First Car

Do you remember your first car?

A friend of mine who's son is driving asked for a car recently. His parents laughed and said the same thing to him that Rick told his daughter when she was 16. Save your money for a car and I'll match it dollar for dollar.  Rick's daughter never saved a thing so he was off the hook...just as he thought.

My friend said she didn't think her son will save either. He's only 16 so she told him he can continue to use the family car. He mumbled and with his shoulders slumped he walked away defeated.  She looked at me and winked.

For my high school graduation my father gave me $500 for a down payment for a car as a graduation gift. (yes, I know it was a very nice gift)

Can you even imagine what $500 could buy today? Nothing. That wouldn't pay for the tires today!  My car was $2,800 brand new baby!

Then I went and told the sales person I really wanted an FM stereo/ 8 track put in my car. (stop laughing - I had the  Nilsson Schmilsson 8 track and I couldn't imagine driving without listening to that album)

So my car ended up costing me $3,100.

Here is a photo I found online of a 1974 yellow VW beetle just like I had. (glow in the dark yellow my father called it)

This car was a little tank!

I grew up where the average snow fall was 150 inches a year. You didn't miss school or work either. Life went on. This little baby was a tank in snow but it had one big fault. HEAT!

You see in the 1974 VW Bug there was no real heat or defrost. (don't even think of air conditioning - put your head out the window)

The engine is air cooled so you had no heat at idle and honestly it would take driving an hour before you got any heat let alone defrost. And I wouldn't call it warm. I normally could see my breath for most of my short trips. Not always so great when one lives in the tundra.

But I was a kid and it didn't bother me. (today it would) 

I had my own car, my dream car and I loved it.

It only cost me $3.50 to fill 'er up. Wouldn't that be nice? I could fill up my tank and still go to Mickey D's for a cheeseburger, fries and pop and have  change left from a $5 bill. Funny huh? (god I'm old)

I always had 2 blankets in the back seat of my car for my friends. They preferred being warmer and I obliged. My best friend Susan swore I only asked her places because she would use the ice scraper and scrape the INSIDE windshield as I drove.  She basically was my defrost.

But the silliest thing I did with that car is buy it and not be able to drive it home.
I wanted a VW bug since I was a small child. I thought they were so cute.
But they were stick shifts and I couldn't drive a stick.
So the day I got the keys to my new car my boyfriend drove it to my house and I followed him in his car. I remember being so excited seeing the back of the car because it was MINE.

Over next two weeks in August of 1974 I had lessons daily on driving this car. My boyfriend was my teacher. He took me up and down hills until I could stop on a hill and not coast backwards. I was on this hill one day for so long because it wasn't perfect. I finally put it in neutral, put on the emergency brake and got out of the car and began walking home crying.  He got in the drivers seat and was slowly driving next to me telling me to get in the damn car. I finally did. After that day we took 2 days off of driving lessons.

I loved that car. But I traded it in for a brand new Sparkling Burgundy 1979 Datsun 280Z.
It too was a standard.  But oh so much more fun to drive. It was a 2 seater.
I thought it was soooo expensive. It cost $9,000 something. (this is not my car I found this photo online but it looked just like this)

I always had cars that required knowing how to drive a stick.
I loved the control you had in winter with a standard.
But then I moved to Seattle. No longer was I in the flat Midwest. Oh no these were real hills!
Not what I was used to.  Sitting in traffic with my foot on the clutch forever made me realize I needed a new car and it had to be an automatic!! 
1996 ended my run of never owning an automatic.
From then on my cars were always practical and not a stick shift.

What was your first car?

Tuesdays Tid Bits

I enjoy Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris.
I heard they were in a new movie together and I have to say that is enough to get me to see a movie.  I saw the trailer and now I'm not so sure. But I hope the reason is because you need to see the whole not just a bit of the movie. (okay that is a big stretch but I love them both so)

• Why are people going to see Charlie Sheen and what do they expect to see or hear there?
• I just read that George Clooney is about to be 50 in a month. Do you know how much better that makes me feel? And yes I did read that in my AARP magazine.....tee hee
• You know how I know that spring is finally here? I have a sore throat, my head feels like a basketball and my eyes and nose are runny. It's a pretty picture isn't it? Dayquil is my new friend.
• Nurse Jackie is such a great show but I know no one who is watching it. Are any of you watching it out there?  It's worth seeing!!  Edie Falco is fabulous in this show.
• Rick and I never seem to like movies that get a lot of stars. What is wrong with us? (hey that's rhetorical now) We watched a movie that got good reviews and 3 1/2 stars this weekend. It was horrible. It sounded horrible but I  gave it a chance because John Cusack was in it. Hot Tub Time Machine. Did you see it? Oh please don't waste your time if you haven't.  At one point I went and got laundry out of the dryer to fold. I mean it was that bad that I would rather fold towels people! John Cusack and Paul Giamatti are generally 2 guys who I enjoy and check out their movies but John should give me my money back on this one.
• Do you think twitter will go away like the rotary phone or am I just hopeful?
• My friends 1 year old little girl got burned by hot fajita grease that the waitress spilled on her this past weekend. She received 2nd degree burns.  Would you sue?  They plan to.  Why doesn't my mind ever go there? I would expect they pay the medical bills but I never think "sue" right away. I must be missing that lawyer gene or something. We were talking with friends who all know this couple and everyone is all about them suing the restaurant, making them pay. My husband included.  The child got burned on her arm between her wrist and elbow - but not the whole area.  I don't think it was intentional so why not just ask that they pay the medical bills and allow them to do the right thing?  Why take more money than that? I was listening to all this and decided I am a complete and utter misfit so I just remained quiet.

Places to Live

I’ve moved quite a bit for my career over the years.
Then there were two of us and we moved several times for one or the others career.
Most cities I couldn’t wait to move to. Some I couldn’t wait to leave.
But there are some cities I always wanted to live in and never got to.

Chicago is a big one. Oh how I love Chicago!!
Except for the winter I can’t think of a whole lot about Chicago I don’t like.
I love the people. I love the city. God knows I love the food. I love the shopping;
I love the architecture…….and on and on.

I always thought I wanted to live in a little New England town as well.
(okay but not Massachusetts for some reason)

But when I am really honest with myself I wonder if I could really be happy in a very small town. I’m not so sure. I’d like to try it and find out though. The summers would be glorious. Winters….well maybe not so much but the beauty in those parts each time I’ve been there have been terrific. But I have never gone up there past Thanksgiving time either.

Aside from where I grew up I have not lived anywhere as long as I have here.
Rick and I have moved a great deal in our lives together and separately for our careers.
We moved west for an opportunity for him and then we moved back east for my career opportunity. We never thought we’d be here more than 5 years. We really believed that within 3 years we would be moving, but we gave it 5 just in case. Here it is 11 years later and we are ready to move. Life’s funny like that.

When we got here we loved it so. The winters were mild and after coming from Seattle we loved the sunshine. We also loved the friendly warm people here unlike what we encountered while in Seattle. Somewhere your neighbors say and wave hello before they even know your name.  Then there was the idea of unpacking yet again which made us think we’d be here for a little while longer this time. But 11 years? Never in a million years did we think it would be 11 years and we would still be here let alone not looking like we’d be moving anytime soon.

Over this past weekend Rick and I admitted to one another how we were ready to move. But we also know we can’t. We are upside down on our mortgage. So to sell we’d have to bring a lot of money to the table. And the biggest reason is because we are now self employed and we can’t just pick up and move to another city/state and start again....we are no longer 22.

Rick did make me laugh when he reminded me that all of our moves have been paid by a company we worked for. Not only paid for the moving but paid to have someone come to our home and pack everything up and carry it away and unload it to the rooms we wanted them in.  Yea, that was always pretty damn sweet.  We had to unpack and heaven knows I am not a fan of unpacking either. But he's right, that is a big expense we've never had to pay for that we would be paying for now and doing some of it ourselves.

We were discussing if this desire to move is because we have done it so much in our lives that it’s what we are used to doing. Are we itching to move because we’ve never been in one place this long and we are just not familiar with this? Or is it because of wanderlust? I certainly don’t care if we don’t move to another city. We both are fine if we stay right here. (Although come election time when those damn political ads start running I know we’ll be looking to move to Canada or some other country!!) We are okay if we are to stay here just ready to move on. We both have that itch to move and it’s really unsettling.

In the mean time I guess I will just have to live vicariously and keep watching House Hunters on HGTV.   These couples frustrate me I must admit. They never pick the house I would chose or worse yet they never pick the ones with all the things they SAY they want. Why is that?   When they do that I am then inclined to yell at my TV as though they can not only hear me but will realize I am right and that they will regret it if they don't change their choice.  I think I just need to look at the bright side. 

Watching this may not quite be the same as getting to move right now but at least I’m not unpacking.

Spell Check

Back in 2005 when Rick was in HR he received a lot of resumes.
He never ceased to be shocked at all the misspelled words or the wrong words used in a sentence. (ex: deer sir instead of dear sir)

He knows I can't spell for shit. He also knows that spell check will tell me they have no idea what I am trying to spell because I am so far off.  When I was sending out resumes, cover letters, or doing my job and needed to have my presentations read with another set of eyes he was my go to guy.  You would never believe how many times I yell to him, "how do you spell.....?"  I understand all those people who would send their resumes off with spelling errors because I have the same issue. The only difference is I have other people look my work over before sending. (unlike my blog where you all just read it with the errors right there for all to see!)

There were days when he would bring home a resume to show me the things that made him angry.  One girl had her email listed as yourbabysmama@xyz.com on her resume.
Another gal's resume listed her email as kinkysexkathy@xyz.com.
These young women were looking for corporate jobs and they weren't smart enough to get a different email at yahoo or gmail just for their job search?

One of my favorites was from a man who wrote his cover letter as though he was responding to Match.com. He actually listed how he liked walks on the beach and good red wine etc.  FOR A JOB!!  No, not a job to be a sommelier either.
Sadly Rick had a file of resumes like this that he kept just for humor.

One day he called my office to read to me the latest cover letter and resume that made him mad. He was genuinely appalled.  I suggested that perhaps this young woman who was applying for an entry level job needed help not ridicule.  It obviously was her first job out of college unlike some of the others. 

He responded flippantly with, "I have circled all her errors should I send it to her?" 

I said, "Actually yes, with a note that says you want to help her. She won't get a job if no one tells her this Rick.  Maybe she just needs some help"  

Of course he feels if they have gone through 4 years or more of college they should know this.
Yes, well if sense were really common more people would have it was my retort to him.
There was no logic for this phenomenon it just was and he had to learn how to deal with it.
He felt each year the people got worse in every aspect.

I understood his frustration. He got so many resumes that were poorly written or cover letters with the most common of words misspelled or used in correctly. He was frustrated that when people came in for interviews they were cocky, had entitlement issues as well as dressing inappropriately. (that went for men and women) One person actually said to him after his tour of the company that he couldn't work at this company because they only had coffee and not an espresso machine in the lunchroom. Rick thought he was joking and laughed. He was not joking. He got up and left.

So back to crazy girl with the red circles and comments Rick made on her resume.
What did he decide to do?  He calmed down and thought about it. Then he called her. 
He tells her that her cover letter and resume needed work and the reasons why he makes this statement. He tells her he wants to help her and why this must be hindering her job search.  He asked her if anyone had called her for any interviews. She said no one has called her back and she was getting frustrated. He sent her back her resume with all the circles and comments and they went over it together. She thanked him for helping her see why she wasn't getting called for any of the jobs she had applied for. Then she cried.  She told him it was from being thankful that he took the time to help her not because she was pissed at him or upset in any way. He told her that she will be fine if she makes the changes because her skill sets were most certainly marketable. In the mean time he filled the position at his company.

Three weeks later she called Rick to tell him that she sent out her new resumes and cover letters and that 3 companies called her. After her interviews she was offered 2 of the 3 jobs.
She thanked Rick over and over again for taking the time to help her.

To think he was so angry he was just going to send her back her resume with red circles and comments with no kind words of encouragement. Once he calmed down I believe he did the right thing.  

This below reminded me of that situation.  This would be something he would do.
Rick would be inclined to antagonize this person and enjoy every minute of it.
I would shake my head and think it was terribly mean. But I admit on this one I would laugh!

Friday's Notes

I was listening to the radio this morning and the astrologer who was on said that those born under the sign of Pisces needed to have a mental health day today.
All we Pisces should do today was to just chill out, don't work too hard and we should enjoy a few margarita's this afternoon. (her exact words)
So I have decided that I will heed this woman's advice.  I will not work too hard and I will begin drinking this afternoon.....possibly early afternoon. I have a great cabernet I have been dying to open.  I certainly don't want to go against my sign advice.

** My team won yesterday's Opening Day game. It was a very good game. I got to watch it with minimal interruptions. All is right with the world after 1 game.

**I have this photo of me with 3 of my sisters and it has faded beyond belief. It can't be restored apparently I have tried and asked someone who would know.
My sister who had another copy can't find hers. So I did scan it and I think I've posted it here before. It's so yellow and odd looking now like our facial features are all melting away. I'm the one in the back in the middle which I think you all know by now. Guess there is nothing we can do about this.  This was printed on Kodak paper which I thought wouldn't cause these issues. It's not that old of a photo. I am guessing maybe 10 yrs. I have pictures from 50 years ago in better shape so this is confusing to me. Are there things I could do that I am not aware of?  Anyone know?

**It's snowing in New England and it's raining and very cold and windy here.
I am thankful I am not in New England right now.  I am ready for spring this year.
Sadly we'll skip real spring  and go right to summer. But I am anxious to plant some flowers  like this.  I love planting flowers and herbs.  I have garlic planted and my dog puts her nose in it every day. She goes from each stem to the next methodically sniffing the plant.
She never tries to eat it but she apparently really loves the smell. She likes certain flowers more than others too and that amuses me. Who knew?

**Last night Rick asked me what I would want to do if we weren't in this financial quagmire.
Exhale was my first thought.  Nothing crazy really. You would think I'd pick something huge. But seriously I would love to just have a trip again to NYC with my sister Jen. We had such a great time when we went in 2004.  I commuted to work there at the time. She drove from PA to here and we took the train to the city. I worked a full hour and then we played for the entire weekend. Here is Jen in her pj's in our hotel room. We laughed all weekend and it wasn't just because of the booze. On the way home we almost got kicked off the train for being too loud in the quiet car. Yes, we were snickering and when the conductor came over to yell at us that made us laugh all the harder.

** I am very surprised at all the hoopla this week about the guy who choose not to play the lottery this week with his co-workers telling them, "he wasn't feeling lucky this week". Of course they won 19.1 million a piece after taxes.  Everyone is saying since he normally played every week they should give him some money. Really?  A family member I can see - someone in the cubicle next to me?  Ah, I am not so sure I'm that nice. I guess it depends on my co-worker.  If I knew he was hurting I may do that. But just because he didn't want to play that week. Nah. If they all quit their jobs they don't ever have to see him again. So I would guess that takes care of the guilt factor. You could be really a mean mean person and give him a buck to go buy a ticket for this weeks game. Or you could give him a million since you have 18 more. Would you give him some of your winnings?  And how much would be enough?  I just wish I had won the damn thing that day instead and they wouldn't have to stress themselves about such foolishness.

Uncles

As is my custom on Wednesday's I read Craig Wilson's weekly column featured in the USA Today called Final Word.

His story spoke about the new parent doll.
Not only the creepy factor but do we really want our kids walking around with a doll with our face and voice telling the kid what to do? 
Personally I say, "give the kid a damn break"
I would never have wanted my parents yakking at me all the time.
I would've performed surgery on the damn doll to remove the vocal chords.

In the column he had the idea of an Uncle Doll. 
The author says he taught his nieces and nephews a lot of things their parents would never tell them. Fun things, gross things and silly things like whoopee cushions. The typical Uncle type things.

That made me laugh because Rick did the same things.
Rick taught my nieces and nephews disgusting things.
Our first niece and he are extremely close. I did girly things with her like dance classes as she was growing up and then lunch or shopping.  But Uncle Rick she adores!!  He told her spooky stories and grossed her out. She would squeal and immediatly come back for more.

One afternoon he and my niece were discussing terms for going to the bathroom.
I am not even sure how old she was but she was under 12.
Example:
Number 2
Pinch a loaf
Take a dump
...that gross kind of thing. 

I hear this from the other room and come in and ask, "What in the hell are you two talking about?"  They burst into laughter as Rick winks at my niece.
When I ask Rick if this is what a grown up does my niece answers, "C'mon Aunt Peggy it's funny.  Look at how many I've got on my list already."  as she holds out her yellow legal pad. I did not ask why one would make such a list, I just shook my head and went back to what I was doing. This is most definitely their thing.
I suppose in the big scheme of things this isn't so bad.

Most recently after this same niece turned 21 we called the next day to wish her a happy birthday. She went out the night before and was feeling miserable. They talked about the dangers of mixing cocktails (wine & beer for example) He explained that no matter what anyone tells you there really is no such thing as a remedy for a hangover. He discussed the need for a greasy breakfast and why it tastes so good after a night of drinking. (basically he feels one must skip the oatmeal with a hangover) Go for the burger or greasy home fries etc.
It was a 3 way call but I mostly listened to these two laugh and talk about drinking. Great adults examples we are.

When she went off to her 1st year of college Uncle Rick bought her the book, "He's just not that into you"  He wanted her to not waste the pretty on a jerk.  She called when she finished that book so they could talk about it.  I heard him telling her things that made me cringe a bit but she looks up to him and thinks he's cool so what harm did it do to hear it from someone she loved?  And it was great advice. 

Uncle Rick talked to her about the dangers of putting your drink down at a party or bar. Get your own drinks he would say.  He talked to her about standing up for yourself, self defense and the like.  Over the years he has been the go to guy for my nieces when it comes to boys and yes, even sex.  Oh there have been good educational talks but it's true they come to Uncle Rick for fun, plain old silly fun.  Like picking on Aunt Peg. They do that well.

Then every once in awhile there is heartbreak and the serious talk. 
Recently the above niece had her first big love and subsequent break up and thankfully Uncle Rick was just a crying phone call away.
I heard him explain the effects of father time on her broken heart.

Listening to them talk about her broken heart just about broke mine.

It's Almost Here.....

Some random things that are rolling around in my head.

**I know most who come here don't care.
But too bad, she says oh so compassionately.

Thursday is opening day.
I plan to have a TV on in my office, somehow, someway.
And just in case the customers call to interrupt a great play or some awesome commentary (now that's funny) I will also DVR this.
Honestly, I live for this stuff as they say.
I get butterflies in my stomach!

**I don't watch Dancing with the Stars but last night when I turned on the television I saw a bit of it before I changed the channel. I saw Wendy Williams and I don't understand how she doesn't fall forward and why she would do this to herself. She chose that size chest. Why?  why? why?

**Is anyone else noticing that food prices have gone through the roof?  Or it is just me?
Last evening I went to the grocery store and didn't buy meat just a few staples and it was almost $200. I did get beer for Rick which was the only thing that was unnecessary. Fruit & vegetable costs were through the roof.  I can't imagine what I would do if I had children, especially teenage boys. I buy no processed foods and my hubby thinks that is the issue. real food costs more. I think the prices have just gone way up of late. No, this was not Whole Foods. Just my local grocery store chain.

**The owners of the home right next door to us are under water on their mortgage. Meaning they owe the bank more than the home is actually worth now. So instead of selling they have been renting it. It has been an interesting group of people who have moved next door.
The current folks are moving out today.  They were having a new home built over the last year so they had to rent while their home was being completed.  We are not sorry to see them go.  While the sign was out front to rent, the parade of people going in and out were amusing if I didn't have to live next door to them. There were some that got out of the car and I prayed they weren't going to be my neighbors.  (Yes, I am a terrible person) One van pulled up and 10 people got out of the vehicle and went into the home. It's only a 3 bedroom home and only 2300 sq ft how could 10 people live there? It should be interesting to see who our new neighbors are. They are renting the home for $2,300.00/mo. so I imagine with 10 people that makes it pretty cheap. However there are laws about that many adults/families living in one home here. So legally could this realtor show these folks the home?  Maybe it was a field trip my husband says. That made me laugh. Who knows what will happen. It is always "interesting" to say the least.

**Is it wrong to be over 8 yrs old and adore Elmo?

**Am I crazy that I think giving a little girl a doll to breastfeed is insane? Have you seen this breastfeeding doll? I think I am missing something here.


**Do you think it’s wrong to not think all babies are cute and that some really do look like Yoda?


**Is it wrong to wish Karma worked a tad bit faster?

Do we really need to know?

Do you remember when you would go to the movies and didn’t really know the actors/actresses?  Do you remember a time when you watched a television show and you knew nothing of your favorite characters real life but just liked them for their talents?

We could just get lost in the characters they portrayed. The actors/actresses became their characters. People thought John Wayne was just like he was in all his movies. People thought Doris Day was just like her characters, virginal and sweet. It just didn’t matter that she had children, and was divorced. She was still virginal like her movies. (My father swore to this!) You loved the brat pack before you knew their drug problems, saw their sex tapes or knew all about their episodes of depression, drugs and rehabs. You just loved the characters they played and you could relate to those characters. Your love of their movies wasn’t skewed by their personal life. 

With all this “needed” technology, 24/7 news cycle and the need to know everything about everyone we all know way too much. TMZ is everywhere. Our newspapers feed us with gossip, celebrities and people who want to be famous for the sake of being famous.

I really don’t need to know all this stuff. And truth be told it ruins my movie watching.
I want their PR people to keep it all out of the papers and make their celebrities behave.
When I was younger I thought there was no harm in it but I feel differently today.
I have noticed that knowing all of the things we know or see them do really does affect if I will watch them or not.

I think of this in terms of books as well. I love to read. If I knew everything about a certain author would I no longer read his or her books? Possibly, I admit. I read a very thorough autobiography of Louisa May Alcott. I admit I didn’t read it for a long time because I was worried that if she turned out to be a horrible person I was going to be so disappointed and how I feel about Little Women etc would be shaped differently. It shouldn’t make a difference but it would to me. Thankfully it made me love her books all the more. Not sure why I do this these people are human beings. I don’t expect them to be perfect but I also don’t want them to be Cruella de Vil either. I find David Sedaris to be hysterically funny so don’t tell me anything about him that any of you may know. If I heard he was mean to bunnies and kicked puppies I would be heartbroken.
I like my version of this quirky smart man that lives in my mind and I wish to keep it that way.

As actresses go I have always loved Katherine Hepburn. If I found out that she was mean, unkind, kicked dogs, was malicious or stood for everything I hold dear it would most definitely make me look at her differently and perhaps not make me want to watch her movies or watch her in anything. Whether right or wrong that unfortunately would be the case for me.

How many times in the old days did affairs happen on set? I would say many, many, many more than we know. Thankfully we didn’t know. When I saw Mr & Mrs Smith all I could think of was Brad and Angelina falling in lust during that movie and subsequently Brad leaving Jennifer. I didn’t need to know that. It ruins the whole movie experience for me because I am watching them as opposed to watching the movie.

This was the same for me with Tom Cruise. I never really loved him as an actor. Never thought he was all that and a bag of chips as most women. I don’t care for short men so he was never that "hunk" to me. However, I didn’t recoil when I knew he was in the movie as I do now. I liked Top Gun and Jerry McGuire. Now I only see a smug pompous ass. So I don’t enjoy his movies anymore. If I hadn’t seen him go off on people about his religion or jump on Oprah’s sofa or blast Matt Lauer things would be different. So if he is in a movie chances are I won’t go. I can’t see him as a character now but just as Tom Cruise in a movie. I want to get lost again in the whole movie. I miss that.

Another example is Mr Donald Trump. Before he had to shoot off his misogynist mouth, fight with everyone, give his unwarranted opinion on everyone and everything I really had no thoughts about him. None. I only knew him as some real estate “guy” with a bad comb over who purses his lips like he is sucking lemons and has a strange orange tint to his face. But because I have to endure the 24/7 news cycle he is everywhere. So the more I see the more I know I do not like him. I will never watch a show he is on, even if he is only a guest on my favorite show. I have a very strong dislike for this man now.

I do not watch Celebrity Apprentice but it was actually in two newspapers I read.
The Washington Post and USAToday. I should have moved on and read real news but I didn’t. So this is my issue because I looked directly at the train wreck instead of taking the high road. It appears that (allegedly) Dionne Warwick is a real big witch with a capital B.
The comments of other celebrities on the show about her were horrific. Could they all be wrong? My goodness these stories were crazy. I think my mouth actually dropped open as I read some of the things she did and said. I was horrified and quite frankly shocked. I only knew her as a popular singer in the 70’s and the Aunt of Whitney Houston. I would have described her before reading this as a classy quiet singer from the 70’s. So now instead of being known for a great singer I see her as a very mean spirited diva who is crazy nuts and devious. I didn’t need that. She didn’t either if she wanted to continue to sell records.

Because of this I understand full well why some public figures would prefer to keep their opinions to themselves about everything that doesn’t have to do with their work. So the next time a celebrity says in an interview when asked a question, “I’m sorry that topic is off limits because it is my personal life.” I will respect them even more. I want to continue to like them so I hope they can learn to keep quiet and only talk about their book, movie, tv show or music. That is all I need from my celebrities.

Anyone come to mind for you that you loved but as more layers were revealed they make you cringe and you no longer can even enjoy their work?

Silly Stuff

I really enjoy Steve Martin. As he has aged he has evolved. He's not as silly thank goodness.
I have really enjoyed his books and his spots on Letterman always make me smile.

I saw him during his "Let's Get Small" comedy tour.
I don't remember the exact year but I am guessing this was around 1977. 
It was before his first movie, The Jerk.

He came on stage in a white suit, he had his banjo, he put an arrow through his head and had "happy feet".
He showed a short film before he came on stage with Terri Garr and Buck Henry.
The movie was called 'The Absent Minded Waiter.'
I remember everyone in this enormous stadium going crazy over this film.
I re watched this film awhile ago on you tube and while it was cute I realized our humor has come a long way. Or possibly it was because in 1977 there may have been some smoking of some kind that made this hilarious. In that era he was the first of his kind. He didn't stand and tell traditional jokes so I think that was the appeal of his humor. He was different and so silly dressed as an adult male. It wasn't like he was a man child a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman.  
But he was a silly naive adult.  At that time there was no one before him that behaved this way.  There was nothing better than he and Gilda Radnor on SNL back in the day.

I saw him on Letterman a few weeks ago and he performed his song, "Atheists have no songs"  Oh my goodness did this song make me laugh out loud.

I was concerned someone would be offended if I listed it here but the more I thought about it I realized how can you possibly be?  It's just a fact.  If you believe in God then you know atheist don't have any songs. You have all the hymns and songs.  If you are an Atheist you know you don't have any songs. It's funny no matter what side of this fence you are on. 

So enjoy.

T.G.I.F.

Are you all as thrilled as me that it is finally Friday?
One more day of people to deal with (see post below for example)
One more day of sitting at this desk. (my butt will thank me)
One more day.....

Last evening at 7pm my husband opened his laptop to upgrade his AVG anti-virus and internet security.  He had received an email a week or so ago that told him his AVG anti-virus and internet security was expiring. And as my husband is known to do he ignored it until the last minute. So as he turned his computer on and went to do his download a SHOPzilla  thing popped up and he knew it was too late.  So if you ever see this SHOPzilla pretending they are anti-spyware - you've been hit with a big ass virus.

As is the case as I explained in my post "My Big Guy" below the computer was handed over to me.  We have technical support with Dell and I knew if I was going to be on the phone I would prefer being in the office on my headset so my hands would be free.
So after leaving my office at 6pm I now had to turn around and go back to prison my office.

I was at my desk with Dell until just past 11pm.  Rick is now in bed along with the dog.
He offered to stay up with me but that just made me laugh. What could he do? 
Besides he started work yesterday at 7am and he was exhausted as well.
I was not thrilled to still be sitting at this damn desk since 7:30am but Rick did bring me dinner and water. And unlike prison it was better than bread and water.
It didn't matter though I was still sitting in a chair and dying to move.  I did walk around as long as my headset would let me and at one point did put this man on speaker.  The problem with speaker is this man's speech.  I have a difficult time with Indian accents. I actually could hear and understand him better with the headset on for some reason. So back on my butt at my desk.

After I hung up with Dell I knew I should go to bed but I needed to move.  Sometimes when I am really tired I can't sleep which I know sounds odd.  Instead I went downstairs and walked around. I actually walked around a 7 ft island several times like I was an old lady mall walker in my own home.  After circling the island I poured myself a big glass of ice water and sprawled out on the couch. Not what I needed but what I did.  I watched the DVR of Greys Anatomy and got sleepy and finally went to bed. Boy 5am came quickly. But walking Izzy actually felt good and trust me when I say that it never feels good walking at 5am!!

I think we are okay now with the laptop. I think we got it all.
I now will have to download the new anti-virus to the laptop today at some point in time.
I am almost afraid to open the laptop to be honest with you.

This morning Rick said to me as he handed me my coffee, "I'm really going to owe you for this aren't I?"  I laughed and said, "oh yeah!"
Seriously no way.  If we were keeping score I would lose here. We're fine but I like making him think that.  Mean mean woman that I am. 

So here's to Friday....it's 5 o'clock somewhere, just not here yet .....damn it.
Wishing I were here....

I don't believe in Guns.....I don't believe in Guns.....I don't believe in guns

I am in my hating people mode.
Okay that isn't accurate....but I  particularly dislike them this past week and a half.
Honestly the questions, the poor social skills when they call and the rudeness for no apparent reason just fries my ass.
It was so difficult not to say what I wanted to say to this nut job. And I do it all with a smile in my voice and it kills me.  So to vent I have you my dear blogger friends and of course I text Rick out in the field to let loose..... I sent the following to Rick......"Inarticulate Asshats!  Make them go away"

He called me after that and laughed. I wasn't finding any of this shit funny.
This woman was not the brightest bulb in the box and she was frustrating me so.
Thankfully she wasn't really rude. I had just had a rude one before her so I suppose dumber than a box of rocks is a step up.  I just find it so frustrating some days more than others. Today is one of them.

It began like this....not hello or anything remotely bordering on social graces or skills.
I answer, Good Morning, XYZ may I help you?

Yeah.

(c'mon really you can only say yeah?)

What can I do for you this morning?

Fix my tub.

What are you looking to have done? (I list a couple of things)

Yeah.

Well ma'am those were choices.  Do you need X? Y? Z?

You can hear the chirping of birds.

Hello? Ma'am do you need me to walk you through some of the options?
Or can you tell me what is wrong with your tub so I may help you make a choice?

No. I know what's wrong with the tub.

Okay I want to scream at this point, "So then tell me you dumb @#$%" is what I wish I could say.  I then hear her take a hit of her cigarette and she finally speaks.

Can you have someone come over in the next hour to look at it?

No ma'am I'm sorry we can't get a technician out there in the next hour however I can have someone out for an estimate on XXXday at 9am.

No that won't work for me. I'm very busy during the day and that morning I go tanning.

My head is about to explode. Tanning? Really?  So very busy, tanning! 

What day/time does work for you and then we can  see if that is open and available, how's that?

Okay I can do this day and time.  But how long does this take because I go to Starbucks with other moms before the kids get home.

Please God let me reach into this phone and bitch slap this crazy dumbass.

It is only 15 minutes at best.

Okay do it. Call me a day before to make sure I remember will ya hon?

(hon? I hate words of endearment from strangers, male or female.)

We do call you the day before to remind you of your appointment to be sure nothing has changed with your schedule.  May I have the address and phone number?

No I don't like to give that information out to strangers.

OH MY GOD....THIS PERSON HAS MADE LITTLE PEOPLE AND SHE SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE SHARP OBJECTS NEAR HER.

I stifle laughter.

Ma'am how will a technician find you without your address?  I need to have an address so we can come to your home to give an estimate and possibly do the job. We also need your name and a phone contact so we may reach you in case the technician is running behind and for me to give you that courtesy call as a reminder.

She now giggles and says,
Yea, I guess I do need to do that don't I?

That has been my last 7 days. But she takes the cake in stupidity.

Calgon take me away!....No, make that Tanqueray take me away!  STAT.

My Love of Sammy

Sammy Hagar a.k.a. The Red Rocker.
The long blond curly hair, the great raspy voice and the energy of a young kid.
I am a huge fan of rock ‘n roll as well as this man.

I believe my first time of hearing Sammy was with a band called Montrose in the early 70’s. His voice slays me.
After a recent interview I found I like him for many more things than just enjoying his music. His business sense, his entrepreneurial spirit and his philanthropy. (ok I do love his tequila - smooth!)

I heard an interview with him last week that talked about some of his businesses outside of music. He spoke of how he got the idea to start some of these businesses, like his rock star travel agency to his tequila enterprise. Smart, smart man. Did you know that when he sold his little tequila company he got to keep 20% for 10 yrs. He sold it for 80 million. Plus he continues to receive 20% of the profits for another 9 yrs.  Damn!

He has a new book out which I gathered from the interview is much more than just about Van Halen….thank goodness. I had to get on the wait list already at the library. I am just finding it hard to believe he is 63!  Man, where did the time go?  (and does my library have anything? I'm on a wait list for several books. it's frustrating.)

This all brings me to an ugly trend that has occurred at my house of late.
I have a subscription to People that I am letting run its course.
In the meantime I read through this or I should more accurately that I skim through this magazine. I find nothing to really read of interest anymore. (admitting i have not read the newest one, last one was Charlie sheen cover)
It is less about people these days and more about the tweens or 20 something’s in Hollywood who have done nothing more than get in some kind of trouble.
Do you remember when they would have stories on real people too?
That seems to be no longer the case.
And when did Julia Roberts become the old lady?

Anyway, I find that I don’t know most of the celebrities and really don’t care about them either. You know the ones I mean. I think the Kardashians are a good example.
They are known for sex tapes and their frivolous life style.
I don’t have much interest in their gluttony or their silly feuds.
It all reminds me of the Gabor sisters of my parents generation….without the sex tape of course.

Now to the opposite side of things…I also get the AARP magazine and am finding more interest in these articles, pictures and people than People these days.
Valerie Bertinelli, Ricky Gervais, Steven Tyler, Alec Baldwin, and David Duchovney to name just a few.
I find these people far more interesting that any celebrity in People.
There are also stories about real people starting over and succeeding.
Stories about global issues. I find it very interesting so I assume it all means one thing.
I think it all means it’s official, I am no longer relevant and I am an old lady now.

So I will go off now and crank up my music, not because I can’t hear well, but because I love my rock’n roll music loud and I will open up my current AARP magazine.
I will kick back with a glass of my favorite beverage of choice, put on the reading glass and read and learn.

I will not be in a rocking chair and I will not be drinking Ensure.
But it does appear that I am officially old and irrelevant.

Long Ago Dating Stories

I was reading JR’s dating stories and it got me thinking about some of my husbands.
Mine really are pretty normal and tame….but Rick’s are a damn hoot.

As I have mentioned before Rick and I were friends for years before we were ever a couple.
I would call him crying about my boyfriends, break ups or bad dates.
He would always have great wisdom for me from a man’s point of view and he would always try to comfort me.
He on the other hand would tell me these stories of his escapades and I would just laugh.
I wasn't much in the comfort area but mostly he deserved it.
I used to refer to the women in his life as the “Bimbos De Jour”
Trust me every week I'd hear about another.

Here are a couple of my favorites of his dates -
Rick was waiting on a friend as he sat at the bar. 
His friend called and said he wouldn’t be able to make it.
Rick stayed and had a couple more beers.
This tall woman came over to him and said hello and sat down next to him.
She bought him another drink. She then leaned in and said, “Take me home”  
Ooh Rick was now thinking, "Ricky gonna git some!"
As they were walking to his car he asked where she lived.
She said, “Oh no, I want to go to your home.”

He brings her back to his place and she asks where his bathroom is.
As she goes to the bathroom he puts on music, opens a bottle of wine, lights some candles. (I’m laughing already as I type this!)
She comes out of the bathroom and they have some more drinks and some serious kissing takes place.
Then she jumps up and asks if he has a shirt she can sleep in.
While he thought that was odd he says sure.  He goes to his room and gives her a T-shirt.
He leaves while she changes.

She comes out of his bedroom in this shirt and gets down on the floor and tells him that she has to do 100 sit ups every night so will he hold her feet?
Numbnuts  Rick thinks this is leading somewhere which is so damn funny to me.
Can't we all see that this woman is crazy?
How men get "that" thought from the weird ass things this chick is doing and saying is just beyond me.

So before she begins her 100 sit ups she tells him she lost over 100lbs and she never misses a night of sit ups. So he holds her feet. When she reaches 100 she gets up and goes to the bedroom. He follows. She gets into bed and as he tries to touch her she says, “Oh I just want to sleep.” He tells me that she fell asleep instantaneously and was now snoring like a mad truck driver while he is still scratching his head wondering, “What the hell just happened here?”

The following morning he gets up and takes her home. I pass him on the way to my parents to help mom with her garage sale. We pull over into a plaza and I ask, “Where the hell are you coming from at this hour you tramp?”
He tells me this story. I'm sorry but to me this is funny and I can’t stop laughing.

I ask him, “Where do you find these women? Is there a special store?”

“She was gorgeous Margaret you should have seen her.”

“Yea, well she may have been a looker but she sounds certifiable Richard.”

“Okay I am seeing that now. And the nut job still has my damn t-shirt.”
His concern for his T-shirt sent me over the edge into hysterics.

A year or so later we are out having a couple of drinks and he sees her and points her out to me. He is correct – she was truly drop dead gorgeous.  She came over to us and said hello to Rick and he introduced me.  She had what they call on How I Met Your Mother, “crazy eyes” When she walked away I said to Rick, “that woman is nuts but you can’t see behind a beautiful face and a great rack can you?”

“Apparently not”  he explains.

#2 – He continues to see this mail woman each time he is visiting a client.
He notices her tan beautiful legs. (it’s summer and she’s in shorts)
The last time he see her he gives his business card with his home number to his client and tells him to give it to his mail woman next time she comes in.

This woman, Leslie, calls him and invites him out for dinner and cocktails.
Of course he accepts. He called me to tell me about this.
Somewhere during this conversation I say to him, “Well she asked you out so at least you won’t have to pay, she will pay.”

I also share with him after finding out her name that I know who she is.
I met her once at a party because she knows a friend of mine.
Don't know her per se but I knew of her and she was pretty, that much I remember.

He is now digging this whole reverse situation of not having to choose the place to go or worry about anything more than meeting her there. I wish him good luck and tell him to call me tomorrow. Knowing full well that this isn't going to go well.

The next morning he does what he always did and calls me early and asks, “Are you alone, can we talk?”
Oh I was alone damn it! I ask how his date went.
He told me they seemed to connect pretty quickly.
After dinner she pushed the check to him. “I thought you told me she was paying Margaret?”

“Well when I ask a guy out I pay so I don’t know….did you pay then?”

“Yes of course I paid. Then I suggested we go have a couple of drinks at XYZ.”

"Nice, nice choice Rick”

“When I brought her home she asked me in. We had some really great kissing going on and we made plans for a few days later.”

“Well this sounds good Rick. She doesn’t sound like a psycho or a bimbo....so far”
We laugh.

The morning after his next date with her he calls me and leaves me a message – “Margaret you’ve gotta call me. Leslie is nuts.”

When I hear this message I laughed out loud and phoned him immediately.
Apparently after this date of a movie, a boat ride and some wine he takes her home.
Standing at her door Rick goes in for a kiss – she pushes him back and says, “I take my kissing seriously Rick”

He looks at her puzzled thinking “you just had your tongue down my throat a few days ago” but he does not say this out loud.
Instead he is confused as she shakes her head vigoriously again while saying, “no more kissing Rick”
He backs off and thanks her for a nice evening and leaves.
He calls me and says, “WTF is that about Margaret? ”

Oh the poor man. As I always do, I laugh!
Seriously how can you not laugh? I know I do not sound comforting with all the giggling taking place. But I do try.
I tell him,"She is playing a game. She wants to see if you only want to fool around or you want to have a relationship. She figures if you fall for this crap she’ll have you but if it makes you angry you can go away because she is husband hunting and doesn't want to waste her time. She then thinks you are just a player and well, honestly Rick you are."

"You really think that is what this was about Margaret?

"Yea, I do. Women like to play games for some reason instead of saying what they want. You have to read their minds – they're nuts.  What can I say?  I don't get that either"

"Well I am not playing games if she feels she has to do that shit then I want no part of it."

"Rick you know  what would have been a great response when she told you “I take my kissing seriously?” You should have said, “So I guess a blow job is totally out of the question then huh?”

He cracked up and said, "My God I should just date you!"

“Not on your life buddy, not on your life!!”

My Big Guy

My husband can remember being put into the kitchen sink for a bath when he was a tiny baby. He tells this funny story about how he remembers climbing out of his crib when he was under 2. Who remembers this shit? C’mon, he can’t remember anything I've told him in the last 24 years. So how does this work exactly?


My husband can hear lint fall to the floor. Yet when I speak he hears nothing.
He says my voice is like white noise. And yet I am not permitted to kill him.

My husband just got new eyeglasses. He never wore glasses until he turned 50.
But even with these new lenses he can’t seem to see the laundry basket sitting NEXT to the clothes he just threw onto the floor.

My husband has a great imagination too; he thinks laundry fairies exsist. They pick up his clothes that he throws next to the laundry basket. These fairies then fly his clothes to the laundry room a mere 6ft away.

My husband is stellar at cleaning the bathrooms. He wants them spotless and he makes them shine. But that is the only dirt he can see….EVER and ANYWHERE.
An example of this puzzling trait -
He thinks cleaning up the kitchen after a meal or anytime really means, just the loading of the dishwasher.
The food on the counters to be put away, the mess on the stove all mean nothing to him.
The dishes are in the dishwasher and he washed the pots and pans. It’s all done damn it! Crumbs on the floor?  Don't see 'em!  Burnt on grime on the stove top and sticky stuff on the kitchen island is completely invisible to my man and apparently only sticky to my touch.

My husband can build or repair anything. And I mean anything. You give him string, an orange and a felt tip pen and voila he has built you a new armoire. But for the love of all things good the man can’t handle the remote control, figure out the DVR completely or deal with the satellite dish when it goes out. Something goes awry with our technology and he hands it to me to figure out. They may have to revoke his man card on this one.

My husband makes me laugh and I mean belly laugh every damn day.
I don't know how he does it but I am thankful for it.
I know that if it weren’t for this great trait of his I’d be in a padded room.

Ya'll Come Back Now Ya Hear

I'll be back next week....see you all soon!

Happy Happy Happy?

In the big scheme of things in our world today my issues are so very small.
I am trying to not get upset or worked up about a lot of it but finding it difficult.
Which is odd isn't it?  Seriously I know these things are no big deal.
Is it the emotional toll of watching too much emotional tsunami coverage?
This morning when they showed all these children without parents not even crying but in utter shock and confusion I lost it.  I couldn't hold back the dam of waterworks.

I think I am going to give up news reports of all kinds for Lent. I know, I know, I'm not even Catholic or any part of an organized religion. But why should that stop me?  I was raised Catholic so I understand the season.

In the mean time we are only going to deal with happy, happy, happy.
In other words, I'm going to drink and take lots of happy pills

How are you dealing?

Friday's Thoughts

I have a friend who I first met back in May 1987.
We were both new to the city we were in and new to our jobs.
We both moved again, she to Northern Virginia and me all over the place until 11 years ago.
11 years ago I too moved to the same area as she and her husband.

She called me earlier this week for some help.
She has found that her husband has a mistress.
Now this was not a shock to me or Rick sadly.
But while she knew they hated each other and didn't want to be married she thought he would never cheat. (her exact sentence to me)
Even typing that I laugh.

I wrote about this topic a couple of years ago after one of her visits whining about her husband and her life to me. 
They are so mean to one another and as I stated in that blog post they are fine individually but together they are so toxic.  It's been damn right ugly for 22 years.

She asked me to gather some info for her online because she doesn't want a computer trail.
She also asked me to snoop on him. 
I will not do this for her.  I don't want any part of this mess.
I even suggested using the computer at the library. She was not happy with me when I said no.

She has stayed married because he keeps a beautiful roof over her head and allows her to do whatever it is she wants. She has not worked outside her home in 22 years. He has always resented that because over the years there have been times where they really needed an extra income. She held steadfast to no way she was getting a job outside her home. She makes no bones about any of this and is very frank in stating her reasons for staying to anyone who will listen.

They have 2 boy children, 19 and in college and 13.  The 13 year old has suffered from the constant yelling and bickering to the point that the school called them to come in to discuss.The counselor said the young boy broke down and cried when asked why he was fighting with kids and was so angry in class. He said his parents are mean to one another and his father takes it out on him.

When she told me this I asked how that made her feel. She blamed it all on her husband.
I just listened.  It was all blame and nothing about her young son. It broke my heart. 

So you can see that I wasn't surprised when she called this week and told me about the mistress.  She told Rick and I one evening that her husband told her if she wasn't going to have sex with him every day and at the very least 6 days a week he was going to look elsewhere.  When she left I said to Rick, "he is setting her up and will use this as an excuse that he warned her as he is out screwing around."  Sure enough.

He doesn't know she knows....yet.  She found things and off she went. She has made copies of receipts, texts, cell phone bills, etc.  She knows this woman well. He's been so sloppy and foolish or maybe he wants to get caught. He has never been a man with a backbone so maybe this way he doesn't have to initiate it all. Who the hell knows.
She told me that she is getting ready to get this moving. She wants him out of the house and 1/2 of his money.

This ought to be interesting but Rick and I want no part of this.
We explained that while we are sad that they are having to go through this we are friends with both and can't take sides or get in the middle of it all.
She wasn't happy with me since she said, "I was your friend first"
"True, Rick told her,  however over 22 years we became friends with the both of you and if her husband had asked me as a man to help him should I have said yes?" 

She talked for a couple of hours last night. Nothing new.  Same thing for 22 years. When I said I was so sorry she laughed and said she didn't even care. She never cried or was the least bit sad. I did ask if she's even had the time to cry and feel all this.
She said, "Oh I won't cry. I think I'm just relieved"
Wow was all I could think.  I can't wrap my head around it being so bad that you go to that place first, relief.

So I plan to spend my weekend loving my life.
I may not have a ton of money or all the trappings she has but I adore my hubby.
I love our life (most days) and I am thankful that I made a great choice for me  for a partner in life. 

Now if I could just find a way to divorce my new neighbors.....