Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Kate Phelan's Blurty:

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Thursday, February 25th, 2010
8:02 pm	Called Honda Yesterday Last week Courtney Honda where I got my car from called Mom and I and informed us that we will need to call them back to schedule a recall/service call for our airbags. Apparently something happens to the airbags. So I called them yesterday and they said they would call us when it gets in stock. Happily it is free. I guess with all the Toyota recalls the rest of the car industry doesn’t want to take any chances. Today I got a call from them and said the part is in so now I am dropping the car off on Thursday so they can work on it on Friday. I am not sure how long it will take. I can pick it up after work if necessary. Work is okay. After a short discussion we decided that for now during OT the mail will be priority instead of the scanning. I have a feeling once I get back on track it won’t be long. Gayle was slightly annoyed with the newbie Bruce for calling out sick. Apparently he has been messing up in his own way with the files. I guess when you are calling out sick also you are supposed to do it while the team leader is in the office (he has been calling late at night). She wasn’t at all pleased with LG either. I managed to get the minutes written up and sent to Mike B. He made the modifications and I sent them out this morning. I asked Mom when I got home what she thought of them and she said they were good. She asked me a couple of questions one what part of it was mine and what was his. I told her the part where he mentions the oyster festival (fundraising efforts) and one other place. Then she asked me how I got them out at 10:30 in the morning. That was very annoying. When I told her that it was during my break she was skeptical. That’s when I raised my voice and told her she needs to trust me to not abuse it. I went into a five minute speech on how I really don’t like to have do go through this every other month or week. I don’t even know what she said but she really needs to stop. Tonight I am going to relax and probably go to bed as my knees and legs hurt a little again. I don’t think eating the sausage and cheese helped today. We had spaghetti for dinner. Current Mood: tired (Comment on this)
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
9:35 pm	We didn't get any snow The snow never came to Connecticut but it looks like it could later on. Its very cloudy and very cold out. I posted a question to the journaling lists and the pen pal lists and asked them if any of them got hit by the winter storm. Some of the responses I got were from people in NY, Texas, Colorado and I forget where else but I also read and blogs at work that talked about their snow storm. I even checked some traffic cams in the Allentown Area and they got a lot but it didn’t seem to be bad. Work went well. Marlene was there but not in a Supervisorial capacity. We did have a sign in sheet for those of us working. I think I scanned about 100 batches in the six hours. I stayed off the internet for most of the morning. I did make a few phone calls one to my dear friend Mardi whom I have known for 11 years now. We met online during the last years of Hercules the Legendary Journeys and then in person when Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda began and for the next several years we would get together a few times a year. Unfortunately our schedules had changed but we kept in contact via email, chat rooms and of course our blogs. We only chatted for a short time about our families and activities. It was really great to hear her voice. When things would bother me in the fandoms we shared she would be (and still is) the voice of reason for me. After work I headed home making a stop at Subway for late lunch. I had two wraps (probably could have done with just one). I watched the rest of the afternoon NCIS marathon. I got online a little bit too. Mom came home after 5. She then went to church and I hung out. I started watching the second marathon and then had dinner. When Mom came home I was finishing up her left over eggplant lasagna from last night’s dinner. Now that is after 9:30 and I have taken the Nyquil I am going to bed. I haven’t been feeling well for most of the night. Between sneezing fits and bathroom “runs”. I feel crappy. (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
8:15 pm	It was a Beautiful Warm Day For being the middle of January Saturday was beautiful. I spent most of it at work doing OT (and of course surfing the net when I could but we won’t let that get around). On my way over to Liz’s I made a quick stop to pick up a cute little lei that I wanted to give to one of the kids. Mom thought it would be a good idea to call just incase Liz was taking a nap. She wasn’t so I went over. When I got there I found Liz and the kids were at the table drinking their home made McDonald Shakes that weren’t that successful. They had chocolate all over their faces and it was great. Chocolate kisses are so awesome (and I don’t mean just the candy). For the next hour we spent time reading stories, having pillow fights and just being together laughing and getting silly. I was reading Audrey and Jason one of Dr. Seuss’s Books and at the end it had some sort of tongue twister that got me so silly that the three of us were laughing so loud that we woke up Nelson in the sun room. It was after 4 when I left. Liz had to take the kids to Chris’s and I had stuff that needed to be done (and still does at this point). I couldn’t believe it was 50 degrees. It was that warm. The sun was shining too. Mom was cooking when I got home. She wanted to start some stuff before going to Church for Mass. I just relaxed and got online and also watched TV. The rest of the night I spent most of it online and watched NCIS Truth or Consequences the 7th season opener. I also listened to an audio interview with Mark Harmon on Tavis Smiley back in 2005. Work is going okay. Those pesky little piles of work that creep up on you have returned and Gayle saw it. I told her I would get to them as soon as I could. They were from recess week where some of the other departments in the building were closed. Susan was a little annoyed with me because I didn’t get the Correspondence to her on time one day. It gets them behind. There wasn’t much of it for that particular day so now she is miffed at me for now. I didn’t do much OT during the week because I had other commitments. Sadly my Friend Paula lost her Mother and had the services as of Tuesday. I never had the chance to meet Paula’s Mom but I can only think she was just like Paula. Funny, loyal, and very laid back. We celebrated some birthdays with a party. WE gave Gayle a breakfast and Gwen got a cake. Hers seemed a little more low-key. We still have Terry’s at the end of the month and I hope we do something special for her. Along with the rest of the world we watched on TV the devastation that occurred with the Haitian Earthquake. Our newest Co worker Muriel and her husband both have family in Haiti and they are still waiting to hear word from her husband’s family. Muriel is such a sweet lady. My Health has been a little “hinky”. It started about ten to fourteen days ago where I had what I believe to be severe muscle cramps. I couldn’t bend down without having pain in the arms and into the chest. At night it would be very difficult for me to lie day. It felt like someone was pulling some wires from the back of my head and down my neck. It would go away for a few days and come back. There were nights I couldn’t sleep on my back on my head but late at night they were better. In the last week or so I couldn’t take deep breaths. Every time I would bend down it felt like someone was almost choking me (it still happens but not as much). It has felt like someone had put a vise on my head at my temples and just turned it several times. There have been times when I can feel aches in my ears all the way down to my throat. AT times it would was painful that it made me cry but then like said once I got to sleep it was fine. Finally I have noticed that at times it feels like someone took a fist and just punched underneath my lower jaw. It has only been the last few days as most of the pulled muscles have subsided and I have been able to sleep better. I still have short breaths but it felt like my lungs had been punctured. I was planning on going to the doctors tomorrow but I don’t think I will. You are probably wondering why I didn’t go to the Drs earlier but I didn’t want to what could they possibly do except tell me muscle relaxants or ibuprofen (which I have taken for the aches or the jaw aches). You are not the only ones who have said or thought it either. I will keep you posted. This past week was filled with a couple of meetings. Monday I had my weekly meeting with Debra and we discussed the preceding week’s events and of course my health. We were debating whether or not to meet on Monday but we decided this past Friday we would meet at 9 am. I just felt it would be too much to drive in around 3. Tuesday was the Democratic Caucus held at Parson’s complex. We have one new member of the 4th District and we lost about three members. The entire meeting took maybe an hour so that most of them would get home in time for the season premiere of AI while I wanted to get home for 150th Episode of NCIS. A wonderful surprise came in the form of a girl Danielle B. Her parents were not only my parents Lawyers but very dear friends (and I believe through AA) of ours. Danielle’s Father passed away several years ago and her mother moved up to Cromwell. Danielle lives here in town and became a member of the DTC. Just noticed a couple of emails from the chairman I have to send out a meeting reminder for 1/21/10. I will have to get that done ASAP. Apparently there is some tweaking to our local by-laws that need to be done so there will be meetings for that. The woman’s Club met this past week. It was a good and short meeting (Roberta picked me up and we had to leave as soon as the business part was done. We stayed for refreshments) but Roberta needed to be home to pack for her 4 day trip to Florida. She will be returning some time tomorrow morning. We are getting ready for next set of activities. The girls made Valentines for the residents at Mediplex that we are going to deliver on the 14th. Well as soon as I call Natalie tomorrow. We are scheduling our annual Carnival again this year. I also have to call Beth-El Shelter to schedule a dinner for their clients. The Creative Writing contest is in full swing I guess and so is the scholarship search. Natalie sent us a thank you note which I will share with the club next month. I will call Telka the minute I get the phone calls made as well. Well I am going to say good night for now…I am starting to get really tired and I don’t think I will be staying up for the 10 pm viewing of NCIS “Reunion” episode tonight. So I am going to watch it tonight. Current Mood: tired Current Music: Echoes Radio Program (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
12:50 pm	Nelson and Lisa's Wedding Day In about 12 hours Nelson and Lisa will begin their life as Mr. & Mrs. Rivera. The wedding is at 5 pm and presided over by his sister Cheryl who is a justice of the peace. The reception will follow. Before all that happens I need to go to the bank and get some money out for all the contributions I will have to make to various collections for parties, surgeries for fellow co workers, and of course collections for those who are not working right now. I am doing some laundry right now. I did something really stupid. No that’s no a surprise I realize this but my arm got caught on a rack and spilled the detergent all over me and the floor. I was so pissed I was yelling and swearing so loud that Mom could hear me from upstairs in the sun room. Needless to say that was all swept up and I felt like crap. Chris is picking us up around 3 and driving us to the wedding and will be taking us home at the end of the night. We chose not to stay over because we felt it would be an expense we couldn’t incur just now. The others will be there until tomorrow apparently. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
8:06 pm	Diane's Birthday Today is my niece Diane’s Birthday. Unfortunately I haven’t sent her a card yet. I don’t know where I would send it because she is on tour with South Pacific. Common sense would indicate I could send it via email right? Yep. That is what I will be doing shortly. I was a little aggravated last night. What aggravated me you ask? Well two calls from Macy’s it was the 4th in a week. When they called last week I told them it was mailed that weekend (they called me earlier that week). I do not feel comfortable giving them banking info over the phone. I mailed it out to them last weekend. I had finally had enough and sent them an email last night. I received a reply about 45 minutes ago. They did get the payment as of Thursday. The person explained that I would not be getting the calls anymore and the reasons behind them. We all know the reason its harassment. The other reason I was aggravated less slightly was because of Mom. This entry should it explain it I hope. The other thing that bothered me was I am sitting across from her and we were discussing this Old House. I was telling her how Roger Cook reminded me of our dog trainer Ken Pucciotto. She asked me like three times “whom?” Another thing…is she left the creamed chicken going on the stove top. It almost burned away. She acted as though she didn’t care. I shudder if I tell this to Liz or anyone else for that matter. I got a few responses from Yesterdays entry. One I didn’t quite understand. The person was from the journal-writing list and he asked me Do you keep track of the time spent each day or just record thoughts and feelings? Why not do both? I do both and have for a number of years. He sent it to me privately and my first response was “not sure what you mean”. I haven’t heard from him at all. As I think about it I could say I do both. I usually say if I get annoyed or angry or confused at one’s actions. I also believe if readers don’t like what they are reading they can do one of two things. The first is obvious don’t read it. I had gotten a similar response on one of my entries at kiwibox.com to August 27 2009 entry. I shouted out to her in my November 1, 2009 entry. When it comes to people’s blogs or journals I don’t tell them what they can or can’t write about. Now if some people have concerns (such as using their full names) as one of my favorite co workers did then I have to be respectful of that. I have no problems about using my name because well I consider myself an open book for the most part. Although if any of my family members read or knew I had a blog they would be a little concerned. Actually one of my siblings did say something to me once and I just said I would keep it in mind. Oh we woke up to a big shock in the local newspaper. There was an article about the School Superintendent being accused of Sexual harassment by two principals. The Board of ED is having an emergency board meeting this afternoon because the new board starts Monday. I have met the man a few times (one I would rather forget because I had food all over my mouth). I thought he was rather pleasant but I had heard or at least read that he had a similar problem in his last position. I am going to be leaving in about 20 minutes for Dave’s place. We are going to see Jim Carrey/Disney’s The Christmas Carol. Then we are having dinner at his place. Current Mood: tired Current Music: nothing (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
5:17 pm	A lot has happened Monday November 2: I got up bright an early and got ready for work and got the car over to the garage all by 7. Happily it was someone else there instead of the guy from yesterday. I explained to the guy what happened and I think he understood. The only thing is the thermostat didn’t do anything on the way over. He said he would have Frank call me. The car was fixed later that day. Election Day 2009: Was a royal disappointment for us in Milford. The Republican incumbent for mayor retained his job and a number of our candidates lost their seats and some never made it. It was a sad day indeed. Work has been overall stressful. I had been doing OT trying to get the office back into shape. Last Saturday both Gayle and I worked on it and now it is beautiful. More tasks have been added (collection letters) and after a few days Gayle doesn’t want to have any of us (me especially) do it. Considering we have so much filing and scanning to be done. There have been a lot of budget concerns all over the place. So the management staff has been pulled every which way. When I finish the mail which has been daily I have been helping out with the scanning. Going in on Saturdays etc and staying until 6 most nights unless I have appointments. The new Kronos/My Time payroll system went into effect this week. I did pretty well with it so far despite the no training. I never had the time to go to the classes. They were always held outside of the office in another building. Over the last couple of weeks several co workers and their families have had some form of the flu (both regular and the swine). I hope this passes soon because I sure do not want to bring it home to Mom. Despite the stress level we have managed to continue to meet our goals that have been set by the Administration as far as AR are concerned. As I said our immediate area has been behind in the scanning. Nationally it was a sad week when a gunman shot twelve people including himself at Fort Hood in Killeen Texas. The gunman survived and is currently in the hospital recovering. There was a memorial Service held earlier this week that happened shortly after the Election Day. According to the reports the gunman who had been a medic and helping people get ready for deployment was unhappy about going to Iraq as well. Volunteering is going okay. Bingo remains to be enjoyable for the residents. I was on my own last week as Natalie was doing a breakfast sandwich fundraiser for their company Christmas party. The woman’s club’s activities are doing pretty well. Although I was unable to attend the Veteran’s Day service at the nursing home it was most successful. Many of the girls club members participated and the residents who were veterans appreciated it. The next big event is the Pie in the Sky baking which will take place at Hopkins School in New Haven next Saturday. This will be the first time we have done it with another organization so it should be very interesting. This year we are even taking orders for the pies. The Democratic Party is licking its wounds from the trouncing we received in the municipal election 2 weeks ago. Each district will be discussing what happened in their perspective district meetings. Ours will take place on the 18th at our home. Our next big goal will be the Governors Race in 2010. As it is our current Governor Jodi Rell has opted to not run for reelection. Mom is doing pretty well. Her cough/cold has subsided after another antibiotic was given to her. She has been doing her meetings, reports, and getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday already. Bob and Ethel are keeping busy with their schedules and I just found out they will be joining us for the Thanksgiving dinner. The children will be all over the place. Diane is currently in the Carolinas on the South Pacific National Tour. John is preparing for Special Forces. I keep in touch with him via Facebook. I also keep tabs on their brother Rob through facebook as well. He doesn’t post to that very often either. Jim and the kids will be here for Thanksgiving as well. They will be here the entire weekend and Mom has planned a few activities such as visiting the Knights of Columbus Museum. We have a family connection to it. My Dad’s uncle or Great Uncle or Cousin is one of the Founding Fathers Knights of Columbus . We hope to also go to NYC and go to the Rock and Roll Museum. Liz and Nelson and their families are doing okay. Liz just got over another bout of Bronchitis. She was with the grandkids on Veteran’s Day and had a ball. They are also getting read for Nelson Jr & Lisa’s wedding next month. It’s actually a month from yesterday. I still have to get a gift and perhaps look at another dress for the wedding. Tomorrow afternoon I am going to the movies and dinner with my friend Dave. Last week we attended the Yale VS Brown football game. It was different. Yale also lost by 13 points. We had dinner at popular restaurant (Pepe’s) in the Wooster Square section of New Haven. It was fun. Well that’s about all the news I have for now. I have a few things to do before I have dinner tonight so I will chat with you later. Current Mood: content Current Music: nothing (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
11:31 pm	November 1, 2009 Happy November 1st! It is the day after Halloween and in a few minutes Daylight Savings Time will have ended for 2009. Halloween was its usual fare. Six people came to the door by 7. At 7:50 we turned the lights off and closed the door. I watched a little bit more of the NCIS Viewers choice Scare-a thon marathon. Earlier in the day I was at work. I was the only one there until 11 and that’s when Gayle arrived. She was tired but really happy she went to the Michael Jackson “This is it” movie. She is convinced that the Doctor who administered the drugs killed Michael Jackson because in this movie Jackson was very healthy and strong. After work I headed to Headquarters the sun was playing peek-a-boo the entire afternoon. No one was there so I called home but Mom wasn’t home yet. I spent the afternoon watching TV and trying to nap. I did put the candy out for the kids. Around 9 I went to bed and had a good night. Mom spent most of the day driving the candidates around the 4th District for the final lit drop. She was exhausted by the time she got home. Neither of us was really that gung ho on dinner making so we did our own stuff. Today is the normal Sunday morning activity. Bingo and Church. After church I am going to call my friends Mike and Tessa for any last minute stuff. I need to get his number from Mom. It is now several hours later and I am exhausted. Nothing went according to my plan (get to bingo on time and start on time) I got there early but we didn’t start doing anything until later. I finished bingo around 11:30 and I was very late getting to church. Before getting to church and after I made calls to Tessa. I wanted to let her know that I was ready and available. She told me to head to headquarters. That’s what I did. On the way there I saw a police escort for antique cars. I am not sure if it was for a show or wake or what but it was very interesting. Once I got to the headquarters I saw the others from our district and that of district 3 and waited for the afternoon to begin. I was to drive Mike, Susan, and another young girl around while Dave A and Phil V did their lit drop. We started around New Haven Avenue Settlers Wood and it was about that time I noticed that the thermostat in my car was going to the hot end. I could see the steam come from the car. I was so worried. I called the garage and the guy there told me that I would have to call tomorrow and get an appointment. Well I drove around for a while longer and then after talking with Mom decided to use her car. We were not that far away that we couldn’t switch. After the switch it was time to take Tess home and then back to the headquarters. It was after 5 when I got back and tried a second time and the guy was a freaking asshole. He wouldn’t let me keep the car there and he explained that Tim may not be able to work on it until later. I walked out of there annoyed and called the guy an asshole. He followed me to my car and told him to get away from me. I drove off determined to go some where else. I came home and told Mom I couldn’t leave the car there and she said well if it’s the rules then that’s it. WTF? My car could have blown up and stalled (which it almost did twice!). Now I have to take it there tomorrow morning and that guy better not be there or so help me I would kick his ass. After this I am going to find another garage. This is outrageous. I have my ride to work all worked out on the way home from Headquarters I called Dolette and arranged to have her pick me up around 7:30. That means I need to get to the garage and back here by 7. Mom made soup for dinner. It was a delicious chicken soup. I will have it for tomorrow for lunch. Other than the dramatic car problems things in general have been pretty good. Between Working, Health, family, and volunteering I have been keeping busy. Work is going okay. Things are changing of course and usually it does. Staff changes are going on. Some have moved on to other departments, some have had to leave altogether. We did have some OT and I have been able to use it. I am trying to organize my office better and it is slowly happening. Sally was giving us grief because of things not going on. Happily we surpassed our cash posting goals as of yesterday. We also started our new weekly paycheck. It’s going to be really hard to get adjusted. Our online method of Pay records also starts. Health has been mixed. There were some days in which the lupus flared and that was most recently. I saw the Doctor last week and told him about the night I wasn’t able to move at all in bed. He didn’t seem to overtly worried but he did tell me the results of the blood work I had gotten done a couple of weeks ago. The ANA and DNA were elevated and that is apparent this weekend with the knees. In Mid September I had a cold that seemed to last a long time. I went to my Primary doctor and I was given some Allegra to get rid of the post nasal yahoo. It is much better there. They were concerned with my BP. It was very high and that was due to the over the counter meds I was taking. The family is doing well I guess. Mom is still fighting a cough. She has more trouble at night and is taking a whole bunch of stuff. Her eyes are still giving her grief. Other than that she is healthy. I guess she is able to do more than most people her age. She is doing her Community Service activities, and still worries about the rest of us. Bob is still teaching this semester and enjoys it. He is currently at Quinnipiac College, UNH, and Housatonic in Norwalk. He is keeping tabs on his children one way or another. It’s been a few weeks since I actually talked with him but now with the holidays approaching I suspect I will see him soon. Ethel is still in real estate and made a trip to California to see Diane in South Pacific. I just found out Mom talked with Bob this morning. See below. As I mentioned Diane is part of the national Tour of South Pacific. She has a twitter page here. She has a couple of facebook pages but I haven’t befriended her yet because I am not sure if I would be intruding. Anyway, Diane seems to be really busy. She was home for a couple of days and now is down in the Carolinas with the tour. John has a facebook page but for some reason I can’t link to it. You can go to mine. I am not so sure he is really all that happy right now but he is keeping busy. I believe he goes to 197th soon. Robert well we haven’t heard from him either. He also has a facebook but all he has is pictures. I don’t think his parents have heard from him but I suspect his siblings have. Luckily they keep in touch. Mom talked with Jim today as well. He is taking each day as it comes. He had Mom worried for a bit last week when he didn’t return her calls but he called early last week and things are okay. Mom wasn’t specific in what they talked about except for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend they will be coming up and we will be going to the city. Jim had some bronchitis infection a couple of weeks back that through him for a loop. He has since recovered. The kids are well. Mom and I received a note from Kristina with her school picture in it. There was only one and so that logically goes to Mom. We are still waiting on Emily’s and Jamie’s. It will be good to see them at Thanksgiving and I hope that I can be patient with them. I couldn’t help feel that it was uncomfortable the last time we were together. Liz and Nelson have been busy. I have been spending a lot of time with them. We had family birthday parties and weddings together. They have been sharing pictures of the little ones as well. The most recent was Jason’s costume parade. It has been a lot of fun. I try and talk with them still a few times a week. I just spoke to Liz on facebook as well. Cheryl and Mike’s family have all been busy. Cheryl has been working and performing weddings and taking care of her family. Their daughter Jess is getting married some time next year. Nelson Junior and Lisa have moved into their home in Killingworth CT. They love it. Lisa starts her new Job at the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale. They get married in December. Nelson will still commute to Boston until the end of the year. Adam is still working in NY at the Law firm but has plans on coming back to Connecticut. He has a lovely girlfriend. Her name is Olga and lives and works in and around New London. Rich is busy working still with his own construction company but finds it hard in this economy. So I am guessing by the way he spoke a few weeks ago at the birthday party for Jason and Audrey. No girlfriend right now that I know of. Chris is still struggling with a lot of issues. He did come to the joint birthday party for his kids. He is working in West Haven. I remember the last time I wrote was right before Labor Day. Well I didn’t get to go tubing because I ended up getting sick and feeling a little under the weather however as usual Dave was his usual self. He was sort of like that during our annual trip to Vermont. We ended up in the Newfane Vermont area. There was a harvest festival up there and we checked it out. The town is outside of Brattleboro. It is also where the Dolan’s have family (Kim’s parents) have a house there. We ended up having dinner in Brattleboro that night before getting home by 11. The woman’s club is in full swing we have our annual Veteran’s day services next week. We are getting ready for PITS. This year we will be doing it from Hamden Day School in Hamden. It was one of the girl’s ideas. It is meeting with resistance from one of the woman’s club members Donna K. She has been having a really negative attitude and questioning everything we do. The 2009 municipal campaign is drawing to a close with the election on Tuesday. There have been fundraisers, parties, literature drops and candidate parties and their door to door visits. We have had a marketing group help with the phone banking. Members have not had to do it this year so hopefully it went well. After this election we prepare for the Governor’s Race and work on James Amann’s campaign. Well it is getting late and I need to hit the sack. I hope you enjoyed this entry… (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
8:23 pm	Things to do on a Rainy Day Hey everyone it is after 4 pm on this wet cold Sunday. It has been raining since this morning and the weather forecasters are calling it a Nor Easter. The river in the marsh is very full (and it is so fun to look at even though it isn’t very deep normally). It has been fairly quiet today. Mom has been sick with this cold. She was throwing up for a short time today and right now I can hear her waking up from a nap. She very rarely takes naps or goes to bed during the day unless she is dying. This morning I went to bingo and met the newest Assistant Director of Recreation. His first name is Bob and he lives up the street from the nursing home. I was able to get a little bit of history. He lived and went to school in Trumbull and moved to Milford about 20 years ago. He moved to a few other places and came back to that part of town. He is still getting to know the lay of the land as they say. It also looks like they have new administration coming in overall. Marisa came and she looked great. She was a big help and we got caught up on things. I told her what was going on with the clubs. She is hoping that when soccer ends in a couple of weeks she will be able to join in on the meetings. After Bingo I went to St Mary’s for Mass. I sat with my cousins Bob and Donna Coulombe. We chatted a little bit about Father Cronin (he is the parish priest for ST Mary’s) and his surgery. We didn’t get a chance to talk much about family. As soon as Communion was served to me I booked. It is not really recommended but I was getting tired and I wanted to see how Mom was doing. The ride home was uneventful and fairly slow. When I got home Mom was reading the paper in the back room. She wasn’t feeling better and was going to keep it low key for the day. She did some work in the office and then went to bed. She did get on the phone when Liz called to see how she was doing. Mom is reading a book on John Adams. She has a heating pad on her chest right now to see if it will break up anything in the chest. I had suggested the Vic’s Vapor rub but she has really bad rash there. I spent the afternoon online emptying out the mailboxes and updating files. I also watched TV. I watched part of Independence Day. I also found out via the news that it is a sad and frightening day for the UCONN Huskies Football Team and their fans, family, and fellow students. One of their own was murdered during a party Sunday morning. He was 20 year old Jasper Howard from Miami. This just brings back to the forefront that How safe is the schools and Colleges, Universities that we send our children to? The most recent point is the Annie Le case and now this? What can be done? I have no idea (perhaps not have alcohol allowed on campuses. Have more programs available for those who are having troubles with their stability (mental health to be exact). Current Mood: complacent Current Music: Echos radio program (Comment on this)
Monday, August 17th, 2009
7:50 pm	Day Off I slept in until 7:30 or 8. Mom had already started on the cleaning out of the attic. She found a picture of me playing Wyatt and Tasmania from next door. She almost was going to through out I think. It kind of annoys me when she does this that she throws out stuff like this. I got a call from my co-worker and friend Dolette warning me about the traffic jam that happens almost on a daily basis in West Haven. It was not unlike what I did for her last week. I called her back to let her know I wasn’t working today. I called her back later on and chatted with her for a bit. I spent the morning doing laundry and got bathed and dressed by 11 and filled the car up with things for Good Will. I left after Mom came home from running errands. I wanted to check to see what else I was bringing. After the successful run to Good Will I called Liz and stopped by to see her. We didn’t talk long for she had things to do. We talked about John Hebert’s Wake and Funeral, the parties for the weekend, and finally the project she had before her. A conference call to the Railroad Retirement Board (I am guessing) When I got home Mom was cleaning out the gas grill it really is broken but Donnie will be fixing it very soon. I had lunch and then I went back out to deliver the computer from upstairs to the repair place in Town. Oh and I found out that the gas line wasn’t tightened enough. Its bullshit because I know it was either that my hand wasn’t strong enough. It was so hot today. I was really glad to get to lie down in the AC for a little bit and also watched TV the rest of the time. Tonight will be NCIS and then Bed. (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
2:04 pm	About the Storm Friday As many of you know there was a really bad storm here on Friday. There had been a tornado watch in effect and it did happen. In yesterday’s paper they were not sure what exactly happened but they did indicate the hardest hit and it had pictures of Milford and West Haven. The paper indicated that the blocks between Grove Place and Fairview Avenue (my Brother Bob’s place) was hit hard. Mom went to see him yesterday and indeed that was true. Bob was out there clearing out the debris Mom told me this morning that the Fire Marshall stopped by and told Bob a microburst is what hit the area of Bob’s house. After the beautiful sunny day yesterday we have clouds right now. According to Mom it is supposed to get up to the 80’s and be humid. I will probably stay inside and try to clear out the pen pal files and any thing else. I received several wonderful “Welcome Back” emails through the journaling lists and it felt wonderful. I will try and post more often as possible for that. I spent most of the day in the room surfing and doing the laundry. Mom was cleaning out the cellar. I hope she is done with it but I doubt it. I did offer to help but she figured it would be better if she did it herself. We ended up having pizza for dinner last night it was from Woodmont Pizza on New Haven Avenue it was very good. That will be a place for pizza from now I am guessing. We had it before back in February when we celebrated my nephew Jamie’s Birthday and it was indeed very good. The rest of the night was quiet I was online and surfing the net or trying to update my files. I think I went to bed by 10 or so. Today is another rainy and humid day. Just a few short moments ago it started to thunder. Mom says it will probably be doing this for the rest of the day. Its not a big deal I happen to like days like this anyway. Bingo went well Laura the newest staff member of the Recreation Dept was there and helping out as much as she could. She was struggling for things to do for the activities she was supposed to do but I think she did okay. I have noticed that Jocelyn a volunteer for the past month or so has not been there for the last two weeks. Personally it is not a big loss. Both Andrea and Marisa were there and as usual a big help. All in all it was a lot of fun. After Bingo I headed to ST Mary’s. As usual I was late. We had visiting priests from Dominican Nigeria. They were very easy to understand and very good. I believe they are party of the Dominican Priest Order that has “chapters” all over the world. When I got home I found Mom preparing to cook stew. We love stew. She is also baking some pies. When I left the kitchen she was slicing up the apples. Later she may be doing a peach pie as well. I don’t think we will eat all the peaches the way they are right now. I heard from Telka today. For those who don’t know she is my friend and my president of the woman’s Club we belong to. She had sent me some emails that I didn’t know I had received (got to check the other mailboxes better) about upcoming events. One of them was for a Board Meeting tonight but it was cancelled. We had a few moments to catch up on our lives as we haven’t seen each other in weeks. She had been on trips for business and weddings and conferences and in another week she will be going out west for vacation. Hey maybe I can sneak into her car with her? Now that I have had lunch (vegetables) I think I am going to do some paper work and pay bills and maybe watch a few episodes of NCIS…. (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
11:35 am	I am Back Well hello everyone! I know it’s been months since I wrote and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to write. There had been a lot of stress in family issues I wasn’t really prepared to write about. I am glad to report that although the stress and concerns are still there and probably will be for a long time there is still hope. I have been trying to keep busy with all the activities that I can. Work is going well and my health has had good days and bad days. I managed to lose some weight but I also have been having a lot of aches and pains. As I am writing this not so much pain but the day is still young. I have completely dropped out of the pen pal hobby after recent activities. I had received a prison letter and it caused some stress and I handled it the best way I could. The methods didn’t please Mom but by the beginning of the summer I had decided to stop it completely. I have to inform all of my pals that are not on my groups (dropped out of them too) but in contact with a few still via Facebook and perhaps twitter. I also joined a new “fandom”. It has provided me with a lot of entertainment during the stressful times and that fandom is NCIS. I am sure most of you if not all of you have heard of it at sometime. It has been on since September 2003 and is a spin off of JAG but it is one of the most top rated shows on TV. Even if the Emmy’s don’t seem to think so the rest of the world does. It has such talent as Mark Harmon as Jethro Gibbs, David McCullum as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. I really enjoy coming home and watching the episodes-well most of them. The Volunteering is continuing. The Woman’s Club activities are slow for now but should be picking back up sometime this month. We will be in full swing in September. The political season has picked for Milford and we have a lot of things going on here. I have done some traveling most recently to Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard to visit relatives. It was a lot of fun and I managed to get a new hat for the summer and a few little t-shirts for my great niece and nephew. Well, I am going to close out for now and I hope to be able to write again. Have a great Saturday and be safe. Current Mood: calm Current Music: nothing (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
11:04 pm	Mary's Funeral Today was Mary’s Funeral and despite the lousy weather conditions it was still a lovely ceremony. Father Mulroney made it very nice and so were the readings from the grandkids. The eulogies and memories that were spoken by Father Mulroney, and her daughter Beth, and her Son Bob were excellent. The ceremony started after 10 I chose to straight to the church because I had to go to work straight afterwards. Mom followed suit. WE both had to be places and events afterwards. The crowd wasn’t as large for the service as they were last night at the funeral home. But it was enough to know that Mary was a wonderful person. The Services were finished by 11. I left after the service and headed to work. Before leaving for work I had to stop at a gas station. Any gas station would do. I let the tank get dangerously low and I was very afraid that I would run out of gas and get stuck somewhere. I was happy to know I had at least $6 with me. The roads were much better on the way to the office. When we left the house the roads were not very clear. I was very uneasy and afraid of getting into accidents. I even called the church for better directions. The ones I got off the internet were still on my desk. I remembered a few directions but they were pretty bad anyway. It was after 12 when I got to the office. There was hardly anyone at the office. I came to my office and noticed that the mail had essentially been done. There was a note from Susan on the Medical Records Box asking to be returned tomorrow because I wasn’t here. I went to Susan’s office to let her know I was here. We spoke for a few minutes on the weather conditions, road conditions, and the reason I wasn’t here at my normal time. When I finished that I went back to the office and finished up the campus mail and did the bad addresses and sorted the rest of the rejections and did the readdress mail. (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
8:24 pm	Christmas Day 2008 Well Another Christmas holiday has come to an end for me. It is after 8:30 at night and I am heading to bed. Why so early? Well for a couple of reasons. One I didn’t really sleep that well last night and I am not feeling that well right now despite helping myself to two pieces of strawberry pie Mom made yesterday. How was today? Well this morning was fine despite the fact I didn’t like Mom’s comments about me not being ready for Christmas. I had just finished wrapping Bob’s gift this morning. If she ever knew I didn’t wrap Dave’s gift she would be infuriated. I figured she was giving me attitude again or just being annoying. We exchanged gifts despite the fact she wasn’t really feeling good (her back was bothering her) She liked her Gift Card to Talbots I gave her. She gave me two Audio books, one called White Fang, and the other how to speak in groups. I also got the sonic care toothbrush. We also got things from the kids. They sent a beautiful pocketbook, notepaper for me and the Kureig Coffee Maker for Mom. We went to the 11:30 Mass at St Agnes. The church didn’t seem full but I figure they either went to midnight mass or the 10 am mass. The music was lovely and the homily was punctuated with Father Callahan’s wit. After Mass we came home and did our own thing. I did some laundry and watched the Star Trek Marathon that was on SCIFI Channel. Mom did some email writing. She got a call from Jim that really didn’t last long or long enough but they did talk. Around 3 we left for Bob and Ethel’s. We were greeted by Diane’s friend Richard. He is really a terrific guy. He helped us out of the car and walked us into the house. Bob and Ethel were in the kitchen cooking. They had gotten a new oven. After a while more people arrived and then we sat down to eat. There was so much food roast beef, turkey, dressing, vegetables, wine, soda, and water. There was bread pudding for dessert but we didn’t have any. Some of the guests went into the other room and began playing guitars and harmonica while the rest of us sat around the table and talked. Mom and I left around 6:30. Mom wasn’t feeling well and I was getting tired. I was also getting a little headache with the noise. Overall it was fun and I enjoyed the company. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
8:33 pm	It has been a long time I can’t believe I am actually sitting up in a comfortable position here at the computer! Why you ask? Some time Thursday I got cellulitis. I didn’t know it was until the next day when my leg was in excruciating pain. I called the Internal Med of Milford and asked for an appointment the next day after Mom asked me to have it looked at. At first they wanted me to come in at 11:30 (they had returned my call at 11:15) I told them couldn’t do it. The very nice Dr. Golden took one look at and said that’s cellulitis! After taking pictures and sending out prescription he gave instructions for me to go home and put my leg up. He told me I couldn’t work until it was cleared up. HE did ask me to see Dr. Spanolios for follow up. I left in such a hurry I didn’t make the follow up or finish the info sheet. They called me at the office as I was trying to the things I had left behind and organize the other stuff (the work) before I left. I told everyone within ear shot what happened. After I said my goodbyes and that I would call them next week to see what was going to happen I left and headed to pick up the prescription. After having to wait I went home and prepared myself for the weekend of healing. I had called Mom and she had already known it was Cellulitis because I had it when I was a child. She was glad to know what it was but felt bad because I was in so much pain. At first every time I would go to stand up it would hurt and I had a little trouble walking on it. Then as the weekend progressed it would hurt after standing for a short time. That night I called Roberta to tell her what was going on and so that we could make arrangements for the cat. After a few telephone calls Eddie Hernandez came and got the key and fed the cat. Later that same night received a call from Roberta’s friend Debbie whom I roomed with in Boston for the wedding weekend. She had a case of cellulitis that day and she gave me some tips and cautions. She has had it before as well. Liz and Nelson stopped by that night to remove the AC from the window and saw the leg and felt terrible. Liz told Mom she could baby me tonight.  I told her if she wanted to rub my legs like she did when we were children I wouldn’t mind. She did (mind that is). They left a short time after. Saturday I spent most of it either in front of the TV watching whatever was on that day or in the bed with my legs elevated. It was very frustrating because the pillows would slip and slide and fall, I had to also apply my own warm compresses. My leg felt numb because of being elevating and enclosed in a bag. Every time I would get up I screamed bloody murder from the pain. God would definitely be unhappy with me! Mom left around 10 for the train. She felt terrible at leaving me alone but I also had phones around me if I needed anyone. Liz called me a couple of times and I made calls to my long time friend Mardi when I had seen a beautiful red Tail Hawk. Mom came home that night from the show just about 6. She had called at intermission to see how I was and she said the show was good. It was Cirque du Soleil Wintuk show at Madison Square Garden. When I asked her how the kids were she said ‘the same’. I asked her how was Claudia about reprimanding them was she any different or better than Jim? She didn’t quite answer me. She did say the crowds overwhelmed Jaime and Emily so they behaved a little better ‘than normal’. The rest of that night is becoming a blur. I think I decided to watch TV in the front room for a short time and let Mom sit in the back room. I came upstairs and lay across the bed with my leg on the three pillows. I did talk to Telka that night and told her what was going on. I forewarned her I might not be at the meeting on Wednesday. She said take it one day at a time. I am glad she said that. I will be going with Roberta. She also helped me out by getting me a gift for the grab bag. Telka also gave me the numbers to the girl’s club members (Terry and Lea) who help me at Bingo. I couldn’t get a hold of them but I did find out they did run the bingo games for me. Sunday I woke up to a snow. It started during the night and kept on going through out the day. It was very pretty and it finally disappeared today. I was glad I didn’t go out in it. I spent a lot of time on the bed or in the back that day too. I did get a little bit of headache. By Sunday night I was getting dog tired of watching TV. It had been Harry Potter weekend. It was also by that night the leg didn’t hurt as much as it did at the beginning of the weekend. I was thrilled because it could have been “deadly’. I don’t remember what time I went to bed that night but it took me forever to fall asleep. Monday I got up and continued to feel better and continued to elevate my leg. By Mid Morning Mom and I got ready for the appointment. Mom would drive me and do some errands while I went into see Dr. Spanolios. The appointment went extremely well. Dr. Spanolios and I caught up on my health history and shared a good laugh when he told me he read my blog where I first mentioned him. He was pleased with the healing progress and told me I could return to work the next day as long as I continued to elevate my leg and not stand on my feet all day and of course continue to take the medication until it was done. Mom was waiting for me when I finished. I had gotten my note to return to work and we headed to the cleaners and then home. I spent the next several hours doing laundry and trying to answer some emails (it didn’t last long). I spent a few hours watching TV, making calls and then got ready to meet with Debra. I had gone to the bank to get money out to pay for parking at the garage next to Debra’s office. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to walk from Temple to her office. I managed to get there on time and we had a great session. I told her about the cellulitis and how I spent my weekend. We talked about family stuff and what my plans are for the rest of the week. After the session I got the car and went home. By then I was anxious to get home because my leg was tired and needed to be up. I was home by 5:30. Mom had gone to her Bridges meeting and so I had dinner by myself. I watched TV for a while and then went upstairs. The phone rung once it was my Aunt Rosemary. I just let the answering machine pick up. Around 8:30 I got into bed and rested my leg. It was uncomfortable for a bit like it was through out the weekend but I think I fell asleep sometime after midnight. Mom had been home by then a few hours. I woke up around 6 or so and started getting ready for work. I was out of the house by 7:10 and in New Haven by 7:30. I had hoped to get into the parking lot across the street from the office but no such luck. It would have cost $12 for the entire day and I had only $6. I headed to my normal spot and came back to the office. I could feel the leg starting to ache. I was anxious to get to the desk to see what was there for me to do. Many people saw me and welcomed me back and were surprised to see me. They asked how it happened and I told them not quite sure but it could have been a scratch or a cut. The girls (Liz and Stephanie) tried to do the best they could but were unable to finish Friday’s or Yesterdays work. I spent most of the day working on Friday’s. Unfortunately we were interrupted for a staff meeting and it took me a long time to get the charts done. I couldn’t have done it without them. Through out the day a few people were worried about me and told me I should have stayed home. I told them the Dr believed I could work as long as I could keep my leg up. It was difficult to say the least. I stayed until 4:15 and was home by 10 of 5. I told Gayle all that was done and what needed to be done and that I would be coming in early. She felt it was okay. When I left it was drizzling. I was afraid I would slide with the shoes I had on but I didn’t. My leg was getting tired and achy and I was anxious to go home. Mom was her way down the stairs when I arrived. She was just about to get dinner ready. I asked her how her day had been and she admittedly said “not good’. Her worries about Jim were continuing to haunt her and she had been getting advice from her friend Barry K of Bridges and had included Liz in them. Barry suggested that they find a way to get Jim help. Liz balked at it and accused Mom of conspiring against Jim. I told Mom that Liz would react that way. I told her I am staying out of it but to expect that Liz and Jim would fight it all. All in All it will be a very stressful time but Mom tells me that Barry told her he would talk with Liz and try to convince her this was the best solution. She is (from what I understand) willing to listen to Barry. Mom has acknowledged that she knows Liz is the way she is and already knew all the things I was saying happened. Well it is getting to be after 8 and I am debating whether or not to get online for a short time. I think I should go to bed early ( I have the alarm set to go off for my next medication time). I want to get to work early. I best just get to bed. Current Mood: tired Current Music: classical music on WSHU (Comment on this)
Friday, November 21st, 2008
9:17 pm	It Was Cold today Well it was a pretty cold day today. It barely made it out of the 30’s. I didn’t go out until it was time to go home. The day went very well. Managed to get almost everything done except for a small amount of readdress. It can be done Monday. Late in the afternoon Michele P came over from the Best Practices Administration to take pictures and she wanted to have Gayle and myself as the “subject”. I am not really sure what it was for but I came home with three different photos. All I could think is “I didn’t comb my hair!” Mom talked with Claudia tonight. It looks like the kids will be here on Wednesday with or without their father. Jim apparently isn’t responding to any communications with her about the holiday. I have offered to come home early on Wednesday. Mom has the “wait and see approach”. I have a lot to do before Wednesday. I think that to do list will be coming back tonight. My intentions were to do it tonight but my hands and the back of my leg is bothering me at the moment. Well I paid the bills that needed paying. One of them did get bigger but I will have to make a concerted effort not to use it until Christmas. I have put more money into the “Christmas Fund so that should be okay. I still have two more Pay periods to get that balance up. Dave called me today. He had some questions about the computer again (the modem) and wants me to help him and have dinner with him tomorrow and a movie. I think I will need to ask him if we can go to the church for Mass and then do the other stuff afterwards. I am expecting him to call in the morning. Well I am starting to lose any energy that included writing letters so I better go and do some stuff. I am thinking of emptying out my mailboxes. At least for a little while and then go to bed. I will be getting up very early. I Hope. Current Mood: thirsty Current Music: classical Music (Comment on this)
Friday, November 7th, 2008
8:44 pm	Glad it is friday I am glad it’s Friday. It is the end of the longest and most historical week of 2008. I am glad it is Friday because I get to pay some bills that needed paying. Despite the fact it leaves me with very little money this time. It is the beginning of the weekend and I can keep up on my room being cleaned and start working on Christmas and pen pal stuff. As it is I am trying to move around emails to various folders. Work went well. I had everything done by 2:30 and helped Liz empty out files and get ready to put more in. Mom and I had to deal with a minor irritation today We got word yesterday we needed to turn off our water for the day because of work being done else where in the city (probably around the corner from us. We got notification yesterday. So we had to conserve water or save some for use for the day. Heard from Janie today wanted to get some information on section eight housing. I Need to pass it along to to mom. Hands right hand fingers hurting.. I can’t write anymore. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
9:59 pm	October 21, 2008 Well it is the end of another day and I am exhausted. I left here just before 7:30 and Mom was up. Things are much better than they were from Sunday. We talked a little bit about her plans for Georgia. The last thing she said to me was she might drive down to GA. That has changed since then. She had some errands to run and when I called her during the day she said that Mike and Tessa have gotten her tickets and she is leaving tomorrow from Bradley. I feel much better about that. I talked with Liz this afternoon as well. She said she would pay for Mom’s ticket if she needed to. She also told me conversations she has had with both Serena and Billy (our cousins) and she was little annoyed with my statement that I think the Coulombes think they are better than anyone else. She also felt that Mom should have been there last week and even though I told her Mom is dealing with it in her own way. Liz stopped by tonight with coupons for Mom to use for parking and such. She also gave her $100 for what ever. Mom says she will be getting a shuttle to take her to LaGrange and Warren will pick her up. When Rosalie called today she encouraged Mom to come and visit. Apparently he seems to be doing okay (I guess you call it rallying). Mom also said that they will not have a wake but a mass and he will be cremated. Mom will come Mom spent the evening packing and getting the bed in the blue room ready for Jim and the kids for Friday. She wants me to make sure this room is ready for Emily. It is. I will put fresh sheets on Thursday. Vacuum that night as well. Right now though I am going to take a bath I have been having nose bleeds a few times tonight. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 6th, 2008
7:25 am	Dinner with Mike and Roberta I am really looking forward to having dinner with the Rubenstein’s tonight. It has been quiet some time since I saw them. This dinner is for the time I watched their cat for them back in September. They have had such a busy schedule and so have I. We will be going to Luciano’s in Orange. It will be my second time there. I told Roberta I have a meeting with Debra and that would be until 5:15 and would 6 pm be okay. I haven’t heard from her yet so I imagine it will be okay. I have my Lupus appointment on Tuesday not looking forward to it. I haven’t done anything in regards to exercise, haven’t taken the medicine in over a week hence the reason for the aches and pains. Last night I decided to get back into getting rid of the papers. But I went to other stuff and not the pen pal folders. I can still do the pen pals stuff later. I did it for about three hours before I got tired. I won’t say I didn’t stop from time to time. Some of the things that were shredded were my scores when I went bowling in November 2006. I think that was to practice for the bowl-a-thon for the DTC that year. A past due notice for my car loan. It was paid shortly after that. There was an email from Ann Brooks on December 18th. It was her “gift list” for that year that I was to choose from for her gift. I think I gave her gift card to Victoria’s secret that year. There was a MapQuest direction to Wall Street from the office and I can’t remember what that was for. I think a union meeting or something. I also shredded some one’s picture I didn’t recognized and some old stuff from Kevin Sorbo Fan club. Aw I even came across an invitation for Cheryl’s 40th birthday party. I also tossed out the 2006 playbill of the Metropolitan opera house. After having a break of pumpkin bread that Mom made earlier in the day I did osme more paper tossing/shredding and then got ready for bed. I did wake up at quarter of five and 5:15 when both alarms went off but I ended up falling sleep until 25 of 7. I ended up rushing around a little. I am hoping today will go by without a hitch of any kind. No problems with Sue or anyone else. Then I have my session with Debra. Current Mood: calm (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 21st, 2008
9:23 pm	An Excellent Day I had a great time at the season ender party. I got there close to 12:30 and got into eating. More and more people came afterwards including the babies. Oh there were so many little kids there and so adorable. My cousins Bob and Donna C and Bob and Donna H all came for a visit as well. I got to see many friends and Nelson’s family as well. Donna H was telling me how life is in Salzburg NC. She also was telling me how things are with her sister and BIL and their family. I was there until after 5. Mom left before me. When I got home I took in the clothes I had out on the line and Mom was cleaning the ceiling fan. I came upstairs and folded them and did some computer stuff. I also spent time watching TV and then helped Mom with a few more things. I also spent time watching the POTC. Mom told me some very sad news last night it seems that Chris and Stephanie have separated and have been for about a month now. I guess Chris took Mom aside and went for a walk with her and told her. Of course I come bouncing up to ask Mom a question about something totally unrelated. I didn’t know at the time what was really going on but now that I look back on it I probably should have waited. I did get sick last night from all the different foods I had last night some of them were very spicy and filling. Happily I felt better when I woke up this morning. Bingo was very good. I had 21 players and we all got along wonderfully. I had to remind Roger to be calm. He was on one of his sad rants. He felt the place was a morgue and a place to die and that he couldn't get out of there. Virgie and I spoke to him a few times collectively. After I helped bring the residents back and I went to church. As usual I was late but that happens. What I did forget was ST Mary’s was having their annual end of summer carnival. That meant very little or no parking because of the rides and booths. As a result I parked behind the school. I grant you I wasn’t alone but it gave me an eerie feeling... Mass was it’s usual poignant and enlightening self. I always find something to apply to my life. Today was no different. After mass I headed home. I knew Mom would be home and I also knew she wasn’t happy with an interaction we had before I left in the morning. (It was over jeans not ironed). I apologized and we moved on to the next bit of stuff. While I vacuumed and put clothes away Mom met with Mike and Tessa to discuss plans for the Meet and Greet for next month. When they left Mom and I took off for Costco. We got rolls, and butter, and milk, and we got oatmeal and Splenda for me to take to work. After we finished shopping we went over to Liz and Nelson’s to pick up some pork they had for us. You see I had spoken to Liz earlier to thank her for the great time and we talked about how the party went and of course we talked about the situation with Chris and Stephanie. Liz wants to fix it but can’t. She feels that Chris is pulling away from her and angry about it. We spent about 20 minutes at their house and brought home some goodies. They even talked about Railroad news. The names and problems were foreign to me so I writing about it would be pointless. It was after 4 when we left there and headed home. We emptied the car and I finished vacuuming the stairs and then we had dinner. We watched the cooking shows on PBS. My stomached was still a little queasy from eating some interesting stuff at Costco. After dinner I put some of the oatmeal and sweetener packets into a bag for work and I watched TV and some episodes of TJ Hooker online. I was going to do some more shredding and tossing but I was so tired that I decided to relax and then get ready for bed. Current Mood: content Current Music: Echos Radio Program (Comment on this)
Friday, September 5th, 2008
10:04 pm	September 5, 2008 I got up around 6:30 and watched TV until 9 Mom started to bug me about the cleaning. I also was talking to my pal Janet about some pen pal stuff. When Mom found out she got really upset. It really annoyed me because she has these ideas on what pen paling is or isn’t. I told her I wouldn’t be giving out my number and quite frankly she does have a point. She basically feels I shouldn’t be calling people I will never lay eyes on. I had my appointment with Debra today. I was a little bit late because of traffic of course but I also left the house late too. I told her of the events in the last few days and about my birthday after the session I went to the bank to get money because I parked in the parking garage (and that was outrageous too). The ride home was uneventful. When I got home the yard had been mowed and the thing is it was just done before my birthday. Mom is a little anxious about that. She also did some shopping while I was out. The rest of the afternoon I was cleaning and watching some TV and answering emails. It was about five when I went to feed Junior but she was no where to be found. I hope she will be there in the AM. When I came home I relaxed a bit and then we had dinner. Mom grilled steak for steak sandwiches and had home made eggplant recipe from the paper yesterday. It was pretty good. After dinner I started back with the cleaning and emptied out some stuff and checked emails. I talked with Aunt Betty. She is doing well but she thought she was talking to my cousin Kathleen. It was about 7 when I got a call from Dave. His father was found dead this morning. He died in his sleep. Dave was in Florida on one of his trips and came back tonight. (He was working). His sisters got some call from neighbors and the youngest one went and checked in on him and found him dead... Now that I have finished the closet I am tired and going to bed. See you all in the morning. . (Comment on this)