SOME POTPOURRI....
with a sprinkle of whine

Let me be honest. Most of the time I never let small irritants run off my back like water on ducks. But sometimes, even the small stuff makes me call for a major time out.

I'll start with my minor injury, which occurred last Friday, and just may turn into a long term career. First alert...when you run to find your ringing cell phone, don't thrust your hand forward if there is a solid object directly in front of you...like a wall. After an initial visit to the ER, where the doctor's diagnosis was "Beats me" , I had follow-up ex rays yesterday, and the general consensus was a double fracture to the pinkie finger..which seems to stretch all the way to my elbow. So they referred me to an Orthopedic professional...yep, that's what they called it. Another dose of icing anyone? My doctor also referred me to a sleep apnea specialist....saaaweeeet.

Next on the list is my jealousy of this cute little squirt.
The e-trade baby who hired a creepy clown with part of his windfall profits. Because it's not enough that his savvy trading far out did my Fidelity Funds, he rubbed poop in my face and got this!
Yeah, his own Blackberry. I know it's not my coveted 3G, but it sure beats the cheapo cell phone I currently use.

So, to make me feel better, and to remind me that others "have had it up to here" too.
Is this a hoot? Haven't you ever wanted to do something like this on your way out the door?
And this one makes you want to organize and gang up on the person who made everyone late.

I saved the icing on the cake, as it were, for last. I know, you're rolling your eyes wishing you never started reading this whine. But with all the airlines trimming the extras like seats meals or snacks, and charging to check your luggage, US Airways is also cutting out the free beverage service. I'm not talking about rum and coke, or bloody mary's...no, it's things like coffee, soda and WATER!

Now, I wouldn't mind if I could bring my own because I'm pretty fussy about my bottled water. I like AquaFina, period. The thing is, you can't bring liquids through security. That means you are forced to buy their beverages. I know some airports have places where you can buy food and drinks after you pass the security check-in, but not all airports.

So basically flying is more or less similar to traveling in a tin can....and need I remind you that I'm flying US Airways on my flight from Anchorage to OC? That would be right around 3,669 miles.

OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE......
COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!

The phrase can be used to coordinate hidden players in the game "kick the can", where a group of children hide within a given radius and a "seeker" is left to guard a can filled with rocks. The seeker has to try to find the "hiders" without allowing them to sneak in and kick the can.
*another tidbit courtesy of my best friend Wikipedia*

But just for today we're not playing games I'm calling out a few of my reader friends. I won't call them lurkers names because I'm nicer than that. I just want to say thank you for letting me know you read this blog at work.

To be fair, they aren't the only ones. There are some real lurkers out there. They remain anonymous but I imagine they might look like this guy. And this guy too. Together they are like peas in a pod, and they aren't real....but they represent some people who I miss. So there you have it. That's basically what is considered a lurker, or a quasi-lurker...or maybe semi-lurker. It's a phrase I use in jest. Oh, and those friends of mine? Yes, they are real friends. We were all co-workers before I jump ship and retired last year. But don't be fooled thinking it all ended just like that. No way....they are the kind of friends that have been there when you need them. Each is very unique and special. They all love animals and kids. Some like a little bit of Nascar, football or slot machines...because they are basically the same thing. And, here they are all gussied up all smiles and happy. Oh, and girlfriends....don't look behind you! You know who that is..I told him about my blog because he's retired and his wife still works he has some spare time after he finishes his "honey do" list. It's rough being retired. But with nice friends back in So CA sucking up those tax dollars doing the people's work I couldn't be happier.

Can I get an AMEN?

ALL THIS WITH A SIDE OF FRIES

..........and it's all because I love you and you, and some other people.

I have a bit of brain freeze today. Some might accuse me of having dementia, stage III being just too darn lazy to post something interesting and provocative.

Well, think again........I'm not like that! Just to prove my point, I've added a surprise to my side bar. Yes, and it's HUGE! Do you see it? Yep, Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts. So there.

It's all about the love!

Gotta Get 'er Done...

I recently moved for the second time in ten months. My first move was my huge retirement, flee the state, then veg move. I arrived in Texas the day before Easter, 2007. Settled in at my daughter's home with the intent of checking out the area for a place of my own. So fast forward ten months to February 2008 and I finally GET OUT and into my own place. My daughter and her family were sad to hear that I was moving out. My son-in-law's head hurt so bad that he was doing cartwheels to ease the pain.

Now that I've been in Texas for two Easters, I find myself with "stuff" that has to get done. This isn't exactly stuff like laundry, making the bed, doing the dishes kind of stuff. For the most part, this is the kind of stuff I didn't want to do in retirement. Paperwork stuff. Red tape stuff......IRS stuff. The stark reality is, you can never simplify your life.....never.

Today is the day I make some appointments and resolve some issues. Tomorrow is the day I travel 60 miles to the IRS as a walk-in...to resolve issues with my 2005 taxes....so I can do my 2006 taxes...then my 2007 taxes. Huh?? Why aren't I in leavenworth breaking rocks in the hot son? Ummm it's a long story over a couple of bucks...REALLY A COUPLE OF BUCKS!! This issue was the first thing I attemped to resolve my first week in Texas....in April 2007. Details to follow when I have the next and final chapter to this saga upon my return from the IRS.

A few of the other issues have to do with medical insurance (oh fun), second attempt at getting my address changed with various agencies/companies. Then I will pay a bill or two.

The icing on the cake is shopping for a little bit of patio furniture. I have a dinky front porch and if I don't put something out there my neighbor, whose porch connects to mine...will decide to fill in the emptiness...AGAIN! I won't be getting anything fancy...probably cheap plastic stuff because it's not as if I will ever sit out on my porch...I just want to mark my territory once and for all. I will post pictures of the before and after because this is such a big project..all 10x10 feet. I will also post my neighbors side and the surrounding common areas that she has homesteaded with a birdbath, animals and an oil derrick...of all things.

So, I'm off for now...the sun is shining and the birds are singing....I love to shop.

Illusions & Delusions: can you cha cha?

I don't usually watch Dancing With The Stars with any consistency or real interest. But, since I had nothing better to do, and it was the season premier, I decided to give it a shot. Besides, even though none of the men are "star" quality, I noticed Kristi Yamaguchi and Priscilla Presley were competing, and they were famous.


So this is the first guy that graces the dance floor.So, it's Penn and Kym doing a cha-cha. Actually it doesn't matter because Penn is going to do a disappearing act real soon. By the way, has anyone heard of this magician before now? I mean magicians are like Siegfried and Roy, Houdini or Mr. Rogers.



I don't really know this next guy.
Except he is from Chili (he pronounces it Chee.LAY), and his name is Cristian (he pronounces it Crees.tee.AWN). He is a hot Latino, and he KNOWS IT. I get that impression because he loves the camera, and, during rehearsals he does the "wet finger, touch the ass, sizzle" thing A LOT. He can dance, but the ego just might be his downfall...that's all I'm saying.



So, we come to this next Adam.I do remember Adam from the Jimmy Kimmel show. Not that I'm a regular viewer because I don't stay up that late...well, I do now because of Big Brother After Dark on SHO2...that's a whole different post. Anyway, Adam isn't much of a dancer, and the judges don't like his sense of humor. I would like to see him stick around a bit, just to amuse me.

So my last candidate is.

Yep, it's Mario. You don't know Mario?? GET.OUT!! He is a Grammy Award Winning R&B star. To me it looked more like HipHop with a little Rap. He is an excellent dancer, but he is a professional too. At least I consider him professional since he dances on his music videos. So, Mario, Baby! You won't ever get my vote. I will enjoy watching him dance, but he can't win.

Tonight is the women.....they were sitting on the sidelines last night and I think Kristi will be right up there with her experience skating. Priscilla Presley looks like she should be in a wax museum somewhere with her flawless smooth, not so natural complexion. I know, I'm nothing if I'm not catty.

**Oh, yeah, just so you can appreciate my dedication to this blogging stuff......there were flash flood and tornado watches in affect, can you see it on the TV? These are not the same as the old "Storm Watch '08" that California gets when 1/2 inch of rain falls. No sir, these are the real deal.