While I Was Snapping Photos

I'm back from my March Photo Challenge. It helped to lift me out of an 8 week, self-imposed hibernation in the cave of depression/anxiety. It was pretty cozy under the blankets of my bed for 16 hours a day.

Luckily I have Mr Sunshine, Sorority Girl and my Bestie Betsy who will drag my ass out into the sunshine every now and then.

SG had a 3rd grade student performing in a children's theater academy production of Cinderella. It was really enjoyable and Boy! are some of those kids talented. SG dragged my ass out of bed to sit by the pool and for a couple of shopping trips. I bought this cute dress at H&M...

Mucho Cute with bright yellow accessories.

Betsy dragged my ass out of bed for a trip to the beach and a trip to the movies to see...

I love George Clooney. My brother looks a little like George. Someday I'll do side by side photos (or as my Canuck grandfather used to say, "side by each").

Mr Sunshine dragged my ass out of bed for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Tournament (see March 23) and a trip to Outback Steak House for steak and lobster.

While I was undercover, I watched this...

If you are the Muppet fan that I am, you MUST SEE this! It was so good, I may watch it again. It's on Netflix.

Have a nice Easter Weekend!

Did I Tell You About October?

October of 2011 is going down in history as one of the suckiest months...EVER!

When I injured my neck in a car accident in 1980, the neurologist said that at some point in time I would probably develop arthritis in my neck. That time arrived in October. I can't turn my head to look over my shoulder. You don't want to be behind me when I back up the car...just sayin'.

!@#$%&%$#@! computer crash when I clicked on a cute Blog with DIY craft projects. I lost EVERYTHING because I'm one of those fools that never backed up her files.
Goodbye 1000 recipes. Goodbye folder with my favorite 65 blogs. Goodbye every photo I've taken in the past 5 years. Goodbye 2000 songs in iTunes.
There is a special place in hell for people who fuck with other people's computers with viruses.

We played nicely with the IRS. We had to prove we're not hiding money HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
It's a good thing I'm OCD about never throwing away receipts. I could produce almost every piece of paper we needed to produce, going back to 2004. It got schlepped to the lawyer's office in a giant brown shopping bag (because I have a stash of those in the laundry closet). It's over and it's all good.

Remember when I spent April in Massachusetts taking care of my Mom post-back surgery? 6 months later she has fallen, broken something in her hand and her back is in pain. They decided to do a CAT scan to see if she messed up something they already fixed or injured something new. It's something new, but they also found a 2cm mass on one of her Adrenal glands. That explains the high blood pressure, high blood sugar and heart palpitations. We're waiting for an appointment for a biopsy.

I coped with October by breathing deeply, snorting a 1 pound bag of Pretzel Crack&M's and taking epic 4 hour naps.
HELLO NOVEMBER. Happy to see you!

Hibernation Station

I've turned the Sunshine State Treehouse into a Hibernation Station.

I'm still Non-employed and not looking. Probably in Feb. when I find out Mom's back situation.
I started taking a bunch of new Meds that were chosen by healthcare professionals, strictly on the basis of being on the $4 Generic list.
I somehow whacked my back out last weekend. I blame the Big Bissell Of Evil. 2 days in bed with an ice pack on my butt was helpful.

I talk to people on my phone that actually survived the Potty Swim. Sorority Girl fills me in on Housemate Drama and Cape Cod Kid tells me all about his trip to Atlantic City and his new tattoos (that he didn't get in Atlantic City)
I take 2 to 3 mile walks (if the temperature is over 60) and 2 to 3 hour naps (if the temp is under 60)
I'm doing a book of 80 crossword puzzles at the rate of about 5 a day.
I talk Mom down from her moving/house selling/Nasty relatives anxiety.
I eat Saltines with Peanut Butter for lunch.

I spent 5 hours looking at weather maps and standing on the porch during a wicked storm and tornado warnings.I swore the lightning was hitting our parking lot.

I have pretty much perfected my recipe for Almost Sugar-Free Fruit and Oatmeal Bars.

Blogs, blogs, blogs, facebook, MahJong. Blogs, blogs,blogs, HuffPo, facebook, MahJong.

Today Show, Regis and Kelly, Today Show, The View, News, All My Children, The Talk, Ellen, Oprah, News, Jeopardy. My boyfriend Steven Tyler on American Idol. All caught up on Grey's Anatomy and The Big Bang Theory.

Read...Pillhead: The Secret Life Of A Painkiller Addict by Joshua Lyon...The Shack by William P Young...ROOM by Emma Donoghue.  All three of them made me think about a LOT of things that I can't begin to explain.

The problem with hibernation is that I enjoy it WAY too much.

Thank You, Fritos

Thank you Mom, for really appreciating everything I did in the past week. I sure crammed a lot into 6 days...cleaned the house, called the real estate agent, 2 doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, 2 loads of laundry, cooking, cleaned out the shed, packed 15 boxes and dragged them to UPS and a trip to the church thrift shop.

Thank you, Factory Brand Shoes store for Nike walking shoes for $49, then an additional $5 off with AAA. My generic walking shoes did not survive a 4-mile walk last week.

Thank you, large bag of Fritos and a small bag of Peanut Crack&M's and Mickey D's large coffee and 7-11 Super Big Gulp for keeping me company on the ride home. At 2:30 this morning, my stomach was not giving thanks for that little 3 hour diet disaster, but a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to stay alert on the long highway.

Thank you, Mr Sunshine for taking apart my Fred Flintstone phone and attempting to rescue the poor thing from a swim in the potty. Personally, I think it jumped from my pocket on purpose. It's a bare-bones phone that is probably 4 years old. At least 6 of the keys were sticky. I had an internal screaming fit every time I sent a text message. We'll see what happens after it dries out.

Thnak you, Florida for being the one and only state in the country with no snow! I saw the photos of my brother and sister-in-law shoveling the 18 inches of hell in their driveway. NEVER AGAIN!

One Liners

• I worked 9 days in a row.
• I have been sleeping 18 hours a day since last Friday.
• I had a VERY long discussion with the Boss of my boss.
• My new bathing suit is 3 sizes smaller than my last bathing suit.
• I just finished reading Cutting For Stone. SO GOOD it is now in my Top 5 favorites.
• Mr Sunshine keeps talking about getting a new cat.
• I'm not sure how I feel about that.
• Disney next Monday with the NEPHEWS!
• The shit that is supposed to go down at the so-called "Church" in Gainseville is making me sick to my stomach.
• New season of Sons Of Anarchy! I had to DVR the first episode and hope to watch it today.
• I am seriously missing sugar in my diet. Apparently I was addicted to Peanut Crack&M's.

Gracias Por Todo 2009

2009

Wasn't too bad, as far as years go. No major illnesses or disasters for our immediate family.
We moved to a new apartment that we really love. We have jobs.

Here's some of my FAVORITES OF 2009

TV: GLEE. I was a teenage chorus and band room geek. I love the characters (especially Kurt. I want to adopt him). I DVR the episodes, so I can watch a second time.
SONS OF ANARCHY. Sometimes I have to cover my face, because it is that violent, but once again, I love the characters and the storytelling.

BOOKS: SACRED HEARTS by Sarah Dunant. A young woman is sent to a convent against her wishes, in 1570, in Italy.
BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK by Jen Lancaster. She made me laugh out loud, so I read her first 3 books and enjoyed them all.
THE MIDDLE PLACE by Kelly Corrigan. If you have taken care of a parent, you can relate.

BEAUTY PRODUCTS: I started using Patricia Wexler products. We sell them at work, so I was able to sample them before I bought them. They're more expensive than the corner store, but less than department stores. I am completely addicted to her SKIN REGENERATING SERUM (makes your skin feel like satin) and TINTED MOISTURIZER (spf 30 and I threw away all my foundation).

RESTAURANTS: We were in South Beach for the Patriots-Dolphins football game a few weeks ago. We asked the concierge for "the best burger place in South Beach". She sent us to BURGER AND BEER JOINT. It was soooooooooooooo good. They make a 10 pound burger that is the size of a manhole cover. We skipped it, but we heard it had been featured on a Travel Channel show.
In our search for local, authentic Mexican food, we have had a few disappointing meals. Our favorite place went downhill when new owners took over. We recently found GARIBALDI in Apopka FL. This week was our third trip and every meal has been really good.

ADULT BEVERAGE: I'm not a big drinker. YUENGLING will do for beer. PINOT GRIGIO is probably my favorite wine. AMARETTO is my liquor of choice. I have recently discovered I love Amaretto even more when you throw it in some cranberry juice. I'm stocking up on Cranberry juice during the holiday "Buy 1, get 1 free" sales.

FAVORITE BLOG POSTS: The ones I wrote for SORORITY GIRL and CAPE COD KID's birthdays. (Go meet my kids)

BEST NEW EXPERIENCES OF 2009:
Eating an orange I had just picked at the orange grove.
My first NBA basketball game.
My first college football game.
I ate gator and went on an airboat ride.
Joined facebook.

BEST WORK ON A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: 1-1-10, I weighed in at 16 pounds less than I did on 1-1-09!!! 46 down, 24 to go!

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, 2009

*this post idea was inspired by my new favorite bloggy friend, Bunny* (Go meet Bunny)

Christmas Wrap-Up

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was quiet, as usual.

Sorority Girl and Cape Cod Kid were here. They make me smile and laugh. They got tattoos together. We watched movies and episodes of GLEE that were still on the DVR. They introduced me to Tough Love and True Blood (both are kind of yucky).

We got a Wii from Santa. Back in November, a local blogger invited me to a Wii Fit launch party and I received a free Wii Fit! I know!!! I haven't used it yet, because I have the plague.

I worked full-time for a week or two before Christmas. I'm WAY too old for that. I don't think handling thousands of dollars of filthy money is good for someone who tends to have a wonky immune system. I had the hand sanitizer close by, I washed my hands every time I could break away and my mantra was "keep hands away from face....ohmmmm".

The Sunday before Christmas, I started wheezing. That continued until yesterday morning, at 4AM, when I woke up and coughed up half a lung. Thank Baby Jesus In The Manger, I had a $144 rebate check from my car insurance company. I still live in the Land Of The Uninsured.
Diagnosis: Asthma AND Bronchitis. Double the pleasure, Double the fun.

Doctor's fee=$123
Advair Inhaler=free (Love you, Dr Cool)
Ventolin Inhaler=$10 (Thank you, WMART)
Antibiotic=$4 (ditto)
Steroids=$4 (ditto)
Apple juice (I'm on clear liquids) $2.99

You do the math.

Thank you for all your prayers for my aunt. She had a serious setback on the 22nd, but still went home on Christmas Eve. I talked to her the other night and they have made adjustments to her treatment. She sounds good, but I am fully aware that she is in the end stage of her illness.

I'm working on my "Best of 2009" post.

I Want To Tell You. But I Can't.NOW WITH UPDATES!

Somebody called tonight with really good news. But I can't tell anyone. Because it hasn't been announced on facebook yet. It isn't official until it's on facebook.
UPDATE!! The good news is officially on facebook. Sorority Girl's Big Sister (of the Sorority type) got ENGAGED last night. She is truly the Big Sister my daughter never had. If I could have hand-picked a big sister for my daughter, it would have been E. She is funny and sweet and has graduated to become a kindergarten teacher. We are so happy for her.

I have to be at work in 5 hours....at 5:30AM. I'd like to tell you what we're going to be doing there this weekend. But I can't. Because we had to read the Social Networking Manifesto at work about how it isn't appropriate to talk on facebook or your blog about what's going on at work.
UPDATE!! Let's just say, the little elves were hard at work before the sun came up.

I want to tell you what book I'm reading next. But I can't. Because I haven't decided. I TRIED...really hard, to read Emma by Jane Austen. 2 weeks and 45 pages later I called it quits and decided to re-read Julie and Julia.
UPDATE!! My Mom brought me a book. It is called The Big House-A Century In The Life Of An American Summer Home. The author writes about a house on Cape Cod that has been in his family for 100 years. The house is being sold and he takes his wife and children for one last trip.


I want to tell you what happened this week on So You Think You Can Dance and Grey's Anatomy. But I can't, because I haven't watched them yet. We were at Mom's, opening her house for the winter, getting her computer set up, filling her fridge with food and getting the brakes fixed on her car.
No Update yet. I still haven't watched anything on the DVR.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Crazy Little Fall Weekend Update

It's been a crazy little week, here in The Sunshine State.

I'm going through one of my stages of insomnia. Since I never have to be at work before noon, I can deal with falling asleep at 3AM and waking up at 10AM, but last night was crazy. I was awake until after 4AM and was up for the day at 9AM.

Speaking of insomnia, who else but an insomniac would be designing Halloween costumes at 3AM? We're going to a local blogger's famous, annual Halloween party. He plans amazing props and scenery. Last year we couldn't go, so I'm excited we can make it this year. The theme is invaded by aliens, so I've designed "Alien Investigator" costumes that I can probably pull off for under $10 each.

In other COSTUME NEWS: Sorority Girl's semi-formal event is next weekend. Their theme is famous couples. Thursday we worked on costumes for her and her date.

Remember the Spartan Cheerleaders from SNL? We re-created the shirts with a bag full of red and silver ribbon, black t-shirts, white fabric, hem tape and fabric glue.

Is it Fall? Really? Not here in The Sunshine State. It has been in the 90's all week! Last weekend was Parents Weekend at University Of Tropical Paradise. It was so hot that we got heat headaches. I had an upset stomach from drinking so much water.

We were sitting WAY up in the stadium, on metal bleachers, in the sun.

Who knew you could get a crispy, crunchy sunburn at a college football game in October?

I WAS A TEENAGE MARCHING BAND GEEK! I loved watching the band do their before-game and halftime show. The Mom in me was worried about the band members in the hot heat, in black uniforms, marching around with heavy instruments.

In other Fall-related news. It has been so hot that the Rhododendron buds all rotted and fell off the trees before they could even open. Last night was so hot, we decided not to cook out on the grill. We're running the A/C and the ceiling fans at the same time.

We're in the process of melding the Autumn product with the Holiday Preview product at the store. It's a little surreal. I'm unpacking boxes of product with little snowmen and reindeer, wearing shorts and tank-tops, chugging ice water and mopping the sweat running down my face.

To my Northern friends: I heard you might be getting snow tonight.

Want a little Florida Sunshine? I wish I could package it and send you some.

The So-Not-A-Vacation Chronicles

I've been here in Dial-up-Internet Land for 12 days. I need a vacation.

I've accomplished almost all of my Mom's Honey-do list, with the exception of washing all her windows.
I spent 2 days cleaning up 5 years worth of crapola off her computer.
I cleaned her garage and the attic.

The SURPRISE birthday party was a hit.
I've seen 6/8 of my nieces and nephews and all of my aunts.
I had lunch with The Golden Girls (Mom, her sister and 2 of Mom's friends..all over 70 yrs old)

I got to meet Cape Cod Kid's girlfriend. He's in love. She's sweet.

Excitement is happening. My nephew, the fashion model, got a job appearing in a music video that was played on the big screen at a concert and then was hired to be in a documentary about the concert.
Did you know that fashion models that appear in music videos and documentaries get paid
$800 a DAY!!!!!!

His twin brother got a job at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston. He's NOT making $800 a day.

I have eaten fried clams and steamed clams. Today's menu is clam cakes (otherwise known as fritters) I have also eaten Linguica, which is Portuguese sausage, which is apparently not exported to the state of Florida,

Last Friday, I spent the day in a car with my 3 most negative relatives, who shall remain nameless. Then for the next 2 days I had a screaming migraine headache. These 2 events may or may not be related.

Beware of evil MOSQUITOES! Mom got bitten by a mosquito. By the next morning, her entire shin was hot and red and seriously infected. We've been to the lab and doctor's office twice and she has another week of medication left to take.

The only thing left for me to whine about is the weather. 90 degrees inside and outside of the house.
Mom HATES A/C.

That's all.

Because It's Hard To Stack Oatmeal

Mindy: Why are you making a tower of Cheerios?
Mork: Because it's hard to stack oatmeal.
We had tickets to see Robin Williams last Friday night, but he is having an aortic valve replacement. He hopes to reschedule his shows for Fall. We'll be there.

In other weekend excitement, I helped Mom pack and move 16 boxes to the new Tin Can she is buying in April from one of her friends.
Friday night we played Pokeno for Pennies. I won a buttload of pennies from those senior citizens!
She managed to drag me to church TWICE in 24 hours, once to her Catholic Church and then to the Presbyterian Church where she sang in the guest choir.

Saturday night she was calling me to hurry out to the back yard...."Come and see this!"
Muskhogean? The ducks with the red heads? Mating, out in the middle of the little lake. There was quite a crowd out there watching the ducks. Mating.

It should have been a 3 to 4 hour trip home today. Between one highway shut down for a big accident, one smaller accident, one smoky highway from a brush fire and one stop for gas it took me 6 hours of driving.

An Ups and Downs Kind Of Week

It's been a week of ups and downs here.

The barometric pressure has been up and down. My joints have been swelling with the changes. Do you remember hearing old people talk about how they could tell what the weather was going to do based on how much their arthritis hurt? Now I AM one of those old people who says "there must be a storm coming, my knees hurt".

We had a hard time coming up with the last of Sorority Girl's Spring tuition. With another loan from Bank Of Grandma we made it. On the upside, we did her tax return and she'll get a refund large enough to pay for Fall Semester books.
She came to spend the night Thursday to make me laugh and smile. It worked.

I had been trying to take my Very Important Medication every other day, to avoid refilling my prescription. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE idea.
I was sleeping way too much (from midnight to 4PM the next day) and dreaming all kinds of weird stuff. They weren't nightmares, just very vivid images and crazy events. Chalk that up as one stupid experiment.

I read a couple of books that I was looking forward to and they both disappointed me. On the upside, I'm almost done with the Super Secret Scrapbook Project.

Sunday is looking like it might be an UP kind of day.
Winery! Festival! Blues! Art!
And Another trip to Showcase Of Citrus.

Not-Blogging

It's been quite the week of Not-Blogging here.

I've been grabbing as many call-in shifts at work as they want to give me.

I hurt my lower back at Pool Therapy. Isn't pool therapy supposed to be GOOD for my back? This came 2 weeks after hurting my neck at Pool Therapy. Who knew I shouldn't flutter kick or raise my right arm above my head?

I had to make a 3AM emergency Dr Mom visit to Sorority Girl. I hit the 24-Hr CVS on the way and sat up with her for a few hours. Then I came home and soothed my anxiety by Spring Cleaning half of the apartment and rearranging the living room furniture.

I'm working on a Super-Secret-Scrapbooking Project. In the process, I've learned how to emboss photos and change color photos to greyscale and had to do some research for quotes and poems to include. I also learned I could do all this while my aching back was glued to the sofa, while watching ELLEN and MARTHA STEWART.

My best friend in Wisconsin and I have discovered Yahoo IM. We 've been friends for 29 years and never talk on the phone. We have written letters and emails and visited each other. We have rarely lived in the same state. We now IM chat a few times a week

We've been playing Fluctuating Florida Temperatures. A/C to Heat to A/C to Heat. Long sleeves to short sleeves to long sleeves. Flannel nightgowns to T-shirts to Flannel nightgowns. Clogs and socks to Flipflops to Clogs and socks.
NOT COMPLAINING-JUST EXPLAINING.
Thank the Universe and The Power Of Love every night that I live in The Sunshine State. The sky is blue and the Azaleas are blooming outside my patio.

A Few Sunshiny Updates

A few things have happened since the start of the New Year.

Cape Cod Kid is still here. I think he's getting a little claustrophobic in the apartment. I try to get him out every day. We've been to the bookstore, the park, grocery shopping. I've tried to get him to throw these jeans in the trash. He's had them forever. They're his favorite jeans.
"Look, Mom. I'm wearing my favorite jeans and a smug look on my face"
He wants to live in that beautiful apartment building because it has a Japanese Meditation Garden.

This snowman delights me. I thought after the sale price and rebate it would end up costing me about $3. After I filled out the rebate form I realized that it was going to be FREE!!!!!

Remember this sad story? A week after my Visa Check card disappeared, the same thing happened to my boss. She called the police. Then she called me.

We figured out that there was one employee that worked with each of us on those two days. My boss had already suspected that this person was responsible for some cash shortages in the registers. When my boss mentioned the employee's name, the police officer knew of her and told my boss that there was a current investigation.

I received a phone call yesterday morning. She had been arrested for Grand Larceny, Credit Card fraud and Identity theft. (I think) her name is Sandy. Apparently she has 3 names for her 3 identities.

Visa has already replaced the money in my checking account. It only took 8 days. THANK YOU VISA.