Cleanliness is next to....

*grumble*

Wouldn't it just figure that I've got all this farking ENERGY to do stuff, but Dr. Brad still says no bending, lifting, twisting, vacuuming...

The cats see these restrictions as carte blanche to vomit hairballs all over the place. Making me have to clean them up surepptitiously bending - as the vacuum is still off limits. I think they (the cats) do this on purpose.

So I got my prize for winning the caption contest over by Mr. Farty's. It is a Dalek!! A red Dalek with silver spots. If you tap him on the head, the talks in Dalek, and if you drag him backwards, he drives himself around for a bit. For the time being, he is living on my monitor - but I may have to find him a new home shortly because C my Co-Worker is green with envy and I don't trust the cleaners. Here he is sitting next to "Peacecat" at work, but I may take him home on Friday to protect him from the evil janitors.

187 days

Blog Blarg

Some weeks are harder than others in which to blog.

This last weekend I had promised myself to update - yet another in a long string of things I've promised to me and conveniently forgotten.

I did, however, get a number of other things done, some of which I'd been procrastinating for quite a while. For instance - went to see the Hospital Vampires and got blood tests drawn - Met a very nice phlebotomist named Ruth who got me in one almost-painless stick! No call from my Dr. office so I must be near-normal. They always call quick when there is a problem. I procrastinated on this one because you had to do it "12 hours fasting" which I kept forgetting on the weekends, and couldn't be bothered over driving to the hospital real early on weekdays. In the end, got there RIGHT as they opened, 15 min. later I was out of there and on my way to:

The AIR TEAM facility, where I went and got my car's emissions tested. They sent me this scarey yellow notice that said if I didn't do it, they wouldn't sell me updated license plate stickers, and since my plates come due in September, it seemed curiously ambitious of me to handle this so early - BUT I DID!! and all this before:

Breakfast at Omega Restaurant. They make really FLUFFY omelets. I usually don't like the fluffy ones at other places because they're generally partially raw in the centers, but the ones at Omega are just lovely. Big glass of grapefruit juice and a couple of sausage links and I was good-to-go to:

Costco! Where I got my latest drugs picked up and replaced my cheap crappy DVD player that died after only a year, with one that was only marginally more expensive, but made by Sony and has a warranty.

Went home, paid my mortgage online - ON TIME - and then:

Watched National Treasure 2. It sucked. It was National Treasure 1 with a less credible plot, and too many of exactly the same stunts, visual FX and cliche's. Nicholas Cage is NOT aging well.

Missed Lea a lot because of that. It's the kind of thing we would have discussed to death for at least 15-20 minutes, laughing at each other's impressions.

189 days

"Courtesy" calls

I hate telemarketers. I despise ANYONE who telephones me whom I do not know. I want them ALL to die in a fire.

I hate collections calls (both making them and getting them!), but at least I understand them. Now, I'm not complaining about my Dr's office that gives me a Courtesy Call to let me know I have a Dr. appointment (since it's usually 3 months between appts, and I have the attention span of a gnat and a memory like a steel seive)

What I am ranting on right now is these so-called "Courtesy Calls" from vendors. My mortgage company was the first and worst.

Me: Hello?

ST(Stupid Twat): Hi, I'm calling from Sewmouse's Mortgage Company, is Ms. Sewmouse available?

Me: This is Sewmouse, is there a problem with my mortgage?

ST: Before I can tell you anything, I have to verify that you are, in fact, Ms. Sewmouse - I'll need you to answer these Very Personal Questions.

Me: Look, your phone number comes up in my caller ID as "Unavailable" - YOU called ME - I think that it is imperative that YOU prove to me who YOU are, before I give you my Very Personal Answers. Now - IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH MY MORTGAGE?

ST: I'm sorry, but until you answer these Very Personal Questions, I cannot answer that. Here is a telephone number you can call to verify that I am calling from Sewmouse's Mortgage Company.

Me: How the fuck do I know this isn't some phishing scam and this phone number belongs to Nat Pagle* who will CLAIM to be Sewmouse's Mortgage Company just to get my Very Private Answers???

The last 6 exchanges continue in the same vein for about 5 minutes... then
ST: (Hangs up on me)

The next morning I called my mortgage company direct (from the phone number on my little mortgage-payment-slips). The very polite lady there told me there was nothing wrong with my mortgage, but that it had been a "courtesy call" to let me know my payment was due in a few days. I asked her to name me ONE PERSON who would have considered that call to have been "Courteous". She failed.

Yesterday a ROBOT PHONE VOICE called our office to ask us to return their call to Federal Express - the COLLECTIONS division - and to MAKE SURE WE HAD OUR ACCOUNT NUMBER READY. Excuse me??????? Do I REALLY look like the type of person who can be pushed around by a disembodied robot phone voice????

Not to mention the fact that with more than one location, and several FedEx services, we have a number of Fedex account numbers. Would have been nice if the dipshit phone voice had indicated WHICH ONE.

So, in an effort to be obnoxious back, I returned the call to the Fedex Revenue Dept - and began dealing with what STARTED OUT as a snotty little collections agent. Of course, I quickly took the upper hand by demanding that he tell ME what account number concerned him, as I had several and really had no time to deal with this nonsense. SLCA lost a bit of his bluster.

Oh - then he wanted my phone number. Well, I can TRY to do that, although we DO have a 12-number hunt-group, so if it's not the main number, we're SOL. About this time SLCA started to become almost human. "Oh, here it is - this was just a COURTESY CALL - to let you know your Fedex bill is a little overdue"

So I told him that there was nothing at all "COURTEOUS" about having a robot telephone voice call - in fact it was downright RUDE - and that if they couldn't manage the COURTESY of having an actual PERSON make the call, then I usually do not bother to return them.

He hung up on me too. How COURTEOUS is that?


*WoW players will probably get the reference.

193 days

The Time Has Come, The Walrus Said...

to talk of many things:

Herbie and Roger

Roger is a goose. Roger lives in my back garden behind ze Lilies. Roger is made out of plastic, and at one time had a dapper little red velvet bow tie, but it has succumbed to the elements over the years. This is Roger:

Roger got his name from... I have no freaking clue. I only remember one day when Amanda was maybe 4 or 5 years old, and we were driving around and saw a bunch of geese. And somehow we named one of them Roger, and for years thereafter Amanda would ask for a "Roger" story, which always began with "Roger was a silly goose...." and I'm not 100% certain, but I believe that somewhere along the line we added in the bit about how trees eat squirrels, then poop them out as acorns, which the mean ducks with teeth eat.... Don't ask me. I don't remember. Stupid nonsense rambling stories were my forte. Still are. Q.E.D.

This is Herbie, my terra-cotta garden gnome in his Natural Environment - in the unusual circumstance of being laying on his BACK instead of on his face.

This is Herbie sitting on top of the Ginormous blue and white drinks cooler that I use instead as a garden shed, as my garden is far too small for a real shed, and the housing association won't allow them anyway. Herbie is standing next to a hand trowel and an 8" diameter potted plant for size comparison. Also because I was too lazy to move the trowel and plant. Meh.

Heads up to Kalshassan and Amanda - I need new mailing addresses!!! Not just e-mails, but snail-mails too! Phone numbers?.......................

So - we did the 4th of July thing - Brats, Beer and BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Kitties do not like firecrackers. Or roman candles set off in the street outside our condo. Or M80's. Kitties hide under the chairs, then come out and give me dirty looks as if I were responsible.

The cats were NOT HAPPY. They kept looking at me like " Mom. Make it stop. NOW"

I have GOT to find a way to listen to the video/audio of the people heckling Bush at a recent event. *grin* Seems like more people are "getting it"!!

This week is factory shut-down week for our company. So how come machines are running and the guys in shipping are working? Hmmmmmmmm???? (Don't answer. I'm sure there is a very good reason that I am just not getting, per usual.)

I am this [] close to getting a new chair for the upstairs office area. The old chair is broken, and the folding chair I've been using as a temporary replacement suxxors. Hurts my back. Maybe I should get a wireless mouse and a recliner...

195 days

Garden Photos

For Croila & Amanda:

I forgot to get a picture of Herbie and Roger The Goose... I'll get them tonite!

Front yard splotch of Yellow with dying Peony flowers - the yellow will last all summer until fall, when the pink/brown chrysanthemum (too short to see right now) behind the peony will bloom.

Back yard "jungle" - on the far right are MANY more pink lilies that will open soon.

Just Realized This Didn't Post

I was going to post this on Friday, but then I got interrupted at work and didn't... Found it under "Drafts" - so I guess I'll finish it now:


Oy, it strikes me as seriously unpleasant that getting one's hip/leg/knee/ankle/goddamnsciaticnerve fixed up requires a period of MORE pain before one encounters LESS pain. Just sayin'. Owie.



It was raining rather heavily this morning, but I went to the end of the walk (covered by the roof) and saw that the lemon-yellow daylillies have started to bloom out front. Yes, Ms. Croila, I WILL take a photo as soon as there is sunshine on them. Out back, the weeds have proliferated in astonishing quantity - and I suspect I'll have to let the garden go for a bit now because of the back/leg situation. Dr. Brad says no bending, lifting, twisting or vacuuming. Owie.



I suppose I shall just have to make more small trips to the grocery market instead of one big one. I guess that's ok. Owie.


6/30/08 ...

I took some pictures of the flowers. I'll get them off the camera tonite and post them, I guess. Have another appointment with Dr. Brad tonite, leg is so much better, but there is still tightness and pulling, so I know it's not completely well yet. Ouch.





It's funny how even now, at 52 yrs old - I still have that childish notion that life somehow has an element of "Fair" about it. I keep thinking how UNFAIR it is that Leandra was taken away when I, and her family, need her so much. Of course, given the "Schoolhouse Earth" theology, perhaps that is exactly why she was taken - because we relied on her too much and need to move on by ourselves or we won't learn properly. Still and all, that feeling remains.

Her son-in-law cried to me on the phone for about an hour yesterday. How much he misses her... and how helpless he feels to comfort his wife. And how he doesn't feel "manly" for being a crying mess... It really must suck to be a guy and need to be macho.

I think she's haunting me. Every so often I can hear her voice "Heh-Roh!!!" the way she used to greet me on the phone, and feel her nagging me to get things done. *sigh*

Ok, so I did MY part and notified her online friends - to the extent that I was able to do so. Her daughter is supposed to send me her "contacts" list from her computer, but I'm not 100% certain that she will. The girl means well, but doesn't always follow-thru.

Ok - back to work. Last day of the month and all that. Meh.

203 days

Leandra has passed away.

I lost a sister this morning. Her daughter called me early and told me that we'd lost her about an hour and a half prior. She went peacefully, in no pain, in her sleep, as she wanted. Oh Goddess, I am going to miss her so very much.

Yeah, I know she's gone on to the "next thing" - whatever it may be - but dammit, she will be so horribly, terribly missed. I've never before in my life met someone who shared damn near ALL my interests, who understood my thinking almost as well as I do (sometimes better.. *grumble*)

I know that when I grieve, I grieve not for her - for she led a full, and glorious life - but for myself - and her family and other friends, who are left behind and hurting.

I promised her that I would let her friends online know when she died. I know some of them read here too - and although she gave me her blog access, I can't seem to get it to work, so I'm posting here hoping that word gets out to those who care.

I've been pretty damn lucky in my friends through my life - but none of them has been so similar, so precious in her own right - as Leandra. To think we met in a stupid video game...

I think I'm going to go have a good cry and feel-bad for a bit.

205 days...... I hope you were right, Lea...

Freckles and... Living la vida seta del portobello

When I was a kid, I wanted freckles. My best friend had freckles, and I wanted them too. We both had long blonde hair, blue/green eyes, similar facial features - but she had freckles. Her mom was swedish - my mom was never pregnant, so I have no idea where my lack of freckles came from.

Now that I'm OLD - I'm developing freckles on my arms and hands. 52 fucking years I've had to wait for my damn freckles - and some VERY KIND FRIEND has had the chutzpah to tell me they aren't freckles at all, but liver spots.

They're my freckles, dammit, they're FRECKLES - and that's my story and I'm sticking with it so there, phllhhhbbbhhttt.

The question arises, however, as to HOW these freckles have come to be. You see, I've been put on a different hypertension med for the last 2 1/2 months, "Avilide", and I know it didn't cause the freckles, because they've been there for a bit, just getting a little more obvious lately - but the Avilide says that I need to stay out of direct sunlight or strong light for extended periods of time.

Living la vida seta del portobello. Mushrooming. I keep the shades down and stay out of the garden for the most part. I don't know why I have to be a mushroom, but the med warning was on a BRIGHT RED sticker in BIG LETTERS, so it must be very important.

So how come if I'm living like a 'shroom, am I able to grow more freckles???

My leg is much better, thank you for inquiring. Dr. Brad is kind of like this miracle worker for my back and hip problems. I should have known better than to try and get Dr. Nick to fix this - he's only an MD.


207 days

7 words

Shit.

Shit piss fuck cunt cocksucker motherfucker tits.

George Carlin died. That sucks and doth not swallow in the worst way.

Leandra's oncologist discontinued her chemotherapy. Apparently although there are no new tumors on her liver - the ones she has are larger. It's not helping, and she's not going to make it.

Fortunately, the Dr. says that it will be pretty much painless and easy. She will become progressively weaker, then just slip away. Knowing Lea, I suspect the "progressively weaker" bit is going to rankle some - but she's taking it with a good attitude. She's pretty certain she will have to go into a hospice soon, as her sister is having progressively more difficulty in helping her - and if it becomes worse, her sister won't be able to cope alone.

I had hoped she would make it to Election Day. I know how much she's cared about this election cycle. I don't think it will happen - but it might. I'm pretty sure she's never going to quilt again, tho.

So I guess that the quilt for Iroc (who is still AWOL and hasn't gotten it yet) will be the last one that is a collaborative effort between us. *sigh* We made a good team.

As for me - well, it's been a rough bit of a while for me, as my back decided to do the "take a hike" routine and has been "out" for about 2 weeks. I let medical science have it's chance, but I cannot sleep with my sciatic nerve bouncing around my hip and leg like a frog on Ecstasy - so I'm going to see Dr. Brad tonite and let him tinker with it via Chiropractic.

210 days

The letter I'm e-mailing my family tonight.

Dear Family:

I’ve gotten a number of forwarded e-mails from some of you over the last months, many of which contain lies, half-truths and false insinuations about Senator Barack Obama, the current presumed Democratic candidate for President.

I love and respect you all, which makes this very difficult for me, because I do not believe that as good, Christian men and women you are wishing to bear false witness against a man simply because you disagree with his political stands. Please read this through, because it’s really rather important to me that you know these things before you forward e-mails.

By all means, please check the information, then forward anything that you find that specifically (and IN CONTEXT) would be something that would affect my decision to vote or not vote for Senator Obama. His (true) stands on issues, his attitudes on family, country, constitution… these things matter, and I want to know.

But the most recent of these e-mails had several of the typical “swiftboating” attempts to discredit the Senator based on nothing more than his name, or the accessories he wore, or what someone else whom he knew had said.

Senator Barack Hussein Obama was born 8/4/1961. His father was Arabic, his mother was from Kansas. The senator’s first name means “Blessed” – and comes from the HEBREW name “Barach”. His middle name, Hussein, means “Handsome” in Arabic.

Picture if you will, a young mother with her infant boy – choosing to name him “Blessed” and “Handsome” – in much the same way that Mary chose “God With Us”, and I chose to name Amanda, because it meant “Worthy to be Loved”, and my parents chose “Joan” because it means “God’s Gift”.

As much as these e-mail authors would like you to believe otherwise, Senator Obama had no control over what his mother chose to name him – in much the same way as another man had no control over his mother choosing “Laverne Francis” (We note that Laverne changed his name later in life. Can you just imagine the OMGWTFBBQ COVERUP!!!!! brouhaha that would have ensured had the press or Republican Smear Machine discovered that Senator Obama had changed his name?????)

More importantly, Senator Obama was NOT named for Saddam Hussein. At the time the Senator was born, the former Iraqi dictator was only 24 years old and had not yet come to power in any sense in Iraq. It wasn’t until 1976 that Saddam became a powerful force in Iraqi politics, when Senator Obama was only 15 years old.

Yes, Obama is an Arabic name. Interestingly enough, Senator Obama’s father is Arabic. My maiden name was of German origin. Does this mean I automatically espouse all the worst (or any) of Hitler’s Nazi Party acts/thoughts? Does the fact that my boss’s surname is Italian mean he shares the traits of Machiavelli or Mussolini or Julius Ceasar?

Please remember this – the next time you get an e-mail, or a mass-mailer in your mailbox – that emphasizes in BIG BOLD RED LETTERS that Senator Obama’s full name is Barack Hussein Obama.

As for a flag pin? How many of you wear one? How many of you wear one constantly, everywhere you go? How many of you actually OWN one? I certainly don’t – I never have. I never will. I love the United States as much as anyone – but I don’t believe that wearing a flag pin is necessary for that. In fact, I would assume that even a 9/11 hijacker could have worn a flag pin, if it would have furthered his cause. Jewelry accessories are a VERY poor means of judging a person’s patriotism, in my not-so humble opinion.

And finally – what is it about Republicans and their penchant for deciding that every candidate shares the same exact views of their entire family and social network? I know for a FACT that many of you share quite different political views than myself, and many differing social, entertainment and yes – even religious viewpoints.

I have friends who are Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Buddhists – I have coworkers who are Muslim, and acquaintances who are Pagans and Atheists. Just because I enjoy their company in other areas does not mean I share their religious views. I have friends and family who are Lutheran and firmly espouse the teachings of the man known as Saul of Tarsus – but that doesn’t mean I share those views either.

I am a social liberal, a fiscal conservative and a firm believer in the checks and balances and separation of powers granted in the Constitution. I do not believe in Reaganomics, nor in “Amnesty” for illegal border-jumpers. I believe that any medical decisions should be made only between a person, their doctor and their Deity - that govenment has no business in the decisions.

I think for myself – and NOBODY speaks “FOR” me but me – or someone I personally designate to do so. Try as I can, I have not once found any place where Reverend Wright was designated by Senator Obama to speak for him.

It occurs to me that:

A) Reverend Wright has the right to his own opinion, no matter how Wrong, and

B) Senator Obama really has no control over the opinions of anyone other than *drumroll* Senator Obama, and

C) Reverend Wright isn't up for election.

I hate to have to say this, but there have been PLENTY of things that Pastors/Ministers/Ayatollas/Priests/Saul of Tarsus have said that I vehemently disagree with - but that doesn't mean I would automatically condemn them to hell - except for Saul of Tarsus.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Love, Joan

216 days