Happy New Year 2008

May you all have a happy, healthy, safe new year filled with joy and memories.
Remember to hold the ones you love above all other things in this life.

(Each year I spend a good while searching for the "perfect" New Year's graphic. New Years day has always been so important to me. I think it's my favorite holiday - right after Independence Day. Maybe it's just the fireworks. I like fireworks.

Actually, I've always seen New Years Day as a new beginning. It implies hope. It says "Throw away the mistakes of the past. Start over. Make good. Be happier."
Hope is good. Damned hard to find sometimes, but good. Necessary even.

We lost my father on 12/31/05. He didn't make it into 2006. That makes the holiday hard. It marks the time gone by just a little too clearly. Regardless, I gain perspective from it as well. I note the changes in the world that he's not a part of. The changes that I am a part of. The things that I have to take the time to enjoy for him. For us.

I leave you today with the words from The Eagles' new album Long Road Out of Eden. The song is "It's Your World Now".
It's our world now. That's how it's supposed to be.

Wishing you all Peace, Love, Hope, Kindness and the eyes of a child to view your world through.

Aggie.

A PERFECT DAY – THE SUN IS SINKIN’ LOW
AS EVENING FALLS, THE GENTLE BREEZES BLOW
THE TIME WE SHARED WENT BY SO FAST
JUST LIKE A DREAM, WE KNEW IT COULDN’T LAST

BUT I’D DO IT ALL AGAIN, IF I COULD SOMEHOW
BUT I MUST BE LEAVIN’ SOON
IT’S YOUR WORLD NOW

IT’S YOUR WORLD NOW – MY RACE IS RUN
I’M MOVING ON, LIKE THE SETTING SUN
NO SAD GOODBYES; NO TEARS ALLOWED
YOU’LL BE ALL RIGHT
IT’S YOUR WORLD NOW

EVEN WHEN WE ARE APART
– YOU’LL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART
WHEN DARK CLOUDS APPEAR IN THE SKY,
REMEMBER TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES
BUT FIRST A KISS – ONE GLASS OF WINE
JUST ONE MORE DANCE, WHILE THERE’S STILL TIME
MY ONE LAST WISH: SOMEDAY YOU’LL SEE
- HOW HARD I TRIED AND HOW MUCH YOU MEANT TO ME

IT’S YOUR WORLD NOW
USE WELL YOUR TIME
BE PART OF SOMETHING GOOD
LEAVE SOMETHING GOOD BEHIND
THE CURTAIN FALLS
I TAKE MY BOW
THAT’S HOW IT’S MEANT TO BE
IT’S YOUR WORLD NOW

12-25-2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

Happy....

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. For those of you across the pond and such, THIS is what Thanksgiving is all about.



No. No No NO! THAT is not Thanksgiving. Step away from the ToFurKy. Ewwwww.

THIS is Thanksgiving.

Most importantly, Thanksgiving is about Flying Frogs. It just isn't complete without a flying frog.



Go ahead, go out and get yourself one. Ok, you can just watch mine instead. He'll be floating by at noon or so.
Y'all have a great holiday. If you're not from around here, take the holiday off anyway. Tell 'em I said so.






Sending big waves of love across the planet.
Much love to you and your.
Aggie

FORT E

Happy September 17th, 2007.

Today I am 40.

(Aggie reaches out and takes Treé's hand, crossing the threshold at precisely 10PM – wearing only a smile.)

I am trying to learn how to blog from e-mail. I've taken to typing out the random thoughts of my silly little mind in e-mails during work hours. I then save them with the intent of posting to the blog-o-sphere…..which I never get around to. ( I don't know if I'll be able to respond to comments via e-mail though.)

Terry, I was really sorry to hear about your sister's boy. My heart aches for her and for you and I pray for healing. It is very difficult. Thanks for dropping by and for wishing me happy birthday. :)

Autumn, I caught your post first thing this morning. It was so nice to know I'm thought of from so far away. Thank you for thinking of me…and for just being wonderful you. I hope you're well. Have you found a better job yet? Me neither. Lol (wink)

Christa, I'm missing you. I think of you often and I hope you and Robin are healthy and happy. Big Troutday Hugs – even if it's not Troutday yet. :)

Becky, I've got to drop by and see you and that beautiful little girl of yours. Winter's coming and I look forward to "bundled-up-baby" pics. LOL they're so fun in the cold. I hope you're doing well. Hugs!!

Rupen, How are things on the other side of the planet?? What are you reading and have you found the woman of your dreams yet? Do tell!!

I sure hope this post actually works and it doesn't show up as some ASCII jumbled confusion. Here goes nothing…

Here is everything we'll ever need to know about 40. ;-)~

40 (number)
_______________________________________________________________________
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- 40 (forty) is the natural number following 39 and preceding 41. In English, forty is the only number whose constituent letters appear in alphabetical order. Note that "40" is not written as "fourty" with a "u", but as "forty".

In mathematics

- Forty is an octagonal number, and as the sum of the first four pentagonal numbers, it is a pentagonal pyramidal number. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 1, 4, 5, 10 and 20) gives 40, hence 40 is a semiperfect number.

In science
__________________________________________________________________________

- The atomic number of zirconium.

- Negative forty is the temperature at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales correspond; that is, −40°F = −40° C. It is referred to as either "minus forty" or "forty below".

In religion
_______________________________________________________________________________________

The number 40 is significant in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and other Middle Eastern traditions, it can also represent a rough calculation huge sum of units (a lot of).

- "Forty days and forty nights" describes the period for which rain fell during Noah's flood

- "Forty days" was the length of the period that the twelve spies explored the Promised Land (Numbers 13)

- "Forty years" was the length of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. This period of years represents a generation, that is, the time it takes for a new generation to arise.

- 40 lashes is one of the punishments meted out by the Sanhedrin (in actual practice, only 39 lashes were administered)

- "Forty days and forty nights" was the period Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, after which he was tempted by Satan.

- Forty days was the period from Jesus' resurrection till his ascension into heaven.

- In modern Christian practice, Lent consists of the 40 days preceding Easter. In much of Western Christianity Sundays are excluded from the count; in Eastern Christianity Sundays are included.

- The dead are usually mourned for forty days in Muslim cultures (kinda wish I had known this...coulda used it)

- Some Russians believe that ghosts of the dead linger at the site of their death for forty days

- In Eternalism, 40 is believed to be the number of the Corrupter, (that's fitting..bwahaha) the Anti-Christ in Christianity, and is formed from the numbers 18+1+6+6+9. This also spells Raffi with correct numero-alphabetic translation.

In other fields
______________________________________________________________________________

Forty is also:

- the caliber of the bullet in the .40 S&W handgun cartridge

- in the expression "forty winks", meaning a short sleep

- A song by Dave Matthews Band

- the code for direct dial international phone calls to Romania

- the number in the designation of: Interstate 40, a freeway that runs from California to North Carolina

- "40", a 1983 song by U2 from their album War

- the designated number of hours in a standard workweek in some Western countries

Oldness, manic depressives and Steve Perry

Oldness:
I had an odd thought last night. We hide things from the elderly. "Don't tell grandma that you're sick. She'll only worry." "Don't tell grandad that the kids moved in together but didn't get married. He'll get upset." Why do we think they can't handle news? They've been through and seen much more than we have. Certainly they can manage. Do we get less able to deal when we get older? I can't imagine.
Life, in our middle age, is about what is going on. We keep up with the stories of family and neighbors. We are involved. These things keep us "in the loop". They keep us active. They make us care.
When people get older we start to cut them out of that loop "for their own good". Is it really for their own good? Doesn't it just isolate them not to be in the know? Maybe it's one of those things I'll understand when I'm older and start hiding things from Mom.

Manic Depressives
My co-worker, now referred to as "my cellmate", is manic depressive......or possibly an alcoholic. Or probably both. She spends most of the days in a deep blue funk which she pours over everyone around her. I'm trapped 5 feet from her so she blue funks all over me all day long, 40hrs a week. She throws things, slams things, sighs like a widow all day long. It's MISERABLE to be near her. HOWEVER, she did this one day last week for the first 4hrs of the day......then she went to lunch. When she returned from lunch she was GIDDY. Seriously giddy! She suddenly loved everyone. She loved her job and thought everyone was so "silly".
Uh-huh. I get it. Had a little drinkypoo at lunch did we?
Two hours later she was blue again. Yep. That alcohol wears off dammit.
She should spike her morning coffee.
I need a new job. And yes, I'm looking.

Steve Perry
About 3 yrs ago Dad called me up on the phone to tell me of a radio show in Houston. He said the hosts had a competition to name "The Voice of Rock and Roll". I don't recall who the contestants were but the final outcome of many phone calls was Steve Perry. He called to tell me this because he wholly agreed. I did too.
In all of 70's-80's Rock, that crystalline, chiming voice still holds as the icon of the era.
Long about Dad's birthday this year I couldn't get that thought out of my head. I knew that if Dad were still here, I would have bought him some Journey music. The hubby, being sweet and thoughtful that he is, bought for me the Time3 set. Some fifty-odd Journey songs in chronological order. They're playing in the background now.
I started Youtubing Journey and Steve Perry. There's a lot out there.
I ran across an interview with Steve Perry done many years after the "O' Sherrie" era. He hadn't put out an album in 7+ years but was coming out with a new one. He said, "Steve Perry had to stop to find out what was left standing after a very large circus ride." ... " I really didn't have a lot to say for 7 years. I had nothing to say. I was...dry..."An Interview with Steve Perry

I think that's where I have gone. I can relate to Mr. Perry on a couple of levels.
I have a voice inside my head that drove all the blog posts from 2004-2006. That voice is much more still these days. Part of the voice left with Dad. There was a part that lived to relate my world to him. I sought humor and irony to phone him and share that laughter. That ability is lost now with no outlet.
Secondly, my mental focus has been wrapped in other people for a year now. Who needs support? Who needs love? Who needs help? What can I do and for whom. The entirety of my internal world has been external. The ONLY times I have spun that voice inside, I have found not much but my own heartache and that seems selfish at best so I avoid it.

I avoid a lot these days honestly. I am, if you will, living in the moment. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? I do not worry the future for I have NO control there and I am VERY aware of that. I wish for nothing - I no longer believe in the power of wishing. I do not dwell on the past because I can't change it and I can barely face it. I am here. Now. No place else....and then "poof" I am off to the next thing.

*******Sidenote - Aug 11th was the anniversary of Jessica's death. I do not believe, Elvis, in celebrating the anniversary of deaths. Ridiculously painful act.
Regardless, her mother, with the help of some wonderful neighbors, set a mass of helium filled balloons to flight in her honor. Symbolic and lovely and well done.
August 28th is the date set for the trial of the young man who sold meth to Jess. that will be a stressful day. What is on the other side of that I don't know.

Finally, yesterday, August 17th, 2007 marked the beginning of the last month of 39ness for me. I will be 40 soon. Expect a blog of 40yr old quotes because I've been reading them. LOL

Hugs and love and kindness to each and every one of you and to every one you love through you.
Aggie

Vista Child

Name: Vista Presario

Birthdate: 7/21/07

Mother: Hewlett Packard

Father: Compaq Presario

Adopted by the Agnes family for the sum of $4,795.02. (ok, not really. It was a lot cheaper...but the cost of the headache......)

Windows Vista, I do not recommend. It does not play well with printers. There is very little software, in fact, that it does play well with and no one has bothered to make new software for it. Games bail out the moment they are introduced. It loses drives left and right. It really isn't a very polite child at all.

I will say this for it, the little Vista bot is a networking fool. It searches out every pc and laptop within spitting distance....but I think it only wants to take all the toys from the other computers.

Our little VistaBot is a baaaaaad kid.

Happy Monday all.

Afghans for Everyone...or...How to Fill the Time

Whatever shall I do with myself now? We have time we didn't have before. We no longer have to be home at 6:30a.m. and 6:30p.m for regular insulin shots. We don't spend 20 minutes of every hour upstairs taking care. We are left with ourselves now. 9 years and the world has shifted under our feet once again.

We stare at the clock come 6:30 and wonder "what now". We change the channel to deter that longing to go upstairs and check on "the baby". We fill the time in between.

I have found my new time filler. I am teaching myself to crochet. I am making Afghans for Everyone. Merry Christmas because they're coming.

I only have to make 412 of these: (they take about 15 minutes each and I'm up to 20 now)

And I only have to make 16 of these: (they take 4 hrs and I've made two)

I'm rocking and rolling. Beware, I could be making Sweaters for Everyone come Christmas. :)

Satan (a.k.a. Fang-Baby, a.ka. Boo Bear) 1986-2007

Good-bye sweet baby. I hope your eyesight is back and you are playing (chasing) Mickey and Moochie. 19 years was a long time. I've loved you like my own since we met. Daddy has loved you all your life and still does.

No more insulin shots. No more hurting teeth. Back to your beautiful, fat-cat self.
Daddy will come get you first thing when he can. You wait for him there. I hope that wait isn't more than a minute in the sun for you.

Momma super-loves you little pur-baby. Daddy misses you terrible. He'll never cuddle again like he did with you. Thank you for loving us back.

What's gnu?

Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't.
-Pete Seeger

What in the world is new with you? Have you any stories to tell? Anything will do. I'm not picky. It helps to know that life goes on outside of my silly, little bubble and the TV news.

What's new with me? My AOL software began registering the count of my un-read e-mails, but not showing me what I hadn't read. That is to say I had collected two hundred and twelve e-mails but when I opened my box, I saw one or two. All of the e-mails that get generated when one of you wonderful people stop by here...they were mysteriously not here.
I found them. I found them when I decided to open AOL Mail in IE. Imagine that. There they were. 15 messages from here and an ENORMOUS amount of junk-mail. Pics of the kids. Messages from grand-dad. Lots of stuff all holed up somewhere in cyberspace. That's my story.

Secondly, (please note the previous post) my boss's appendix did NOT heal. She went back to the doc on 4/19 and had her appendix removed on 4/20. It is not an easy surgery, regardless of her being sent home mere hours post-op. (It's "outpatient" surgery thank you Insurance Companies of America.) She phoned me the next day just bawling because she couldn't understand why she couldn't WALK! She lives alone, save the 5 dogs she cares for. Insane - our medical society. Someone might have told her she wouldn't be able to walk for a couple of days.
Way back in 1992, when I had a similar surgery, I was hospitalized for an entire week after. Crazy, I tell you.
She's healing now and I expect her back at work next Monday-ish.
(My whining, self-pitying inner-self points out that my boss has worked 3 of the last 9 weeks. I did not know I was getting into this. I've had NO assistance at all. Last week I started asking the higher-ups when they were planning to hire me an admin!!)

Anyhoooo - that's my story.

Oh, and the hubby has a horrible sinus infection that I think he's being kind enough to share with me. What a sweetie, huh? I love him. Hope he feels better soon. Don't be surprised if I call in sick once that boss of mine gets back to work.

Also, the in-laws got themselves a webcam. It's nice to see North Carolina on occasion. It's odd how intrusive webcams can be.
We got one too (had to reciprocate). I aim it at the outdoors and the kitties. Muuahaha.
That's my story.

Thanks for all of your well-wishes. Thanks for popping by to check in on me. Thanks for 10pms, happy days and happy weekends and for not forgetting me. I love you all dearly. I'd hug every one of your necks if I could. Aw heck, I already am. :)

Wishing you all the best always, of course.

Current

Just a few notes to keep the status quo.

Yes, Spring has sprung. (Thanks Terry. You helped me notice.) Does it count that it snowed IN DALLAS on the day before Easter. Not in 20 years has that happened. There wasn't enough snow to photgraph, but I do have proof of spring. My irises gave me 24 blooms this year. More than ever before. (by about 20)


Boo Kitty is still with us. We fight daily to regulate his blood sugar vs. insulin. Currently he's on 3 units, twice daily. He tops about 450 and drops to about 180. We're close (between 300 & 100 is ideal).

He has trouble eating because his poor old teeth are too sensitive but we can't pull them because he can't be anesthetized. We give him a pain shot (anequin) and subcutaneous fluids every 4th day. We refer to him as "grandpa kitty". We love him desperately but it isn't time to put him down. We'll know it when it is. HE doesn't really know there's anything wrong with him. He just goes through the days being a cat and doing cat things. :)

Mishu, our kitten, is almost a year now. She owns the house and has grown to be a true Kitty Princess. She is very clear about how we are here to tend to her every need. Last week she got to spend the day at the vet. She wasn't bothered at all. She just charmed everyone and they all loved on her. What a magical way she has about her.

Her mother, on the other hand, well.....we love her, but she's just not right.

-----

The rest of the news is:

My best friend is still with us. Shame on me, but I told her "I lost three last year. Please don't be number four. Please don't let me cringe when your father calls me because I think he's going to tell me you're gone." It's very sad, but it seems to have worked. She has changed her meds and is trying to be less caught in that depression and more involved in life. I DO NOT know how a person survives the loss of their only child. I just don't. I wonder if I'm being selfish by asking her to keep living.

Next month would be Jess's birthday. Her mother and grandparents are going to Washington D.C. to spread her ashes near the Supreme Court building. That was Jessica's dream - to be a Supreme Court Justice. She would have made it too. I hope they don't get arrested for dropping a powdery substance near the building. You know how paranoid we all are now.

If you know anyone who does methamphetamines, just call the cops on them RIGHT NOW. You will lose them to the drug and it's a crappy loss.

-----
My boss has returned to work. Appendicitis seems to have been cured.

I have pretty much grown to hate the job. The people that I work with are weird, narrow-minded, fascists. (in a Jim Jones sort of way.) That's my opinion. I do not fit in and I'm very unhappy. I'm looking for work elsewhere BUT this one pays well and it is so close to the house that it has allowed me to check on Boo at lunch every day. I guess it has it's benefits. Time will move on and things will change. I'll lump it until then.

------

That's all the news there is to report. That is the current state of things.

So much love to each of you for dropping by and wishing well. Tree, I still look at that moon. Autumn, every wish of a happy day and weekend is taken to heart. Becky, you hang in there. That beautiful kid is the whole world of reasons for living. What a joy to experience life through her eyes. Rupen, I keep meaning to drop by your half of the world. Soon, hon. Don't quit writing or reading. Christa, I miss you every day. I'm sorry I haven't stopped by lately. You know I'm always wishing you and Robin the best. Terry, I know your blog is filled with beautiful photos. You are so great at seeing the beauty in the world. You're always good for my spirit!

I love you guys. I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend lately. Thank heavens all of you sure have.

Much love and many bear hugs.

Aggie

3-23-07 Just blue...

Sorry for my absence. I have been blue.
The kitty is still alive, and doing better. It was a long road, without much sleep, to get to this point. The lack of sleep sent me into a depression and the husband into crankiness. That's not a fun combo - and we're not out of it yet.

My new boss has been out for two weeks and will be out again next week. She is 53yrs old and has been stricken with appendicitis. She was misdiagnosed by one of those drive-in doctors. (PrimaCare, CareNow, etc) He told her she had a stomach flu and sent her home with anti-nausea meds. A week later her appendix ruptured and she's been hospitalized. It has been difficult for her.
As much as I sympathize, and I do sympathize, I am left in a new job doing her job. I am overwhelmed. I am exhausted. This has only served to deepen the depression.

Finally, my best friend is suicidal. Her daughter died in August of last year. She has attempted suicide twice. She has been hospitalized both times. She is then released and told to see a therapist. She has tried therapists. They do no good.
The last one told her to "make a list of all the losses you've suffered in your life". This only served to depress her more.
I cannot save her. I don't know how.
Call 911, send them to her apartment, have her hospitalized, wash, rinse, repeat.
I've lost hope. She will die. I know this. I am powerless to stop it.
I will understand when she does it.

For all those people out there who are diligently analyzing Anna Nicole's tragic death, I ask that you stop. It doesn't matter if she was a drug addict. It doesn't matter her mental stability.
She lost her son.
She killed herself.
I understand.
Leave her be.

I'm so very sorry to come here and tell of only sorrow. We have our downtimes in life. I'm having one. For me, it will pass......and surely enough....it will come again.
This is one thing I've learned about getting older. There are a lot more tragedies to live through.

I wish you all well. I hope you are healthy and happy and have someone to hug and love.
Blessings on you all.
I will be back soon - in a much better mood, I hope.
Love,
Aggie

Just a couple of reasons to smile...

Alien Abduction?

It was a Monday night. The light shone into the bedroom window. Curiosity got the better of me. I had to look.
All I could see was the light. It was bright and warm and......
....and then I was on the spacecraft.
The room was dark. Multicolored lights flashed all around. Sound reverberated from the walls. What was that sound? It was oddly familiar. It was...wait...yes..."Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting."

Yes, that's right. I was abducted by Disco Aliens.

I'm back now.

Ok, ok. I wasn't abducted. But it was a good story, right?

I honestly haven't even turned the computer on for two weeks now. (Imagine my e-mail inbox! Gads!)
I suppose an update is in order.

Kitty is doing ok. He's been most of our preoccupation for these past two weeks. See, he lives in the upstairs bedroom alone. He doesn't come down. This is because his eyesight is nearly nil and it's entirely his choice to stay in the confines of a space he is familar with. We promise not to move the furniture.
We've been trying desperately to regulate his diabetes with new insulin. We're using PZI which is made for animals. It is less than good. I could go into great detail about how the curve is supposed to be 24hrs, even though he gets insulin every 12hrs, and how it actually seems to be curving about every FOUR DAYS. I could tell about how is BG stays in the higher 300s and lower 400s regardless of our raising his dosage a bit every week.
None of it would make sense to anyone who doesn't do this to survive, so I'll spare most of the details. I will say that he seems better yesterday and today. At least his appetite is back. (which is good because he's skin and bones at 7.5lbs)
Today I'll try to get a new BG reading but we've worn out his little paws and blood samples are a challenge now. He's old. 19yrs. Circulation isn't his best feature.
Also, last night, for the first time since Mickey died, he wants to come downstairs - even go outside. We have to lock up Mishu and Sophie to let him wander. They are young and spry and would kick poor grampa-kitty's bum. We'll try this at least once a day. I hate do deprive him. He doesn't have that many years left in him.

Work is better. I'm learning. I'm also setting myself in a grand position. It's detailed but I've realized that I will be the only person in the whole company who has total knowledge of both the original company and the new one. Processing between companies is my territory. I'm laying the groundwork. (say "JOB SECURITY")
Aside from that, they still can't keep me busy enough to fill the days. I think that's changing though, since the webstore opened. I'd post a link but that will make me searchable, which goes against my anonymity. Anyway, the webstore is for customers to buy logo-imprinted stuff in max bulk. The webstore opened last week and I suspect it will double the business (and my job) rather quickly. Yay! Busy is so much better than bored.

Finally, my brother came to visit. Yay!! I hardly ever see him anymore. He's two years older and we grew up together. We have the same sense of humor and the same taste in music and a whole lot of the same memories. It's odd though. We talk so seldom but when we do it's so much fun. I miss him terribly but never seem to realize it until I hear his voice or see his face.
Life is funny that way, isn't it?

Well, that's my update. Grampa kitty is calling and I'm off to check on him. When I've got him settled a bit, I'll zip around the web a while. I got up early today just so I could go catch up.

Love and Hugs always!!!
Aggie

I'm still here...I hope you are too.
It's been a long week with our diabetic kitty. 3 full days of vet visits and insulin adjustments and we're not done yet. Kitty is doing a little better. Not dehydrated anymore. Not staying awake all night now. Not drinking way too much. His blood sugar is registering 400 or below most of the time. (a good range is between 300-100) We're getting there.

Work has been...odd. I have hope that it will get better. The training has been very minimal and constantly interrupted. I'm assured that's "normal" and everyone goes through it. I guess that's optimistic.

I hope you're well and nothing terrible is happening that I'm missing. I'll be by asap.
Love and hugs to each of you.
Aggie

2-13-07

The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.
-G.K. Chesterton

Nothing makes you like other human beings so much as doing things for them.
-Zora Neale Hurston

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
-Mahatma Gandhi

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
-Maori proverb

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
-Paul Boese

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.
-Rabindranath Tagore

Gosh, I really miss chatting with y'all. I don't know what's new with any of you. Y'all don't go having any excitement, ok? I'll be by before Sunday. Promise!
I haven't worked out my new schedule yet. I suppose things will settle soon.

Until then, I'd just like to throw a couple of thoughts out:

1 - Does everyone LOVE the music of a Zales Diamond commercial at Valentine's and Christmas? I do. I have to find the source and buy the album.

2 - I am very, very sad for the family of Anna Nichole Smith. She must have been suffering the loss of her son so terribly. HOWEVER - I'm pretty sure my husband is the father of her baby girl. Really. We need a paternity test. Hey - you could be the father too....just throw your name in the hat. Maybe you're related to her by genetic DNA. Who knows.

Ok, I'm just being silly. Your turn. Be silly too.
Hugs and love and I sincerely hope you're all doing well and life is treating you beautifully. If it isn't, just read the quote at the top of my page. It's there for you - and for me.
Love,
Aggie

New Job

Ok...I didn't take THAT job, although I did see an ad in the paper for scoopers. Ack!
Friday marked the end of my jalapeno & green chile customer service days. It was a bittersweet good-bye. I'd only worked there two years but it was a small company and everyone was so close. We all knew the latest and greatest news in each other's lives. Due to the events of the last year, I found (quite to my surprise) that I had a lot emotionally tied to that daily tedium. Ah well. C'est la vie. Que sera sera.
They sent me away with flowers and a cake and even bought lunch. Boy, we don't know how good we've got it until it's buying you lunch, do we?

And then I had a weekend to empty out the old and prep for the new.......

The first day was as one would expect. Employment paperwork, lots of people telling me how wonderful the company is, lots more people being busy and wishing I wasn't sitting behind them.
The good news is that I'm not shocked, confused or surprised by their daily business. It's all very common and normal and makes complete sense to me. I'll be in like Flynn....just as soon as the new network administrator figures out his job. hah.

The company sells promotional products. This basically means I will surf catalogs for pens, pocket protectors, and protractors that companies can slap a logo on and hand out for the general public to lose in the bottom of their purses and briefcases. It's lucrative, apparently. :) I'll play along. It's not complicated and I'll learn a thing or two.
It's like shopping for gifts with someone else's money. Who doesn't like that??? Weeee.

Thanks all for the back pats and ego strokes. I am thankful for every one.
I'll try to update as the days go on.
The only drawback to the new employment is regular hours - 8 to 5. This cuts into my blogging time. (6:30a-7:30a) when I had a 9 to 6 job. Rats.
I'll work it out somehow. If I start typing the dialog from some evening show, you'll know I'm trying to multitask.

Love and hugs to all.

February 2nd, 2007

Groundhog Day

Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
___________________________________________________________________________
Now, aside from the fact that I don't know where in the entire U.S. that the sun is shining enough for a shadow, it seems to me that that silly groundhog has gotten way too involved in meteorology. El Nino? Seriously. What does a rodent know about El Nino?

Anyway, I'm all about an early spring. Bring it on.

Happy Groundhog day all!

February

Well, happy February! If yours is anything like ours, it's freaking cold. One more month and things will thaw and bloom. YAY!

It's been an extremely busy week. I'm training someone else at work so I've had very little privacy. Terry, I think you asked when the new job starts. Well, Monday.
Over the course of a weekend I'll have to dump old ways and start new. That's a lot more stressful than one might imagine. Gosh I hope it goes well.

Verizon has decided to run a plethera of cables into our walls and since we rent we have no say in the matter. They keep coming back into our house and making us move our furniture! Very problematic. I'll be glad when they're gone.

Ok, busy busy busy...can't believe it's Thursday already. But it is so here's today's HNT.

Bwwahahaha.


Love and hugs.

Stardate twenty oh seven, twenty nine dot one

I always wondered how Captain Kirk's days were numbered. They never made sense to me. LOL

Anyway, here's the update.

Pooh, our 18yr old diabetic kitty (now known as Grandpa Cat) began acting odd. (don't worry...this doesn't end badly) Saturday morning I went to his upstairs suite (aka our bedroom) and couldn't find him. "Poooh. Pooooooh." ::Scratch head:: Eventually I turned him up. He was sleeping inside the nightstand. This is an odd act for him. He's never done it before. The first thing that went through my mind was that he knew his time was short. Kitties will go hide when they know that.
I panicked. Called the hubby at work. Panicked him. He came home...kitty was fine. "Fine" is a strange statement with Pooh. He can't see much and I think his hearing and his smeller may be off too. He's only happy when he's being cuddled in his daddy's arms. He doesn't sleep much at night. It's been a year or so since we've had a full night's sleep and some nights he wakes us every couple of hours. Much like having an infant I guess. You get up, give him food, warm his water (because those old teeth are sensitive to cold), pick him up, pet him....hope he goes back to sleep. He doesn't.
He's a waif of his old, plump self. I don't suppose he's long for this world...but I didn't suppose that last year. Ah well. He's with us today. That's enough.

We did "The Big Clean" this weekend. I hate it but it must be done. The two new kitties shed white fur. I had two black cats before and all I have is dark furniture. I had to do something about all that fuzz. LOL It's done. Carpets shampooed, floors mopped, couch vacuumed. Fun, fun fun. (ouch I ache)

Since that's pretty much all I've got, I'll go ahead and drop an inspiring frac. We all need a little Monday inspiration, right? Here's one for the Star Trek theme. LOL



I'll try to stop by tonight for a visit. Thanks all for continuing to peek in here on occasion.
Happy Monday love and hugs.

Mentally prepping for new job....

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed.
-Nelson Boswell

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
-Bill Gates

Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground.
-Anonymous

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
-Doug Larson

1-23-2007 a new job

Yeah, so...I got the job. The new job. The old job is going away at some very secret, predetermined date. (about a month from now)
Anyhoo, I interviewed and I got the job. The new guys seem very nice....(and very financially stable. hah!) I hope I don't eat those words.

Everyone at the new place has worked there for a rediculously long time. Most in the double-digit years. And they don't even seem disgruntled. That's a good thing. Right?

It's less than 5 miles from the house. That will be fantastic when I need to go home for lunch so I can scream at the top of my lungs. Sometimes a gal needs that, you know?

Finally, it pays right. I mean, it isn't a gazillion but I can live on it. LOL
I start in two weeks.

I'm a little sad and trepidacious. I LIKE the job I have now. I like the people. I'm going to miss the security of it.
Let's hope the next one fits like a glove and I never want to leave it.

Happy Tuesday Hugs to All.

The weather - under and out of...

Well, that was one long Thursday, huh?
Actually, I spent the weekend nursing the flu. Yum. Lots o' fun. hee hee
A week ago Saturday I drove home from Houston. I did it at the same time that the cold front was coming down across Texas. About 100 miles out of Houston the temperature started to drop about 1 degree every mile.
When I left Houston the temperature, according to the ol' overhead temp gauge in the truck, was 80 degrees. I watched it fall. 79-78-77-76...69-68-67-66...59-58...49-48...39.......
34 degrees when I got home. A difference of 46 degrees in less than an hour.
And so...I got the flu. lol
It stayed cold in Dallas. I stayed sick.

Yesterday was the first sunny day in over a week. Yesterday, the antibiotics FINALLY kicked in. I can wholly attest that Alka-Seltzer Colds Plus works infinitely better than Thera-flu and twice as long.

I'm off to work. The sun will shine again today. YAY.
I owe you all an update about the job prospect/situation. I promise I'll toss that into the next post. There's a real good quote post coming our way soon too.
I sincerely hope today is filled with sunshine for each of you - inside and out today.
Hugs and love to all.

HNT - Just for funsies. :)~

(I had a great pic. Blogger won't let me upload a pic for some reason. Arrrrgh!)

"Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night."
~ Rodney Dangerfield

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL."
~Lynn Lavner

"Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope."
~Camille Paglia

"Sex is one of the 9 reasons for incarnation. The other 8 are unimportant."
~George Burns

"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship."
~Sharon Stone

"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
~Tiger Woods

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch."
~Jack Nicholson

" Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is."
~Barbara Bush

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet."
~Robin Williams

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place"
~Billy Crystal

"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful."
~Robert De Niro

"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?"
~Dustin Hoffman

"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, 'I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked !"
~Jerry Seinfeld

"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain & a penis, & only enough blood to run one at a time."
~Robin Williams

"It's been so long since I've had sex, I've forgotten who ties up whom."
~Joan Rivers

"Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful & natural experiences money can buy."
~Steve Martin

" You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman. Stuff you pay good money for in later life."
~Elmo Phillips

" Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same."
~Oscar Wilde

" It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married."
~George Burns

Where have I been?

Well I went down to Houston and met that sweet little baby. Only 3yrs since the last one and I'm still amazed at how tiny she is. Little, bitty head...no bigger than your fist. Tiny feets and fingers.
She smiled. I know it was gas. She's very gassy. haha Doesn't matter does it? Smiling infant ranks up there on the top of the list of "great things to see". :)

Sleepy baby.

Big brother hasn't really figured out his place in all this. He's hoarding attention. Why doesn't the world revolve around him anymore?? Very confusing when you're only 3.
His daddy is teaching him, "Don't mess with my sister or I'll give you a knuckle sandwich." Nice, huh? lol All in fun.
To help out - and to remind Riley that he's still special - his parents bought him a Superman outfit. ("Oh, give me a red cape, I wanna be Superman" ~ John Mayer '83) Riley spent the evening running around and looking behind him to see if the cape was flying. I was lucky enough to catch that on camera:

No worries little boy. You will always be Superman to me. :)

Now I'm home in frozen-over Dallas. The roads are iced up and everyone is bumping into one another. Me...I'm watching from the couch.
Everyone bundle up and stay warm.
Hugs and love.

"There is nothing like a newborn baby to renew your spirit - and to buttress your resolve to make the world a better place. "
Virginia Kelley

Hello little girl. I haven't met you but I love you already.

I think that makes her happy...or maybe she has gas. :)~

News! News! News!

First and foremost, Nora Beth Robinson joined our world today. I haven't gotten a single detail except that she is a "she". She has all her fingers and toes and both eyes and ears. ARGH. I can't wait for pictures! Can you??

Secondly, the interview went just fine. Well, phenomenal really. They didn't intend to pay what I want/need but the gentleman I interviewed with said he didn't want to miss the chance to snatch me up. :D I think they're going to meet me where I need to be. I'm thrilled.

Finally, I have an interview tomorow with the president of the company I went to this morning. That's a damned good sign.
Christa, keep those eyes crossed. I think you and Autumn pulled it out for me. Tree - I'm not sure you should cross those two particular things. Sounds painful. It worked though. LOL

Hugs and love and thank you all for sending a little vibe of luck my way. :)

And now...time for a fractal.
Happy Tuesday.

Monday 1-8-2007 The Job Interview

Monday morning, 8am. Two months of looking and I've finally scored "THE JOB INTERVIEW". Don't you hate those? It's always a hideous schmoozefest. You go into it absolutely sure you're going to be sitting across from this guy:

...who'll be judging your every action while you try desperately not to snicker or stare at his hairpiece. OMG.

Ok, that's just silly. I'm qualified. OVER-qualified, if I do say so myself. I look pretty good. I have a very nice outfit - all pressed and ready. I have a copy o' my re-su-me and a copy of an award I won once for outstanding service. I'm good. He can't possibly turn me down. I mean, if Miss USA can have a boozefest AND a second chance, I'm golden, right??

Everybody cross everything and wish me luck. All I really want is for this company to answer the question "How much does the position pay?" with "Well, it pays an enormous sum of money! You'll be set for life." Is that too much to ask?

Hugs and love all Monday long.
Aggie

Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.

-Ovid

You don't just luck into things...You build step by step, whether it's friendships or opportunities.

-Barbara Bush

Self-trust is the first secret of success.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them.

-Chaim Weizmann

An In-Body experience...

Ever had an in-body experience? This happens to me on very odd, rare occasions. I'm driving home from work or I'm at the grocery store looking at the breakfast bars and suddenly....
suddenly...

I step inside myself. I stop and look around and all of my surroundings seem distant, somehow disconnected. I am taken aback, just for that second, by how vast the world is and how small a piece of it I am. I am aware of my existence and of my impermanence all at the same time.

How to explain it? I don't really know. Today it came upon me as the thought (more the feeling really) of how far I am from my family crossed my mind. It was "Wow. I'm REALLY FAR from them. They have NO knowledge of this mundane thing I do right now. It is as if this thing I do does not exist to them."
Isn't that odd.

If you're not really feeling it, I beg you to take a look at this little movie. It might illustrate the feeling a bit. The movie is of a fractal. The movie continues to zoom in on the fractal....WAY in. Somewhere, in a place that never crossed your mind, is yet another fractal. Yet - it was there all along.

Blue Oyster Fractal Movie

Wishing you all a whole lotta NEW in your NEW YEAR!!