FAMILY AT THE FORE

I'm back from a week-long visit with my 81-year-old dad and two younger sisters in Arizona. My dad is in poor health so the time with him was particularly precious; we enjoyed many memories, family photos, meals and little times together during the week, but it was hardly enough to show how much he means to me.

Such a visit at such a time is filled with emotion, not all of them loving or pleasant. Communication is not always what it should be and we are four adults each with our own baggage, needs and life situations. We managed, and it was a good trip. I hope my dad will enjoy each day and that we will care for his needs somehow and stick together through it all.

SOMEDAY.....

If I ever date again, my sister owes me at least 400 hours of ear-time....just sayin'.

[Latest chapter....good looking, interesting lawyer at work arranges to bump into her one day at the elevator so as to finally meet her. They have dinner. He's captivated by her and knows she in her 40's and divorcing; she finds out he's ****29****. She is all aflutter. I eye-roll in a good natured way and listen.]

NO SALE

I just got done refusing two new prescriptions at my pharmacy checkout. Eighty dollars total, and that's the co-pay amount. They were prescribed to battle a scalp problem that has at least contributed to a significant and alarming loss of hair. Fortunately, I have samples from my dermatologist so I'll make do on them until they're gone; perhaps they will be enough to take care of the problem. If not, well, I'll face that when the time comes.

Our company's new Health Care Plan is not even a month old and already it's killing me financially. I just don't have it after paying for my three maintenence medications which already straps me.

My advice: Get a life with two full household incomes. Get wealthy. If you can't get (and stay) wealthy, don't age, don't get sick, and don't require medications. You'll be facing a hollow plan on your own just when you need it.

THANK YOU, VETERANS

Today is Veteran's Day and my busy world it is flying by in comfort and safety because of the men and women who serve our country.

Thank you for your service. I am proud of your dedication, courage, care,
and selflessness as you face the daily demands of your service. I am humbled
by how much you, and your loved ones, sacrifice. May God bless and keep you
every day, and may those who have passed on be at peace.

HAH! I MUST BE WEARING A SIGN

A few unusual things happened at the grocery store tonight.

1)  I bought 12 tins and 2 bags of cat food.... despite the fact that as of yet I have no cat.

2) After stocking up my cart with cat food, another shopper in the asile asked if I loved cats ... and would I like one?  Wha?!!  Her mom's cat, Cloe, needs to find a new home. The woman assured me Cloe would love to just stay indoors but if so she would need to be declawed. She said this a few times so I'm wondering if Cloe is a furniture shredder...or what. Hopefully a photo of Cloe will arrive before my vacation (via snailmail) and I''ll share it in my journal. I have more questions about Cloe, and certainly would meet her before saying yes. Stay tuned!

MY FIRST GIF

Yay me! I have created my FIRST .GIF file! Of course it is All About Overg, because that is what he demands of his peeps.

PHOTO TEST

Scamp as a young one.....this has been a test to add larger pictures. Success on the 3nd try. First attempt photo was huge. Second was better, but required some Photoshop Elements work; this third photo has been lightened and sized a bit smaller. Now how do I add a photo to About Me???

CADS and DADS - Part 2 - DADS

Ok, so I've covered the topic of Lover-Cads. Now onto Dads. These are the Boyfriends/Mates that are compassionate, supportive, steady and all-around good to you. They will not break your heart. They will Care for You. They will Provide and be happy doing so.

Well, due to an oversight on my part, I have also been boyfriendless for a good stretch of time. You see, I was very busy with my life and happy and getting along just fine in a narrow-focus kind of way. Then one day I looked up, took a quick inventory, and, oops, no mate!  So, I'm all about remedying the situation. Stat.

This would be utterly impossible if not for my Hamster Time friend, and fellow blogger, GreenTuna who Showed me The Way. She has a boyfriend who is everything that one could want, and more. I am quite jealous of her for claiming him for herself.

 Therefore, I have sought out one of his best friend and am very delighted and fulfilled. We are a perfect match.

Click here to meet GreenTuna's wonderful boyfriend.

Click here to meet MY new boyfriend.

CADS and DADS, Part 1 - CADS

It's official. Women like Cads for Sex and Dads for Mating.

I prefer the term Lover to Cad because it's more positive, with the emphasis on the heady time (pun intended) before our lover breaks our hearts and gets branded as 'that Cad'.    In related news, last night Overgme gave tacit consent to be my lover when he told me in the HT chat, in front of Cap't Scurvy and everyone, that I could call him overg cuz all his lovers do. Therefore I am at least his implied lover. I'm running with it.  But actually we're well-suited for each other. I require the separation of at least 3 states distance between myself and my lovers lest things get too hot causing unforseen natural disasters. Overg's one purpose is to evangelize humanity as to the divine nature of kitties. As a easy convert I must only accept his message and write about him constantly. Perfect. I'll do that!   Of course the Day of the Cad will arrive, no doubt when a scampering ball of fur re-enters my life again. Then it will be over (sic) and my lover will become my cad. Let it be so. Comic Sans MS - 12 point AOL Journal is being difficult tonight so I'm coloring the new paragraph intros.

JOURNAL , 'QUEER EYE' STYLE

This is a Reader Participation Journal Entry, so take note, the few who pass through these gates on to better blogs.

I'm very up in the air, and overall dissatisfied with the Font/Size selections available at AOL Journals. For instance, what looks reasonably good from my home computer looks garishly large and 'in your face' from my work Mac. [This paragraph is Ariel - 12 point]. Please vote with a comment entry below as to which of the following is most comfortable for you:

1)  Ariel - 10 point       2)  Ariel - 12 point       3)  Ariel - 14 point

4) Comic Sans MS - 10 point    5) Comic Sans MS - 12 point 

6) Comic Sans MS - 14 point  7) Verdana - 10 point

8) Verdana - 12 point      9) Verdana - 14 point

10) Wingdings - 10 point    

The last entry was, of course, to accomodate my lover, overg (aka Xantar from the planet Oof)

 

THE SECRET IS OUT

Overgme is my secret lover. He has cats. He is Xantor from the planet Oof.

I just wanted you all to know.

This is a good thing, Overgme. Don't fight it.

KILL ME NOW

Thank God I made it home tonight without killing someone. Well, not someone, but Screechy Co-worker.

Today consisted of not one, but two check runs with attendant reports and usual special case situations; then there was the end of month inventory reports, computer snafu by A/R which made me have to run my stuff a second time, a shop inventory that was obviously filled out by someone on serious drugs, and all the other daily stupid interruptions. In short it was a hectic day that demanded full focus and attention to detail.

In the background the whole friggin' day our resident Office Screecher was on HIGH VOLUME about EVERYTHING.  The day started off, as it usually does, with her run-down of what she did last night. Loud voice. She tells people the same stories one at a time. Receptionist. Sales Manager. Sales people in her office. People who come by. Her nomal voice is so loud it carries not only to our offices, but down the hall outside our suite, so we all hear every conversation she has.

After the personal update she finally gets to her work, but she can't shut up about that either. I hear her work calls. Then after the calls she recaps them to the people around her and gets the imput she needs to process her inside sales transactions. Then it's personal stuff again. Then work. She does not shut up! This happens every day.

Today she came back from lunch angry and VERY LOUD about some comment another building tenant made to her that she thought was sexually harrassing. LOUD RECAP with EMOTION. SEVERAL TIMES. Then more work which included a loud, stressful frantic work problem. Finally, to cap things off, she had a long call from a customer that I thought was a personal call ... lots of stuff about her kids. This went on for the entire final hour. LOUD VOICE.

I have such a headache. It's as if her stressful tone bounced off the walls and enturbulated me; although my day was pressured, it was under control and I could have managed fine without the background screech.

I think I should ask for hazard pay.

THE CALL OF THE CAT

It's like I'm a werewolf or something.

I've been cat-less these past 2 years since the demise of my beloved Scamp, and it's been rough. His old age and my transition into middle-age was hard on us both and I'm still dealing with the latter. The knees are not doing so well and I've been reluctant to commit to a kitty because, among other things, it would require more hauling.

With a second floor apartment the haul factor is significant. I already haul my own food and big bags of birdseed for the wild birds and a cat would mean adding big bags of cat litter, cat food tins and bags of dry food. Then there is the haul down to the garbage. And feeding and cleaning in between.

Yet I get these great urges to run out and get a kitty, or young cat. That's the werewolf going wild for a feline companion.  It rages up and takes over for a few days and then I become 'normal' again. This weekend there was another flare (not unlike the solar electromagnetic flare happening at the same time... hmmm); only my impending trip kept me in control.

The time nears!

LIFE-BOT WHIRLS

The only dimension to my life lately can be expressed in two words : logistical imperatives. What needs to be done, where, and when? Just the facts. I am life-bot, see me whirl, hum, zip, and pause ever so briefly for a new download of things to get done RIGHT NOW.

Last night was consumed preparing my shipping box for my upcoming trip to Arizona. I allow those hunky UPS guys to handle my 'luggage' for me these days, but I must oblige their schedule. So, it was zip around the apartment for this, and for that, and back again for this, until sometime during Letterman when the label went on the box and I whirled back and hummed with satisfaction at a task complete. Pause. Download Bedtime Task list-reprioritized (dishes in sink - tomorrow); zip; horizontal tilt; sleep mode. At last.

Today's lunchtime I had to race across town for a flu shot and then back to another office to pick up films for some minor surgery scheduled for Monday. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and need to get to my old bank (to close account) and new bank which means more lunchtime race-abouts. Life-bot's batteries are about out of zip.

CURSES! FOILED AGAIN!

I spent my entire lunch hour composing a new entry for Message In A Bottle. It was a good entry (honest!). Of course AOL decided to be EVIL, telling me that only the owner can add an entry. Duh. After that it wouldn't even let me get in from my work (Mac) Browser. See how much I suffer. *sniff*

Now I must actually work for my company for a few more hours....

MISS REMISS

Where has this weekend GONE?  I had a long list. Then I sat down at the computer to chat/watch Friday night's While You Were Out and What Not To Wear. 8 hours later, at 4:30 AM Saturday morning I finally logged off and went to bed. Of course I did more than chat/watch TV. I scanned and edited more family slides and I played Alchemy for a few hours until I couldn't keep my eyes open. Sometimes I go crazy like that.

I think it was the evening coffee. In any case, after I awoke mid-day, I lingered in bed until 2:30 PM before getting up, showering, and getting back on the computer  for more slide work. At 7 PM I got a call from my two college friends, sisters, living in Oregon. We shared life, or what has become of it, for about 3 hours. What an absolute joy they are, my greatest 'treasures' from my college years in California. Our 34 years of friendship remains fresh despite the distance.

So, now it is the early hours of Sunday morning and I must not repeat last night's marathon. Time for bed, with hopes that I'll be able to sleep and get off this rediculous schedule I've created in time for the upcoming workweek. My tasks from my To Do list remain undone. Just call me Miss Remiss.