Only MY daughter!

My daughter failed to completely stop at the end of our street a few days ago. To her misfortune, a policeman had been keeping an eye on that intersection. She hadn't gone too far before the flashing lights and siren caught up with her in the rearview mirror. She found a widened area and pulled over, dug into her glove box for her registration and then her wallet for her license.

She sat attentive as the officer scolded her for the slow-n-go. Yes, she had neglected to come to a full and complete stop. Guilty as charged. No biggie. He stood akimbo with arms crossed at the chest and informed her that they were being recorded. Again, no biggie. The rolling camera is as much for her protection as his. Duh!

Next he asked her to put up and then down her driver's side window. She did. This is the point when he got (what she referred to as .....) pissy. He said her windows were tinted illegally dark; however, he did not get out his fancy widdle gun to test them. He warned her that he would be watching for her and that the next time he saw her she'd better have her windows corrected or he would give her a citation. His mistake was in using the term "Missy" to address her. "Missy" in her book is as condescending as "Ma'am" or "Dearie" are in mine. What can I say? Some labels just grate on one's nerves.

She received a verbal warning but she was very concerned about his threat regarding an impending ticket for her windows. Since the windows were already tinted when she bought the car and it has passed in several State inspections, one would think they are just fine and he was being a ............. jerk.

Ding-ding! The light bulb went on and she remembered an acquaintance of ours, Officer B., who just happens to be a State Cop. Who better to ask for clarification and validation? She went to his home and asked him to check her windows. He didn't have the testing equipment there but said he felt her windows were in compliance with State regulations.

She went on to mention the attitude she'd experienced from the patrolman and how she resented being addressed as Missy. Office B. said he'd have "a talk" with that certain rookie and asked if she was interested in filing a formal complaint. She was a little ticked and told him 'yes'. So.... he said he'd be in touch to help her file the necessary paperwork.
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Time passes and tempers cool.
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When he called in follow-up a day later she told him she'd told him she has reconsidered. He still promised to have a talk with the rookie and she's satisfied.

Whew!

Days Off are meant for relaxation, right??

In an attempt to comply with the required early and late hour coverage at the Surgery Center and eliminate overtime one co-worker, Cindy, and I work 4 ten-hour shifts giving us a much appreciated day off during the week. Doing so also helps the other secretaries eliminate the cost for extended daycare services. Cindy and I realize our hours are a temporary gift from administration, as the office manager absolutely hates the fact we've make it work and proved her wrong.

On two prior Tuesdays, I've shoveled pounds and pounds of snow, slush and sleet. It may be great cardiovascular exercise but, seriously, who wants to spend their precious free time doing that? Those Tuesdays weren't exactly "days off".

Yesterday, started out much better. No snow! I went to town, bought a few groceries, and stopped to visit my sister-in-law to give her a belated birthday gift. We talked about our jobs, my niece's bridal shower, my nephew's return from Korea with his wife and son and my daughter's upcoming wedding. We crammed a whole bunch of chatter into that 60 minutes.

After a quick lunch, I decided to take another small step in spring cleaning. Mandie and I hand-washed the china and crystal on Saturday plus dusted the table, chairs and tea cart. I washed the bay window and curtains on Sunday. Tuesday was dedicated to scrubbing the walls.

Everything was going along well until I stumbled into two wooden drying racks I'd moved out of the dining room and into the kitchen. I'd forgotten I'd leaned them against the oven. As I made my way back to the dining room, I hit one with my foot.

This set off a chain of events:

• my right foot hit one rack
• the rack toppled and struck my leg
• I raised my foot to step away as the rack fell but put it down between the slats of the rack
• while attempting to escape that predicament, my other foot hit the carpet and slid

Every move I made was ill-advised. No matter how I tried to keep my feet under me, I failed. It felt as though I were moving in slow motion as I completely lost control and found myself half-sitting, half-laying on the kitchen floor.

My goodness! I screamed "OUCH" several times as I did a mental physical exam making sure nothing hurt badly enough to be broken. A few Tylenol and a warm soak helped very little. This morning I feel as though I'd been hit by a bus. No visible bruises, though. Go figure?

Yes, I had a day off. A day off of work and a day ..... off my feet!

I may be forced to reconsider this four 10-hour-day work concept. I'm not sure my body can't take the abuse. LOL

Tradition

This 'tradition' has been passed down through generations. It started with my MeMe (grandmother for those of you out of the Butler loop). From there it was passed down to my mom, to me, and now to my daughter. Hopefully, someday, my daughter will share it with hers.

Wondering WHAT could be so special as to be worthy of multi-generational forwards? No, it's not a favorite recipe with a secret ingredient, although that may be fodder for a future blog.

What I'm referring to is quite simple (easy, actually) - violent (but not over the top) - silly - insane - harmess - and just plain funny.

Curious???

Picture this if you will.....

Your daughter is wearing her "favorite" jeans. You know the ones. You've had a pair or two that you just can't seem to part with. These comfy jeans are beyond worn out. They're paper thin. The seams are tired. They're thread bare at the knees and backside.

Now comes the fun part. Find the thinnest spot, the place where a small hole has started to form. Bring it to your daughter's attention by pointing directly to it and then poking it with your index finger.

This is it! The opportunity has FINALLY arrived!

Before she realizes your intent, take your index finger and gently encourage the hole to --- grow. Sure, she'll be surprised at first. Shocked even. Don't let that stop you. Once you have a finger-hold, you're in business. Rip that hole and don't stop until either the leg has fallen off or the jeans are in such a condition of disrepair that patches won't help or your best seamstress cries "UNCLE!" in defeat.

Trust me when you've been 'de-jeaned' you'll remember it with a lifetime of giggles.

P. S. - It works equally well on unsuspecting husbands in old t-shirts!

Amelie

Watched my very first sub-titled movie this afternoon!




"Nominated for 5 academy awards including Best Original screenplay, this magical comedy met overwhelming, acclaim nationwide. A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris cafe', Amelie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better. From then on, Amelie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness ... in the most delightfully unexpected ways. But will she have the courage to do for herself what she has done for others?"


If restricted just one word to describe Amelie. I'll choose ......... quirky!


This French flick is a foreign concept to me both because of the language and the fact I'd never had to actually "watch" a movie that intently before. I have half-watched, half-listened to movies for years. Guess I'm easily distracted. Today, though, being required to actively participate by reading along drew me in to the point of not wanting to blink for fear of missing something.

I enjoyed this new experience and look forward to my next one.


If anyone actually reads my blog and has a recommendation for a Sunday afternoon read-with-me movie, let me know.

October Girls!

I happened upon this photo recently and found it "blog worthy".

That's me on the left and my dear friend Theresa on the far right. We're the bookends. My daughter, Mandie, is beside me and beside her is Theresa's daughter, Amy.

We may not be Calendar Girls, but we share a lifetime of happy memories, a solid friendship and .......... October birthdays. How great is that!

This picture was taken in June 2005 at Amy's wedding to Nate and this August 8 (that's 08-08-08) I'm hoping duplicate it while celebrating Mandie's marriage to Ron.

My little red bear ..

Introducing (drum roll puhleeze) ------ Cinnamon

This cutie nestled among a few white roses, red carnations and white tiger lillies inside a white-trimmed, red wicker basket was delivered to my office bright and early this morning. He? She?? peaked the interest of many a patient throughout the day and brought more than a few envious looks from nursing and office co-workers.


Happy Valentine's Day to me from Ed!

Team Work!

My daughter and I woke to nearly a foot of snow today!

I'd already arranged to have the day off opting to work four 10-hour shifts at the office. Sleeping in felt w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. And, since all the schools in our County and two neighboring ones closed due to the inclement weather, Mandie was home.

She and I lazed around in our jammies all morning waiting for the perfect time to attack the blessing Mother Nature bestowed on us. The perfect time being a break in flurries and wind gusts. Much finesse is required when trying to toss a shovel full of snow without having it come back to bite you in the.......face. Shame! Shame on you for what you were were thinking!

We delayed our duties outside by cleaning the upstairs hall closet, losing ourselves in memories as we sorted through various photo albums and even sacrificed some we'd lost affection for -- aka ex-boyfriend ones of hers.

I, in turn, opted to pitch old airline confirmations, luggage tags, train ticket stubs and several Metro cards. One could call me a pack rat although I prefer the label "collector of memorabilia". At any rate it was time to say goodbye to several treasured items. It was painful, but I'm sure to collect more valuables in my next journey from WhoVille to replace them. And then, someday, the mood will strike and I'll part with them. It's a vicious circle. LOL For now I'll enjoy the nice, uncluttered appearance of the inside of ONE closet.
Anyway .. we donned our cuddle-duds, sweats, jackets, boots, gloves and headbands to brave the elements using our matching snow shovels. I suppose we could consider this payback from the numerous winters we stayed while Ed and Ryan tended to this unpleasant chore.

This would be one impressive blog had I the foresight to snap my own photos, ability to shrink them sufficiently rather than borrow a google image to attach using a dial-up connection and then place it strategically in my blog. -------- Carol, I'm starting to weaken. LOL

Achoo, pass a tissue

Cough, sniff, blow, wipe and ..... whine. Not sure if my seasonal allergies are getting an early Spring start or if I caught the office bug that's being passed around with blatant disregard to my health, happiness and productivity. *Gasp* One cannot work with a head that feels as though it weighs 30 pounds and a constantly dripping nasal faucet with no visible shut-off valve.

What's more attractive than a bulbous chapped red nose? Nothing unless .... you're looking for a romantic interlude with Rudolph. The variety of tissue options from lotion, ultra soft, menthol, anti-viral to the ever popular extra large makes selection taxing. My head hurts too much to think. I just want--- a tissue.

According to Wikipedia, "A sneeze (or sternutation) is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs that occurs when a particle (or sufficient particles) passes through the nasal hairs and reaches the nasal mucosa. This triggers the production of histamines, which reach the nerve cells in the nose, which then send a signal to the brain to initiate the sneeze, which relates the initial signal and creates a large opening of the nasal cavity, resulting in a powerful release of air and bioparticles. The reason behind the powerful nature of a sneeze is its involvement of not simply the nose and mouth, but numerous organs of the upper body - it is a reflectory response that involves the muscles of the face, throat, and chest."

I have sneezed too much, too hard and too often resulting in similar aches and pains of 1,000 stomach crunches without the benefit of firm abs. It's not fair!

Observe sneezers around you. You will find at least three types: the polite ones (who barely make a sound and risk injuring their eardrums); the loud ones (who make your eardrums rattle) and, the ever popular sleeve sneezers. Who invented that move anyway? Seriously, is it really more hygienic to sneeze in the crook of your elbow than to use your hand to cover your mouth? The little germs still migrate everywhere and are as impossible to stop as the bulls in Pamploma.

Thank heavens for purse-sized hand sanitizers!

Achoo!

Pass a tissue ...

puhleeze!

Groundhog Day in PA

On February 2 in any given year there are precisely 6 more weeks of winter.
Don't believe me? Look at your calendar!However we Pennsylvanians rely on Punxsutawney Phil .... a groundhog ... to predict the weather.

The celebration of Groundhog Day began in Pennsylvania in the 1800's with the first "official" trek to Gobbler's Knob on Feb. 2, 1887. Rumor has it that Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. I suppose that's an honor and tribute? Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog. (Threw that last part in so that you may impress your friends if it pops up as Final Jeopardy question some day.)

Festivities start at 3 am. Parking is limited so come early. However, for the bargain price of $5 per person, you may ride a shuttle from downtown (ha ha ha...if you've ever been there you'd understand) Punxsutawney to Gobbler's Knob to witness Phil's prediction in person.

Here are some FAQs:

• Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog and has been predicting the weather for 120 years!. The others are just impostors. The number of imposters is mind-boggling!


• According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Note: It woud be impossible not to see one's shadow with all the television lights and camera flashes.


• Phil's longevity stems from drinking the secret elixir of life. When he takes one sip at the Groundhog Picnic each summer, Phil is magically given an additional 7 years of life.


• After Phil emerges from his burrow, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president (also an imbiber of a special elixir) in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle).
  
• No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. Darn!

This yearly celebration of silliness was immortalized in the movie "Groundhog Day" released in 1993 starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott.

And for the curious, yes, he saw his shadow this morning and yes, there will be six more weeks of winter. Duh!