Sex and the City....

Got your attention, didn't I? No, I'm not going to reveal much about MY life, other than you'll figure out I'm sitting in front of the TV and the computer, instead of out on the street, living my life in person.

Anyway, I am ever the "late-bloomer", late to discover Jimmy Buffet, late to discover photograpy, late to jump on the bandwagon for the program: Sex and the City... I have been surfing channels late at night and whenever I come across an episode of Sex and the City--- the surfing stops. Even if it's a rerun!! I don't exactly empathise with these women -- don't even know all their names. One is a whiney, kind of dumb, obviously raised rich brat; one is a way-too-edgy feminist who can't seem to decide if she wants to be tough or sweet and sexy; the third one is a forty-something sex kitten, ever on the prowl. The last, of course, is Carrie -- I don't even know for sure if that's how she spells her name -- Carrie makes me wonder what the big deal is about this show. Yes, I watch it regularly, but REALLY, what is it about this show? Carrie Bradshaw looks a little shopworn in the close-ups - she certainly isn't THE show stopper. Her taste in clothes rivals mine for being creative, nay, bizarre in what she chooses to wear. Come on, downtown New York City, and a grown woman, admittedly over 30 years of age, wearing what looks like the top only of a pair of pink baby-doll pajamas? Or a bountiful sheer scarf wrapped over a bra and panties?

And the men!!!! Okay, THAT's why I watch regularly - John Corbett for one. When she first met him, she spent a full episode wrestling with the fact that he wanted her, but he didn't like her smoking. Hmmmm, a cigarette, or John Corbett..... What was the question? That Mr. Big that she spent so much time on, not even a type, just a self-centered jerk..... I mean, look at my record -- I have a pattern, albeit and really BAD pattern, but you can pretty much write up a "type" from my past mistakes. Carrie, on the other hand, just keeps going on down the line -- some of them have something in common with her, others are just rich, and/or randy. I don't know, maybe it's the stage of hormones or something, but I just can't see the point.

It's Monday, It's Monday, It's Monday......

Yes, indeed, today is Monday; work day, weird day. Had to go off to the chain gang this morning. The boss is out of town, so the head pit boss was less pitbull than pit boss. Pissed her off a few times because things were slow, so I pulled out a book. Drives her nuts!!! Anyway, got that out of the way after only about 8 1/2 hours. Whew.

Hightailed it home where I was seeking refuge from the crazies and weirdos of the world. Was stopped by my new neighbor who, strangely enough goes by the same name I do. Funny part is, she is about a head taller, much bigger -- all ways, has the most wonderful head of blonde, corkscrew curly, long hair (I am insanely jealous of anyone who has hair remotely like I used to have) opposed to my short brown do. She drives a truck, while I sit at a desk all day. But, personally, we seem to gel otherwise. She's tough and single, just like I am - we make each other laugh. She's promising to introduce me to the man of my dreams. I'll hold reservations to that, since she told me that her ex is out of jail today, and I should call the police if I see anybody acting suspiciously around her house. Oh great.

We stood and talked for awhile, watching our NEW neighbor move in next door. Couldn't quite tell who is moving in, since the former tenant's son's girlfriend was busy driving through the yard to the back of the garage to pull out whatever crap the parents had left behind when the moved out last week; the landlord was in and out, apparently doing some last minute repairs and upgrades, a white truck kept coming and going -- new neighbor or nosey friend? I don't know....

In the nearly fourteen years I've lived here, I have endured about 7 or 8 years of a domineering husband screaming and shouting at this wife and four kids; numerous dogs tied out under the trees in all weather (I single-handedly orchestrated taking at least 5 animals from them for better homes -- still thinking about the full-blooded Golden Retriever I should have taken and was eventually stolen from them) and who rode the perimeter of the yard on his teeny-tiny mini-bike in his Chicago Bears zebra print sweat pants, satin Bears jacket and skunk cap, complete with tail, all his waking hours (and it seemed that he didn't work a lot). Oh how I prayed for a gas crisis at that time! The house sat empty for nearly two years, and now there's been three tenants in six months. What could the new neighbor have in store for us?

Maybe I don't want to know that, either.

I AM A HOMEOWNER....... Blah!

When I'm not so tired and harrassed, I have to admit that I would rather OWN my own home and do my own house and yard work than RENT ANYTHING from what usually ends up being the world's worst excuse for a slum landlord.

I know, I know, I spread myself too thin to keep housework and yardwork on a schedule, but I do get most things done, eventually, and when the yard is done, it looks spectacular! I ran away from all other responsibilities yesterday (no, I didn't leave my Mother sitting at the dentist office or anything like that), but I just ignored the phone, cut my relaxing cups of coffee short, put on my grubbies, and started out by trolling the property for loose sticks that would act as projectiles if hit by the lawn tractor. Then I pooper-scooped the yard -- broke a good pooper-scooper in the process -- I guess it was inevitable -- I think it was about 8 years old.... Then because the grass was so wet -- what is it with such heavy dew, lately???? Because the main grass was so wet, I got the push mower out and did the trimming FIRST. That worked okay, but I swear that push-mower has a gas tank capacity of a half-cup. Once I'd filled the thing about 3 times, an hour and a half had passed, and the grass was a little more dry.

I oiled and gassed the tractor, then I fired up the old thing -- was warned this past spring that I need to get rid of this puppy. The pin that holds the blades to the mower deck is starting to give and there is nothing that can be done to fix it. The tractor is over 30 years old, and despite this obvious wear and that it looks like it went through a war, it still has a pretty strong heart. I'll hate to see it go!!!

Okay, so I started mowing. Right or wrong, I have the same route every time I mow. When I got to the far side of the yard, I felt a fire-hot stinging on my ankle. Several people I know have been chased and stung by ground bees this season, and I figured I was the new kid on the block. I ducked my head, swerved sharply to the right, and kept going. My ankle was on fire, and for a few moments, I didn't think I could stand it much longer, but once I'd turned and was heading toward the house, the burning sensation eased a bit. I have a HUGE yard, and by the time I was back to the starting gate, the stinging had eased up enough, I figured, what the heck, and continued to mow. I DID avoid that spot of the lawn, however. There are two long spots in the lawn today, the spot where I encountered the bees, and one spot where I had overlooked some rather large tree limbs that had fallen.

Because of the rain lately, it's been about 2, 2-1/2 weeks since I'd last mowed. It was long, but not too bad. I took it slow, and didn't bog down the mower, even in the thickest areas. It still took me nearly two hours to mow the entire thing. I had a high energy thing going, so I did some weeding, extra trimming on some of the smaller trees and shrubs. I went past the front bushes a couple times, knowing full well that they needed trimming, as well. I sorely wanted to get the trimmer out, but I currently have two different garden spiders displaying beautifully intricate webs, over the front bushes. I would have to completely displace them both to trim them down. Am I crazy, or what? Would I redeem myself if I say I've been practicing my photo skills on them?

Well, seven hours later, I am once again proud of the outside of my house -- well most of it -- if I go crazy with a paintbrush, it would only help. I took some needed relaxation time last evening, and this morning I had a meeting. Played hooky some more, just because I could. Nope, didn't do much inside. Intended to this evening, but the Sunday paper had the promise of a beefed-up Help Wanted section. Whew!!!! When are the days going to get longer than 24 hours??????

"Steve Irwin Didn't Have to Die!!"

DISCLAIMER: I very, very seldom purchase the pulp sold near the checkout stand because it IS so preposterous --- this is one of those rare occasions -- will probably send it on to SSMW for further comment.....

Just out of the Globe Exclusive, "Steve Irwin Autopsy Shocker. Sadly, the chilling details of the beloved wildlife legend's last moments reveal that his own actions contributed to his untimely death after he was stabbed by the venomous barb of a 220-pound bull stingray while snorkeling off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
"... It was an incredibly rare stroke of bad luck--" No, duh!
"Lifesaving CPR was attempted... and a medevac helicopter was called...."
"... Specifics of the autopsy remain under wraps..... but sources say it revealed that a series of mistakes and bad breaks doomed the charismatic Animal Planet star. More bad luck, eh?
" The most critical error occurred when Irwin yanked the barb out of his own chest after being struck, leaving a palm-size hole. Like a double-bladed dagger with fishhook teeth, the barb caused much more structural damage to his heart when pulled out than when it went in."
"Internationally renowned forensic pathologist Mr. Michael Baden, who has investigated deaths all over the world and served as an expert witness in O.J. Simpson's trial, tells GLOBE "It's human nature to want to pull out any spike that breaks through your chest wall (happens regularly to me, how about you?) but it's better to leave it intact until a surgeon can remove it. Keep that in mind, will you? Pulling it out caused the protective sac around Mr. Irwin's heart to fill with blood, which prevented his heart from beating.
"Since it would have taken some time for the devastating effects of the ray's venom to compromise his system, it was really the cardiac rupture that caused his death." From my watching two full seasons of CSI: Miami, I feel confident in saying that the venom from a 220-pound Bull Stingray administered directly to the heart might NOT have killed the man instantly, but instead would have taken maybe a full ten minutes......
"Baden notes that if someone had quickly aspirated the heart sac - piercing it with a hypodermic needle and drawing out the blood that had filled it - he might have made it to the hospital" And then he would have died. Okay, I'll play the Devil's Advocate here --- Would the most experienced professional medical man have KNOWN exactly what had happened?????? Once the autopsy report is leaked, it is EASY to comment on what I would have done..... but even a paramedic.... it would have been a crapshoot, either way!!!!
"He was in a high-risk business and should have had his own medical expert on board his boat. And everyone, including the cameraman who was closest to him, should have had the training necessary to stop him from ripping the barb from his chest." Yeah, he should have spent some of his cool millions on a heart specialist to accompany him into the sea -- and oops, he breaks a leg, and bone shards get into his bloodstream, and rips into his circulatory system, and the man dies a freakish death because there was no one aboard that could have prevented his leg from bending in that direction in the first place. Oh, oh, and President Kennedy should have had a medical team with him at all times, and the brain surgeon could have started surgery before they ever left the area of the Grassy Knoll and he wouldn't have had to die. Oh, my Gawd!!!! If Elvis hadn't gone to the bathroom alone, SOMEONE could have noticed he collapsed and probably died in his own vomit!!!!! Ever hear of the saying "Hindsight is 20/20"??
Oh, and if the photo and Headlines weren't enough to get me to buy this rag, it also said: "His desperate death struggle - IN PICTURES" and "His wife's agony" had clinched the deal. The PICTURES were three close-to-stick-figure sketches showing Mr. Irwin being struck, clutching his chest, then pulling the barb out. If those PICTURES are to be believed, then I don't believe Steve is dead, because the "gaping hole" is on the right side of his chest, it couldn't possibly have hit his heart. And the sidebar about "His wife's agony" is just a very slight mention of how strong Terri and Bindi are both being - no report at all.
Thank you, I feel better now.

Tough Day at Black Rock......

I have decided that I don't like any of the available fonts here. That's just the icing on today's cake. I've been told that I spread myself too thin -- today, I am skim milk!
Work is as bad as ever, the weather sucks (yes, I know we need the rain, but MODERATION! MODERATION!) My body must work on a solar panel, no sun, no energy! When I arrived home, my neighbor came out on her porch and announced she needed to talk to me. I put her off for a couple minutes while I came inside to get the dogs. Thinking: "Am I in some kind of trouble?", I went over to see what she wanted.
Turned out her sister has just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she wanted some advice, some insight, and probably some reassurance. Hell, why not -- turns out today is the seventh anniversary of MY diagnosis. I didn't realize that until we started talking about the bare bones: what happens next. I left her with some words that I hope will help, my oncologist's card, a hug, and hope, I hope. Left me thinking that all this volunteer stuff I'm being criticized for may be having some impact. Hmmmmmm.
Getting late -- I can't believe I'm being such an idiot trying to get everything up and running on this computer. The fact that I've gotten a couple pictures out the door is a near miracle. Haven't been able to get my Micro Office open to get my resume done. All the work my computer guru did to get stuff copied over may be for naught, if I can't find the stuff!!!!!
Okay - til next time--- don't forget to get your mammies checked! Oh, and if you're of the male gender -- you need to have things checked, too. So do it!

Tooting My Own Horn -- so to speak....

Okay! Since SSMW gave me the prerequisite boot in the butt, I guess I'd better take her seriously and get typing!
Yes!!!!! Back in July, I was talking to some friends who were discussing the upcoming County Fair and the fact that they were entering some of the competitions for their woodworking projects and photography. Photography!!!! Who's the photographer here? Although I am the only person in my crowd to have professional classes under my belt, a recent adult education class in Photoshop, and membership in the local photo club -- no one has seen any of my current work! Between my laziness and the fact that my computer needed updating, I think I have the world's largest collection of memory cards from my digital camera. Not many photos to show for it. Working at the Zoo, I carry my camera with me and have caught some very unusual photos, from the extreme close-up of the tiger against the window taking his nap (this photo won me the Grand Champion ribbon in the "color enlargement - animals" class!!!) to a slightly blurry pic of two tortoises in mating season! Once in a while, I'd run to Mal-Wart and print a shot for a gift or my photo club meet. A month ago, I let a friend take my computer down for a couple weeks, and upgrade to a new computer. I AM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT!!!!!! Anyway, I digress. I checked out what it takes to enter the photography exhibit at the Fair, signed up, then spent two weeks choosing, printing and mounting photos. I consciously balked at entering the particular Tiger Photo, because it is so unusual, and in the end, I decided that I like it, so it's going in. Imagine my shock (yes, I actually gasped when I found the Blue and the Purple (Grand Prize) ribbons on that photo! I was still standing there when another woman came in and found the ribbon on my photo and proceeded to have a conniption fit about it. She obviously didn't care whether or not hers was good enough, she just felt that she deserved the ribbon more. So, here I apologize to all who read this, for the lack of the infamous Tiger Photo, until I have the time to figure out HOW to post it!!!!! Hope you are not offended by exclamation points, because I use them a lot. Heck, I don't apologize for that -- that's the way I write, and you are not my writing teacher, are you?
Haven't been blogging because I have been working, stressing, fighting with my mother about things that I love, stressing, volunteering at the Zoo, trying to learn my new computer, stressing, knitting squares for a young soldier heading for Kosovo, stressing over my daughter's upcoming wedding AND her pregnancy, working on my photography, and putting some hours on my kayak (unstressing).

LifeInTheFastLane.....

Whew! Thought I'd make an appointment with myself to do some actual work on here! I can't believe that writers are supposed to WRITE! I've always believed that one had to do some living in order to write -- now I'm starting to suspect that real writers actually have a talent for writing, even though they are not really out there LIVING!!!!!

Much water has flowed under the proverbial bridge. Let's see....ever unsatisfied with my day job. Office politics I can handle, it's the slavery/subservience (sp?) I object to. Don't like my supervisor, don't like the way the boss let's her trample the rest of us. Neither of them have any employee skills, and they are afraid of us. Instead of "positive reinforcement", they both prefer to browbeat. I hate negativism, and that's as far as I'll go.

Spring is definitely underway, although I am not thrilled with the cool temperatures and constant rain. I haven't been able to get my kayak in the water yet, and tonight, for the first time in two weeks, I was finally able to get some of my grass mowed. I was well on my way to finishing, but the mower belt broke. My mission tomorrow is to go out and get a new belt, then replace it! I did get one of the push mowers going, but there is no way I'll do all of the rest of the yard with THAT! I love the way the yard looks when it is done. It smells great, too. The dogs are funny while I'm mowing, Princess is so aware of her leash, she moves to move the leash out of my way; and Brutus acts as though he's being punished.

Okay, now for the BIG NEWS: I am a Quasi-Celebrity. I think that would be the correct term...I have been written up in the Miami Herald, Sunday Edition... Here's the story behind the story....In February, Thelma and I took a little trip to The Florida Keys. This was my second trip there, since I have an annual conference in Miami. Why the conference? Check out my website: litds.unfranchise.com and see what else I'm up to.

Anyway, we decided to hit the Keys for a few days before my meeting. I'd already done the legwork and had motel reservations, and a little kayak trip scheduled. The rest of the time, I wanted to "chill"... and just dangle my feet in the Gulf while sipping Margaritas. Well, silly me, traveling with Thelma is anything BUT sitting! We saw nearly everything there is to see, even if only for a half an hour here, half an hour there...but we're still fast friends, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We did find the Key Deer, wild alligators and iguanas. Then we reported to the Kayak outfitter for our guided trip into the Mangroves. I'd made that reservation through the tourist office, so I wasn't sure what to expect, other than it was supposed to be a four-hour trip. When we got there, I explained that I was supposed to make the trip with two other women, but Thelma was there, couldn't swim, had never kayaked before and was quite nervous. The oufitter said "no sweat" and assigned us to another, shorter trip, "without snorkeling". WHAT????! I hadn't been aware of the snorkeling, but I agreed to the shorter trip. We had such a great time, and Thelma even enjoyed it! It was indeed a great choice.

The rest of the trip consisted of shopping, seafood, music, turtle races, shopping, hair braiding, beach, shopping, key lime pie, seafood, shopping, turtle hospital, and lots and lots of Island music, including plenty of Jimmy Buffet everywhere.

On Wednesday, I dropped Thelma at the airport and went to find my other friends for the conference starting on Thursday. This trip to Miami wasn't too bad. I was prepared for Miami this time, and despite the horrendous taxi gouging, the rest of the trip was fine. More seafood, good conference, and more shopping. Great friends.

Once I arrived home, it took me a couple weeks to remember the kayaking outifitter and their "other" trip.... so I went online, to see if I could see what I had missed. The opening page blew me away -- "Win This Job!" Including salary and housing, the would-be employer asks applicants to fill out an application and write a 300 word essay. Believe it or not, I didn't do that immediately. I thought about it non-stop for two days, then I went back to the computer and filled out the application. It took me awhile to write the 300 words, but I thought I did a pretty good job. A few days later, I went back and read the small print. I found out the job wouldn't start for another year, and that the future employer would be checking over applications each month, culling applicants. That gave me an idea: I am going to apply every month!

Of course, that first essay covered my background and a plea to "Pick me, pick me!" (I'd run out of words, well before the 300.) My second essay started out "Chapter Two" and I filled this one all the way to 297 words. Shortly after that submission, I received a phone call from a reporter from the Miami Herald for a piece to go into the Sunday Edition. The article did indeed appear, and I was only one of two persons interviewed. At that time, there were only about one hundred other applicants, but I am sure that number grew significantly once the article appeared. I am thinking about my angle for this month.....

What else? Working on about 4 different committees at the zoo: my usual Summer Guides (I love it because I can be invisible or not, but seeing all my animals.); Birds of Prey (crowd control, information); Animal Enrichment (paper mache' Easter eggs, grapevine balls, treatsicles); Zoo Ball (behind the scenes stuff)....photographs of everything...... Photo club once a month, and a spot on the Pow Wow committee. I'm finally starting to think.... a bit much, eh?

In my Spare Time: Reading:- The DaVinci Code (finally went paperback- what can I say?) I have eschewed my Catholic Church upbringing - believe in God and the Ten Commandments -- don't believe the heretics who are charitable only if it's high profile. So I find the whole hubbub about this book and the soon to be open movie hilarious! When people backpeddle so hard, I just have to laugh! I won't argue with them, I just laugh! The book makes you think, but, like the Bible, people are going to draw their own conclusions. So what? At least they're thinking!

CD books: Paper Life by Tatum O'Neil -- yegads, what a messed up family!
Music: Toby Keith - White Trash with Money -- Love his writing, lines like "I took your leaving with a little salt -- and tequila and lime" Wish I'd written that one myself. Also Jimmy Buffet's new "Hoot" good mix of styles, not just a Jimmy Buffet platter. Also, picked up an Oldie, Jimmy Buffet's Meet Me in Margaritaville. (So I'm a late bloomer of a Jimmy Buffet fan. Sue me!)

Life Advances

Okay, Okay, I have to get the computer upgraded. I'm falling behind here..... Running around like a chicken with my head cut off.... Had last Friday Afternoon off from work, and the weather was nice. Asked my friend Vicki if she'd like to get the kayaks wet. She was getting off work at 2, so I decided to take my lawn tractor tire in to be fixed. Then I was supposed to call her. Well, it seems the rest of the world had decided the same thing. Not only did it take too long to get the tire fixed, the skies were turning blacker and blacker. It had rained considerably in the morning, and it looked like it was going to happen again. I called Vicki, and we decided to wimp out in place of caution. The lake we were going to paddle was not a friendly one in wicked weather.

Needless to say, once I retrieved my tire and found a place to grab a bite of lunch, the sun came out and thumbed it's nose at me. It was then too late to get home, change clothes and load the boats onto the car. I'd decided I had to be a "good girl" and got busy on the tractor. UNBELIEVABLY, I put the wheel back on without incident, checked the oil, and the gas - looked at the spark plug (the machine wouldn't start last fall, after it sat silent most of the drought-beseiged summer), thought the spark plug looked too new to be a problem, and plugged in the key... IT STARTED RIGHT UP!!!

I hadn't had time to clean up the dog poop, or gather all the sticks and twigs and BRANCHES my four beloved oak trees had dropped, Heck, I didn't even have a full tank of gasoline. But if you knew what I've been through with that antique lawn tractor, sold at Montgomery Wards circa 1972, you would have applauded my decision to cut "because the damned thing is running!" The dogs know the drill - Princess is on her long leash and knows she has to stay to one side as I make my rounds. Brutus was told to stay by Princess or he'd be put on a leash, as well. He takes that command seriously, because it has happened, and being a Lab, being tied up is just cruel. I cut most of the lawn, leaving the front for later, after I get the remains of the fallen tree out of the way.

Once I put the lawn tractor back in its spot, I decided to try to get my birthday present out and see how it works: my new kayak rack. Well, let me tell you, whoever wrote the directions for THAT contraption needs to get another job. Side note: I AM mechanically inclined AND I read directions. The racks needed an extra mount because of the kind of roof rack on my car, that and the "adapter" that was included in two forms, had me completely stymied. The instructions were ridiculous: Take the bases of the "J" pieces and revolve the top part to line up the large holes facing the back of the vehicle. Huh? Yes, and I was LOOKING at these things! Didn't make any more sense that way!! I finally threw everything back in the box and headed to the shop they came from. Three people there couldn't figure them out, and I left the rack there for them to enjoy. "Call me when you figure it out."

Saturday, I was up fairly early and was able to get a slight bit of housework done before I left for the zoo. The Animal Enrichment Committee (of which I am co-chair), had worked for the past two weekends making paper-mache' Easter eggs and painting them. They were given to the zookeepers to fill with treats, and I'd been given a schedule of when they were going to distribute them and to whom. I'd forgotten that it was also Egg Day for human children and it took me nearly 40 minutes just to get into the parking lot. I'm out of practice! Then there's Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Zoo Ball, Operation Freedom Day, Milwaukee Ala Carte, Labor Day, Harvest Weekend......just a few of those times that getting to the Zoo at 8:00 a.m. is preferrable. Fortunately, I'd planned to get there early to get some business taken care of, but I just about had to sprint straight to the Feline Building (we call it the Cat House) to catch the Leopard and Tigers receiving their "eggs". They really put on a show, and the kids got a kick out of the story I told them about the eggs.

The elephants acted as though they'd been expecting the treats, then they ate the eggs. Next I hiked over to the wolves. The keepers work in pairs with the wolves and can enter the exhibit without taking the animals out. The Alpha wolf followed the keeper with the eggs and, of course, grabbed the first egg. The others followed and each were able to secure an egg for themselves. I'd learned from the zookeepers that because of the wolves' pack order and the strict adherence to wolf protocol, the keepers always give the wolves one or two extra treats to ensure that they all get a treat. They were fun to watch as they explored, and played "keepaway". I even got some photographs of the Alpha wolf pooping on his egg once the treats were all extracted.

The last on the list were the Alaskan Brown Bears. THEY were taken off exhibit while the keepers wedged the big eggs into the crook of the tree in their enclosure. As soon as the keepers went in, the bears trotted out. Instantly, they caught the scent of something new in the area. Boris missed it at first, but when Aaurora came out, she went straight to the tree. She tugged the egg down, and it broke, spilling some of the treats for Boris to pick up. While Aurora was still busy with her egg, Boris began a search of his own. He had to climb the tree to get it, but he pulled the egg down. By this time, Aurora was finished with hers, so she wanted to help Boris with his. He climbed as high as he could get on the rocks, and sat down with his goodies. He had dropped some, so Aurora didn't follow him. As I watched, he slowly finished every last bit of yummy, then he ate the egg, as well.

Depite the fact that I then went home, grabbed the dogs and went to Mom's for the night and we were together for Easter Sunday Morning, the Zoo is definitely the place to celebrate the holiday.....even if you have kids!

Currently reading: The DaVinci Code -- finally went paperback - I'm exceptionally frugal (i.e. cheap). Just started it..already riveting. Also: Quit Your Job and Move to Key West; and Wayne Dyer's books on CD, Being in Balance and Spirituality (can you say MULTI-tasking)

Music: Always Country, and looking forward to picking up Toby Keith's new CD: White Trash With Money - I'm intrigued with the words of one song: "I'm taking your leaving with a grain of salt...and tequila and lime". I love the play with words that so many country songs have. Always a "why didn't I write that?"

More to come:TV Commercials, new glasses, kayaking

Am I Advertising, or What?

So, What's this all about? You may be asking yourself, is this chick advertising for a date, or what? No, you might be thinking to yourself that EVERY single woman is always "trolling" for a man, or else she's gay.... Well, you're wrong. I've been married, and now I'm not. But I'm a long way from "desperate".
Tonight, this minute, what has me riled up is the fact that a friend of mine, strike that, a friend of my ex-husband was talking to me a couple days ago. When I think about it, I believe he was fishing for a response from me. He informed me that my ex-husband was using his truck because he'd finally decided to move in with his woman-friend. We've been divorced for 4 years, and he's been with her for 5 years, maintaining a separate apartment all this time, sort of a safety net, in case she kicks him out. Throughout a good portion of this time, he would often show up at my door and declare that they had parted ways and "offer" to stay with me for a night or so. Do I need to say here, THAT never happened? The so-called friend proceeded to tell me that the main reason the ex decided to move in with his chick was because he is getting older and he certainly doesn't want to end up growing old alone. Excuse me????? HE left ME when he decided that he needed to go out and "find" himself. Look where he found himself...
Yes, he is out of my life, and I say "good riddance", but I do admit that this relationship really "did me in" emotionally. I've had some dates over the past couple years, but I can't seem to get to second base... The trust was so shattered.... I've actually sent a couple guys back to their ex-wives! I know, I exaggerate, but just a little....

No, I don't need a shrink. Today is just a low kind of day. I'm proud to say that I'm really enjoying my life these days. I've learned to Kayak and have become rabid about it. I've also picked up my camera again, and am working on getting my stuff "out there". The house is coming along slow, but sure, and I love life! The reason the ex-husband thing was up front and center was because it just happened a couple days ago. Actually, when I was formulating the idea for this blog, I was thinking of ways to let people know that a forward-thinking woman is interesting and certainly a force to be reckoned with.

As the week and yes, the Month of March come to a close, I am checking my calendar to see how I will dole out my spare hours for the coming summer, dividing them between the water and my love of animals (I volunteer at the zoo, too!) My camera is almost always with me, and I heartily thank the inventor of the Digital Camera and HUGE memory cards!

I promise SOON to get my computer upgraded so I may post some of my wonderful images.

So, check in again soon, and I hope to entertain you further....