Sunday Bad Day

I made a huge mistake today. I went in public. I should know better, being the holidays (bah humbug) 

It was just too peoplely out there.

It's a Sunday, and I'm doing a couple of errands that I didn't accomplish as I should have on Saturday.

Rick wanted Ruebens. He is on a Reuben kick.  

So my stops were as follows:

1. Walgreens pick up Rx and stye medicine (yep, got a stye)

2. Publix for corned beef 

3. UPS Store to return an item

I go to Walgreens and get Rick's Rx and stye medicine for me.

Pleasant enough. I see an item that is really cute of a Santa Mug with hot chocolate inside and a Xmas coffee all wrapped rather festively.  I grabbed that in case someone drops by for a quick little gift.  Sometimes the trump neighbor gives us a sweet treat at Xmas, but since I was the only person without a trump flag in the yard, she may not stop by this year. :-)

I then head to Publix (grocery store) I don't shop here much because the prices are higher, but it's close, and they carry Boar's Head luncheon meat.  It's gluten-free, unlike most luncheon meats, so I buy that only. Besides, it's far better than most.  And why is there wheat, barley, or rye in my luncheon meat?  I digress...

I was in line for 18 minutes. I was looking at my phone.  I am not a patient person. The woman who was being served said to me when the clerk turned around, "what is taking him so long?"  I shrugged. 

Now, being the bitch I am today, I was thinking, "Well he's a mouth breather who doesn't understand that he has a line and to hurry the hell up."

There was only one person helping customers. There were 2 others back there just talking and not helping customers.  

Finally, we moved up 1 person.  The woman gives her order, and we all wait.  The man behind me got closer.  I turned and said, "Sir, I am going to turn around, and I don't wish to hit you with my cart."  

He moved back and said, "Leaving, huh?  Gee, a NY'er with no patience, imagine that?  

He laughs. I boil inside, but smile outwardly.

oooooh, I was now annoyed. But I kept my mouth shut and my Peggy Face on. I smiled and said, "I'm not a NY'er, but yes, I am impatient, you are correct."

I got my cart away and then, smiling, I said to him, "The grocery store across the street has the same thing, and I bet I can leave here, drive across the street, get my items, and leave before you get to order."  

He laughed and said, "Ya think?"  I said I did and think I'm gonna try.

I wished him a very Happy Holiday, and got in my car and mumbled to no one, Bite Me Mister.

Every time I wear the sweatshirt below I get grief around here. It's my favorite sweatshirt. It's huge and big and warm.  These southerners hate everyone unless you are missing a tooth, love trump, and are basically mentally challenged.  (told you I was a bitch today)

So I go across the street.  I drop off my UPS package at the UPS Store next to the grocery store.  I went into the grocery store deli and stood in line. There were 3 employees helping people.  I got my corn beef. Walked out to my car, and guess who was walking in?  

Yep, that MF'er who said I was an inpatient New Yorker.  

I smiled at him and said, "Hey, what'd I tell you, you inpatient New Yorker" 

Thankfully, he laughed and said, "Touché." 

I wished him a Merry Xmas.

Why does everyone think I'm from NY?  My whole life.  I've never lived there in that state. Worked there but never lived there.

One can wear a sweatshirt of their favorite team and not be from there. 

Hell, I have a Maple Leafs jersey, and I'm not from Toronto or a big hockey fan. Last time I picked some items up from the floor that a very large woman in a riding grocery cart knocked over with her ample hips.  She never thanked me, just said, "For a NYer you're really nice."  She then just went down the aisle.  Well, I may be nice but you aren't, but one can't say that in a civilized world. I say a lot in my head boy.

But down here in the county I live in, you hear banjos.  (not Raleigh) 

So most are not highly educated. But things are changing here rapidly. Lots of "foreigners moving here."  A 'burb near me called Clayton is mostly folks from NY, Long Island, upstate, Bronx, etc.  Running from the snow.  The more the merrier for me. They are turning this place purple 😁

So that my blogger friends was my bitchy Sunday.  

I get a shot in my shoulder on Monday, so I won't be typing.

I'm eager to be free from pain. My doctor isn't doing it he's on vacation so his PA is.  Fingers crossed he's as good. 

Below was my day in pictures- 

This is the sweatshirt that gets me in trouble every time I wear it.  Will I stop? Nope. 

This, my friend, is the difference between normal bread and gluten-free bread.  It's 3x the price and far smaller. I wanted a salami and provolone sandwich. You know, like a good Italian American Gal.  The salami was bigger than the bread, so I folded it. It still hung over the bread. I cut the provolone to a 1/4 piece and put that on, and it fit the bread. 

Boy, was I stuffed. 😋

I've been hacked

 I received an email from a blogger. I tried to open it and it did nothing.

Then I find out everyone on my contact list received this from me.

If you are in my email contacts list, please - 

 DO NOT OPEN IT -I DID NOT SEND IT.

I'm sorry for this royal pain in the ass. Let's all blame Bill where it came from 😁

NyQuil

 I took Nyquil Wednesday night because I knew this was going to be a night I'd never sleep. I'm tired of not sleeping for 24 hrs. 

So Nyquil was my drug of choice. If I had ice cream, I told Rick that Nyquil with a scoop of ice cream could kill 2 addictions at once. A Nyquil float. :-)

He just shakes his head at me. But c'mon, good idea here.

It did the trick. I slept for 12 hrs. Boy oh boy, did that feel good. I mean, really good. Rick said I never moved; each time he'd look in on me, I was in the same spot. 

I had to pee, or I'd never have gotten up. When I saw the time I was shocked!  

I grabbed clothes and ran out to the living room.  

Why did you let me sleep like that? It's almost time for your 3 o'clock nap?

He laughed and said, "What is the emergency? Why do you have to be out of bed?  I did not burn the house down. I did leave the lights on in the hall bath, but I caught it. So all is good, Margaret."  

I lost my whole Thursday, but boy, do I feel good.

A couple of topics today - 

**Did you see where the transportation secretary wants a dress code for airline travel?

Everyone has their panties in a twist about this.

I agree with him, which is odd. I'm not saying you have to fly like a non-rev had to in the 80s and 90s. I'm saying you should not wear your PJs, slippers, half shirts, and shorts that I can see your ass in, or if pubic hair were a thing, I'd see that too.

Yes, I grew up flying in dress clothes. To fly free while working for an airline, I had to be in business clothes. To me, while it sucked, that was a small sacrifice to fly first class and free to any destination in the world. Rick asked once if they wouldn't let me board. Hell yeah, they wouldn't.  It was strictly enforced. A ticket or gate agent or for that matter, a flight crew member could remove you from the flight. I've seen it done.

I went to Jamaica in a skirt, blazer, blouse, nylons, heels and stood in line for customs.  I was sweating!!  Rick said, "no one else is dressed like this."  

My retort was, "Ask them how much they paid to get here."  

To me a small sacrifice to fly free and in first.

So no need for nylons. And yes, that was a big thing in the 80s and early 90s. Must have nylons on.  Weird eh? Thank goodness that's over.

If I could go to the West Coast to visit family, I'd wear a clown suit if it were free.

But I digress. I don't know how they can implement such a thing, but I wish they would and could. I also wish people had pride in their appearance enough to dress for the event.  

Do you know I was upgraded because of my clothing?  I no longer fly free. I no longer have friends at the ticket counter of any airline.  I just checked in at the gate.  She asked if I was traveling alone. I said yes. Then I wondered why.  She smiled and said, "Just wanted to be sure." I wanted to ask, "Sure of what exactly?" 

But I let it go.  When they got to announcing they were about to board, they called my name to come to the counter. I did. The woman handed me a new boarding pass and said, "We've upgraded you."  I was thrilled and thanked her again and again. It was a 4 hr flight, and damn it would be nice to be in a big ole seat where I could fold my legs and sit indian style. 

I thanked her again and headed for the gateway. As I was walking, the pilot who was talking to the women at the gate counter came up to me and said "know why you were upgraded?"  

I told him I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I was thrilled.

He said, "Have you ever worked for an airline?"

I said I sure did, and an airline's GDS. He said I figured.

Is it written somewhere on me?

He was so nice, he said, "No, you are dressed well, and we don't see that anymore. The gate agent pointed you out and said, I wish more would do that. So she upgraded you when an opening became available.

WOW was my response. 

Now, look, I was not in business clothes. To me, just regular street clothes.

I was wearing a pair of black jeans, a tank top, a black and white tweed blazer, boots, and jewelry. Hardly dressed up. But my hoo-aah wasn't showing, or were my boobs. (ok, a bit of cleavage with a tank top by c'mon I have cleavage if wearing a turtle neck)

So dressing well does help. Don't think for a minute they don't notice every inch of you!

**To Ro, who used to blog. She lives near me so I get to see her a bit.

She mailed me the funniest Thanksgiving card.  In it was an article about wearing underwear to bed. She told me this was a great blog topic. Really?

She makes me laugh. I read the article. So I will make this a blog question.

Do you think you should wear underwear to sleep in?

Yes

No

Sometimes.

I'm in the do whatever the hell you want to do.

I prefer sleeping in my birthday suit. I don't get dressing up for bed. But everyone has their own thing. I don't care what you do. Sleep in a tux for all I care.

Do you wear underwear to bed?

Someone stated in the article - What if your house is on fire and you're not wearing any panties. I laughed at this one. Yee-haw said the firemen. 

Running

 This came up on my phone yesterday.

Note the running man at the bottom left. 

He says it's poor running conditions.
What are optimal running conditions?
Unless I'm being chased, I, along with "the girls," aren't running anywhere!

Batting My Lashes at You

I had a post queued up to post on Friday morning.

Late last night, I had the realization that some may clutch their pearls again since it was a tough subject. So I scratched that.

This has been a bit of my week.

1. My therapist told me that I joke too much. I think I need a new therapist.

He also told me to start to focus on me. Easier sad than done but I'm doing my homework.

2. Rick and I remembered a show we loved in Seattle. It was like SNL on Saturday nights at 11:30, and they showed SNL right after it.  

We even got tickets to see the show live and sit in the audience. One of our favorite skits, and there were many, was the drive-through Mammograms. 

It caught us so off guard that we laughed like crazy.  Pull up in your car, pull up your blouse, they give you the once over with their eyes only and would say, "Gee, these look good - closer, yeah, okay, you're on your way - NEXT." 

I don't know why, but it cracked us up.  Hey, I'd do it, a helluva lot better than being squished like a pancake!  We also found out that Joel McHale was on that show and was a writer while we were there. So apparently we saw him, but he wasn't "Joel McHale" then.

3. I have made more warm-weather foods and crockpot meals this week. It is brutally cold for us southerners. 13 degrees tonight. My favorites of the week were Zuppa Toscano and Beef Stew.

Now I want a week off from cooking. Thank God for leftovers and a man who will eat them!!

A while back, as you recall, they had me do 6 months of chemo with high dosage of steroids for the mass on my retina named Betty.  After those months of chemo, my hair on my head grew back, but my eyelashes didn't. 

I swear I've only got 5 lashes on each eye.  It really bothers me.  It's stupid and vain how much it bothers me and that bothers me.  (see therapist)

Anyways -

The last 3 years have been all about Rick. I have not gotten myself anything in 3 years nor have I done anything for just me in 3 yrs. If it's a day out, I think about whether Rick can walk there. Can we do this?   

So the ole therapist told me to work on myself. Be selfish without guilt.  

I was raised with Italian Catholic Guilt. For those who don't know, it's neck and neck with Jewish Mom's Guilt. Selfish is not easy for me, but I'm doing my homework. I giggled today when I did something because it felt naughty. No guilt, just all about me. 

So selfish Peg did something just for her. I got eyelashes.  No, not extensions.  I did do that many, many years ago when it became all the rage.  They were falling onto my cheekbones as I drove home. I laughed and realized this is not for me. BUT I had eyelashes then. Now it's a different story.

I've had a gift card to Ulta for a very long time. I love Ulta and Sephora and stores like that. I could spend hours there. So I did just that.

I made an appointment at their Beauty Bar and was taught how to put on eyelashes. Fake Eyelashes.  

She brought out all these big ole Cardi B eyelashes, and I would laugh and shake my head.  Nope.  I said, "Look, I'm a few months shy of 70.  I want to look the best I can, but I don't wish to look like I'm 25.  Nothing obviously fake. Just to fill in my bald spots."

So this young thing with the most perfect porcelain skin brought me back some eyelashes that I could live with. I chose the last ones she brought me. She did her tutorial, and I pray I can do this again.

You all know I don't take pictures of myself. I don't like the old face, but I did take a selfie...my 2nd one, you guys. You can see my eyelashes that she gave me.  I think we chose wisely. 

This is so not an everyday thing.  I don't need them to run to Walmart or scrub my toilets.  But when I am getting dressed up to go somewhere, I know I'll feel better with these.  

Rick asked why I feel so guilty about wearing them.  I don't have an answer to that, but a very interesting question.  He said you wouldn't feel bad if you had to wear a hairpiece or wig after you lost your hair, would you?  

He's right, I wouldn't. Ah, screw it.

With that attitude and attempting to do more for myself, I'm wearing them when I want and to hell with what anyone thinks. If nothing else the ole therapist will be very happy with me. Hey, I may wear them next visit. 

They don't look too fake, do they? 

Jury Duty.

I have always wanted to be on a jury. Hell, I watch enough crime shows that I know I'd be that pain in the ass on the jury who is the holdout.  
Everyone would hate me. 

Rick had to call a number the night before to see if he still had to show up. He did indeed.

I asked," What time do you think you'll need to leave to be there on time?"

It was down in the sticks in Smithfield, NC.  Yes, you hear banjos.

He responded with, "I'll be up by 7:30a a.m., and I should leave at about 8:15 a.m." 

I, the one who never sleeps, was finally getting tired.  At 7am Monday morning, I thought, Oooh, I can sleep now.

So I opened the bedroom door and woke Rick up 30 minutes earlier than he hoped.  I told him I was going to sleep - he's on his own.  Don't miss this or you'll be fined.  I then proceeded to pass out!  (for a whole 90 minutes)

When I awoke, he was gone.  I had put all the things he needed by the door. His keys, his wallet (which was on the coffee table for some reason) his walking cane, and the form he was mailed to bring in. I was shocked to see that he took his cane. I just knew there would be lots of steps and walking before 1/2 the day is over, he will be in pain. So I suggested the cane. He poo-poo'd me, but I saw he took it. A small victory. 

When he finally got home, he was in a bit of pain. He thanked me for suggesting the cane. But this new Rick doesn't even think of this. I am not that fond of this new Rick. Post Stroke Rick is 180 degree different from the OG. But I digress.

He texts me throughout this event. At 11:45, he texted that he was hungry. I know, I know, he texts, you were right, I should have packed a sandwich. He watched others eat the lunches they brought.  No, it didn't say to bring lunch on the paperwork; I just thought he would want and need it. He did. 

I texted him that I hoped they wouldn't do their government-issued lunch in 15 minutes, or you all will be just sitting there for another hour. He text back to me, "OH NO, you're right."  

When they finally moved them, he said it was like a cattle call. Upstairs, downstairs, herding them all over the place. One of the men in the group actually Moo'd.  I thought that was funny, as did many of them, Rick said.

After they arrived in their new room, one by one, they were called into another.

They asked Rick if he owns a gun? No. 

Has he ever owned guns? Yes.

They asked when. He used to hunt when he was younger.

The line of questioning was about owning guns. He knew then he would be omitted. And he was  - quickly. It was asked of everyone if they were opposed to owning guns, and one woman's hand shot up quickly. She was let go immediately. HA. That would have been me. Never owned one, never have needed one, and don't see why anyone NEEDS one. There are stores for food so I don't hunt.  I am a strong believer in the theory: If you have one, you'll use it.  So I have no good reason to have one. 

I'd be in prison if I did. LOL

Apparently, the person on trial was a white redneck looking man, probably around 40. (yes, redneck is judgmental, but it gives you a picture of what kind of person this was - or I could say a skinny, uneducated, missing-tooth looking Trumpster, which was how he was described to me.)

This man was a felon who was stopped by the cops, and they found a gun in his trunk. A felon is not allowed to own/carry a weapon.

So after a long 6 hours, Rick was sent packing.  He was, of course, bummed. He wanted to hear about the allegations, but he didn't want to stick around. He was hungry and tired. So he left and earned his $12.

$12 is pitiful. You ask people to take a day off work, and you reimburse them with $12?  Okay, Rick was not taking off work, but $12? So, for a retired person, this is okay. Not enough to cover the cost of gas, but it's okay. 

When he showed me the money, I told him he could get that kidney he wanted now. We both just laughed because, really, it's pitiful. Perhaps they need a cost-of-living increase? Can you buy anything in America for $12? 

A coffee, I suppose.

That was the exciting experience of being called to Jury Duty.

He has been called 3 x and never gets on the jury.

I have never been called, and I so want to be on a jury. Although I can see why they wouldn't pick me for this one. 

This all reminded me of the time my father was asked to be on a jury.  He was a self-employed master plumber.  He was not happy about losing work. It was a huge murder case in our hometown. He knew this trial would go on and on. (It did) When they asked my father a question about this woman, my father said, and I quote, "She is a murderer, and she should rot in hell for what she did."

Well, that will get you off the jury quickly. And it did. He stated they couldn't get him outta there fast enough. That makes me laugh for some reason. So like my father.

He came home and told us all what had transpired. I asked if he did it on purpose. He said yes because he knew they'd let him go, but he also felt that way. She is the murderer.

Just as I am thinking of this incident, what do I hear on my car radio? The deadline podcast of said murderer, my father wanted to rot in hell.

Marjorie Diehl.  I chuckled because what are the chances of that?

All in the same day. 

I know if you are American, you have probably seen this story on 48 hrs/Dateline/20/20, and the news. It was always called the pizza bomber. It's horrible what she did to innocent people.

So that is as close to me getting to be on a jury as I'll get, I suppose.

SNOW DAY

Here in the southern US we've had snow.

We got a snow day.

How is that different from any retirement day. Oh, it's not.

I took this pic through my back door at 6am.  Tons of snow huh?

 

This is what I grew up with.

So I will have some hot cocoa and watch the Today Show while the south freaks out. Enjoy your snow day.

Wegmans and Crowds

I made the enormous mistake of going to Wegman's yesterday.

If you are not aware, Wegman's is the best grocery store in the U.S.

Think Whole Foods meets affordable, and throw in Trader Joe's, and then high-quality produce and products at a reasonable price. Well, as reasonable as we have these days under tariffs and the big orange peckerhead.

I had the stupid idea that the grocery store would be slower than normal since everyone is in a food coma or driving/flying home.

Oh, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Traffic getting there was heavy. 

Okay, I'm on the highway, so maybe it's just the Thanksgiving rush home.

Apparently not. All going to Wegmans I swear.

By the time I got a parking space, it was pouring down rain.  I saw that Rick had a baseball cap on the passenger seat, so I grabbed it and walked to the entrance. I was drenched by the time I got inside.  

I grabbed a cart, and a man jumped in front of me and grabbed a cart, making me have to stand there and wait for him or run him over. I seriously contemplated running him over, but I didn't feel like being arrested.

There was no meandering. The aisles, which are so wide, were cramped.  I needed some frozen spinach, so I had to climb. I opened the door to the frozen food and had to step on the ledge because the spinach was on the top shelf.  An employee walked by and said, "Can I help you, ma'am?"  

By this time, I had them in my hand, and I jumped down, smiled, and said, "No, but thank you."  Ooooh, he gave me a look.

Several aisles later, I was attempting to get a couple of tomato pastes on the top shelf and pushed back a bit.  I looked around.  I saw a tall man and asked him if he could reach those for me. He said I can reach them and walked away.

Funny.

I don't think I appreciated it when I was young, and men fell all over me or followed me around a store.  

I am now at an age where I am invisible, and sometimes it sucks.

So just as I put my foot on the bottom shelf, the same damn man came by and said, "Ma'am, please don't climb on that," as he reached for my tomato paste.  

As he does this, I suggest he move those cans left to the front for other shorties so they don't climb.

I got the look. But he did it. 

Damn, is that guy following me?

Then I went to the gluten-free aisle for some soup and bagels.

This time I had to get on the floor.

I got on the floor, reached back for the bagels, and when I got my head out of the shelfing, I realized  - shit, now I have to get up.

So there I am in aisle 27 laughing while on the floor.  

I grabbed the bottom shelf and prayed it would hold me as I used it to help me push myself up. Whew!  It held.  But where the hell was that man now?  

But I do amuse myself.

What should have been a quick trip to Wegman's ended up being a very long time of shopping.  I was finally free, and as I was walking in the rain to my car, I saw a woman just push her cart, and it missed the entire covered shopping cart container.

I mutter some choice words.  Why are people so messy with their carts? 

Yes, some people are paid to go fetch them. 

But you don't need to throw them all about the parking lot for Pete's sake.  

Anyway, after I empty my cart, I walk it back to the little 'hut' for your carts.  I put mine inside the one put in last. I had a smaller cart, and those on the right were all the small ones.  

The other side was a mess. I grabbed the cart that the woman threw, and I put it in the large cart side and straightened them all out.  

I turned around to go to my car, and this gorgeous man was standing there watching me and smiling.   He said, "So you are one of those." 

"So I've been told, I tell him."

He laughed and said, "I have a daughter like you. I didn't bother you, I just let you do what you NEEDED to do."  

He wouldn't stop smiling or perhaps laughing at me. 

I said, "Well, thanks.  Have a great day!  It's crazy in there, you've been warned."

He looks shocked. 

"Really?  I thought it'd be dead today."  

"Well, great minds think alike; I did as well." 

In other great news.

Campbell's Soup has made some soups gluten-free.

I made a casserole last week that Rick likes, and I used a can of Campbell's tomato soup. I just didn't eat any of it. 

But I saw Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom at Wegmans, and I grabbed several.  I will normally make Cream of Mushroom soup from scratch, but seriously, I'm an old broad, I don't wanna. (Did you hear that whine?)

So I'm off to make a casserole like a good 1960s Midwest housewife. 

🤞 hoping this turns out. It's cold, and he wanted comfort food.

It's cold, and I want to be on a sunny, warm beach. 

We are different.

Odd Only To Me

 Well it appears I offended some with my last post. I apologize to those offended. While I found it odd because much worse has been written here, I never wish to offend, so I sincerely apologize.

My least favorite holiday is upon us.  I really dislike the food. Not even going north so it will be a quiet holiday for me.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!!

🦃

Murder Mystery

Our Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre event was held in a very nice Embassy Suites in Raleigh.  

I used to stay at Embassy Suites every time I had to go to Rosemont Illinois for training of some sort.  Our office headquarters was in Rosemont.

I always like them, and I had the remaining Hilton Honors points to use so another reason to stay the night.

This was far nicer than anyone I've stayed at.  We checked in around 3pm.

Being a guest at the hotel gave us 2 free drinks at 5:30p.

Ole Rick and Margaret got started a bit earlier at the bar. 

Then our free drink in a rotunda type area.

Then at 6pm the event started.

Now upon check-in they went over our tickets and our meal selection.

Then 2 'FBI agents' (women) with badges and the like were at a table that we had to go to next.  On this table were name tags and markers.

The first FBI agent saw me write Margaret. She LOUDLY says, NO NO NO, your name must be your nickname.  I said Peggy.  NO NO NO. So my husband grabbed a marker and wrote on a name tag and slapped it over my right boob.  Tits Malitz.

OMG.  I rip it off. 

Now the 2 'FBI' agents grabbed it from my hands and say, Nope that's your name.  Then the shorter one says, "This is the best damn name ever, I love it." Then she moved me into the room where this took place. We were to be seated at Table 5.

We had a very nice and funny group at our table. Inspector Gadget, Yo Adrian, Lala, Slick Rick, etc.

This is when I wished my hair were long enough to cover this name tag.

We were given a sheet of paper with all kinds of questions to ask people in the room. It also had a place for us to take notes. I went around the room and asked questions.  I held my paper in my hand in such a way that my name tag was hidden.

The "show" goes on, and an FBI agent called someone to the center of the room for all to see and interrogated him. It was funny as hell.

Then that little shit FBI agent had me go up. I said, "No, that's okay." 

She laughed and held her badge in my face and everyone laughed as she told me this was not a request - get up!

Me, wanting to die or fall through the floor, am standing there in the middle of the circular area for all to stare at me.  This is something I don't care for!!

FBI -Tell us your name - 

Me: It's right here as I point to my name tag, hoping I'm far enough away that the room can't read it.

FBI: I need you to say it (my God, she was grinning ear to ear)

Me: Tits Malitz

FBI: fascinating!! (dear God, everyone is howling now)  

FBI: Where were you on the night of....

Me: I don't recall

FBI: When was the last time you lied?

Me: A few minutes ago.😀

FBI: Have you ever committed murder? 

Me: Never

FBI: Have you ever wanted to murder someone? (law and order music)

Me: Oh, sure, a couple of people

FBI: When was that, Ms. Malitz?

Me: Recently

FBI: Who would that 'couple of people be'

Me: Oh, just my husband and a president.

That received a big round of applause, so they let me sit down.

I said to Rick, I'm gonna kill you for this! He, of course, found it funny.

Inspector Gadget at my table asked about my name, the second name, he says. I understand how you got the first name. Everyone at the table laughs. I want to get under the table.

I explain that my maiden name was Malizia.  People would say, Hey, Malitz.

Rick added the first name. Aah, everyone at the table says in unison

The meal was dry chicken with a great sauce and roasted potatoes and veggies.  Bread bowls and cake, etc.  I ate my veggies and potatoes.  The chicken was terribly dry, and I just couldn't eat more than 2 bites.  It sucks to be celiac. The chocolate cake looked so good.  Rick took a bite and said, "It's dry too!"  He didn't even finish it. So maybe it was good that I couldn't eat the bread, the cake, etc, since everything was dry.

So I went to the bar and got another drink. Very Dry Gin Martini. 😁

There were 2 of us who chose the correct murderer.  They put our names in a hat, and the other person was chosen. They got a $100 gift card to somewhere.  I did not get all the clues, but I knew it had to be Barb Wire.

She was a character for sure. Those at my table kept saying no, she couldn't have.  

All in all, a very good time was had by all.  

We got our free, very good breakfast this morning and then headed home.

Love to go places and love to come home.

So that you can hear the pronunciation of Malizia, if you are so inclined, hit this link. Then you will understand the Malitz part.  

Frustrating Morning.

 It is a rainy very gray day here in North Carolina.

Here are a few things going on in my neck of the woods. (to quote Al Roker) 

Remember the Ugly Naked Guy we lived next to?  Well, as I shared, he lost his job and moved to the shore, where he has a little trailer, he said.  He is renting out his home.

The people who live there have been friendly, waving, etc.  Their children are little and they are always running around the yard.  They are not school-age just yet.

I never asked the new neighbor what his business was because we have not spoken more than a Hi when we are sitting on the patio.  But we can see that he has either a tree or a landscaping business.  And boy, he takes much better care of this property on the outside than Ugly Naked Guy.

Since the arrival of ICE here in Raleigh, everyone is scared.  If you have brown skin, you are screwed.  People are keeping their kids home from school. Not because they are not citizens, but because they fear their kids won't come home.  One teacher spoke on the news last night that in any given week, she would have 20 absentees.  This past week, it was 120+.  

Here is a photo of their place from our patio.

You can see all the trucks in the driveway and one hidden in the yard.

One of the vehicles is piled high with branches, etc.

Rick said they are probably afraid to even go to the grocery store, too. Should we ask them if they need anything?  I am on the fence. My God, I don't want to offend them if that is not happening to them and they haven't gone to work for another reason.  We have been talking about this nonstop.  This morning, I suggested maybe just bringing over some cookies and welcoming them to the neighborhood.  But it's been a long while now, I'm afraid they may not wish to open the door. We are hoping to see them outside, which may be a better solution.  Either way, this just sucks as much as trump and his cult. I'm living in 1930s Germany for God's sake.  

In other annoying shit that bugged me today - 

Help me understand this photo below.

He puts it on the counter ABOVE the dishwasher.

Why not just put it IN the dishwasher?

He takes the toilet paper roll off, and he leaves the old empty one ON TOP of the garbage can, mere inches from the toilet.  He can reach it if sitting there, for heaven's sake.

And my end-of-the-week meme and photo dump.

Ah, this one is my hometown.  God, I love Presque Isle!  I was lucky to grow up with this. A friend of Ricks sent this before they got the snow.

This was my first trip to Florida wearing a T-shirt that said, I survived the blizzard of 78.  

Being Old

Last night I watched Stephen Colbert.

John Fogerty was on.  My God, he's 80.  I felt old.

I love CCR.  But his voice is gone.  He sounded terrible.

There comes a time when one must retire.  Must be difficult for those with a talent when it begins to fade.

I guess I'm lucky. I don't have an ounce of talent in any one given thing, so at least I have that going for me. :-)  No disappointment that my talent is fading away, never had it to begin with.

In other news, we have a service agreement with our heating/AC company. They come out in the fall and spring to check everything so that we are good to go for that season. We have turned on the heat a couple of times, and soon it will be full-time, so it was time to have our annual check-up. 

When we moved here, we had an issue with the heat. We called this company late at night and they came and were the utmost in professionalism and customer service. They asked if we wanted a service agreement, and we said sure, not knowing what this house held for us.

It's paid for itself. whew.

Rick changed out the filter last week.  The man who came has been here before so he kids around with us.  He said, "Did you just change your filter because I was coming?"  Rick laughed and said he didn't know he was coming, so nope, he did not.  That was just lucky I guess. He said most folks don't change their filters, so he assumed he was guilting us. No, it's actually something we do.  He told us to tell our neighbors.  Now I told Rick he was coming, but that was weeks ago.  Then I reminded him last night.

His new brain is a sieve.  Sadly, it wasn't much better before the stroke. 

(bad wife)

This company is always on time, go figure. The appointment was from 9-11.  I told Rick to be dressed because they are always on time. He huffed.  Guess who rang the doorbell at 9:05am?  Rick wasn't dressed. But unlike me, it doesn't bother him to be in PJ bottoms and a t-shirt with people coming to our home.

I mentioned that to him after Jayden left (yes, we are on a first-name basis) 

Rick said, "It's different for me, I wear clothes, just not nice ones."

"You don't wear anything on the bottom, just my shirt." 

"Oh, that,"  I laughed. Well, so does Winnie the Pooh and everybody loves him. So picky.

One of my favorite Vietnam songs - 

Sunshine

Late last evening, I got a call from L. (my old neighbor, the medium)

She asked if we could move our appointment to next Sunday.  

She had a busy day, and she was mentally fried last night, She said the readings were emotional, and she needs a break.  I understood that.  She said that she really wishes to be on top of her game when I speak with you.  I was fine with that. I am not paying her, so I am at her disposal on her calendar.

What is funny is that I went to my calendar and saw that I wrote it for next week at 11a.m.  Wild. I did the wrong thing, but it turned out right.

This coming Saturday, Rick and I are going to a murder mystery dinner.

It's in NW Raleigh, and it's a long night.  I am concerned about Rick, but we're going for it.  Neither of us wishes to be the designated driver, so we are staying at the hotel where this is being held. Thankfully, I had points.  Whew.  

I admit I am running out of points since I no longer travel, but this was a good use. I want to have fun and not worry about that drive home, which I would have to do.

When I got the tickets, it stated the dress code was business casual.  I don't have a problem with that since I am schleppy on most days.  But I did find it unusual.

Hopefully, this won't be a dud.

In the meantime, it's glorious outside, and I must get out there. 

I need my vitamin D.

You know why it's nice out? Because we put all things under the gazebo for winter, along with covering the sofa and chairs.  All the flowers are gone.

So now it's in the 70s, and we wish to sit out there.  Oh well. We have chairs around the table.  We've been here 3 years. We may never get the hang of their "seasons"

She Sees Dead People

Before I tell you what I wish to share, I have to thank you guys.

First of all, what I did with that frightened woman was no big deal.

You made me sound like a saint for heaven's sake.

If you saw a woman next to you freaking out to her husband for having something like I was having, you'd all do the same thing I did.

So no glory for me here, but thank you.

Okay, now other things I would like to mention.

I have mentioned here several times about a former neighbor of mine.

She is a psychic medium.  She was new to the block. I waved and said hello when I walked by with Izzy.  Then one day, she ran across the street to where Izzy and I were walking and stopped me. She told me that my Dad was with me and said some things that I don't wish to share, but that only he could know.  I didn't even know her name at this point. My father had died just two months prior.

I thought she was nuts. She said, "Normally I wouldn't run up to someone, but this man was bugging me for days, he is persistent.  I hope you don't mind.

Now I did not mind it just was freaky to be standing on a corner with this woman who is telling me something my father has said, and he's dead.

I have to admit it made me laugh when she said he was persistent. No shit!

Oh boy, that walk was a trip. I couldn't stop thinking about it.  How the hell did she know this?  Has Rick spoken to her? 

I came home from my walk with the dog just as Rick was coming home from work.  I told him what happened. He said I have never talked to her, so no, I didn't tell her anything, nor would I. I don't know her.

Fast forward to having a block party, and I spoke to her, and we became friends. One time in her kitchen, she said to me, "There are so many people around you Peg.  It's all love and you're pretty damn lucky girl"

I just would laugh. 

But there were times I had to admit that things she told me freaked me out, only in the sense that it was spot on.

So imagine my feelings when she texted, "You okay?"

Me: Yep, I'm fine.

My friend: No, you're not. Want a free reading?  Wanna talk?

Me: No, this is your livelihood, and I am not going to be a freeloader.

My Friend: Girl, I will come down there and hit you.  I am asking you because I want to do this for you. 

So apparently, on this Sunday,I will be having a reading at 11am.

It should prove to be interesting if nothing else. 

Second thing I wanted to share.  

A comment was left about a reader's surname.  I loved the meaning. I kept thinking about it. I just thought it was a wonderful meaning.

My surname is not a good one. I never knew what it meant in English.

It was 40+years ago when I was a travel agent.

A priest came into the agency, and I smiled and welcomed him. 

He sat down at my desk, saw my nameplate, and got up. 

I asked if something was wrong. 

He asked, "Do you know what your name means?"

"No, I don't."

This priest told me it meant malice so he couldn't work with me and proceeded to move to another desk. (my boss's no less)

Joe, my boss, laughed it off. 

When the priest left, Joe said, "Now that was damn weird."

No shit, you'd think a priest would not hold my family name against me.

Ah, those crazy Catholics.

So nothing good with my surname except I like how it sounds.

Now, most people when they hear my surname, they would say things about my name. 

Actual words spoken by my husband in 1987 at our first meeting.

"Oh, you're Italian, you must be a good cook."

"Nope, I'm a good eater."

😁

I Can See Clearly Now...sort of

The procedure was a lot. I was there from noon to 5pm.

Pictures, walk to this area, get IV contrast pictures, wait over here, exams, send to the injection area.  OMG, this was a pain in the eye for sure.

Normally, I get my injections in the clinic where my exam is. But because this newer injection is a drug, not just a steroid, they make him do this in the hospital. Stupid rule.

But it was done. Pain was minimal. The pain is far worse the next two days.

As I sat in the injection waiting room, I noticed there wasn't a free seat open.

Next to me sat a woman and her husband. This woman was in a big ass panic.  He was trying to calm her, telling her it wasn't going to hurt. She said," But I'll see the needle coming at me" - and she went off. 

I so understood her. I felt that way too. After listening to him try to calm her and getting nowhere, I asked, "May I tell you about my injection?"

I said we could be having very different things, but when you told your husband that the doctor said it wouldn't hurt, you thought he was full of beans. She laughed and said, "How the hell does he know?"

I told her I asked my doctor when he had his injection, when he told me that BS.

She gasped. I said, "Oh, he laughed it was all good."

I explained why she wouldn't see a needle coming at her eye. I explained each step. I told her the worst pain is the needle to numb your eye. But if that bothers you, tell them to use the numbing drops.  I sometimes get both. Numb drops, wait for them to kick in, and then the injection numbing agent.

(They did that this time because it was supposed to be more painful)

This beautiful older woman is holding my hand and asking if I was lying that none of this hurt. I told her I wouldn't lie. But again reminded her that we may not have the same thing. She asked a lot of questions and I answered them all truthfully.  She thanked me and went to the restroom.

This woman's husband leaned over the chair and grabbed my hand, and thanked me.

He said she is so worried. I can see you helped her. And then he said, "it really won't hurt her?"   I said, "No, I've had over 6 of them now, she will be

fine."

 

I finally got called back for my injection.

While waiting for the numbing to take effect, the doctor and the nurse were discussing his new baby. He says he is not buying her lots of toys. Oh, listening to this conversation was funny for me. 

The nurse is telling him he'll cave.  He says, No, he wants her to read and do creative things.  He then asked me if I had a lot of toys. 

I said I did not.  Books, puzzles, and a Barbie.  Books were my favorite toy, so please let me read out of this eye so I can continue. He laughed.

Rick sat in the waiting room for all this time. He said it was payback for the months and hours I spent at the hospital for him. I guess that's fair. I felt bad having to make him sit there. I walked by him on my way to another room for more tests, and I waved and winked at him. I heard the woman next to him say, "Do you know her? "  

He told her, "No, she's just been flirting with me all morning."

I asked if he ever told her the truth. He said no, why would I?

I shake my head.

In the meantime, as I leave the injection area, I see the woman waiting who is so nervous. I walked over to her and said, "I know you'll be fine.  Deep breath and do each step as he tells you, so you don't see a thing!"

She thanked me again, and I went to find Rick.

After the numbing agents wore off at home, I was hurting, and I took 2 Tylenol and put a cloth over my eye, and sprawled out on the sofa. The following day was far worse. Head pounding, the ole eye had a pulse, and I accomplished very little on Tuesday!  I am far better today.  My eye is open wider, I can read and see. Yippee.  

The only negative so far is that I must begin taking Humira. 

Please do not tell me or share with me all the negatives of this drug. 

I've heard enough from people and I don't need to hear more.

I can't go through Chemo again, so we're going to try this. 

I can't listen to one more person telling me this is awful. I want to slap them when they do. I know none of this is fun. Healing can be difficult, but so many people tell you all these horror stories and then say, "Well, maybe it will work for you."  Gee thanks. Allow me to find out for myself, please.

Humira is tough to get through insurance. Without its $7,000.

I'd rather just die.

So the hospital has to work with my insurance to see what we can do.

I guess this drug needs a lot of approvals, shall we say. 

Great, it's expensive, and it's an injection I have to give to myself.  

I'm not sure about you, but I think that sounds like tons of fun, even without all the horror stories people like to share.

So that was the beginning of my fun week.

It's gorgeous out right now, and I need to go outside and do some things around the yard before the cold snap comes. 

I so love this weather. 71 yesterday with a cool breeze. 

I need this year-round. 

Try Again

Off to receive eye injection.

Hopefully nothing out of the ordinary takes place.

See you all soon. (See what I did there?)