Monday, November 30, 2009

End of November

I can hardly believe that today is the last day of November. Where does the time go? How will I get everything done my Christmas? Sigh...one day at a time. It was raining, then snowing, then raining today, so I'm getting in the Christmas spirit. I have my car radio set to the Christmas tunes station-so I'm set. Now to start cleaning and making room for the Christmas tree-which I'll get on Sunday. I'm going to try to get an extra day off in the next week or two to help me prepare. Wish me luck there! This week will be busy -I had a doctors appointment this morning, then I have the dentist Wednesday and another stupid work meeting Friday. Ho Ho Ho!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Big Band Christmas

I'm headed out to Buffalo this afternoon to see my dad and cousin in concert. It's Home For Christmas starring John Stevens and the Colored Musicians Club Big Band. I'm ready for some jazzy Christmas music to get me in the mood!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

A Few Snoozes Too Many

I am annoyed with myself. I worked last night, but I'm off tonight. Therefore I just want to sleep a few hours, so that I can accomplish a bunch of stuff I need to accomplish today and sleep tonight. I set my alarm giving myself 4 hours...not much, but did I mention I have a bunch of stuff I need to accomplish? So, I'm sleeping, phone rings...important call, short, back to sleep-I have about an hour left. Alarm goes off-press snooze, cats cuddle closer. Keep pressing snooze, so tired. I knew I'd be pressing snooze for a while-that's why I set the alarm for 4 hours, not 5. Well, by the time I finally got out of bed it was after 2PM?!?!?! Ugh. And I'm still tired. The new snowplow guy is coming over about 4:30-so I can't do any running around til later. Hopefully, I'll have enough energy to go out and ride Harley. In the meantime I'll try to work on all that stuff!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Photo Phriday - Christmas Wreath

The Christmas wreaths are up, the lit present is on the porch, the new twinkling candy canes lead to the back door, and the outside light switches have been flipped to dusk to dawn. The Christmas Season has officially begun!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot for which to be thankful. Although I have to work today, and I don't like my job, I'm thankful to have a job-especially one with decent wages and benefits. I'm thankful to my family and friends. I'm thankful for my kids, my house, and all that I have. Here's to the official start of the Christmas Season! Let's have a great finish to 2009!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Meeting

I have to leave in a few minutes for a meeting. No one knows what this meeting is about, what it's for, and how we got to be picked to go. Of course, the stupid thing is at 2PM-the middle of my night. I love getting up after not quite 4 (interrupted) hours. How would people who work day shift like to have to attend meetings at 2AM? And who schedules a meeting for the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Yea...they'll really get good participation today.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Internet

The Internet is an amazing tool. I've met and "spoken" with people worldwide. I can play games-alone or with people all over the world. I can research things without having to drive to the library. I can read the musings of others, watch their videos, peek into their lives. I also share a bit of mine. It's hard to believe that is was only about 12 years ago that I said, "Internet? Why would I need that?" Oh, how times have changed.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Barrett | A Dog Named Christmas


I just entered Barrett in a Hallmark Photo Contest. Please vote in his memory. Thanks!

Barrett Kaminski | A Dog Named Christmas

Posted using ShareThis

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Turkey Day!

Today I celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents. We started with breakfast-cherry blintzes and orange juice. Yum. Then we went to the cemetery. Actually we went to 3 cemeteries to put flowers on the graves of family and friends. They looked nice. I hope someone will remember me and put flowers on my grave every once in a while. We went back and had Mom's fantastic leek dip with potato chips and champagne while we watched the movie Dave. We all enjoyed it. Pretty soon it was dinner time-a traditional Thanksgiving Feast. We had turkey and stuffing and gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, and special jello mold (not moldy jello-jello made in a mold with fruit and nuts). Mom and I did the dishes, then we all had scrumptious pumpkin ice cream pie. We called California to wish our Aunt a happy holiday and then I drove home. A long day for which I'm quite thankful.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Upcoming Feast

Tomorrow I'll be going to Buffalo to celebrate Thanksgiving a bit early. I can't wait for the traditional Turkey Day feast!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

New Rule

New rule. When a bill comes in the mail I will immediately open it and place it on my computer keyboard. I will then pay the bill as soon as I get online.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Nothing Much

I 'd like to write something interesting every day. But some days, I don't have much to say. Today is one of those days. I need to think about dinner, set the VCR, then watch the finale of America's Next Top Model. I hope Laura wins!!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Absurd New Cancer Guideline

I heard something absolutely ridiculous on the radio this morning. Some government study is now saying that women should wait until they're 50 to get their first mammogram and then get it every 2 years after that. At the moment, the guideline is to get your first, a baseline, at around 35, then once a year once you hit 40. That's the way it should be. Waiting til 50 is ridiculous-and a possible death sentence. I friend of mine has breast cancer-she's 45. Heck, one of the morning DJs waited to get her 1st mammogram until she was 41 or so-they found cancer. She underwent treatment and is currently cancer free. If she'd waited til 50-she'd be dead. Early detection is the key to cancer. I'm wondering is this is just a trick to get women not to go-so the government and insurance won't be paying for it. When I got my baseline in my late 30's they found something. Thank God it was benign, but you bet your boots I'm getting it checked every year. With the new guidelines will my insurance no longer cover it? Will I have to go to Canada to get a yearly mammogram? What are the odds this study was made by a bunch of men? Be strong, be firm, fight the absurdity and get your mammograms! It could save your life.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Cholesterol

About 6 months ago I decided I'd prove my doctor wrong. Although I'm on, and have been on, cholesterol medication, my cholesterol levels were rising. When he asked about fast food, I estimated 4 times a month. Often on my day off, when running errands I'd stop for fast food. I didn't have huge meals either. If I went to MacDonald's I'd get a Happy Meal, either a plain cheeseburger or a 4 piece chicken nuggets and fries and usually a light lemonade. If it was Taco Bell I'd get their cheesy potatoes and a 89 cent meat tortilla. Nothing major. Well, once like every 3-4 months I'd get a Baconator from Wendy's. Yea. I know that one put some nails in my coffin. But, still. Certainly the fast food wasn't effecting my cholesterol that much. So I figured I'd have no fast food at all! Well, my next visit came, but we didn't do blood work. So....3 more months, still no fast food. Today I went and we checked my cholesterol levels. While my good isn't as good as it could be, my bad is good and my combined dropped. It dropped a lot. It went from 211 to 179. Hmmm. Perhaps my doctor was right after all.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Dark

I'm not afraid of the dark. I like the dark. Heck, I work night shift. Doing things in darkness doesn't bother me. However, now that autumn is here it gets dark early. Very early. I look out and think it must be 9PM...or at least 7PM, nope, it's 5:30PM. That's plenty of time to go out and do stuff. But, I'm cozy and comfortable in the house. I don't want to go out. Sorry Harley, I'm staying home.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Time Betweem Holidays

What has happened to the holidays? Or, I should say, the time between the holidays. Maybe it was a child's perspective...but I remember Trick or Treating, then quite a wait until Turkey Day, and then, a bit after that, the start of the Christmas season. Now Christmas displays are in the store before Halloween and Thanksgiving seems to get lost in the shuffle. I got scared yesterday when I realized that Christmas is like 40 days away! There's so much to do...but it's not Thanksgiving yet. Why should I be concerned over decorating for Christmas when I'm not even prepared for Thanksgiving?

Friday, November 13, 2009

Photo Phriday - Phrost

It was 21 degrees F when I came home from work this morning. Everything was covered with frost.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Health Insurance

I just read the "benefits" for my health insurance for next year. What benefits!! All co-pays are going up-by a pretty penny too. And some things aren't being covered at all. I hope I never need to be air vac's somewhere-it's no longer covered. I was worried I put too much in my flex spending account-next year shouldn't be a problem. Now if I can just find more of this years receipts. . .

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

De-Bunked

I heard back from Patrick at BPI. They cleaned up the audio from my EVP. It was just someone whispering from the group. De-bunked. Damn people whispering. I need to do a proper EVP session-no group fun nonsense.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Back to the Grocery Store

Lately it seems as if I am constantly going to the store. I need to pick up something for dinner. I need to pick up lunches for work. I forgot the hot sauce this morning, so I'll need to go back. I think I need to do one huge grocery shopping trip.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Smell of Summer

I woke this morning to the smell of summer. I had opened my windows a bit to welcome some of the unseasonably warm weather and freshen up the house a bit. When I woke this morning, it smelled just like a summer day. It got to about 70, a truly gorgeous day. I had a nice ride with Harley and even gave him a shower afterward. I thought we'd be done showering for the season, but it was warm enough, so we indulged. We need to enjoy the weather while we can. It's supposed to cool back down to regular November temperatures starting tomorrow. I love the fall, but this glimpse back at summer sure was nice.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Stuff To Do

Another weekend almost over and not near what I wanted to accomplish done. Still, lunged Harley yesterday and will ride him tomorrow. I got more Christmas lights up-need to go buy more tomorrow, I have lots of shrubbery. The weather is absolutely gorgeous-who'd have thunk I'd be putting up Christmas lights in a short sleeved shirt in November-when I'm back in WNY, not in Texas! Tomorrow will be near 70! The End must be near!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Another Diner

A while back I wrote about the corn I hung out for the squirrels. While I never saw any squirrels, one little chipmunk sure enjoyed it! The other day I hung up the last corn cob I had. When I returned home from work in the morning, a bunch of birds flew off as I drove in the driveway. As I was getting out of the car I heard a squawking. I quietly peered out to see a blue jay. He was perched on the corn, then he grabbed a kernel, and flew off with it. So I guess the birds enjoyed the corn as much as the chipmunk. I wonder if any squirrels ever got some?

Friday, November 6, 2009

Photo Phriday - Rat Babies!


Here are my new babies-Dylan peering at the camera, Harrison stretching up, and Aquinas looking down. They are all such sweet baby boys!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Won't Do It

I am not getting a dog. I'm finally adjusting to not having a dog and so I am not adopting another dog at this time. I was just trying to help a co-worker who wanted to volunteer to work with miniature horses. I was showing her places I knew that had horses that might be looking for help and eventually went to the Lollypop Farm site. Then she wanted to look at dogs. Then I saw Zeus. Zeus is an old dog. A big, black, mixed breed. Zeus is 10 years old and weighs over 100 pounds. An old dog looking for a place to retire. But, I'm not going to do it. I pray Zeus finds a nice quiet home in his last years...but I won't do it. No.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Wrong Address?

I may have made an e-mail goof. I e-mailed BPI a few days ago and haven't heard back yet. I looked at their card today and saw the e-mail address. Hmmm. Only one "i" at the start. Did I put an extra "i" in there? Did they not get my e-mail? Or are they just too busy? Or are they waiting til the audio is cleaned up. The e-mail didn't come back to me as undeliverable. Should I re e-mail?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Christmas Light Theory

My dad came up with a theory about why my Christmas lights only work for a year, then are dead when I try to use them again. Perhaps they will only light for a certain number of hours. Since I have them on from dusk to dawn from the day after Thanksgiving to sometime after January 6th, it is a possibility. I work my lights hard. But still, you'd think they'd last a bit longer. Anyone else have any ideas?

Monday, November 2, 2009

All Souls Day -Halloween EVP at Marjim Manor

Today is All Souls Day; what better day to describe my adventures at Marjim Manor this Halloween. As you may recall, I went to an event called Lewis' Ghost Hunt at Marjim Manor this Halloween. There was food, wine, tarot reading, and a talk and mini ghost hunt led by Buffalo Paranormal Investigators (BPI). When I first got there I felt the cold on my knees again. I think Duke was saying hello. Then later I nearly had a heart attack when I saw a German Shepard walk into the room. Duke! A full bodied canine apparition that looked completely solid. Well, the dog was completely solid. She was a she and a live dog-not Duke. But I'd never seen a dog there before and somehow I knew that Duke was a German Shepard, without being told. That night it was confirmed that Duke was a German Shepard. Cool. When it came time for the hunt we, the guests, broke up into groups with one member of BPI. I was with Pat, co-founder of the group, and we got to go to the basement first. I've never been in the basement, but BPI has caught some things down there, as has TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society). We did an EVP session. I asked if Dr. Ring was there. I said that I knew he was a doctor of nervous disorders in Buffalo and told him that I worked with people with nervous disorders in Rochester. I wondered if he had any advice. We didn't hear anything. Later I asked again. We tried to get knocks-nothing. Some people felt cold spots-but nothing much registered on the equipment. At one point my right ankle felt a bit cool. I said it was OK to touch me. Nothing. Pat then asked the spirit to touch my arm, that I had said it was OK. The entire group took 2 steps away from me...but I didn't feel anything. We then switched out and went to the porch. We decided to listed to the recorder to see if we got anything. We did. After I asked Dr. Ring for advice...we heard a reply. Couldn't make out the words, but there was a definite response. When I asked again...another reply. Maybe Dr. Ring has some good advice for me. BPI will clean up the tape-I can't wait to hear it again! A spirit spoke to me!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

All Saints Day Outdoor Clean up

Today is All Saint's Day. My folks came up to help with some outdoor chores. The storm windows are now up and the Christmas lights along the side street are up. Don't worry, I don't illuminate them until the day after Thanksgiving! We had the same frustrating problem as we do every year-hardly any of the previous years lights work! Will someone explain the issue here? Only one strand out of over 12 worked, 2 others half of the line lit-the other half was dead. I had 2 new packs-which worked. We put new fuses in-nada! Do I have to buy brand new lights every year??? Ugh. Mom also planted a cute little yew by my garage and we prepped the garden tractor for the winter-I just need to bring the battery in, as well as the plant sprays.