asshats, burned dinners and spotty doors.

How about a mixed up bunch of nothing this morning?

I cannot sleep, it's killing me.

Mark has taken the legal stuff about being let go from the dealership by the new owner to an attorney. According to him, there is no way that mr asshat could let him go, not legally, as it was in the contract between old owner and asshat that he could not, not without the written permission of old owner, Bill. Mark went to see him (the lawyer) almost two weeks ago, and the verdict was that our attorney would send a letter to mr asshat, asking for payment now, otherwise a law suit would begin. A lawsuit, that by the way, there is no way he can win, as we turned over the signed agreement between the two buying/selling parties to our attorney. Well, mr asshat got the letter yesterday. Holy crap, Mark certainly ruined mr asshats day. He called Bill and told him "you had better get this handled. I am NOT paying this, I NEVER lose a lawsuit, and if I have to pay, then you will pay it".(Well, which is it mr asshat? You never lose, or Bill's paying it...you cannot have it both ways) If he wasn't being such an ass to my friend and former boss, I would laugh out loud. However, it was not our intention to screw things up for Bill, and while the deal on the dealership has been done to a degree, it does still involve many years of payment from asshat to Bill. I can see a huge legal and financial mess coming out of this. I did ask Bill if he would rather we drop it, and he of course said "no". I'll keep you posted. By now, for us, aside from the money that is owed, which is $6000, it is the principle of the thing. He was such an asshole to Mark, and took out his frustration and pure meanness with/for me on him. It was not right, and at the time it made my blood boil. Mark has never hurt anyone, and would never, ever treat another the way he was treated. I tend to want to shy away from problems of the legal kind and I do NOT want this to turn into a huge cluster**** of a mess.

We need to sell our house in podunk so badly. I keep hoping that will happen with just a sign out front, but realistically, I know better. It is not ready to be listed with a realtor, but soon, it will be.

Damn, I am tired today.

CrazyDog goes to see the vet today, although the original problem that we made the appointment for in now better. Mark is taking her with him this morning, so that means another ride in the car for two hours. I hope she does as well this time as she did when we moved, I got her Dramamine for traveling, all of life she has been carsick, but the pills worked wonderfully on moving day. If she should be sick all over Mark's car, he is not going to be happy. We try so hard with that dog, but I'm afraid our nerves and patience are wearing a little thin. I looked up the life expectancy for her breed, and it's 8-12. She turned 13 last week. Borrowed time? I do not want her to leave us, I just want her to calm down and enjoy her "golden years". Do dogs have those?

I am starving. A common problem recently. It seems I have not cooked a decent meal in weeks, and I fully intend to try to today. I have cooked something a total of twice since we moved here, and I must admit, I am having problems getting used to this new kitchen. I have never loved electric stoves, and as usual, I am burning everything. I cannot get the heat right - not in the oven or on the cook top. This is one of those smooth, black-glass covered ranges...and I just suck at using it. Practice, I suppose.

I have a question for all of you uber-smart friends of mine - do any of you know how to clean clear, glass shower doors? Is there a product made specifically for that? I have not had the opportunity to look for one yet, but cleaning, or keeping them clean is certainly a pain in the rear. I have used the daily shower cleaner, but that does a terrible job. I have cleaned them with Windex, and they look okay until it's used again. I am not going to clean both shower doors every day. I know I am just not doing something right, and I know you guys will know what to use.

Holy crap, this is boring. I am boring even ME. I think I will go do something exciting, like find some breakfast. Happy Saturday, everyone. :)

Kitty CSI

I am still alive, I worked terribly hard yesterday, and I lived to tell the tale. I have a kitty, that would be the one I refer to as #2, that almost didn't however. Poor little Meisha, she had a terribly traumatic day...she is about as curious as any cat I have ever been around, and every little thing that I pulled out and sat on the table in the kitchen, had to be inspected and approved by her. I love to watch her investigate things, she make me laugh out loud every day. Yesterday however, she really, really was on a roll, very playful, and investigative, a regular CSI. When I left the room at one point, I left a giant box of already priced glassware sitting on top of the step-stool that I had been using. I heard the most deafening crash and the unmistakable sound of glass breaking, and poor little Meisha came flying out of the rubble like she was on fire. No, nearly nothing survived. Almost every piece in that box broke in the fall from only about three feet up to the floor below. It was quite a mess, and one I had to clean up quickly before we had glass shards in little paws. Just as soon as I sat back down from that little escapade, I heard another huge crash...since the weather yesterday was finally beautiful, I had many windows wide open...once again, Meisha went flying out of the room, and I realized the window that she had been sitting in, had come crashing down, apparently nearly on top of her, poor little thing. She is apparently fine, but she was a little skittish last night, hmmmm....I wonder why?

I made a huge dent in the workload yesterday, and my body feels it this morning, OMG. There is still plenty left to do, but I have time. It is hard but it feels freeing at the same time. My house is looking a little bare, though, not really like my home anymore.

Steph (my youngest's gf) came over in the evening, and brought her sister and her new twins. I have to say those babies are beautiful. They are five weeks old, and just plain yummy. It was hard having them here, I wanted to cry at my own daughters loss a couple of months back, on the other hand, it was good for me to be with them. I held one of them for quite a while. The feeling of a baby in my arms is one that is completely natural to me, and I couldn't help myself from wishing this one was the one I should/would have been holding in a few months had things worked the way I wanted them to. But I know that God knows best. I guess that's all I have to say about that.

Janelle and Craig came over earlier in the day, they helped me a little. All in all, it was a good day, and today will be much the same. I will have Mark's help today, that will be better.

Happy Monday to you all.

Sleepy...

I'm getting lazy in my old age, this morning, I'm up now, and oh-so-tired. I have been sleeping in until nearly seven each day, only being woke up by the phone - one kid or another or both or all, checking in. In the past, by seven am, I have been awake a minimum of three hours, sometimes more. I'm not sure which I like better, I have always enjoyed the quiet time of the beyond early morning, but recently, sleeping feels pretty wonderful.

I'm off to two interviews today, one is with a headhunter, and I think they will have some temporary work that I can do...should I not hear from one of the employers that I do believe will try to hire me this week. I know both of them want me, however the money is the issue. I do not come cheap, and I am well worth what I require. If you have me, you have a committed and dedicated, hard working employee. And that costs money. We will see.

Mark is going with me, I'm wondering if we can keep from killing one another in the car...could be interesting. It isn't really that bad, just tense and quiet. Not my thing. Ugh.

Happy day to each of you...:)

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.

:)

Wednesday, I feel better just for spite

Good Morning.

I did survive the shopping, and I got several new things. I cannot tell you how much I detest going into a store, looking for anything that might appeal/work/suffice...and then lugging it around until you have to go into that little room, get nearly bare-ass naked with all of those damned mirrors there, and try this one on, then that one on, and oh-hey-will that one work with this? Ugh. But I managed and survived. I will look somewhat professional on my interview today.

I have been severely spoiled these past years, and have not had to wear business clothes at my job. Most days, jeans were the item of choice, as I never knew if I would be in the front or the back, and dress clothes in the service department really, really didn't work. Since my recent back and neck issues, I have been told my my Dr to never wear heels again, and that too, makes looking professional very difficult. I did buy some shoes, one with a tiny heel, I cannot put on a suit with a completely flat shoe. I cannot.

So, it's back to the city today, for an interview for me. Then it's back to the city tomorrow, for a tour of a facility that Mark and I have applied to manage, together. Too much driving. So far, no journey's in the works for Friday, and that would be unusual, most interviews don't happen on Friday.

Wish me luck. Have a good day. Later.

It's Spring, so why is it so cold?

Happy Saturday before Easter. It is late for me to get here, my schedule is all out of whack. Everything in my life is out of whack, if you want the truth.

My little sis and most of her family is here, Carli, my three year old niece is a trip. She is a total chatterbox, and such a little beauty.

Today is my Mother's birthday, she is 73. I think she will be getting out of the hospital this morning. We will all converge on her house this afternoon. I have the dinner all ready, but I do think I will make a chocolate cake this morning, as not everyone likes cheesecake.

Today is also the anniversary of my Snowman's death - three years ago today, we had to put him down. I have never been the same. I know he is in doggie heaven, waiting for me, and I look forward to seeing him as much as I do anyone else. The photo I have posted here is one that was taken just before he died, after he was very sick. He was a beautiful little Shar-pei, full of fun and energy all the time. I miss him more than I can say.

Well, on to brighter things...

Carli loved her Easter basket, I let her have it last night, so that it wouldn't interfere with the one from the real bunny on Sunday morning. She is a funny girl, wasn't really interested in the candy, but loved the toys and stuffed animals I bought. My kids were all candy hounds, still are, actually. Carli actually had a banana when she got here, although my house is full of junk and she could have had anything she wanted. It made me laugh. In fact, she is a tomato freak. She would rather have tomatoes than anything in the world. When she was really little, barely walking, she would visit our Ice Cream Store, and eat pickles. Good habits, really. I hope they stick all her life.

Have a great Saturday. I plan to....and I will try to take pics of the family gathering, if I can remember, these days, I hardly remember my name. Later.

Woe is me...

Prepare yourself, this could be a long post. It is nearly midnight, and here I sit at the computer, in pain, sad...you name it, I feel it. Or don't feel it, as the case may be.

My back is killing me, I have no idea why. It's pain in the lower part, and I already know that I have crumbling and deteriorating discs, so I suppose that has alot to do with it, or is all of the problem. I just don't know why now, I haven't done anything to it. I just took another pill, I hate having to rely on them.

My mom is better, although I didn't see her today. I am feeling so bad, and just wasn't up to driving there today. But I know she is irritated with me for not being there today, she always gets that way. It's funny, when I am sick, I don't want anyone around, anyone seeing me, anyone fussing over me, it drives me crazy. But I must be the minority, as when anyone in my family is sick or in the hospital, they all want/expect as much time as possible. I don't mind going to see her, although her mood and her drugged state really gets to me. She has seriously become addicted to the pain meds this past couple of years, and that bothers the hell out of me. I know she is too old and sick to do anything about it now, but I cannot stand to try and talk to her, and she is completely out of it. She actually falls asleep in the middle of conversation. I know I'm boring, but come on....

I am so lost. I am totally lost in my life right now. I have no idea where to turn, what to do, where to go. When I get up in the morning, there is no purpose. I cannot believe that I have let my life be reduced to what I DO, but apparently I have. I am absurdly worried about our finances, although there has not been enough time for that to be a problem, but it won't be that long before we will be living in the street. Finding work these days has become so different than it used to be. You cannot walk into any place and ask for a job - it is all done by computer now, there is no person you can talk to. Mark is working diligently on finding something, and I know he will. He has a bachelors degree in business and accounting, he is smart, personable, likeable, and has a good work history. There is no reason why he wouldn't find a good job. But still, I worry. And I know he is, too. It just takes so long from hitting the submit button to send a resume on the internet, and the call for the interview. Because we don't know where he will be working, then I have no idea where I should be looking. We don't know where we will live---we could move to the town that the Ice Cream Store is in, but I don't want to live and hour from the city and then end up working there. Not that we are ready to move, that's not the case at all, but it would be nice to know what town we will go to. Ahhh...no wonder I can't sleep. Dammit. Dammit all to hell.

I spent an hour on the phone today with the girl that took my place at my old job. She needed help with doing the monthly sales tax, and state withholding. I didn't mind, but Mark does. I will not let this be an issue between us, I told her I would help her, and I will. I am not doing it because I want to help the asshole that bought the place, I am doing it for her. And I don't feel that I should have to explain that to him again. Sigh...

I hope that you all are tucked in bed, asleep, like all good people should be. I think I will try to go to bed now, the pain meds are kicking in, and now my head hurts. I hate taking pills.

Until later. Sleep well. :)

I've got you, under my skin

And a very happy Saturday to you all. Why on earth am I awake? I would love to be the kind that can sleep my troubles away, but even when I have no troubles, there is little sleep. The truth is, I have always found sleeping to be a wasteful and time consuming habit. I have always had too much to do, too little time. I have often thought that if I could only clone myself, one of me could sleep while the other was accomplishing things that need accomplishing. (Yes, I know how stupid that sounds.) Now, when I really would have the time to sleep, I find that there are too many unanswered questions rolling around up there, and it's much easier to get up and get busy with something than listen to all of that happening in my head.

The computer issues have been handled here, thanks to my oh-so-talented and oh-so-smart daughter. We are now a house of two desktops, and one laptop that goes along with said daughter, and damned if they aren't all connected to the Internet at the same time! (Thank you Al Gore, for this glorious invention...and while I've got you on the line Mr Gore, let's chat about this global warming thing, shall we?) Oh sorry, I got a little distracted there. But anyway, we are all hooked up, and I am certain this will make life easier for both Mark and I, looking for work has apparently become an Internet activity, gone are the days of knocking on doors and looking employers in the eye. That's a sad reality, and one I still struggle with-I am good at selling myself for employment if I get the opportunity to meet someone, letting a piece of paper do the talking is rough for me. I am currently looking for something rather half-heartedly, as right now, I have no idea what to look for or where to look for it. Mark's job will be the one that will support us, mine will be the one that will supplement what he does. I still have the Ice Cream Store to consider and I don't know how any of it will fit together. Ah...see why I can't sleep?

The weather has been really nice - in the fifties at least, and I have yet to get out and enjoy it. Today, I am going to get on my bike. Period. Unless of course, it snows, and I have heard some rumbling about that from the weather guys, although it couldn't be too much a problem - the ground is too warm. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to spring, and it will be late arriving this year, there are still snow piles in some places. Everything is so wet, the spring rains will surely cause problems. You gotta love Iowa...

My house is slowly shaping up, although I still have so much to do. I am going to take down the curtains in the bedrooms and kitchen and get them washed in the next couple of days, and that is a big job. It has been way too long. My living/dining area/office is one giant-huge-enormous room, and each end is nearly floor to ceiling windows, which means I have floor to ceiling draperies on the ends, and a couple of windows along one side with the same. These are ten foot ceilings, so you know the weight and bulk I am talking about in these drapes. I have never been a drapery fan, but in this house, the look really does work, and frankly, I have no idea what else I would do there. The drapes need cleaned in the worst way, and I am stumped how to go about it. We live in a tiny, tiny town, a couple of hours from any metro area, and having a professional cleaner in to do the job is like no-chance-in-hell. We have vacuumed and spot-cleaned them many times, but they really need the whole deal this time. I don't think Mark and I could ever get them all down, and put back up with any kind of success, we are talking about miles of heavy fabric here, and I don't even want to think about the cost of such an endeavor. Since we will be selling this house this spring, I have got to figure something out.

Yesterday, I had the most wonderful moment, and it brought up a feeling that I haven't felt in many, many years. My house was quiet, Mark was at the computer typing away, the windows were open, the birds were singing, and I was sitting on the couch with my eyes closed...there was no sound other than the keys on the keyboard tapping away, and the birds. My mind was temporarily quiet, the room was peaceful, and smelled like early Spring; it was heaven. Then the phone rang, and two of my kids arrived, but for a minute there, it was wonderful.

Wishing you all a moment of peace today. I'm out.

Ah... the excitement

Yesterday was not the day I thought it would be, but it turned out okay. Janelle was not able to make it home, there was snow in Atlanta, and that is the main hub that Delta uses....as a result, she was bumped until Monday. I read that she wasn't unhappy about it at all on her blog, so I guess it's all good. Mark or Craig will have to pick her up late in the day on Monday, so I will not have to go all the way to Kansas City, something I'm not unhappy about.

So we spent a good part of yesterday with my Mom, and it was good to see her. She is better than the last time, her bronchitis/pneumonia is gone, and they have now scheduled her surgery for Monday. Hell. Everything is happening on Monday. I don't see how I can be there, both Mark and I cannot be away from the garage at the same time, or there would be no one to take care of the service department. That also screws up the plans I was hoping to have for Wednesday, my birthday. So, anyway, I don't know. But I was happy to see my Mother, it has been too long. I can tell that she is really, REALLY not well. I had better see her now, while I can. It could be too late before long. After that, we went to the grocery store, my favorite place in the world---not. I sat in the car and read while Mark went in and shopped, isn't he the best? The rest of the evening was spent sleeping. Such total excitement...

Today I have to work - from here - on taxes for several people and gathering numbers and receipts for the Ice Cream Store. I have carried all of that home now, and I have file boxes in my dining room/office and I have to get it all put away in the new file cabinet that we bought yesterday. I cannot stand the clutter. So, it will be a boring day, but I plan to get alot done, and I certainly have plenty to do. It's hard to handle all of it from here, I have always kept the record for all the business's in my office at work, so this is new. I already have two file cabinets here, full of old records from the race track, so what's a few more?

My race is on early today, it's in Atlanta. I hope the snow quit-it was snowing yesterday when they were trying to qualify.

So, these are my plans. What are you all doing today?

Have a good day.