Following are a bunch of pictures I took today. First up is Charlie:

He must have been mighty hungry. There was a lot of digging going on in the snow on my deck. I hadn't fed the birds in several days, so there wasn't anything for him to steal right from the feeder.

He has a nice bushy tail. The other morning I saw one running across my parking lot that had only about half a tail. Made me wonder what happened. Did another animal almost get him? Poor Charlie...

On my way back inside from some shopping, I looked up and noticed this chunk of ice hanging over the edge of our building. With temperatures into the mid 30's, it was melting and dripping onto our stoop. I just hope it doesn't start sliding off and land on someone.

Last night on the way home, I stopped at my local Tiger Direct warehouse because I saw they had LCD monitors on sale for $129.99. This particular model was listed as originally $289, so I figured saving $160 was pretty good.

Samsung is a good name and the reviews for it were all very good. It was quite easy to set up.

Here it is, all set up and working just fine. Now I don't have to deal with that honkin' CRT Monitor on my desk! That will be going to the computer recycling place very soon.

This became effective Jan 1, 2009 in all states. The National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seatbelt. Initial results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed. Correct installation is illustrated below:

(If you click on the picture, it should open up so you can see the animation.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wife Of Riley for this award! I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, in fact I went back through all the previous blogs that it came from trying to find out it's meaning, so I could understand it better. Here is what I found:

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


15??? Really? 15??? That's like every one that follows me! So instead of listing them all out, if you follow me you are entitled to this award. I know a few of you have already received this from Becky, so I won't hold you down and force you to blog about it a second time. But it is a really cool looking award, who wouldn't want it? As for those values, I'll have to think on that a bit more.

Follow-up to my very early morning post...




I stopped by the management office on the way home, and was told my upstairs neighbors are moving out in March! I'm starting the countdown!

Wooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can ya tell I'm happy???????

Yeah, I kind of already knew I was sane, but this proves it!

Your result for The Crazy Test...

You're sane!

You scored 8 Sane, 4 Insane, 4 Crazy, 5 Weird and 3 NeedHelp!

You might survive. Just don’t close your eyes.

Deep down inside: you are confused about circles.

Your great abiding passion is: payday

Your innermost fear is: payday

Your greatest strength is: clear thinking

Your deepest regret is: politics

Your most sincere hope is: world peace

Your best quality is: having your feet on the ground

Your weakest trait is: changing the oil

Your reason for living is: perfect teeth

When your house is in Uranus, you will find insight and wisdom. Watch for toothpicks on the 5^th. Prosperity is around the corner, but you must turn on the sprinklers before you leave. Look for a sign in the peanut butter on the 16^th.

When you grow up you will be the President.

You will have 2.3 children and 4 SUVs.

You will have a nice house in a neighborhood.

Your spouse’s name will be known.

You will enjoy a long and healthy life.

Everyone will love you.

Wisdom will follow you all of your days.

The Jack of Trades indicates your present. The Card of Death represents an ending. The Nine of Branches turned clockwise shows your future.

You were born in the year of the Lily Pond. Your Sign is Big. In your past life, you were alive. Your wrinkles tell the story of your life. Your destiny is unfolding.

Take The Crazy Test at HelloQuizzy

I'm sitting here at the computer at 12:13AM, when I should be sleeping. Tell that to the a**holes upstairs. Since 10pm they've been bouncing around like they want to put a hole through my ceiling, running up and down the stairs, pushing my buzzer along with theirs, and in case you haven't figure it out yet, being just plain annoying. Every time I put my head down to try to relax and go to sleep, BOOM, another pounce. What is it with people? With all the times I've complained to the management, you'd think they'd get the idea that they need to kind of hold it down at night. Maybe it's finally time to start looking for another place. A place where I have no one around me who is in the restaurant business. A place where I'M on the top floor, with no one above me. A place with no outside north wall! I have 10 months before I would have to be out of here, plenty of time to get packed and moved, right?

Blue Ridge Gal asked, and I will answer. Her questions are interesting in that she doesn't know me very well, and went back through my blog to find topics for questions. Hey, it's probably what I would have done!

So, here they are, BRG's questions, and my answers:

1. You have had a hard cold winter in the Chicago area and I see that not only have you had water in your apartment but also a parking lot full of water and ice. Has the weather taken a toll on your social life as far as getting out and seeing friends and family this winter or have you all just skated to and from one another's homes? Skates, sleds, or has it been e-mail only as far as staying in close touch with those you love?

Fortunately, there hasn't really been much water in my apartment since last February. But yes, my parking lot has had the worst of it, flooding in September and then again in December. In September, I was able to get out, barely, to go spend the day with my aunt. I was sort of adopted by that family years ago, and I go spend Sunday afternoons with her, have lunch, see a movie, that sort of thing. When it flooded again in December, I was completely cut off from my car, and was stranded at home all weekend. Of course, that's not a bad thing when there's football on tv! As far as the weather in general, it hasn't prohibited me from getting together with friends or family too much. One day I was stopping by a friend's house after work to pick up some candles I had ordered from her, and it just happened to be our first big snowstorm of the season. That was a very long drive home! Other than that, I really have no social life anymore, so staying at home after a storm or flood doesn't bother me too much.

2. Last November you had a post on your blog that mentioned Sunshine and Lemonade and a the prize of Betty Crocker Warm Delights? Are you a Betty Crocker type of gal that enjoys cooking and if so do you have a lot of cookbooks and which one is your favorite and why?

Too funny, because I so totally do not enjoy cooking! I mentioned the Warm Delights because of the giveaway Kat was having, and because I LOVE chocolate. I am a self-described chocoholic. I do know how to bake, and can do it if I need to, but I much prefer the premade stuff you just put on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven. Surprisingly I did keep some of my mother's cookbooks, but I think I've only looked at them maybe twice in 10 years? The joys of living alone and being a picky eater: Finding foods that don't have leftovers, that you'll eat and that don't require an hour in the kitchen.

3. You mentioned last October that one of the careers you would like to try would be to own a winery? If the opportunity arose to buy a winery, what state would you hope it was located in and why?

Well, I love wine. I belong to a wine club that sends me two bottles of wine every month. I thought it was a perfect way to get introduced and learn about the varieties and flavors of wine. As for the winery, I don't remember posting that, but if you say I did, I must have! If I were to own a winery, I'd probably want it to be in CA, so I would be closer to my family. They are always wanting me to come visit and asking me to move out there. I wish I could afford to live there, but I'd need to win the lottery first. But then I'd either need to hire some really knowledgeable people or teach my tongue really quickly how to tell the different flavors apart, because I can't tell tannins from oak flavorings.

4. One of your blogs is about keeping an eye on our government.... Without revealing your political party, tell us who you think was the most crooked politician to walk this earth.

There have been so many crooked politicians, and they seem to be multiplying every year. And Illinois has had our fair share of them, including our current and previous Governor. Without doing a lot of research on it, I would say the most crooked politician that I know of would have to be former President Nixon. He held the highest position in government in this country, and abused that position by authorizing tape recordings of the opposition. The smartest thing the House did was to impeach him and he was fortunately smart enough to resign. I could keep going here about all the different politicians that have done crooked things, but being the president, you're representing all of America, and should be above all that. The governors and senators, while important to our form of government, can be removed from office more easily and with less damage to our reputation and way of life than the president.

5. Would you ever run for a political position, if so, which one? Mayor, Governor, Senator, President? And why?

I'm not sure if I would want to run for a political office. Maybe a city council position, but definitely not senator or president. There are too many hands wanting things, and in today's world, unfortunately, you don't get anywhere without putting something in those hands, and getting support for them. I don't see enough people getting into government that believe in less involvement by government and more honesty in the officials to have me make a difference. I feel I'm better off out here, informing the masses, helping to tell those elected officials what the people want and to persuade them to make the right decisions for our future.

So there you have it, my answers to Blue Ridge Gal's questions.

Now it's your turn if you would like me to interview you just leave a comment and I will email you the questions!

Here's the directions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Thank you Jeannie (and LadyStyx) for this wonderful award! I'm honored that you both thought enough of me and my blog to pass it along.

This blogging adventure has taken me someplace I never thought I'd go. I started out with a few online friends, blogging between us, to keep up with each other's lives. Slowly, my world has expanded and I've found some really beautiful blog friends.

When Blogger came out with the new widget to "follow" blogs, I thought it was great. Now I could keep track of the blogs I read, to know which entries were new. If I have gone to the trouble of "following" your blog, then I will read every post. And no Jeannie, I don't comment on every one, but I try to comment on most that I have an interest in. The point of following is to read and comment, so the blog owner knows you were there, right? What's the point of following if you aren't going to go read the blogs? I would rather have 5 loyal followers that commented than 14 followers that I never hear from.

My point is, I read blogs where I have found some connection with the author/owner/writer, whatever you want to call them. That's the kindred spirit I look for when selecting blogs to follow. If you are a follower of my blog, actually read my posts, and have not received this award yet, please take it with my blessings.

Matt over at My Side Of The Story tagged me to do this photo thing. Here are the rules as posted by him:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag four people to do the same.

Before I actually select my picture, I have questions. I'm always asking questions. Do I only select photos that are jpg's? Should I count bmp's or gif's? Which picture depends on how the folder is organized. Is it in alphabetical order by file name, or by date received? It makes a difference in which picture I post.

I'll assume I should stick with only jpg files, and since my folder is normally in alphabetical order, I'll not change that for this exercise.

I like being difficult, lol.

Oh yeah, I don't have four folders, I only have one. Now if it had been music, I have WAY more than four folders. But pictures? Just one.

So now that the suspense has sufficiently built up, here's my fourth photo in my one folder:

No, this is not my house. I was taking a walk, must have been almost two years ago. It was summer time, as you can tell by the green grass and leaves on the trees. Down at the opposite end of my street was this house that was for sale, and had been for sale for many months. Since it wasn't selling, I thought I'd offer it up to anyone who read my blog. The asking price wasn't much: $429,000. Unfortunately, I had no takers, and the house stayed on the market for many more months. I'm not sure what happened; If it was bought, or foreclosed, but the for sale sign eventually disappeared.

Now I get to tag four people to do the same.

LadyStyx - I know you have LOTS of interesting pictures. (If they're all on Photobucket, then choose the fourth one from the fourth folder there)

IntenseGuy - Maybe it will be a picture of a Charlie?

Lainie - Because you don't included in things nearly enough.

ToriZ - I know you and Kelly take lots of pictures, so you should have a good story to tell.

Happy picture hunting!

Time to finally start getting caught up on some posts I've been needing to do...

This award is from LadyStyx. Thank you so much!!! I do my best to make my blog interesting, and it's nice to know my readers appreciate my effort.

Here are the rules:

1. Say a nice thing to a man in your life.
2. List at least six ways you measure success in your life.
3. Assign five other worthy blogs.

First, there is no "man" in my life. So does my boss count? I wished him a nice weekend before I left work today.

Second, I've had to really think about this. And think. And think. I've been thinking for almost two weeks! Can anyone imagine how difficult this is? Now that my brain hurts from it, here are my six (I hope) in no particular order:

- Getting my paycheck on the 15th and last day of the month. That means I still have a job, which is a big success considering my luck the last two downturns in the economy.

- Waking up every morning. That means I'm not dead, so that's success, right? Work with me people!!! I TOLD you this was hard!

- Getting awards from my bloggy friends. That means success at this pitiful attempt at blogging.

(Only three more, come on you can do it!)

- Seeing my credit card balance go down. That means I'm spending less, which is a good thing! Debt is bad!

- Having good friends to spend time with. Both IRL and online. A few of you I only talk to online, but hope to meet someday. I treasure all my friends and would miss them terribly if I lost them.

- Getting my taxes done on time. I got my W2 today, so I'm all set. Maybe this year I won't wait until the second week of April to do them.

Whew! I need a rest after all that work!

The third and final part, I need to assign five worthy blogs. Five? Only five? Ok, here's goes:

TheGrammarphile @ Red Pen, Inc. She finds some of the worst grammar mistakes ever on the net, and I get a laugh when reading them every day.

Wife Of Riley @ Living The Life With The Wife Of Riley. Not only is it so cool that we're both from Chicago, but she and her hubby have the greatest relationship and she openly shares the hilarity with her readers.

Babyrocasmama @ Last Shreds Of Sanity. It's nice to find another blogger out there that isn't taken in by Obamania. She also takes the time to support other bloggers who are needing assistance, prayers, any kind of help. And she held some awesome giveaways last year. Too bad I didn't win any of them, lol.

The Blue Ridge Gal @ The Blue Ridge Gal. She has been sharing pictures of her world in Virginia, her family (including her doggies), and her childhood home in Iowa. That alone is enough for me, but the way she tells the stories and describes things grabs you and makes you want to come back tomorrow to see what else she's found.

Heather @ This Is The Day...Ps118:24. I'm a relatively new reader to her blog, but I greatly admire her faith, her love for her family, and her sense of humor. Anyone that will admit to finding ET playing the drums while everyone was at church, belongs in our little crazy world!

Wow! I did it!

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

In need of a loan? I got this via email today:


Hello!

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Contact us today via e-mail
E-mail: information.cheng@gmail.com

Regards,
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**********************************************************

NOTE BELOW :-
Please Serious Seeking Interested Persons Only in dire Need of this loan or Mortgage either for Personal or Business or Even Rehabbing.Keep in touch. Unserious Persons will have their Offers Turned down,when applying for a loan,please Ensure you come with a scanned Copy of Your Drivers License,or Your International Passport alongside your Full names and address.Once again you have to be In dire Need of the loan so as not to get your Offer Turned down,We are taking this Guideline to scoop off Unserious persons who mail us into thinking they are Interested and we Never get their Response after sending in Our Terms.

Please forward your Loan Applications to- information.cheng@gmail.com

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


Just so everyone is clear, this is only for individuals, firms and cooperate bodies. Not corporate bodies. And you must be a serious person in dire need, all unserious persons will be turned down and perhaps even scooped off.

Yes, I'm still alive. Not very clean, but alive. I haven't had the time or energy to be online much, or to even check blogger the last few days. Today I had all sorts of time to do nothing, since I had no water.

Yup, there was another leak from the cold. I thought everything was fine until I woke up this morning to no water in the building. Apparently, there was a leak in my wall that was coming out in the bathroom below me. Finally about 4pm Jack, my good buddy and maintenance manager came with a plumber to cut into my wall and replace the broken pipe. The wall should be fixed by Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday, and the toilet will be put back in place then.

I now have water, but when it was finally turned back on, it was too late for me to go out for any of the errands I wanted to run today. So I was basically a hermit today, staying snuggled under a blankie relaxing. The good news is it's warming up outside, slowly but surely. I have other things to blog, but they'll have to wait until I can maybe sorta get caught up on all the other blogs that I've neglected for days.

Mmmmmm Lemonade!

Thank you to BabyRocasMomma over at Last Shreds Of Sanity! I'm supposed to nominate 10 bloggers to give this to, that show great attitude or gratitude, but since I've seen this award going around on a lot of the blogs I read, I'll just put it out for anyone who follows my blog. If you haven't received this yet, I offer it to you as a sign of my thanks for reading about my boring life. I keep hoping things will get more exciting here, but right now it's all about the snow. Just watching it fall. Day after day after day. Spring IS coming, right? Right?? RIGHT??????

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people. Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love. You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love. And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's Your Word?

Since I had my camera out, and the Northern Juncos have been at my feeder since I filled it yesterday afternoon, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and get some pictures.

They aren't the best pictures; I was shooting through either the screen door or my dirty glass. There are about five or six that have been at the feeder all weekend. Finally, today, some other birds (mostly sparrows) discovered I had put seed in the feeder and came to get their fill.

On this mound where I had piled some snow on my balcony, the Juncos would use their feet to kick some of the snow away to look for more seed.

I just love Juncos. They're so cute with their charcoal grey top half and white belly. And they're only here in winter. Such a nice contrast against the white snow.

When I was sweeping the snow, I noticed there was some dropped seed that had been buried underneath the snow, which was then mixed into this pile.

Somehow, the Juncos knew there was seed down in there, and were kicking it away with their feet to get at it. And yes, Iggy, that's my ORBA in the pictures...inside, safe and sound from Charlie.

I finally ventured outside after the latest snowstorm. It snowed Friday night through most of Saturday afternoon. I had intentions of going to my aunt's house today, but she's not feeling well. Instead I get to watch more football, and keep myself warm and toasty after clearing all the snow off my car.

I did a rough measurement and it looks like I got about six inches (15cm) of snow.

I took this show so you could see the drifting on the south side of my car. It stuck out a good two inches past the edge of my car. Retrieval of my brush was done from the drivers side, then once all the snow was cleared off my car, I got my little shovel out of the trunk so I could clear a path to get my car out of that parking space and in to one that had been plowed recently.

Here's my windshield when I was part way done clearing it. And did I mention it's snowing again? We're supposed to have snow showers for the next four days.

Is it spring yet?

I can officially certify that I have 358 small paperclips at my desk here at work. I also have two small yellow paperclips. I have not counted the large paperclips, but I may work on that after lunch.

Just an update to let you know not much is happening here. It's back to work time for everyone, but I worked all six days around Christmas and New Years, since I only had 1/2 day of vacation left. It was a full day, but back in February when I took the morning off, my boss forgot to put it into the computer. The good news is that because our vacation is calculated based on monthly accrual (even though it's given for the year if that makes sense), I get an extra 1-1/2 days this year due to hitting the five year mark on September 1.

According to our Policy Manual, 6 months to 4 years you accrue .833 days per month. 5-9 years you accrue 1.25 days per month, etc. So I get .833 days per month for January through August, then 1.25 days per month September through December. That rounds down, roughly, to 11-1/2 days, plus my 1/2 day carried over, for a whopping 12 days of vacation this year! Ain't I lucky???? Plus we get two personal days, four floaters, and six sick days.

Another good note, my company finished the year with record sales of $1 billion, first time we've hit that amount. Everyone knows 2009 will be a lot less, so they are budgeting for it, but hopefully the record setting in 2008 will follow with nice bonuses in February.

Hopefully I'll find something to take a picture of soon, or a funny story to tell, or a cute email to share, or something to entertain everyone.

Make sure you click on the picture and read all the fine print!

I couldn't decide which picture to use, so I'm using all three. I hope all you bloggers have a safe New Years Eve. If you're going to a party, please have a designated driver or a cab take you home. I'd like all of you to start off 2009 the right way.

I'm staying home tonight, but I did buy a bottle of champagne all for myself. I should be good and plastered by midnight!

I love using the special champagne glass my aunt gave me in 2000/2001 when we went on a trip together to The Galapagos Islands. We spent the night celebrating New Years Eve in a traditional Ecuadorian fashion.

The traditions in Ecuador are very similar to those in other South American countries. First, a life-size dummy is made to represent the "old" year. Then a man dresses up as a woman to represent the "new" year. She then takes the dummy it. In many neighborhoods they make piles of them and burn them like bonfires. I really wish I had written down everything we did that night, so I would remember it. As wonderful as the internet is, I can only find information on the burning dummies. But I will look fondly back on that night, as I sip champagne from my special glass. (Also, if you click on the third picture, the words Happy New Year are glittery.)

My Wish For You In 2009

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address!

2008 is the wettest year on record with over 50 inches of precipitation in Chicago.

Yes, my parking lot and street are flooded again. This is not deja vu from September. On the left side, just beyond the white pickup truck is my car, which I can't get to. If the water doesn't go down today, I may not be able to get to work tomorrow.

My street is closed. People are still going around the barricades and risking damage to their cars. The city even put an OCHA on guard to take down license plates.

What's left of my street. The water is just at the edge of the curb, but the sidewalk is coated with ice from where the water was last night.

Temperatures got down below freezing last night, here are sheets of ice that broke free from people trying to drive through the water. If I see any polar bears, I'll know the Arctic Circle has moved south to Chicago.

This is the golf course, or what used to be the golf course. Now it's part of the lake.

As you can see, not all the snow is gone, but where there should be grass is a LOT of water. Very cold water. I really hope we get less precipitation in 2009.

Warning, some post-holiday cartoons. If you have small children around or are easily offended by bad words, do not scroll down and read these.

Tori: This picture is of a guy standing on a table next to a punch bowl at his company's Christmas Party. He's singing a song, everyone else has their cups of punch up in celebration. Harvey is singing, "Well, conditions at work are frightful, and the boss is not delightful, and someday we'll all be let go, this job blows! this job blows! this job blows!" Below that is a caption that reads: Harvey's bitter, drunken version of "Let It Snow" brought down the house at what turned out to be his last office Christmas party.

Tori: This is a picture of Santa in his sleigh, with one of the reindeer on his hind legs, saying to Santa, "Ooh that felt so good, whip me, whip me harder, pull my reins hard you fat bastard!"

Tori: This is a picture of a snowman and a dog, the snowman is mad because the dog just peed on him. He's yelling at the dog, "You son of a bitch! If I had legs, I'd kick your ass!"

Tori: This is a picture of Santa in his sleigh, and the reindeer all have diarrhea, which is being blown into Santa's face. Santa is thinking "Shit! That's the last time we stop for Mexican food!"

I hope everyone had a very nice Christmas. Mine was wonderful, but I was exhausted when it was over with. I barely had the energy to bring my presents inside from my car, lol. Of course, the ice on all the sidewalks didn't help much either.

So what did you all get for Christmas? Did you get what you wanted? What surprise gifts did you get? Did you get anything that you don't like?

I got a new microwave. My old one is about (pauses to calculate the years) 20 years old, so I figured it was time for a new one. That was my one big present. I got some pajamas that I had picked out last year that my aunt forgot to give to me. I got a couple books, one on the American Civil War, and another about how to attract birds to your feeders. I got paper towels and toilet paper. Now, I know what you're thinking! Paper towels and toilet paper for Christmas??????

For Christmas, in addition to our "wants" we also give some of the "needs" like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc. Not a lot but something to help out through the year. To me, that is much better than getting a bunch of stuff that I'll never use or will just sit around collecting dust.

Another thing I asked for was a white turtleneck. I wear turtlenecks quite often in the winter, the one I currently have has been worn and washed a lot, so felt a new one was something useful. Among the pajamas was a Christmas turtleneck with (I think) Christmas trees on it. I haven't unpacked all my presents yet, I was too exhausted last night, and I haven't been home long tonight. I'll get everything put away this weekend.

Last but not least, Santa was especially nice to me this year, giving me LOTS of chocolate, and various toiletries that again will come in very handy. Things like body wash, a poof, toothpaste, and shaving lotion. Hey, I gotta keep clean!

I'm sure there are other things I don't remember, but I'll remember when I pull them out of the bag to put away. I'm just glad the madness is over, and I can get back on my normal schedule.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Merry Christmas to all!

I've been very busy the last few days, barely keeping up with everyone's blogs, and no time to do any of my own posts. Tonight I've been scrambling to wrap the last of the presents, and pack for the trip tonight to my aunt's house. Normally I head over Christmas Eve afternoon, but she has a doctor's appt tomorrow morning, and with this current snowstorm, I'd rather drive out there tonight than tomorrow morning.

To add misery to this already dreadful month of December, the apartment below me had a pipe burst yesterday from the cold temperatures. When I got home last evening, the water had been shut off to our building. By 11:30PM it was not back on yet, and I had no idea exactly when it would be. Since I had to go to work today (I was one of only two people there in our dept due to vacations) I couldn't just stay home. I threw some clothes together, my toiletries, and drove out to my aunt's house to sleep there. Hey! It was cheaper than a motel! I found out tonight the water was back on about 3AM, but I had no way of knowing that last night, and the maintenance guys weren't answering their pages.

I also was concerned that the heat in my spare bedroom, where this computer is, was not working. Despite having the heat turned WAY up, the room had dropped to 60F. Brrrrrrrrr. With all the frozen pipes, bursting pipes, and complete lack of heat, I was willing to be patient with this bedroom heat. Somehow I think it fixed itself though, because I came home tonight and the room was about 80F, lmao.

Maintenance and/or a plumber was also here, apparently they needed to access one of the pipes through my bathroom wall. The damage isn't as bad as last year or the year before, fortunately. And it wasn't MY pipe that burst this time. For those not familiar with my trials and tribulations, check HERE for my 2008 story and HERE for my 2007 story.

Hopefully I can get caught up on all the blogs after Christmas.

To all my bloggy friends, I wish you a Very Merry Christmas! Be safe wherever you are, and don't forget the reason for the season!

I've come to the conclusion that I could never be a web designer, or any other job that requires you to work in HTML. I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't like HTML. It does what IT wants to do, spaces things, moves text around, makes a mess of what I was trying to make into a nice pretty post with pictures and stuff. Instead all I have is a mess and aggravation which I don't need a week before Christmas. So you're not going to see any post from me with all the pretty Christmas Trees from around the world. Blame HTML, not me.

And now, in honor of our distinguished Governor, Rod Blagojevich (under threat of impeachment and possible conviction on corruption charges):



To the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

Get packing, Rod Blagojevich
The state's in disarray
The Tribune wants you unemployed
At least by Christmas Day.
The TV pundits want your head
Could there be pay to play?
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Save Illinois!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

Good riddance Rod Blagojevich
Your Elvis look's inane,
The Senate's mad, so's Lisa's dad.
You drive us all insane.
Our transit's broke, the state's a joke,
The Tollway's one big pain.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Save Illinois!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

Good luck old Rod Blagojevich
The feds have quite a place.
Fitzgerald's poked his nose around
And if he has a case,
George Ryan's moving stuff around
Creating extra space.
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy
Save Illinois!
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.


For those not familiar with some of the references listed, I'll explain. The Tribune is The Chicago Tribune which the Gov tried to get an Editorialist fired because he wasn't supportive of the Gov. Lisa's dad is Michael Madigan, the Speaker (Leader) of the Illinois State House of Representatives. Lisa is the Attorney General for the State. Fitzgerald is Patrick Fitgerald, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Northern Illinois, part of the Department of Justice. George Ryan was our previous Governor, who was convicted of racketeering, bribery, extortion, money laundering and tax fraud.

If a fat guy grabs you and puts you in a bag, don't worry. I told Santa I wanted a good friend for Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Anyone for a three hour tour?

I got mine tonight, coming home from work. I left work at 4pm, and arrived home at 7pm. The first 45 minutes was spent trying to get onto the tollway to head South. Then another 45 minutes was spent getting to the next tollway to head West.

At that point, I pulled over onto the shoulder because my windshield wipers were so crusted with ice, I couldn't see anymore. 30 minutes later I had to pull over AGAIN to get the ice off so I could see.

Another 30 minutes to get to my exit, and 30 minutes to actually exit off the tollway.

Average speed? About five miles per hour. All for 2 FREAKIN' INCHES OF SNOW! What will things be like if we get a REAL snowstorm??? Not one single street had been plowed. We were just following in the tire tracks of the car in front of us and praying we could stop when we needed to.

I'm half considering taking a "snow" day tomorrow, since I still have 1-1/2 vacation days left this year.

Is it Spring yet?

How could anyone not believe this wonderful email I received today!


Dearest in the Lord.

Greetings in the name of God I am Mrs. Regina Robert, a widow to Late Anthony Robert who was a wealthy business man before his sudden death. May his Soul Rest in Perfect Peace Amen? I am 68 years old and new Christian convert, suffering from long time cancer of the breast. From all indications, my condition is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that I will not leave more than six months according to my doctor, because the sickness is now at the critical stage.

My husband was killed by the rebels in Northern part of Ivory Coast during the political crises, and during the period of our marriage we couldn’t produce any child. After the funeral of my beloved husband, his entire family pushed me out from my matrimonial home and confiscated all my husband’s properties and bank accounts. The only inheritance I have from my husband now is a deposit $3,200.000.00 American dollars which he made in a bank which none of the family members knows nothing about it. Since my life on this earth will not be long and no child to inherit this fund, I decided to donate it to the kingdom of God for the survival of widows, orphans and street children in your country. I know that you will say why me after reading this message but I want you to understanding that contacting you in this donation fund is not by my power as you can see that none of us have see each other before, rather contacting you is a divine direction from God that knows the heart of all human beings that he created.

Our good God has remember you in his blessing house for being faithful and obedience in worshiping his name and understand that the blessings of God does not count on religions rather on your faithfulness to his commandments and I don’t want you to bring apply fears in this call from God because when fear controls your life, it will reduce the ability of God in you.

My dear, I want you to spend some time in communicating with our God, seek for his face and ask him questions because he is your father. Remember that the Holy Scripture has made us to understand that every obedient child has legal authority to his father, so you have the chance to ask our God questions concerning this notice from your sister Regina Robert whom you have never see before, I strongly believe that our good God will give you a clear revolutions over this service he has appointed you to handle for the survival of helpless once around you. God said, I will strengthen and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Fear not because our good God is on your side and will provide every material things for you in this service.

I will be looking forward to hear back from you so as to confirm your acceptance to work for our living Almighty. God bless you. Yours beloved sister in Christ,

Mother. Regina Robert

I read LadyStyx's and Punkn's posts about being busy, and it seems to fit all of our lives these days.

Tomorrow night after work is our "holiday party." Our company has a zero tolerance for DUI, so if we want to drink we have to either have a room at the hotel, or have a cab ride home, or have a designated driver. And the company is re-imbursing us for the hotel room. The hotel is four blocks away from our office, and I live 25 miles away, so it doesn't make sense for me to leave work at 3, drive home, change, then drive all the way back to work, then all the way home after the party (provided I don't drink).

So I'm getting a hotel room and changing there for the party, and all I have to do is go up the elevator to my room. (Hopefully I'll remember the trip up this year.) After I check out on Saturday, I am coming home, changing, packing more clothes, and spending the night at my aunt's house, dog watching. My aunt is having surgery tomorrow, and with her son working long hours, someone needs to be there to feed and let out the dog. I volunteered. I gave up getting together with a couple friends for this, lol. I won't be home until Sunday evening, I'm going to try to get some shopping done while I'm out there. I might work on my Christmas letter while I'm there. I hate my aunt's computer, so I'll probably hand write it out, then it will be easy to type up when I'm home.

So basically, I won't be around all weekend! Between work, shopping for Christmas presents, and trying to wrap presents, my blog posts might be kind of sporadic. But once the craziness that is Christmas calms down, I'll settle back into my old routine again. I'll be behind on reading blogs this weekend, but will try to get caught up next week. Maybe. I think.

On Sunday November 23, 2008 Heaven got another Angel:

Katherine "Katie" Kaselau

Born February 13, 1906, she lived a long and fulfilling life. She survived an abusive husband, raised her kids right, and my sister had the fortune of marrying her wonderful son Robert.

The first time I remember meeting Katherine was in Colorado Springs for my niece's graduation from the Air Force Academy. Katherine, my niece, Tina, and myself were sharing a hotel room the night before the ceremony. Katherine in one bed, Tina and I in the other (Tina and I are more like cousins since she's 1-1/2 years younger than me). Katherine was either complaining about the temperature, or she was snoring and keeping us awake. Katherine, in typical fashion, laughed at us and said we were the ones making all the noise. We complained so much to her, that she went next door and slept with her son and daughter in law (Tina's mom) and that night has become a conversation piece. Everyone laughs about it, but it was exactly the approach Katherine took to everything.

When I would go to California to visit my sister, we ALWAYS had to go see Katherine. One of the first things she'd ask me was "How's Mayor Daley?" She was referring to the first Mayor Daley, not the son, the current Mayor Daley. I'd have to tell her he's not the mayor anymore, she'd say "good" and then I'd tell her his son is the Mayor, and she'd gasp like she was shocked and dismayed. I think I had a permanent smile on my face when I was around her.

She saw the humor in everything. Years later, as her memory was failing her, and she didn't remember people or things as well, her son made her a set of "flash cards." There were regular questions she'd ask every time he'd go visit her. Such as...Where's my husband? The answer is "he's dead." She'd reply with oh that's nice. LOL Another was...Where's my money? The answer...in the bank. Question: What about my house? Answer: We sold it.

Nothing earth shattering, just regular things about her life that she couldn't remember. So after answering these questions every time he came over, the same questions time after time after time, he made the flashcards. One side had the question, the other had the answer. When she'd ask him a question, he'd pull out the card, tell her to read it, she'd read the question, flip it over and read the answer herself. I think it was quite ingenious.

She never minded the senility. Even though she was always apologizing about asking questions with answers she knew she should know, I never gave a second thought to answering her. I hope I have her outlook on life when I'm 102. On second thought, I don't think I want to live that long!

R.I.P. You will be missed.

I debated whether I would blog about this or not. I just read a new version of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas on a friend's blog. I won't post it here, but you can either google the words "twas the month before christmas" or go here and see one of the several sites I saw with it posted.

In many of our numbered states, at the Capital buildings, alongside "Holiday" trees or Nativity displays is another display from the athiests. Now, I'm all for the freedom of speech. I acknowledge that pagans have been celebrating the Winter Solstice for many many many years, and they have a right to believe what they want. Just as Christians have a right to believe what they want.

This is the display put up in the Capital building here in Illinois. Similar ones are in Washington state, Wisconsin and others. My only issue with this, is that the athiests are asking for tolerance of their beliefs, but are not allowing for tolerance of the Christian belief. To me, this message is very negative. Religion hardens hearts? It enslaves minds?

Do the Christian displays of Christmas trees and nativities impart negative emotions to non-believers?

Before I found God, I only experienced the secular side of Christmas. I sang songs about Christmas, Jesus and Mary, even though they had no meaning to me.

Why couldn't the message have been more positive, about the celebrations held as part of the Winter Solstice, instead of being an attack ad meant to criticize Christians for feeling and believing what they do? Instead of inviting tolerance for others, all this does is inflame emotions at this important time of year, whether you be Christian or pagan.

I just don't get people sometimes.

Lessons On Life

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in Winter, the second in Spring, the third in Summer, and the youngest in Autumn.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said, "No, it was covered with green buds and full of promise."

The third son disagreed. He said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he'd ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The father then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of your Spring, the beauty of your Summer, fulfillment of your Harvest time.

The moral of this story?

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time.
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.
Happines keeps you sweet, trials keep you strong, sorrows keep you human, failures keep you humble, success keeps you glowing, but only God keeps you going.

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