A List

I've read before if you don't have any blogging ideas then make a list so here's a list of things that have happened to me off the top of my head:

1. I was gently bumped by The Grateful Dead's limo while I was walking and hanging out after their concert at Carter-Finley stadium in Raleigh NC. I saw Bob Weir inside the car.
2. I was in a bar in NYC when Telly Savales (Kojak) walked in. Several people were asking to have their picture taken with him. He asked if I wanted to and I replied "No".
3. Again in NYC my group of friends were on a curb waiting for the light to change. I was the only one who saw a man come up behind my friend with a twisted bandanna getting ready to put it to her throat then the light changed and he was gone.
4. While staying at a hotel, basketball player Grant Hill helped me with my luggage. I thanked him and he replied that's was how his parents raised him.
5. Riding on a motorcycle with a mini skirt is not a good idea. It takes weeks for muffler burns to heal.
6. My 3rd grade bus driver would slam a lead pipe on the bus floor when we acted up. He called it his n(word) knocker. I got called into the principal office, told the truth and got him fired.
7. I drove on a main street at night with my friend on my hood clinging to the windshield wipers.
8. I first met my husband when he delivered pizza to me. He remembers me as rude.
9. I took my son to a Backstreet Boys concert. He will deny this.
10. When my friends and I were driving downtown at night, an old man flashed a $100 bill at us.
11. I deeply regret not suing the pants off the doctor who caused me to lose hearing in my ear. I was talked out of it by others. At the time, I didn't realize how much it would affect me. Time has run out now.

I Did It

Today I met one of my best friends for shopping therapy in Charlotte. When I got home this was waiting for me. To read the whole story see this post.

Wash Your Own Dang Clothes

My daughter had the Fine Living Channel on last night. (She loves watching The Shopping Bags). The network did a short story in between segments highlighting a business. This company picks up your laundry, washes and it folds it, then brings it back to your house. Their typical customers aren't rich. They do own washers and dryers but rather are too damn lazy to do their own laundry. One lady remarked she never learned to fold fitted sheets and this service gave her more time to pursue her favorite pastime - shopping. Great she can buy more clothes that she can't wash, dry and fold! Geez.
A side note - a newspaper article today said "HD DVD ... formats are trying to entice porn producers to adopt their respective technologies." Hmm, do I really want to see porn stars in high definition? The answer is NO.

I'm Ready for March

I haven't felt much like writing or reading blogs lately - no offense to my wonderful blogger friends. Yet another one of our friend's mother passed away. My husband and I are headed to the visitation tonight. It's about 1 1/2 hours from the house. February's summary - my coworker passed away and mothers of two of our friends. Plus I work at a church and there have been several funerals there. However tomorrow I'm meeting one of my best friends (we met in college) in Charlotte for a shopping/mental health day.

I Resent That

I gotta admit I've been feeling resent lately. My family probably would say I'm a little difficult to live with. It seems nothing goes my way. I get the short end of the stick so to speak. I won't bore you with all the examples but there have been several. To combat the situation, I decided I would take off work today and do something for just me. I can't remember when an activity was based on me. Anyway, I planned to go work out at the Y. Later I scheduled a massage and pedicure. Not the type of day I can remember ever having. After it had all been finalized, I got a call that my friend's mother in law died. We're friends with her husband, too. The funeral is today. I'm not making light of someone passing away. I am sad for them but it goes to show how things are turning out for me.

So Much for Going Paperless

I feel as if I've taken a few steps backwards today. Let me explain. I've had a Palm (PDA) for several years. I'm not the most technologically advanced person but I like my music player, digital camera, laptop etc. Once I even debated about buying a smart phone (combination cell phone & PDA). My Palm is basic model. It's nice syncing all the info to my laptop. You only have to set up birthdays and anniversaries one time. I admit it beats rewriting events and contacts in a Daytimer each year. However there are disadvantages. When you need to view something in a hurry (like scheduling your next appointment at the dentist), it's awkward cutting it on then using the stylus to locate what you are looking for. Personally I like seeing a month at a time which is not an option with my Palm. The bottom line - I wasn't looking at it as often as I should, almost missed a few appointments, and had to reschedule a few others. Today I went to Office Depot and bought the cheapest, month at a glance, pocket calendar they had. I still plan on using the Palm if only for the contacts and desktop program. Knowing me, I'm sure down the road I'll use it again. Heck, I'll probably spend money and get a better model but I'm back to paper for the moment.

Strange Dining

Last night we went out to eat at a pizza/sandwich place. You place your order then find a table. It's not fancy but it's not McDonald's either. While I was sitting waiting for the food, I looked around. I saw a young couple in flannel pajama pants and bedroom slippers. Near them sat a teenage girl wearing a tiara. Close by was a boy (about 7) wearing a huge Cat in the Hat hat while eating. Then a tween girl whizzed by on her inline skates. I'm not talking about those shoes with wheels. These were skates. Strange atmosphere but the pizza was great.
On a random, I watched Garden State in addition to my ongoing viewing of Entourage. Garden State was okay. The plot was exactly as I had expected. I'm finding very often that I'm enjoying the special features (making of the movie and bloopers) on the dvd's as much or more so than the actually movie.

Move 'Em Out

I've posted before about what a slob my son is. For some reason he emptied out his gym bag at the bottom of the stairs. (Basketball season is over. However we're moving onto track.) This is not an approved location for his shoes. As soon as he finally wakes up, they will be removed. It's not a good idea for him to have so many shoes together inside anyway. It can be a smelly situation. We make him put them in the garage. I'm such a nag.

Funeral for a Friend

Funeral for a Friend - the title for the Elton John song kept going through my head today. I went to the funeral this afternoon. While it was sad, it was a time of celebration. His almost 100 year of grandmother got up and spoke. He and I were both of the United Methodist denomination but that's where the similarities ended. His United Methodist church was made up of a Black congregation. The choir was great. They would think my white church service is pretty boring. We do kinda just sit there.
On a totally different note I'd like to point out 14 years ago today my life changed drastically. I became a mother. I remember how I felt right before my son was born. I wasn't scared. I was more curious how it would turn out. I wasn't feeling maternal. I didn't particularly care for children and I didn't know if I was having a boy or girl. I still don't think I'm very maternal nor am I crazy about kids (at least not in large groups!) but I do know it was a boy. I look at my 6"1' son with his size 13 1/2 shoes and wonder what happened to that little baby.

Random Stories

It was tougher going back to work than I had expected after the loss of my coworker. Little things around the office kept reminding me of him. His funeral is Wednesday.
I wanted to post something but had no ideas. I looked in a local weekly newspaper under the News of the Weird stories by Chuck Shepherd to see what I'd find:

• "At least 30 Texas death row inmates have pages on dating websites". (Thank goodness I'm not single).
• A man tried to pass a counterfeit check at Wal-Mart. He didn't notice the 80 uniformed police officers there for a charity event. (What else can I add to that).
  
• An overweight woman got stuck in the "Tunnel of Love" in South Africa for 12 hours as well as the 23 people behind her. (I'm sorry she had a weight problem but she must have really been in denial).
  

I'm not sure these stories cheered me up but now I do feel I am smarter than some people.

A Loss

I got the kind of call yesterday you don't want to get. One of my coworkers passed away from a heart attack. I'm not sure of his age - late 40's I would say. He was the nicest guy. He'd greet me in the mornings. We'd spend a few minutes talking usually about sports. The Appalachian national championships and my son's football and basketball playing were always popular topics. He had an earlier heart attack the beginning of November and had just started back to work mid January. He had such a strong work ethic. He'd stop by during his rehabilitation saying he was anxious to return. As our custodian his job involved physical labor. Looking back and knowing this man, I now question if he had the doctor's "okay" to resume work or if he started having warning signs and ignored them. I guess I'll never know.

What I Really Hate Is ....

going into a convenience store to buy a pack of gum and getting behind a guy in line buying bottles of King Cobra, lottery tickets, and cigarettes for him and his teenager daughter who says "I promise to pay you back, Daddy".