Labor Day Eve

Decided to take myself to breakfast at IHOP today. The Kids spent the day at Big Bear (I was invited to join them, but didn't feel like it). Tried something different today - the new bananananana and stromberry pancakes. First couple of bites were good, but after that the pancake part was kinda bland and the banananas were mushy. Won't order them again. I was going to go wander the mall or something but ended up coming home with a headache instead. Not my first choice for spending my Sunday, that's for sure. Kinda dozed a bit on the couch, did some laundry, ordered a pizza for dinner and am watching Sound of Music. Brainsucked a little bit.

And that, my friends, is another exciting day in the life of me.

Sunday Morning

Wow - that's the latest I've slept in a long time! Maybe not the longest, but the latest. My neighbor upstairs was at his noisy best last night so I was awake until after 1:00. Tossed and turned for a while after that, dozed and woke up a few times, and finally fell asleep about 3:00. Woke up at 8:15. Have already had my shower and am now sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap and enjoying a cup of coffee. Don't know what the day has planned for me.

Post-less Friday

As you can see, I didn't post yesterday. I spent most of the evening reading and just didn't get around to posting. That being said, there really wasn't a lot to post about anyway.

Work went well, for being end of the month. Got all the drop-ship invoices processed, and also got all the regular ones done. Not bad, seeing as we've been a day behind on them for the past week! Not sure how many invoices I actually process daily, but I *think* it averages about 325. The company provided us with a month-end lunch of El Pollo Loco which was quite yummy. I haven't had chicken from there in ages (I usually get the chicken bowl, but haven't had "just a piece of chicken' with side orders). So I had a chicken breast, and beans and rice with salsa on the rice, and a couple of flour tortillas. Mmmm.

Found out something nice about the company. One of the guys that works in the warehouse had come into the lunch room on Tuesday while I was in there, and apologized. At first I didn't know why, but then realized that he was hiccuping. Nothing loud and obnoxious, just quiet little hic...hic...hics. Didn't really think much about it. Saw him again on Thursday when he walked past my desk to go to HR. As he passed I heard a quiet little hic...hic...hic. Felt bad for the poor guy, that was twice in one week!

Found out later that it was a little worse than that. He'd been hic-ing for 3 weeks. =8-O And apparently this isn't the first time it's happened; a couple of years ago he had them for 3 months. He had gone to the doctor and received muscle relaxers that helped, but this time he was waiting for his insurance to kick in (on Sept 1). Well, the company sent him to Urgent Care on Thursday - and paid for the visit! Wasn't that nice of them? Especially since he only had to get through a few more days before the insurance would be in effect. Anyway, he was still quietly hic'ing yesterday and I hope the muscle relaxers kick in soon.

Talked to B in NY for a little bit last night; sounds like she is having a blast with little Robin. She goes back to work on Tuesday and has made arrangements for a pet walker for the little guy. Wish I could snuggle him and sniff that little puppy scent!

Survivor: Update

Well, the bad news is that the season starts a week later than the website originally showed. We now have to wait until Sept 25. The good news is that the cast photos and bios are now online! I looked at a couple of them (that Randy looks like a real *winner*) but am going to wait and let Sis choose a person first. I think I've chosen first the majority of the time, and I know I did the last couple of seasons. Hurry up and choose!!!

Don't have to call Dad and thank him for the flowers - he called me at 6:00 this morning. Talk about scaring someone! I thought there was something wrong. He just wanted to update his phone book so he had the correct zip code for me.

And I saw a really adorable little baby lizard as I was leaving work today. Like the picture? Of course not - the camera was at home. *sigh*

Flowers Arrived!

Well, two days and a couple hours late, the flowers were delivered at 7:47 this evening. A vase full of lovely white roses - a belated birthday gift from Dad! I'll have to call him tomorrow and let him know they arrived. I don't recommend the florist company; missed the delivery on the first day, tried to deliver while I was at work yesterday (even though they knew I wouldn't be home) and then they were late tonight. And obviously not fresh, new flowers although they are very lovely. I've even gone out to the car to get the camera so I can post this picture.

Other than that, it was just another Wednesday. Oh - I had a voice mail message from B in NY to let me know that she's decided to name her new puppy "Robin" (as in "Hood"). I bet he's spoiled already!

And here's a picture of the purse and/or knitting project bag that I received from Duh on Sunday.

Exhausted

Had a really busy day at work today. With month-end quickly approaching, the push is on to enter all the drop-ship invoices so the customers can be billed. Haven't entered any of the "regular" invoices in 2 days, and the stack is piling higher and higher. Hopefully, we can get 'em all caught up this week! Had one of the AP ladies refer to me as "Fast Fingers", and one of the guys (don't know what his job his, but he's nice and friendly) made a comment about "You're always such a busy little rascal." I also overheard a "threat" that I liked - "I've got darts ready to throw and I'm just lookin' for a board."

No flowers yet. The driver called me while I was at lunch; he was here (I guess) to make the delivery. No explanation as to why he didn't make it last night, as scheduled; and wondered if I'd be able to go by the shop and pick them up. Had I still lived in Pomona I would have, but it is too far out of my way for that. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow and hope that they don't bring me a dead bouquet. Unless that's what was ordered ...

Confusion

CBS just aired another commercial for Survivor - and it says that it starts on September 25! What happened to the 18th?? The website still shows the 18th. I hope they aren't going to make me wait another whole week...

...and the flowers never arrived, therefore there will be no picture posted tonight.

ICH Cheezburger

One of my dog pictures is in the voting sequence, and has 24 votes!

Twilight Zone Moment

leads to an afternoon of anticipation!

Had a message on my voice mail from a florist in my old city, asking me to call and correct the address they have for me. Well, I haven't sent anyone flowers, so I must be getting some ... anyway, I called at the beginning of lunch and talked to the lady there. Apparently they had my current street address with my old city so they couldn't find me. When I mentioned that I hadn't sent any flowers, she said, "Oh, no - you are receiving some that were sent from Cambridge, MA". Now, I don't know anyone in MA although B in NY goes to Boston quite often. In fact, she was going somewhere this weekend to get her new puppy, maybe she sent flowers? But why? So, the anticipation is still building because nothing has been delivered here yet.

The TZ Moment comes in when I started reading my book at lunch and on page two the character cites her home address - in Cambridge, MA!

I'll post a picture of the flowers after they arrive.

I am currently involved in 3 books. I'm listening to "Pillars of the Earth" while driving, reading "Eclipse" at home and brought "All Shots" to work because "Eclipse" is just too thick to carry around conveniently. Don't usually read more than one book at a time, so it could get interesting! Although if I *do* have to appear for Jury Duty tomorrow (I have to call tonight after 7:00 for details) I'll probably finish "All Shots" and start on another.

Nice Breakfast

Had a call yesterday from Duh, wondering if I had plans for the weekend. As I was sitting on the couch, not listening to whatever was on TLC at the time (or maybe it was Lifetime) and perusing way too many pictures on icanhascheezburger.com at the time, I really couldn't claim to be busy. We set up a breakfast date for this morning. Ended up just four of us: Duh and Happy, The Girl and I. Went to Richie's Diner and had a really yummy chili-n-cheese omelette and a blueberry muffin. It was nice to spend some time with Duh again; plus, she gave me a birthday present - a cute purse and/or knitting tote with cats on it, some kitty slippers and an Eeyore jammie top. Happy paid for breakfast as his "contribution".

Wow, does George Strait look young in this video! (You Look So Good In Love) Wonder how old the song is ... another wow, he's older than I thought he was, 5 years my senior. Yes, Sis - there IS someone older than I! And it looks like this song was recorded in 1990. Sure am enjoying all the GS videos on GAC!!

Not much else to report for today. Finished reading New Moon (sequel to Twilight) and am currently reading Eclipse (book three). Thick books, but quick reads. Should have gone to Borders; I think my b-day coupon expires in a day or so. Maybe I'll use it online. I haven't ordered anything direct from Borders since they split from Amazon.

The All-iday is officially set for September 27 at 3:00. Unfortunately, The Girl has to work that day (she already knows she can't get out of it) and Duh will be off on her camping trip.

Guess I'll pop over and see what Sis was up to today, maybe see if she has any new pictures on Flickr, and then eat some dinner.

KFC Fail

On the icanhascheezburger website, they have a "fail" section for items that don't "make sense" or wouldn't work for whatever reason. I found one in a commercial for KFC. They are suggesting that for your next picnic, you "make sure the food gets there hot" in the free KFC cooler bag you can get when you purchase an 8-piece (or larger) meal. I haven't been able to find it on YouTube, so I can't post it. But for any of you out there that watch tv, I'm sure you'll see it.

Baby Pics!

My niece sent out pictures of her new baby boy. I hope she doesn't mind if I post one; he's still young enough that it should be ok. This is my favorite of the batch. Well, this and the one that also features my niece, but I won't post that one without permission. I try to do the Right Thing on my blog, as you can tell by my awful attempts at coming up with Things To Call People Without Using Their Real Name. Anyway, here's great-nephew number three ...

The "best price" gas station has lowered the prices another two cents a gallon.

As of this afternoon, I am still scheduled to report for Jury Duty on Tuesday. If I must report for JD, I'd rather do it at a more local courthouse; and not while I'm still working a temp job. Even though several people have told me not to worry, I'm still worried about losing this position. Although today one of the ladies told me that The Boss is planning on keeping me "for a long time".

No plans for the weekend. Maybe I'll do some house-puttering. You know - dusting, vacuuming, that kind of stuff. Probably not. Anyone got something better I can do? And no, Sis, cleaning YOUR house wouldn't be better. Sorry. LOL

And speaking of LOL, check out icanhascheezburger.com. The link is to the right (somewhere over there -->).

Musings On Life

Twice a day every day, Monday through Friday, I drive past a gas station that has the best prices I've seen. Of course, it isn't the easiest station to access (always crowded, and at a busy intersection) so I pay a little more at another station. On the way home Tuesday I decided to go for it, brave the crowds, and get the best priced stuff. On the way to work Wednesday, the price had dropped four cents a gallon.

Haven't heard from Sis regarding the so-called chocolate Skittles I brought over to her place on Sunday. This could mean that she didn't like them and hates me for bringing them over. Or she loved them, and hates me for bringing them over. She forgot she had them and hasn't tried them yet. Or the dogs ate 'em. I've voting on the dogs.

I've mentioned the odd music intervals in the series of audio books I've been listening to in the car. The one that I'm just about finished with now beats the other two, though. Disk 11 ended with what I thought was a logical stopping point for the story; but there is still another disk. So, on the way home tonight, I inserted disk 12 and waited for the rest of the story. Imagine my surprise when I realized that disk 12 should have been played before disk 11! Someone really blew it with that one. I'm listening to it anyway.

About ten months ago, I received a book from Amazon. I hadn't ordered it, it was sent either by Amazon or the author, and included a request that I let the author know if I enjoyed it. Due to that request, I sent him a letter. Found a copy of the letter in my "documents" folder a couple of days ago and reread it. For some reason, I had mentioned that I was eating bean and bacon soup with brown bread and butter when the package arrived. Didn't think anything more about it until tonight, when I picked up the sequel to read with dinner. Yup, b&b soup with bb&b. Coincidence? I think not. My only other dinner option was veggie soup. SOMEbody really needs to do some grocery shopping around here.

I Just Saw

my first commercial for Survivor: Gabon! Yay!

No Health Updates

I don't have a health update on either JJ or the lady from work. When I checked with F, he said that they still don't have a diagnosis on his supervisor, other than " so far, no heart attack". Which I guess is a good thing, although I'm sure they'll all feel better once they know what is causing his symptoms and can get him fixed up. And the lady from work is still in the hospital, and there was a vague reference made regarding a stroke, but I haven't heard anything official.

Regarding work, I was talking with the lady who just returned from leave (I believe she's a supervisor for the department, but I'm not sure) and she didn't seem to think there'd be a problem with the company keeping me on, even if I have to report for Jury Duty next week. She says the company is very supportive, and they seem to be quite pleased with my work performance. That makes me feel a bit better about the possibility of having to take the time off. I guess I'll have to put in for unemployment benefits if I have to report to Jury Duty.

Not much else going on, other than the two loads of laundry I currently have in the machines. Have to go back in about 20 minutes to transfer them to the dryer, and then another 45 minutes after that to retrieve them. Sound exciting? In that case, the next time I need laundry done, YOU can do it! HA!

Not-So-Healthy News

Well, I have absolutely no details, but the paramedics showed up at work today and took away one of my co-workers. Don't know who, or why - but it started while I was at lunch. I heard someone mention blood pressure, but I don't know if it was too high or too low. Didn't know who to ask to find out what was going on, and didn't hear anyone mention names or condition.

Then, during dinner with F and The Kids, I found out that F's supervisor JJ was feeling very poorly and ended up going to the doctor. He was given nitro and sent to the hospital, where he will be spending the night and probably not getting much sleep. As of about an hour ago they didn't know what was wrong; or at least they hadn't told JJ.

Haven't gotten caught up at work yet. Did manage to enter all the drop-ship invoices, and the ones that we received in the mail yesterday. Now I just have to get the huge stack from today entered in the morning, before the mail arrives with the new batch. I look at it as job security; however, if I have to take time off next week for Jury Duty it could foul things up.

And, as requested, I am posting the picture I took of Rafe taking a picture of Sis taking a picture of the Hollywood sign. Very touristy.

Healthy News

Well, today was just another regular day at work, if you discount the fact that the AP department was "all in a muddle" of attendance. The lady who has been out on leave since before I became a temp there was back today. One of the ladies is on vacation starting today; one of the ladies called in sick. The lady that handles the mailroom and filing was out today. Got a lot of invoices in the mail which didn't get processed because I spent most of the morning helping out with the filing, and then we had a lot of drop-ship invoices (that need to be processed the day we get them, so the customers can be billed) after lunch. So, there will be a lot of data entry for tomorrow. Oh, and Tuesday is check-run day, so we can't get started processing invoices until the checks are processed and reports run.

Talked to Duh today, she is feeling much better after her dental work on Friday. I guess she still isn't allowed to eat solid food and so she has been living on Slim-Fast drinks, milk shakes (eaten with a spoon) and pudding. She was planning on a trip to KFC on her way home from the Sprint store; she wants some "smashed taters 'n' gravy" for dinner. Happy took very good care of her over the weekend.

Talked to my SIL this evening, too. She had posted a MySpace message to me, saying that she wished we could have talked more last weekend because she had a medical issue that was concerning her. I messaged back for her to call if she wanted to talk, but didn't hear from her over the weekend. I knew she had a doctor's appointment today, so I called to see how things went. It sounds like everything is pretty much ok, although they are going to be running a few tests. Sounds similar to what I had a couple years ago, but not as drastic a case. She promised to keep me updated.

And, I guess that's about it for today. I'm posting a picture that I took yesterday at the observatory; this is a display model of the Moon. Nope, no man in residence.

Fiber Fest? What Fiber Fest?

Drove out to Sis' this morning so she, Rafe and I could attend the Santa Monica Fiber Fest. Transferred from Henry (my car) to Darwin (her car) for the trip. Drove to the Conference Center, parked, and Sis put 2 hours worth of quarters into the parking meter. Walked from the car to the Conference Center. Hm, the parking lot is empty. Like, really empty. No people milling around outside. And the box office windows are shut. So, Sis calls the phone number on the discount coupon she has had on her fridge since last year's Fest. That number has been changed; so she called the new number. Apparently, the 2008 Fiber Fest was canceled. What to do, what to do.

Since we didn't know of any other crafty-type things going on today, we ended up at the Griffith Park Observatory. I haven't been there in years (like, since I was about 10 or 12, I think) so it was quite interesting. I took a picture of the Hollywood sign; lived my entire life in this general area and don't think I've ever taken a picture of it before. Even took a picture of Rafe taking a picture of Sis taking a picture of the sign. We didn't see all the exhibits, but wandered around a few. Discovered that I wouldn't mind being on Mars (weight-wise) but won't go near Jupiter. Sis and I decided that we aren't overweight, we just live on the wrong planet. The moon would be nice, too.

Had a late lunch at the Cafe At The End Of The Universe, and headed for home. Went to a talent show at the Church that some friends of Sis and Rafe attend; I'm going to try and add the little piece of video I took of their friend singing. Please forgive the shakiness of the video; it's my first attempt with the camera. I also used my new little camcorder to take a picture of their other friend juggling. I'll have to see how it turned out.

Anyway, it was a really fun day even if we didn't get to attend the fiber festival, and I'll post some pictures on Flickr.

Just Another Day

of not doing much. I did get out for a little while; went and wandered around Target. Looked at the DVDs but didn't buy any. Looked at clothes, didn't buy any. Looked for Sour Skittles, didn't have any. They did have new chocolate Skittles, so I bought a bag of them. Not all that great; I wouldn't buy them again. Maybe I'll bring half the bag over to Sis and Rafe's tomorrow and see if they might like them. Got some shampoo and conditioner.

After Target I went to Barnes and Noble. Had a nice time strolling and browsing. Bought 2 books. I'm sure I have one of them (probably at the house). Didn't know for sure until I got home and started reading it and it sounds familiar. I don't remember the ending (which is good, in the case of re-reading a mystery) but I hate wasting money on a book that I already own. I hope I haven't read the other book, too, but since they are part of a series there's a good chance that I have. Oh well. I should have kept my list at librarything.com updated better. And checked it. Maybe I'll work on that during the evenings.

Went to Pick Up Stix and got some sweet'n'sour chicken for lunch and dinner. It was really good, even the dinner half which I ate cold. Not that I was cold, of course, but the dinner was.

Sure hope the neighbor upstairs is quiet tonight. I'm getting really frustrated with the stomping around every night, not to mention the fact that I'm missing out on sleep that I desperately want and need. I did get a little snooze on the couch this afternoon which should help, but I prefer to get my sleep at night. Have a busy day planned tomorrow, which you'll already know if you are one of the teeming millions who read Sis' blog. (Hm, I hear stomping upstairs. Maybe they'll get it out of their systems early.) Going to meet Sis at her place and go to the Fiber Fest, and then to a talent show at the Church that a friend of theirs attends. And - I'll get to meet Sadie!

Friday

The weekend is here, and I don't have any "set in stone" plans. I had thought I'd be spending this evening with Duh, but she ended up going to Happy's place instead. She had a lot of dental work done today, and I wasn't sure if she'd be ok alone. Talked to her after work, and she said that she went to Happy's instead of going home because it was closer to the dentist's office, and she had quite a bit of bleeding. In fact, he was going to take her back to get things checked out, because of the amount of blood. She was going to call if there were any problems.

Anyway, she'll be staying at his place tonight and go home sometime tomorrow. Happy will probably go with her; if not, and if she doesn't want to be home alone on Sunday, I'll go over there for the day. If she doesn't need me, I'll be joining Sis at the Santa Monica Fiber Festival. At least I will if she reads the blog comment I left for her, and she still wants company.

Had dinner with F tonight; The Kids were out with friends. Had a pleasant time; we chatted some and tried to copy a cd for him. Not sure that it worked, though - his laptop has different programs than mine. I think we got 17 out of 19 tracks. Got home and made him a cd, just in case. He also gave me my glasses, which I haven't been able to find forever. Don't know if I left them at the house, or if they fell out of my purse in the truck, or what. But I haven't been able to find them for ages and now I know why!

Here's a picture of the picture Dad sent - it was my Auntie's favorite. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Not So Perfect, After All

*sigh*
Well, my run of perfection has ended. I somehow managed to lose an invoice at work yesterday. It's entered in the system, but wasn't in the stack of completed work. I went through all the papers on my desk today, and it just isn't there to be found. It isn't a huge deal, because we can call the vendor and ask them to fax a copy, but I'd sure like to know what happened to it. I have a feeling it was probably accidentally thrown out. And I'm not trying to pass the buck, because I would have been the one to toss it.

On a happier note, one of the guys bought several huge tubs of ice cream for everyone to have a treat this afternoon. Nice, huh? No special reason that anyone knows of - he just felt like treating everyone. Not only that, but he is very polite in a sweet way; he calls me "miss" instead of "ma'am". Even though he's probably half my age.

Talked to Dad today, to let him know that the parcel arrived safely yesterday. I received a nice picture that had been a favorite of my Auntie - it is titled "Fledglings Seven" by an artist named B. Wittet. The picture is now hanging on the wall in the living room. Dad and J will be returning from Canada on the 17th of September. Feels like they've been gone for ages!

Defying Gravity

Wow - what a fantastic evening! Met The Girl at the school a little before 5:00, and joined her, a co-worker and the Spanish students for a yummy Chinese dinner. Had some lamb, broccoli beef, kung pao chicken, shrimp in lobster sauce and fried rice. Mmmm. And to make the dinner just that much better, the fortune cookie was dipped in white so-called chocolate. We then all boarded the bus, and were off on our way to the Pantages theatre. Made really good time, so we had an hour or so to hang around before the show started. It was nice for the students, because they were able to sight-see a little and do some shopping.

Our seats weren't the best in the house (last row, and only one seat further left than we were) but we still had a good view of the stage. And what a stage! Of course, we've seen Wicked two times prior to yesterday, but still .... it is AWESOME. There is one point, right at the end of Act I, when I feel that being up higher was an improvement over the great seats we had last year. When Elphaba is "flying high, defying gravity" with all the fog and smoke and lights, it was unbelievable. Words can't describe it, so I won't even try.

Didn't get home until quite late (especially for me, since I'm usually in bed by 10:00) and have been a bit groggy all day today. It was most definitely worth the grogginess, though, and I really, really want to see the show again. Greedy, ain't I?

The Celebration Continues

Received a package today, from Barb. She wasn't supposed to send one, but you know how she can be. Actually, she was sending the tapes of the series John Adams that she made for Cris, and included an M&M t-shirt for my birthday. Nice, huh? She included a couple of pictures of herself with my new puppy nephew. I also had a b-day email from Della (former contact at one of the customers of Boyd).

Learned the "next step" in entering AP at work - putting invoices on buyers' hold when there's a price discrepancy, or freight charges that shouldn't be billed, etc. Like the rest of the job so far, it's pretty easy.

And speaking of work stuff - Sis got her office! Apparently one of the guys was transferred to another location, so her boss moved into the empty office, and she was given her own space! They had all her important stuff transferred in while she was on vacation, and her computer will be set up tomorrow. I can just see the look on her face! Hope she didn't the the Homer Chi-li Coo-koff dance; they might reconsider her employment with the company. But then, if they don't know her by now ... they will never never know her ... (sorry, I can't type in tune any better than I can sing in tune).

Haven't heard from Sis today regarding her neighbor; last update was when he was taken off life support on Saturday.

End of the Day

and ready to go to sleep. Kind of a quiet birthday, at least the first half of it. Met with The Kids and F for brunch, and then went with F out to celebrate with his dad, who also has a birthday today. Things were loud there (just because it always is). Had a lot of fun with F's niece, who is five and decided that Auntie Beth made a good climbing toy. When I mentioned that I didn't remember giving her permission to climb on me, she said it was ok because she loves me. :-) She also told me Happy Birthday about 82 times. When she asked how old I was, I said that I was "really old". She decided that "really old" would be 13. Her second guess was 1000. Since I act the first and sometimes feel the second, I give her credit for being correct.

Had an email from Rafe & Sis this morning, and one from Big Bro. Got a b-day card from Barb a couple days ago, and a text message tonight from Duh's son, AJ. Didn't hear from Duh, or Dad. I think Dad is just too busy and lost track of time. No excuse for Duh. SHE should have remembered. Also got a box of See's chocolates from F, and the kids are paying for my Wicked ticket. Not a bad day, all in all.

Fifty-One

Wow - how did that happen? Seems like just yesterday I was "scaring the h@ll out of 50", and now another year has gone by. One would think that I would actually feel older, but I don't. Wow.

Pizza Hut

has a new dessert item - chocolate dippers. I highly recommend ordering them; they are extremely tasty, and I didn't even use any of the chocolate dipping sauce!

Tudors - Season Two

This morning at breakfast, I was given a DVD with the first 5 episodes of season two -- Yay! The rest was still in process, so I'm sure I will receive that disk the next time I see The Boy (which will be on Tuesday, when we go to see Wicked). Now, I just have to pace myself and not watch all 5 hours worth today!

Who Says An Old Dog

can't learn a new trick? I just discovered a new blog feature, courtesy of my sister. It is the blog list. It is really cool; shows the most recent posting on blogs that you want to keep track of. That way, I don't have to keep checking on, say, The Blog of The Boy only to find that he hasn't updated it in five days. Yep, FIVE days. And he just got that new MacBook, too. I would think he'd have lots of stuff to say. Of course, he's busy setting up all the programs and stuff, and he has the new laptop for The Girl to set up, too. Anyway, back to my point - this is a really cool feature (I've seen it as one of the options, but never checked it out). And it will either list alphabetically by blog name, or by most recently updated - which in the case of the two I have listed is the same thing. I'm glad that Sis added it to her blog.

The Boy Is Happy

After his laptop died on him (again), he finally gave up and ordered himself a Mac. And being the kind, generous guy he is, he ordered one for The Girl, too! After two days of tracking with Fed Ex, the new computers arrived today. I know they did, because he sent me a text message when he got confirmation that the landlady had signed for them, and then he sent me a picture message to show me the boxes. I'm surprised, though. He hasn't posted anything about it on his blog ...

Had a busy day at work today; lots of invoices to enter. I'm officially tired now, so that is a good excuse to make this a short post. Unlike my normal good excuse; that being that my life is boring and I have nothing to say.

Sure hope that Sis is serious about having an Alliday party this year. I've been looking forward to it for ages! She hasn't really given any details, though, so I'm not sure if it is going to happen or not. It is supposed to be scheduled for the 23rd, so we'll see.

SYTYC Dance

YAY! I had it right, all the way down the list!

Heard At Work

Amusing (to me) things I heard at work today.

Male voice on the intercom (I'm guessing it was Fred): "The other Fred to the sales office, please. Other Fred to the sales office."

Female voice: "Can I borrow your nose?" (she wanted someone to do a "smell test" on some food for her)

Driver License Issues

So, I made my appointment at DMV and went in today to renew my license. Had to do the eye test and get a new picture taken. Since the old picture is about 20 years old, I'm not surprised that I had to go in. Unfortunately, I didn't pass the eye test. My right eye is fine; the left eye can't see the chart (that's my book readin' eye). So, I have to take a form in to the eye doctor to be filled out and then go back to DMV. *sigh* Hopefully I can get a Saturday appointment and not have to take more time off work.

Hey, a lady at the Ellen Degeneres show is a counselor at the high school that The Boy went to!

I'm hoping for Joshua to win on So You Think You Can Dance tonight, with a tie for second between Twitch and Katee, which leaves Courtney in last place. The Boy wants Twitch to win.

In The Majority

Oh - according to the DJ on the radio this morning, I am in the majority. The least favorite food of Americans is liver, followed in the second spot by Lima beans.

Too Many Audiobook Hours?

Can there be such a thing as having listened to too many hours of audiobooks? I have been greatly enjoying the James Herriott series, on loan from my sister. The only thing I'm not enjoying is the "end of cd" music. The recordings were apparently transferred directly from tape to cd, so the music comes at odd times throughout the disks, instead of at the end and beginning. I'm sure Sis mentioned that to me when she was listening to them, but I had forgotten until it started happening. Anyway - back to my story. I pulled in to a parking place at work this morning, and sat in the car for a minute, waiting until the story got to a stopping point. Um ... wait ... I wasn't listening to a cd. It was a commercial on the radio. D'oh! I guess it's been quite a while since I listened to the radio.

Speaking of commercials on the radio - one of the gas stations is giving tips for getting better gas mileage. One of these tips is to drive just a little slower. Did you know that driving 55 mph on the freeway, instead of 65, can save you gas? Of course it can, because after you get rear-ended by one or more of the millions of vehicles that are traveling at 90 mph, you don' t have to worry about gas prices. Insurance rates maybe, and new car prices, but not gas mileage.

And - announcing the arrival of James Atticus! He was born via C-section this morning. Weighing in at 9 lb 13 oz, he out-weighed his cousin The Boy by 3 ounces. Mom and baby are doing fine, and a picture will be posted in a few days. Gotta give Mom time to get home from the hospital and send the pictures out. Can't wait to see him!

On a final note (for now), I don't know if it is a good sign or not, but we didn't have a new temp at work today. Was it mis-information, or does that mean I'm doing a good enough job that they don't need anyone else? Which would be good, because it could lead to a permanent job. Guess I'll just continue working as hard as I have been, and hope for the best.

Bummer

I saw gas today at $3.99 (well, ok - $4 when you add the 9/10 at the end). Lowest it's been in ages. Unfortunately, not only could I not get over to the gas station due to traffic, but I have to wait until my check hits the account in the morning before I make a purchase. I'll be looking for the low stuff in the morning, though!

No word on the job, but I know a couple of the employees want them to hire me. Chad (at the agency) doesn't know anything yet, but he says that he thinks I should figure on being there for the full month of August, anyway. They are bringing in another temp tomorrow, to replace the one that left last Thursday for Missouri.

On the exciting side of the news, my niece will be having her baby boy any minute ... if she hasn't already. They were going to induce labor "Tuesday night" if nothing had happened before they could induce - and it is almost 8:30 in Virginia, so I'm sure she's well on the way to holding her brand-new Sweet Baby James!

Just realized I didn't post anything yesterday - oh well, too late now!

The Singing Office

So, there is a new show on this season, on TLC, called The Singing Office. Two stars (a Spice Girl and an *NSync member) go to different offices/businesses and put together a singing/dancing team to compete against each other. On this episode, he is at a Robbins Bros Engagement Ring store and he is auditioning some of the employees. This store is obviously in a mall - and through the window, across the way, you can see a Ben Bridge Engagement Ring store. What nice, free advertising for the competition!

More About Yesterday

Talked to Dad for about 20 minutes yesterday (he talked to The Boy for about 10 minutes, too). Sounds like he is overdoing it a bit. I know that there is a lot of work to do, getting Auntie L's estate settled, but they also do a lot of running around with J's family. Which is nice, that he is included in all the family celebrations and stuff, but it takes a lot out of him. Anyway, I think they'll have the estate stuff settled in the next couple of weeks. Getting things together for a yard sale, and sorting through pictures and papers, that kind of stuff.

Hugh has been such a great help to Dad during all of this. He's taking care of everything he can; I think Dad is mainly making the decisions as to what to keep and what to get rid of. Dad and J were invited to join Hugh and his family on their Island for dinner one night, and they've been to visit the alpacas that Hugh raises. In fact, they have been recently shorn (the alpacas, not the people) and some of the fleece will be on the way to Sis. Isn't that cool? Dad even sent pictures of the "fleece donors". Don't you just love them? Especially the one in the front, with the "poofy" face.

Had to buy a book yesterday - I mean, I couldn't resist. How can you not buy a mystery book, when the author's name gives away the ending? The book is called Kilt Dead, and the author is Kaitlyn Dunnett.

On a sad note, Sis' neighbor isn't doing well at all. She doesn't think he'll ever be coming back home. They are prepared to adopt his dog, Sadie, and the birds. I know it is very hard on Sis and Rafe; he is a good neighbor and I know they'll miss him.

Today, So Far

Went to a late breakfast with The Boy today. Had a huge chili-n-cheese omelette. Didn't finish it, but ate more than I should have. Then I went the The Boy to run a couple errands. Bike shop, sporting goods store, and Sears. Well, he went to Sears, I went to Barnes and Noble. It was nice, wandering around the book store. Also enjoyed spending some time with The Boy. Then, as we were getting on the freeway, the cab of his truck filled with stinky smoke. Apparently, some wire under the dash shorted out and decided we didn't need to breathe. Fortunately, The Boy is pretty smart and figured it out right away. :-) Anyway, after all that excitement I came home and puttered around a bit and am half-watching a teen chick flick on Lifetime.

So, that's it. If anything exciting happens I may post again tonight. Probably not.

Timing Is Everything

Just after leaving work today, I received a text message from F to let me know that he has the new proof of insurance cards, and we made arrangements that I would get mine from him on Sunday. I continue driving along, and come to an intersection with a four-way stop. I make my stop, wait until I see that the cross traffic is also stopping, and when it is my turn I continue on into the intersection. I am thisclose to being through when the dingbat to my right decides to make a right-hand turn. She came closer than I would have believed possible to Henry without actually making contact, and only stopped because I was honking the horn. Probably the closest I've come to being involved in an accident without there actually being contact. Whew!

That was exciting in and of itself - and then I got home to find an email from Big Bro to let me know that S&J have a new baby boy - Nicholas Montgomery, born this morning at 4:2o EST. He weighed in at 6 lb 6oz, and a nice 19.5 inches long. Mommy and baby are reported to be doing fine. This brings the grandchild count for Big Bro to 1 girl, 2 boys and one more boy on the way, due any day now.