Happy Birthday to Me

Well Friday the 13th was my birthday. The big 45!

Funny...........I don't feel 45........hell sometimes I still think I am 28.

BC made it a birthday weekend, not just a birth day. Friday evening we went out to dinner, no place fancy, Bennigans to be exact, cause I had a coupon for 1 free entree. WoooHoooo!! What was nice is that he invited my family, well at least the Florida members. And of course that included number 1 sons GF, Jen. So we all had dinner together and a nice evening of conversation. I was surprised by a gift from my son and Jen, only because he is still a teenager and because the two of them get by on meager earnings. Mom gave me a new blender, so did BC. Hehe, Margarita and daiquiri party!!!

Saturday BC and I went to the art show on the waterfront.....was disappointed with it. There were not nearly as many artisans as in the past. I don't think it was even half. However, BC spied a lapis necklace that he felt I just had to have. He was haggling with the dealer and I tugged on his arm and shirt to discretely pull him on, no go he bought it anyway and showered me with a beautiful silver and lapis, and expensive and he shouldn't have done it necklace.

BUT I LOVE IT :)

The blender and , oh, and crock pot he got me were going back to Target. Oh come on.......duplicate gift and I already had a crock pot

The best was yet to come.....BC had bought reserved seats for the Eddie Money and Foreigner concert. Double WOOOOOHOOOOO!

Center seats, seven rows back.

Opening band was a local band called Greg Billings Band...they were great. Very interactive with the audience. Next up was Eddie Money, who was just fantastic, followed by Foriegner.

AWESOME BABY!!!!!!!

Quick Quips

Disappointment sucks!

When I am pissed off I get more things done in one day than I normally do in a week

I hate not having money to hang out with my friends

My kid doesn't live here any more and he can still drive me insane.

Fred - no I can't figure out why people with pudge or fat where clothes that show it off. I have been seeing more and more of it and wonder if these people have mirrors in their homes and if they do, do they use them? I mean ew...............

Can you believe I got another letter about a refund that is due to Pete. Its the third one in 6 months, some of them sizable. This one is for a 401 K that he had when he worked for Paramount / Channel 44. And of course I have to turn it over to his mom. I know I shouldn't feel resentful, because it is his mom and she does need the money, but weirdly, I have to send it to a close friend of hers cause Eugenia has never given me her new address since she moved. I never receive so much as a thank you or anything. Very strange to me.........

Not much else going on..........life can be very boring with no money to spend........

Vernal Equinox

Happy Spring!!!



Actually according to Snopes you can do this any day of the year

Home Project

Mostly a picture blog today......I pulled up the carpeting in the living room and hallway and BC and I set a new wood floor.....bamboo.....and I love it. Jen, Peters GF helped me paint the room. It was a frosty grey kinda color, the carpet used to be burgundy. The job would have moved along a lot faster but we had so many problems with the nailing gun and compressor. Once we got working equipment we were able move at a good steady pace.
































You can see the old color of the wall. We originally found hard wood floors under the carpet and originally thought we would just sand those down and refinish them, however, as you will see from more pictures the floor was covered in paint and we found 2 bad areas that had to be cut out due to dry rot and lots of dog piss. Previous owners dog must have used every spot for a bathroom. The carpet was so stained and stunk soooooooo bad. We pulled the old baseboard up as well it it was urined stained as well..... Stunk as bad as the carpet.Sad thing is the carpet wasn't supposed to be that old.....but it was cheap arpet.....the dye came up and got tracked into the kitchen so the white kitchen floors are now pink......that will be replaced soon as well. Or at least when I pay off the cost of the bamboo flooring. Well here are some more pictures of the process.......


























And here is the room once floor was down....furniture in place.....and curtains up..............

Civic Duty

Well I was finally snagged for jury duty. I had avoided it for 18 years. I had to report yesterday the 28th of March. So I went and waited for my number to be called. There were 12 cases to be heard that day. About 11 I was called in for the second to last case.....I was hopin' for going home soon. we were walked up to the courtroom where the prosecutor and defendant attorneys waited. We were all asked questions about personal commitments, had we ever been a victim of a crime, how many stars on the flag......ummmm yes that was asked, and if we went to sleep at night and the ground was dry and in the morning we woke up it was wet, could we connect the dots enough to be able, by common sense,to know it rained over night. DUH!!! So anyway they eventually picked a jury and we were all ushered back into the court room, 21 of us in all. Names were called and after six jurors I was thinking I was outta there, WRONG! I was number 7, the alternate. DAMN!
So there I was stuck in the courtroom for a criminal mischief case. As the story goes the guy worked for a small business that did shipping. We will refer to him as Mr L. He had gotten into a heated argument with another employee and apparently got really loud. A third employee tried to get both sides to come down but Mr L just got madder and madder. He eventually stormed off and headed out to a warehouse. He slammed open the doors to the warehouse and broke them and the frame of the door. $1000.00 in damages. About this time I was asking why this wasn't in a small claims court, answer...........because the cops had been called and was listed as criminal mischief. The case goes on calling on witnesses to testify on what happened. After at least 50 objections by the defense for "hearsay" we heard all the evidence. Not much to it. So the case rested and I was told I could wait in the back of the court since I was no longer needed. To think I could have been out and working, getting paid, instead of burning up a vacation day. Argh!, but that is the law of due process.....so here is what they had to decide....was it criminal mischief. There was three criteria for this...... 1) did the defendant commit the action, 2) did the defendant damage property that belonged to another and 3) was the act willful and with malicious intent. Well the court proved that Mr L did it, and they proved property was damaged, but was it will with malicious intent? Personally I didn't think so. People often get mad and knock something off a desk, barge through doors slam doors, etc but its usually because they are pissed, adrenaline is going and they are not thinking clearly.....in other words shit happens. When we are mad and punch a fist through a wall we don't do it cause we say to ourselves, I am gonna put a hole in the wall to damage it or I am pissed at so and so and I am gonna slam the door to break it, no, I just really think our better judgement disappears and the gut takes over. I would have voted not guilty. They jurors came back and voted him guilty and assessed him restitution of $200.00 to $1000.00 (how much the judge will decide) Interesting I thought, maybe it was better I was only the alternate, well at least for me, I got to leave at 4PM, had I still been on the jury, we might have been there later.

Quick Quips

I put a new floor down in the living room and hallway. The carpet was pretty gross and the bamboo floor looks incredible. It was a pain in the ass to put in but that was mostly because the rental equipment kept malfunctioning

Angel had surgery. Her bladder was full of stones and now she is recovering at home. She is one grumpy kitty....uhm more than usual

Woozle (ferret) has been sick as well. He has an enlarged left kidney and has lost a lot of weight. Vet can't give me any answers. I think I will have to take him to another vet who is a bit more knowledgeable about ferrets and will be a bit more aggressive on trying to figure out what is going on.

Parker (ferret was rough playing with his cagemate Quizzy and scratched his eye...yes, yet another trip to the vets

Peter had his 19th birthday

I am coming up on 8 months at my job. Its gone pretty well and it doesn't seem like 8 months on the job. Funny cause I was 8 months with Shittypoint and it seemed like an eternity, an eternity in hell.

Other than that it has been life as usual., get up go to work, come home, pay bills, clean house, and veg in front of the TV. Ya I know exciting life isn't it.......

Blemish on the City

The recent controversy over the homeless in the city has really caught my emotions. I have heard the story, " I am trying to get bus fare to get back home to visit my sick mother. Can you spare a buck or two." and various other versions from homeless to get money for their booze and drugs, but I have also met those that were truly down on their luck and not living on the street by choice. Some people fall on hard time and lose their job, cars and house. Finding a decent paying job is hard. Finding a well paying job is harder. I was there recently. I had to finally take a job that pays me $12,500.00 less a year! See if that doesn't change your living habits. I have had weeks where I chose between food and meds or food and bills. I am faced with getting a second job. I really don't have much more in luxuries to cut back on..guess I could kill the cable and netflix.....or get rid of the cell phone (after paying the early term fees) if things get really really tough. I am thankful I still have those options. Sometimes I feel I am only a step or two ahead of the homeless road, but then I am fortunate in that I know of a few people who would take me in. The people in tent city aren't so fortunate. Some of those people are employed, working jobs and trying to get it together, some are families.........The people in tent city for the most part were looking out for each other. Keeping an eye on each others stuff. Keeping an eye out for each other after the slaying of two homeless people. Maybe tent city was a possibility for recovery if everyone was trying to be a good citizen and help each other in whatever way they could. So instead of trying to look at the ways these people were working together, and trying to find a solution the city decided to harass them. First they tell them they have to leave private church property, which the church was allowing them on, and then they raid the homeless camps and cut up their tents, tents that were private property. Gosh can't call the cops when your property is being destroyed, cause they're doing it. What the fuck were city officials thinking? Lets just stomp on the down trodden....lets make a bad situation worse........lets just make the homeless disappear by slashing their tents. Gee I don't think it works that way. Those people are still here and they are still going to be seen on the streets. Every city has homeless....I think the real blemish is the city being seen on national tv raiding the homeless and stomping on what little pride the tents may have given them.

Comfort

I was sitting at my computer and Quizzy (ferret) was playing with her ball. It is a ping pong type ball and has an object in it that makes it rattle. She loves that ball and she loves the noise it makes. She pushes it around the house with her nose. Oddly enough I take comfort in that sound. When I hear it I know she feels well and is happy. I started to thing of other sounds and smells that make me all happy inside..........

Sounds
thunder storms
train whistle in the evening
howling of a wolf or coyote
the birds in the morning
heart felt laughter
ocean waves
the howling wind outside while you are toasty warm and curled up in bed

Smells
fresh cut grass
bacon cooking
my grandparents (paternal) house ( I wish they were still alive)
fresh baking bread
apple pie
the air when its about to rain

What gives you the warm and fuzzy?

Christmas

Ok so Christmas wasn't as bad as I thought it would be......................
The three day weekend was nice ......................
Seeing my two brothers was great.........................
and Christmas morning with a sleepy head BC was nice too.
So Christmas morning I was up before BC. Waaaaaaay before BC. Just a little before 10 AM he rolled outta bed and made his presence known. I handed him his cup of joe and like a little kid he wanted to get into his presents. We opened gifts and the ferrets ran amuck in the strewn paper and plastic bubble wrap. Each box was a new adventure for them. Steve seemed to like his new humidor and cigar accessories. I got my long awaited handmade glass necklace and some memory for the computer. I guess he got the hint everytime I cursed out the computer because it couldn't move any faster than molasses going uphill in the winter.
About noon we made it over to my mothers where Doug and Dwain were staying, my brothers and Peter and his Girlfriend came over as well. More gifts, conversation, tv and dinner at 5 followed by lots more conversation. It was nice catching up and BC saw that my family wasn't so bad. No ax murderers, psychopath, or lunatics. All in all it was a pleasant day and all the pressure of gift buying and party going was over......

Ah life back to normal........................

Latest and Greatest

So I spent the beginning of Thanksgiving week out on the beach at the Sirata with BC. It was a nice few days and while the weather itself was a bit chilly with the wind and all, the stay was great. We had an ocean view balcony which was protected from the wind and got the warmth of the afternoon sun. It made afternoon cocktails on the balcony very pleasant. We spent time walking on the beach, sitting on the balcony, sitting at the hotel bar and chatting with out of towners. It was a nice break from reality. We cam back to my house Thanksgiving morning and I spent the better part of the day cooking. My mother came over and of course Peter was there as well. It was a quiet holiday which was fine by me.

Which brings me to the rest of the holiday season.....so it is in full swing and I still don't know what to feel. The last two Christmas's were low in spirit and could have passed me by without me caring. I managed a tree last year, but that was mostly for Peter. This year my brothers will be in town and I will be forced to join in merriment. I guess I can root around and see if the Spirit of the Season is ready to envelop me or if it will still just be an effort to make it through. Maybe BC and I can find it together.

Business Of Life

Well its been a bit.......I have been so tied up with the errands and stuff that I just haven't posted for some time.

First off another ferret joined the household but seems to have trouble settling in. Quizzy (the newbie) and Tauvi seem to have a contest going over who is gonna be the alpha of the business (a group of ferrets) I think Quizzy is more than happy to be a subordinate but Tauvi being the street girl that she is, has to tell him everyday at least 5 times a day. So I currently keep them in separate caging areas and have to supervise all playtime. The squabbling seems to be lessening.....or am I just being optimistic.

I had a doctors visit and was prescribed a new med called lisinopril. I was told the side effects might be a dry cough. NOT! Upon reading the flyer and info on Web MD, I found that 1% of people will suffer fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizzy spells and headaches. The first day I took the meds I became so tired that I fell asleep on my bed at 6PM and didn't wake up until my alarm went off the next morning. Next day I took the meds I was not only tired but became extremely nauseous and suffered from pain in the abdomen, headaches, violent fluid explosions, and fever. Saturday I decided there was no way I was taking any more of it, but it takes 48 to 72 hours to clear out of your system. Saturday I was recovering and feeling much better by 6PM. I had just finished fixing dinner for myself, some soup and a grilled cheese sammich, when the doorbell rang. I eventually broke from the intruder and went to go eat. can of soup still in my hand and got so dizzy that I passed out. I awoke and estimated 2 minutes later, still dizzy, soup all over the carpet and sick as all hell. I went directly to bed with occasional trips to the bathroom. Sunday was much better, most of the drug was out of my system and other than some mild headaches and physical weakness was doing much better,. This was definitely a case of the side effects being worse than the problem. Doc better find another drug family that can ease the problem at hand.

Quick Quips

Went to the outdoor Florida orchestra concert this past Saturday and what beautiful weather we had. The afternoon was 84 and breezy so the picnic and people watching was great. The evening brought cooler temps and a wonderful selection of music, topped off with the usual fireworks finale.

Peter is feeling unsure about school. He wants to know how he is gonna be able to work and pay his bills and go to the fire academy. I reminded him that Pete worked and went to school and that if we get the school loan that will help also with daily living for him.

I brought Nissmo's ashes home today.

Work is going well......need more pay!

And lastly......................
Anyone else see the brawl between Miami and Florida International? Seems to me that there ought to be more than just one game suspensions. And even moreso has anyone looked at Miami' troubled past? Here are some highlights:
* Several Miami players fought with LSU players following the Tigers' Peach Bowl win.
*Shortly before the Miami-Louisville game Sept. 16, virtually the entire Hurricanes' roster jumped on the Cardinals logo at midfield, an act widely viewed as a taunting gesture.
* A Miami player, Willie Cooper, was shot outside his home shortly before training camp began in what players contend was a robbery attempt. Meriweather returned fire; so we got gun toten' hooligans to be polite.
* Wide receiver Ryan Moore, who was suspended for the Peach Bowl for violating team rules, then suspended again for other infractions, is expected to be charged this week with misdemeanors stemming from an August fight with a woman. What a man he must be!

What are these guys gonna be like when they hit the pros?

Nissmo

Rainbow Bridge 10/6/06
Nissmo Sleeping in his favorite place - the bath tub

Another heartbreak has hit my family of fuzzies. I take this one harder because he wasn't ill. I had a rug I was thinking of putting in the ferret room. I stood the rolled up on end in the corner of the room and left it. In the morning when I go to work I usually put the ferrets in their cage and head off to work, but Friday I didn't because they seemed to be full of a lot of extra energy. So I closed them in their room and went to work. I came home that evening and let them out but noticed Nissmo didn't come out to play. I figured that he had gone into one of his deep deep sleeps and would wake up later and come out. I decided to not put the carpet in the room and moved it out to the kitchen to get rid of. By 9PM there was still no Nissmo and I was getting worried, by 10 I was looking all over and even checking outside. I went to bed at 1 but was unable to sleep and lay awake most of the night. I got up at 5 and started looking again..... I walked into the kitchen and my eyes hit the rolled up carpet......my heart sank and I knew....I grabbed the carpet and started to unroll it ......there he was............ motionless. I grabbed him and he was cold................... I can't stop blaming myself. Nissmo was an excellent climber and I should have known he would see it as a mountain to conquer. I should have known the dangers of him wanting to investigate the center dark universe of that rolled up carpet.

Now Sir Woozle lies at my feet depressed. He and Nissmo (August Archive...scroll to the 12th) went through a lot and now I am responsible for him missing his bud. I will always remember Nissmo for his unique characteristics that made me laugh.

He could always be found sleeping in the tub.

He was a great climber and when I was looking for him, calling his name, his little head would pop outta some of the highest places in the house.

He wagged his tail when he got really excited about something.

He would escape from his cage or the room and come running up to me and have this expression on his face of "Hey! Look mom I got out!"

He sometimes looked at me with another expression of thanks for giving him a better home. It was almost like he was asking if he really was getting to live a happier life than what he had before.

It is the last that makes me cry the most.......... it was my fault Nissmo and I am sorry.

Older Model

I had an eye exam today. I knew my eye sight was getting worse but I guess I didn't realize HOW bad. So I got checked for glaucoma, cataracts and because of my high blood pressure they checked to be sure there was no bleeding in the back of the eye and no clots. Clean bill of health there. After the read this line and read that line routine she spoke the words BI-FOCALS! Ugh!
I never thought of myself as getting old but for some reason that word..............bi-focals , sent a reality through my poor soul and I heard the statement "
You ain't 30 honey!"
I looked around to see who said that and realized in came from within.
Oh give me a break....I'm not 80 either!
Oh yea well I saw you checkin out that 28 year old the other day and that is baby meat , girlie-o!
OH SHUT UP! I feel young.
Ya, well the creaks and blurry vision say otherwise. You ain't no sports car anymore
Ya well my old Mazda truck creaked and moaned but it still knew how to go off roadin'

Yah........That's me..........The hell with bein' the fancy shmancy sports car....They're high maintenance, and only good for lookin at. I am more like the well used SUV........I got my dents and dings, some worn parts, but I still know how to have fun, get dirty and play hard when the work is done.

Quick Quips

Yeah its been awhile. Not sure if its laziness or just being uninspired, but for anyone wanting to know what has been going on with me, here are some quick quips:

I have been out boating almost every weekend and my skin color is the tannest it has ever been. For my northern friends, gulf water temps are in the mid to high 80s and weather has still been a hot a humid 90.

I am so ready for the cooler weather.

Peters place was being tented so him and Jen were with me the past week. They tried very hard to pick up after themselves and were pleasant company to have for a week, but I am glad for having my house to myself again.

I am 1 day shy of 90 days at my new job and so far so good. Health benefits kick in October 1st and the first thing I am doing is getting my eyes checked. I am soooooooooo blind! Pay still barely gets me by, but so far I have managed to avoid getting a second job, that might be in part to mooching off of Beach Crawler on the weekends......see girls , BF can be of value....... XOXO :)

Beach Crawler has been super to me.

I haven't seen Fred in a bit and I guess I need to make a permanent week night to meet him at the watering hole to keep up with him......need to get George along too cause I have dearly missed both of them.

The ferrets are lovin the polecat parlour...... they still get put in the cage when I go to work but they love having the roam of the room during the night, and its great when guests are over cause they don't get stuck in their cage and suffer from lack of exercise.

I acquired a laser sailboat from my mother. Its been sadly neglected for a long, long time and needs a lot of work. The hull leaks and I hope we can fix that and make it seaworthy again. It will be so much fun sailing again.

Remembrance

Today I woke up and felt the depression sink over me...... it was 2 years ago today that Pete died. While I have been moving forward with my life there is a part of me that stays back, in the past, holding on. I miss him and I can't dismiss his existence. He is a part of me and he is a part of my son. I believe he watches over us. I miss him. I miss his laugh. I miss his friendship.

Fun -N- Sun

I was out at Anclotte Island yesterday, well another island a little ways from it anyway. During high tide the island is very small and almost non existent, during low tide it is a favorite hangout with boaters of every variety. Its really a group of three sandbars, but a small portion stays exposed, enough for some plants to grow. People go out there and hang out, meet other friends and by and large..... party. Its amazing the gadgets you can buy for boats........... grills, cutting boards and counters that all fit into the rod holes. We grilled on the boat and everyone then wades the food, tents, chairs and beverages onto the island where you just generally have a great time. People bring their dogs and everyone gets along. You can meet up with old friends or make new. Its a definite case of the more the merrier. By noon its a parking lot and nothing but boats anchored side by side by side. Once you "park" your boat ya gotta keep and eye on it. As the tide goes out you occasionally have to move the boat out. One side of the island you have to be really careful, if you don't move fast enough and check on your boat regularly, you may find your self getting beached between 2 sand bars and having to wait for the next high tide.........not a good idea, specially if the next doesn't come until 9PM.

A Little Something Nice to Say

As parents we often have a lot of gripes about our kids, they don't pick up after themselves, they waste electricity, they waste the water, they don't listen, they only think of themselves, they complain about doing chores, etc, etc, etc.
BUT
I must mention two things that my son did that showed me my efforts to teach him have not gone in vain........ that somewhere I did something right............he made me very proud.......

1) They day after Teeki died he called me to see how I was doing. (He later admitted that he took it hard as well and his GF had to console him.)

2) He came by my house and surprised me by taking my truck to the shop where he works and changing my oil, oil filter and air filter because he heard me mention the oil change was 1500 miles past due. Cost to me....... zero dollars.

Teeki

Rainbow Bridge

March 2001 - July 22 2006

Aghast with Horror, Sickened Beyond Belief

As posted on Bay News 9

The St. Petersburg Police Department is looking for a man who allegedly grabbed an 8-year-old girl early Wednesday afternoon.The girl's mother had brought her and her 7-year-old brother to play at Central Oaks Park. St. Petersburg Police spokesman Bill Proffit said the children's mother remembered she had left the stove on. She ran home and the children stayed to play. Almost immediately, the children noticed a stranger so they started home. "Before they could leave the park, the man came up from behind, grabbed her in a bear hug, pushed her down and got on her," Proffit said. The boy ran home to get his mother. Meanwhile, Aaron Chambliss, who was nearby, saw what was happening and rushed to help. "He saw me coming to her rescue and he proceeded to get up and run, but in a split second he changed his mind and jumped back on her before she could get up," Chambliss said. "And that's when I hit full sprint. I was going to catch him. I was going to do something about it." A female motorist also saw what was happening and honked her horn in an attempt to get the suspect off the girl."They saw and instantly perceived that a crime was being committed," Proffitt said. "There was no doubt in their minds and they took action immediately. The blaring of the horn and the running over here actually stopped the man from continuing what he was doing."

*****************************************************************************

No more innocent days for children................. they are long gone. I remember my mother getting fed up with our childish antics and would throw bagged lunches at me and my brother and tell us to get out and not to come home until dinner time. We would promptly go next door and gather up Kevin and Lisa and head out to wherever our feet took us. Sometimes it was deep into the woods and rock hills 2 miles down the road or it could be 2 miles the other direction to the pond. Adventures awaited and we were out to conquer the world. How sad is it that children can no longer know this sense of absolute freedom. No parents around and our imaginations free to run. No one telling you not to climb the cliff, don't swing on that branch, don't get wet, don't throw that, don't pick that up........... Those hours were the best! We were free to do as we pleased and to be what we wanted. The only thing that limited us, was ourselves. Childhood days were glorious.............. not a care in the world.

Why have we allowed sickos and pervs to steal this from our children. I can't even imagine raising a child in this day and age. When Peter was growing up, by 8 he was able to wander the neighborhood with his friends, 1 block over and 3 blocks down, if you went inside a friends house you called me to let me know. I had wished that my son could have experienced a neighborhood like mine....not the cement playgrounds we had come to live in. That was 11 years ago........ and he is a boy....... but even today boys are just as much at risk. Why can't we teach criminals that want to prey on our children that this won't be tolerated. Why can't we maim them, castrate them, brand them with a "P" or just kill them?

Why can't we take back what belongs to our children......... innocence, imagination, and fun, all with no cares, and no worries.

How sad that children can't experience childhood the way we did. It makes me cry.