No fun here

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days, there are many things happening here - most of them not good, although they are not directly in my own family. I have been trying to help Stephanie through some rough times, her dad is dying, and it has been really hard on her. (For those of you that don't know, she is the GF of my youngest son, Jordan.) There is of course, nothing I can do to really help, but I have been trying to support her in any way I can, you all know how much I love that girl, and she is so young to be trying to deal with this. Now there has been another tragedy in that family, and I don't feel that I can say what it is right now. I will tell you all about it in the next few days, when I know that all that read here-real people in my life and that family- have been told in the proper manner. Just suffice it to say, it's a tragedy of the worst kind, and I can't help but worry about her, and of course, Jordan, as this is going to be really hard on them. I keep waiting for things to settle down for her, for them, but apparently that is not to be just yet.

In the rest of my life, I am through with training, but as a result of what's happened, I have not taken the tests yet. I will take the company test on Tuesday, after I take the state test. And again, although I can't say, I'm not sure I'm going to be ready to do that, as Steph and Jordy were scheduled to work at the ICS on Sunday, and now I'm certain that won't be happening and I may have to work there on that day, too. UGH. Finding any employees to work this holiday weekend has been a problem and although it should not be this way, the reality is that you either let them off for the weekend or they quit and you have no one at all...so Mark and I work all day today and tomorrow...and now probably Sunday. Poor Craig has really had his hands full this week...and I know he's tired and grumpy and well, welcome to the world of restaurant management.

I will sign off now - I am feeling like ass this morning, no sleep, up worrying, so much of the night. I hope all of you have the best 4th of July ever, and have some fun for me, will ya?

:)

Friday thoughts from an old, old woman

Today, I sign the paperwork to begin my new job, and I'm rather excited about it. It means learning ALOT again, and I hope this old brain will stand up to all of it.

Yesterday, I worked at the Whippy Dip, aka the ICS, and it was no fun. My oldest son really didn't want or need my help...or at least that's the way it felt while I was there. To add insult to injury, I cut my finger and it bled for HOURS. I hate that, and I seem to cut myself alot.

CrazyDog is making life in this wonderful place hell. She will not ever relax, and it's really beginning to get me down. Taking her out for walks really isn't the problem, as it is an enjoyable place to walk her, but she wants to be walked constantly...She sees the vet back in our old town tomorrow, I really hope they can find a medication that will help her calm down. Physically, the crisis has passed and she is feeling better, mentally-I really feel sorry for her. At different times in my life, I have felt the way she seems to feel ALL the time, and living like that is no fun. We just keep trying to love her and have patience. It is hard, sometimes.

Daughter and her significant other are having problems, and I somehow have been sucked into the loop. I have no advice to offer, no help to give. I am given out, adviced out, and worn out. More than anything, I want my kids to be happy. Hell, I don't care how they accomplish that, but for heavens sake, just be happy. Life on this earth is too short to make problems, and if that's not what's happening, then perhaps the the wrong path has been chosen. Beyond that, I don't even know what to say to any of them.

I don't remember being so tired, not in a long, long time. Since I live my life in a perpetual state of tiredness, that's a huge statement to make. I am not sleeping well, and damned if I know why. Physically, my body is giving up, the pain is getting intolerable, and all I want is just to enjoy my new life. It's beginning to really piss me off.

This post was not supposed to be a whine-fest, and I do apologize...sometimes when I sit down to write, my fingers have ideas that my brain was not aware of.

On a happier note.....I've got nothing here.

Happy Friday, y'all.

Effin degrees...

Damn, it's cold in here this morning, apparently the wind chill is 34 F'in degrees. Holy crap - on the third of May.

(When my youngest was little he would look at the bank sign with time and temperature, and loudly proclaim "it's 76 F'in degrees" because of the little F for Fahrenheit. We thought it was cute then, and we still say it today...)

So, I am still hobbling this morning, but not quite as badly as yesterday, as it was one dead day at the ICS. With the weather, and the fact that many folks just do not have money this year, we are really feeling the pinch. I have a little hope for today, but since it is so cold, most likely we will be able to call Tulip Time a bust this year.

I did get a little bit of encouraging news yesterday regarding the sale and the deal at the car dealership. It should be complete by the end of this next week, and if that is the case, it will be none too soon for any of us. Financially, it would be just in the nick of time for all of us, - the (previous) owner, the ICS, and me. Yes, call me stupid, but I still take care of all the financial paper work for all of the above, and I have just been trying to rob Peter to pay Paul for the past couple of weeks. It is beginning to be impossible as even Peter and Paul have their limits.

I forgot to tell all of you, but my new job training has been postponed for a week, and that is okay with me. Originally, I had the option of starting on the 5th or the 12th, and I had chosen the 12th so that I could get a couple of important things finished before I left. Then, it had been changed to beginning on the 5th. Now, we are back to the 12th, and that's good. Yes, I need the money that beginning a week early would have paid me, but Mark and I have got to get out and find an apartment in the city, and now we should have the opportunity to do that. Hopefully. I have several things to do this week, one of which is to meet Soul in the Wichita area, at least I hope so, and that would be an overnight stay. With any luck, we will be able to get it put together, sometimes working with two families schedules can be a problem. Plus, I work one whole day at the ICS, and then I have to help with the closing at the dealership, and then Mark will be working daily beginning Monday, and that will be different because I have had many months of him being able to be anywhere or do anything whenever he wanted to. Hmmm...

Mark will get back from Kansas City today, his training for the new job will end today about three. I have missed him. CrazyDog has missed him. Although, this time she has not been too bad, and we have all managed without him fairly well. If anything ever happened to Mark, I am afraid she would not survive. She has the worst separation anxiety I have ever seen. She waits for him to come home, by the door, and sighs loudly and often. Then at bedtime when he's not here, she starts to shake, I feel so sorry for her. She really is quite elderly, will be 13 next month. I don't know the life span of a Chow, but it seems to me that I read once that 11 or 12 was usually the limit. Physically, her health is good, mentally...not so much.

Today, I am off to the ICS once again. I am looking forward to it today, Janelle will be there to help, and I haven't seen her in what feels like ages. I doubt I work too very long, because the business will be dead, and there are too many people scheduled. That doesn't break my heart too badly. Have a happy day! :)

The clomp, clomp, clomp of wooden shoes

I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder, not a good sign for tulip time. The forecast is iffy, there actually could be at least one of the two scheduled parades today, if they can dodge the storms. It won't exactly be prime ice cream weather, highs in the low 50's, ugh.

Yesterday was a good day business wise, we consistently did a hundred dollars or more each hour, and that's a lot of ice cream. It never did get out-of-hand crazy, like I have seen some years. Saturday is traditionally the biggest day of the three day affair, and once again, rain in the forecast. By Saturday, I am so damned tired of Dutch clothes, wooden shoes and tourists, you have no idea. It is impossible to maneuver around the town, most streets are blocked off, and you just have to walk. Which I ordinarily wouldn't mind, but after a day at the ICS, I cannot walk. Hell, I can hardly stand. Last evening, my body felt like I had run the Boston Marathon, twice. I hobbled into the house, and that was it. I am trying to understand what is wrong with me and my poor legs, nerve damage is all I can come up with. I knew there would be some, I just didn't expect that I would be left with damage this severe. It worries me that working will be a problem, it has been awhile, and I do seem to be getting progressively worse. At my old job, no one noticed if I was having trouble walking, it was just who I was. I'm not so sure that I can get away with that at my new place of employment. And of course, this morning, I am in severe pain and I haven't even gotten started. Today will be hard on me, we are a bit short handed at the store, although with the weather, that may not be a problem at all. But I have to be there, or I wouldn't even try. It is not going to be pretty. I get really upset with my body when it won't do what I ask, especially when all I am asking is normal activity. I really had hoped that after my surgery, I wouldn't need to deal with this anymore. I still have hope that it will improve, however.

I wish each of you a great day, no rain, sunny skies. 'Til later, adieu. :)

Ice cream age limit?

So, this day has been hard, and to make it even worse, I seem to have picked up a bit of dyslexia, because I cannot type, so please forgive me.

I'm tired, and feeling like perhaps I am not the perfect candidate for Ice Cream Slinging, as it is hard work, and this old woman cannot take it! But I managed today, and it was busy. And my son who is actually taking on the task of running the store is doing a wonderful job, and I am proud of him...

So now i have to write the said "business plan". I'm worn out and probably unable to put much together, and the beer I have beside me probably isn't helping. Or maybe it is, I haven't decided.

I'll keep you posted. :)

The wonder of it all

It's Friday, again. Holy crap, am I in a time warp? I wonder now how I had the time to work...it seems that my days are full and busy, and over so quickly. However, my main job right now is finding a job, and that does take a LOT of time.

Things in that department are looking up, I have had a couple of promising interviews, and I have a couple more next week. Any of them would be fine, I'll take whatever if I can live on the pay. I have realized that I am quite full of shit and can write a bullshit letter with the best of them; I applied for a job with the state, and somehow, SOMEHOW, I have made it through the first couple of hoops that are required to jump through. Now, this job that I am talking about would be a dream job, and frankly, there is no way I have any clue what the hell they are talking about when it comes to the actual job---I know nothing about overweight semi trucks or the intrastate commerce that comes from a whole pot of acronyms that the state of Iowa just loves to use, but I did receive a letter from them, wanting me to outline my understanding and experience with such....and I wrote a killer letter. Let me tell you, there is no way I am going to hear from them again, but I was proud of my success in writing it. I sounded like an intelligent woman, which in the middle of real life, you sort of forget you are. So, there goes two hours of my life, I will never see again....teehee.

Life in our house has settled into a routine, one of us goes to the Ice Cream Store, the other stays home and does the job search thing or Mark works on the house. We have put a for sale sign in the front yard, that makes me feel a little strange. I avoid looking at it, which is odd, I am the one who wants out of this town so badly, but the very idea of someone else living in my house is a bit hurtful.

The Ice Cream business has not been good, but hell - the weather this year is NOT conducive to eating frozen ANYTHING...will spring ever arrive? Yesterday we had tornadoes in the area, today it will snow....what a weird year for weather.

I will have to post a photo of CrazyDog, we had her shaved yesterday...and she looks so cute. She is NOT happy however, last night she protested, ALL NIGHT LONG. It is so much fun to live with a crazy animal, it certainly provides entertainment.

Hope you all have a great day---I will catch you later. :)

ICQ (Ice Cream Queen)

And we're back to some semblance of normalcy today: I am once again, slinging Ice Cream. Woo Hoo! And yes, there is a little bit of sarcasm there, but really, it will be good.

Missed a couple of calls yesterday, how can I sleep through my telephone? I have the volume turned up...so I don't know any more than I did, but my phone is at least ringing. One wanting an interview...the other? No message. I will keep you all posted.

I'm off...Late already, once again. A wonderful way to start my new Ice Cream Career. Mark is sick, and if I let him live, he may die anyway. Hack hack, cough cough, snort snort. Help me!

Have a good Thursday! :)

You take my life when you do take the means whereby I live. ~William Shakespeare

It's three-thirty in the morning, and I didn't want to get up at this hour, but there has been a bit of a mess here in the house of the unemployed..., already, at this early hour.

I woke to the sound of glass breaking....and it was right beside me. The glass of club soda that I keep beside me when I sleep, was in pieces, on the floor. Club soda was running every which way, and so was the kitty that caused it. I can't say that it would be the first time that club soda has been spilled there, but since club soda is used as the universal stain remover on all fabrics, I don't get too upset. The glass that was covering a good portion of the area was another matter, however, and still, even after all the cleaning up I have done, I am still concerned that Miesha has a shard or two in a paw or two.

And Good Morning to you all, too. What a wonderful way to wake up, eh? No real problem, these things don't get me down too much.

I have been very busy, mostly doing nothing. Or what feels like nothing. Looking for a job on the internet is an extremely time consuming job. I have applied for what feels like thousands of jobs, and still the phone isn't exactly ringing off the hook. I have been trying to figure out why that would be...and really I don't know. My resume is okay, short, and to the point...but that is how I am. It tells enough about my work history that if the reader were seriously looking for someone with my skills, they would know that they want to know more about me, and isn't that the point of a resume? My cover letters are positive, creative and informative. My work history and job skills are good and solid...my education is lacking, but there is nothing that can be done about that, or should I say, I am not willing to do anything about that. There isn't exactly an abundance of jobs out there to do exactly what I have done in the past, but I am applying for just about anything that even remotely sounds like something that I can do. All I can surmise is that it will happen. It's very disconcerting to realize how long it takes to find a job these days, it seems that from the time you send a resume until the interview phone call can be weeks. I have a couple of things in the works still and I feel certain that several that I have applied for in the past week will result in at least an interview. In the meantime, I am losing it. And I'm getting damned good at it, I might add. The bowling alley manager job that I applied for has been filled by someone else. I knew after that telephone interview that the company had an issue with the Ice Cream Store, to them-it was a conflict of interest. I found that rather strange as bowling alley's and ice cream shops have little in common, and never mind the fact that they are an hour apart, but the interviewer told me that right up front. The F and I sales position that I interviewed for last week won't be filled until late next week, for whatever reason, they were putting the decision off until then, apparently the regional manager was going to be on vacation. So, I keep doing my part, waiting for God to do his.

I am trying to be a productive, positive, likeable person...and that's really more of a challenge than it should be. I am a nervous wreck, and I know it. Mark and I are not exactly going along at peak performance...he is being a bit of a jerk and that's really unlike him. He is having the same issues that I am...the two of us together are a lethal combination.

So, it's a good thing that the Ice Cream Store is opening tomorrow. We were there all yesterday afternoon with Craig, (who is going to be the new manager this year), getting things ready to go. I think he will do a fine job, and I honestly think he is somewhat excited with his new role and title...and I intend to let him do it. He has to learn, and I will be around to help him with that, but the best lessons are the hardest ones sometimes, and I am going to let him handle it.

And so, another day begins. I have places to go, people to see...oh wait, that was my old life.

Have a good day.

Stormy morning

I was woke up this morning by thunder...I love a good storm, and it has been months since I have experienced one. I am so grateful that the precipitation is falling in the form of rain, to the north of us, folks are being hit with yet another snowstorm.

I am late arriving again, once I manage to get to sleep, I am really late waking up. No worries I guess, it isn't like I have anywhere to rush off to. I do have plenty to accomplish today, looking for work really is a time consuming ordeal. Plus, there are still tax forms that need to be submitted, and blah, blah, blah. Tomorrow, I have to start going to the Ice Cream Store, we officially open on Thursday, although the hours will be short for this first month.

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day, my mom was doing okay--she managed to stay for about two hours, and she really did eat!

I got to see the race, oh how I love NASCAR. I love the drama, the nit picking, the crap, I love it all. I just love racing of all kinds, this year, I hope to have the time to get to the local track, it really has been too long. We used to go faithfully every Saturday night to the sprint car races, but then Janelle married a driver, and of course, I loved him like my own...and I couldn't watch him race. I was very surprised at my own reaction, but it scared me to death. I have had lots of racing friends and acquaintances, hell, I ran a race track for two years, but I found that I couldn't watch anyone I care about race. Thank God my own sons never wanted to be involved. I even grew up with a father that raced every kind of moving machine...who knows why I would be like that? But the SIL in question is in the picture no more, and he has now moved away, so I really would like to get involved in it again.

Oh well - enough rambling. Have a very happy Monday.

:)

Bullet post

When things get really rough for me, I don't want to talk. I never have. It all becomes like a brain overload, sort of in a word jumble format. So, we'll leave it at that, okay?

• I did manage to find just the right birthday gift for my mom, at least I think I have found it, I ordered it online, and it's not here yet. She is so tiny and hard to buy for. She wants a new robe but it cannot be a long robe, she wants a short one. When you are only around 5 foot nothing, all robes are long. Victoria's Secret had one that I think may work, so that made me happy. And I found very cute pajamas too, in size extra small petite. Yea me!

• Mark had a job interview yesterday with a headhunter. He personally knows the family that owns the business that is looking for a GM, and told Mark that he would fit in there perfectly. I am praying that this is the "one". I would feel so much better if one of us had something happening in the job department. It would be such a great job, that I wouldn't have to work too much for awhile, and right now, not working too much sounds like pure heaven.

• The ice cream store begins the "Let's do lunch" program today. It is not officially open, but on Thursdays, we deliver lunch to a nearby factory. So, it all begins today. My oldest son has it all under control, he is doing well. In just about three weeks, we will be open for business.

• Guess what? I still have no coffee filters, but I didn't cry about it. I was too worn out to stop anywhere on the way home, just getting through the door turned out to be a big enough problem.

Have a good day.

Carry on my wayward son

Three am on a Sunday morning, what the hell am I doing up? When I went to bed four hours ago, I was so tired, and so happy that I didn't have to go to work today, because that meant that I could sleep in. And here I am. I am feeling some serious pain in my back, I suppose from the fall a few days ago. Every step I take creates a burning pull on my right side. So here I sit, in front of my computer with a heat pad on my lower back and a whole lot on my mind.

My birthday is this month - on the 12th. Last evening, Mark and I had to go to the city to feed Janelle's fish, yes I know, driving two hundred miles to feed a fish is not the smart thing to do, (I have never claimed to be smart), but while we were there, we went to the mall and did a little birthday shopping----well, actually I did the shopping. Mark dropped me off at Penney's, and I shopped for all of thirty minutes while he ran to Home Depot for a plunger....oh the excitement that is my life. But in that thirty minutes, I tried on what felt like a hundred pair of jeans, and I found the perfect pair. THE PERFECT PAIR. I don't know about you all, but for me, that is HUGE. So, anyway, this most perfect pair of jeans was so perfect, that they only cost $19.99. Did I bring my most perfect jeans home? Why of course not, as they only had them in size 8R and I needed 8L. They had L (long) in every other size of course, and it seemed they had about ten in size 6L, which is the size I have worn for years and years (and should still be wearing), but do you think I could have found them when I was a 6? Ugh...such frustration. And, of course they are such cheap, unheard-of nothing kind of important jeans, made by TINT, that I cannot find them anywhere on line. Double ugh... I have the damnedest time finding jeans. I cannot shop in the junior department for them, I will NOT wear the ones that are cut down to there, and usually the kind that I find in the misses department are made for what I have decided for OLD women, they go all the way up to there, and are not at all in style. I did settle for a pair made my Claiborn, but they are not my most perfect jeans. I have worn DKNY for the past few years, but the style and cut that I love the most is no longer made, and I think I may have depleted the whole stock of them on ebay already. So I will keep searching for them, online, in the stores...but one day I will find them. I did however, make myself feel better by purchasing a new purse, new shoes, and a couple of pair of slippers that were on sale. So, it's okay. And I did all of that in a half an hour, as by the time Mark got back to the store, I was ready to check out. Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate to shop? I could lose the 10-15 pounds that would put me back into my 6's but that seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a pair of jeans, perfect or not, teehee. Seriously, I need to lose some weight, but the motivation is just not there. I must be getting lazy in my old age, I find myself accepting me, the way I am. Who knew?

Well, what can I say about the past few days? To say they have been hard days is a huge understatement. I have been so covered up with work, I cannot even describe it. The mood at the dealership has been tense, but when I think about that, maybe it has been me that has been tense. Friday had to be one of the worst work days I have ever experienced. I had so much to get done, and of course, that was the day that everyone needed me to make decisions or to hold their hand. I eventually blew up (a little) and demanded that everyone take care of it themselves, and that included the owner, and I did manage to get to where I needed to be, by six pm. The floor-plan funding company decided to show up that day and do their usual audit, and of course, that didn't help. I believe that guy was there for four hours. He held up all work that I needed to do---and my frustration grew. In the end, that turned out to be a positive in general, but it certainly wasn't as far as the work was concerned. By the time I left, the place looked like a ghost town, all of my office had been cleared out, along with both of the offices that owner uses. It was depressing, and all I could do to look at it. Most of the employees hung around to have a beer together, but I just wanted out of there...I didn't want to look at it anymore, not that night. The tears were there, but I didn't let them fall.

When I went back in to work yesterday, I had adjusted my attitude somewhat. I am not good with change, I never have been. That's a statement that I am not proud to make; and it's something I feel I need to work on. The fact is-that owner wanted to sell the business, the new owner didn't steal it. It really is best for my friend (owner), and I am happy for him. I am smart enough to know that nothing can stay the same, and my resisting it, or being a bitch about it is not going to help---me or anyone else there. So, I am trying. When the new owner finally arrived, it went well. There are huge changes already being made, but I am trying hard not to take them personally. He did tell me that he wants me to stay, that he needs me to stay. He was clearly distressed about my empty office, and said so. I made no decisions or promises, other than telling him that I wouldn't leave him with no one to do my job, that if I decided to leave, I would allow time to train a new person. I seriously don't know what I am going to do, but I feel in my gut that this is the time for me to leave. I do not want all the responsibility that goes with that job any longer, and I do not want it to be taken from me either. So, either way I lose. It's time for something different, something new. So, we will see. In the meantime, I am aware that there will be many more rough days ahead, but I am trying to make the best of it. Surprisingly enough, we did discover that the new owner (DJ is his name) that we went to the same jr high school at the same time...how odd is that? It was in Moline Illinois---and I thought that was a strange coincidence. I don't know if I like him yet, I do believe he is a hot air windbag that is quite full of himself, although that side of him wasn't the most prevalent yesterday. Time will tell...

My most needy problem at the moment is the Ice Cream store. I have always been able to come and go at the dealership, and run to the ICS to help out, whenever I needed to. It belonged to Bill, the old owner, and of course there was no issue in me doing that. Now that it is going to belong to me, and Bill will no longer be running the dealership, it will not be possible for me to take a day here or there and work at the ICS, or to run from one job to the other all the time. That concerns me-as I am sure that DJ will not care that I have other obligations. For the past two years, Mark has been there, actually doing the work and worrying about all of it. Since he will now be working elsewhere, it is a double worry. My oldest son- Craig- is going to take on the job of managing it, and I know he will do the best job possible. However, he is still only 23 and will need help---and alot of it. He has worked there for some time now, but he has never had it all left up to him. I suppose it will all work out, but I am seeing too much running and work in my future once again, and I am wondering how I will manage it all---and I am just plain tired. It would be so much easier if we could move closer to the store, and we plan to, but we have got to sell this house first. Ahhh..so many things to worry about, and I know the things that need to be done, but before I can do this thing, I have to do that thing....

And now I am hungry. I think I will go answer back to the box of Captain Crunch that is calling my name. Have a good day. :)

THIS is why

Things at work are changing so rapidly, even I cannot keep up. The new owner, a man I like to call BJ, will be taking over on the first day of March, instead of the before-thought date of April 1st. So, as far as I'm concerned, I have one week left at my job. No one involved thought this would happen that soon, and every employee there became visibly upset that they could potentially be unemployed that quickly. After a few conversations between the current owner and I, he agreed that was hardly in the best interest of his employees, so he put a clause in the management contract that no one could be fired or have their wages and benefits lowered until the completion of the whole stock sale, which should be between 4-6 weeks after that date. That applies to me also, but I withhold my right to leave at any moment, mostly because this new guy has been a complete ass about taking over, and has not spoken to any current employee there. He is advertising for new mechanics already, and literally has NO idea who or what works there currently. I am hoping that all of my impressions of him are wrong, but so far I see nothing to make me like or respect him in any way. It does state in the contract that he will bring in his own management team, so I envision my office becoming quite crowded. I suppose that it all remains to be seen how it plays out, but suffice it to say, I am not happy with the terms and conditions of any of this, and I have no idea how long I will be able to hold out during the changing of the guard. Bankruptcy anyone? Holy shit.

There are interesting things happening with the Ice Cream Store, assuming that it isn't sold, and I will know that on this coming Tuesday. That is the deadline for the interested party to have decided or not what he will do, as it is literally down to the wire on having to begin opening that place up in time for already scheduled commitments. The other option could be a good thing..but I will wait and tell all once I know what's going on.

I could continue...but I think this is enough confusion and uncertainty for all of us. This is what's happening in my life, what's going on in your world? And you all wonder why I drink...


ps...yea! Spellcheck has returned!

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Out LATE last night, and damn...I'm tired this morning. Yesterday felt like it went on for weeks. The test went fine---a MRI of the "open" kind, is a piece of cake...although I was in that damned thing for an hour and a half. I laid there so long that I could no longer feel the pain in my legs or back, I was completely numb from the waist down----and that was fine, until it was time to stand up. Um...that was painful. Then H and I had lunch, then I went to work. Soon after i got home, we went out----and had a good time. But I really am very sleepy this morning. Probably because I took all my damned pills at two thirty am instead of ten pm. I would like nothing more than to go back to bed, but I have to pull it together and get to work, at least for a few hours today.

YS got the job! Thank you for all the good wishes and prayers and luck. I am sure that is why he got it. :) I am really hoping that this will turn out to be just the thing for him. Young people have such a hard time, trying to find what they want, what they like, sometimes just what they can live with. He seriously prefers physical labor, but his back is NOT going to hold up to years of that. He enjoys working hard, and going home tired. Both he and OS worry that they will get fat, and working out and working hard have become all important. They are worse than any girl I ever met. (Seriously, I know I have done this to them. I have always been this way about myself, who knew it would transfer to my SONS?) But anyway, this will be his first desk job, and he is worried that he will not be able to sit in an office all day. I am really praying that it works for him---there certainly is more future in this type of work.

This is the last day of operation for the Ice Cream Store this year. It will be closed until the first of March. I am quite happy about it, it certainly lessens my work load...although H really isn't all that excited. He will work at the garage with me in the service department through the winter, as well as get some work done around here...(I hope). If I were him, I would be so excited, but who can figure a man out?

I suppose I really ought to get my act together and get to work. Ugh. I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful Saturday. Over and out.

Random WAAAY too early Sunday comments

Why on earth, when I have been so BAD to myself all weekend, would my legs be stronger at this ridiculous hour than they have been for the past three solid weeks?

I am up waaaay too early. I woke to the beautiful sounds of a cat retching near my head, you just gotta love cat puke. And WHY on earth do they puke so often? This kitty has a perfectly clean bill of health, and yes, I do remember from my days of cat ownership, they just barf regularly. But I am NOT his mama, and she is upstairs sleeping peacefully, and I am the one that gets to tell him it's okay, and clean it up....ah, to be loved by the furry ones...such joy. :)

H and I took the family clan to Red Lobster to dinner last evening, and I can STILL taste the garlic on my shrimp...really, it is PART of the reason I am already awake, my stomach is ucky. But we had a really good time, OS couldn't be there, but D and YS and GF were. GF will be a big TWENTY this week, it was a birthday celebration of sorts. God, I love that girl. And I LOVE to watch my kids have a good time together. OS was missed by all of us. D and YS are seriously funny---all of my kids have the wit and timing of a comedian, and let me tell you, NEVER a dull moment when you get them together. When you throw H into the mix, it's a hysterical mess. I always leave a family gathering with aching stomach muscles from laughter.

Work was a little crazy yesterday, alot of non-productive wheel spinning, though. But we did get a couple sold, and rolled---so to speak. (in the car business, sold is NEVER sold until you see the tires rolling out of the driveway).

I had four hours of sleep Friday night, and not much more last night, I can already tell that I will spend the better part of my Sunday afternoon sleeping. I really am tired.

I am in serious pain, but i am walking better, at least right now.

I think I embarrass my family when we are out in public and I am hobbling along. They all say it isn't so, but I feel that i do. Perhaps it is my own embarrassment....I HATE when I can't walk correctly.

I am planning to make Lemon Broccoli Chicken for dinner today. It is EASY to make, and the whole fam loves it. It sort of cooks by itself after the initial pain in the ass prep. That will be a good thing, as I can feel the energy slipping out of my body as I sit here. Yes, I am tired today.

Today will be the first Sunday in weeks that H will be home. The ice cream store is seasonal, and is getting ready to close for the winter. Beginning today, no more Sundays. By the end of the month, no more job. He draws unemployment, and works at the dealership with me alot of the time. He has more that enough to keep him busy during this years off season, hopefully, by the beginning of the new Ice Cream Store year, this house will be finished.

D starts her new job tomorrow, she is nervous. But excited.

My race was last night, Tony came in second. He was trying to bring it in first, but just didn't have the car that Jimmy Johnson did. At least dipshit--aka Jeff Gordon---didn't win it. We were home in time to see the last fifty laps. :)

Owner will be back to work sometime Monday or Tuesday. I actually have missed him, he is the craziness of the whole place. I really, really am behind, and we are going to leave on vacation on Friday of this week. I have one hell of a lot to get accomplished by then. ugh.

I am not too sure that the bicycles will be accompanying us on our trip---I have been unable to get near mine in the past two weeks. I really was looking forward to biking in SD. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to get on it today, or in the next few days and see how it goes. The problem is, I am too new at it to be able to ride much, and hauling them all the way out there for a couple of twenty minute rides seems a little dumb. I guess I will do whatever H wants to do about it, ultimately, he will be the one that has to mess with it.

I came home yesterday to a relatively clean house. And a mess in the entryway, where H was putting the new chandelier. Me, being ME....got irritated that he started such a project so late in the day, when I wanted to drive to Des Moines and have dinner with the kiddos. It was the first that I had mentioned that plan, so of course-he had no idea what i was thinking. What, ME a bitch? Ummm yes, it DOES sound that way. He had already done all the laundry, somewhat cleaned the main bathroom, vacuumed the entire house...God. I am awful. And I told him so. And apologized. It must suck to be him sometimes. :(

I'm off to my day. Or the couch. Whichever comes first. Later.

Lil' 'ol perfect ME

So many things are getting by me...such as, yesterday at work, I realized that no one had gone to the post office and picked up the mail....for seven days! Kathy, my assistant, before she left that is, always did it. Yes, that is one way to avoid paying the bills, but probably not a good idea. Of course, it took a truck to bring it all back to the dealership....yes, I AM a good, effective general manager. Yes.

Then I sort of realized that D's boyfriend hadn't left recently. I mean, at all. Not even for work. Or to go home. OR TO SHOWER AT HIS OWN HOUSE. Hmmmm...so I begin to wonder if I have a permanent house guest....and guess what? It seems I might.

And I realized last night that i am supposed to pick up my records at the doctors office, on Friday. No problem, today is Friday. Ummm...except they meant LAST Friday. Ooops.

CrazyDog really likes to eat each and every night. If that doesn't happen some time between the hours of five pm and eight pm, she tends to give you the old left hook, gently at first, then she gets a little pissy about it.

The employees at the dealership and at the ice cream store really enjoy being paid on time. They tend to start growling at me when this doesn't happen, or if it does happen but it's all screwed up. WTF???

This is just a small example of what i have NOT been keeping up with, at least not correctly. I am not good at being mediocre. Not even a little. My only excuse: too much to do on the job(s) recently, and really...all i can think about are pills to stop the pain, and the couch at the end of the day. So, before you all tell me what an inspiration I am, i hope you know how messed up all things around me really are.

I should drag myself off to the shower. I hope all of you have a really great Friday. Later.

In the still of the night....

It was quite a day yesterday, it felt as long as a Monday or Thursday, but no...I get to deal with that TODAY. Owner has not been in at all---other than a run through for about fifteen minutes yesterday. Not that it's unusual for this week, he is never around the week of the Nationals. In some ways, that's better, things run along pretty smooth, he actually interrupts work for the whole place most of the time, but sometimes i need to know what he wants to do about something specific, and I don't bother him when he's gone, not unless the place burns down, and so far that hasn't happened.

Remember the job interview that i went to about a month ago? I knew that they had already filled the position that I went for, as I hadn't heard from them. I assumed that I hadn't heard because my salary requirements were too high, and that was okay, as it didn't force me to make any decisions right away, and we all know that if we are not forced to do something about our lives, most of us won't, right? Anyway, they called yesterday, and they have a different store manager position opening up, one that would be way better than the first one, it's not so far away, and they want to talk to me next week. They said that the reason I didn't get the job the first time was that I needed an extended amount of time to leave my current job, and they had to hurry and get that manager up and running, so we shall see. I will talk with them next week, although the idea of moving on does scare me. But some things are meant to happen and i have to talk to them to see if this is one of those things...I have to do my part, you know?

YS is quite sick, coughing---lord, he can't stop, and a fever, he went to the dr yesterday, and has some sort of infection....he's now on antibiotics, hopefully he will feel better soon. He is not very healthy, it seems he is always sick, and I mean really sick, and cannot get over a cold or whatever without it turning into a bigger problem. D is covering his shift at the Ice Cream Store today...not cool to be coughing into the ice cream...

I am GOING to get my own work done today, "I don't care if it harelips the governor". Yes, I know, that makes no sense, but my best school friend ever's mother always used that saying, not that I knew what that meant then, either. Have a great day!

WHINE ALERT

Due to all the sensitivity to the subject of whining, I feel a need to post a warning here....I am about to whine. I have no idea how to go about posting a non-positive event or day without being labeled a "WHINER". Shit. But my day yesterday sucked ass, and I am about to tell you about it. It is apparently no longer politically correct to do so...so if you would rather NOT know about it, move the hell along. NO ONE ever said I was politically correct.

I walked into hell yesterday, hell would be my place of employment----BTW, and all things were fucked up, as usual. I have been the very best boss that i know how to be, and if the truth were known, I have been too damned good to the masses. Each of those involved in this incident have been warned, and it came as no surprise to anyone that i had fired TWO, yes two, that would be 2, employees by ten am. I COULD NOT take anymore, I was going to have a stroke, due to the sheer incompetence and lack of caring about one's job, and while now I will have that stroke because ALL things are not getting done, at least there will be a reason: no one is there to do it. Other than me. So, guess what I am learning to do beginning this evening? Yes, that is right, I am now the parts man, also. I have had to be in the past, but things have changed over time, and I have alot to learn. ALOT. How will I accomplish this new feat along with all the other things that are my responsibility? Beats the hell out of me, lieutenant. But you can bet your sweet ass I will, because I have NEVER met a challenge I couldn't handle. I will not be able to hire anyone as long as we are for sale, people perceive that as being an unstable place of employment, and rightly so, although I will continue to try. I have been looking for a replacement for these two for a while now....and I can already tell you it just aint happenin' for the time being. We are only "FOR SALE", not sold. I cannot hire someone without that person knowing that, it just isn't the way I do things. Ahhhh...where's the Tylenol?

In any event, that was the morning that i had yesterday. Then I got to go to the Whippy Dip, and had to cook and sling ice cream for the masses until I thought my legs would fall off, and that was only five o'clock! Am I getting old? Ummmm, yes.

Then I came home and stewed...and fell asleep. I am still tired this morning, and i have much to accomplish today. MUCH. One little thing, though...it's funny how the others that work there got REALLY busy and job attentive when people began packing up their belongings....

Okay, so I am off...to my glorious day. I hope yours doesn't suck. Out.

Hoopla

It has been a short night, and going to be a long day. I have to sling ice cream today, and i haven't done that in forever. I have to cover for YS who just left the hospital in his own personal la-la land, apparently he has inherited the family migraine headache gene, this must be his second or third one in the past six months. It makes me sad that he has to suffer with them-D gets them quite severely, also. I used to get them back in my teen years, but I haven't had to deal with them since. So anyway, I am covering for YS today, who will be knocked out for several hours from the shot he got at the emergency room. I don't mind, but I am so damned behind at my regular job. :(

H had a pretty uneventful birthday, he worked on the rental house until late, no family dinner, no gifts (yet), no hoopla of any kind. HOOPLA-----now there is a word. It even SOUNDS funny when you say it. I guess on Friday, we will have his birthday dinner and hoopla...teehee. It really was a good thing that it was put off until the weekend, I was in quite a state when I got home from work, my stress level there is off the charts. I don't like feeling that way, but at this time, there is little I can do about the issues I am having there....so I am trying to deal with it. And apparently not so well...or I wouldn't be planning a weekend drunk on Tuesday.

I am attempting to eat my Super Golden Crisp as I write this, and I have a very heavy, loud, striped kitty wanting it just as much as I do. I think I shall sign off and talk later---I hope everyone's day is awesome!

Don't stick your feet in the lemonade

Well good morning to you all. Happy Thursday, although with the middle of the week holiday, it doesn't really FEEL like a Thursday, but I don't know what day it does feel like. I am sitting here, sweating my ass off....I hate sweating, it is so gross. It is the only side effect (affect?), no it's effect, I have from my medication, and since the dosage was doubled two weeks ago, damn, I am a SWEATHOG. I sweat when it's seventy degrees in my house, like now, I sweat all night, then get cold because I am wet, doesn't that sound appealing? But the pills are helping so much, I cannot really even think about doing anything different. Nothing more appealing than a sweaty old broad. Right? I am also trying to text back and forth with my youngest, who is already at work, and should be working and not texting. I am not good at text messages, my fingernails get in the way, and I am just "text retarded". I think you have to be under the age of thirty to be any good at it. I once wrote a haiku about my in-abilities of all things technological, here on my blog, and one of the lines was "I text like ee cummings". I cannot punctuate on the damned thing. I am doing really, really well just to be able to find the letters, let alone the frickin' punctuation...oh well.

I survived the day yesterday. It was kind of nice, I worked with H and with my oldest son. At least through the lunch hour. Then OS left, and it was just H and I. It got pretty busy late in the day, after the parade. One thing about the little Dutch town in which the ICS is located: They DO love their parades. It is a huge, big deal. And the town turns all the way out. H was really late getting home, one of the ice cream machines went down, and if they are going to go down, it will be in the middle of a busy, busy night. He tried to get it running, thinks it is okay now, will know later today when he opens the store again. I know all of this because I was still awake when he came in at twelve thirty. I did not take the afore mentioned medication yesterday morning like I was supposed to, I have no idea why, I am an idiot, so I took it late in the day when I got home, at apparently that is a bad idea, as it kept me awake most of the night. So, for my really, really LONG Thursday, I will be so very tired and so very sweaty. Who wouldn't want to run into me in the service department this afternoon---doesn't that sound totally appealing? Uck...

I have a zit the size of mount st helens on my forehead....I am forty seven, why am I still getting zits? Because I never had one when I was a teenager? Is that the price I pay for being acne-free? Swell....If it continues, I may assign it a social security number and claim the deduction on my taxes....have a great day....I am out. ps... my youngest still has all his appendages, at least I think he does, he is able to text me......another 4th of July disaster averted.....

The fourth of July.

The 4th of July. I have very strong political opinions, in fact, H says I have very strong opinions on EVERYTHING. He's right, I do. I don't however, go telling them to anyone that will listen. I have always believed the saying "opinions are like assholes, everyone has one." So, this morning, on the great birthday of this beloved nation, I will, once again, keep from opening my trap, in the hopes of keeping my friends. I will however, go so far as to say "Thank you soldiers. Thank you for STILL being there to make sure that the rest of us can sleep at night. Thank you for doing so currently, and thank you for doing so in the past, and thank you if you are planning on doing so in the future." Thank you for allowing us to be the free nation that we are, free to be running around acting as though our lives are what's important, barely ever giving a thought to WHY we are able to do that. I do think about it, alot. A mere thank you is not enough. I have nothing else of any importance to offer other than my prayers, and I do offer those to God regularly. Again, I Thank You.

I don't have to work at the dealership today, but I am scheduled at the ice cream store. It sounded like a much better idea when I was working on the schedule a couple of weeks ago, than it does this morning. I had a hard time covering today, so many have special holiday plans, and frankly, I had nothing to do. H is working also, so it seemed like the thing to do. But, this morning, I am tired already, and my day hasn't even started. I came in last night, worn all the way out, from the heat, from the headaches and issues in the service department, plus Owner had left for a little getaway with his girlfriend, and we had a couple of sold vehicles going out, plus I had one of his customers to deal with, all at the same time, of course. I lived through it all, we sold a couple in the middle of that mess by the way, and I dragged my sorry ass in the door and fell on the couch. And that's where I stayed, until I fell asleep and woke up at four this morning. So, today at the "whippy dip" isn't looking so good. Don't you guys love the sound of that name? My now retired service manager came up with that one, and it stuck. It isn't the real name of it, but oh, how I wish it was. teehee. In any event, I will survive. No biggie.

Lots of things on my mind this morning. My daughter is in the beautiful state of north carolina, on vacation, she worries the hell out of me, but I am trying to let it go. She doesn't always make the smartest decisions, get over it daughter, this in my blog, I can say what I want...and of course, it is always in the back of my mind. My son, the youngest, it totally into the whole fireworks thing, they are illegal in my state, of course, and I always worry that he will get himself into trouble, or lose a couple of fingers in the whole deal. Yes, I know they are big kids, and you don't need to tell me to let them make their own decisions, I do that, but i still worry, and that will never change. My oldest son is smart enough not to let me know what he is doing most of the time, so little of my worry power goes to him, he does not like it when I obsess over him. :)

Off to my day. I wish each of you the best 4th of July ever. If you are doing the fun, family barbecue thing, have one for me. I hate that the holiday has fallen smack in the middle of the week, but no, I do not believe it should be changed so that corporate america can make a vacation out of it, like so many other holidays have been. Over and Out.