The Superbowl Nears

The Superbowl nears. Tomorrow. Wow. Tomorrow. The Green Bay Packers did not make it to the big game this year, but there is hope for next. So, who are you rooting for?

Who do you think will win Superbowl 2009?
	The Steelers
	The Cardinals
	Don't care - I just enjoy the party.
	Don't care - I won't be watching.
	Don't care - I just like the game.
pollcode.com free polls

A Cute for the Day

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There is still snow out there. One more day off for me. This makes me sad and concerned for my job, but there is nothing I can do at the moment, or at all really. I cannot use a shovel from the wheelchair. However, Hubby has just gotten home from work and has worked some on the front porch and the ramp. There is supposed to be a thaw beginning: Tomorrow it is supposed to be 37*F and 44*F on Sunday, just in time for some more snow on Monday. Hopefully the front that is coming in will not dump too much snow or ice on us.

The emotions of yours truly have been quite up and down today. Perhaps it is an irrational fear of losing my job because of the weather, but it is still there. Maybe if I had been able to work longer it wouldn't be such a big deal for me. There is a plan for Monday and getting out, especially if Hubby and friends can work together to get the ice and snow currently being the thorn in my side out of the way before Monday.

Sister2 said that there was enough of my Daddy in me to figure things out, and likewise reminded me I was indeed quite strong and tough, even though I might not feel it at all times. It was good to hear none-the-less.

In listening and watching the news today I must say Hubby and I are quite lucky in all of this. We have power and heat, as well as cable and Internet service. Many people do not have these creature comforts. We are actually blessed and, in all honesty, I need to concentrate on the blessings instead of the potential bad things. If worse comes to worse I can always find another job if this one does fall through.

According to my niece who lives in Florida, a friend of hers just spoke with her and said that it was already having some freezing rain and snow. With luck it will stop at the river for us. We could really use a break in all of this.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a way of heating driveways and sidewalks to thaw ice and snow in the winter? Maybe someone will discover a way of doing this without hurting the ecology. This is the 21st Century after all.

So happy sounding!

Experiment - Fail

Still at home. Still have ice. Now there is snow. Tried to go down the ramp today to test to see whether or not I can get out to work tomorrow. I slid down the ramp more than actually drove down it, and once on the ground was promptly stuck in snow and ice. Hubby had to get me unstuck and back up the ramp. No work for me tomorrow.

Walk on my friend.

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Dancing

Today has been a quiet, recuperative Sunday. Last night me and Hubby and some friends went out dancing. I haven't danced like that in years! We closed down the club and yelled and screamed with the best of them.

It feels like I am home for the weekend from college visiting friends and family!

This work this is still taking me a little time to get used to. However, the first full week has been accomplished and we went live on the phones on Wednesday (the 21st). All of us made it. There were a few nerves for myself and the rest, but we soon got used to it and moved from one section to the next until we were answering the telephones like a pro on Thursday and Friday.

The one thing that is causing me problems is not work, but the absence of blogging! I cannot take my laptop with me to work, nor can I actually log in and blog from my phone, which is proving to cause yours truly to have blogging withdrawal which does cause some grumpiness. I guess I am just going to have to buck up and take my laptop into the living room with me of an evening and check e-mails and blog while some of my favorite programs are on and I am getting to sit beside my adorable Hubby.

Yesterday my unit was notified we could bring books to read, and magazines to look through during the down times - when there are no calls coming in. Since everyone knows I knit, I was giving permission to knit! Could this job get any better? Because we have "filler" moments, I am also going to take the new story and work on it during the quiet times. Working, knitting, and writing all in the same vicinity is beyond wonderful. I will know how it is all going to work out next week.

Just...WOW!

It is dark outside my door. It is also quite cold - 12*F; however, me and mine (the dogs and cat currently) are inside and quite warm. I have never been more thankful for the blessings I have received than today, and I can't give you a solid, concrete reason why today more than any other day previously.

For the first time in many, many months everything is genuinely "working out" the way they are supposed to - good. I have not forgotten The News, or any of you, Dear Readers, and I am struggling trying to keep everything in my home moving forward as well as on-line and at the new job. This "working" thing is causing me some stress on the emotional side because I want to succeed and excel, and, at the same time, I am enjoying it to the point I am almost giddy when I get home from training!

Each day I have thought of this or that I would like to share with you all on The News, and by the time I get home and relaxed some, there is supper to fix and husbands to amuse and please, and dogs to play with until before I know it the time has arrived for going to bed! I have not had the day fly passed like this in my life, not even at school did this happen! It is wonderful, and, at the same time, it makes me sad because I really would like to share some things with you as well as preserve the day as it progresses and thus ends. Hopefully this will not become a habit: only updating on Fridays or the weekends.

It is my deepest hope that, as the work weeks progress and schedules are developed, I will be able to update daily, or semi-daily.

I have not told anyone at work I blog. I am not ashamed, of course, we all know this, but I do not know these strangers yet, although I believe we all will work together quite well. Plus, the manager is a stickler for "not giving out company information" and since I don't exactly know what is considered "company information" I am quite reluctant to let it out that I blog to them, or tell all of you very much of what is happening at work as far as training is concerned.

Nicknames have not yet presented themselves for my co-workers yet either. Each of them is interesting and as different as night and day from each other. The only thing we have in common for the most part is that we work together, but we also tend to get along quite well and laugh freely with one another. And, to be honest, my supervisors are my favorite people, mostly because I have spoken with them more as my ride gets me to work exceptionally early and it is usually just me and them. I hesitate there is a "bond" forming between us, but there is a familiarity with them I do not quite yet have with the others, except for one woman, a girl compared to me. She is quite sweet and so enthusiastic about life and living in general. She is very refreshing and just plain makes you happy to be around her!

I had forgotten, until today, the freedom being employed gives you. It is as if you have everything and nothing all at the same time. The job is a thankless one, true (call center), but it is necessary in today's society and business world, and, it finally hit me today that this is my job and I can either love it or hate it: I chose to love it.

The consciousness of the decision was actually quite subtle, but once it was made it was quite a serious one and it affected my entire being positively. Energy returned to my body and my mind became more alert, and my shoulders relaxed. It was a fantastic feeling.

So, I will update and I will share with you all, but I must first and foremost take care of this fragile health of mine and try and keep the stubborn streak as much under control as possible. Yeah, right. We'll see how long that lasts! But there is peace for once in a very long time, and I am enjoying it.

Fringemas

Feeling Like a Load is Off the Shoulders

I don't know why, but 2008 was a bitch of a year for me. My health suddenly declined. I had to leave school. I had to start looking for a job. My health didn't rebound like it used to; and I am stuck taking more medicine. The economy sucked huge big hairy monkey balls. Life was heavy. You know?

However, when 2009 chimed in with a kiss from Hubby and our dear friend Haro hanging out with us, the weight of 2008 went away. I felt lighter. Happier. I even felt more hopeful than all of 2008 rolled into one huge mass of hope!

I have actually been so hopeful and so filled with peaceful acceptance of a new year of trials, hardships, successes and happinesses that I made a list of New Year's Resolutions and, so far, after three days, have kept them all rolling. Yes, I know, I am teasing by not listing them here, but I really do want to succeed on those 21 little ideas about myself I would like to see change and be better.

Today, on January 3rd I look out upon the sunshine in my back yard and still feel as if that huge weight of what was has been lifted. What is feels lighter and brighter; what will be is still out there and still looking bright and hopeful and far more peaceful than all of 2008. You know how it is - some years are just easier than others, no matter how hard the hardships are and what happens in the middle. Some years it is just easier to accept and roll with the punches than others, and 2008 was filled with a lot of punches that landed on their mark - me.

2009 is going to be a much better year. I feel it in all of my achy bones and knitting fingers! 2009 is going to be wonderful! It already is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

2009

The year 2009 is quickly approaching. It is deeply hoped in this heart of mine it is going to be better than 2008. So much has happened in this year to me personally that it feels good to look at the majority of this portion of the road that is behind me and muster up enough courage to hope that the next year is actually going to be better for me, my family, friends, and everyone else in the world.

Part of me is extremely worried about what this new year is going to bring. There is so much turmoil in the world right now where nothing is certain. Yes, I understand the uncertainty has been there all along and will continue into the future, but this time the uncertainty is almost palpable.

It may be wrong of me, but I am hoping President Obama can indeed make a positive change for this country which will in the trickle down affect me in the positive as well.

Hope is hard to come by these days with all that is going on.

2008 wasn't all bad. There were some bright spots in there, but, for the life of me, right now I cannot think of one single one to use as an illustration other than I have a job now and am employed.

Um....

The Christmas ill has arrived.

I am still knitting.

The shopping is NOT done.

The presents are NOT wrapped.

Yes, there is panic mixed in with the death-warmed-over feelings.

He's Expecting His First Puppy!

Cheyenne is getting his first puppy not very long after Christmas. It is a lab/rott/boxer mix. To me this means smart/smart/smart. If Cheyenne can train the little fella he will have a wonderful companion! However, it is going to be somewhat of a culture shock for him because up until now all he has had as a pet has been cats. Currently he has three cats, which are going to totally freak once they realize their domicile is going to be compromised by a dog. This amuses me greatly. Cheyenne has never had to worry about whether or not his shoes were out of the way, or if the toilet seat was down, or if the toilet paper was where it was supposed to be. He has never had to concern himself with setting a get-up time just so a puppy can go to pee, or that he needs to make sure he has the right food and clipping toenails and all of those wonderful dog-owner things. Yes, dear readers, it amuses me, because when I see people get their first dogs I always acquaint it with someone having their first baby, which is what having a dog is like. The baby grows up relatively quickly, true, into an eight year old (or sometimes a 12 year old) child for the rest of the dog's life. Sometimes it is a great big culture shock. Sometimes it isn't. There is always several hours of panic scattered throughout the beginning though, just like a new parent.

I am going to be here to help him, of course, and I am quite confident he is going to be a good dog owner and friend, but he is going to have a lot to get used to, as well as a totally different mind-set to undertake, especially until he sees what kind of personality the puppy has or will develop. I am actually excited for and with Cheyenne, and, at the same time, very glad all of mine are grown up enough I don't have to worry about any of the newer things related to puppydom.

It is hard enough to keep up with the cool presents my pack is going to receive as well as to what they should get for Christmas! (Currently the things are stashed away nicely in the cupboard up away from prying noses.)

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3-2-1...BEEEP!!

Thanksgiving – with its turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pies, cakes, and so many varied dishes – has come and gone. As is the tradition, many shoppers woke up early on the Friday after Thanksgiving to begin their Christmas shopping. Traditionally this has come to be known as “Black Friday” because the stores go from being in the red financially to being in the black. Despite the economy being what it is, shoppers did go out on “Black Friday” and shopped until they dropped. Several of my friends were among the masses filling the malls, stores, and shops about town. I stayed home with my darling hubby and enjoyed just being alone with him for the first time in quite a few days. It was lovely. It was precious. It was needed because both of us were exhausted.

It is hard for me to accept Christmas is not that far around the corner. Money is stressing me out this year, as in the lack of…. I have a job interview tomorrow that I am so hoping and praying I get. It is full-time work in a medical office answering telephones and doing a lot of typing. This is work I can do, and, if everything works out the way it should, I might actually be able to start work on Monday with a paycheck coming within a couple of weeks. If not, well, I am going to have to borrow money from Hubby for Christmas shopping for the first time in quite a while in order to get the few presents I need to purchase, as well as a couple more yarns for making presents people have requested of me.

Knitting has gone from being my little hobby; it appears, to being something else…something very positive and very necessary. For a while there was this negative part of me that kept pushing at me that the knitting had become a burden and I should just give it up. Just as quickly as this thought another one popped up, this one louder than the other, “If you give up knitting, what are we going to do with our hands when the TV is on? And why be forced to purchase the warm things we could make?” I had to agree with myself, but this did not lift the Christmas lethargy that has befallen me.

It is so hard for me to find the cheer and the happiness this time of year usually brings me. The song, “Where Are You Christmas?” has me nodding in agreement, because this is just how I feel, except for the joyous return of the Christmas spirit at the end of the song. I hope it does come back, because I miss it – I miss everything about it.

Why has it befallen me, this non-Christmas spirit? I have thought about this question a lot recently and have not found one reason why I should be feeling this way, except for the lack of funds on my part. Plus, I keep looking around me at all of the economic forecasts and am fearful and filled with questions: Has the country gone so far down that the new President cannot pull it out in time before another Depression hits? Why did President Bush let the country get into this condition? He ended up richer, but we common people are much poorer than what we were eight years ago, and this nation, us common people, are fighting two wars, which is straining the economy even more. When I look at all of this I don’t want to spend too much money on just things, but want to make the presents purchased, or made, truly good ones, and important to the recipients.

On the other hand I want Christmas to be special to everyone around me. I want this Christmas to be especially special because of so many reasons – the difficulty some of my friends are going through, a sense of change that is in the wind, and, quite honestly, a sense of uncertainty for the future. More than anything I want this Christmas to be wonderful as a point I can look back on, as well as my family and friends, as something memorable and good should the following year be less than memorable or good.

When you combine all of these things there is a tremendous amount of pressure on me. I could just let it go and concentrate only on myself and Hubby, but my family has grown in the past year with wonderful friends and I am closer than ever to my in-laws. My world has expanded over the past year with people, good, wonderful people that fill my heart with joy and happiness and it would be grand to give them something special just to show them, visibly, just how much they mean to me. Because, quite frankly, if the bottom does fall out from under us, out from under this nation, all we people are going to be left with is each other.

It IS Here

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Turkey Day Approaches

For some reason, this year's Thanksgiving has snuck up on me. It seemed that not too very long ago I was planning for summer and school. Where did the year go? I have often heard it say that the older you become the faster time passes. It is sadly proving to be quite true. Still, Thanksgiving approaches and once again me and Hubby are going to be surrounded with loved ones. I am thankful for each and every one of you.

This year Cheyenne is going through a difficult time with his father's illness. Today he said that the "family Thanksgiving" - the one me and Hubby host every year once the traditional Thanksgiving is done on the traditional Thursday - was helping him to relax a little. In times of crisis and sick family members if you can remind yourself of normal, peaceful times, your brain and heart can give you a short break before it goes back to breaking into a million pieces. Usually these moments of normalcy are called "distractions", and I have never fully understood why - because you aren't distracted at all from what is happening. It is there in the back of your mind; it nudges here and there and always reminds you of what is happening and that you can do absolutely nothing about it.

However, when you can find a moment of normal happening, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, even a trip to the mall or library, and everything falls into place if only for a short time, you catch your breath and smile easier, and even laugh.

Therefore, this Thanksgiving is important for my little family. Cheyenne needs a place of peace, and all of my family and friends need to rest from all their labors and be Thankful for what they have. Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been important to me, but not as important for those around me as this one seems to be. I am going to work very hard to give them the place for that rest and relaxation.

Bush Pardons 14

I understand each President does this before leaving office, but why should he pardon embezzlers and tax evaders? I can understand others, truly I can, but Why them?

Sometimes You Have to Laugh or You'll End Up Crying

"There are times when you just have to laugh or you'll end up crying," is a saying someone from back home on Stinnett used to say when bad things happened (except deaths), and the 'bad things' that happened usually had to do with relationships. Somehow this person could always put a funny, hilarious spin on what said event and whoever was around to hear always laughed.

There is a lot going on these days in the world, and it isn't all good. Most of it is bad. However, there are some people in this world that really can give you smile, even inadvertently, such as the people here in this photo. According to Yahoo, "The crimes against fashion being committed by Phoebe Price and her BFF Bobby Trendy on Robertson Boulevard are so severe that we're left speechless." On the whole, what can you do but laugh at this mess? Especially said Bobby Trendy. Let's just not go there! LOL!

However, there are some things that never go out of style, such as good looking men, and one of the best ones out there is Leonardo DiCaprio.

The man just gets better looking with age, and his ability just keeps growing. If this were truly the "golden age of cinema" as it was back in the 40s and 50s, he would be beyond popular. He would be an actor to reckon with in the craft.

Another guy I am finding a few heart-strings flipping for in my old, happy age is Jason Statham.

The man is an up-and-coming action star. He has not yet found his great role yet in my book, but his heroic roles so far have me anticipating happily each movie he comes out with; even the fantasy piece he did was excellent. It did not pretend to be anything more important and different than what it truly was: a good fantasy flick with heroism left and right.

So, today, have a laugh if you can. It really does help make everything better.