Teenagers

I am so tired of dealing with teenager mentality.
I am really beginning to loathe them. I got up today and had a calm quiet morning and early afternoon, then I go outside to go to the grocery store and what do I find, my car and Peters car have been egged. WTF. I am so tired of this bullshit crap. I am sure that Peter's car was the target, and mine was hit because it is parked next to his, but I am tired of this shit....... I mean really tired of it....... Six months ago it was condoms and douche bottles all over the yard and smeared on the house....... then it was someone driving through the front yard after a heavy rain and tearing up the lawn.

What the fuck is wrong with these kids??

Why do they have no respect for private property?

Do their parents not keep up on when they are out? ( It happened after midnight)

I am trying to believe that karma will pay them back, but it still is pissing me off. Quite frankly I would like to knock them clear into next week.............or should I just say knock the snot out of them.

Waiting

My sister lives in Texas......Onalaska Tx..... we haven't heard from her yet, but hope all is well. I understand that phones are down, electricity is down, and so are cell towers. Only thing that worries me is that they had serious problems with the Livingston Dam and some areas were evacuated. Most problems in the area were down trees and the listed utility outages. I am sure all is well and we will hear from her soon

Quick Quips and One Not So Quick

QUICK

• My son and his girlfriend decided they wanted to spend time with me. We rented some movies and bought some pizza and bonded.

• Whats wrong in blog land? None of my regular reads are updating and even my favorite commentors aren't commenting, on mine or the others.

• When will humans learn that mother nature rules the earth. We can create great cities in places they were never meant to be, but she will take back the land when she wants it.

NOT SO QUICK

A week at my new job and so far I like it.
I feel comfortable.
I like the people.
I like the fact that I used less than half a tank of gas, where I use to use a full tank.
I like that I get paid every week.
I like that there are animals in the office......1 dog, and 2 cats.
I like that I can wear jeans and shorts to work.
I like that, while I have things to learn, they don't hesitate to throw things on my desk and say,
"Here..... handle it." knowing I can.
I think I can stay here for some time to come........

Dressed Up......Kinda

Well I promised pictures of Peter actually dressed up, but notice the loosness of the tie, baseball hat and his shoes....... I guess I will never win in getting him fully dressed up from head to toe. It passed his girlfriends inspection so I guess I will take this............ maybe at the prom we will be more thorough.

Homecoming

Peter's girlfriend wants to go to Homecoming and of course is dragging Peter aloong. We had to go out and buy him some nice clothes to wear, and ones that meet Jenny's approval on what she wants him in. Easy enough.....
black shoes,
black pants,
black shirt
and a tie the color of her dress.

Check
Check
Check and
Check

I can't wait to see him dressed up......last time he had on dress clothes was for my brothers wedding........ Peter was 11, I think.

Pictures to follow after the event on Saturday...........

Notice

Today I gave my notice at work.

I start a new job Monday.

This is scary for me......while I have been unhappy at work for some time now it is stil something familiar....... something that is there and has been there for over 7 years. We humans, are creatures of habit and change makes us uncomfortable. But I guess life is kinda like a set of monkey bars, each rung is a time in our life, and at some point you have to let go of one to move forwrd to the next. It is scary as we swing suspended by only one hand knowing that we have to grab the next. If we miss grabbing the next bar, will we fall, or do we have enough in us to continue to hold on with one hand while we figure out how to get our grasp with the other? I hope to find that I will have that firm hold as I believe that this new job is the only way to move forward....... no layoff worries and more money within 6 months.

A great book recomendation that helps deal with corporate change....... Who Moved My Cheese.

And another thought for today....
On a bottle of Aquafina: Pure Water-Perfect Taste
Shouldn't that be Perfect lack of taste?

Quick Quips

• Peter finally is working again. He got a job laying cable and fiber optics, and get this: Its a full time job, 40 hours plus OT and its a Mon thru Fri 8-5.
• My dad is in jail for alimony issues. My mothers friggin lawyer was given several offers for payment and on behalf of my mother turned them all down. He NEVER even consulted her! I called my mom and told her and is she PISSED! This is not a humorous issue, but, I never thought I would see the day when I was getting my father out of jail................
• Possible new job in the future........................
• I have volunteered to foster rescued pets; small exotics- ferrets, snakes, lizzards, etc, from Katrina. The SPCA was happy for volunteers who were knowledgable with these animals. No visitors as of yet.
• Watch out when using a debit card at gas stations.... Hess currently puts a hold of $75.00, of your hard earned money until your gas purchase clears......this could be anywhere from 1 to 3 bussiness days.

Quick Quip - A Common Gripe These Days

Gas!!

UGH!!

• I quit using my air conditioning just to save gas..... makes for more laundry.
• Reports are all over the US that people are actually calling into work, saying they can't get in, because they have no gas, and no money to buy any.
• People are being stranded along side the road because they run out of gas because they either don't have the money to buy it or pushed their car as far as possible, in order to not have to buy it.
• People are making choices between food and gas. (Me included)
  
  Oil companies reported record profits. When will the gov't regulate prices so that gas companies quit ripping off the public?

PA Trip

So I am back from PA. I have mixed emotions about the trip. Marge and Gordy were the best of hosts. I greatly enjoyed their company. It rained at least half the time I was there so we really didn’t get to do much and spent a lot of time loafing in front of the tv. When the sun was shining it was beautiful outside. No humidity, at least for us Floridians, a gentle breeze and just perfect so that shorts and t-shirts were appropriate with no sweat temperatures. The evenings would dip a bit cooler and almost required a light jacket. The first day of sun Marge took me to Pete’s grave….. I miss not having a place to go…. Then we went and visited Pete’s mom. That was rather depressing as she offered Marge and me a group of photos to go through and to take what we wanted. The rest would be burned. The were all photos of Pete and/or Joaquin, his dad, who had past 2 years earlier, almost to the day.. She is trying so hard to forget… and it seems her way to forget is to almost wipe out their existence. I guess we each deal with death in our own way, but I would think her way would make it hurt more because while photos and objects can be removed and wiped out, the memories can’t be erased. I choose to do the opposite. I have photos and personal belongings of his all over, and maybe this also prolongs the pain, because of the daily reminder, but I find comfort knowing that someone like Pete was in my life…. Someone who made a difference in my, and in Peter’s life.
On Tuesday I went to Westminster College where Pete went to school. The campus is small, quaint, and peaceful. It is made up of small…old stone and brick buildings. Marge also took to Slippery Rock, where she went to college. It is also made up of older buildings which have such charm and history about them.
Wednesday and Thursday continued to rain and I just hung out…watching tv, reading and surfing the internet, and had many a long conversations with Margie. Friday finally afforded me some sun and beautiful weather so I gave Marge and Gordy a break to have some time off from my presence and went back to the cemetery and sat with Pete and read a book. I found peace and tranquility in this, like I had never felt before. I wish that feeling could hang around all the time. After about 3 hours I said my goodbyes to Pete, although strange I would do that as I talk to him everyday, and I went and spent the rest of the day with Pete’s mom. Things were a little better this trip over there. We talked about the past and what I hoped to see for Peter….. we went out to dinner and drove around to where her new condo was being built. She wanted to see the progress of it. She has decided to sell her house and to move into something more manageable. She had started to do this before Pete had passed away. He had taken her around to look at several places and they had decided this particular place was the best for her. It is close to shopping and the condos are 55 and over so she will have a shuttle van to take her places. After that we went back to her house and watched tv and talked some more. Saturday evening I flew home.
Today I am left with a huge sense of loss…… as if everything happened yesterday. I realize that I still look in to peoples faces hoping it will be Pete’s, hoping that he is still alive and this has all been a mistake, that happier days will reign again and that I will no longer feel this emptiness. My head knows the truth but my heart still hopes.

…..and being back to the reality of the real world sucks……… when’s my next vacation?

Pathfinder

You learn to take a little bit
extra on the in-breath
just in case you come up short
when heartbreak comes.

You learn to lean a little
less than most, just enough
to catch yourself and keep a balance
should you start to fall toward the abyss.

You learn to love a little
more intensly should life
send grief to poke you in the eye
and a golden momment pass unseen.

You learn to speak the language
of the heart more clearly
to the ones you love just because
there's so many ways the nihgt can come
and stop you in your tracks,

so many ways the boot
can crush the rose.

Marilyn Houston