It's Here! It's Really HERE!!!!!

VACATION!! I AM ON VACATION!!!!

You got to ac-cen-tu-ate the positive,

E-lim-inate the negative,

Latch on to the affirmative,

Don't mess with Mr. In-Between!

You got to spread joy up to the maximum,

Bring gloom down to the minimum,

Have faith, or pandemonium's

Liable to walk upon the scene!

To illustrate that last remark;

Jonah and the Whale ... Noah and the Ark.

What did they do just when everything looked so dark?

They said, "You go to ac-cen-tu-ate the positive ..."

Next week I won't miss this ...

my lovely steel-toed shoes & sneaks, because sometimes I just want to feel like a girl (with well-protected toes!)

The infamous "printer under the desk" ... because it's too darn BIG to be up on the desk

... or THIS ...

psst! if you look reeeeaaaally close, you can see Prudence Island!!

yes, all who enter here do, indeed, enter NE Patriots Way!

... or THIS, either!

it takes two of these mugs of coffee and three bottles of water a day to keep me coherent.


my chore board ... planning 2010 budget right now.

I Wouldn't Say I've Been *Missing* It, Bob ...

By this time tomorrow evening I will officially be ... wait for it ...

ON VACATION!!!

Yay!!!

I am psyched. I am thrilled. I am tickled pink.

Not only will I not miss work ... I intend not to even think about it.

The work cell shall remain powered off and locked far, far out of sight (and mind).
The work e-mail shall remain unchecked.
The work collegues shall remain (temporarily) people I used to know.
The work steel-toed boots shall remain at the plant.
The work company-logo blazoned shirts shall remain closeted.

THE FUN SHALL BEGIN!!

And it won't even bother me when Blogger acts like a twerp while I try to post (as it is tonight).

Because I will be posting from ... wait for it ... VACATION!!!!!!!

Wicked Awesome Poem Wednesday

Listen to the Mustn’ts

Listen to the mustn’ts, child,
Listen to the don’t’s
Listen to the shouldn’ts
The impossibles, the wont’s
Listen to the never haves
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
Anything can be.

-Shel Silverstein

Psst! Hey, Mom!

I found it!!

And the Girls Got Rawhide Treats!

Joey Ate Like a Champ!

This little guy ate up a storm today ... been a few days since he really dug in. Had half a can of food this morning, then 2.5 oz Gerbers turkey tonight, then a few additional mouthfuls of the latest can put out.

Ate so much he fell asleep pretty much immediately.

In my office chair.

So I stood next to it to run through e-mails and write previous post (cuz he's just a teeny-tiny bit spoilt).

And look at those claws! Are those little-old-man-never-been-clipped-in-17-years claws or what?!

Even MORE News ... Today

The headline read, “In U.S. Scandals, Wives Don't Stand by Their Men”, immediately equating common sense to the strains of a country classic, performed by a woman whose husband was a notorious nogoodnick. Grrr.

The gist of the story was that neither Ruth Madoff nor Jenny Sanford have quietly stood by in silent support of their husband’s ridiculously callous behaviors and actions.

FINALLY!!

I cannot tell you how very, very disappointed I was (and still am) in Hilary Clinton’s inaction when her husband … husband! … went through that fun-fest of infidelity and perjury. To be honest, I was more disgusted with her than with him (although the fact that he wasn’t man enough to own up to it really peeved me).

Ruth Madoff has admitted to being embarrassed and ashamed while feeling completely betrayed by Bernie’s actions. Good. She’ll have 150 years to rub it in.

Jenny Sanford stated, "His career is not a concern of mine, he's going to have to worry about that. I'm worried about my family and the character of my children" when asked about her husband Mark’s alleged Argentinian affair. Good!

What really peeves me about the article is it’s tone, though … which appears to be casting a negative view on these women by saying such things as, "It may be that women just feel that they can do whatever they want.” Um, yes, yes they can.

In this day and age most of us see the quiet, supportive wife as a ridiculous throwback to the barefoot-and-in-the-kitchen age … or as a woman who is perfectly willing to compromise her own values for the greater good of her personal comfort or political goals.

In the News Today

Bernie Madoff asks for leniency, gets 150 years. Hunh … bet that kind of leniency he could have done without. Is it wrong that I have about eleven jokes based on his name and how he “made off” with … ? Oh, okay; I’ll stop right there. Except I have to say, “Yay!!!”

Who else is tickled pink Steve Jobs is doing better? I’m so happy, it’s like I know the man or something! I’m a bit peeved with the media (yes, again) over their portrayal of him as using his “tremendous” wealth to get better treatment than others in the same boat, though. Firstly, wouldn’t you, if given the same opportunity? Yes, yes you would … as I suspect you’d yank that baboon’s still beating heart right out of his living chest if your child needed it. Secondly, turns out the only area where his wealth may have made a difference is in his ability to get to a far distant hospitals if/when a liver became available … and last I knew, most major airlines are perfectly willing to help out in a medical emergency. Thirdly, it all seems like media sour grapes because Apple kept the private life of their employee private.

One word wrap-ups on recent celebrity deaths: 1) Ed McMahon; sweetheart; 2) Farrah Fawcett: complex; 3) Michael Jackson: tapioca; 4) Billy Mays: boisterous.

Ahem … this one? Irritates me no end. The Supreme Court has decided that caucasian firefighters who took standard firefighter tests for promotion in New Haven CT, the results of which were subsequently thrown out because no minorities had scored high enough for promotion, were the victims of racial discrimination. Well DUH! People, please … it isn’t racism only when it involves a minority! It matters not; if you discriminate against anyone because of their race, that, my friends, is racism. Ho, boy.

You is goin’ ta hell, missy: a 46 year old moron … er, congregant … at Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in Westbury, Long Island (NY) snicked cash from the open purse of another congregant sitting in the pew in front of her, during mass. The theft was observed by an usher and Missy Sticky Fingaz was apprehended on her way out. Hmmm, what do I have to say about this? Well, duh! She was in church! Of course she was caught! Fidiot.

FDA weighs options to reduce painkiller overdoses. Here’s a thought: legalize medical marijuana nationwide!!! Seems so simple, no? Even if people did abuse it as a prescription drug, all they’d really do is get waaay mellow and make s’mores.

And there’s a recent commercial on the boob tube for one of the major cellular providers in the U.S. that depicts a couple meeting up with a friend for lunch, and showing off their new cell phones while said friend scoffs but secretly envies. And I thought, wow, how insulting can they be? Now those of us who have a basic cell apparently secretly envy all the bells and whistles … we just won’t admit it? Not bloody likely! I’d shoot my phone if it got such grandiouse ideas. Not really … I’d be pretty amazed in an oh-my-goodness-skynet-just-came-on-line kind of way, but you get my point. Which is that I am firmly in the corner of “Dammit Jim, I’m a phone, not a doctor!”

Okay, that’s all I have for today … be well, see you in a few days!!

Excellent!

"Now gimme the ball; I'm always open!"
- Terrell Owens spoofing himself on tosh.0

Huff, Huff, Huff, Huff … GASP! Gurgle …

Our plant elevator has been down for three days, necessitating the use of the stairwell if I want to, you know, get paid for working and all.

So for the past three days I, along with all my 5th floor peers, have been hoofing it up 87 steps (we count, every time, hoping we're somehow mistaken) in a 90 degree stairwell with oh-I-don’t-know 9000ppm CO2, in order to take in the breathtaking vista of a lobby filled with sweaty gasping fat people strewn along the walls or collapsed in the limited seating (the only reason we even pretend to rush up the stairs is the faint hope we'll be one of the few who gets to sit down during this phase), before we have recovered enough to walk down the hallway and into our various offices, where we further convalesce, mopping our sodden brows and slaking the thirst of the truly unfit after minimum exercise.

That climb? Killer. Not so bad in cool weather; I just make sure I breathe through it. In the hot-n-muggies, though? Erk! Not fun. Dad, picture me the day you and I climbed the tower in P-Town, and snicker.

And today was our monthly potluck, which was a breakfast this time 'round, so the 3rd shifters could participate. Breakfast was at 6am … which meant I needed to leave home by 5am … which meant I needed to get up by 4am. Sheesh. All you who know my sleep habits (I believe Duke accused me just days ago of sleeping “like a teen”) have an idea how very much I enjoyed that. I do not joke when I tell you that when the alarm blasted off I actually levitated out of bed, practically yodeling “Where’s the truck?!?!” because I was sure the loud, obnoxious beeping was a huge truck getting ready to back over me.

It wouldn’t have been so bad, had I gotten the full night’s sleep I planned ... but.

• But I am hopelessly behind schedule and did not have the ingredients.
• But I had company last night so couldn’t get to the store until after 8pm.
• But I got further sidetracked and didn’t start to make my contribution until close to 10pm.
• But my neighbors must’ve had today off, because they were hanging out on their deck, listening to loud base-thumping music until the authorities officially shut them down after 1am.
• But I can't sleep when I can feel the ever-changing base vibrating through the bones of my home … thump-THUMP-thumpthump, thump-THUMP-thumpthump … and, just when I get used to that, the song changes, so now it’s thumpitythumpthump-THUMP-THUMP, thumpitythumpthump-THUMP!
• But I refused to call the police because it wasn’t so long ago that our crew did the same from Jules ‘n Mario’s deck to their neighbors, so I kind of have to take it when it decides to “come around”, you know?
• But I only got about three hours sleep all night.
• But I did remember to take my breakfast contribution out of the fridge and bake it while I was getting ready for work, so “yay, me!”

Anyway, I brought the Stuffed French Toast that Kim served us Super Bowl weekend, and it was a huge hit. Of course, arriving at the surface of the sun … er, plant … thisclose to 6am (breakfsat time!) and anticipating the upcoming charge of the Light Brigade up 87 steps in the furnace … er, stairwell … while lugging what felt like 6 lbs of hot!hot!hot! stoneware at the bottom, fuhgeddabowd how much it would weigh by the time I got to the top … I totally girlied-out and schlepped my packages into the Maintenance Shop so the guys could see my pathetic-ed-ness and help me out. Which they did, because they’re p’awesome!

It was, as usual, a great turnout … the 3rd shifters were so grateful to finally be included in a potluck (yes, shamed to admit we’ve had about five potluck lunches this year without even considering the 3rd shift), that we’ve decided to rotate the potlucks between breakfast (6am), lunch, (11am), and supper (6pm) from now on. Everyone is happy now.

Aside from my SFT today’s dishes also included two breakfast casseroles (egg, sausage, cheese, potato, green pepper), biscuits & gravy (this has got to be the single most disgusting breakfast food ever), fruit (blueberries, pineapples, strawberries, kiwis, cantaloupes, and bananas), doughnuts, scrambled eggs, blueberry muffins, o.j., milk, coffee, and a variety of cereals. Breakfast rocked!

So, back to the elevator, or lack thereof … all this has brought home the realization that I have got to start exercising. But I don't like it! I find all number of reasons not to exercise … at least, I can't get myself to do it … and I have a treadmill and a stationary bike! So I’ve enlisted my girlfriends today, and with dedication we will do it. Hunh.

For those of you who wonder about the absolutely fabu stuffed French toast Kim fed us, here’s the recipe (I wish I had taken pictures, but I was literally stumbling out the door this morning, and in too much of a rush cobbling it together last night to spare a mo):

Stuffed French Toast

• Grease 13x9” baking dish.
• Cut 1 lb. loaf of firm white sandwich bread into cubes.
• Spread half the bread in prepared pan.
• Cut 1 package (8oz) cream cheese into small cubes and sprinkle half over bread in pan.
• Repeat layering with remaining bread and cream cheese.
• Whisk 12 large eggs; 1 ½ cups of milk; and 1/3 cup of maple syrup together.
• Pour mixture over bread.
• Cover and refrigerate over night.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Bake covered 30-40 minutes; or until knife inserted in center comes out clean (I used a stone pan, and it took 55 minutes).

Wicked Awesome Poem Wednesday ... er, Thursday

Woman Work

I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
The baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
I've got the shirts to press
The tots to dress
The cane to be cut
I gotta clean up this hut
Then see about the sick
And the cotton to pick.

Shine on me sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.

Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again.

Fall gently, snowflakes
Cover me with white
Cold icy kisses and
Let me rest tonight.

Sun, rain, curving sky
Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone
Star shine, moon glow
You're all that I can call my own.

- Maya Angelou

Rain, or Shine?

So here's where the birds nested this year ... due, no doubt, to the fact they couldn't use the attic this time 'round, what with the attic fan being used so much this Spring. I'm thinking it would have been like living in a hurricane for them, so they wisely opted for outside.


For those of you back home who are living through the rainiest Spring in 50 years, here's what the sun looks like, from my backyard at 6pm this evening.



And this one is from my driveway, around 6pm this evening as well. Here, where it's 97 degrees F, and the heat index reached 112 (112!!). So stop complaining about the rain, people, or I'll bring some of this heat back home with me, just see if I don't!!

Duke ... this is the exact picture I took while we were talking and I was waiting at the traffic signal. See the blue sky? Remember what that was like? Naner, naner, naner!

Media Hack: Will Exploit for a By-Line

I’m sure everyone is well aware of the Metro accident in DC that has claimed nine souls, and I’m sure you’ve read some of the "information" out there. I’ve included here the AP story, just so I can point out examples of why today’s media hacks annoy me so. To my mind, blue font is factual, maroon font is just plain incendiary and meant to elicit an emotional response, which highly aggravates yours truly. Read on:

WASHINGTON — Crews dismantled the wreckage Tuesday from a subway train collision that killed nine people and injured scores of others in the nation's capital, and a federal investigator revealed an old train involved in the crash should have been replaced because of safety concerns.

The Metrorail transit system kept the old trains running despite warnings in 2006, said Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash and whether age played a role in the rush-hour collision Monday.

The crash sent more than 70 people to hospitals. Metro officials said two men and seven women, all adults, were killed.

Mayor Adrian Fenty said at an earlier news conference that seven people were killed and he hoped the death toll did not climb any higher.

Hersman said investigators expect to recover recorders from a newer train that was stopped along the tracks waiting for another to clear the station ahead. But the old train that barreled down the tracks and triggered the collision was part of aging fleet and not equipped with the devices, which can provide valuable information on the cause of a crash.

Hersman told The Associated Press that the NTSB had warned of safety problems and recommended the old fleet be phased out or retrofitted to make it better withstand a crash. Neither was done, she said, which the NTSB considered "unacceptable."

Metro officials planned to replace the old trains, but were years away from them rolling on the tracks.

AP - Probe Launched Into D.C. Subway Crash

It was the worst crash in the history of Metrorail, the pride of the District of Colombia tourism industry that has shuttled tourists and commuters around Washington and to Maryland and Virginia suburbs for more than three decades.

The operator of the train that collided into the stopped cars was identified as Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., according to Metro officials.

McMillan was hired in March 2007 as a bus driver and was tapped to become a train operator in December, but it wasn't immediately clear whether she had control of the cars.

Metro has a computerized system on most trains during rush hour that is supposed to control braking, speeds and prevent collisions. The system, however, has failed before.

In June 2005, in a tunnel under the Potomac River, a train operator noticed he was getting too close to the train ahead of him even though the system indicated the track was clear. He hit the emergency brake in time, as did the operator of another train behind him.

Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith didn't know the outcome of the investigation into that incident, which she called "highly unusual."

The crash Monday occurred on the red line near the D.C. and Maryland border, in an area where higher train speeds are common because there is a longer distance between stops. Trains can go 55 to 59 miles per hour, though the train's speed hasn't yet been determined.

* * * * there's more, but it's pure filler from here on, so I've dumped it * * * *

Associated Press writers Brett Zongker, Sarah Karush and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.

So, in effect, these "professional" news reporters have loosed the speculation that: a) the crash was caused by an old train; b) because it was an "old" train the NTSB may never know what really happened; c) the driver was unqualified; d) the automated computer controls were down; and e) the train was speeding! And why (why!?!?) is anyone from the NTSB spouting off anything before even the preliminary investigation is complete?!? Anyone remember what the media did to Richard Jewell? Yeah, me too.

Here's the deal; it may well be that some, or even all, of these suppositions end up being true. But they may not. What if the driver stroked out, or had a seizure, and was incapacitated or already deceased by the time her train split itself in two while ramming into the other from behind? What if it truly was an accident? Yes, the truth (as the media see's it, through a veil of "what is sensationalist enough to make people want to read?") would also be in print and broadcast, but with nowhere near as much vim and vigor.

All I'm saying is that these are real people, living real lives just like the rest of us ... their loved ones don't need the added insult and aggravation of being tried and convicted in the press before the metal of the wreckage even has a chance to cool down.

Still Waters and All …

My Dad is a good man … and not just a "good man", but a great Good Man. He’s the original family man; for every decision he’s made he’s had his family in mind. We’ve always come first. With my Dad, it’s important to watch what he does, because he’s not particularly garrulous in his decision-making process. While my Mom is the soul of my family, my Dad is its heart … and the two of them together are bedrock.

When we were young, Dad wasn’t always a very talkative fellow … he’d give his opinion, and that was it. When he really thought one of us kids was making a big mistake, he’d let us know exactly why, exactly what he thought would happen, and exactly what he thought we should do instead. His almost-mantra was along the lines of, “Don’t do it … I already did it and it didn’t work” or “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re missing the point.”

It took long years for me to realize he wasn’t just talking smack … my Dad really had already done it. There’s nothing like getting to that age when you understand you’re not the first person on Earth (or even in your family) to have thought of whatever it is you’ve decided to implement, and that maybe, just maybe, the guy who came before you has an understanding of not only where you’re planning on going, but also where you’ve been.

And he can fix anything. Cars, appliances, electronics, buildings … you name it. He says these days the cars have him beat, with all their computerization … but not really. And he can teach himself how to do anything: construction, roofing, picture framing, design, etc. He’s worked jobs he did not enjoy, for miserable bosses (from whom he took huge rations of pooh), during long thankless hours and holidays … all for the good of his family. You may remember from my Mother’s Day blog that Mom and Dad ensured we had these incredible family vacations to all points New England during a time when they didn’t have much of anything (back when “yachting” wasn’t just a rich man’s pastime).

Those were great times. He’d teach us various things about sailing, geography, fishing, wildlife, ocean life, games ... we’d play board games, word games, and made-up family games while underway, getting to where we were going. I think the greatest gift Mom and Dad gave us with this family time was the gift of slowing down. You don’t get anywhere fast on a sailboat … not even in rough weather. And back then was before this digital age, so most entertainment was of a physical and interactive nature: swimming, spinnaker flying, hiking, collecting stones and seashells, picking berries, fishing, digging for clams, feeding wildlife, conversing, telling stories, star-gazing … you know, living.

Dad’s got this tremendous work ethic, too … if he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it right, and with expedience. If he tells you he’ll do something, then he gets it done … and if he feels he did it wrong, he’ll do it over again until he’s satisfied that he’s done it right. He and Mom, by dint of example, have instilled the same in us kids, from which our various employers have benefited a great deal over the years. He and Mom retired early to circumnavigate the world (which they did … awesome!) … but didn’t remain retired when they were done and back in the U.S. They didn’t have to work, but they both did, to fund various items, adventures, toys, and circumstances (part of Dad taking care of the family: ensuring the mortgage was paid off and the renovation was complete, among other things). In fact, Dad has just retired again, for fourth (?) and (with any luck) final time … almost twenty years after the first time!

Dad’s not into much of what you’d call frivolity, but he knows how to have a good time: he doesn’t watch serialized television programming, although enjoys movies and has a definite appeal for the unexplained … he doesn’t read fiction, but has an extensive non-fiction library he’ll loan out to anyone who expresses an interest … he can converse for hours, with anyone, on a variety of fascinating topics. Dad gives his full attention to what’s going on, too … whether it’s helping my big brother with design work for his business, or my niece learning her lines for a Summer play, or my other big brother with boating questions, or me with job stuff, or one of his many friends with various mechanical emergencies … you always know he’s right there with you.

And Dad definitely is not a black and white kind of guy; he sees the shades of gray. He’s not a knee-jerk reactionary either. He puts a lot of thought into making decisions, and puts much effort into seeing all the way around an issue to the other side (a trait that comes in particularly handy in these days of zero tolerance, economic hardship, and terrorist fears).

He sets the bar high, and leads by example.

There’s not a big event in my life I can’t run by Dad and about which I don’t get terrific insight and advice … he thinks so far outside the box that I think in, he’s invaluable. And he’s got this unshakeable faith in the abilities of his wife, kids, and grandkids. It’s incredible. It’s just there, a fact, no doubts, no question … that’s pretty cool. As with Mom, I can’t recall when our father-daughter relationship changed from strictly adult-child to adult-adult, but I give thanks for it every day, as well as the fact that we’re people who just really like and enjoy one another. So have a fantastically wonderful Father’s Day, Dad … I love you!

Where Are Those Bootstraps, Anyway?

I’m bored … and cranky. Why’s it have to be so lame this time of year? Nothing good on the boob tube, nothing good in magazines, too hot to go out, don’t have the attention span to read a substantive book, don’t want to work, don’t want to play, miss my friends, just want to whine and whinge and be a boogarhead in general.

I feel like a kid … I want to follow my Mom around the house, lamenting my boredom but completely unwilling to take her up on any suggested activities, “that’s so stupid”, “nobody does that anymore”, blah, blah, blah, blibiddy-blah.

What am I, eight? Got to get out of this funk.

Part of it has been work, which has been difficult lately (prolly why they don’t call it “Chocolate Thunder from Down Under” or “happy fun time”, no?) … I’ve been betrayed by my own expectations. This was the first job I’ve had in a long-and-long time that I really and truly enjoyed, but that all changed and it’s been a long, uphill battle to regain my footing.

I was severely sabotaged by a horrible troll of a barely-passes-as human miserable wench (I’m trying to clean up my language), and my boss has finally started making noises that he may have been misled. Really? Really. Sigh. Because obvious hard work and dedication are such suspicious behaviors.

So I’m re-thinking my options; coming up with a plan, as it were.

Part of the silver lining to this cloud is my Most Awesome Bastard Ray Doc has determined I am vitamin d3 deficient, and started me on 50,000IU/week. So I looked up vitamin d3 deficiency and found out these are the symptoms:

• depression and/or seasonal affective disorder (hmm)
• fatigue (well, duh)
• diminished cognitive function and/or memory loss, (not touching that)
• auto-immune disease and/or immunodifiencies (as if that Bastard Ray's methotrexate wasn't problem enough)
• increased susceptibility to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, etc. (since we are of the opinion a massive periodontal infection opened to door to that Bastard Ray ...)

I start my weekly supplement tomorrow, thereby increasing the number of Bastard Ray related meds from three to four. I tell you, I cannot wait for this to kick in. Knowing my grrrr-arrrgh attitude may not be entirely my doing does make it somewhat easier to bear.

Itching to Get There ...

Oh, Hai!