One last try

OK, a shorter version, but one last try at this entry.  I'm mad because I worked so hard on the first one.

We went to breakfast, then chilled for a while before working the booth.  When the trade show was over for the day, we watched part of a seminar that two of our customers were a part of.  After leaving, we realized that the rest of the night was OURS!

We had a drink in the lobby, then headed to Beale Street.  First, we rode the Ducks.  They have them in Branson, too, but these were more affordable.  It was awesome.  The tour guide was funny and well-informed, and I learned a lot.  These things go on land and water, so we had a great tour.

After that, we walked Beale Street, and saw some interesting things.  Make sure you check out the videos on my blogger journal over the next few days.  Right now, the duck march is the only one there.  I have to work on the other one when I get home to my own computer.  The duck march should end about 5 seconds earlier, due to little kids walking behind them, but it's still funny.

OK, I'm out.  I'll be nicer in my next entry....IF this one stays put.  What a waste of an hour.  sheesh.

Unbelievable. I lost a HUGE entry

DAMN AOL!  I spent 45 minutes on an entry, and AOL ate it.  DAMN JERKS!

Here's the short version:

The day was great.  We worked, we watched the duck march, we attended a conference.  Damn, this was SO much better the first time

We rode the ducks.  Look it up.  They have them in Branson, too.  It was grand.  (this post sucks.  I'm too mad to do it right.)

History is good, food was good, now I'm tired.  BAH!  I'll fix this up when I get home.

I have awesome pictures, but they won't be posted tonight unless I can't sleep.

Damn, AOHELL.

Memphis, Day 2

I woke up early and prowled around, like I often do when I'm rooming alone in a hotel.  I took a few pictures, but not as many as usual, so you don't all have to groan as much.  My room number is NOT shown in braille here.  I was very disappointed. 

We got the booth set up with 1 1/2 hours to spare, and got to watch the ducks arrival.  It's quite a show, with about 10-15 minutes of the history of the ducks, etc. etc. They march in, climb the red carpeted steps, and climb in via steps built into the inside of the fountain.  Then a little wall is put up on the inside steps, so they won't waddle right back out again.  The trainer guy said, "You just trust the ducks." (Why are their wings clipped, then?  huh?  HUH?)

It was so crowded by the time we got near, we had to watch from the floor above.  I'd call it by it's proper name, but I'm too lazy to look up the spelling of mezzanine.  The elevators talk to you, here, so a sexy lady voice says, "going up," or "going down," or "5th floor," or "main lobby," you get the drift.  It's kind of weird.

We took 3 customers to dinner at Texas de Brazil, a really cool place.  You get food from this massive salad bar (that has everything I've ever seen, and many I didn't recongnize) and they bring mashed potatoes and bread to the table.  These guys walk around with giant pieces of grilled meat on giant skewers, and offer it to anyone ready to try.  There is a small disk on the table by each person.  If you flip it to green, they offer you meat.  If you flip it to red, they pass you by.

It was quite an experience.  Kevin would have enjoyed it far more than I, because he's more of a carnivore.  I love telling him about these places that I get to see, but I feel bad that he is left out.  I want to share things with him, and he likes to hear it, but I always feel guilty after I tell him.  He would have really digged this place, and he probably went home after a 12 hour day and ate a cold sandwich in an empty house.  Sorry honey.  The girls will be home tomorrow.

Parting thoughts:

There is no duck poo on the floors here.

I ate tuna sushi. My first sushi experience. It wasn't awful.

I don't like lamb.

I am always shocked at the bill when we take customers to dinner.

I love seeing new places, but am often lonely for home after 1 day.

There are too many mirrors in my room, or I need to lose weight.

I still don't know how Amy utilizes all of these pillows.

The rest of Day 1

Oh, the stories I could tell.  It is exremely hot and humid here, but it was pretty driving by the river on the way to the hotel.  Now, I'm going to bed.  I'll try to relay some stories tomorrow or something, but now I must sleep.

Goodnight, friends and family.

Here I go again

Well, here I sit.  I've gotten through security, and there is a bit over an hour before my flight boards.  I guess that means that you have to suffer.  Yes, it's true...another nonsense entry.  Sorry in advance.

The guy to my left walked in and looked under the seats quite intently before chosing one in which to sit.  That made me wonder...COULD THERE BE SOMETHING BAD UNDER MY SEAT?  ACK!  The lady to my right is wearing a very colorful pink/green/orange/yellow/blue top with lime green shorts and crew socks pulled halfway up her calf. 

There is a kid wandering around with no supervision, and I can almost bet that she'll sit near me on the plane.  One guy has a ipod earbud in one ear, a cell phone held to the other, and is playing on a laptop computer.  Technology freak.  There is an old chick doing a crossword puzzle, and a guy that looks cranky is about to fall asleep.  That's just a few of the folks waiting with me.  It could get interesting.

Well, I think I'll shut this thing down and conserve battery life for the flight.  See ya later from Memphis.

Disconnected Mufflers and Missing my Girls

On Thursday, I noticed that my car sounded kind of weird.  It was a bit louder.  It sounded more like a big ol' pickup.  When I noticed, I was beside a concrete barrier, so I chalked it up to echo.  On Friday, I noticed it was even louder, even when I wasn't beside ANYTHING.  Yeah, I had muffler issues.  Loud little car, it was.

Kevin had to work today, so I stayed home and cleaned house and caught up the laundry.  I borrowed Mom's biggest suitcase to pack, since the girls took both of my good ones to Grammy's house.  I packed all of my clothes, so tomorrow I only have to pack the grooming items, after my shower.

Then, I drove the car to Dad's and pulled it into the shop.  They were gone on a motorcycle trip, but I found the jack and jacked it up for Kevin.  When he got there, he quickly did a short-term fix.  Now, my car sounds normal again.  Well, normal for a 16 year old Cavalier.  LOL

Now, we're home, the a/c is on, and we've called the girls.  I miss them so badly that it is a physical pain.  They will be home on Tuesday, so when I get home from Memphis on Wednesday, they'll be here waiting for me.  I can't wait to see them.  This visit was about a week longer than in years past, so we're anxious for them to get home.  We have to buy school supplies and get ready, since school starts in a few weeks.

Now, I'm off to watch COPS and the Busch race. (sorry about the no-warning, Russ.)  My next post will be from Memphis, unless I'm bored in the Kansas City airport, waiting for my flight.  I'm flying Northwest, and USA Today says they've been canceling lots of flights, mostly toward the end of the month.  *sigh*  Here's hopin'.  I'm sure it'll be fine.  Right?  It'll be fine, right?  RIGHT??????

A trip on the horizon

Well, here it is.  Friday night.  What a hellish week.  Trying to get loose ends tied up to be gone a week really takes it out of you.  I leave on Sunday afternoon for Memphis.  I will land after 6:00 on Sunday evening, and grab the rental car and get checked in to the hotel.  Monday morning, co-worker Michelle will join me.  She is my favorite travel buddy.  We get along great, and have a good time no matter what.

Tomorrow, Kevin has to work a few hours, so I'll clean this sad-looking dump of a house.  It's pretty rough.  I gotta get it all clean and shiny before I leave, so it'll be easier on Kevin, and the girls can come home to a clean house.  They'll be home on Tuesday, I'll get here on Wednesday.  They've been gone too long, and it's about time they come home.

Anybody know a nice place to eat in Memphis?  We'll take customers out on Monday night, and it needs to be a nice place.  I won't spend any time looking for Elvis, since he's been spotted recently at a 7-11 in Wyoming.  Not being a big Elvis fan, I won't be seeing Graceland, either.  Other tourist interest suggestions would be appreciated, though.

I'm trying to call Mom to warn her that the girls will be dropped off there by Grammy sometime on Wednesday.  Her line is busy.  I hope she sees this here.  Thursday, I'll have them here at home.  Friday, I need help for a couple of hours in the morning while a torture specialist yanks teeth from my head.  ACK!

This house is burning hot, but it'll be better tomorrow.  I can live with it for tonight.  There is rain trying to move in, but it's not making it this far North.  I saw it about 15 miles away when I stopped at the store tonight.  I was hoping it would get here, but so far we've had that "pre-rain" yellow color to the air, then nothing. *sigh*

Anyway, that's probably enough rambling for one night.  I just noticed that Ray is on FX.  Great flick.  I am also hoping that Amy has a good move-in.  Can't wait to see pics and wake up to a new journal post from her...soon?  LOL

::added later, I have a doggie problem, and I'm crying my eyes out right now::

Wireless Connections

I've been meaning to pick up Mom's laptop, to check the connectivity of the wireless router that I got from her, after it quit working for her.  The night that I finally stopped by (last night,) she had it back at the cabin.  No biggie.  It could wait.  I brought one of the laptops home from work tonight, to get it prepped for the Memphis convention that I'm leaving for on Sunday.  As an afterthought, I stopped by Mom's and grabbed her laptop, too.

Now, Kevin and I are sitting on opposite ends of the couch, recliners extended, surfing the web via wireless connection!  I could get hooked on this.  TV and Internet at the same time? With my feet up?  In front of the fan?  TOTAL BLISS, BABY.

If I was a rich woman, I'd order up a couple of laptops today.  No, I wouldn't.  Not until the bugs are worked out of Vista.  After that though, I'd be signed up for a couple of new machines.  But I'm not rich, so I'll keep borrowing!  LOL

I slept through Big Brother on Tuesday, due to my extremely long hours at the beginning of this week, so I watched it online last night.  Now, I'm up to speed, and ready for tonight's episode.  I'll surf around and check some journals, and enjoy the thoughts about my thighs and butt spreading from inactivity.  Ahhhh, the bliss that comes from wireless Internet.

Thanks, Mom.  And thanks, Belkin, for crapping out on Mom.

A Personal Letter

Dear Little Red Neon with KS tags,

I know.  Trust me, I know.  I know that you think you're the only one on the road.  I know that your agenda is WAY more important than mine.  I know you feel this way.  I know, because I've watched you, and your kind.

It is Kansas City rush hour, yet you stay.  You stay in the left-hand lane on a three lane stretch, wavering from 55 to 65 mph, when the SUGGESTED speed limit is 65.  There are two other lanes full of jerks, going WAY under the speed limit.  Why not join them?

Yes, I see the cell phone.  I know that you are having an important conversation.  I know that you can't be bothered with those of us who work for a living.  I implore you, please go shopping earlier, or later, in the day?  Please call the Nanny taking care of your kids at a different time?  Or raise your own kids...your choice.

Seriously, at 5:15 on a weekday, 50 in a 65 will never do.  That's why I went road-rage on you, honked my horn, and gestured rudely.  I didn't mean it...Yeah, yeah I did.  You are a selfish, self-centered creep, and you need smacked.

Do you think I was surprised when you exited at the mall?  No.  I wasn't.  You had things to buy.  Things that folks like me can't afford.  We don't matter to you.  Your hair and nails are perfect, and you are skinny as a rail.  Your husband probably makes 10 times what Kevin makes.  I see that. 

You know what?  I don't care.  Kevin is 10 times the man that your husband could hope to be.  We both work for a living, and we have something to go home to.  We don't shop to get rid of the anxiety.  We shop when we're out of toilet paper.

So, why don't you do this:  Take your snobbish, Johnson county ass, and get off the FREAKIN' road while I'm trying to get home to my husband.  The guy who builds me a deck even though he hurts beyondall measure.  The guy who is helping raise my daughters to be good people...not like you.

Get out of my way, because I have $400 invested in this car, and I'm not afraid to run your pampered ass off the road and let the liability insurance take care of it.  K?

I just thought I should warn you.

Signed,

The Cavalier behind you.

A very long day

OK, it's over.  I woke up at 4:00 yesterday morning, to head to work.  I did a couple of things at my desk, then got in the bosses car at 6:30 and headed to the downtown airport.  We flew to Mt. Vernon, IL to pick up some clients.  It was a husband and wife, and their two kids.  The 15 year old sat "co-pilot" for the trip to KC, which thrilled him to no end.  It is the best view.

We toured Kauffman stadium, which is 90 minutes of awesomeness, even if you don't like baseball (trust me.)  It was the coolest.  Then we went back to the lab and worked on some technical stuff that they were having problems with.

At 5, we headed out....4 customer service folks, and 4 members of the family.  We went to Gates BBQ, so they could enjoy KC BBQ, but I HATE Gates.  It is the MOST messed up place to go, but they enjoyed it.  Then we headed to the ball park to have our asses handed to us on a platter by the Yankees.  Yeah, it was ugly.

I got back to the lab at 10:40, and still had to head home.  Starting my car, I realized that I have a headlight out.  Awesome.  Dad told me about it and I forgot.  Now I'm going to drive through about 6 precincts with a burned out headlight.  Thank God I didn't get stopped.

Today, I got to work at 8, and left at 10 to pick up said customers from the posh hotel that we put them up in.  We drove to the downtown airport, and the other son flew "co-pilot."  It was a good flight with no issues.  I think pilot Ted is my favorite, but I'm not sure.  We dropped them off, then jumped RIGHT back on the plane to get home.

I went to the lab for a little over an hour to clean some stuff up.  I took about 10 calls and moved about a dozen orders, then told all that I was nodding off and needed to go home.  Screw them if they don't like it.  G'night.

I got home to a HUGE mess of recently chewed-up paper.  Thanks, Lucy.  I stepped over it and went out to my new deck, and pretended like it didn't happen.  Yeah, I still had to clean it up later, but for a short time, life was golden.

What a weekend!

Well, we started building the deck at 4:00 yesterday afternoon.  By 6:00 this evening, it was done.  Good job, honey!  I can help some, but not with everything.  Kevin gets something in his head and runs with it, and nobody else knows where it's going.  I am so happy.  I have wanted this deck since we moved in.  It's done now, and broken in.  Kevin opened a Diet Coke, and I opened a beer, at the same time, to christen it.  Then Mom and Dad and Pat and Charlene came by.

Midday today, we went to WalMart.  We had to get groceries, so we checked out the patio furniture.  It was overpriced, even on clearance.  We gave that up and just got groceries.  Then, I suggested we check Big Lot's.  It's such a junky store, but sometimes you get lucky.  We found an 8-piece set for $62, marked down from $95 or something. A table, umbrella, 4 chairs and two ottomans.  Good enough.  When we got to the checkout, there was another 20% off!  It was a $50 set!  WOOOOFREAKINHOOO!

After finishing the project, we called Mom and Dad right away to have them check it out.  Never mind the fact that I called them at 6:00 this morning to drink coffee on the unfinished version.  They came over, followed shortly by Charlene and Pat.  It was a great visit, and we all had a good time.

Now, Kevin is almost too sore to move, and must go to bed.  I'm dirty, sore, bug-bitten and sun-burned, and I have to catch a plane at 6:30 in the morning to pick up customers.  What a sight we'll be tomorrow!  Doesn't matter, though.  It's done.

Also, did I mention?  I HAVE A DECK!!!!!!!!!!

Busy Weekend

We started building a deck yesterday at 4:00.  We got enough done that we were able to drink coffee out there this morning.  We'll be almost done by the time we go to bed tonight.  Pictures to come this evening.

This morning, we went to Mom's and I hooked up her new wireless router.  I brought her old "junk" one home, and installed it here.  So far, it's working great!  I'll have to borrow her laptop later, though, and see if I can connect through it.  Maybe they could drop it off on their way out of town? *hint hint*

I'm looking around and noticing that my house is very messy, considering how hard we've worked this weekend.  I think I should have thrown some of that effort toward a vacuum or a washing machine.  Oh well, the view from the deck is pretty!

Another business trip

Well, there is a convention that we hadn't planned on attending, and the powers-that-be decided yesterday that we needed to be there.  The lady that gets this stuff together usually has months to prepare, and needs at least a few weeks, and now she has one.  I am going, which causes undo stress on my husband.

The girls will get home from Grammy's, I'll see them for 1 1/2 days, then I'll leave for 3 days.  Thankfully, Grammy agreed to stay up here and help, so the girls don't have to get up at 5 am and cramp Mom and Dad's life even more, so that's good.  Thanks, Linda.  Kevin was pretty grumpy about it, but I reminded him that my last pay increase came with a knowledge of this kind of travel.  That didn't help much, but it helped a little.

August the 4th is Kevin's birthday.  We get 3 day birthdays around here, so he has been planning his out for a while.  Now that plans are changing, I thought I should let the world know how his birthday week will go.

I fly out of Kansas City on Sunday, July 29.  I return the evening of Wednesday, August 1. I have August 2 as a vacation day, but he doesn't.  August 3, I have 2 teeth extracted.  August 4 is "the day", and I'll be mumbling and sore with a swollen face.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!

It's all quite frustrating, but there are some good points to the trip.  The good points benefit me, and me alone, so the family still suffers, so it's hard to get excited, but here goes:  I will be staying at the Peabody.  I didn't know what that meant, so people have been educating me.  There is the march of the ducks thing, which is supposed to be so cool.  The trade show hours are fairly short, so I won't be standing in a booth for 5 hours a day.  Memphis is cool.

OK, now off to talk sweet to my dear husband, and try to convince him that next year, his birthday will be better.  *sigh*

GRRRRRR

To Hell with it.  Seriously.

I'm hot, but not in a sexy way...

If we leave the dogs in all day (12 hours), Lucy will potty all over the house.  She does great when we're home, but 12 hours is too long for her.  If we put them both out on the back porch, I feel guilty because it's a small, hot space.  If I put her out, and leave Hawkeye in, she barks so much that he pukes and poops in the house (something he does NOT do if they're both in.)  We can't afford to put up a fence and leave them outside.  What's a girl to do?

Lately, this is what we do.  I wake up after Kevin is long gone to work.  I shower and get ready for work, then turn off the a/c.  The door to the back porch is open (so Lucy can potty...she thinks it has to be concrete, dammit,) and she doesn't freak out, so Hawkeye can make it 12 hours.  The first one home let's Hawkeye out and closes windows and doors and turns on the a/c.  It's only uncomfortable for an hour.

After the house cools down, we're fat and happy for the night, and the next day, we start all over.  The dogs are happy, and I'm not cleaning up any manner of foul dogness.  Do we win?  Probably not.  I could come home to a cool house, but now I must wait an hour for relief.  BUT...even though the a/c is working harder to cool a 90 degree house than it would if it's on all day, I can't believe it uses more energy than running for those 12 hours.  I think I'm saving money.

I know, maybe I'll close the back porch windows and put up curtains to block the sun. Maybe cooling the uninsulated back porch is cheaper than cooling a 90 degree house in an hour?  I don't know.  I have to get a fence, or get rid of some dogs.  Actually, getting rid of ONE cute little angel would fix things.  Anyone want a Jackahuahua?

I grew up without a/c and I didn't feel like it was that bad.  Hell, Mom and Dad STILL don't have a/c, other than in the bedroom, and they're fine.  And they're OLD!  LOL, just kidding, Mom.  I think our current plan is working.  I'll live with it.  Until I convince Kevin to unload that silly little dog.j

P.S.  Russ, the lunchmeat is making me spit Diet Coke out my nose, so you're fine.  I'm just loving the pear, dude.  I have an idea for a book of the pear cartoons...email me, I have plans.

Ticked Off Tuesday

Awesome!  It's Ticked Off Tuesday!  Play along, won't you?  The most recent is found here.

1) Questioning my parenting skills.  They are healthy and happy and on the A Honor Roll.  How did YOUR kids turn out?

2) Jerks in traffic.  I know you have A/C and you're on your cell phone and life is good, but I do NOT have A/C and I'm NOT on my cell phone and I JUST WANT TO GET HOME!

3) People dumping work on me, pretending not to know how to handle it, but truthfully just not wanting to deal with it.

4) Coming home and finding there's no new pear cartoon. (just kidding, Russ.)

5) Lying, deceitful, liars.  You know who you are.

OK, I have to stop.  I'm getting mad again, and I was over it.

Grammy arrived Friday evening with my girls and my nephew, Steven.  We had a laid-back evening, followed by a good weekend.  Kevin mowed, I ran the weed eater, and I got the weeds all pulled from the flower beds on Saturday.  It was a mess out there, but it looks good now.

Saturday evening, I went to a friends house for a going-away party for her 18 year old son.  He is joining the Navy.  It was hard, knowing what Ben went through, but the girls and I spent a couple of hours over there, just hanging out and showing support.  Alex and his Mom lived with us when Brett and Alex were new-born babies.  I have a tight connection to this kid, I mean, Man.

We hadn't been home very long when I went out to smoke (we don't smoke in the house when we have company) and I saw the sky.  It was the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen.  I called Kevin and Linda (Grammy) out to see it, and we ooh'd and aah'd a while.  Then, Linda said, "If it's this beautiful down here, imagine the view that Steve has."  Within two minutes of her saying that, we saw it.

A little cloud appeared, looking JUST like an angel.  It stayed for about 5 minutes at most, then it was gone.  We were all awe-struck.  It's one of those little signs that helps you get through the tough times.  Yes, I know it was a cloud.  Just moisture in the atmosphere.  I know that.  BUT...But you didn't experience it.  We find ways to comfort ourselves, and last night, we saw Steve.

Today, we had Mom and Dad, and my aunt Charlene and her husband Pat over for a barbeque.  The food was awesome.  I didn't take enough pictures, because I was busy cooking, serving, and eating.  Maybe Mom got some. ::shrug::  We had steak, twice-baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and baked beans.  Linda even made the jalepeno poppers from Pioneer Woman's journal.  Double yum.

Oh yeah, when we were waiting for everyone to arrive, the dogs were tied out.  Lucy found the end of a mole run by the concrete, and started going to town.  I was sure she'd wind up in China.  It was very funny, and we had a good time laughing at her.

 

A short entry

This is a very short entry to answer a couple questions.  My girls are in town for the weekend, and I won't be spending much time on here.

Debbie, Lucy is a Jackahuahua.  LOL  Her Dad was Chihuahua and her Mom was Jack Russell.  They were not supposed to date, let alone "get jiggy", but the owners underestimated the Chihuahua's tenacity.  Lucy has the annoying characteristics of both breeds, but she's also smart, loving, and sweet as she can be.

Pamela, I was referred to that messed up "upside down" site from a work friend.  You can find it at http://www.revfad.com/flip.html . Just type your text in a box, it flips it for you, and you copy/paste the flipped text into an email or whatever.  It really messes with your head.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Have you lost your mind? Have I?

¿ǝƃuɐɥɔ ǝlʇʇıl ǝuo sıɥʇ ʇnoqɐ uıɐldɯoɔ plnoʍ noʎ ʇɐɥʇ ʎʞɔıd os noʎ ǝɹɐ 'uɐǝɯ ı  ¿sıɥʇ ǝʞıl ʇsod lɐuɹnoɾ ɐ pıp ı ɟı ʎzɐɹɔ noʎ ǝʌıɹp ʇı plnoʍ

Yeah, this is some lame shit

It has been a good night so far.  The girls were supposed to come for a visit, and now they won't arrive until tomorrow.  That's OK, I have to work all day tomorrow anyway.  I can't wait to see them.

If you work with your body...if you work outside no matter what the weather...if you come home sore and worn out physically, you probably won't understand this.  Kevin has a hard time with it, but here goes:  I am SO worn out after work.  Yes, I sit at a desk all day.  I answer phones for a living.  Doesn't sound too bad, right?  WRONG!  I have a VERY hi-stress job.  I have the boss breathing down my neck for a project, while covering for 2 people that are gone, plus my own work.  It's extremely tough, and the fact that I am a "desk jockey" doesn't mean that I have it easy.  'Nuff said.

After a long and tiring day, I headed home.  It was good to break out of there and be free!  I don't have a/c in the car, so I rolled both windows down and enjoyed myself.  First, I stopped by Sonic and picked up a couple of drinks for my favorite couple of hard working men.  After delivering them to Kevin and Keith (yeah, they work outside in the elements), I headed home.

I wound up behind some old fart (Mom's term, not mine) and didn't have room to pass, so I took a route that I VERY seldom take.  I'll see if Jim can figure it out.  With the windows down, I could smell the corn as I passed the corn field.  The sky was wonderful and the smell was to die for. 

I walked into the house to two smiling dogs.  OK, Hawkeye only wiggles a lot when I get home, but Lucy SMILES!  It's so funny.  Her body is wiggling and contorting and her lips are pulled back in this amazingly funny smile.  After they calm down, I let Hawkeye out to pee, and I take Lucy with me.  She runs circles for a while, then she's ready to come in for a drink.

I get no rest.  She wants me to throw her rope toy immediately.  Good LORD, dog, can I change into shorts already?  Sheesh.

OK, I'm done rambling.  I can't wait to see my girls tomorrow, and I'll take tons of pictures, if ya'll care (or even if you don't.)  LOL

See ya!

:added later: If I access journals via internet explorer, I often see images from a past post.  I don't get it.  They seem right in AOL.  Anyway, if the first picture in this post isn't a corn field, hit "refresh" until it is.  That's the only thing that works.  It's not just my journal, it happens when I view others, too.  Damn AOHell.

07-07-07, The Lost Entry

This post was put up on Saturday.  I know some of you got the alert.  I saw a typo, and went in to edit it.  From that point on, it was toast.  I could get a black window where the pictures should be, and Amy said she saw pictures surrounded by plain white.  Stupid AOL.  It made me so mad that I didn't put it back up...until today.  Here it is, pretend it's Saturday:

Here is some stuff.  Mostly nonsense.  We put a ladder rack on craigslist, hoping to unload it.  It's been here too long, and it's a good one.  Need a ladder rack for a full size pickup?

We spent the evening watching TV, playing with Lucy, and talking on the phone to the girls.  Camp starts tomorrow, and they are quite excited.  We'll call tomorrow morning to "see" them off, then won't talk to them again until Wednesday evening.  I know they'll have a great time.

Today is Mom's birthday.  Go MOM!  Russ did a great pear cartoon (my favorite series) for her, and it was perfect for her.  What can I say about Mom?  She's the shit. (that's a good thing, Mom.)

Russ?  Toonguy?  Time to skip 2 paragraphs, OK?  Don't say you weren't warned.

Today's Nascar race was AWESOME!  It is 07-07-07, and Bowyer, in the 07 car drew the 07 pit stall.  It was set for him to win.  But he didn't.  What did he get?  His position at the end was 07.  Spooky?  Yeah.

My Missouri boys had a great showing.  Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) did a GREAT job and finished 4th, and Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) won!  WOOOHOOO!  He won by 1/1000 of a second.  It was a great finish, and we were holding our breath at the end.  He needed a win SO badly.  I'm happy for them.

OK, Russ, you can come back now.

I haven't accomplished as much as I could have on my time off, but I've had an awesome time.  Lots of relaxing and some productivity.  Tomorrow, more plans to be productive, so it will be a successful vacation.  My cold is practically gone.  I feel fine, but the coughing persists.  It's breaking up, it just needs time.

OK, I'm out.  I'm going to watch the rest of SNL for the first time in forever.  Have a great Sunday!

I Rock?

Well, more than one person has bestowed this award on me: 

That means one of two things:  Either I am a Rockin' Girl Blogger, or people were just running out of names to give this to.  It really doesn't matter which is true, I appreciate it just the same!

I'm not going to try to list the Rockin' Girls whose blogs I read, because I might miss someone.  If I read your blog, you probably know it, and that means you rock.  Why would I read the blog of someone who DOESN'T rock?  I am busy and important!  I can't be bothered with non-rockin' girls.

Thanks again for the nod, ladies.  Right back at ya!

NO MORE EATING OUT!!!

I took Mom out to Olive Garden for lunch, in honor of her birthday on Saturday.  We took something by Kevin's work for him, since that's his favorite restaurant.  Tonight, we had planned to take Brett to dinner for his graduating, but hadn't heard from him.

On the way home from lunch, with belly bulging, he called.  "Are we still going to dinner?"  "Ummm, sure, yeah.  Where do you want to go?"

We went tonight to Joe's Crab Shack.  It was really good, but sheesh!

If we eat out ANY more, I'm going to be in the poor house, weighing 500 lbs.  NO MORE EATING OUT!

I must lie down now.

Happy Independence Day!

I have a cold, and it makes me hard to get along with.  Stupid snot and phlegm.  I know, that's gross, but that's me right now.  We finally got motivated and left the house around 9:30.  We didn't have a plan, just wanted to burn a day off.  What we didn't know was that it happened to be "Disgruntled Employee Day" in America.  I didn't get the memo.

We went to WalMart for some things to put in packages to send the girls.  We bought bubbles, lip gloss, notebooks, pens, candy, etc. and a few necessities for the house.  We checked out in the garden center, since that's where we parked.  The lady working there was OBVIOUSLY not happy with working on a holiday, and OBVIOUSLY not happy working in the hot garden center.  She was pissy.

From there, we went to Lowe's to nose around.  All of the employees there travel in pairs.  That way, they can pretend to be deep in conversation so they don't have to speak to customers.  Pesky customers.  The one lady that we asked a question to was gruff at best.

From there, we went to Red Lobster.  There was a wait, so we said we'd sit at the bar.  The bartender lady wasn't too happy to be there, and some guy at the other end of the bar was talking about being in "lock up" and in "mental hospitals" and about the rashes and infections that everyone there had.  Thanks, buddy, we're trying to eat.  We split an appetizer and left.  Heck with it.

We headed home to take a nap.  Due to my phlegm issues (I know, there it is again) I cough a ton when I lie down.  I was watching Myth Busters when the storm rolled in.  Sattelite gone.  Damn.  It came back on after about 30 minutes, and I watched the end of an episode, then announced that I was going to Dad's.  Kevin changed clothes and we left.

There is a fireworks tent in the parking lot of Kevin's work, so the guys all get a $100 gift certificate to use there.  Two of the other guys gave theirs to Kevin, so he got $303 worth of fireworks for $3.  It was big stuff.  Nighttime stuff.  Reallygood, booming, nighttime stuff.  Arick, his buddy, and Kevin set them off for us, then we came home.  We sat out in the yard for about 30 minutes watching different explosions around the area.  It pays to live on a hill.  We could even watch some from across the river.

Now, it's over.  It wasn't the same without the girls.  They're having a ball, and they have camp next week.  We'll send the care packages tomorrow, and a few letters on Friday.  If you get a package, or three letters, you get thrown in the pool.  They were looking forward to that.  Mom's going to write a letter, too.  If you want to send a letter (no later than Friday) to get my kids tossed in the pool, email me and I'll send the address to you.

I don't have to go back to work until Monday.  SWEET!

Random Pictures 'N Stuff

Well, the girls are at Grammy's house.  They're having a good time and don't sound "too" homesick yet.  It's only 2 days in, and there is over 3 weeks to go, but so far, so good. 

I went to dinner with a customer last night, and spent all day with them today.  It was the most productive visit ever with a client.  They learned a lot, we learned a lot, and everyone was happy when it was over.  It was a success all around, but very intense, and I'm beat.

On the way home, I found via a phone call, that I was passing my usual exit as Kevin was crossing it.  Good time to find out which is fastest.  We agreed to both follow posted speed limits, and see who arrived home first, and by how much.  Right before the exit I planned to take, traffic came to a screaming halt.  Why?  A really bad wreck.  It took my breath away to see CPR being done in the median.  Please drive carefully.

Now, I'm going to veg on the sofa and watch some mindless TV and fall asleep early.  That is the best plan EVER.