Pictures

Here in no order are Christmas pictures.
This is my boy. Many of these photos are Photoshoppe. Full disclosure, you know. Remember to click on the picture to see a larger version.


Here's Wendell and Wynn.


Me and Steve.

The mantel


Christmas Eve Day in the kitchen.


Opening gifts.

Toasting something.


A coven.


The Big


Partay


My baby at the Tommy Hilfiger corporate Christmas pary.




Tonight I will win the lottery. $37 million. Who's my friend?
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Big plans

Look! If I take off my allotment of vacation days in 2009 in a judicious manner, I can have four entire weeks off during the year. I'm taking 5 days in February for Mexico, so if I take 4 the week of Fourth of July and 4 the week of Labor Day and 4 the week of Christmas, that'll be my 17 days!

I had already decided I wasn't going to do so many 4-day weekends like I did in 2008, when I took 6 of them. So out-of-state visiting will have to happen in conjunction with this schedule. Although I am flexible about the Christmas week and could take just 2 days off and have 2 days for other stuff. Like the Madison Ribberfest. And that would only be one day of vacation.

But, the best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley. As it is said.

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Upcoming Shows

I'm starting this entry and I'll put a link to it at the right in Other Good Interweb. That way you can always see what's coming up for musical events instead of me posting them throughout my ramblings. More user friendly. That's what I'm all about.

Nov. 6 Griswold birthday at Hines Farm

Nov. 13 John Prine at the Stranahan

Nov. 20 Doko Benjo at GFT

Nov. 20 Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams at the Ark
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Those holidays are exhausting

It was non-stop activity. Monday, I had the Karen Schaller party where a lot of whiskey was drunk and a lot of cigs were smoked and later that night, Tom and Jessica show up and eat deviled eggs and drink wine, which nearly a case of was consumed in 4 days. I wasn't expecting them until Tuesday so I start making snacks on Tuesday including those great pinwheels with cheese and chutney (I am definitely making these for New Year's) and caprese salad on a stick. I got a sun-dried tomato/artichoke heart/spinach quiche from Myles Baker Street which was good filler food for the vegetarian Jessica. I make more deviled eggs and caprese salad for Anne. Those kids leave for downtown to try and find an NBA game on TV and Anne shows up from the airport at 8:45 after a grueling 2 hour drive on ice. So Amy and I drink wine with her while she drinks whiskey and regales us with tales of the Tommy Hilfiger corporate Christmas party and it's 2 a.m. for the second night in a row and I'm sleeping on the couch.

Wednesday, I go pick up my mom but not until noon which I was expecting to be home by 11:30. Mom wants to go to Wal-Mart to buy my kids presents with some credit she has from there and it's icy and raining and I just want to be home. Plus we had to go to my mom's bank and get some bank statements printed out for her move to the old folks apartment complex. So by the time we get home, it's after 3 and I haven't got any presents wrapped/bagged which is my own fault, I could have done that on the weekend.

It was a very nice weekend that started with Sherry hosting me and Amy and Connie for cards and gift exchange on Saturday. Sunday Amy and I went to the Hakels holiday brunch where I knew many people and ate some great buffet brunch. It was brutally cold that day, with giant wind.

So back to Christmas Eve. I had called Anne to put the pulled pork that I had cooked in the crockpot the day before back into the crockpot with Stubbs barbecue sauce. And then I made corn casserole and reheated Wynn's stuffing and roasted a pound of asparagus and made crescent rolls. I also wrapped/bagged the presents and filled the stockings. Meantime, the kids watched some Entourage. And miraculously we sat down to eat at 6 and by 7 we were ripping open gifts while drinking coffee or wine and eating pumpkin roll for dessert. Two things my mom had never had: pumpkin roll and asparagus. Both of which she ate.

I got great gifts. My mom got me a plain white casserole in a wire rack and Tom and Jessica got me some fancy chocolate and a bottle of fancy whiskey and Anne got me three scarves, including the houndstooth cashmere one and a fabulous Tommy Hilfiger one with silver threads.

Tom and Jessica have to leave at 7:45 for another gift exchange and Anne hits the twin bed for a nap before the kids have to show up at their dad's at 10 p.m. I cleaned up the kitchen and talked to my mom while falling asleep and missed any Christmas Eve drinking downtown.

My mom said a few things about her moving out from Karen like the animals had destroyed her furniture and Karen wouldn't make dinner until 9 at night and she was concerned that Karen will quit paying on the land contract for their mobile home and ruin her (my mom's) credit as she was the one who signed for it. I think having your credit ruined when you're 78 is probably not a big deal. So I will go down there sometime in January and pack my mom's stuff and some mover will come and move her Jan. 20, Bush's last day in office.

Christmas Day I took my mom home after feeding her both breakfast and lunch. Sal had called to say they would be at Howard's later and she would call me. I think. Maybe I was just supposed to show up. But I did not. Somebody said Thompson and JD were in Howard's shooting pool. The kids all come back later with their cousin Jessica, who brought me some homemade pierogi. Later I went to Amy's and drank some wine and decompressed in a big way because today I had to work.

And of course, the icy drizzle is predicted so I leave early and get there just before the badness starts and cars start sliding off the road. So I work like crazy, putting up contests and straightening out ad contracts and slinging news and video to the website. Anne calls from Frank's truck because they are stuck in a long line of cars on 25 just south of Levis Commons. There had been some wreck on 75 and all the cars diverted. I looked at the ODOT cams and could see that 75 north was clear once they got on it. Her plane was delayed an hour and half which is good because they might not have made the original time and she got home only an hour later.

I left work about 4:30 and Tom and Jessica got back here about 6 and bustled around and took their stuff out to Frank's to have dinner and stay overnight and leave in the morning when I hope it is not too foggy. After days and days of freaking freezing, it is now at 11:30 p.m., 49 degrees.

The whole time the kids were here it was extremely cold and the yard and drive and street were iced up like skating rinks.

Poor Miss Jenks had paid for her son to come Dec. 22 but alas, a snowstorm hit the northwest and Nicholas couldn't get out. At least she got her money back. And it's like a blizzard out there AGAIN. I saw some guy on the news in Chicago saying we are just all so tired from this weather. I know the feeling.

So now I'm resting which I will do all weekend. My entire plan for Saturday is eat, get CDs together for radio show, eat, get ready for GFT show. Sunday the weather is supposed to be terrible like cold and windy but they have not done so well with the predictions this week, like it was supposed to be 46 today but only got to 35. Until now. So I guess they are vindicated.

And I have the new Coen brothers movie coming in the mail tomorrow so I am set for Sunday. Many leftovers in my fridge and the meat for meatloaf that I did not make.

Studebaker John and the Hawks Saturday at GFT. Next week, work Mon., Tues., half a day Weds. and then Friday. And then it will only be 5 weeks to Mexico.

I have some pictures but that'll have to wait for another post.

Graphing the holidays

moar funny pictures

Merry, hic, Christmas

Here is a pic Karen took last night with her fancy camera. We were having a high time.

Full speed ahead

OMG I call my mom today to firm up some Christmas plan and my sister answers the phone and says that they've talked about it and Karen will take my mom to the McDonald's at Upper Sandusky Weds. AM and I can pick her up there and then we can exchange her again on Christmas day. Bonus. ALSO she tells me my mom is moving into Oakhurst, some retirement apartment complex outside Delaware on Jan. 20 and will I come down the weekend before and pack her stuff because Karen can't lift anything over 10 lbs. Whatever. THEN my sister giggles, says she's lost her train of thought and it must be because of the OXYCONTIN she's on. I am delighted my mom is moving away from that mess. Karen says she doesn't know why but my mom never has any money so maybe she will have more now if she lives by herself. Ya think??? No word on how the loss of my mom's income to Karen's household is gonna work for Karen as she is jobless AND on drugs AND has five animals to take care of. Sheesh.

Bought a bunch of stuff to prepare for Christmas snackage and meals but am sure I'll have to go again. At least I am off Mon. Tues. Weds. so I'll have time to figure it out. Ordered a quiche and an espresso tart from Myles Baker St. to pick up Tuesday.

The soiree for Karen Schaller is now Monday night. It is a small gathering of people Karen used to know like Connie D and Donna and Wynn and their spouses. Plus she wanted me to invite Tony Duda so I called there and left a message although this sounds like a losing proposition. It would be somebody for Wendell to play guitar with and I said that on the Duda message machine. We'll see how that works out.

So Sunday is looking pretty calm. Monday, cat to vet, massage, probably more shopping and trying to figure out how I (1) left my mastercard bill on the backseat of my car for several weeks and (2) how much money I actually have left, and then, soiree. Tuesday, not much, baking cookies, wrapping or bagging gifts. Don't know if Anne will come here when she gets down from the airport where her dad is picking her up at 6 p.m. Cross your fingers for good weather. Still don't know about Tom's arrival.

Did the Christmas radio show and recorded a good chunk of it. I'll take that to Sherry's tonight to see if she can copy it.

13Abc phone bank

Another fabulous weekend

Friday night, I relaxed. Well deserved. Saturday I went to the Grill for breakfast about 11 and put up some lights on the porch and did a radio show and then made mediocre stuffed mushrooms for Amy's party which was BIG FUN. I believe I won $10 at poker or else there was a lot of confusion at the end and I ended up with $10 more than I started with. It was a jolly hubbub crowd and lots of cheese dip oriented snacks.

Sunday I took it easy again. Watched In the Name of the Father which was really good. Then I went to my ex mother in law's for dinner. She made meatballs at my request. Mmmmmmm. Salad, bread sticks. Homemade tapioca pudding for dessert. I stayed til 9 p.m.

Tonight I cooked, as I had not yesterday. Broccoli soup and a pork roast (only have 1 left, I think) and a cheese and onion quiche. So all prepared for the rest of the week which is only 4 days until I have 6 days off. And the kids will be here. Well, Anne will. I know when her flight gets in. Tom, not so much.

No further discussion with my mom and crazy sister.

Today I tried to find a place online where you could send beer to somebody (Miss Annie) but alas it cannot be done. Found one place that looks shady. Maybe I'll try it anyway. Tomorrow I am sending her a loaf of bread and a CD and 4 pumpernickel bagels from Barry Bagels as her present.

Now I'm going to watch last week's 30 Rock and yesterday's Desperate Housewives online and then it will be bedtime.

convergence

Tonight, it took me half an hour to go from work to the 475 Airport Hwy exit. Most of the time I was going less than 15 mph. So by the time I get home, 55 minutes after I left work, I was worked up. Fortunately, the icy snow layer in Toledo didn't extend south of Dussel. But then it started snowing again around 582. I get home and it feels cold in here and I think the furnace is not working so I lie down on the bed with my head on the contour pillow and the little kitty stretches out on my stomach and pretty soon I feel normal. Ish.

Factors: No time off since September. Driving home in the dark everyday. Chained to my computer at work for 9 hours. Work is hard. Or as Dubya would say, It's hard work. Holiday angst. Subliminal fear about my mom and sister thing.

At least this is not our forecast. It is Miss Annie's:
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL OVERSPREAD WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE DANGEROUS
CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST INTO LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL WILL
GENERALLY BE BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES. WINDS SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY WILL BE 30 TO 40 MPH WITH POSSIBLE GUSTS TO 45 MPH. SUNDAY
MORNING TEMPERATURES WILL START OUT IN THE SINGLES DIGITS AND
WILL THEN FALL TO 5 BELOW BY NIGHTFALL. CONSEQUENTLY WIND CHILLS
WILL RANGE FROM 35 TO 45 BELOW SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. DURING
THE STORM VISIBILITIES MAY DROP TO ZERO IN THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE...
AND SOME ROADS MAY BECOME BLOCKED BY DRIFTS

Have got the CD cabinet emptied to cart to the basement temporarily.

Bought a box of chocolates today to take to Frank's mom's as a gift on Sunday when I go for dinner. It looks like it might rain that day but the low will only be 39 so no ice.

Bought the new Lucinda CD Little Honey today. It's really good. One song she does a duet with Elvis Costello but alas, she uses the f word and the s word so no radio play for that one. Tomorrow the show is some Christmas, mostly other stuff. Next week though, 2 hours of the best of Debbie's Christmas stuff which I will record in two one-hour segments for later duplication.

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Girls, loosely speaking

Here is the picture taken at Deb H's when we had a birthday thing for Connie D turning 60. I think my head is too small.



In the photo below, I photoshopped my head on in a bigger size. What do you think?

but wait! there's more!

Of my exciting weekend activity! We did go down and see Polka Floyd and as Amy says, "The whole time I am watching them, I am grinning." So hard our jaws hurt at the end of the night. I shoulda taken my camera to record some. They are recording their second CD live at the Ohio Theater on Jan. 24 so maybe we will have to think about that.

Sunday, I watched The Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was very good.

Then I tried to get a jar of jam out of the fridge and it was stuck fast. This leads me to cleaning out the fridge in a SERIOUS manner and now it is all sparkly for the holidays. Today, I angsted further about the Christmas Eve meal but now I am thinking the small plates thing. Or maybe pulled pork with corn casserole and a couple other things but at least not one big meal on the table all at once. This will also solve my seating problem.

Later Sunday, I made a roast in the oven and it is mediocre. Possibly I could have started with a better cut of meat. I don't know. Meat is not my thing.

Then I watched the Simpsons and Desperate Housewives and hit the sack. Overall, a very good weekend, which I see in reviewing my blog from all of 2008 I said many times, a very good weekend. Sometimes the best weekend ever.

Now I have an acorn squash in the oven and will pop in that salmon when that's done and voila, more food for lunches and stuff.

That's it for now. Starting on the CD sorting and boxing up some to take to the basement so I can move that CD cabinet to the basement for the holiday guest period. Possibly, I will bring decorations up out of the basement as I take the other stuff down. Multi-task. And later, sadly, the two-hour series finale of Boston Legal.

OMFG I just now call my mom about Christmas and she says my sister got fired last Friday from her job because of all the calling in sick she does. So Karen is going for unemployment and disability because of her many ills including fibromyalgia and vertebrae she has had to get fused because of all her years of horse riding. So my mom is noncommittal about Christmas which, as you know, would be just fine with me. JFC I just look at this as when will the money start bleeding out of my pocket.

Mmmm squash and salmon for dinner. I made this recipe Tim had given me years ago that has the Chinese 5-spice powder and vodka and ginger and several other things that you wrap in foil and bake and, while it took a lot longer than the 5-8 minutes I had written down, it was DELICIOUS. Plus I fried in a pan the rest of the bacon I have been eating off and on for 2 weeks so I can put it on salads for lunch.

And all the dishes are done! And I have laundry in! And it's 15 minutes to Boston Legal! A perfect night.

Hmmm, didn't get to the CD sorting......

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holiday spirit

Trying to single-handedly revive the economy, I went out shopping at 10:30 this morning and got home about 4.

First, I sent my mom a Christmas card with a book of Nutcracker stamps in it. Then I went to Big Lots looking for a bathmat to match my towels or a rug for the kitchen table area. No luck. So I went to Calico Sage and bought a bunch of stuff, creams and a couple things for the kids I'm not saying here on the off chance they read my blog. I stopped myself from gifting ME a cashmere black and white houndstooth check scarf.

Then I went to Elder Beerman and bought my mom four tops, probably only one of which she will like but she likes to open presents. $61 for all 4 though. Also no matching bathmat there.

I ate breakfast at the Grill about 1 and then went to Meijer and loaded up on some stuff, including a new 5x7 rug for the kitchen area for $24 and a gift for my assistant Erin. No matching bathmat there either. Plus I must mention the challenge in buying bathroom tissue. It took all my powers of multiplication and attention to determine that the best deal was a 9-roll pack that has 3,600 sheets for $5.69 although you could also get at 6-roll pack with 2,400 sheets for the same money and the same brand. How goofy is that?? Then I went to the liquor store and bought whiskey and vodka and some Scotch to take to Amy's party.

Then I went to GFT and bought some bags of Christmas Spirit coffee, which I never got any of last year. I called Sal while I was there to see if she wanted more than the 1/2 pound bag I was getting her. She says deer-hunting is almost over and they have not bagged one. I told her I would try to bag one with my car. Then I went to Ben Franklin looking for a tree topper and bought a 99 cent decoration for a window.

So in one hour at home I have laid the new rug and changed my bed and done 2 loads of laundry and some dishes and took out the trash.

It's been snowing steadily all day, not real hard, but we have at least an inch of snow if not more.

In about an hour, I'm going over to Amy's for macaroni and cheese before we go to Grumpy Dave's to see Polka Floyd.

Friday night we stopped in to Martha's birthday celebration at the Eagles and then ate at Cucina di Betto which was very tasty. I had shrimp and portobellos and basil tossed in marinara on fettucine. Then I came home and called Annie for 2 hours.

Thursday Amy and I drank too much wine. Wednesday was GNO where massive gift exchanging took place and now I have 3 new ornaments and some airline bottles of coconut rum and a biscotti and a bath scrubbie and a little puzzle in a box and a teddy bear that was holding a bottle of honey, among other things.

Monday was the radio meeting where Mark Zaborney the jazz DJ told me that I was the hit of GFT last Saturday morning when I commented on that crazy woman who heckled Spencer Day at the High Note last weekend.

So an exhausting week as you can see as I also worked 5 9-hour days. Only 10 days to work til Christmas frivolity and days off.

Amy's having cards next Saturday. Sherry and Fred are having New Year's Eve. Woo hoo!

Text msg from Anne

Happy christmas time!!
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Briefly

So far, so good on this holiday weekend relaxing thing. I made some broccoli/chicken/crouton casserole and corn casserole and deviled eggs for me and Connie Z on Thanksgiving and later we went over to Amy's and drank wine.

Money karma story: Amy won the raffle at the Alicia's Voice benefit and gave the money back and now her son Evan, after totaling his truck, has got a job and a vehicle courtesy of the Williams Bros., the band he works with in Colorado. Goes around, comes around.

Yesterday I watched The Hulk and The Shipping News. Hulk was really good, stars Ed Norton and Liv Tyler. Shipping News was OK for all its all-star cast of Kevin Spacey and Julianna Moore and Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. Did not do any Black Friday shopping.

Went to the library and then raked most of the leaves but a pile remains in the backyard which must be laboriously dragged to the front. But it's a sunny day and when I get off the radio show at 2:30, it should be prime time for finishing that up. And then running my mower out of gas.

Tonight Eddie Shaw is at Lido Lanes in Toledo and John Primer is at Hines Farm but probably not attending either one of them.

More later....
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Must update

Tommy emails today to say that he got a job doing lunches because he didn't have enough time for his music. So he and Jessica are driving up because gas is cheap although I offered to fly them both here.

I realize last night that I have read both those books of short stories I took out of the library. Damn that Homeland Security! Otherwise I could ask the library if I already had had a book out. But my records are sealed.

Last night I ate a good meal of chicken and baked potato and squash but fell asleep on the couch with a New Yorker. Magazine, that is. I did get up in time to see Boston Legal.

Today my hip was killing me, I think from ladder fun on Sunday. But by the time I got home, it had worked its way down into my ankle so I did some stretches and it feels better. What a drag it is getting old.

Tommy's text response

To my text: Flight booked?

Driving. Not sure about new job when that'll be.

What does this mean? Apparently that Jessica is coming as Tom doesn't have a vehicle. And new job? Guess I'm out of the loop.

Holiday parade

Here's some Statue of Liberty thing.

Cla-Zel Entertainment

Here's a rug in the lobby. Sorry, it's sideways.

Crazy George

In the holiday parade, pretending to be Buddy Holly. This guy has to be 65 years old. I worked for him in 1970.

Another action-packed weekend

Even the staying in town weekends are exhausting. But in a good way. Friday night, some wimmens were doing some drinking and smoking chez moi. It was a horrible week at work, the stress is never ending and everybody hates the website and has since last December's redesign and I can't do anything about it plus they gave us this new page-counting software, so after 7 years of increasing page views, our traffic seems to be half of what it was. Oh that old software was faulty, they tell me. Grrrr.

Saturday morning Amy calls at 9 and we agree to go to the holiday parade. It's 18 degrees. I get dressed and start walking and she picks me up in front of the carryout and we circumvent the entire downtown to park at the courthouse and walk to the Grill for breakfast but alas it's packed and many tables don't have their food yet. So we walk down to Kermit's whose breakfasts aren't as good. Their potatoes are weird. Canned, I think. But fully fed, we hit the street and see the parade which is almost 2 hours long. I called Miss Annie while the BGHS band was passing by so she could feel some of the festivities. Sorry the pictures above of the parade are from my phone as I cannot remember to take my camera with me.

Then we meet up with Connie at Grounds and walk to the Cla-Zel for a non-alcoholic beverage as I am very thirsty. We don't mean to, but we end up staying for the whole Ohio State Michigan game and have a couple of beers. The staff orders pizza and passes it around gratis. There were maybe 35 or 40 people in there. The game was on the big movie screen and on the flat screens at the bar. One of Anne's friends from high school was in there and when she introduced me to her boyfriend, he says What's up with playing that Katy Perry song on your radio show? I had to admit that I had just pulled this CD out of the free box and since I am so unhip to current popular music, I just thought the song I Kissed a Girl would be cool to play, so I did. I'm always glad to hear people are listening to my show. Speaking of which, I'm on this week 10-2:30 doing the Blues Breakfast. Listen online at wbgufm.com.

Then Amy takes me home but I see Martha's party is still on so I go and have two beers with them drunks. About 6 we go to Beckett's to eat as we had had such a good experience there last week. This week, however, the barmaid is of the non-service mode so although the food was pretty good, we waited so long for it and got no drink refills and no dishes bussed after and Amy had to stand at the bar to get our bills. I came home and hit the couch with a book and that's all she wrote. At least I was well rested today. When I had to go work since now I cannot work from home as I have not figured out the remote access of the new video software. More grrrrr. But there's no news! Just crap I coulda got off some AP stories elsewhere on the web. But I did it. I am a good employee. I will not be laid off in these tough economic times.

When I got home, I took my 8-foot step ladder over to Amy's and we cleaned her eaves and then we came here and did mine. She very nicely took my 100 pounds of leaf offal to the yard waste. Then I went to Meijer because I have not bought food in 2 or 3 weeks and got a cooked chicken and disassembled it and made chicken enchiladas. And have the breast meat leftover for salads or whatever. Also have salad stuff as last week I ate lunch out most days which I do not like to do because of salt overload, mostly. Although eating at Organic Bliss makes me feel fine. I love that place. I think I say that every post. I had a piece of pizza and some spinach salad there the other day for $4 and it was delicious.

Just took those enchiladas out. MMM, they look fab.

Have Swimming Pool from Netflix. Have had since Wednesday but have had no time to watch it. I'd do it now, but I'd miss The Simpsons.

Went to the library today and got a book of short stories by T.C. Boyle and one by Sam Shepard which I may have read before but I can't remember. Also I bought 2 tickets for their basket raffle. They have about 10 baskets with themes, full of goodies. I of course put my tickets in for the coffee basket and the chocolate basket.

Yow, SO looking forward to the 2 and half day week this week with 4 days off although I have to go in Thursday morning briefly. Hope the weather is not bad. Looks like it will be nice enough to rake. Highs in the 30s lows in the 20s no snow. Could be worse.

I called my mom Friday and discussed Thanksgiving so I am leaving them to their own dewices. They are going out to eat. My mom says they had the kitchen carpet replaced with wood-like substance after their used washer overflowed. And they had somebody paint. So I guess they have enough money. But not enough to ever pay me back for that car of Karen's.

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Amy's cat

Javi lopez

Midweek hoop de doo

I was thinking I hope I have blogged plenty about your birthdays so that in subsequent years, we can look back to see what we did for them. It seems like I can't remember year to year what happened.

Anyway, last night was a Connie DiPuccio 60th birthday GNO at Deb H's. Plenty of good eats out in her three-season room or whatever it is. Connie brought these scrapbooks she had assembled of (1) her life and (2) recent (last 30 years) pictures from parties, mostly. How do people have time to do this stuff? Probably if I had the inclination, I would find the time. But alas, my leisure pursuits tend elsewhere.

I know it's really boring (it is said) to tell someone your dreams but last night I apparently dreamed my knee hurt again REALLY A LOT because it didn't hurt when I went to bed OR when I got up but during the night I thought, but musta dreamed, that it was just killing me. Like a couple of weeks ago, I dreamed I rolled my car on purpose to avoid a traffic accident in the road ahead of me. I just somehow tipped my car on the side and rolled it on over to the top and then drove away in the other lanes. I always take big stock of cars in dreams because they are a symbol for your life in general so if you dream somebody else is driving, for example, it means that person is controlling your life. So I'm pondering what this daredevil move means. I remember telling someone later in the dream, matter of factly, "had to roll my car."

So feel free to tell me your dreams because I like to hear them and do some psychoanalysis on them. Although I think I dream more than a lot of people or just remember them better. When I was taking that Soma when my jaw was clamped shut, it kept me from dreaming. I would just drop off to sleep and then, wake up, with no amusing nighttime life in between. I missed that. I count on it.

Today, I agreed in email to have dinner with my ex-mother-in-law on Sunday Dec. 14. She was delighted to hear the grandkids are coming back for Christmas. Which I am starting to angst about. Food collection and preparation. Gifts that can be taken back on the plane. Sleeping on the mattresses. I am taking Dec. 22, 23, 24 off for my last 3 days of vacation this year so I will be off Dec. 19-25, almost a week, then work a day and have a weekend off. Then work 2.5 days, day off, work one day, weekend off. I'll have plenty of time to relax.

Amy is having cards, she announced at GNO last night, Dec. 13. Polka Floyd Dec. 6, remember. December GNO is at Beckett's Dec. 3, Tommy's birthday. He'll be 27.

Possibly she meant "chillens"

A text from Anne: Looks like the chittlins are comin home for xmas... But next year were doin something awesome.. Me and tommie talked about it. Dec 23-26th okay?

How could it be a whole week since I posted??

This weekend was a big one. Like they all aren't. But this was supposed to be one of those fairly laid back ones.

Look, here's the unacommplishments list left over from last weekend:
Pulled annuals to garden waste
Affix light in closet--DONE
Clean out closet--DONE
Clean out dresser
Wash windows

All righty then, two more things down. Plus today was supposed to be eave-cleaning day but alas it's 32 and snowing and windy. Although I do need to take Ginger's fire pit and my drying rack into the garage regardless.

Friday night, Amy and I went to the soft opening of the fabulous new Cla-Zel Entertainment. We went about 7:30, after having had the steak special at Beckett's which for $9 you get a good piece of sirloin with steak fries and cole slaw. There were many people we knew and vaguely knew and anyway plenty of older folks. I heard there's going to be a dress code in the future, no jeans, men must have collars on their shirts. Unconfirmed. I had Stoly and tonics at $4.50 each and domestic beers were $2.50. Bob Manley played with Michael Peslikis and a bass player and then some four-piece jazz bunch of utes played. It's amazing how the ceiling is all patched and they left up the old chandeliers and maybe that fountain in the lobby is a little much but otherwise it's pretty cool. It's odd how the lighting was fairly bright but not bad. I was under-dressed.

We were going to go Saturday night but it was a good thing we didn't as shopping/4-hour radio show/GFT was enough for one day. Although I must say some unnamed trainee came in and did a really good job for an hour and a half of the blues breakfast. He knew a lot of stuff about blues, oddly enough. And was very smooth on the boards. Then when he left at 2, coincidentally, the transmitter froze up and the alarm went off in the station and our power was reduced to about a half-mile radius.

I am listening to my new Springer's Holiday Tuneage that I got on eBay for $10. The next day, I lost that second one to someone who bid $36. That was the one I had some of the tracks from anyway. The one I won is great. Including two New Year's songs. Speaking of which, anybody volunteering for New Year's Eve? I am willing. Talk amongst yourselves.

I noticed that people with popular/lucrative personal blogs are the kind of people you often try to avoid at parties. Going on and on, word after word, commas throughout their sentences, just, no doubt, trying to increase their word count because what would a blog be without a nearly daily entry of substantial length, even though, during that length hardly any information was imparted?

I was going to make a grocery list but I looked in the freezer and cupboards and decide I can go another week without going to the grocery AND donate $20 to the Cherry St. Mission for po' folks' Thanksgiving dinner. This is due in part to the good money karma theory because Friday I got a $20 check in the mail from some doctor I had overpaid in Sept. 2007. What are the odds the medical establishment is EVER going to refund you some money?? So give it away, I say.

So the cooking school today will involve a pork roast and a squash and some chicken broth and potatoes and I'm going to give fresh tomato soup a shot with my remaining tomatoes from the garden.

Plus I need to watch the cash flow after going to Elder Beerman yesterday for the Community Day sale where I bought a gray and black sweater dress, a pair of Ugg-like boots (grey), a black and white Jones New York party top, a basic black v-neck cotton pullover, a black "alligator" flat decorative wallet, a wacky multicolor sweater with a big button, a pair of Isotoner knit mittens with fake fur inside and suede on the palms, a pair of black pants with no belt loops for work, AND two necklaces. I, as did the salesclerk, thought it was one necklace although both had price tags but when I got home, they fell apart from each other and there they were: a black and red bead on wire and a red bead and silver ball on wire. They will look stunning together with the Jones New York top (see above).

Here they are separately.



And together (click picture to see larger version):



I just want to acknowledge here that letdown or whatever it is I know everybody is feeling. It's like you were wishing so hard before the election that the Republicans wouldn't win, thinking all the time (well, I was) that they'd somehow take the election, by hook or by crooked voting machines. And now we are thrust into what the media is telling us will be a joyless holiday season, when nobody has any money and stores are going bankrupt and way too many "How to Enjoy the Holidays on a Shoestring Budget" articles and commentaries are being produced. Plus the weather turned bad right after the election and suddenly many people have the bad cold thing. Remain calm. Listen to some music. (Although this study says prayer also lowers your blood pressure. I pray that Led Zeppelin will tour again so it's like prayer AND music.)

I don't know what I did last week at night. One night I called Miss Annie for 2.5 hours. Erin was out Weds. and Thurs. so I had to go to work extra early.

ALSO the Big developed this swelling on his neck so I call the vet and she says it's a cat fight injury so I am giving him antibiotics which he takes like a trooper once a day and I have to [GROSS OUT ALERT] squeeze this pus out of his neck which I have done twice now and he lets me clean it up with a washcloth and even put hydrogen peroxide on it, purring the whole time. He is the best cat ever. (Sorry, Pudge and Poot) He is sleeping a lot but is eating OK, even finishing off nearly a quarter slice of buttery toast this AM. One of the few human foods he likes.

And my Netflix movie this week is Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, which Amy's son Evan had advocated be viewed and Wow, it's about Jim White, of Transnormal Skipperoo and Turquoise House and Crash into the Sun. Looks like it might be in the DVD player this afternoon.

OK, time to go out for the errands: library, stamps, maybe a coffee. Although I made a small pot this AM for the first time in a long time as I am out of Cool Brew.

I went to the library where both the books I reserved, the newer David Sedaris and the new Annie Proulx, were both in, got gas for $1.76, went to the Goodwill looking for a slip to wear under the new dress and a strainer, didn't have either one. Went to Kroger for a birthday card and a bottle of wine. Saw Michelle who said that the people who live in Annie's house think there's a ghost in there. Their dog won't go in the main bedroom and the woman feels she must avoid it sometimes. Hmmmmmm. Mailed some stuff.

Came home and watched that Wrong-Eyed Jesus movie which was excellent. Have a pork roast and a baker in the oven.

Heard some of Sarah Tabner's folk show in the car and that guy who did my show yesterday was doing her show and doing a helluva job.

weekend wrap-up

And some catching up of pictures. Here's the beautiful sky on election day.



Here are some cosmos I had a couple weeks ago.




Here is Mr. Handsome helping me with leaf raking last weekend.







Today I moved all the stuff from the backyard, except the grill, into the garage and put the wood table and two chairs on the patio and the other two wood chairs in the basement. Put away the hoses. No chance of parking in the garage this winter and just now when I took out the trash, there was wet snow on my car windshield.

Also Amy and I went to the Anderson's and I bought this rug. It's greener than it looks in this picture.



Also I went to Big Lots to get nonskid backing for the rug and got a fabulous Halloween witch thing for $3 and a Popeil nut chopper for $5 AS SEEN ON TV.

Friday we went to Findlay to see Stacy Mitchhart. What a cluster of dining. We went to Waldo Pepper's where they said there was an hour and a half wait. So we go to the Bistro on Main where it's a 25-minute wait so we go to Wilson's Hamburgs where we stand around for 10 minutes and never get near the ordering line and so we go back to Waldo Pepper's where now it's only a 5-minute wait so we eat there and it is lackluster. I need to Trip Advisor this. And several other places I've been lately. We shoulda coulda woulda eaten at Revolver. Damn.

Like last night we went to Trattoria Sofo where it's buy one get one free entree from a select list of entrees and Amy and I both get a veal dish and burp all night from the sauce which is very gravy like. The waitress didn't ask if we wanted dessert or coffee. Connie was well pleased with her selections.

Tonight I watched From Dusk til Dawn which is very wacky: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Keitel, lots of shooting, gore, vampires, various undead.

Yesterday I did a radio show and washed the kitchen floor and finally got all the Halloween lights down and went to the library and reserved the next copy in of the new David Sedaris and the new Annie Proulx and I got a set of CDs to learn Spanish in my car. And I went to Meijer for the few groceries I buy: broccoli, Soft Scrub (because I had the Meijer knock-off brand of it which clean 50% as well), yogurt, wine, milk, cat litter. And I cleaned the bathroom and took the clothes out of one dresser drawer which I meant to continue Saturday night but we went out to eat and played cribbage instead.

So overall, it was a good weekend. Let's check the list:
Pulled annuals to garden waste
Order new bedroom throw rugs--DONE
Wash kitchen floor--DONE
Affix light in closet
Clean out closet
Clean out dresser
Wash windows
Watch From Dusk til Dawn that I have from Netflix--DONE

Well, some things remain but I hadn't counted on all that outside stuff today. Plus I paid bills. It's a nothing at night week this week so MAYBE I can get on that dresser/closet stuff.

Saturday is Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings at GFT. I say let's eat at Cucina beforehand.

Amy is toying with a Christmas season card party. Let's hold her to this. Dec. 13 and 20 are both open.

Plus I think I'll buy this cabinet from Penney's in black and putting it in the "dining room" for wine glasses and stuff.

Plus I found TWO Springer's Holiday Tuneage CDs on eBay and bid on them. I'm still the high bidder. One ends Tuesday and one Wednesday.

And I went to an estate sale in Old Orchard Friday and bought 2 GlasBake casseroles for 75 cents each which apparently are antiques and a microwave oven glass insert for Sherry which I hope fits.

Exercise tracker

You'll see this post now but I'm using it to keep track of exercising
Kind of like gold stars on the calendar but no messy gold stars

Nov. 8 - 20 min abs Pilates
Nov. 9 - 20 min. lifting weights
Nov. 11 - 20 min. abs Pilates
Nov. 16 - 45 min. Pilates band
Dec. 2 - 20 min. lifting weights
Dec. 11 - 45 min. Pilates band
Musta missed some here. Maybe not.
Dec. 30 - 45 min. Pilates
Jan. 3 - Lifted weights 20 min.
Jan. 5 - 20 min. Pilates

Fred!!!!!!!

These boys are the horn players for Stacy Mitchhart who we saw last night in Findlay. Fred had gone upstairs to get us some seats and of course, the people at the door thought he was with the band like they always do and apparently Fred talked to these boys because when we went in, they both stopped by our table and gave Fred the big music guy handshake. I sent this photo to my blog from my phone. It's so modern!

Freds boys

things i will do this weekend

We'll check back on this later:
Pulled annuals to garden waste
Order new bedroom throw rugs
Wash kitchen floor
Affix light in closet
Clean out closet
Clean out dresser
Wash windows
Watch From Dusk til Dawn that I have from Netflix

Plus do a radio show and go see Stacy Mitchhart in Findlay Friday night. Oh, I'm exhausted already. Although it is supposed to be one of those chilly damp weekends when it's nice to stay inside. And be motivated. Listen to yourself.

Tonight I came home and slung three inches of leaves off my lawn into a pile about 4 feet high and 30 feet long out front. In advance of them being dampened into a leaden slurry on my freshly mowed lawn.

Yesterday I went to that new Fresh Market in Westgate to get a bottle of wine and a cup of coffee where I find they do not sell you cups of coffee. You can have free samples of Christmas Dreams or Pumpkin Spice, but no 16 oz of java which I needed after being up so late Tuesday night after THE ELECTION ELATION. So I end up buying a bottle of wine Clos du Bois 2006 Cab for $12.99 and a Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix and a box of Good Earth Cocoa Chai Tea. That's the kind of stuff they have. That I need.

Yesterday I got a letter from Lifestyles for Ladies Only that they are closing and transferring my membership to the St. Julian one and not the one at Levis Commons. Not like I have been to the gym in 6 months. But I have another year to go on my current deal.

I went to the wine tasting at Stimmel's Monday night before the radio meeting. They had a sign up that it was the last Monday night tasting. They're starting back up the Saturday afternoon 4-7 tastings. Hmm. 4 Saturday. Right after my radio show.

Tuesday I worked til 10:30 and then came home and worked til 1:30. Last night was GNO which was heavily attended at 149 North. We have set up a birthday party for Connie D on Nov. 19 at Deb H's. Tonight I should be doing something but I'm watching the sitcom lineup on NBC which includes The Office and 30 Rock.

Plus there is holiday talk already. Who's doing what for Thanksgiving which I will attend in Delaware unless the weather is too bad to drive.

OK now I have just ordered 3 sage green rugs from JCPenney.com. Two for the bedroom and one for the bathroom. Uh oh, time to step away from the computer.

November

Can you believe it?

The Halloween party was a smashing success. Well, I thought so. Many people attended and there was massive card playing and hanging out by the fire and food and frivolity. So if you didn't come, you missed it. Thanks to everyone for everything they brought over and to Doug, I think, for tidying up at the end. While I was still sitting out by the fire in a prom dress drinking a beer.

Saturday I was rocky. The Corner Grill fed me and then I went to work for a couple hours to get a jump on the election web pages. When I came home, I continued on the tidy up stuff. Gus dropped by for the notebook Annette forgot. Amy came and took her stuff. I loaded all Connie's stuff, which thank heaven for all those chairs she brought for the outdoors, into my car and deposited that at her house today.

Last night I watched Juno which was really good. Tearing up at the end. The characters were great. People acted unexpectedly, so you changed your mind about their quality throughout the movie.

Then I stayed up and watched Saturday Night Live where John McCain made a last desperate plea to the youth audience. It was embarrassing. While Tina Fey stood right there beside him and mocked Caribou Barbie.

A guy from the Pew Institute on NPR tonight predicts Obama will win and pointed out that the predictions they've made in the last 5 or 6 elections were correct. So, fingers crossed. I still haven't voted although I am holding out for the last-minute experience as I will be at work for 17 hours Tuesday so if I'm not there at 8:30 a.m., oh well.

Plus there's a damn radio meeting tomorrow night and GNO Wednesday and Stacy Mitchhart Friday.

I notice Fat Fish Blues' music events calendar ends abruptly at Nov. 8. Wonder if they're gearing down?

We went there Wednesday night for Connie's birthday. It was a fun time. The band was supposed to start at 8 but didn't because there was a comedy show. Which I have two passes that each admit 2 for any non-national acts. So we'll have to check it out.

So it's 6:46 and it's been fully dark for half an hour. I'll have to start leaving lights on when I leave in the morning. Grrrr.

Miss Jenks called last night to see I wanted to go to San Antonio to see Todd on Dec. 20 and then Robert Earl Keen with Toni Price the next night at the same place. I'm checking airfare.

unfortunately

I have not blogged a million fabulously interesting things I've done BUT I am READY for the party Friday.

I have a totally different costume than what I'd said. The cobwebs are all down although they may have been ambience. The poker table is in the living room. The pulled pork is ready. A pumpkin is carved. LET'S PARTY!!!!

See you Friday after 7.

Life goes on and on and on and on

I did not post about the Welders which was good fun. Buford played but Tony did not and Fred did the bass as Fiely did not show up. To the consternation of some.

Linda Kidd was handing out tickets to the Alicia's Voice benefit so now many of us are going. Dress is more casual than I had previously thought I could get away with. Then there's Polka Floyd at Howard's that night. And Eddie Shaw Saturday night at Hines Farm.

Plus I will be on the radio 1-3 this Saturday.

Also I have done more massive gardening on Saturday. I planted that beauty berry bush in the back corner of the back bed. Deciding it was imperiled by that ground cover stuff in that corner, I dug all that out, roots, bulbs, whatever. I'm sure I didn't get it all but I will persevere as weather permits.

I picked all the tomatoes I could find to bring in to ripen. And I brought in that hibiscus. We'll see how that goes. I need more light. If you have a place this plant could winter over, let me know.

Ginger says she will bring over her fire pit thing this weekend for the Halloween party on the 31st. If I have not invited you, please feel free to come. It is costume-optional. We will be playing cards. I am making a crockpot of sandwich filling but otherwise snacks are also optional. Don't make such a big deal.

Sunday night we went out to Chip's for his birthday and that of his daughter's dog Lilly. When they picked the cake up from Kroger's that said Happy Birthday Lilly & Chip, the cashier asked if they were twins. He built a fire in the yard and we had pasta delight and corn casserole and deviled eggs and those delightful sausages Doug makes and cheesy dip and shrimps.

My Tigger costume auction on eBay ends within the hour with a high bid of $63. I'm good with that.

Join the circus

Well you missed a helluva show at Grounds Thursday night when Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams played. I bought 3 of their CDs. I will not miss them the next time they are at the Ark, where they have played several times and I didn't know who they were.

Here are some "facts" I got off Wikipedia. Very interesting, if true. No other corroboration.

Tink and Joziah are married to each other and have 5 children.
Chen and Orien are twins, and are Tink and Joziah's sons.

This would help clear up about how old Tink and Joziah are. I guessed mid 40s and that would be about right with their history.

More later. Gotta do some yard work.

Wait didn't go out yet. Here's something I found about Tom's girlfriend from Googling her name and New Orleans, a presentation on protein folding for some Tulane academic research group:

Using combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening to find cell penetrating peptides

Yeah, like I know what THAT means.

apparently too much fun

It's been quite a while since the last post. So here goes...

You can watch Boston Legal online now so while I almost never catch it on TV, I can view it at my leisure. Speaking of viewing I've had a South Park movie from Netflix for at least a week and haven't had time to schedule it in.

Last week, I went on Monday with Jim Kiernan to see Rodney Crowell and Will Kimbrough and Jennie Sheinman at the Ark. It was a fabulous show. They played for over 3 hours with no break. That woman can really play the electric fiddle and sing harmony. I need to get a CD by her. Tuesday was a presidential debate which I did not watch but had to put news and video on 13abc.com after it was over, so once again got to bed at 1 a.m. Then Wednesday was GNO where frankly I was burned out. Sorry, girls. Here are some pics:









Friday the wimmens came over for cribbage and cards and way too much wine on some of our parts.

So a beautiful weekend starts out and I am slow moving. But I went to the farmer's market and got some squash and corn (Pilgrim food) and then I went to Elder Beerman and bought 2 pairs of pajamas, summer and winter, and a down alternative comforter thing for my bed that is plain green. It seems like it will be just the thing. And only $25! Originally $140!! If you can believe that. So obviously I was off kilter because SHOPPING. I don't do that. Karen Schaller called to thank me for her birthday present which was some Cool Brew, that coffee from New Orleans I'm addicted to. Later I did a radio show and then read sporadically, Best Short Stories of 2007, and then went out to dinner with Connie and Amy to Easy Street where we all agree our food was lackluster at best. We then just went to our separate homes and zoned out.

Today, though. I have worked in the yard for 5 hours, clearing all the derbis out of the far back and moving some plants around and putting yet another couple out front. I have tons of pictures, from North Dakota and of the yard and the Harvest party, so I don't blog because posting all of them is a daunting task.

Oh yeah the Harvest Party. It was a beautiful night and the fire was big but the music was in the garage so it was like there were two parties. Ginger didn't even know there was a big fire. I had several beers and some scotch but I was not driving. Thank you Sherry.



The night before the Harvest Party, we went to see JBD+2 at Grumpy Dave's where we ate out at Call of the Canyon beforehand. WAY too much restaurant eating lately.



The weekend of the Harvest Party is when I did all this planting out front. I had torn out the old green bushes the weekend BEFORE as it was brush pickup so last weekend I planted many things. Of which I have pictures.









Although they look different now but I'll get a pic of that up later.

I took many pictures of Grandpa on the trip to ND. Here's one:



Here's a pic of some birds in ND:



Plus we have seen Little Cow at GFT which was really good. Better than I remember them from the Swamp.

Upcoming music:
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Oct. 16, GFT
Eddie Shaw at Hines Farm Oct. 25
Stacy Mitchhart at Waldo Pepper's in Findlay, Nov. 7

Radio shows:
Oct. 18 NO
Oct. 25 one hour
Nov. 8, 15 YES
Nov. 22, 29, Dec. 6 NO
Dec. 13, 20, 27 YES

I am ambivalent about the Halloween Party. I guess I will just make it clear that it's really a CARD party on Halloween.

Plus I still need to sell that Tigger costume on eBay.
Will do that now.

pix

Here are some pix from Annie and Dr. Sue's Montana adventure. Remember to click on a picture to see a larger view.









Here is my new jewelry box



Here is how the house looks with the bushes gone.



Tonight I went to Home Depot where I had a coupon for I thought buy one get one free bushes but it was buy one get one half price, which is still a deal so I bought a different hydrangea and a spirea. And a knockout rose in blushing. So I have plenty of stuff to dig in. Which I doubt I will get to before the trip to ND so I need to haul them all around back or else I fear someone will steal them. So I have 7 new plants plus the ones I intend to bring from out back.

All the bushes are gone from out front.

Also I had to flea med the cats because they are scratching like crazy since the weather is still warm.

OMG work is so stressful. Today we jammed the fourth computer into my little 12x13 office and took out the loveseat and replaced it with a wing chair. Word is, a new area is being readied for the web operations area which is only going to continue to grow.

Plus I have run out of checks as I was still using the ones from before the Huntington became my bank.

I need to pack.

ohhhhh mexico

Booked the flight to Cancun. Feb. 7 to 16. After much screwing around on the flight booking sites, I paid more than I wanted BUT got a good flight that (A) matches Annie's flight times pretty close and (2) flies out of Toledo. So although I have a long layover in Detroit going, I just fly Toledo-Detroit-Cancun and vice versa and I don't have to drive to DTW or pay to park there and when I get back, it's a short trip to home.

We will book a hotel when I go to Mandan and hope some fall hurricane doesn't blow it away.

The weather is cooling off out there so it's about 40 at night but still sunny and 65 in the day.

Tonight, I ripped out the bushes in front of my house so now I just need to get some topsoil and some plants and get on that maybe some nights this week yet and hope for good weather in early October to finish it up before the snow sets in.

just the most exciting life ever

I took a huge amount of stuff to the Goodwill yesterday. I also went to the farmer's market and bought some chicken sausage and some bacon and an aster plant. Then I went out to the Naturally Native Nursery on 582 where frankly, everything looks like weeds. I suppose that's what native plants are in a flat former swamp, stuff that could take it and win out over various weather situations. I didn't buy anything. Frankly, I think I have had some of these things and pulled them out. So much for my native plant thing.

Friday, I went to the new Fresh Market at Westgate. It's not all that big inside and the produce was expensive and not all that great looking although I need to go back and see if it's locally produced or at least not commercially produced. They have a counter full of prepared salads and an already-cooked meat case along with fresh meat and a bakery full of delightful sweets and a lot of sauces and compotes and stuff in jars and a very small wine section. Then I went to an estate sale off Bancroft and bought a small pan with lid, a basket, a photograph book with old photos of the Eyster family in Toledo and bag of matchbooks, all for $5.

Thursday at lunch I had gone to the new Burlington Coat Factory which is where the Best Buy used to be at Reynolds and Airport. Racks and racks of clothes of varying quality and shoes fit for a drag queen. There were housewares and stuff too but I didn't have time to look at them.

Today, Amy and Sherry and I went to Springhill Nursery in Tipp City. Wow, when googling I see that in 2002 the place had gone bankrupt after 152 years and abruptly closed and re-opened 8 months later after being bought by some garden place in Indiana. We all had $25 off the purchase of $50 of stuff coupons so we bought. I got a pinky winky hydrangea, a purple salvia, a fleece something or other and a xenox sedum. All for $30!

And I mowed after yesterday STARTING to mow and then the oil dipstick pops up and oil starts spewing all over the mower and smoking so I shut it off and came in and looked on the internet and it seemed like it wouldn't really hurt it so today I put in some more oil and it worked just fine. And I had to water. This week I think I will whack at those green bushes out front in the evening. And get some of those new plants in the ground.

GNO has been moved to Oct. 8 to accommodate going to GFT on Oct. 1 to see Little Cow although I don't know how many people are that pumped up about seeing them. The were wacky at the Swamp.

Also last week I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which was wayyyyyyyyy too long, even with Brad Pitt portraying Jesse James as some kind of lunatic. Here is a Google result for Jesse James lunatic about that movie:
"It is perhaps pertinent to note, first off, that Jesse James is a dickhead. A lunatic and a dickhead." So he was shot and then Robert Ford was later shot because he thought everyone would be glad he had rid the world of the outlaw but alas there is always some nutcase who will stand up for the lunatic outlaws. That's why there are Republicans.

Also I saw Tropic Thunder and laughed continuously for 107 minutes. Tom Cruise is hilarious. I never thought I would say that.

So another 5-day work week coming up but then I leave Saturday for North Dakota, returning Tuesday afternoon. Says the weather will be in the upper 60s to low 70s with lows in the mid 40s. And sunny. Keep your fingers crossed that my flights go on time. Apparently this trip is real popular as almost all the seats are taken AND it now costs $1,680 instead of the $310 I paid. Sheesh.

Also I sent some of you this household hints email about scrubbing out your dryer's lint trap because some build-up from dryer sheets gets on there and clogs it up, eventually burning out your dryer motor. I just now ran water through mine, which was not clogged. So I thought maybe this was urban legend but snopes.com says it's TRUE. So maybe it's the fragrance in dryer sheets that clogs it because I use the scent-free ones.

Travelin' light

I've embarked on the massive cleanout. Closets, for starters. The one in the green room had clothes I wore to work in the 80s. Many were size 14 but although now I only wear a 10 (OK, maybe some 12s), these old clothes are too small. Talk about your variable sizing. Which was a question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire today. Does variable sizing make you look (a) taller (b) richer (c) slimmer (d) smarter?

Then I started on my bedroom closet where I weeded out some stuff that I may bring to GNO because it's nice stuff-- Jones New York, Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne -- but I'm never gonna get into again. And maybe I didn't even like it in the first place because some still have store tags on them.

So I had emptied the big Rubbermaid tote of sweaters first of all and kept 6 out of 24. So I decide if this is all the sweaters I have, I'll get one of those sweater organizer things that hang on a rod. And I put all the extra blankets in the tote and put it in the closet in the green room. But then I find more sweaters, good ones that I forgot I had, on hangers in the bedroom closet. So now I think I may have to unpack the blankets, restore the sweaters to the tote and keep it, um, somewhere.

I could put the blankets and sheets in that flat closet in the hallway which is full of jackets that could go in the front room coat closet if I cleaned THAT out. And if I installed some shelves in that flat closet. Which wouldn't be that hard.

Also tonight I made some pesto but not much. I need to pick the rest of that basil and pesto it up and freeze it. Picked about 40 Roma tomatoes and 4 big ones. I keep trying to find a recipe for tomato sauce that you freeze but mostly the scoop is that if you're going to freeze it, it won't be any better than commercially canned sauce. So why bother? Or as the Joker says, Why so serious??

Plus I made a grilled Muenster with tomato and basil but I had to eat it with a fork because of my jaw. The dentist said today that I should keep taking the Soma and the amoxicillin and the ibuprofen and eventually, my jaw will be better. Sometimes it takes months, he says. Sheesh.

Also yesterday I put that cabinet I got from Mrs. Crazy Lady's curbside in the green room and filled it with CDs. I'm not sure I like it. Plus it's FULL. So it's not really a very forward-looking CD storage plan.

And I emptied my 2 jewelry boxes into the big new one and now it's pretty much full. So no new jewelry. Ever.

And I went to the library and got Annie Proulx's That Old Ace in the Hole which I don't remember reading and I thought I had read everything she's written. Which is not that much as she didn't start writing until she was in her 50s. Because she thought she hadn't had enough experience until then. Inspirational.

Plus I got that Rolling Stones Satanic whatever and Bonnie Raitt's Souls Alike which is very lounge-like. I will burn the Stones one though as I don't have it.

Election coverage

My friend Tim is texting me random thoughts about the election.

So far I have:
Sarah-a heartbeat away from making us want bush back
9/27


Im sarah palin and tonight im trying to memorize the alphabet in case catie couric asks me to recite it
9/27

So Catie can i ask you a question-whats more imporant knowing all this foreign affairs stuff or having a blue ribbon for moose stew
9/29

Thursday on the joe and sarah show-sarah asks the moderator if she could dress a moose instead of answer more questions
9/29

Hide ur moose-sarah is coming to town (9/24)

Just like Sarah, mattie jb and i can c russia from our front porch-of course we're doing 'shrooms now so...but unlike Sarah we all can spell "Putin" (9/21)

Sarah saved me. I am no longer gay. (9/9)

U can put lipstick on a pitbull and a bra and panties too if u r a big old dyke like sarah (9/10)

Sarah wants war with Russia-shine them boots and get ready for deployment. (9/11)

Bush doctrine? What's that charlie? (9/12)

Pat Buchanan and other CONSERVATIVES just said that the US is in for a long period of economics decline. vote McPalin for more of the same :] (9/12)


I will be updating this as more posts flood in. I'll make this a link on the right side of my blog so you can read all about the race to the White House! I hope the phrase Race to the White House will get me some good Google results! SEO, it's not just for crazed web folks!!!

Labor Day and Swamp

The Labor Day party was the usual fun and I had hauled all this furniture out into the yard as well as the grill so we had the party away from the patio which worked out great. But I have no pictures. There were such great appetizers that the groaning buffet seemed excessive. But then we are Americans. Then I worked 2 days that week before the Swamp Fest.

The music was all excellent but I seem to only have taken three pictures of Eilen Jewell who was deeeelightful. I sold some CDs and hung around backstage some but also got out into the crowd. I bought a lovely bracelet and a fab jewelry box of oak.

I'm sorry I missed the Dirty Dozen Brass Band playing with Rod's Collision. But my knee was all puffed and painful and so I went home. Tomorrow I may seek medical attention as now my jaw, which has been too sore to open my mouth, is puffy as well. I have tried all the pain relievers and even got this Soma stuff from the dentist but nothing helps. I'm sorry to complain like this.

Plus work has been a bitch with all this Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stuff going on. And Erin is off Friday so I'll have to work a long day and I'll go in on Sunday to watch over the exciting conclusion of the EM:HE project.

Upcoming music:
Joe Moss (Nick's brother) at FFB Sept. 12
Lil Ed at FFB Sept. 20
Polka Floyd at Howard's Sept. 26
Soul Shine with Hubert Sumlin Sept. 27
Maurice John Vaughn at Hines Farm Sept. 27
JBD plus 2 at Grumpy Dave's Oct. 3
Todd Snider at Detroit Institute of the Arts Oct. 17
Rod's Collision at Alicia's Voice benefit Oct. 24
Eddie Shaw at Hines Farm Oct. 25
Eddie Shaw at the HiNote Dec. 19