Weird.......

Two strange things to relate........

1. This morning I nearly met my Maker as a HUGE pickup truck was careening head on straight into me just before he moved back in his lane. It was a MAN driving. He was READING a NEWSPAPER. While he was DRIVING.

2. One of the sweetest ladies on our office......her husband won the $100,000 lottery. She was overjoyed. Seems she had been to Steinmart shopping for new clothes. I congratulated her and found myself thinking......a $100,000 won't go very far after taxes. It's not enough to retire early. I felt jaded. I couldn't believe I was thinking it.

Weird......weird........

I cried in front of the cable guy.........

Yesterday I had an appointment to convert all my cable boxes (yes, BOXES - don't ask how many TVs) to the new DVR service. (Remember I said I was taking back my Tivo?) So, the cable guy shows up yesterday. I take him upstairs. I notice his boots. I ask him, "Are those military boots?" He says, "Yes ma'am. I was a marine." He is really young. So I ask him, where you in Iraq? "Yes ma'am, three tours there."

Well,I happen to serve as a Soldiers' Angel. It is a program that Patti Patton-Bader established. She's the grandniece of General George Patton. You can help in many ways - serve on the ESquad sending emails, the Letter Writing Team, Adopt a Soldier, etc. I've done several of them, but I really enjoyed adopting a soldier. Here's the link if you want to investigate and/or help: http://www.soldiersangels.com. I've had several who are now home. I just got a new one.

So Cable Guy and I chatted about the program, and he says, "I couldn't have an angel." He goes on to explain that he served as a marine sniper. He said, "I told them I had to get out or I was going to go AWOL." He then showed me the left side of his face. He had a scar where he had been grazed in the head by a bullet and scrapnel. He said that he was on a vehicle with some other guys when they were told to jump. He was the only one to survive. He finished up, and I always tip service people when they come to my house. As he left, he turned to shake my hand and tell me to ask for him if I needed help again. I pressed some bills into his hand to say thank you.......and I could only croak out, "Thank you.......thank you for all you've done."

Here's the song........what do you think?

STICKWITU (Pussycat Dolls)

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Windfall Spending

Yes, yes, I'm overdue for a reporting of wild, reckless spending. LOL. I AM freaking out a bit. I have spent a whole bunch of money recently. Seems as though I've been handing that card over and signing a bunch. What have I bought recently -- brand new comforter and bed linens! I bought a TIVO but I'm taking it back. I just ordered the service from my cable vendor instead. I had another facial........yummmmm. I bought two gorgeous necklaces - one for a friend. I also bought two CDs - Cash - by Johnny Cash and (don't die please) but The Pussycat Dolls' CD. No, I am NOT a teenager - but yes, I like this CD. I wrote earlier about "Don't Cha." Well, they have a cool song called, "StickwitU." Now, the English minor in me shudders at the spelling and assassination of the grammar and the phrase itself - "Stick with You" BUT........the song will lower your blood pressure and the blend of those voices is really really soothing.

A Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day today! No calls awakening me today. Gorgeous outside.......crisp but gorgeous. I had a nice dinner at home courtesy of my friend Barney who dropped by. We had some delicious strawberries. My daddy always says the best strawberries come from Watsonville, CA. Barney had already checked, and they were from Watsonville! We had a nice smile over that! Yesterday, heading to Blockbuster, I saw a lone mom and daughter selling - yes, you guessed it - Girl Scout cookies outside. I could NOT pass them by. Poor girl was the only one from her troop selling at their booth sale as they were all at a Soccer tournament. I bought five boxes. They were ecstatic.....and they were both freezing. Buy some cookies! I'm already running out of Thin Mints.

Why on a Saturday Morning?

Will someone tell me why the heck I am awake before 6am on a Saturday morning when I could easily sleep in???????? I am going to try to go back to sleep......zzzzzzzzzzz

Giggly

Uh huh. I was giggly yesterday. I got my nails done so I felt ever so much better. I was feeling SO GOOD that I took off for a little jog forgetting about my foot! That was NOT SMART. My foot started swelling and aching. I'm an idiot. Thank heavens it feels better today. OK.......so Old Baldy asked me who I am for in the NCAA Tournament. Um.....Chris, Kelly or Katherine. No wait, (giggling), that's American Idol. I'm for Georgetown or Bradley. I'm a sucker for underdogs. Georgetown mainly because I SHOULD have gone there for college. I let family keep me from doing it. There's a lesson for you -- you can be TOO obedient. You can be TOO GOOD a kid. Go Georgetown!

What's a Girl to Do?

Blogger.....you are driving me crazy! I have had such a frustrating time posting. I sure didn't hit a windfall with the blogspot server I reside on! (Yes, yes, I am ending a sentence with a preposition.) It is tiring to keep trying to post to be told the website isn't working. I MISS Y'ALL. Speaking of tiring, I think I reported that I am now spending the money on a REAL manicurist. I had some gel nails put on and I must say my hands look fantastic. Of course, they look fantastic until the manicurist gets sick and can't do your touch-up and then you tear ligaments in your foot and can't get to the makeup appointment. Then one of the lovely nails breaks, goes into the quick and.....crap it hurts. Luckily I have good pain medication for the foot that fends off headaches and nail breakage. Speaking of the pain medication, it is almost frightening how fast I go "down for the count" after taking it. I mean I feel almost unrousable. And I don't have pleasant dreams either. I can see why people get hooked on drugs -- to avoid physical and mental pain. But man, it is NOT worth it. On the plus side, the facials and new skin regimen have my face looking like a 20 year old! Some things ARE worth it. Some things ARE a PAIN.

Girl Scout Day

Hi y'all.....Thanks for the well wishes on my foot. Today was the prearranged day for my Girl Scout Troop's booth sale for cookies. I have eight girls (Cadettes) that are 12-14 -- all in 7th grade. I had arranged with my Kroger to have a booth sale there. We had $400 worth of cookies to sell. I knew I couldn't take my pain medicine and drive and sit up there so I just took the anti-inflammatory drug. As I dressed, I kept repeating the mantra, "I know I can do this; I know I can do this." It worked. As I got in the car, it was SLEETING. LOL......We started at 10am and finished up at 2pm. I made it the entire four hours. My foot is really really hurting now but not as bad as yesterday. I am shaking like a leaf but I did make it. I wouldn't have given anything for the experience. The girls learned four lessons today: (1) smiling helps to sell; (2) asking helps; (3) saw people come up and just DONATE money (learned the art of giving -- no matter how small; and (4) witnessed the next troop coming in and saw RUDE parents virtually shoving our girls out of the way (learned how NOT to behave). Oh, and they sold all but one box of cookies. Go Girl Scouts Go!

Ouch......more than ouch........

Have you ever had intense pain? Have you ever had it wake you up in the middle of the night? Have you ever had it in the arch of your foot? I've had it the past two days. Couldn't sleep at all last night. I was actually crying from the pain. I finally went to the ER today. I have torn ligaments/tendons....whatever. My blood pressure is up from being in so much pain. The doctor gave me some good drugs - one for pain and one for inflammation. I have a constant ice pack on my arch. My house is a mess. My kitchen is a mess. My laundry needs to be done. I can't drive. What on earth am I going to do?

Yes, There is Someone

I have a received a couple of emails and comments wondering where I've been and if it is because I have a new man in my life. Well, in a manner of speaking, I have had a "new-ish" man in my life. "New-ish" because he arrived here on Monday and didn't leave until yesterday. He's my daddy. He lives about eight hours away via car. But, he's really not new in my life. They say there is nothing like a father-daughter relationship. I have always idolized my daddy. He was brought up in a single parent as the baby. But, he was NEVER a baby. He started working as a little boy riding with the milkman delivering the bottles to the doors. He got a nickel for it and all the milk he could drink. He worked his entire life doing really hard work. He didn't even have a bed growing up -- he slept on inner tubes. He went to college on sports scholarships. He was in the army and invited to OCS. He opted to work for the Post Office and moved rapidly up the ranks. I still remember his offices (with a door). I made a hideous pencil cup for him from an orange juice can with red paper and orange bird stickers on it. He still has it. Everyone says I look just like him -- blonde hair and green eyes. I take that as a compliment. He has a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor. Everyone says I have his personality too. I don't know. He worked his (pardon me) ass off his entire life, and people say I have done the same. I'm sure I take after him with that. There are people who might say that he does not have enough to show for all his hard work, but they are wrong. He went from having nothing to having quite a bit. He's been a college professor, a Regional Manager, an author......but most of all, he has a daughter that loves him as much as anything in the world. As I've said before, money can't buy happiness. And it can't buy love either.

The Best Banana Pudding

Guess what I'm baking today? Banana Pudding. I have a special request, so I have to -- not that I MIND. I usually use the one on the back of the Nilla Wafer box, but last night for kicks, I googled banana pudding recipes. Goodness gracious! There are LOADS of them! A Texas cookbook claims it has the BEST banana pudding with the added BONUS that it can teach me to cook like a REAL Texan. Southern Living magazine has great recipes, and it boasts the ones above. (The Texas cookbook didn't SHOW theirs online.) I am seriously considering the one on the left because it still uses the Nilla wafers but also uses blueberries in it too! YUMMMMY. I may just revert to the Nilla box one. At any rate, come this afternoon, I will have a cooked banana pudding! Have a SWEET day!

The Constant Gardener

I've been doing quite a bit of Spring cleaning. Exhausting. Awoke with leg and foot cramps from running up and down my stairs putting things in their proper spot. I had wanted to see some of the films who had won Oscars. In particular, since Rachel W. swept all the awards in her category, I really wanted to see The Constant Gardener. Let me tell you - I'm glad I "pay-per-viewed" it. It was excellent. I typically love Ralph Fiennes, but I didn't fall in love with him in this picture. The story and Rachel were mesmerizing. Their relationship was mesmerizing as well. I highly recommend it. I probably would watch it again. That's how good it was. She deserved the Oscar.

Bewildered.........

Wow, I can't believe it's taken me this long to post! On Thursday, I had something really weird happen. I'm not proud of it actually. I stopped in to my optician's to get my glasses adjusted and my contacted cleaned. I usually don't have to wait, but they were busy. I sat down as some man was explaining that he needed $3000 worth of sunglasses for a movie he was involved in somehow. The opticians weren't quite buying it. I had a conference call so I had to run home. I realized I had the time wrong so about a half an hour later, I'm back at the optician's. Everyone was still there and a woman with a child had walked in ahead of me. DRAT! It was a circus; obviously, the movie man's credit cardS (yes plural) had been declined. He was pretty slick. He made a big show of calling the "producer's office." First, he was going to provide an American Express number; then he decided on a check. I had very strange vibes. In the midst of this, the child began pulling umbrellas out of the stand and waving them around wildly. "Movie Man" turns out to have "Movie Woman" sitting on the sofa waiting for him. Let me say -- neither of them look like "Movie People" -- whatever that is. I turned my attention from the "Movie People" to the "Incredibly Misbehaving Child" or "IMC." IMC, perhaps tuning into the weird vibes in the room, began to mutter loudly and became very disruptive. I then focused my attention on the mother who seem to be one of those who said "No" but really don't mean it. I studied her when suddenly I realized that I KNEW her. She was my best friend in high school who had suddenly began ignoring my emails and cards after we graduated. I couldn't believe how she looked! Not at all like the girl who was in beauty pageants, etc. At the precise moment, I realized who she was, I realized that her son was not .....typical.......He became louder and louder. Movie Man was too walking around talking on his cell phone arranging for "a check to be driven over." I looked over at IMC as his mother/my ex-friend was having to remove his contacts for him. He lightly screamed out. Finally it was my turn, and I opted to stay quiet. I didn't stay hello to my (ex?)friend. She looked as though her hands were full. Besides, she had cut off communications with me. Why? I left.......and I felt strange and sad. In an odd turn of events, yesterday, I had an argument with a family member on the subject of friends. It cut. It especially cut knowing what had happened on Thursday. He apologized fairly soon afterward. It didn't matter though, because I know I'm a good friend. I know my friends love me. I don't need anyone to tell me that. I just wasn't such a good friend in my past. Maybe the past just belongs in the past. Maybe all we can do is go forward and make things right with present and do the best you can with the people in your life now.

If we find our common roots..........

I chose this picture as this painting was done by Chris and Dana Reeve. Their message of hope with this art is "If we find our common roots, we will grow." Amazing isn't it? I think they were both amazing, but I think Dana in particular was the personification of TRUE beauty. They had it right. "If we find our common roots, we will grow." Peace.

I can't believe it?

I can't believe it. I simply can't. First, Felicity Huffman, one of the stars of TV's Desperate Housewives, wins an Emmy. Next, she arduously studies to portray a transsexual in the movie Transamerica. She does so well -- she gets nominated for an Academy Award. Not only that, she almost knocks off my girl Reese Witherspoon! Add to all that - she's married to a fabulous character actor - William H. Macy - and they have at least two kids. I'm teetering of the edge of "suspended disbelief." But - this morning, I sign on to AOL - and NOW - I can't believe it - Felicity is now an AOL Life Coach! Does she SLEEP? LOL.....All of this reminds me of a time in my former company when I had a hugely successful year, I kept getting awards and nominated for everything. One of my mentors told me that she heard an executive say, "WFW is just overexposed." No, he didn't mean I was racy, indecent. He was just sick of hearing my name. It really hurt my feelings at the time, and I couldn't understand it. So, I'm not going to say the word "overexposed;" I'm just going to say "I can't believe it."

Walk the Line........and Oscars

As tired as I was, I kept my eyes pried open until I could see the Best Actress category. I wanted Reese Witherspoon to win really bad. I wanted Joaquin Phoenix too as well but I knew that was a lost cause. If you haven't seen this movie, you should! If you don't know country music and their artists, you may be in for an awakening when you see June Carter giving her copy of The Prophet to Johnny Cash. I loved what June Carter used to say, "I'm just trying to matter." Maybe that should be WFW's motto......I'm just trying to matter too June.

No rest for the weary - Sunday

Can't you just see how tired I am? I mean I'm exhausted. All that great rest from Saturday gone to heck in a handbasket. Barely four hours of sleep. At 6am I took that stupid Nicholas Cage Weatherman movie back to Blockbuster. I didn't want that movie in my house. It's creepy. I had red beans and rice and chocolate ice cream for lunch. It perked me up for awhile but now I'm back in recline mode. I'm getting ready to be in nap mode. ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Saturday's Post

I am posting Saturday's post; however, it's 12:01 it's now so technically Sunday. Sigh.......today began well. I stayed in my pajamas all day and watched my new DVD, Walk the Line (a must see), The Birds (I fell asleep during this one), Titanic.......then I slipped out to dinner. A new place.....waited too long for so so service and so so food. I came home ready to watch Nicholas Cage in The Weatherman when my cell went off. Massive disconnect of customer's service. Sigh....on the phone for two hours getting it fixed, emails.....all that good relaxation gone to waste. Do NOT rent The Weatherman. It is a weird movie. Full of lots of symbolism that I was either too dense or too aggravated to watch. I am very aggravated right now frankly. I need to go to sleep and I can't because I'm agitated over work. I am now aggravated because I didn't do squat today. I have nothing to show for my Saturday except I WAS relaxed. Now I'm not. I want to go hide under my bed. Except that my cleaning people don't vacuum under the bed. So I'd be covered with dust bunnies. Yeah, I would do it myself but I'm too aggravated and too tired.

Hi!

Hi y'all.....I can't believe it's been Tuesday since I posted. It's been hectic. Know how I was planning to go on a trip? I planned one. I couldn't take it -- too busy at work. I know, I know, I don't need the money but I can't do it to my customer. I've been spending the week arranging for a couple to get to go in my place. I got it worked out! I gave them the money I allotted for my trip. They're in Spain right now. I'm chained to my laptop. I am getting ready to take my friend Barney out for his birthday. He's going to be really surprised! Have a super weekend.