Sniffy

Yesterday was a hard day, ending with a hard conversation that really needed to happen. It's hard to say goodbye to someone you think is fantastic...just not for you. And that is something next to impossible to explain.

But today is a new day, and happily a busy one.

Tight Fit

To operate the largest Audrey II puppet the puppeteer must stand inside the plant so that their back is against the upper pod half. There is a bar here to reinforce the structure and to help stabilize the puppeteer.

This is also the easiest way to tighten her teeth. I haven't had to do this in a while because I had after school help. Said help has vanished so I was once again doing the task. Today I have on a particularly supportive bra. The bar is at chest height and let's just say it was a tight fit.

I hope we haven't had too many busty performers go through that!

Starting Friday Right

So I decided to go through the drive thru at the new Dunkin Donuts this morning. First, the line was really long, but they really moved it quickly. I was impressed. Second, the woman who took my order was fun. She asked what kind of sweetener I wanted in my coffee and when I sheepishly asked if she had splenda she gave me a sly yes in reply. It isn't often you get someone in a drive thru you can understand, much less joke a little with. And third, hot guy at the window!

Yup, this Friday at least is running on Dunkin.

Phone Racing

Phone Racing is when one person says they are going to call and the intended recipient calls first. Tom is great at this. I have not actually dialed his number in ages. I check to see if he will be home, tell him I'll call, and then he calls me instead. I have no idea why, and it is becoming a little inconvenient as I do have plans most nights so I'm calling around things. It would be different if he needed to catch me before he got into something...but that hasn't been the case.

Interesting

TMI...To the Extreme

File this under "if I have to know it so do you"

So yesterday I told the boy I'd call him when I got home from work. This apparently started the race clock ticking because the phone was ringing as I walked in the door. Anyhow, he went on to tell me he did something yesterday that he's never done before. I ask what, and he says he bought something he's never bought before. Now I'm really curious...until he reveals that he bought hemorrhoid cream! Then I got to hear about how he has had them in the past, would just get that "itchy" feeling and try to ignore it until it went away, but this time he decided to buy something...and to think I didn't want to tell him about getting my eyebrows waxed.

As we got off the phone I said I was off to make dinner. He told me he was going to put on hemorrhoid cream...

I feel I must now tell him every gross thing I can about menstruation.

Social Experiment Part 3

March 28, 2007 6:15 PM

Spent 30 minutes on the phone with test subject. No discussion of weekend plans.

Social Experiment Part 2

Wednesday, 3/28/07 1:00 PM

Subject shows no inclination to make weekend plans

Love My Job

We're doing these for the March of Dimes (a boy slice to go with the girl slice we made last year).

It's like Bread Prom!

Though seeing them together the boy looks a little shifty...I bet he spikes her drink!

Questions and Statements

• Why did I have to find out about Tony Snow's recurrent cancer from a Canadian news site? On my way home last night, with a splitting headache, I caught the tail end of a news story about Tony Snow having health problems. I went home and died for a bit so I didn't check up on it until this morning. When I went looking for news my search came up with an article on a Canadian news site...and 4 pages later something relevant from a US site. That's kinda wrong.
• Sloths are extreme! I knew it, I knew it! Sloths, long my favorite animal for how can you not love something that moves so slowly moss can grow on it, were proclaimed to have "The Most Extreme Ancestor" last night. I was giddy with excitement, as I am also pro ground sloth. I was creeped out by the ants that had been large enough and smart enough to work together and take down dinosaurs.
• IRS-Not Evil! I got a note from the IRS saying I'd over paid my taxes by $10 and they were sending me a check. See? They aren't so evil!
• Why don't people read what they sign? I had not one, but two clients call yesterday to move their puppet arrival date from next week to the week after. How can you not know when your spring break is? Did this not occur to you a month ago when you signed the paperwork?
• Yum! Gum! I'm doing an opinion panel on gum next week. How cool is that to be paid to chew gum? And I don't even have to walk at the same time!

Things You Know...

...But don't think about. Coumadin is related to rat poison. Amanda reminded me of this this morning and was a wee bit upset by it.

Better not be bitten by any rats, I'm toxic!

Ups and Downs

Sunday was an interesting day. I mucked around in Graeme Park for a bit in the morning then came home and de-mudded. After I successfully managed to make myself look like a girl instead of a mud monster I packed up my cookies and headed to Don's for my initiation into his "game day".

They say getting there is half the fun, but if I believed that I think I would have turned around and gone home. First, I had a little fender bender in my complex parking lot. Thankfully at idling speed and the only damage was a paint smudge so neither of us decided to worry about it. I then carefully proceeded into the city. Yeah, no one told me about the parade. I am not that savvy about getting around the city. I know where I'm going and how to get there...derail me and chaos ensues.

Every street I turned down was blocked. I had started to wonder if there was a terrorist threat IN Don's building. After the 5th blocked street had me passing the King Tut exhibit once again I called the boys to see if they knew what was going on. As they assured me they had no idea, and none of them had any trouble getting there Don gave me alternate directions. Right after I hung up I saw the Greek Orthodox Church float...it seems we were celebrating the 186th year of Greek Independence. I made it across the parade route and found a street I recognized. After that I was at Don's rather quickly.

I have to say gaming with Don, Ant, Doug and Sid was a lot different than gaming with Jill and her crew. These were more strategy games, and there was betting involved in some of them so I had a bit of a learning curve. I watched the boys finish a round of Boomtown, otherwise known as Fuck Doug, because, well, he was. Ant was great and served as my guide to rules and such, and Doug and Sid broke off to play another game while Don, Ant and I set up something simple for me to start with. As he was explaining how to play Africa I noted the instructions were in German...it seems at one point in his life Ant had a job translating game instructions from German into English. Color me impressed.

So Africa is about being an explorer and moving animals and nomads around while also discovering artifacts, minerals and doing research. The punning was horrible, as Don noted that "nomad is an island" and Ant ended up in "nomad's land". Having Don chant, "End it! End it!" was rather comical I must say. It made up slightly for Don's merciless plundering of my artifacts. I lost horribly and then we moved on to Verplixed...okay, I ended up with negative 30 as my score. Brutal!

By now Sid and Doug had finished their game and we regrouped for Milan: A complicated game of betting on which ships will get into port with what spices. Along the way you bid on who is harbor master, you can bet that they won't get into harbor, you can pay to be a pilot and nudge ships a bit, you can even be a pirate. I did a lot better with this one...primarily because it had enough rounds and I had time to learn. Ant and I tied for second and Don actually came in last for once. I am convinced it was the randomness of my playing that got me there, and that for some reason Ant and I ended up having similar goals enough that we boosted each other.

Doug headed home after that and the rest of us played another game of Africa after which I decided it was time for me to head out as well. It seems I must not have been too hard on the nerves as Sid now has my e-mail so I can officially be on "the list" instead of just having Don pass on the info. Of course, it could have also been the cookies. I'm sneaky like that.

On the way home I talked to Jill and Dan about some grumbly issues I am having and was almost home when I got the call about Drew...sigh. Not the best way to end a day. Once home I had 4 messages from Tom and one from John. After returning calls I did a shot for Drew and headed to bed.

So some sadness, but a lot of goodness as well. Bring on another week!

A Moment of Silence

The world is much quieter today...

Drew was amazingly talented and tenacious. He was also a good father and a great teddy bear of a man. He took time with other artists, to let them pick his brain and let them learn that if you really want something you have to work for it.

Through blood, sweat, tears and debt he published Lusiphur on his own...a gritty book I can only loosely refer to as a "comic". It was dark but strangely positive, much like its creator. I think I fell in love with that weird soul somewhere between "I Lusiphur" and "Poison Elves".

The Drew I knew wasn't convinced of his own talent, but would go head to head with any soul who didn't give him props for the power of his sometimes aggravating determination. As he was fond of saying, his success was 10% talent, 90% sweat...though we'd all argue the talent ratio.

To me he was a man who wrote the comic I loved best...and he was also the guy I traded weird dating stories with and on a few occasions threatened to tie up and have my way with. My rockabilly loving, Misfits blaring knight in rusted armor. He was quick to care, and much easier to hurt than most would believe.

His obituary says his death was unexpected...those who knew him have watched him battle and come back so many times, a little weaker each time, but still a smart ass. There is only so much stress such a big heart can take. When I got the call that you had left us I was crushed, but glad your pain had ended.

I miss you baby...we all do...but I know you're tearing it up wherever you are, and keeping an eye out for Miss Mary.

Thank you for all you gave us...we were lucky to have you as long as we did. I'm off raise the bottle to you baby, and just so you get one last bit of corrupting in, I'm lighting up. You were the best...

Social Experiment

So what happens when the one partner in a relationship decides to leave it up to the other to make the effort for a bit? Let's find out!

Socializing

Last night was motorcycle jacket shopping with Monie, part 2. Happily she found one and looks quite hot in it. It was even going on sale the next week and the cool guy who was helping us gave her an advance discount. Very nice. Monie was then off to see Tara and I came home to noodle around.

Tom called and related another stressful day of unexpected fun. His car needed a new muffler so he had made an appointment to have it replace that afternoon. It turns out it wasn't the muffler but a wheel baring and through a series of unfortunate events he spent most of the day at the mechanics. This meant he got nothing done with the day, so our initial decision not to get together until Sunday was a good choice. He decided he might just need a Tom day Sunday, and I suggested we make it definite. It's been a while since we've had a weekend to ourselves, so it seemed like a good time.

The rest of the evening was wrapping birthday and christening presents. I also tried to bribe Don into going hiking with me Sunday morning, but he had a game day planned at his place, but I was welcome to come. Later in the evening I chatted with John for a bit, caught up on lacrosse scores and had my character tested...I passed by the skin of my teeth. I am such a sucker for a challenge, and I dislike walking away.

This morning I made scones...but these were sour cream scones and though they came out perfectly I have discovered I'm not overly fond of the recipe. Live and learn. I got word that Greg and Aly would be around this afternoon so I popped over there before seeing Julie and Lotte. Happy birthday Aly! I dropped off her card and we all caught up a bit, Julia showed me her big girl bed and I learned her guppies have had copious amounts of babies. Pretty neat if I do say so myself.

Then off to Chez Reisse where I found the lovely Julie and a lunch covered Smooshie. Oh the teeth! She has 4, the upper and lower fronts and is sooo adorable! There was much giggling as I attached Lotte with little sock balls while Mommy got some laundry done. Julie and I did some catching up and some talking about next weekends birthday festivities (Chuck and Charlotte). It should be a fun Sunday.

And now the cookies are made for gaming tomorrow, my computer system is updated and I am going to do a little cleaning then veg out. Busy, but happy...and isn't that how it should be?

Taps

Well, it was bound to happen sometime, and truly it lived longer than I thought it would...

That's right, my Valentine's Day rose bush has died, leaving only a decorative container behind...a container which doesn't have little vicious thorns, so there is a silver lining.

Oh mini rose we barely knew ye, but we shan't forget your sting!

Grumpy Blog

Warning: I'm Grumpy

There could be many reasons for the grumpy today, but whatever the main one, I'm grumpy. I spent most of yesterday with my hands over my ears. You know that feeling you get like you're underwater and every vibration seems to thud in your brain? Yeah, that was yesterday...and today, but happily only one side today. It's still uncomfortable.

So around 11:45 yesterday morning I get a voice mail from Tom. He had some dizziness and numbness on his right side (face, arm and leg) so he was in the emergency room. Of course his cell was low on battery so he turned it off. I left a message and proceeded to worry through the day. When I hadn't heard anything an hour later I IM'd his friend Cathy to see if she had any info (I figured if it was serious and he couldn't get through to family or me she'd be the next call). She hadn't heard anything and we chatted out a bit of worry then I told her I'd keep her posted.

He called around 4:30 to tell me he was home. They did blood work and a CAT scan then decided it was just stress. I'm sure since he doesn't have health insurance that the bill will add to this stress. I offered to come up and bring him dinner after work mostly because he worried me and I wanted to see for myself he was okay. He said he'd like pizza so I went with that. I then e-mailed Cathy to fill her in and thank her for fretting with me. And yes, I did tell him I had talked to Cathy.

When I got up there he seemed good and said he felt better. He seemed a little confused at my worry since his mom (a nurse) wasn't concerned. I pointed out that his mom had talked to him, I had not. We talked about his stress, and it seems I am part of it, "in a good way". What the hell does that mean? He said he read something about positive stress like having a baby. I don't need diaper changes or cry all night and am capable of looking after myself. I don't see how it compares, but maybe I'm missing something. Anyhow, we had pizza, watched a little TV then I headed home.

I usually go to WW on Thursday nights with Jill, but since she was out of town and this drama popped up I decided to go this morning at 7 AM instead. Lost less than a pound...but it's all rather blurry since I wasn't close to awake. Perhaps this is another reason for my mood. The ride to work was uneventful, though the whole weird ear thing is getting on my nerves.

As usual I had a "good morning" chat with Tom where I once again felt like my worry of yesterday was incomprehensible. Then I confronted the danger that comes from reading someone else's blog...Here is his take on yesterday, the brackets cut out a conversation about getting financial aid to pay for the visit:

"While there, I made two calls on my cell which had a low charge...one to Mom (who said it was a good idea and then went to bed since she works nights), and one to Liz, who only got a voicemail message. Anyway, some blood work and a CAT scan later, and the diagnosis was it was probably stress. [...] I got home, called my folks, who were unconcerned, and then Liz, who was worried and had apparently passed the worry along by chatting up Cathy. Liz came over later and paid for a pizza."

Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it? It's probably just his stoic nature, but it made me feel like a pest. As I said, the dangers of reading someone else's blog.

Ah well, more coffee should fix some of the grumpy...and it is Friday!

Odds and Ends

Do you remember when you were in school, and you woke up from a nap thinking you'd slept all night and were going to be late for school? Or perhaps it was a Saturday that got you confused? Well this morning I snoozed more than I'd wanted to and ended up rushing out of the building to get to work. I vaguely noted it seemed rather dark, I even checked my phone for the time, but then just figured it was going to rain. I got into my car and looked at the clock. Yup, I was going to be about 1/2 hour late to work. Ah well, I'd stay late to make it up. About 10 minutes down the road it dawned on me that the clock said 6:42...and I wasn't due into work until 8. So I ended up getting in early, which is also fine though it did confuse the guys who come in at 7. Ah well.

Last night Monie and I went to see Pan's Labyrinth. Yes, I cried again. As Monie put it, the movie is brutal. But then it was 1944 on the Spanish border, so no surprise. It's a wonderful film though.

We also did a little grocery shopping and had dinner at BK. There was a spirited discussion about reparations, bordering on argument. We very much disagree on this, but you know it's great to be able to disagree and then let it go and enjoy an evening.

And now I am in the process of making baby clothes. Life is always interesting!

*Yawn*

So I spent most of last night babying my computer through a system scan and defragmentation. It finished at 5:30 this morning, so it took about 10 hours. Happily I dozed between button pushing.

In more interesting news, Tom called last night to let me know he was thinking of applying for a full time teaching position at a New Jersey college. I think it's great, and since it would involve moving if he got it I told him we'd figure something out (assuming we are still together). I'm a big believer in doing what's best for yourself in these situations (after all, we've only been together a few months) and letting the rest work itself out, but it was sweet of him to make me feel involved.

And my boss asked me to rerecord the voice mail message at work...does she realize I sound like a 10 year old on the phone? Ah well, I put on a decent big girl voice and forged ahead.

Booger Snot

My blood work from last night came back low, so I'm back to hitting the lab every week again. You know, I'm getting tired of being poked, and Barb wasn't there last night so I had Anonomous Nurse who insisted on using the huge needle on my tiny veins. Yes, she got blood, but it hurt like hell and my arm is all sore now. I hope Barb is back next week.

Other than that and my boss teasing my ex it's been a quiet day. I'm looking forward to a long bath and an early night tonight. Tomorrow is movies with my Monie!

Sleepy Monday

Callie decided to channel her inner demon so she was nuts last night. She even did her best raccoon impression and dumped the kitchen trash-a new trick for her. I love having a pet. Speaking of pets, for the first time in years I missed the Pet Expo. While sad this was probably a good thing as I usually end up bringing something home that isn't inanimate.

I got the official invite to Tom's godson's christening...I've never been to one so I'll have to pester Jill about what they are like and gifts and such. It's good to have a go to girl for all things Catholic.

Other than that, it's all been a pretty usual Monday.

Snow Days

As promised, Friday gave us some nasty weather, just earlier than predicted. I did what I needed to do at work then made my escape about noon. The drive home was slow, but safe. I passed a few little accidents, but nothing that looked like anyone got seriously hurt, so that was good.

Since I was home early Tom headed down early, arriving before the snow started. I made Lydia's famous lasagna, but without the sausage since it was a Lenten Friday. It was amazing, even if I do say so myself. After dinner we watched Clerks 2, which though very wrong was much better than the first one as far as I was concerned.

Saturday dawned very bright. The snow had stopped and the sun came out...and I slept in. I woke up around 9:30 alone in bed. Tom had gotten up and decided to do his morning thing without bothering me. I found him in the living room playing WoW and curled up on the couch with him. Callie even joined us...it seems she has transferred some of her adoration for his computer bag to him. We had a lazy morning. I made pancakes...from scratch. I like the ones from a box better, but they weren't bad, just not very exciting. Tom got a delayed meat fix from the sausage and was tickled as always that I fed him.

After showers and getting out of pjs we braved the outdoors to clear off the cars. It wasn't too bad really. He opted to make another go at his later in the afternoon when the sun had a little more time to work. I moved mine to a cleaner spot and called it good. Once back in the apartment I succumbed to a headache. It had been nagging behind my eyes for a while, but I'd been hoping it would give up before I did. Tom was sitting on the couch reading so I just put my head in his lap and closed my eyes. Sometimes the best cure is just resting your head and having someone put a hand on your cheek. Odd, but effective.

Later Tom went out to take another crack at his car and I made us cocoa when he came back in. Since it was St. Patrick's Day we had a couple options for the rest of the day. At one point we were going to head to Bethlehem to see Julie and her brother Brian sing, but then the weather made us think twice about the trip. Jill reminded me that this would be the first year in ages that we didn't go to a Mexican restaurant for St. Patty's day, and since Ambler has 2 of them we sided with tradition.

We joined Jill and Dan for dinner at Agave: Dinner was good, dessert was unbelievable! Even the coffee was amazing. After dinner we headed back to chez Wentzel to try out the new Order of the Stick game. It looks like it will be a lot of fun, unfortunately I think we were a little too food addled and tired to appreciate it. We opted to regroup for it next weekend and move on to the Bean Game. Okay, Jill is right, it is pretty great. Tom and I were concentrating on learning the game, not forming a strategy, so The Beast of the Game turned out to be Dan. I've decided to make a Bean Beast crown...to be handed from winner to winner.

Soon it was time to head home, and after walking me to my door Tom headed home as well. It was an early to bed for me, Callie triumphantly claiming her spot on the bed once again.

Dear Lord...

Okay, once again I say...Thank God I'm not a teacher. I have enough fun with my after school kids at work. This morning I encountered the kind of parent I imagine some of my friends who do teach must run into that makes them want to drink.

I got an e-mail from a client asking if there was any latex in our Audrey II puppets. Now, I've gotten this question from performers before, and I know a latex allergy is pretty dangerous. Yes, we have applied liquid latex to the teeth of all 4 puppets, it makes cleaning off the stage blood possible. So if a performer was asking I wouldn't think twice about it. But in what I assume is an effort by my client to explain that he isn't trying to be a nudge, he included the e-mail he got that sparked his contacting me. Here it is:

"Good morning. Your contact information was supplied to me in the hopes that you could answer the following question. Although I know it is DASD policy to have NO LATEX in any of their schools, I always "double-check" in case something has been missed. My daughter attends LMS and will be coming with her 8th grade class next Wed. to see LSOH. She has LATEX ANAPHYLAXIS which bascially means she has repiratory distress that could lead to her stopping breathing if exposed to latex. I too have this as do several friends who are planning on attending next Friday evening. If you are unable to answer whether aome latex items happened to accidentally get into the production in some way and need to be removed due to DASD policy and the danger they pose, could you please inform me as to whom I need to contact. I await your soonest response. Thank you."

Okay, this is an AUDIENCE member we are talking about. So don't go! Admittedly I'm not a doctor, but I somehow doubt that sitting in the audience (perhaps in the back row) is going to expose this child, her mother or her friends to the latex in the teeth of my puppets. And you don't want to know my thoughts when I read about how to remove this "danger". I was good though. I gave my client the info on the teeth and left it at that. I'd probably be less grumpy about this if the woman in question didn't sound like such an ass...

Catching Up

Last night was a pleasant evening of catching up with Lydia. It seems like it's been ages since we've sat down and talked, and a lot has happened between then and now. Add to that Zoe is growing like a weed and Jack...well, he's just sillier and sweeter every time I see him. Sadly the fish Elmo died, though he isn't missed much. Elmo wasn't a very smart fish, and he lived in the shadow of Swim, quite possibly the coolest beta ever.

After that it was home to make dinner and read "Marvel Zombies". Oh that was so much fun! I am a strange duck, I know, but it was really a fun read. I have to remember to thank my honey again for that one.

And today is absolutely gorgeous out...so after work I am taking a nice walk, grabbing a few things at the store then throwing all the windows open and doing some spring cleaning. It's so hard not to play hookie on days like this!

Girly Fridays and Showy Saturdays!

Friday was a "Pretty Princess" day. After work I decided to get my nails done and splurged and got my eyebrows waxed. It hurt, but it's nice to have two again! I figured I might as well go all out since I was planning to dress up for my Saturday date with Tom. He found all this funny, but cute.

Saturday was some cleaning and playing fashion show for the cat. I was very surprised to find that being 12 lbs lighter is actually noticeable! There was no, "God I look fat in this" sadness. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but it wasn't too bad either. I decided to hold off putting on my skirt until the last possible moment as it was black velvet and I have a cat with white hair, so when Tom arrived he was confused to see me in jeans. I had told him earlier that I was dressing up, he didn't have to though. I was tickled to find him in a sweater and grey slacks, because he figured he should dress too. It was cute. He didn't quite get the shoes right, but I'm not complaining...the effort was perfect enough.

He also had a surprise for me, a hard cover copy of "Marvel Zombies." I know, you're thinking that isn't particularly romantic, but it is to me. I'm not a big fan of mainstream comics and he is. I like the darker anti-hero types, not out to save the world, but to do a job. My rant about Superman can wait until later. Anyhow, when we were in NY we passed a blow up for "Marvel Zombies" and I commented that it looked really interesting. So when he was at the comic store he thought of me and picked it up. Once again, geek dating is different, but still pretty sweet.

Soon off we went to see "Defending the Caveman" at the Kimmel Center. This is basically a comedy about the differences between men and women, how they really are like 2 different cultures. It was quite funny and we had a great time. I had to laugh when he told me I was more fun now that I could walk, not that I wasn't before but...

My only complaint about the show was that it was in the basement. Not a problem, except for the price of tickets I would have preferred not to be sitting in a folding chair with the feeling that after the performance they'd have to clear everything out for a basketball game. But I'm being picky, I know.

After the show we headed to The City Tavern to meet Tom's parents for dinner. We were early, so we waited in what can only be described as as a sitting room. There was a woman playing the harpsichord in colonial costume. The restaurant has a colonial theme, it's claim being that you will eat food like what the founding fathers would have had. Chinese waiters in knickers was quite a sight. We were soon moved upstairs to our table to wait for the rest of our party.

Upstairs...the place has 3 floors with wooden stairs. A lot of wooden stairs. My instincts say this place was not handicap accessible and those stairs were a bit of a challenge for me, but I made it, only to be informed that the restrooms were on the 3rd floor. Yup, no potty for me! I decided to try a porter and Tom had a "shrub" while we waited. This seemed to be the colonial equivalent of a Shirley Temple. He liked it. The beer was okay, but I was a little surprised it was served in a wine glass. Soon his parents arrived and they placed their drink orders, each ordering a different beer.

We chatted a bit an looked over the menu. Time passed and no drinks, so finally I got our waiter's attention and he asked if we were ready to order. Once I told him we were still waiting for drinks I was apparently put on his "pain in the ass" list. Oh well. The menu was interesting, if expensive. It wasn't particularly large, but then it was colonial cooking so I wasn't surprised. I had the chicken breast madeira, which was fine if very small, Tom had the smallest rack of lamb I've ever seen, Mom had the turkey pot pie and Dad had steak with gulf shrimp. No one raved about dinner, but the conversation was good.

I once again learned more intimate details about Tom's family than I expected. His mother and I just started chatting away once they sat down. He is tickled by this, and I enjoy talking to her so it works out. I don't think she gets a lot of opportunity to talk, his dad's pretty chatty too. I laugh because I spent a lot of the evening listening, which is a nice change from those parental dinners where people are searching for things to say.

It was only when the check came that things got weird. The beers were $7.25 a piece, which I felt was outrageous, especially since we each ordered different beer and amazingly they all looked and tasted the same. The total for the check was $194, which was expected. Tom put in $100, mom and dad had a gift certificate to the place for $50 and a Visa gift card for $50 and all was good.

Then the waiter came back saying they didn't accept debit cards. We explained it wasn't a debit card, it was a gift card. Nope, can't take it. So we stared at each other awkwardly for a bit until I couldn't take it anymore and just gave the water my credit card, taking Tom's cash. On our way out Dad mentioned that his steak was over done and the shrimp tasted "funny". Here's hoping he didn't end up getting his tummy pumped later. We also mentioned to the manager the issue with the gift card. His "Aw, that's a shame" wasn't exactly heart felt.

But the evening was full of good company, so the little things are just a warning to others. I enjoyed myself and it was nice to get out and do something other than a movie.

Morning Bulletin

**If you have so much money that you decide to spend $50,000 on a mattress (not the bed, not the box spring, just the mattress) then you are a complete bastard for not using some of that $50,000 in a philanthropic way. What? You've already given to the charity of your choice? Then give more or pick another one! A bed that expensive better be able to grow legs and walk me around the house when I'm sick or lazy...

**I think it is cool in geeky and inappropriate way that our president has an arch-nemesis. I'm not saying I think Hugo Chavez is right or necessarily a good person, but it is kinda entertaining to watch him annoy W. on this South American tour. Sort of a Mr. Mxyzpltk to W. 's Wonder Twins (I just can't compare him to an actual hero, sorry).

**I comfortably fit into old pants this morning. Yippee!

Happy Friday all!

Good Neighbor or Busy Body?

Sigh...sometimes it is hard to know what the right thing is...

This morning I saw my upstairs neighbor heading into our building as I was heading out. He was in a Navy uniform, so I guess that kind of explains the Texas plates on his truck. I've never really met my upstairs neighbors, but I seem to know a lot about them. In my building you can hear the people above and below you pretty well if they are being loud, but not the people on your floor.

The couple downstairs have a dog. One of them plays guitar and when they watch sports they get very involved. I could care less, it doesn't bother me. Lord knows I'm not the Second Floor Ninja or anything. I'm sure they hear me too. Upstairs is a different story though. I guess I started noticing them in November. That's when I first heard the fighting.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say he'd been drinking, as he started a rant with "This isn't just the alcohol talking..." and went on to say she never appreciates him, he doesn't know why he's stayed for 3 years, why they haven't gotten a divorce. Then he turned to the dog, "And you! I don't know why we keep you around! It certainly isn't for your bark!" Now as a neighbor I have to say I'm pro non-barking, but that's me.

At Thanksgiving I got to hear how he made all this effort and she ruined it...I'm not sure how. But just about every night the same yells are heard, prompting me to say "oh just get the damn divorce." I rarely hear her other than a sob or an apology. I've kinda gotten used to it.

When I got home last night they were at it again, but this time there was a lot of slamming. I always tell myself if I hear something hit the floor I'll make the call. Well I don't know what hit the floor, but it got my chandelier to shake and made my floor vibrate. I was still a little unsure, but I couldn't live with myself if someone was hurt. I went to my neighbor Karin for advice. She's a social worker so I figure she could tell me if I was over reacting. Remember I told you that we can't hear anything unless it's directly above or below us? Well, a decoration in her kitchen had fallen down when that crash came. I called 911 from her place.

The police came (3 or four of them actually) went upstairs and then came back down to talk to us. They said she was fine, alone studying and didn't seem upset. Now I felt foolish and apologized for calling. One officer stopped and told me never to apologize for calling and to do it again if I heard anything. I said good night to Karin and headed back into my place...where I could hear him yelling again (and the TV turned way up). So was I going insane?

I got Karin and had her come into my place to listen...she heard him too. Her reaction? "He fucking hid!" Sigh. So now I feel like I'm just a nosey neighbor, though that wasn't my intention. And as Karin says, at least the woman knows someone will call the cops, and so does he.

It shouldn't be so hard to look out for each other, you know? Now I'm going to hesitate if I hear things, and that isn't right. I'm also going to be a bit uneasy the next time I run into him. But I know I'd make the call again if I had it to do over, so I guess it was the right thing to do.

Hit Me Baby One More Time...

Or just kill me. Britney Spears' name has come up in my dreams for the past 2 nights. Sunday night it was when I was appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show and Oprah had shaved her head to support the Brittster...she looked a lot like Montel Williams now that I think about it.

And last night she was spouting some nonsense about honesty...it was a lot like what Lewis Black sounds like when he makes fun of her...

"Honesty is, like, a part of me...but when I'm drunk the honesty is different...it flows from outside me..." and is probably a little slurred.

In more interesting news it seems China has a growing workforce of female body guards...I think this is rather cool and can totally see Monie doing this!

All the World's a Stage

I have to say, this was another very nice weekend. Friday I had a duh moment when going to look at an apartment. Right street, wrong town. Doh! But we got it sorted out...unfortunately the apartment wasn't really worth the time. Aside from aesthetic issues and it having way to many entrances/exits there was the front door oddness. This was a second floor apartment. You walk in downstairs and there is the door for the 1st floor person then you go upstairs to the 2nd floor rooms...there was no door. Nothing to stop the lower tenant from roaming around the upstairs. Yeah, not going to work.

Happily Tom arrived shortly after I got home. We went out for Chinese then settled in to watch "Thank You for Smoking." Good movie and good company. Saturday we were going to New Holland to see Dan's play so he stayed over. Amazingly, we both got some sleep. You forget how different sleeping with another body in the bed can be.

Morning was breakfast and cartoons. Before we knew it Connie and Andy arrived and we were off to see "Six Lovers in Florence", though a little late. We got there with 10 minutes to spare, Dan kindly gave Andy a pass on the ticket price since the boy didn't have cash on him and we took our seats. The play was wonderful and there was a photo call afterwards so we got back to my place around 7:30. Connie and Andy headed out and Tom and I went in to have dinner. Thank heaven for crock pots! Here are some photo highlights:

Sadly, Tom was a little too sleep deprived so after dinner I sent him home with a kiss and a bag of cookies (better in his tummy than mine). As it turns out I wasn't up much longer myself and I had an 8:30 appointment to look at another apartment on Sunday. Sunday morning I got an e-mail from Tom letting me know he got in okay, and then I headed out to look at the apartment in Colmar.

The area is nice, woodsy and right off a trail. The apartment is first floor and nice enough, and the manager, Dave, was great. Unfortunately he doesn't think they will hold the apartment until May. I wanted to give it some thought, but when I got home I had a killer headache, so I laid down instead. Later I talked to Dad and as we talked I realized I wasn't in love with the place, and when I told him that the tenants had to be vigilant in using the dehumidifier because the place was so well insulated that humidity makes mold come up he reminded me that mold never really goes away...so I'm going to say this place was a no.

The rest of Sunday was very relaxed. I spoke with Tom about next Saturday's plans. We are seeing "Defending the Caveman" then having dinner with his parents in the city. It should be interesting. Hopefully his dad and I will get along a bit better. I felt like I annoyed him a little when we first met.

And dinner with Mary was postponed until tomorrow, she was still in Maryland painting with the new boy. We both have a good bit of story telling to do I think.

And finally in Mom news, I think she isn't speaking to me at the moment. Oh well, Dad says she's feeling better so I'm not worrying about it. She'll come around eventually.

Magic

Yesterday was busy, but quiet until about 5 PM. That's when the guy from some production company I've never heard of called to place an order. Of course he didn't have any of the information needed to place said order, so his assistant was going to have to call me back. I told him I was leaving at 5:30. At 5:25 the dumbass assistant called...I was not happy, but I stayed to get it in the system. When I gave him the total he said, "I can't believe you're ripping me off like that"-kidding or not, he just forfeited his discount. I was silent, he then said he was kidding, I let the pause linger a bit then asked for his fax number. What an ass.

Soon I was on my way home to tidy the place up a bit for today and wait for Steve to come by so we could grab dinner. We caught up on odds and ends then I brought up my wanting to get our marriage annulled. For you see, though I am not catholic I have been shafted by our divorce should I ever want to get married in the church. It's like having something hanging over my head and I dislike that. Besides, it's like religious magic. Poof! You were never married....hee hee.

Happily Steve was on board with this and even offered to help out in any way he could. I like it when things go smoothly.

Not so smooth was my checking on my mom. I called on my way home from work and left a message. She called back on my way to dinner, and was typical grumpy Mom. What did I want? She was fine. Dad wanted to talk to me. At least I know she's alive. And Dad filled me in on his getting a colonoscopy (finally) on Thursday. I told him not to eat jello and that I heard the drugs were good...the sum total of my knowledge on the subject.

Another day awaits!

Zzzzzzz

The Hunt

So I got the notice in the mail that I needed to renew my lease by March 15...and my rent was going up. I like my place, but I think I pay way to much for it and I don't use the "perks" that come with it (gym, pool, sauna) because the hours are not convenient and to be honest, I'm lazy. So I've decided to move. In May. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't miss those years when I moved every 12 months.

So after bouncing this idea off of a few friends who assured me I'm not insane, I started making calls. I'd really like to live in Ambler. I have discovered I cannot afford Ambler. It costs more to live there than I'm paying now, unless I want to live in the scary part. By "scary part" I'm not talking about where Dan lived (next to the super fund site), I'm talking scary like "damn, my neighbors drive nice cars but they don't seem to have jobs." I just can't do it. I could do another complex...but that's a last resort right now.

So I decided to look for places in Lansdale and North Wales, just single apartments, not complexes. I found a few, and am looking at one on Friday. No one else has called me back. I'm a little surprised about this, because two of the places were real estate offices...you'd think they'd want to follow up. Too weird. I called another this morning and set up a Sunday looksy...very chatty guy. So here are the two places I'm looking at this weekend:

Friday-A 1 bedroom in Lansdale, heat is included in the $720 rent.

Sunday-A 2 bedroom in Colmar that is more, but has a washer/dryer, is first floor and is a more picturesque setting. Can you tell this is the one I hope works out? It's about $100 less a month, which is nice, plus no stairs!

To be continued!