Look out Texas......

I'm leaving today to go to Round Rock for son #1's wedding.  Tonight I will be meeting my soon to be daughter-in-law.  My son already told me she's "shy".  I used to be shy ~ now I can talk to anyone anywhere ~ thanks to my job which forces me to converse the social niceties every day with lots of people.  *Stephanie is a dental assistant.  I've met lots of those over the years, and not a single one is shy.  I suppose my son is prefacing our meeting in case Stephanie can't figure out what to think of, or say to, her fiance's Mother.  Hahahaha   This outta be fun.

I'm kidding!

Love, 365

I miss George......

Do you remember George?  I was scrolling through the HBO lineup of movies for something to watch and came across what was purportedly his favorite of his performances ~ "Jammin in New York".  I miss his honesty and weird wacky way of analyzing everything.  Of course, it's always fun to listen to a smart, logical, non-sensical individual bash government, golf courses, "the war" on (countries, drugs, etc).  

I miss him.  He brought something to America than we hadn't seen before but desperately needed.  Someone who could shine the light on all the bullshit.  We don't have George anymore, but his humor is unsurprisingly current.  The only thing missing is our current "leaders" in his monologue.

You can find much of George's work on youtube.  If you have a spare hour and a half, you can watch Jammin in New York at this link.  

Enjoy........Love, 365

Oh, for the love of Pete....

Bing images

This semester has been an eye-opener for me......I've never had a class this early (9:30am), so my first trip to class surprised me with the sheer numbers of students rushing to class.  I had to find a new place to park as all my usual haunts were full and discover a new route to UNM due to construction.  

The class I'm taking "History of American Catholicism" sounded interesting.  I would have preferred "History of Religion", but this was the time frame my coworkers agreed upon for me to be gone from work as the least disruptive.  Although I was initially skeptical about the class, it is slowly becoming more interesting since the prof. is approaching the subject from a historical point of view.  We have our first essay due in a couple of weeks, but it should be fairly easy.  I'll probably have to pull the words out kicking and screaming, but I don't anticipate any other problems.

I must say though, that I feel more cognizant of my age.  Most of the students I encounter this time of day are quite young.  There was a student in the first two classes that was older than I am, but she has apparently dropped the class.  This is the time when classes typically thin out, with students figuring out they've overscheduled, or the class wasn't what they hoped.

One of our co-workers quit as her partner had an opportunity present itself in California.  We are hoping that a new dental assistant is found soon, although since the Dr they will be working with is going to be out for a week with their new baby.  So, although there will be tons of rescheduling, at least we'll have a little more time to look.

It's been a loooooong week.  I'm glad for the weekend, and some time to get things done before I leave on Thursday for son #1's wedding.  And what a knock-up that's turned out to be.  I did end up renting a car, which cost twice as much as I thought, and as my son isn't going to be out of town, he offered to get me a hotel, which I gratefully accepted.  Truthfully I would have felt a little weird sleeping in his bed, haha.

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.....
Love, 365

Two weeks from today......

Los Poblanos, Albuquerque

My oldest son is getting married again a week from today....I puchased my ticket on Allegiant which flies from Abq to Austin on Thursdays and Sundays, so I fly in on Thursday.  I hadn't planned on renting a car since I'll only be there for 3 days.  

My son said that *Suzanne would pick me up from the airport (his fiancee) which would give us an opportunity to meet each other.  Ok, so I thought, that will work.  Awkward, but willing to go with the flow.  This last Wednesday, he called to let me know that she can't come and pick me up because she'll have to be picking up the kids at school. 

Him: Michael will come and pick you up.

Me: Who is that?

Him: He's a friend who owes me money.

Ok, so unless you didn't pick up on that, he's sending someone I don't know, because everyone else is busy, and ~ oh yeah ~ he owes my son a favor/money.  

Excuse me if I'm not thrilled with this idea. My sister thinks I should tell him that I'm uncomfortable with this arrangement.  I want to tell him "what am I, a UPS package?".  My sis isn't thrilled with this idea.  I'm still thinking about it.  I know son #2 can't do it, he's a new employee at his workplace.  I'm looking into a car rental.  Or a cab.  Romeo won't even let me consider Uber.  =sigh=

Love, 365

Nooooooo.........

And so one dragon rises from the dead.....(bing images)

Here we were, happily planting ourselves in front of the TV on Sunday night to watch Game Of Thrones....for 7 blissful weeks.  Even though the words "season finale" were on the last episode, I didn't notice or think that meant we would be forced to wait until 2018 to see the rest of the final season.  Stupidly I thought that the entire last season would be played out.  I guess I'll cancel my subscription to HBO until next year.  

Wow, it was a great beginning of the end though, wasn't it?  Especially gratifying was Little Finger's demise.  Terrifying though to see the white walker dragon make its debut.  Not surprising to see Jaime finally realize that Cersei is a pathological killer who knows almost no bounds.  Surprising that Tyrian left that meeting with his life.  

Oh, well.  Now I'll have to wait at least six months to watch the final ~ final ~ season.

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Sunday didn't go its usual way all day.....I left for racquetball at the usual time, but no one else showed up.  One had tweaked her back, the other complained about her shoulder.  I think that in the future, I will not plan on playing the Sunday after a major tournament.  I suppose everyone was tired and sore.  I just wish they had let me know!  I practiced for awhile, then did a workout, which left me tired and exhausted.  I really need to work on improving my fitness.  I've been a slacker.

I did manage to do some touch-up painting that has been waiting in the wings for months and months.  I only managed half of it though, because I discovered I don't have a nice touch-up brush or painters tape.  I made do with a disposable brush and a damp microfiber towel.  It looks good though.  Now I'm ready for the larger job with the lighter paint color. Today I touched up the darker color, and all of this is on our stairwell which we upgraded to wood early last year.  It was a long project, and really the treads need touch-up already.  We should have sprung for the oak, the pine is too soft.  

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No matter how disappointing Sunday was ~ well, only partially disappointing anyway ~ I am glad to be off tomorrow.  It'll give me a chance to catch up on class reading and do some other chores.  

Happy Labor Day!

Love, 365

Reminiscing....

I copied these from FB....cute little chippies

Ahhhh, it's Friday afternoon and I have 3 days off thanks to Labor Day.  I sincerely hope all of you have a paid day off as well.

I had a nice massage, and then came home and watched tennis and caught up on reading everyone's blog.  Well, not everyone ~ just the ones I follow that I haven't read in a few days.  And I ran across this post from "The Chubby Chatterbox" which brought back this memory:

I was probably 6 years old and found a box that was sitting near the trash which I grabbed and took to my room.  I probably spent a couple of hours fashioning it into a book back that I could carry my books to school in.  I put on a handle and used tape to make a larger opening so my books would fit.  After I was done, I proudly showed my creation to my Mom.  Who looked at me with absolute horror, and exclaimed: You can't take that to school!!  I didn't really understand then, and watched sadly as she threw out my hard work....which I had made from an empty Kotex box.

Love, 365

The politics of work

Ah, the happy "work" family...

I don't know about your work place, but there's always something going on at mine.  Recently the issue of "turning in hours" ~ for our pay ~ has become an issue.  One of my co-workers, a dental assistant, always seems to crow about how much more she works than anyone else.  This frustrates and infuriates her counterpart (dentists usually have two assistants).  Everyone knows that she's just spouting off.  Everyone.

Last pay period she was discussing her hours with one of us ~ not me obviously ~ and mentioned how many hours she had put in.  Which I knew was untrue.  In fact, I added up her hours, including her "I worked through lunch EVERY DAY!" announcement and came up with far fewer hours than she claimed.  Although I felt rather hesitant about it, I spoke to the OM about it.  She assured me she was aware of the situation, and that due to this issue, everyone will be ~ in the near future (?) ~ required to make use of the time clocks that are already part of our software.  Easy to use.  Maybe will take a bit to get used to doing, but easy.  Apparently, I'm the only employee out of 12 that uses it.  I use it so I won't get cheated out of getting paid for when I'm actually at work.  I am already anticipating the groaning and moaning that will go on when they announce this requirement.  No one in this office likes for anything to ever change.  It's like working with a bunch of really old people who are stuck in their routines.

Today, one of our hygienists just had a major hissy fit because the "lunch and learn" we were scheduled to have with a vendor canceled.  He was supposed to bring lunch to the presentation and apparently she didn't bring lunch as she figured there was no need.  One of the docs actually bent over and gave her his credit card so that she and her hygienist coworker could go to lunch ~ on him.  I hadn't brought lunch either, but I did what I thought was a no brainer ~ went to Target and bought some Lean Cuisine entrees, plus a few extras for when this might happen again.  It never occurred to me that I should think the docs are responsible for feeding me because the presenter had to reschedule.  Not to mention we have an hour for lunch with tons of restaurants around us.

It just goes to show you how a person who is over 60, and a smart cookie to boot can act like a willful, spoiled rotten brat.  One of my other coworkers became infuriated which seemed like an over reaction to me, but sheesh.  Can't these adults just grow up?  I need a Xanax.

Love, 365

It's no wonder........

Bing images...

When I was a kid, Mom was pretty regular about taking us to church on Sunday.  Mostly we attended United Methodist churches, and for a brief period (where I think Mom had basically given up on the idea of religion, although that came back later) we went to a Baptist church that was close to our house.  Maybe Mom stayed home to watch over Dad.  He was not much of a gem ~ he was an alcoholic among other things, and had a regular tendency to disappear for a weekend, with Mom in the dark as to where he went or what he did (although it was an unspoken truth that we all knew he partied with his friends, and likely had affairs).

As a child, I never minded church, although it was mostly boring.  I enjoyed singing the hymns, and the communion once a month (why didn't they give us more bread ~ again ~ haha).  I loved the smell of the church, especially the older ones.  They smelled of old books, beeswax, and candles.  It's a very distinctive scent, similar to a library, but not.  Does that make sense?  

After becoming an adult (I use this term loosely, haha) I sometimes would attend  ~ maybe two or three times a year.  You know, Easter, Christmas, etc.  After Romeo and I moved to Albuquerque we tried to find a "church home", but were discouraged by every - single - one discussed tithing more than anything else.  It was a major turn off.  Religion is no different from the government.  You are punished if you don't give them enough of your hard earned money, and usually we were living paycheck to paycheck anyway.  At any rate, we quit going, and basically quit believing.  Romeo professes Buddism, but I just can't buy into that either.  Even Buddism has had its controversies and scandals.  Religion seems to be an ancient construct wherein someone has the upper hand which is always held out for money ~ you know, so they can "do good works" and all that.   I'm not saying that religious communities don't do a great deal of good, they do.  In fact, Catholic Charities is very highly regarded (from what I've heard) and is also a big one ~ #9 on the Forbes list.  

I didn't even know there was a Forbes list, I just found it on the internet.  :)

So, now I'm taking a history class on Catholicism in America.  I've already mentioned my sleepless night after some of the readings for the class.  They aren't alone with their not very christian actions of the past and the current.  All you have to do is pay attention.  I suppose I shouldn't take every negative news story to heart ~ after all, the news is (and hasn't been) interested in reporting the facts.  They have to put their own political and personal beliefs into the story, which leaves one not sure what is true and what isn't.  

Oh crap.  I forgot what the point of this disjointed and rambling rant is.  I suppose that I believe that we should:

~be kind 

~help those who need it

~refrain from lying or cheating or stealing 

~remain faithful and loyal (but not to the point of detriment to self, like staying with a spouse that cheats on you or beats you)

~raise your children to be decent human beings

~be humble

~have love in your heart, which kind of includes all the above

I don't need a church for that.  I already know it.

Love, 365

Monday, monday.....

Saved from a post on parents and kids on FB..

It's my every-other Monday off, and I have been making good use of my time.  I've read everything and made notes on the readings for class, so if there is a quiz, I should do OK.  Last night I was reading The Spanish Frontier in North America by David Weber...she asked us to read three different sections of the book, and I truly hope it is all we will have to read.  I couldn't sleep much at all last night due to how angry I felt knowing just how horribly our Native American's were treated by the Spanish colonialists, in Florida, New Mexico, and California.  *It could have also been the coffee I had mid-afternoon.  I really shouldn't drink coffee after 2 pm.  It sure was good though, Romeo bought me a container of Starbucks cold brew.  It's just plain coffee and I add what I want to it.  It's just too good.

I also did a trial run on a new (to me) route to take to class, now that I discovered there is more than one multi-storied parking garage on UNM campus.  If last week is any indicator, I will always be running to class since the prof. starts class at the moment her watch hits 9:30.  I might need to leave work about 10 min earlier than last week.  

An hour ago our electricity went out ~ probably for about 15-20 minutes.  Our stupid alarm system back up battery has been dead for a year, and we're going to have to replace it.  The noise was deafening.  I very nearly ripped off the plastic box off the wall that held the speaker.  

I'm planning on making another peach pie to take to work tomorrow this afternoon.  I won't make any changes to the recipe except to add just a tad bit more corn starch since these peaches are just so juicy!  Maybe I'll make a few cookies too since Romeo was searching the house for something sweet that wasn't pie.  He had already eaten 3 peaches along with the pie and wanted something different.  

Well, I still have a lot to do, so will leave you with best wishes for a great week!

Love, 365

Peaches, baby!

Palisade peaches from Colorado....

Remember the trip to Santa Fe a few weeks ago?  My friend *Brenda and I took the Railrunner train for a day in Santa Fe to visit the farmer's market there.  While on the trip she mentioned that she will be getting her peaches soon.....and with my inquiry of what that meant, she said that the peaches from Colorado are the best ever and asked if I wanted some, to which I answered YES!  The truck arrived yesterday near the old Octopus Carwash ~ of Breaking Bad fame ~ I managed to buy one box of peaches and placed my name on the list for next year so that I can order however many I want.  But the photo above shows just how many peaches are in one box......I made a pie out of 9, and barely dented the surface.....

Yeah, the aesthetics weren't as good as I envisioned, but the flavor is out of this world...

Who cares how it looks anyway????

After I posted the above photos on FB, one of my co-workers asked: "did you buy any for the office?".  No.  I did not.  It didn't even occur to me.  Why would it?  I told her I would take her a few, and that next year they can order however many boxes they want.  It annoyed me because it made me feel like a self-centered buffoon.  But still, the simple truth is that if you hadn't pre-ordered you could only buy one box.  

Gotta go....I need to look up some recipes using fresh peaches....

Love, 365

Gorilla or Guerilla.....things are just becoming ridiculous

This is Doug Adler.........

Doug is a tennis commentator.  While we are watching a match, he's one (of usually two) people that make comments on and critique plays of the two players in the match.  Apparently he made a comment about the style of play of Venus Williams during a match of the Australian Open earlier this year.  I don't recall the exact sentence, but the word guerilla was used, which social media and other misinterpreted as "gorilla".  Everyone went nuts.  Doug was fired.  Even though the company that fired him was well aware that guerilla (as in warfare, tactics) was a common word used to describe a particularly aggressive form of play on the court.  

I think we've all gone a little nuts.  I sense a lack of backbone from his previous employer and hope that Doug wins his lawsuit.  I looked for any response from Venus but found nothing.  

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I might have to go to Whole Foods ~ formerly known as "whole paycheck" ~ beginning this coming Monday when Amazon takes over the company.  I never shop at Whole Foods unless there's an ingredient I can't find anywhere else.  Even my former boss (whom I call "asshole") complained when his wife would grocery shop there.  

Good news for those of us that have Amazon Prime ~ a staggering 50% of American's subscribe ~ will be able to take advantage of additional discounts when shopping there.  Another incentive to give Whole Foods another try, especially since it is on my way home from work.  

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Did I go to a bakery?  Nope....

I took a vacation day yesterday, and my friend *Francis and I made rolls.  She is currently enrolled in culinary school and is poised to take a class on baking next semester.  In the meantime, she has launched a bread business ~ trust me that her bread is incredibly delicious ~ and works on a food truck, where her boss asked her to make kaiser rolls.  We also made three other types of rolls with the same dough.  It was a lot of fun, and the rolls turned out great.  I can't wait to do more baking with her in the future!  It's not easy to find a friend who is interested in baking, and we are both thrilled to find that we compliment each other in skills and ideas.  

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School started this week.....on Tuesday, I was about 10 min late to class partly because I couldn't find a place to park (more on that in a minute) and I had written down the wrong room number.  I spoke to the professor after class to let her know of my circumstances, which she dismissed by telling me that if I am late and miss the quiz, it's a zero.  So much for consideration, huh?  I get it, she wants students to be on time, and my petty concerns are just that ~  but I can't control the traffic from work to class, so I guess I'll have to do my best and hope I'm not late on a quiz day, which are completely random and never announced in advance.  :(

Parking and driving near UNM on Tuesday at that time of day is totally out of control.  I was shocked at the chaos.....but then, I've never taken a class that starts this early (9:30).  My usual paid parking lot was completely full, and the traffic around UNM was so congested I ended up parking in lot C, which is reserved for employees.  I didn't care, I just needed to get to class on time, but next week I'll have to take that option off the table, as I don't want my car booted or towed.  I did find a parking garage close to class, I just need to find an efficient way to get there.  

All of my previous classes were no earlier than 11~11:30.  Lesson learned as I will have to leave even earlier than I had planned to get to class on time.....I plan on taking an online class next semester, so this won't be an issue.  I had hoped I could purchase a pass for lot C until I discovered that it is reserved for employees.  Drat.

Otherwise the class is interesting.  I'm not impressed by the lecturing style of the prof.  She starts a sentence and then goes on a tangent of a related topic.  There's a graduate student from Germany in the class who raises his hand for every single question.  It's funny to watch the professor try to ignore him....sometimes she states emphatically "let's hear from someone who hasn't commented yet".  He doesn't seem to get it though...I suppose he believes he has a real gem of a thought and we should hear it.  I swear, he really does keep his hand up nearly the entire 1 1/4 hour.  

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Well, I have chores to do, and this is long enough, eh?

Love, 365