only seventy-five, but on a Friday, it's still a long day. Mail transactions upon more mail upon more mail with FedExes and Certifieds, which have to be done that day.
And, a holiday lunch.
I'm sorry. I don't want to be a grumpus, but atually, I mostly hate office socializing. Let social things come up organically within an organization--or else, do it at a time when everybody is in there at the same time. But in this job, we have customers and people have lunches at different times, so that can't happen.
My head felt somewhere between kneeding-bread and melting-snow for the first part of the afternoon. One, I don't eat nearly that much at lunch--ever, work or otherwise. Two, I realized today I have to get out of there and be off for an hour. I like this job, and am liking it even more as I learn it, but with little to no breaks and no down time in an 8 hour shift, I need to have total silence and be away from it for lunch.
We used to have that long "employee development day" as an excuse for a Christmas gathering when I worked at the County back in the 90s, but it was different because we shut down completely for a while. So everyone was there at the same time. Yes, it was tedious, and yes, you had to get all the way out to the Exposition and Heritage Center, but when you came back to the office, everyone knew everybody was brain-dead and just floating through the day. Nothing serious got done the rest of the day. Here, at the County Clerk's office, it's another marriage license, another deed, another assumed name, more mail, more fedexes, more stuff pouring at you, more customers staring at you, waiting to be helped--which they should be, they came across town to do their business...
And that's okay--it's the job.
But what I took from today: I can't do lunch and go back to work. Not at this job. I have to have quiet and space. I have to stretch, to travel away from it and to be in my other world. I have to have my cup of coffee and my extra vitamins, see my kitty, check my email/mail/facebook, etc.
I've only been there a month, and we've had two pot luck lunches: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving I was in new employee orientation, so it was easy to go back to work. Today, for me the lunch itself was fine--good actually and I enjoyed it--but afterwards, it was hell. I don't want to be a grumpus, but next time, I'll probably skip it.
My brain hit an overage.
Twice this week I was over on my cash, which is a huge no-no. Not quite as huge as being under, but still something you can "get written up for." Maybe I'm not yet because I'm a trainee still. Or maybe I am. I don't know.
I plucked my brain trying to figure out how I could be over. I mean I count back everybody's cash in the old fashioned way: You state the amount of the sale (say, 26) and then you count back the ones (27, 28, 29, 30) and lay down the 10 (and ten makes 40.) I do that religiously. It's the way I counted money back in the day. Yes, it's old school, but it's how I learned--not sticking a clump of change into a person's hand with a receipt and telling them how much it is. Lazy!
Tonight I think I figured it out. It's not a cheating-the-customers thing; it's a not-ringing-up-copies thing. Especially on assumed names, which are $14, plus $2 if we acknowledge it, plus $2 if they want a copy (a dollar a page) to take with them, which most of them do. Today I was $2 over. Obviously I told someone how much it was going to be, but failed to click on one of the many steps to add one of those $2 charges in to the system. Thus they handed me a twenty and I made change based upon what I'd told them and not what the computer said. I forget to add the surcharges about 50% of the time, but 99% of those times I notice it when I go to collect (as we say, when referring to inputing the info into the receipt part of the process.) Thus, in almost all of those 50% of the time, I fix it before I collect, but in those rare times mixed into the chaos of the day when I don't, the computer records a lesser amount of cash due than I collect. (Someday I'll post about how much redundancy there is in our system! Often having to type and re-type and re-type names and addresses for one transacton.)
Monday I was $3.50 over. (There's a 50 cent charge for an extra name on an assumed name.) It's got to be what's happening.
Today was a-hundred-miles-an-hour. Okay, maybe only seventy-five, but on a Friday, it's still a long day. Mail transactions upon more mail upon more mail with FedExes and Certifieds, which have to be done that day.
And, a holiday lunch.
I'm sorry. I don't want to be a grumpus, but atually, I mostly hate office socializing. Let social things come up organically within an organization--or else, do it at a time when everybody is in there at the same time. But in this job, we have customers and people have lunches at different times, so that can't happen.
My head felt somewhere between kneeding-bread and melting-snow for the first part of the afternoon. One, I don't eat nearly that much at lunch--ever, work or otherwise. Two, I realized today I have to get out of there and be off for an hour. I like this job, and am liking it even more as I learn it, but with little to no breaks and no down time in an 8 hour shift, I need to have total silence and be away from it for lunch.
We used to have that long "employee development day" as an excuse for a Christmas gathering when I worked at the County back in the 90s, but it was different because we shut down completely for a while. So everyone was there at the same time. Yes, it was tedious, and yes, you had to get all the way out to the Exposition and Heritage Center, but when you came back to the office, everyone knew everybody was brain-dead and just floating through the day. Nothing serious got done the rest of the day. Here, at the County Clerk's office, it's another marriage license, another deed, another assumed name, more mail, more fedexes, more stuff pouring at you, more customers staring at you, waiting to be helped--which they should be, they came across town to do their business...
And that's okay--it's the job.
But what I took from today: I can't do lunch and go back to work. Not at this job. I have to have quiet and space. I have to stretch, to travel away from it and to be in my other world. I have to have my cup of coffee and my extra vitamins, see my kitty, check my email/mail/facebook, etc.
I've only been there a month, and we've had two pot luck lunches: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving I was in new employee orientation, so it was easy to go back to work. Today, for me the lunch itself was fine--good actually and I enjoyed it--but afterwards, it was hell. I don't want to be a grumpus, but next time, I'll probably skip it.
My brain hit an overage.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Christmas Party
...
I haven't been to a big, predominantly gay party in a long time. But tonight I went to Jody Scheske's annual party, at his stunning home, and had a most marvelous time. So many people from so many different places in the timeline that is my past. (Or...was?)
Snippets and fluff and relatively deep conversations seemed to dance together into a night of hugs and Happy Holidays and air kisses and chats about widowed parents re-marrying and putting down dogs and new jobs and Appointments and kids and plays and book club and the flowers and the host and possibility and the missing and the dead and work and people we once knew and travel and plans and next year and cuteness and hasn't he slimmed down and he looks great in those jeans and he's not looking so good and hope and continuity and renewal and joy. And life.
For that, I love the holidays.
Cheers!
I haven't been to a big, predominantly gay party in a long time. But tonight I went to Jody Scheske's annual party, at his stunning home, and had a most marvelous time. So many people from so many different places in the timeline that is my past. (Or...was?)
Snippets and fluff and relatively deep conversations seemed to dance together into a night of hugs and Happy Holidays and air kisses and chats about widowed parents re-marrying and putting down dogs and new jobs and Appointments and kids and plays and book club and the flowers and the host and possibility and the missing and the dead and work and people we once knew and travel and plans and next year and cuteness and hasn't he slimmed down and he looks great in those jeans and he's not looking so good and hope and continuity and renewal and joy. And life.
For that, I love the holidays.
Cheers!
I Love Stars the Most
...
Just came home from a Christmas party, where I had a great time. I'd only had two drinks there, and a nightcap bourbon suddenly sounded especially yummy. So hey, it's the holidays, I poured one, and I stepped outside in my thick cardigan sweater and stood on the front porch and looked at the stunning, amazingly light sky. A sky of mottled clouds, floating at just barely more than a creep--and in the spaces, the small cracks between the clumps of clouds, were stars. Bright, vibrant, mysterious stars. Pairs of stars. Stars bursting in as a crack revealed it or fading out as a cloud hid it.
I love stars the most. Not sun, moon, rain, clouds. Stars.
Stars are mystery and possibility. What's out there? How far? What's beyond it? Is there a whole 'nother planet or series of them with life beyond what we can even imagine? Is that where Heaven is? Is the light I'm seeing really older than when the dinosaurs were on earth? How can that be? Is somebody out there looking and seeing our sun and asking the same questions? Does some of that same light keep going past Earth and in just as long a time, someone sees it at a planet equidistant the opposite direction from us? Am I anthromorphosizing the whole thing?
I get neck aches on a clear night, just staring at the sky.
I love stars the most.
Addendum: On our walk, after all these postings, I especially enjoyed the lazy, waning moon coming up in the east. We mostly missed this round of moon because of thick clouds and fog for the last week. Oh yes, I love the moon too. It's romantic and comforting and symbolic and beautiful and consistent--but it's known. Not much mystery there. I love the moon--but I still love the stars the most.
Just came home from a Christmas party, where I had a great time. I'd only had two drinks there, and a nightcap bourbon suddenly sounded especially yummy. So hey, it's the holidays, I poured one, and I stepped outside in my thick cardigan sweater and stood on the front porch and looked at the stunning, amazingly light sky. A sky of mottled clouds, floating at just barely more than a creep--and in the spaces, the small cracks between the clumps of clouds, were stars. Bright, vibrant, mysterious stars. Pairs of stars. Stars bursting in as a crack revealed it or fading out as a cloud hid it.
I love stars the most. Not sun, moon, rain, clouds. Stars.
Stars are mystery and possibility. What's out there? How far? What's beyond it? Is there a whole 'nother planet or series of them with life beyond what we can even imagine? Is that where Heaven is? Is the light I'm seeing really older than when the dinosaurs were on earth? How can that be? Is somebody out there looking and seeing our sun and asking the same questions? Does some of that same light keep going past Earth and in just as long a time, someone sees it at a planet equidistant the opposite direction from us? Am I anthromorphosizing the whole thing?
I get neck aches on a clear night, just staring at the sky.
I love stars the most.
Addendum: On our walk, after all these postings, I especially enjoyed the lazy, waning moon coming up in the east. We mostly missed this round of moon because of thick clouds and fog for the last week. Oh yes, I love the moon too. It's romantic and comforting and symbolic and beautiful and consistent--but it's known. Not much mystery there. I love the moon--but I still love the stars the most.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, Play by Play
...
Biked over to a fun brunch at Santa Rita for Melissa's birthday (last week, but they were in NYC, wah.)
...
Biked to Central Market for things. Biked home.
...
Did some stuff on-line, etc. Took a solid nap.
...
Had a great, hardcore cardio bike ride.
...
Got an email from Julianna suggesting I try ebay for my beloved, no longer in production regular fit Levis 505s. Voilla. Long list of them--and they're mixed together, reg fits and straight fits. I found one dark, almost never worn pair, my size. I've never bid on anything on ebay, so I had to create an account and all that. They had a bid on them for $15 with 50 minutes left in the bidding. I bid $17. Within a minute or two someone bid $17.50. I waited a bit and then meant to bid $18.50, but did a typo and bid $18.10 and won them. After you add in $8.50 for shipping, it's a lot more expensive than if I were to find some at Goodwill ($7.99), but a lot more likely apparently. And, still $11 cheaper than new ones would be on sale, if there were new ones. So we'll see how good they are. THANKS Juli!
...
Made a rushed stir-fry. Yum. Left the dishes in the sink and rushed out the door to an 8pm showing of Burn This by 7 Towers productions at the Ballet Austin building. It was upstairs in a flex-space. I had to watch it through some railings, but not too distracting. It's a very intimate space. It's a play that's both dated and stereotypical, yet still pretty good at the core. I enjoyed it.
I especially enjoyed seeing two plays in two nights, chatting with theatre types, and getting back into the head of my play. It made it feel real again, like I'm still a writer....all good things.
...
A nice weekend, for a chilly grey one. Loved its slow pace--no Costco, no HEB, no Petco, no chaos places. Nice chill times with good people, theatre and some down time. Chill.
....
Now for a happy week.
Cheers!
Biked over to a fun brunch at Santa Rita for Melissa's birthday (last week, but they were in NYC, wah.)
...
Biked to Central Market for things. Biked home.
...
Did some stuff on-line, etc. Took a solid nap.
...
Had a great, hardcore cardio bike ride.
...
Got an email from Julianna suggesting I try ebay for my beloved, no longer in production regular fit Levis 505s. Voilla. Long list of them--and they're mixed together, reg fits and straight fits. I found one dark, almost never worn pair, my size. I've never bid on anything on ebay, so I had to create an account and all that. They had a bid on them for $15 with 50 minutes left in the bidding. I bid $17. Within a minute or two someone bid $17.50. I waited a bit and then meant to bid $18.50, but did a typo and bid $18.10 and won them. After you add in $8.50 for shipping, it's a lot more expensive than if I were to find some at Goodwill ($7.99), but a lot more likely apparently. And, still $11 cheaper than new ones would be on sale, if there were new ones. So we'll see how good they are. THANKS Juli!
...
Made a rushed stir-fry. Yum. Left the dishes in the sink and rushed out the door to an 8pm showing of Burn This by 7 Towers productions at the Ballet Austin building. It was upstairs in a flex-space. I had to watch it through some railings, but not too distracting. It's a very intimate space. It's a play that's both dated and stereotypical, yet still pretty good at the core. I enjoyed it.
I especially enjoyed seeing two plays in two nights, chatting with theatre types, and getting back into the head of my play. It made it feel real again, like I'm still a writer....all good things.
...
A nice weekend, for a chilly grey one. Loved its slow pace--no Costco, no HEB, no Petco, no chaos places. Nice chill times with good people, theatre and some down time. Chill.
....
Now for a happy week.
Cheers!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
A Little Slower Saturday....Nice. Kitty's a he.
...
Slept until 9! (instead of 6) and had a slow morning. Yeah, okay, I immediately started sorting the dirty laundry and started the first load...but hey, time management, Luvies, time management. Had a day full of delicious, leftover Bolivian food from Manny and Julianna's bday party last night. Ran around to thrift stores looking for more jeans. This time, in an effort to try to find the right jeans, I added Salvation Army--useless! (besides bad politics!) Only pair I bought was back at the Goodwill. Yet another Wrangler, which is a bit baggier than I like, but okay. Still no (dark) Levis 505's that say original fit in a size 36/34 or 36/32. I found one faded pair in a 32 length, but I don't need faded jeans. I have plenty of those.
Did some floor work, but no serious cardio--dang. Ran out of time and daylight. Didn't get to the writing I wanted to do, but at least my plays re-entered my head, and I spent some time really thinking about Yugoslavia for the first time since Thanksgiving. Took a nice nap. (Shopping wears me out!) Then walked down to Hyde Park Theatre to see Men of Tortuga, which I highly recommend! Funny, thought-provoking, fast, and only lightly dark. A really good show! It closes next Sat, the 17th. I'd see it if I were you.
Walked home to a fuzzy full moon in the clouds. Chill. About to walk kitty and then wind her down--the day, not kitty. Kitty's a he.
It was a most lovely Saturday, Lovies!
Slept until 9! (instead of 6) and had a slow morning. Yeah, okay, I immediately started sorting the dirty laundry and started the first load...but hey, time management, Luvies, time management. Had a day full of delicious, leftover Bolivian food from Manny and Julianna's bday party last night. Ran around to thrift stores looking for more jeans. This time, in an effort to try to find the right jeans, I added Salvation Army--useless! (besides bad politics!) Only pair I bought was back at the Goodwill. Yet another Wrangler, which is a bit baggier than I like, but okay. Still no (dark) Levis 505's that say original fit in a size 36/34 or 36/32. I found one faded pair in a 32 length, but I don't need faded jeans. I have plenty of those.
Did some floor work, but no serious cardio--dang. Ran out of time and daylight. Didn't get to the writing I wanted to do, but at least my plays re-entered my head, and I spent some time really thinking about Yugoslavia for the first time since Thanksgiving. Took a nice nap. (Shopping wears me out!) Then walked down to Hyde Park Theatre to see Men of Tortuga, which I highly recommend! Funny, thought-provoking, fast, and only lightly dark. A really good show! It closes next Sat, the 17th. I'd see it if I were you.
Walked home to a fuzzy full moon in the clouds. Chill. About to walk kitty and then wind her down--the day, not kitty. Kitty's a he.
It was a most lovely Saturday, Lovies!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This Week:
...
Cold, freezing even, had to move plants in, had to group the outdoor plants and clip a piece of that cloth to the roof to cover them.
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Working the front counter for the first time this week, all week, which means: cash drawer, customers, and constant shifting from one thing to another. It also means trying to juggle work via mail with work via the people coming in the door. It's interesting in that regard, but requires a lot of focus to make sure things are right.
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Book Club on Tuesday at Stephen Walls' house (and of course, Denny Biggs' too, but only one half of a couple can be in the club, Art. V, Sec. 2a, 1-4, 6.) was nice. A bit mellow, perhaps, but I think that was because Zella was getting ready for bed--and the book was very poorly received: The Leftovers by Tom Perotta. I bought it, but didn't get past the first chapter. Several others only made it about a third of the way and couldn't go on. Only three finished it. Very low scores for our group. (Huh. Just goes to show that the NY Times list of the year's best shouldn't always be taken at face value.) Nonetheless, an enjoyable dinner and time with the gang.
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Had delicious, casual French fare at the new gastro-pub, Hopfields, at 31st and Guadalupe, with Eugene and Steven tonight. Great vibe--feels like East Austin hip, right here in the neighborhood.
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Rick Perry is an embarassment to Texas--OY!
(But you knew that already!)
Personally, I love that the Internet is tearing him apart for his smaltzy Brokeback Mountain-esque, the gays are causing the war on Christmas ad he's running in Iowa right now. What!?! And that he's going to stop Obama's war on religion. The man has lost all touch with reality.
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Long-time Squirrels reader, Karen Sonleitner, was in the County Clerk's office this week. It was good to see her smiling face. She was over for a retirement party for a Tax Office employee who used to work for Karen in her commissioner's office. Greg Chico also whisked through today. Both Karen and Greg work for the County downtown.
...
I'm ready for bed: there's one more day to this work week. Hope y'all are warm and cozy and enjoying the early holiday season.
...
Cheers!
Cold, freezing even, had to move plants in, had to group the outdoor plants and clip a piece of that cloth to the roof to cover them.
...
Working the front counter for the first time this week, all week, which means: cash drawer, customers, and constant shifting from one thing to another. It also means trying to juggle work via mail with work via the people coming in the door. It's interesting in that regard, but requires a lot of focus to make sure things are right.
...
Book Club on Tuesday at Stephen Walls' house (and of course, Denny Biggs' too, but only one half of a couple can be in the club, Art. V, Sec. 2a, 1-4, 6.) was nice. A bit mellow, perhaps, but I think that was because Zella was getting ready for bed--and the book was very poorly received: The Leftovers by Tom Perotta. I bought it, but didn't get past the first chapter. Several others only made it about a third of the way and couldn't go on. Only three finished it. Very low scores for our group. (Huh. Just goes to show that the NY Times list of the year's best shouldn't always be taken at face value.) Nonetheless, an enjoyable dinner and time with the gang.
...
Had delicious, casual French fare at the new gastro-pub, Hopfields, at 31st and Guadalupe, with Eugene and Steven tonight. Great vibe--feels like East Austin hip, right here in the neighborhood.
...
Rick Perry is an embarassment to Texas--OY!
(But you knew that already!)
Personally, I love that the Internet is tearing him apart for his smaltzy Brokeback Mountain-esque, the gays are causing the war on Christmas ad he's running in Iowa right now. What!?! And that he's going to stop Obama's war on religion. The man has lost all touch with reality.
...
Long-time Squirrels reader, Karen Sonleitner, was in the County Clerk's office this week. It was good to see her smiling face. She was over for a retirement party for a Tax Office employee who used to work for Karen in her commissioner's office. Greg Chico also whisked through today. Both Karen and Greg work for the County downtown.
...
I'm ready for bed: there's one more day to this work week. Hope y'all are warm and cozy and enjoying the early holiday season.
...
Cheers!
Charles Beach Minshew
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Charles Beach Minshew died on Dec. 2, 2011 in Rockport, Texas. He was born Charles Mac Beach in Tecumseh, Oklahoma on January 7, 1917 to Bessie Davis Beach and James Harmon Beach. When Charles was three weeks old, Bessie died and he was adopted by her sister, Lorena Minshew in Sherman, Texas, thus one branch of the Beach family is named Minshew.
Charles Beach Minshew died on Dec. 2, 2011 in Rockport, Texas. He was born Charles Mac Beach in Tecumseh, Oklahoma on January 7, 1917 to Bessie Davis Beach and James Harmon Beach. When Charles was three weeks old, Bessie died and he was adopted by her sister, Lorena Minshew in Sherman, Texas, thus one branch of the Beach family is named Minshew.
Charles graduated from Sherman High School in 1935. He attended Tyler Junior College,where he met Eloise Tyler, whom he married in 1937. Charles served in the 2nd Armored Division of the U.S. Army Infantry in World War II. He fought in the Battle at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. Recovering in London, Charles thought his war days were likely over and he would be sent home, but instead, he spent the last year of the war in Paris, writing the entertainment column for Stars and Stripes, the newspaper of the U.S. Armed Forces. The newly liberated Paris was the destination for most U.S. servicemen on leave in the European Campaign of the war.
Charles loved to tell stories! Charles regaled family and friends for decades with stories (often repeated and sometimes tweaked) of his entrepreneurship, which included promoting dances, musical shows and brewing his own recipe during prohibition. Wherever you visited, Charles had a story about it or a friend who lived there or something similar he had done. He told stories of fishing expeditions, of hunting, of breaking his leg while night skiing, etc. He told stories of his life on the road as a traveling newspaperman - the stint in Paris turned out to be fortuitous in more than one way.
Charles was a salesman. He worked for various publishing companies and newspapers, ensuring that racks in drug stores, bus stations and groceries were full of magazines, papers, pulp novels, and even, The National Enquirer. Charles also won many sales awards selling trucks for Steakley Chevrolet in Dallas. People bought what Charles was selling, because of the sparkle in his eye, the subtle lilt in his voice, and his handsome, friendly air.
In September 1953, Charles married Barbara Howard Wilcoxen of Durant, Oklahoma, who traveled with him for fifty-eight years for business, pleasure and relocation. Their life together was an adventure, including living in California, Dallas, Seattle, St. Louis, Sherman and Rockport. They lived for five years on a 42-foot sailboat, harbored in Seattle. Their home in Rockport, where they retired, has a boat dock on the bay, and a deck from which Charles developed lasting friendships with more than one sea gull. (His gull friends.)
As a lifelong sailor and fisherman, lakes, rivers and oceans were a huge part of Charles’ life. Many of his fondest memories were of Woodlake, the once amusement park in Denison, Texas that became the private retreat and soul of his family. He held anybody who would listen captive with stories of sailing on White Rock Lake or off the Texas coast or his and Barbara’s sailing journeys from Seattle to Alaska. On the Alaska trip, Charles and his friends set a record for the largest halibut caught in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Charles fished anywhere and everywhere he could. He also loved to hunt and remembered fondly several great bird dogs of his life.
A sculptor in Seattle once made a bust of Charles in a seaman’s cap because he personified an iconic image of the rugged outdoorsman, fisherman, Hemmingway-esque man. Yet, Charles could also tell stories about operas he had enjoyed or brag on the quality of the St. Louis symphony. Charles could and would talk about anything. He was the one in the room people gravitated toward.
Charles was predeceased by his parents—Beaches and Minshews—and by his siblings, who were often the co-stars of his larger-than-life stories: Juanita Beach, James Harmon Beach Jr., William Davis Beach, William Newell Beach, and Anna Maurine Snouffer. He is also predeceased by a grandson, Les Mitchell.
Charles is survived by his wife, Barbara Minshew of Rockport and by his children and their spouses: Robert and Honey Minshew of Sherman, Betty (Minshew) and Michael Mitchell of Sherman, James Minshew of Sacramento, CA, and Ron and Jan Minshew of Plano. Charles is survived by nine grandchildren and their spouses: Michael Mitchell, Jr., Marshall Minshew, Monica Minshew Cowsert, Milinda Mitchell, Jason Minshew, Avril Minshew, Emily Minshew, Joanna Minshew and Alexander Minshew. He is also survived by eight great-grandchildren.
Charles Beach Minshew was at home in any port. He had friends and family and strangers who became friends everywhere. He never met a dog or cat he wouldn’t pet - or talk to. More than one young child looked at him wondering if he were Santa Claus. In a way, he was.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Phat Cycle?!
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Freewill Astrology Horoscope for the week beginning Thurs, Dec 1st...
LIBRA:
The human brain is composed of 30 percent protein and 70 percent fat. So it wouldn't be incorrect to refer to you as a fathead. In order to nourish your brain cells, you've got to eat foods that provide two essential fatty acids your body doesn't manufacture: omega-3 ALA and omega-6 LA. Since you're now in a "brain-building" phase of your astrological cycle, I urge you to get more than your minimum requirements of these basics. If I may be permitted to resurrect a now-out-of-fashion slang term, I suggest that you also expose yourself to a lot of extraordinarily phat sources of intellectual stimulation.
Phat cycle!
X*X*X*X*X
It's funny. I hadn't had time to poke over to that website (or much of anywhere) and see what it said for this week, yet one day last week while I was at work, I remember thinking something like: This job is keeping the Alzheimer's at bay, that's for sure. It's like learning a new language or solving a bunch of puzzles every day.
For 8 solid hours every day, it's a very different way of thinking than I really ever have before. It uses a bunch of skills I've had and used, but many were dormant, and it puts them all together and shakes them up. Sometimes in very great ways...and sometimes like I poured too much paint on the spin art!
I haven't a clue right now how it's going to work with my writing, but right now isn't a good judge of that. My brain is still very much in learning mode, and my body is still in adapting mode, and I'm still learning how to manage my off time. Throw in Thanksgiving, Granddaddy dying, rain, taking care of Melissa and Drew's dog....and things haven't exactly been a normal these last few weeks. And here we are racing into the rest of the holidays! Oh my!
And it's okay. I like it. I like using those skills: typing, data-entry, processing/thinking/deciding, learning a lot of details, switching from thing to another--but at this point, it's still a very mind-blowing/mentally taxing thing. Will it always be? I hope not. I want to be able to come home to write, which I haven't been doing. Through Thanksgiving weekend, I still spent a lot of time tweaking and thinking about This Yugoslavia--but this week, it never crossed my mind. And that will have to change.
My exercise schedule has also been sporadic at best. Jeans are getting just a hint tight. Leon's getting larger? But that will have to change too. I could bike there, but then I'm pretty much stuck there for lunch--in a windowless break room and the idea of that depresses me. I could bike home and back for lunch, but would have only enough time to prepare it and eat it when I get here. No time to read the mail, finish the paper, check emails/facebook, quick errands, etc. And in the summer months, it could make me a bit aromatic upon my return.
This weekend was my first "typical" errands weekend in decades! Costco on a Saturday, followed by a chat with Betty, then an hour chat with my grandmother, then another with Betty, then UFCU on a Saturday, followed by Petco, Twin Liquors, and HEB Hancock on a Saturday. (Do you sense a theme? I have avoided these type stores on weekends for years. Oh the chaos!) All while I was doing 6 loads of laundry and changing the bed. Then dinner and theatre (God of Carnage at Zach) with Robert, back up to Wells Branch to take care of their dog. Today: bills, thank you notes, emails, in-box, finish up laundry, re-light the hot water heater, holiday planning with Sr and Betty, Central Market, to Wells Branch twice, make a soup, etc.
Where's the down time? Last time I had a schedule like this, there were two of us! I need a lot of that extra phat in my diet these days!
But seriously, it's all good. Just in the middle of the learning curve, transition period, holidays... and there's two upcoming trips to Sherman (Christmas and to bury Granddaddy's ashes in the family plot on what would've been his 95th birthday in January) and a trip to Houston (perhaps my last?) to MDA, which was supposed to a week from tomorrow, but I put it off because I'll have much better insurance in January--and I think I'll be a bit more ready then.
Mostly, it's good to have a job. I miss my writing.
Cheers!
,m
Freewill Astrology Horoscope for the week beginning Thurs, Dec 1st...
LIBRA:
The human brain is composed of 30 percent protein and 70 percent fat. So it wouldn't be incorrect to refer to you as a fathead. In order to nourish your brain cells, you've got to eat foods that provide two essential fatty acids your body doesn't manufacture: omega-3 ALA and omega-6 LA. Since you're now in a "brain-building" phase of your astrological cycle, I urge you to get more than your minimum requirements of these basics. If I may be permitted to resurrect a now-out-of-fashion slang term, I suggest that you also expose yourself to a lot of extraordinarily phat sources of intellectual stimulation.
Phat cycle!
X*X*X*X*X
It's funny. I hadn't had time to poke over to that website (or much of anywhere) and see what it said for this week, yet one day last week while I was at work, I remember thinking something like: This job is keeping the Alzheimer's at bay, that's for sure. It's like learning a new language or solving a bunch of puzzles every day.
For 8 solid hours every day, it's a very different way of thinking than I really ever have before. It uses a bunch of skills I've had and used, but many were dormant, and it puts them all together and shakes them up. Sometimes in very great ways...and sometimes like I poured too much paint on the spin art!
I haven't a clue right now how it's going to work with my writing, but right now isn't a good judge of that. My brain is still very much in learning mode, and my body is still in adapting mode, and I'm still learning how to manage my off time. Throw in Thanksgiving, Granddaddy dying, rain, taking care of Melissa and Drew's dog....and things haven't exactly been a normal these last few weeks. And here we are racing into the rest of the holidays! Oh my!
And it's okay. I like it. I like using those skills: typing, data-entry, processing/thinking/deciding, learning a lot of details, switching from thing to another--but at this point, it's still a very mind-blowing/mentally taxing thing. Will it always be? I hope not. I want to be able to come home to write, which I haven't been doing. Through Thanksgiving weekend, I still spent a lot of time tweaking and thinking about This Yugoslavia--but this week, it never crossed my mind. And that will have to change.
My exercise schedule has also been sporadic at best. Jeans are getting just a hint tight. Leon's getting larger? But that will have to change too. I could bike there, but then I'm pretty much stuck there for lunch--in a windowless break room and the idea of that depresses me. I could bike home and back for lunch, but would have only enough time to prepare it and eat it when I get here. No time to read the mail, finish the paper, check emails/facebook, quick errands, etc. And in the summer months, it could make me a bit aromatic upon my return.
This weekend was my first "typical" errands weekend in decades! Costco on a Saturday, followed by a chat with Betty, then an hour chat with my grandmother, then another with Betty, then UFCU on a Saturday, followed by Petco, Twin Liquors, and HEB Hancock on a Saturday. (Do you sense a theme? I have avoided these type stores on weekends for years. Oh the chaos!) All while I was doing 6 loads of laundry and changing the bed. Then dinner and theatre (God of Carnage at Zach) with Robert, back up to Wells Branch to take care of their dog. Today: bills, thank you notes, emails, in-box, finish up laundry, re-light the hot water heater, holiday planning with Sr and Betty, Central Market, to Wells Branch twice, make a soup, etc.
Where's the down time? Last time I had a schedule like this, there were two of us! I need a lot of that extra phat in my diet these days!
But seriously, it's all good. Just in the middle of the learning curve, transition period, holidays... and there's two upcoming trips to Sherman (Christmas and to bury Granddaddy's ashes in the family plot on what would've been his 95th birthday in January) and a trip to Houston (perhaps my last?) to MDA, which was supposed to a week from tomorrow, but I put it off because I'll have much better insurance in January--and I think I'll be a bit more ready then.
Mostly, it's good to have a job. I miss my writing.
Cheers!
,m
Friday, December 2, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Bouncy Bouncy is Askew? No....
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Freewill Astrology Horoscope for the Week Beginning 24 Nov11:
LIBRA:
In a famous Monty Python sketch, a Hungarian tourist goes into a British tobacconist's store to buy cigarettes. Since he doesn't speak English, he consults a phrase book to find the right words. "My hovercraft is full of eels," he tells the clerk, who's not sure what he means. The tourist tries again: "Do you want to come back to my place, bouncy bouncy?" Again, the clerk is confused. In the coming week, Libra, I foresee you having to deal with communications that are equally askew. Be patient, please. Try your best to figure out the intentions and meanings behind the odd messages you're presented with. Your translating skills are at a peak, fortunately, as are your abilities to understand what other people -- even fuzzy thinkers -- are saying.
~~
And for all my dear Aquarians:
It's an excellent time for you to get an entourage -- or if you already have one, to expand it. For that matter, it's a perfect moment for you to recruit more soldiers to help you carry out your plot to overthrow the status quo. Or to round up more allies for your plans to change the course of local history. Or to gather more accomplices as you seek to boldly go where you have never gone before. So beef up your support system. Boost the likelihood that your conspiracy will succeed.
Oh my. I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying? Bouncy Bouncy?
Freewill Astrology Horoscope for the Week Beginning 24 Nov11:
LIBRA:
In a famous Monty Python sketch, a Hungarian tourist goes into a British tobacconist's store to buy cigarettes. Since he doesn't speak English, he consults a phrase book to find the right words. "My hovercraft is full of eels," he tells the clerk, who's not sure what he means. The tourist tries again: "Do you want to come back to my place, bouncy bouncy?" Again, the clerk is confused. In the coming week, Libra, I foresee you having to deal with communications that are equally askew. Be patient, please. Try your best to figure out the intentions and meanings behind the odd messages you're presented with. Your translating skills are at a peak, fortunately, as are your abilities to understand what other people -- even fuzzy thinkers -- are saying.
~~
And for all my dear Aquarians:
It's an excellent time for you to get an entourage -- or if you already have one, to expand it. For that matter, it's a perfect moment for you to recruit more soldiers to help you carry out your plot to overthrow the status quo. Or to round up more allies for your plans to change the course of local history. Or to gather more accomplices as you seek to boldly go where you have never gone before. So beef up your support system. Boost the likelihood that your conspiracy will succeed.
Oh my. I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying? Bouncy Bouncy?
Did I Really Just Iron 32 Shirts?
...
Yup. Spent the afternoon doing laundry and ironing shirts. And thinning out some of my drawers. All the while re-working some scenes in my head.
For the last 7 or 8 years, I've had a few shirts that I send to cleaners for special events and parties and such, and the rest of my shirts, I just washed and hung up and embraced the wrinkles. Cleaners shirts, although I never get them starched, still seem a little too pressed to wear to work, and the simply hung-up shirts, a bit too sloppy. So I went through the latter and pulled out 32 to just iron, no starch, no über-perfecto look, just neater.
So now I've got shirts to wear to work until early-January!
(It's funny what you learn about your shirts when your iron them: little holes or stains on the backside I never saw before, or snags, or places that are seriously frayed. I had to pull out about 4 that wouldn't be okay to wear to work, but would work famously under a sweater or something.)
Cheers!
Yup. Spent the afternoon doing laundry and ironing shirts. And thinning out some of my drawers. All the while re-working some scenes in my head.
For the last 7 or 8 years, I've had a few shirts that I send to cleaners for special events and parties and such, and the rest of my shirts, I just washed and hung up and embraced the wrinkles. Cleaners shirts, although I never get them starched, still seem a little too pressed to wear to work, and the simply hung-up shirts, a bit too sloppy. So I went through the latter and pulled out 32 to just iron, no starch, no über-perfecto look, just neater.
So now I've got shirts to wear to work until early-January!
(It's funny what you learn about your shirts when your iron them: little holes or stains on the backside I never saw before, or snags, or places that are seriously frayed. I had to pull out about 4 that wouldn't be okay to wear to work, but would work famously under a sweater or something.)
Cheers!
Friday, November 25, 2011
What Did Free Form Thanksgiving Turn Out to Be?
...
Drove to Robert's house a little before 2pm: Austin streets were mostly abandoned, a bus or two, a car here and there, perhaps more bicyclists than usual, but mostly casual recreational biking.
Robert and I had a few steamed tamales at his place and caught up. Then we headed into downtown Austin for a ramble through our town. Parking is free and plentiful on Thanksgiving. The streets were largely deserted (at first) and most things closed or just preparing to open. The weather was stunning. It was great to experience the heart of the city without many people in it. Over the years I've done that many times, but not so much in the last decade and downtown has changed dramatically in that period.
We scooted up to La Sombra to have our big meal. Robert thought he'd seen that it was going to be open on TDay. It wasn't (Or if it was, it had closed already), which was cool. We came by here for a potty and refresh stop, and then headed back downtown, which was becoming a little less deserted feeling. We actually parked in the same spot we'd left an hour before.
We had an amazing, non-traditional Thanksgiving meal at Second Street Kitchen. We sat outside in the sidewalk seating as the sun went down and the purple crown changed to dark. We ordered little plates and sides: Brussel Sprouts, Andoulle sausage stuffing (the weakest link, but pretty good), french fries in truffle oil, chicken friend olives stuffed with pimento cheese, veal meatballs, split an outstanding roasted beet and arugula salad, split a bowl of delicious spicy chicken and dumplings, split a pumpkin bread pudding thing with brown sugar ice cream. So we weren't exactly as healthy as we'd set out to be, but these were all small plates (Or made small by our splitting them.) And, in echoes of old Austin, two different folks we knew either walked by on the street and waved hello or came up to our table for Thanksgiving hugs. The waitress was fun and personable. Sure it cost more than I'm used to spending for a meal, but hey, it's Thanksgiving. And I'm not talking outlandish: I had two glasses of wine and Robt had none (and we had two coffees) and with a generous Thanksgiving tip, it came out to just under $100 total. Buying food to make a Thanksgiving meal costs more than that. And it was sort of little treat for both of us. We deserved it!
I enjoyed spending the day with Robert, and it felt a lot like when we've travelled together. We walked over to Oil Cans to see what was happening. There were about 25 people we didn't know in the bar, so we walked out and headed over to East East 6th Street to see if anything was happening over there. It was dead. By this time it was 7:00pm-ish, and I was fading. We talked about possibly calling up friends and stopping by for a visit, but I thought I really wanted to come home and just chill out.
Yet, once I was here, curiousity got the best of me, and I turned on the UT/A&M game--mostly because it was the last one in the storied rivalry (for now) and because it's Thanksgiving in Texas and that's what you do (did). The game was already in process, and UT looked very sloppy. I just said outloud to no one there (ala Neil Diamond) y'all are going to win this game, but it's going to be messy. (Not sure why I was saying y'all, since it's us, but hey...) We did. It was.
It was a great rivalry game with emotions running extra high on both sides because of the end of the rivalry (A&M is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC next year.) The momentum changed dramatically from A&M to UT and back again, with a last ditch effort by UT and a stunning field goal as time ran out for UT's win. (Yay! Hook 'em!) I was sad that there was a questionable call in that last drive. Had it not happened would the game have gone the other way? Maybe. Or, maybe not. Case McCoy's long run would've put them in field goal range even from 15 yards back--if he'd had that long run. We won't ever know the answer to that what if? Still I'm sad it was there.
As I turned off the TV, it felt like both teams had won that game. Both teams had come to the final game of the rivalry and played their hearts out, and it came down to the very last second. I actually got a little teary-eyed for the end of the rivalry. It hadn't really hit me that it's over. I mean, for fifty years I've heard neighbors in Texas give each other friendly taunts and teases over the opposing school and/or its football team. Aggie jokes were our "blonde" jokes or "polock" jokes, of yore. Both teams' fight songs include a taunt at the other school. I was sad that the rivalry that started in 1894 is over.
But, I have to admit, I was glad the Horns won.
Now I will likely walk Fernando and go to bed.
And that, dear Squirrels Readers, is what a free form Thanksgiving meant to me. (At least this year.)
Cheers!
,m
Drove to Robert's house a little before 2pm: Austin streets were mostly abandoned, a bus or two, a car here and there, perhaps more bicyclists than usual, but mostly casual recreational biking.
Robert and I had a few steamed tamales at his place and caught up. Then we headed into downtown Austin for a ramble through our town. Parking is free and plentiful on Thanksgiving. The streets were largely deserted (at first) and most things closed or just preparing to open. The weather was stunning. It was great to experience the heart of the city without many people in it. Over the years I've done that many times, but not so much in the last decade and downtown has changed dramatically in that period.
We scooted up to La Sombra to have our big meal. Robert thought he'd seen that it was going to be open on TDay. It wasn't (Or if it was, it had closed already), which was cool. We came by here for a potty and refresh stop, and then headed back downtown, which was becoming a little less deserted feeling. We actually parked in the same spot we'd left an hour before.
We had an amazing, non-traditional Thanksgiving meal at Second Street Kitchen. We sat outside in the sidewalk seating as the sun went down and the purple crown changed to dark. We ordered little plates and sides: Brussel Sprouts, Andoulle sausage stuffing (the weakest link, but pretty good), french fries in truffle oil, chicken friend olives stuffed with pimento cheese, veal meatballs, split an outstanding roasted beet and arugula salad, split a bowl of delicious spicy chicken and dumplings, split a pumpkin bread pudding thing with brown sugar ice cream. So we weren't exactly as healthy as we'd set out to be, but these were all small plates (Or made small by our splitting them.) And, in echoes of old Austin, two different folks we knew either walked by on the street and waved hello or came up to our table for Thanksgiving hugs. The waitress was fun and personable. Sure it cost more than I'm used to spending for a meal, but hey, it's Thanksgiving. And I'm not talking outlandish: I had two glasses of wine and Robt had none (and we had two coffees) and with a generous Thanksgiving tip, it came out to just under $100 total. Buying food to make a Thanksgiving meal costs more than that. And it was sort of little treat for both of us. We deserved it!
I enjoyed spending the day with Robert, and it felt a lot like when we've travelled together. We walked over to Oil Cans to see what was happening. There were about 25 people we didn't know in the bar, so we walked out and headed over to East East 6th Street to see if anything was happening over there. It was dead. By this time it was 7:00pm-ish, and I was fading. We talked about possibly calling up friends and stopping by for a visit, but I thought I really wanted to come home and just chill out.
Yet, once I was here, curiousity got the best of me, and I turned on the UT/A&M game--mostly because it was the last one in the storied rivalry (for now) and because it's Thanksgiving in Texas and that's what you do (did). The game was already in process, and UT looked very sloppy. I just said outloud to no one there (ala Neil Diamond) y'all are going to win this game, but it's going to be messy. (Not sure why I was saying y'all, since it's us, but hey...) We did. It was.
It was a great rivalry game with emotions running extra high on both sides because of the end of the rivalry (A&M is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC next year.) The momentum changed dramatically from A&M to UT and back again, with a last ditch effort by UT and a stunning field goal as time ran out for UT's win. (Yay! Hook 'em!) I was sad that there was a questionable call in that last drive. Had it not happened would the game have gone the other way? Maybe. Or, maybe not. Case McCoy's long run would've put them in field goal range even from 15 yards back--if he'd had that long run. We won't ever know the answer to that what if? Still I'm sad it was there.
As I turned off the TV, it felt like both teams had won that game. Both teams had come to the final game of the rivalry and played their hearts out, and it came down to the very last second. I actually got a little teary-eyed for the end of the rivalry. It hadn't really hit me that it's over. I mean, for fifty years I've heard neighbors in Texas give each other friendly taunts and teases over the opposing school and/or its football team. Aggie jokes were our "blonde" jokes or "polock" jokes, of yore. Both teams' fight songs include a taunt at the other school. I was sad that the rivalry that started in 1894 is over.
But, I have to admit, I was glad the Horns won.
Now I will likely walk Fernando and go to bed.
And that, dear Squirrels Readers, is what a free form Thanksgiving meant to me. (At least this year.)
Cheers!
,m
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Free Form Thanksgiving!
...
It's mid-sixties and sunny.
I'm lower fifties and sunny.
(not von Bulow, thank God!)
I'm thankful for so much. I've had a good first "week" (2 half-weeks) at my new day job at the Travis County Clerk's office. I'm thankful to have a job and realize that so many people are still looking. I hope something comes along soon for each and every one of them. I'm thankful my job has good benefits. I pray everybody's does soon.
I'm thankful for my family, spread all over the state and the country, for my friends who are family, for my friends whom I cherish seeing the far too few times we actually get to, for the smiling faces I see over and over again and hug when I hit the theatres or the fundraisers or the parties or quiet dinners, for friendly neighbors, and strangers who say howdy on the street.
I'm thankful I have a wonderful house to call home that fits me to the T! (Or would that be G? Everybody should have a G-Spot to live in, at least once in their lives!)
I'm thankful for my current companion, Fernando, my sweet grey kitty. I'm thankful for the 13 years we had with Benjamin, and the joy he brought us every day.
I'm thankful to have shared such wonderful times and life lessons and struggles with so many wonderful people I've lost. (and hey, other pets too!) I cherish all their memories and gifts to me in so many ways. I am a much better person because of them.
I'm thankful that my health looks good. I'm thankful that others are making good solid strides in their health. I'm thankful for the good health of others. I'm thankful for the leaps we've made in treating serious diseases and conditions. Cancer often gets cured, AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, hearts can get fixed and strengthened, diabetes treated, hips replaced, etc. I pray for more strides in this and that they are available to all.
I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to be abundant without being excessive.
I'm thankful I've never had to stare down a tank or a row of oppressive government soldiers on my home street to be free.
I'm thankful that people are finally realizing gays and lesbians are people too with full rights and desires and great things to contribute. That the world isn't a black and white place at all, but a place of many greys--and layers of greys. I'm grateful for the huge strides we've made in equal rights during my lifetime, and that there are amazing people out there carrying on the fight!
I'm thankful for my God-given gifts and skills and opportunities. I've really been blessed with a full and amazing life/path/journey. I'm thankful it's not over and the future is out there, no matter how bleak some things appear at times or how discordant things get, that there's always a smile and a hug that helps get us through.
Last night I had a Lone Star Longneck and the puzzle in the cap was: "No Time Like the Present." I'm thankful for that too. That should be all of our mantras today and tomorrow, which of course, will be a new present. That's our present, if we chose to open it.
I'm thankful for you.
Love,
Michael
(Thanksgiving is free-form this year. Robert and I are about to embark on an adventure, healthy and fun. Details later. It's a perfect day for it! But first I'm going to have to get out of this fuzzy grey robe and slippers and get in the shower. There's no time like the present! Cheers!)
It's mid-sixties and sunny.
I'm lower fifties and sunny.
(not von Bulow, thank God!)
I'm thankful for so much. I've had a good first "week" (2 half-weeks) at my new day job at the Travis County Clerk's office. I'm thankful to have a job and realize that so many people are still looking. I hope something comes along soon for each and every one of them. I'm thankful my job has good benefits. I pray everybody's does soon.
I'm thankful for my family, spread all over the state and the country, for my friends who are family, for my friends whom I cherish seeing the far too few times we actually get to, for the smiling faces I see over and over again and hug when I hit the theatres or the fundraisers or the parties or quiet dinners, for friendly neighbors, and strangers who say howdy on the street.
I'm thankful I have a wonderful house to call home that fits me to the T! (Or would that be G? Everybody should have a G-Spot to live in, at least once in their lives!)
I'm thankful for my current companion, Fernando, my sweet grey kitty. I'm thankful for the 13 years we had with Benjamin, and the joy he brought us every day.
I'm thankful to have shared such wonderful times and life lessons and struggles with so many wonderful people I've lost. (and hey, other pets too!) I cherish all their memories and gifts to me in so many ways. I am a much better person because of them.
I'm thankful that my health looks good. I'm thankful that others are making good solid strides in their health. I'm thankful for the good health of others. I'm thankful for the leaps we've made in treating serious diseases and conditions. Cancer often gets cured, AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, hearts can get fixed and strengthened, diabetes treated, hips replaced, etc. I pray for more strides in this and that they are available to all.
I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to be abundant without being excessive.
I'm thankful I've never had to stare down a tank or a row of oppressive government soldiers on my home street to be free.
I'm thankful that people are finally realizing gays and lesbians are people too with full rights and desires and great things to contribute. That the world isn't a black and white place at all, but a place of many greys--and layers of greys. I'm grateful for the huge strides we've made in equal rights during my lifetime, and that there are amazing people out there carrying on the fight!
I'm thankful for my God-given gifts and skills and opportunities. I've really been blessed with a full and amazing life/path/journey. I'm thankful it's not over and the future is out there, no matter how bleak some things appear at times or how discordant things get, that there's always a smile and a hug that helps get us through.
Last night I had a Lone Star Longneck and the puzzle in the cap was: "No Time Like the Present." I'm thankful for that too. That should be all of our mantras today and tomorrow, which of course, will be a new present. That's our present, if we chose to open it.
I'm thankful for you.
Love,
Michael
(Thanksgiving is free-form this year. Robert and I are about to embark on an adventure, healthy and fun. Details later. It's a perfect day for it! But first I'm going to have to get out of this fuzzy grey robe and slippers and get in the shower. There's no time like the present! Cheers!)
Monday, November 21, 2011
WOW! Things Just Keep Happening...
....
Opened my junk email box today and somehow it had moved this there!
Note: That you are to contact us for claims with your complete data's and a proof of your Identification.
Office: Head of operations.
And to think such opportunity almost passed me by! I really am a lucky duck, ¿no?
;)
Opened my junk email box today and somehow it had moved this there!
From The Office Of Western Union.
We wish to notify you that the United Nations has given to you the sum of $850,000 Dollars as a Grand Donation in the on-going Poverty Alleviation program/End of year promo.
This is due to the Global/Financial Economic meltdown, to assist/support individuals, needy and the less privilege. Your email was selected randomly as one of the lucky beneficiaries in the on-going promotions.
Contact Person:
Rev. Frank Amos.Office: Head of operations.
And to think such opportunity almost passed me by! I really am a lucky duck, ¿no?
;)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Two Things About Fernando:
...
1. We've done our walk every night since Benjamin died. It's fun. When it's cool, he gets funny and crazy and such. I love watching it and I ag him on. People look at us a little oddly, but hey, what's so new about that?
2. With Benjamin gone, he's been a little more needy, yet also a lot more assertive. Meaning, he used to not go too crazy for human food (except scraps from Julio's) because Benjamin was there waiting and he took his cues from Biggs. He'd be sitting there quietly waiting. Now he can get antsy and meow and adamant that I give him a bite soon--or, it's more like he's afraid I'm not going to remember he's down there.
2.5 And he's getting in trouble more. Last week, Antoinette called while I was making tuna salad. I'd given Fernando a little bit, and while we were talking about a problem she'd had with a neighbor, who seemed off his meds or something, I turned around and Kitty was on the counter eating the tuna from the bowl. He would never have done that while Benjamin was there by him. I yelled without thinking I was on the phone. He ran like crazy. Antoinette needs a hearing aid.
He hasn't been back up there, but it's funny how he's re-testing his limits now that he's the only pet.
Damn Cats!
1. We've done our walk every night since Benjamin died. It's fun. When it's cool, he gets funny and crazy and such. I love watching it and I ag him on. People look at us a little oddly, but hey, what's so new about that?
2. With Benjamin gone, he's been a little more needy, yet also a lot more assertive. Meaning, he used to not go too crazy for human food (except scraps from Julio's) because Benjamin was there waiting and he took his cues from Biggs. He'd be sitting there quietly waiting. Now he can get antsy and meow and adamant that I give him a bite soon--or, it's more like he's afraid I'm not going to remember he's down there.
2.5 And he's getting in trouble more. Last week, Antoinette called while I was making tuna salad. I'd given Fernando a little bit, and while we were talking about a problem she'd had with a neighbor, who seemed off his meds or something, I turned around and Kitty was on the counter eating the tuna from the bowl. He would never have done that while Benjamin was there by him. I yelled without thinking I was on the phone. He ran like crazy. Antoinette needs a hearing aid.
He hasn't been back up there, but it's funny how he's re-testing his limits now that he's the only pet.
Damn Cats!
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