Off To The Lake

We don't normally close down the lake house for the winter.
We usually go a few times. It's quiet and peaceful and it's a great retreat from traffic and city life for a winter weekend.
But this last 12 months our lives have changed.
Money is tight and we thought it may be best to close it up.
You know save money on utilities and TV bills.
We turned off the water, the heat, the satellite dish and battoned down the hatches.
Who knew you can do a "vacation pause" on your Dish Network?
We knew you could on our land line but we no longer have a land line there.
So just for the heck of it I asked Dish and sure enough they offer that. Cool.

We just found out last Sunday that there was no power there for 2 1/2 weeks.
We found this out after the power was back.
Long story short I fear what we will find.
Because my crazy ass husband left some things in the freezer downstairs after he told me all had been cleaned out and everything was in the cooler that we brought home.
His one job!  His one job while we were packing up that didn't have to do with his fishing gear and the boat. He told me it was done and I was running around and didn't double check. I didn't think I had to. One job and he thought -" ah,what's the big deal it's frozen?" Men.

So we are leaving in the wee hours of the morning on Friday to drive the 4 hrs south.
I hope it isn't stinky and gross. But I fear it will be.
I will forward the office phones and bring the ole laptop so I can work....when I am not working on cleaning the house, doing yard work, and God knows what else I will be doing. That is what I am most afraid of.

Now that gas is over $4 a gallon it should be a real fun to drive there as I stare at my gas gauge.
And boat gas will probably be $6 a gallon. I doubt there will be boat rides anyway we have too much work to do. But I am sure Rick will weasel in some fishing time. 

So we'll be here.
















But not doing enough of this.

More Randomness

You all know by now that the reality show that I watch is American Idol.
Is that a reality show?
I have been diggin' James Durbin from day one.

While I think the top 10 are all more talented than any given years past winners my heart is with James.  I think he should win but I hope he doesn't just so that they don't make him sing some pop drivel. This kid is a rocker. He should rock. He is a throw back to my era.
I just love this kid. From Judas Priest to Carole King.
I also thinks it is so good that we are seeing a kid with Tourette's and that has Asperger. C'mon that alone should give hope to parents and kids with either of these issues.
But you mix James the rocker with my love of Carole King and he had me last night.
God I wish I could sing. But as I have said many times here - I have no friggin' talents.


Now back to the weather -
Crazy ass weather. This area is not known for snow or tornados.
We've had record snow the last 2 years.
Last night tornados all around us.
What next? Locusts?
As I type this it is black as night outside and raining sideways.
So now I have to worry about tornado's.

Notice how I am not talking about the royal wedding?
What is up with all this coverage of this wedding?
We do not have a queen for heaven's sake.
We were established to get away from all that monarchy stuff were we not?
But if I had to choose I'd pick the wedding over Trump.
I wish a tornado would blow he and his comb over away, far far away.

Wednesday Random Thoughts.

Jane Fonda has a blog.
I have found it interesting.
Long story how I got there but I did and I check in from time to time.
She was talking about reading an excerpt from her memoirs (which was a great read) regarding the making of On Golden Pond. She said she realized as she was reading this aloud that she is now the age that Katherine Hepburn was when she made this movie.

Think about that for a minute. Have you seen Jane Fonda of late? She’s gorgeous. And I must say her plastic surgeon did a good job not making her look so tightly pulled. But she is 74 and looks nothing like Katherine Hepburn did at the same age.
Who will play those characters now? We have no old people in Hollywood except Ed Asner. Remember the woman in Driving Miss Daisy? We will never have a Miss Daisy.
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I read an article and then saw the topic on television. It was about our young girls hitting puberty so early. The stats they stated were that the average is now 7 years old. This was needless to say alarming. They discussed possible causes such as hormones in our food and all the chemicals in food and our environment. They discussed everything but they had no data or research that has been done yet. The research is about to get started apparently. This got me thinking. If our girls are getting too many hormones from food and the environment making them “women” sooner is that why men of today are so much less masculine in the original sense? I’m not talking a metro sexual here. What I mean is that hetrosexual men today have more feminine features, less body hair and are of slighter built etc. That type of thing. I don’t know but I think there is something in all this and just throwing it out there.
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My poor dog has allergies. It isn’t just her human mom and dad who are suffering with all this pollen! My car is parked outside and it is normally green – right now it is yellow with pollen. If it doesn’t rain as it is supposed to I must get it washed tonight. I had to use the windshield wipers when I got in the car yesterday afternoon to remove all the pollen so I could see my way to the vet. I didn’t know Izzy had allergies. She has been lethargic, her nose is running and she has some goop coming out of her one eye. She needed some shots next month so we just went to the vet yesterday. It was official and they said it was all allergies. I will say that it is really cute watching her rub her eyes….but I know that just means she’s miserable that they are so itchy but it’s adorable. Bad Human Mommy.
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Did anyone see The Voice? I liked it yet there was something off for me. I don’t care for Christina Aguilara. Yes, her voice is great but not a fan of hers personally. Each time I have seen her she has come off too diva like for my taste. There were two things I didn’t like. The country singer wants to go with the country dude. The black singers want to go with the black entertainer who I am too old to know who the hell he even was. The women who belt wanted to go with Christina because that is what she does. I wish it had been mixed up a bit. And poor Adam Levine from Maroon 5 – only 1 picked him.

I also think it would have been cool if you never saw them until after they were all picked. I had to laugh at the last biker scary chick. She was pretty good but great? No. Scary? Yes. Rough around the edge? Oh my YES.

Not An Oprah Moment

My husband is adopted.
I have always been fascinated by this.
I think most people find this interesting who aren't adopted.
I come from a very large family.
I used to dream of being adopted. I longed to be an only child.
When I was very very young I remember telling my Aunt Dee that I was going to marry an orphan so I didn’t have to have anymore siblings. 
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

We were sitting in a booth at the Brown Derby sipping on T & T’s. (Tanqueray and Tonics)
It was our 1st "date" so to speak. He and I were asking one another about each other. He painted quite the picture of his Norman Rockwell upbringing. He really was a country kid in every way. When he spoke of his father his face lit up. The stories about the fishing, the garden where his Dad and he grew all their vegetables. I could tell he adored his father.
He and his mom had a rocky relationship forever but he truly loved her he told me. Of course living farther away helped make that possible and that made us laugh. Somewhere between his stories that sounded like Huck Finn and my life in suburbia he told me he was adopted.

“So the father you adore is your adoptive father?” I asked.

He said, “Yes. But he is MY FATHER. He taught me how to be a man, he gave me my work ethic, he showed me how to help those that need a helping hand, he taught me respect, humor and most of all love. I saw how he treated my mom and I loved how he adored and loved her. Most days I didn’t understand why but he never faltered.”

I didn’t know what to say. My first thought “boy this guys’s a keeper” but my second thought was how cool and lucky is this man to have had a father like this. A great many people can’t even say that about their father when they aren’t adopted.

I asked him if he ever wanted to meet his birth mom or dad. He said he wanted to meet his birth mom and had done all the work to find her. He knew where she was living but he was waiting until his mother died to look her up. He knew it would hurt his mom if he did it while she was alive.

A year later while his mom was ill with leukemia he decided to look up his birth mom and just not tell his Mom. He found her and called her. It was an odd conversation but she was so open to meeting him. They met and it was nice. She seemed glad to meet him but so very narcissistic and never asked about him much. He on the other hand was so thrilled to have found her and now meeting with her that he couldn’t stop talking. He didn’t notice what I saw. I kept my mouth shut.

She looks just like him. The eyes are the same. The face shape. She too is tall. They have a lot of interests in common as well. Musically inclined and artistic with stained glass and woodworking etc.

I DID NOT LIKE HER FROM THE GET GO. 

I also didn’t believe a lot of what she was saying and I wanted to shake Rick because he was in this warm and fuzzy honeymoon phase. But how could I possibly ruin that for him?
She lived in Florida and we lived in Pennsylvania at the time so I was just hoping that the distance could be an advantage for Rick that he was not yet realizing.

A few months later Rick’s Mom passed away.  We spent a week emptying her home. His father had passed 9 years before and he is an only child. So this was a big job. In the attic we found every slip of paper that “Ricky” ever wrote, colored, drawn etc. We spent a day in that attic laughing at everything that was neatly packed in the boxes labeled “Ricky”  This woman's attic was cleaner and neater than most peoples homes in their living areas.
She left Rick a letter telling him how thankful she was that he came into their lives and made them  a family. She told him to search for his birth mom,it would make her feel good to know that another mom who loved him would be there for him. It was heartbreaking and yet so kind and generous and sad. It made Rick feel guilty that he had already found this woman.

Sally,a.k.a. the birth mom, invited us to her place in Destin Florida. Rick had mentioned to her we were going down to Ocala to visit a friend over our holiday vacation. We decided to head further south once in Florida to start with 2 days in Destin with her.

When we headed to Destin we brought along a couple of photo albums that we got out of that attic of Rick to show his birth mom. Rick thought she may be interested in seeing his life in photos. From birth to graduation with a Nehru jacket in between.  His photos of playing drums in a band and his first wedding and his daughter…..it was all there to share.

The first night we were there he asked if she would like to see some of the photo albums he brought. She said, "Yes" enthusiastically. Why I will never know but she said, “Yes, sure bring them out here”

She sat on her sofa chain smoking cigarettes and all the while talking about herself. She was flipping pages in the album without ever glancing at them.
I looked at Rick and I could tell by the look on his face that he was seeing what I was seeing.
I got up and sat next to her trying like hell not to inhale her damn cigarettes that never ever left her mouth. I pointed out some fun pics of Rick and she would quickly look and then start talking and look up.

I so wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to think her insensitive behavior was because maybe this was too painful for her to view. But in my gut I knew that was not the case. Then she just got up and went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee and lit another cigarette. It was just as simple as she just didn't give a shit.

Rick got up and closed the albums on the table and brought them in to the bedroom where we were staying. He said nothing and neither did I. She never asked where they went either when she got back. The rest of the evening we listened to her stories that I believe were 95% bullshit. We had a couple glasses of wine and then went to bed.

Lying there in bed I wondered if Rick was thinking what I was thinking. Then he asked me, “Did you see her geniune interest in my life?”


"Yes, I caught that. But in her defense maybe it was too hard to see all of those pictures. We should have thought of that."


"That is why I asked if she wanted to see them for Pete's sake Margaret!"


"I know Rick but this isn’t an easy situation - we really don’t know. Maybe she felt she had to say that and that she didn't want to hurt you but did anyway."


"Let’s see how tomorrow goes."

The following day it was pretty much the same. When Rick went out I asked her straight up – “Sally did it bother you to see all of Rick’s photos of his life? Is that why you didn’t look at anything and just turn the pages?”

“What are you talking about I looked at them?”

“No Sal you really didn’t. It would be understandable if that were the reason why”

She waved her cigarette filled hand at me as she walked away laughing. She then asked if I’d like a glass of wine. WTF? Really? We aren't going to talk about it?  I let it go and drank a glass of wine. A morphine drip about now was what Ireally wanted. This woman was toxic and just plain not nice.

We took her to dinner that night and she reminded me of someone who is having a manic episode. I could not wait to leave.  So now we have super heighten behavior of happy and up and incredibly selfish and all me, me, me all the time.  We ate and listened. In the entire 2 days there she never asked a single question of Rick. She made it apparent she didn't care.

As we headed home on our 12 hour drive we talked a lot about this. Rick really wanted her to be something different than she was but he was so conflicted too. He really was giving her the benefit of the doubt. I not having any interest in her other than she was hurting this man I cared about I just didn't trust her, believe her, like her or think she was a nice woman. Period. End.of.Story.

Fast Forward 7 months. She was visiting her mother in PA. We lived in PA at the time and it was only a 4 hour drive. So we drove down to visit with her at her request. I know Rick was thrilled that she asked him to come down. All the other times had been Rick asking to see her. We were just there for the afternoon and dinner and then heading back north.

Just before dinner we went into the kitchen to help with things. There was a television on in the kitchen. It was political talk and it was concerning abortion. When all of a sudden Sal turns around from the kitchen sink and says, “Hey Rick be thankful I didn't know how to accomplish that (abortion) at age 16 or you wouldn’t be here.”

I hated this woman!

Rick's face said it all. He got up and went outside onto the porch. I honestly think  he walked out to not punch her to be honest with you. I no longer was biting my tongue. I blurted out, “What the hell is wrong with you? How can you say that to someone?”

She was now laughing. “Oh come on we’re being too serious here it was a joke.”

I told her that,”this isn’t a joke, a joke is funny. This was mean and hurtful and said on purpose.”

I went outside and asked Rick if he wanted to leave. He thought that may be best.
He thanked her for the afternoon but we were going to be heading up north now.
We said our good byes and we got in our car and left.
Sal told him not to leave that she was making a joke.
He said, “You know I’ve known for awhile. I think it’s best I get going. I’ll talk to you later”
She said nothing, just stood on the porch and smiled and waved goodbye as though nothing happened just now.

It was silent for a long time on our car ride home.
He said, “You know  that I saw who she was all along but I just didn’t want it to be true, you know what I mean?”
I did indeed.

He continued talking for a long time. He talked about all the money he lent her. About all the things she asked for. He felt used but he knew that too all along. He said to me that he knew I knew but he thanked me for not saying anything. He wasn’t ready. He was now ready to see her for who she is. And then he fired off on her last comment and he made me smile. He said, “you know I believe a woman has the right to an abortion don’t you? I believe in a woman’s choice. I wouldn’t make that choice myself, but I would never make a choice for another. So I’m glad she was too dumb to know how to go about it. But what bugs me most is that she would say that and laugh. I think it was deliberate to be hurtful”

I asked him, “does it change your mind on any of this?”


“Abortion or adoption? Hell no! Everyone can do whatever works for them and what they can live with.  Change my mind on Sal? Not really. You know she’s not my mother. She was an egg donor. I was looking for an Oprah moment and what I realize is that my whole life has been one all along....without her.

When we moved we didn’t give her our address or phone.
Everything is in my name as far as phones and my maiden name to boot.
But with Facebook and Google you could find us if you wanted to.
He has never spoken to her again. Which just proved to Rick she didn't care either.

I have asked Rick if he wants to meet his father. I was going to pay for the search for a birthday gift one year. Now I realize that if he wants to do this he will. It's too personal.
It's not for me to do. Each time I ask if he wants to meet his birth dad he will say yes and no. I think he fears it would be an experience like Sal. The last time I asked he said, “I’ve met my father and he was the best man I've ever known. I buried him in 1980”

One just can't agrue with that logic.

T.G.I.F.

I am juvenile. I have never denied that.
I loved the movie The Wedding Crashers!
I loved The Hangover.
So when I saw that this new movie had both Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman you'd think that would be enough for me. But then I saw it was from the producers of the aforementioned movies I had to check it out.

I am childish enough to say I will probably really like this movie.
No it will not win an Academy award. 
I know you all think I'm crazy now.
This is no Hotel Rwanda, The Kings Speech or even Little Miss Sunshine.
But this will make me laugh.
This will make me forget that gas is $4.00 + a gallon for just a few hours.
This will allow me to escape and forget.....and I won't need a 12 step program afterwards.

Because I am Lazy

My blogger buddy Tina at Gal Friday's blog suggested we all do this on our blog.
Because I have nothing to write about other than bitch I thought this may be a nicer thing to do.
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A. AGE?  Oh c'mon you all know it's more than 40 and less than 60.

B. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?  My Big Guy

C.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? ooh any great chocolate truffle. But if you mean an american candy bar I'd go with a peppermint patty.

D.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREED OF DOG? Labrador Retrievers

E.  WHAT IS YOUR ETHNICITY? American....but I think what you are looking for is Italian.

F.  WHAT DO YOU FEAR MOST? CATS!!!!! no, not lions or tigers - house cats.  (((shiver))))

G.  WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GAMES?  Backgammon

H.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM?  well I don't follow hockey but if I did I would choose my current city's team, Washington Capitals.

I. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?  Well, todayit is medium brown with highlights. Next month it will be another color- check back. :-)
J. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JELLY BEAN FLAVOR? Ooh I LOVE the black ones! and I will only eat the black ones because I don't much care for jelly beans.

 K.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JUICE?  Pineapple and has been forever but now that I can make a french martini's with it I love it even more.

L.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD PLACE? Five Guys.

M.  HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE/WANT? The amount I have - Zero/Nada.

N. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? A suburb of our nations capital in northern VA.

O.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LETTER OF THE ALPHABET?  o.k. getting weird here. I guess the letter brought to you by Sesame Street today. (if you have kids you know what that means)

P. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MONTH? October

Q.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? When Harry met Sally because it is autobiographical.

R. FAVORITE NUMBER? 4

S. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME? Mia

T. ARE YOU AN ONLY CHILD? Oh I could only wish....No, oldest of 5 girls.
U. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO PAMPER YOURSELF? A massage.

V.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? olive oil and garlic for a base. 
       (no red sauce)

W.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?  "We Tend to Seek Happiness when Happiness is Actually a Choice."

X. WHAT DO YOU READ? newspapers, books, blogs, magazines and instruction manuals because my husband refuses too but it needs done!

Y. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?  Ciro's

Z. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNACK? B & J Ice cream

1. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? oh for heaven's sake I am a tv junkie. Right now I am looking forward to the returns of Rescue Me, The Big C, Mad Men and Men of a Certain Age. I have 2 DVRS because I love TV

2. WHAT KIND OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU WEAR? a larger size than I'd like to.

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VEHICLE?  one that doesn't need gasoline to run! Yesterday it cost me $4.00 a gal to fill and I only did 1/2 tank it was crazy.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Sunday.

5.  WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS HAVE A X?  This one.

6. WHAT YEAR DID YOU TURN 21?  before you all were born.

7. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN? Pisces

8.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ZOO ANIMAL? Gorilla

America-- -- -- really?

Glasses that Sparkle

In my comments on yesterdays post Mike left me a URL for that $6,300 toilet.

http://kohler.com/numipressrelease/#comfort.html
If you didn’t see it – check it out.
If I had this toilet I would not need my husband…..or batteries.

Now to an important topic that has been bugging me. (it sounds like a 50's housewife!)
Have you noticed your glassware is cloudy and has a white film after you take them out of the dishwasher lately? I have been moaning about this of late. I normally use Cascade and I have Jet Dry in that little compartment that is especially for this product. It is to make the glasses sparkle and not have water spots. Honestly my glasses come out of the dishwasher looking worse than when they went in. I have been bitching about this for months now but Rick seems to have been tuning me out. (not really anything new but still damn annoying)

Monday night Rick unloaded the dishwasher and he began complaining at how the glasses looked. Holding them up to the light he was saying, “Margaret look at these, they look terrible. We just had this dishwasher fixed, what is wrong here? Did you put enough Cascade in here? Did you forget the Jet Dry?”  Yep, it's all my fault.

I was ready to just pummel him with a cloudy looking piece of stemware but instead I decided to remind him that I have been telling him this for months. I don’t understand what is going on. He ended up washing the glasses. So I suppose the cloudy film was good for something.

Then last night on the local news the consumer correspondent had a story on why so many people are having this issue with their glasses. Yeah!  It wasn’t just me.
Apparently the government had them take out all the phosphates. So now by law my glasses will always look like crap. Without phosphates the glasses and dishes will always be cloudy and have a film on them. There is nothing that can be done about it apparently.
I found this story online about it. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/science/earth/19clean.html
Honestly I was happy to know it wasn’t me or my dishwasher. But seriously I want my phosphates back damn it.

I did find that I could buy some detergent with phosphates online. I may be inclined to do so. I hate these cloudy dishes. I am torn. I realize this is a good thing that our waters are not being polluted and that sea life isn’t being hurt but seriously my dishes look like crap.

I know, I know, I could just hand wash everything and stop being so damn lazy.
Yesiree, you’re going to see me doing that just as soon as I rub my clothes along this rock….

Expensive Toilets and Bad Friends

Did you all read about the $6,300 toilet that Kohler is set to debut later this month?


This "smart toilet" brings a new level of luxury to the lavatory. The opulent appliance features hands-free motion sensors that open and close the lid, embedded deodorizers, a heated seat and foot warming system and even built-in speakers with pre-programmed radio stations. And the whole thing is controlled by a detachable remote.


How much money would I have to make to think $6,300.00 is worth it?
I think I would like to find out.
And how much time are you people spending sitting on the toilet that you need built in speakers to listen to the radio as well as a foot warming system? I get the heated seat to a point but I don’t understand the foot system that needs heated. If you are in the bathroom that long you have bigger issues than we can discuss here people. You may need medical care.

I watched a reality show the other night. I know! I don’t watch reality shows. I had insomnia and it was on in the wee hours on Oprah’s new channel, OWN. I do not think I will do that again, watch this show that is. It was the Judd’s – Wynona and Naomi. For those living in a time capsule this is a mother and daughter who at times have toured together singing. Mom and daughter wear a helluva lot of makeup. Daughter always looks uncomfortable in her skin. I find myself squirming when I watch her. Like she’s not comfortable in her body or something. Mother always seems to have a motive that is not so obvious. Not sure why she doesn’t just say what she wants to say. At least that is how it comes off to me. This was waaaay too much information about them. I like Wy’s voice but I find her a bit cold and mean. And her mum is nuts but seems warmer and a bit nicer. I watched 2 shows, mostly with my eyes closed but I could hear it. (trying to fall asleep) I am not sure I understand why people want to do this type of thing for the world to see and why do we watch these things? So we don’t think we are as crazy?  Oh hell, what I have figured out is we’re all crazy – just in different forms and degrees. It was sad really sad to me. I felt badly for both of them.  There seems to be a lot of pain in their relationship and it's been there for years. But I just can’t watch this type of thing. It was a soap opera for sure. Maybe that is why they are canceling all these soap operas. You don’t need to pay high priced actors for all the drama when you can get real people to do it for far less for you.

I also watched Paul Allen on 60 minutes last evening. He sure didn’t paint a nice picture of Bill Gates. For those of you who aren’t aware – Paul Allen and Bill Gates are the team that gave you your personal computer. The PC we all can’t fathom not being in our lives.

We all know what became of Bill but most don’t know of Paul. He is a shy man. He also seems to be socially awkward in the way that all these smart techies seem to be. I know of him more than I think I would because of living in Seattle where he resides. He built the Esperience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum in Seattle. Owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, one of the owners of the Seattle Seahawks as well as owning a piece of Dreamworks. So he has a lot of interests that kept him busy while Bill continued to grow Microsoft. He also has a lot of shares that make him a very wealthy man. But as partnerships can do this one appeared to get ugly so they split.
He walked away with stocks and money in hand for what he said was a full rich life.

So why write this book now? None of the “revelations” of course were a surprise but it surprised me that he felt he needed to do this. There are just some things I wouldn’t do and this would be one of them. I had a boss who was dreadful. On a lighter note she was only mean, vindictive, a liar, and dumb. She was also evil.  Scary Evil. This was not a good combination in any way. Would I like to write about her? No. I’ll tell ya stories over cocktails but I have no good reason to publically humiliate her because then I am stooping to her level. What good does it do me? Makes me feel better? Not really. She’s still a bitch and an ass. It doesn’t take back the horrific things she did to people to ruin their lives. Or the money she screwed out of people who won't get any of it back.

So it does nothing for anyone and just continues the ugly toxic cycle. At least for me it does. Sure it’d be nice if I got to see Karma come around but it will I am sure of it. It also will make her be unemployable to some and to others a  ruthless queen and they’d want to hire her. I certainly don’t wish to help her reach her goals.
So again it does nothing for anyone and makes me look petty and bitter.

Which is what Paul Allen ended up looking like last night. I think he was trying to say he was a good person who accomplished a lot and he did a lot to get Microsoft off the ground and he has been ignored. I just am not sure that he made himself look any better by doing this.  He has been very ill with cancer in the past but appeared to be in remission now. Who knows maybe he thought he had to tell his story before he died. He doesn’t need the money by selling books. I found it interesting yet a bit disturbing.   So much so I watched it twice.
I truly felt badly for Paul. I was sad that it appeared that he thought it was so important for people to see him as something more than he feels he is currently viewed and at the same time he felt to do so he  had to make Bill look as bad as he could.

Oh don’t get me wrong Bill’s bad behavior did that all on its own. I've heard those horror stories for years. But seriously after all Bill has done since retiring, all the good philanthropic global good servies, Paul still felt it important to dim that light and shine ugly on his “friend” as he continued to call him. The interview reminded me of something I wrote a couple of years go. It lists what I will not do just to get back at people. It really rung true here in this microsoft story that is for sure.

Someone much smarter than me told me when I was a kid that holding a grudge was like drinking the poison and hoping for the other person to get sick or die. That is the point exactly here. I didn’t walk away more impressed with his accomplishments but just felt badly for him that he thought so little of himself that he had to paint his “friend” so ugly.
He's a pretty remarkable man on his own and shouldn't have to make his friend look bad to make himself look good.

Would or could you do that to a friend or partner?
What could make that happen?

My Perfect Sunday…..please indulge me

This morning the smell of my favorite coffee was filling our kitchen when my husband turned on the DVR in the background of the Michael Buble at Madison Square Garden show.
He grabbed my hand and he began dancing with me in the kitchen….singing one of our favorite Buble songs incredibly off key but it was fun no less. Me, dancing in the kitchen in my tattered ole red bathrobe with morning hair and breath and he making me feel gorgeous. God I love this man.

We sat down with our coffee and ½ watched the show of behind the scenes and Michael singing. It brought us down memory lane. There are two songs that we call “our songs”
Home and My Everything.

Last evening we were talking with our new neighbors. They asked us where “home” was. (you see no one is actually from here) We both answered at the same “Where ever Margaret is” Rick said it at the same time as I said, “Where ever Rick is” They laughed.
I have never felt like where I grew up was “home” except that some of my family is there. It never felt like “home” even when I was a kid dreaming of leaving that little town. Rick’s experience was exactly the same. So as nomads we traveled around this country wherever our careers took us.

When we were both in the corporate world traveling every week for our jobs all we wanted was to go home. It didn’t matter what city, I just wanted to go where Rick was and vice versa. There were often exciting things happening to me or that I saw and I would wish he was there to share it with me.

I remember a time being in Minnesota and it was far more pretty that I thought it would be and I saw something that reminded me so much of him. I felt I just had to call him right that moment. My phone rang at that very second and it was Rick. He was calling me from Maine.
And as is normally the case for my poor directionally impaired husband he called to tell me he was lost but he didn't care because it was so damn beautiful and he wished I was there. I asked if he was going to get off this beautiful road and get back where he needed to be and he told me NO. He explained, “I need to describe to you what I am seeing, I have to share this with you.” I have never been to anywhere in Maine other than Portland, which itself was pretty damn nice. But I hope to go back where he was someday – only together this time.

We did this kind of thing a great deal.
Some calls were just to see where he was because I couldn’t remember. I was stuck in Albany or some such place and I was longing to talk to him and be home.
Our conversations were “Where are you again? When will you be home?”
So this song resonates for us.



Now just so you don't vomit from all this love and sickening stuff I will tell you that we are normal and he can irritate the living shit out of me more than anyone I know. But it always blows over... I haven't killed him just yet.  Or he can be a total ass like Friday when we were drinking French Martini's and he was yelling for me to thank Gal Friday and what he said was so silly and asinine.  But as I told Tina/Gal Friday, yes he's a complete ass but he's my ass. :-)

Friday's Post

There was a post here. Picture and everything.
I had 4 comments.
Now it's all gone.
How the hell does that happen?

What is going on with blogger these days?!
I'm so angry right now.

So I will just bid adieu for now.

I think I'll take a break and see you all on Monday.
Have a great weekend!

Wednesdays Wisdom

C'mon like you are going to find wisdom here.

I had the strangest reaction to canned peaches last evening.
I don't normally eat any type of canned fruit. Seriously it's disgusting.
It is nothing but sugar and corn syrup.  I prefer getting my fruit in its natural form.
But my crazy ass husband loves peaches and in the winter he eats all the ones he has frozen from the summer. He has eaten all the ones he cans. So now he is out of peaches and he is jonesing.  We were at Costco recently and he bought a can of peaches the size of Rhode Island.

Last night he opened this giant can and put some in a bowl and the rest is Tupperware containers to fill our fridge. He had a few that wouldn't fit and asked if I wanted some.
I said sure what the hell. So I ate these peach halves and sucked down all the sugar water and I had a bad night. I was tired but couldn't sleep. My chest felt like it was going to pop out of my chest.  He and the dog went to bed and I sat downstairs trying to figure out what the hell this was.  Sugar rush? Man this was awful.   I think I'll wait until real peaches are out later this summer. I don't ever want to feel like that again.  How the hell does he eat these all the time?  I love sugar but this was horrific. A peppermint patty is sugar and doesn't make me feel like my chest is going to explode. How much sugar was in this stuff?  Maybe it was something else I do not know but I know I never ever want to feel this way again.

Well my feet and legs are almost normal.
I look more like Wilma's feet now instead of Fred's. 

My middle may be more Fred but my legs/feet are Wilma today....tee hee
Feeling a lot better but not yet perfect.
Should be able to walk my poor dog better today. Even tie my right sneaker today.
Whoo - Hoo
I swear the dog knew something was up. She walked real slow next to me instead of running ahead and sniffing everything in sight. She honestly just hung by me all day. We didn't walk our normal 3 miles but instead just a few short jaunts around the block and across the street to the wooded area where she loves to do her business. I was so thankful for that.

Mainly Jane just wrote this morning on her post that The Flip camera is going away. I was sick about that.  I love this camera. Why would Cisco Systems buy this company and then let it die?  So if you don't have one - run to the store or online and buy one. It is the best video camera ever!!!  I love my flip and this makes me quite upset.

Did anyone out there watch the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce?  I would love to talk to you. I was so confused. Why was Veda a brat from the beginning of the show? Why did she always treat her mother the way she did even at 8yrs old?. (why did her mother allow it?) There seemed to be a reason that everyone knew but me. Did I miss something? Did the original explain that? The ending had me a bit befuddled as well.  Nothing was spoken and all was left for the viewer to assume or think what they wanted. I don't want to assume, tell me the damn story would ya?

Rick didn't watch it with me. Each time he tried he feel asleep. He told me it was great for insomnia. I had more questions along the way in each of the 5 parts than answers and it frustrated me but I couldn't stop watching it either. I hated the ending and was left scratching my head. I watched the finale last night while my heart was beating out my chest from canned peaches. Maybe my brain was foggy from all that corn syrup. Anyone out there watch this show?  Let's talk.

Boring Foot Update

Okay something that sounds so cute and little is unbelievably painful.
Heel Spurs.

Now granted I have never had a baby so I can't compare it to that for all you mommies out there.
But I have had 4 back surgeries, 2 epidural nerve root blocks that make the surgeries seem like a paper cut, torn rotator cuff and shredded labrum surgery so I must admit this little foot thing ranks as number 2 in pain of them all.

After I got Izzy and was walking 3 mile+ a day I realized I needed new shoes. My feet were beginning to hurt.  So I bought shape ups. These are so comfortable for me and they give such great cushion that I loved them. But the foot stuff was getting worse so I wasn't sure if it was shoe related or not. My flatter, or lower to the ground, shoes really hurt so I was convinced this was shoe related.

The pain got worse and Rick insisted I see a podiatrist. I did. I was told I had plantar fascitis. This was a year or so ago. It hurt right here where the thumb in the photo is pushing. It wasn't on the bottom of my heel like most are. It was up from my heel just a tiny bit and in the side of my arch. That was horrible but they gave me exercises to do and I did them religiously and it worked because the pain slowly went away. No more pain and I forgot about it.

Then over the last few months the pain was different but it was the same because it made it difficult to walk. When we went out and I had to put on different shoes I was suffering and could only think about getting home and taking off my shoes.  That always makes for a lovely evening you know?

Fast Forward to this last month. It was getting to the point where I was in constant pain. Sitting, standing, walking, lying down - it was constant pain. A hot poker in the back of my heel and on the very back of the bottom.  The pain was not only hot but you couldn't even touch it or you would send me through the roof. Which makes it difficult to wear shoes because when it touches where the arrow is below I was ready to shout out loud from pain.

So I tried wearing every pair of shoes that have no back and can just slip into. I have a lot of these type below because those are my favorite sneaker type shoe to wear. But that little edge in the back hit the spot perfectly and sent fire through my foot and was so painful it didn't work either. Since I can't go out in bare feet I was in constant pain.

Saturday it became swollen. You could no longer see the veins and bones of my foot. I really looked like I had Fred Flinstone feet. By Sunday the swelling was going up my leg. I could no longer even get my foot in a shoe - any shoe. I was no longer a size 7M.  More like a 7 super duper wide. Don't own any like that so I was not wearing shoes. Rick was walking the dog and fetching things for me as I put ice on it all day and evening.

The swelling had me convinced I broke my foot.  I am notoriously clumsy and I have bruises all over me and I will touch one and say, "ouch, how did I get that?"  Then Rick reminds me that I bumped into the coffee table or some such thing. So I kept trying to think what I could have done. Rick kept asking me if I fell.  Honestly I don't think I would forget a fall for heaven's sake but I knew we were both just grasping at straws here.

Yesterday I woke up to more swelling and it was now swelling on my left foot which didn't even hurt. What the hell?

Rick came home early and took me to my podiatrist who I do just love. But I would rather see her socially than like this. She makes me laugh and she's so smart. However yesterday the best I can muster is to call her my Painmaster.

She explained what needed to happen, what she was going to do today, and what I may need to do in the future.  Yesterday was a cortisone shot on the side of my heel like the poker picture above. Let me tell you, I'd like to give that shot to a few folks. Man that was painful!!

Once the numbing spray wore off I thought it was much worse and she told me it would feel worse in a about 2 hours and I would be cursing her. That was normal from the shot she explained. I will be skipping and hopping on Tuesday.

She lied. I am neither skipping or hopping - I am limping but it is better. She told me the anesthesia would wear off in 2 hrs. It wore off once I got out of the parking lot.  Jeez.

The swelling is a bit better and I can get my foot in my sneaker but I can't tie it and it feels  horrendous.  I may need to have heel inserts and I may need another shot.

Oh Yippee!  I go back next week.

So there ya have it. Old lady issues I suppose.

There was something she told me about that I found interesting.

I have never liked wearing flat shoes. One, I'm short. Two, I find them painful over time.

I need to have some heel even if it's just a small lift. I can only wear flip flops that have a molded sole and a bit of lift like my Croc flip flops.  Yesterday she explained that my sneakers are not good for everyone (shape ups) but they are for me because of the arch, lift and the cushioning and the way they make me walk. She stated that my Achilles heel is very tight and even though I do these exercises I just have a tight Achilles and that is why the pain in flat shoes because my Achilles is pulled. Where as if I am in a slight lift my Achilles isn't strained. Hence the idea of a heel lift for my shoes.  The tight Achilles also causes the plantar fascitis. So it was all coming full circle for me and was making sense.

So nothing is broken. I will live.

I just want to walk without a limp.

It's not all that attractive.

Now if I grow a hump on my back that's it!

I do not want to look like Quasimoto -

Monday Random Items

**I think I broke my foot - or it is something excruciatingly painful if it isn't broken.
I did not have a good weekend.
Ya'll know from being around these parts for some time that I walk my dog Izzy a lot!
Like 3+ miles a day and the rest of the day it's Rick's job.
My foot has been bothering me for awhile now but I figured it was just that I may need new sneakers or that I was just getting older and all this walking is not so great.

Now I have had plantar fascitis and that was painful but I did my exercises religiously and over time it went away. This pain now is around my heel.  It is on fire, it hurts to touch.
So I would put my shoe on and not tie it as tight.
Little by little day by day it got worse. This Friday I was limping and I noticed my foot was swelling. By Saturday it was huge and the swelling was moving up my leg. I could barely walk and if not having it propped up it was throbbing like it has it's own heart beat. And burn....oh my goodness does it burn.

Yesterday it had not only swollen to look like Fred Flinstone feet it was a bit purple.
I iced it all day. Rick walked the dog all day. He basically waited on me hand and foot. Which isn't so bad but really it isn't fun when you're in pain! Why is that?!

I go to the foot doctor today for xrays and who knows what else.
I am eating ibuprofen like Pez.  I am in so much pain I can't focus. The pain is radiating up my leg and I think because I am favoring my left leg I am all off kilter. That makes my back hurt. What a friggin' mess.
So this should be fun.

**Mamma made me see her point and laugh like crazy yesterday. I have decided that I do not want to live where she lives because all of her professionals don't answer their phones and don't have office staff who do.  That would anger me just like she said it does her. I also don't want my doctor, dentist, contractor stopping what they are doing to answer the phone. When she said her plumber was in a hole that made me giggle. But it made me see her point. So thanks for that Mamma.

**I took this test from Gal Friday.  It made me laugh how spot on it was so give it a go for some Monday giggles. Try it for yourself. What kind of martini are you?
My results.....
You are a Purple Martini -
You are thought to be a perfectionist.
You have a pretty clear vision of how you want things to go.
You can be a wallflower at times. You find it peaceful to sit back and observe.
You value solitude. Some of your best ideas and creations come out of alone time.
You do not like crowds. You find them to be both overwhelming and draining.

But I really loved that Gal Friday gave me a great new recipe for a martini.
I think that may help my foot.
She called it a French Martini.  I think it needs a new name - but it sure sounds good.

*1 1/2 oz vanilla vodka

*1/2 oz Chambord Liqueur

*2 oz Pineapple Juice



I have to go put my leg up now to stop this swelling from getting worse. I also think a Morphine drip would be swell about now!  got one?

Chatty Cathy

Well I'm a Chatty Cathy today huh?
No phones makes it a bit quiet in here.
Sure I have tons of taxes and such that needs done but phooey!

I am sweating the 3 day game with Boston starting today at 2:05p.

Alec, Tammie's Boyfriend, sent me his new promo.
I find it very amusing.

Friday Update….and it’s not even noon.

This was my morning.

I came down the stairs into the kitchen asking my husband about the plans for tomorrow with our friends.
I was buttoning my shirt. He was staring at my boobs as though he had never seen them before.
I had on a bra so what was his deal?
I said, “hello, are you listening to me?”
He laughs and said, “oh Margaret when are you going to learn that all boobs are eye magnets”
He’ll be 90 and doing that. Only difference is I’ll be 90 so at least he won’t have to raise his head and look so high I suppose.

Then I got to my office at 8:30a and the phone lines are down again. I never have to pay my Verizon bill that is for sure. Right now I still have a $200 credit because they keep giving me money for the loss of business. All calls now go directly to voicemail and I have to call vm from my cell which doesn’t work so well in my home. What a fun day!

Remember in the Airplane movies when the pilot says, Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up drinking? (quit smoking etc)  That is how I feel. Hell, I may beginning drinking by 11am at his rate.

I have a copper line now for my phone lines in the office and am going to Fios next Friday. They say there will be no interruption in service during this move. Why do I feel that is a crock?

So my first Friday post raging on about customers and the phone is a mute point now isn’t it?

Frustrating Friday

I am venting….you have been warned.

If your bathtub is pink we make it white.  You can see for yourself here.

If you bathtub is so old and stained and lost it’s shine we make it look brand new.

You have tile in your kitchen or bath that is a color you don’t care for we change it to anything in the color wheel of Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore.

Your formica countertops make your kitchen look dated but the cost of granite or quartz is not in your budget – the we make it look like quartz without the quartz cost. Without the removal and headache of tearing up your kitchen.

If you are selling your home and you need to give it an update for a low cost then you call us.

Ugly formica before - no longer ugly formica after

So if you call me and ask me how much it would cost to reglaze your tub I will then ask you questions. You answer and viola the price is given.

We do free in home estimate but sometimes people just want a ballpark or they don’t wish to take time off work for an estimate when they will have to just to get the job done.

And people, there are more than one type of bathtub. Don’t ask how much will it cost to reglaze my bathtub and assume I know if it is a claw foot tub, a Jacuzzi tub, a garden/soaking tub or a standard tub. So don’t be angry at me when I ask that question. Yesterday I was asked this very question at the end of my day. I asked what type of tub and it was a claw foot. Totally different cost and issue that had to be explained so it is important to know that and not get annoyed with me when I ask.

40% of the time it’s not a standard size tub so I attempt to ignore their heavy sighs of disgust like I’m the idiot and not them.

My main frustration (this past week) are the people who email me and it takes literally 3 friggin’ days or more because I have to ask them about the surface they want changed and then send the questions back the email. Then they write back with more questions and some answers and this goes on and on for a few days. In the mean time I have already booked another full week of appointments.

By the time this “afraid to speak on the phone” person finishes with all his emails he then asks when I can get him an appointment to get the job done. Then he is upset that he has to wait 2 weeks. Well guess what “person of no social skills” if you had just picked up the damn phone this would have been done in 5 minutes or less. You could have called back the next day and had the job done within a week or less. Aaargh!!!!!!! You have no idea how much this bugs me.

These are the same people who will not call to make an appointment. They wouldn’t pick up the phone to call 911 if their underpants were on fire. I can not make appointments via email. If I give a you a date and time NOW by the time this person responds I could have had 15 calls and appointments booked. I am not going to “hold” something to see if that date/time works for you. So they must be adults, pick up the phone and speak with me. I will not bite. I do not sell. I educate and coordinate your remodel.

I get there are shy people out there. I speak to a lot of them during the course of a day. You can tell they aren’t extroverts but they make a point of picking up the phone and telling me what they need in a short concise and polite manner. It’s over in an instant.
I love this people. I can tell they are shy so I normally will tone it down and make it short and sweet for them.

But the people who will only communicate via email are driving me crazy.

Sometimes in an email I will state that they do have to call to book their appointments and if they do so I will not sell them anything. I am only here to assist you in your remodel I say. I assume they are afraid of a hard sell or something. I can’t understand why else they won’t pick up the phone.

So why do people do this? You can order a pizza on line to be delivered but last time I checked you still had to call when you need to go to the doctor, dentist, get your car inspected, need landscaping, need a plumber etc. Is it because they found us online?

What do you guys think? Help me understand these people because they frustrate me so.

I think I need to go on a warm sunny vacation.