Tall buildings

This week both my boss and the CFO came into town and I had to drive the CFO to a meeting to meet my boss who was at an offsite meeting. The request was sprung on me kinda last minute, and it meant I had to find a place to vacuum out my Jeep after the road trip to Alabama last weekend. Boy did it need it. Exciting, huh, car cleaning.... anyway.....As I pulled up to the meeting site, I realized how much I miss a 'corporate environment.' Our office is in an office park... single story buildings, quiet location, etc.

But the meeting today was at a huge complex of 5 high rise buildings had beautiful courtyards full of men in business suits striding to and from meetings. Across the street restuarants were full of the business crowd grabbing a bite to eat.I miss the hustle and bustle. We used to have 180 people in our company. Now we have 6 in our office and 20 in the SJU office. I miss the friendships. I miss the business aura that surrounds the work day. I miss the opportunity of seeing alot of people during the day. I miss the electric energy that we once had here a few years ago. I miss elevator rides.

But then I remember that I don't miss fighting the traffic daily to work. I don't miss rigid hours and the politics that those type of offices have.

I'd also miss the very low stress job I have now. And the great boss that I have.

Yes, I could change jobs, and I've thought about it. But the thought never lingers long. I've got a great job, great boss, easy hours, easy commute, great benefits...(I mean how many other companys send you to Puerto Rico to go bowling?)

But still.... courtyards, people, activity, elevators, lots of men in suits........ I miss that.

GRRRRRR

Boss #1 is in town this week.

It began with a phone call Wednesday night at 9pm. Seems he arrived in town and when he got to his apartment he decided to run out and get some groceries. And after shopping, the battery in his car was suddenly dead in the parking lot of the grocery store. So he calls me. 9pm.

I was so not in the mood to drive 1/2 hour to where he was, jump his car off then go back home. But I would have. It's my job, I mean since he called and whatnot. I was just tired and had a lot to do that night.

So, I thought quickly and gave the place that put the tires on my car that was near him, a call. Luckily they were 'kinda' open and the very, very, very nice lady there offerred to swing by and jump the car off since they didn't have the right battery there for his car.

This morning it cranked and he gets to the office and gives me the keys to the Jag. I go out to take it to the dealer to get a new battery, and the car won't crank. The car alarm seems to have more than enough juice to sound off with however.

So.... I... me... end up jumping it off with a little bit of help of one of the guys in the office. Not one of the guys jumping it off.. me. The girl.

A little about Jaguars:

~ The engines have covers over everything and you can't see what's what without breaking a fingernail or two.
~ The battery is in the trunk. Hidden under the floormat in the wheel well.
~ Jaguar batteries run $178.00.

I hate cars. Even jags.

Shopping

I'm wading around waist deep into shopping withdrawal.

For years and years I never went shopping.

Seriously, never.

My kids got all their clothes from relatives or at Christmas time or birthdays. There were no trips to the mall, or any other store that wasn't a grocery store. I didn't buy nail polish or even a book...and forget about new clothes. Thank goodness I didn't gain weight back then.

The grocery budget was a solid $50 a week for a family of 5, and you did NOT go over it. It's no wonder I'm not a gourmet cook. You don't need a stove when the diet is peanut butter and jelly or fruit.

So now after years of neglect, I'm suffering from shopping withdrawal.

I'm in the "I want" stage again. The serious I want stage.

Last time I was in this stage, I opened 7..... SEVEN... charge cards. I've since paid 4 off. Then a week ago, I opened a Lowes card and bought patio furniture. And it felt gooooooooooood.

Le sigh......................... and now I want more.

I want to landscape. I want to buy planters and plants.
I want to build a lattice fence with roses, and azaleas and shrubbery.

I'm bummed.

I built a landscaping allowance into the pool budget but, between repairing the house damage of the 3 hurricanes last year; 2 cars that broke, got repaired and then died; a son going to college, and no help from the ex, the budget was wiped out.

I want the damn pool finished.

It's holding me hostage. Which is probably a good thing.

Fortunately the weather is not 'swim' weather.... yet. Somehow I know I will feel better when I'm floating lazily, drink in hand in my pool.

In the meantime, I will not shop.... I will not shop... I will not shop.

I want to be able to afford the water for the pool.

Somebody pass the patience, pleaseandthankyou.

Games

After all the car dramas....I needed some cheering up.

So I went back to work and signed on and decided to indulge myself reading some of the 28 alerts that had accumulated in my inbox today.

Seems everyone is finding out what kind of bra they are.

Ok. Fine. I'll play along. So I clicked.

I realize I'm in trouble when I can't picture Orlando Bloom or Colin Farrell. I have no clue as to who looks like what. So I figure that I better 'google' them and take a look. I mean one wrong answer and I could find myself being a Playtex nursing bra or something. Just my luck.

Then I realize I'm 'googling' answers to a quiz. How dumb is that?!

Besides, I already know what kind of bra I am.

I am a push up, demi cup, strapless, underwire little red lace number.....

......That probably costs the price of a good used car. I mean, doesn't everything? PFFT.

OUCH

I went home for lunch today.....

.....I'm figuring that was where I went wrong first.

I'm fighting off another cold but it's almost 70 degrees here and sunny, so I was feeling pretty darn good anyway. I was humming....I shoulda seen it coming.

I'm in my office at home having lunch when Son #3 comes in...

"Mom....?" he calls out.... and I can tell from the tone that something is up."Hey bud, done with practice?" I ask.

"uh, no, and Joe's here." he says.

"Joe? Car guy Joe?! Why is Joe here?" I can feel the darkness closing in around me.

"The car died. He brought me home.

"Yes, the car is indeed dead. No, not the one that had the engine replaced, it died a month ago. Dead. That one needs to be towed to that great car lot in the sky dead. No this is the OTHER car that Son#1 at college gave up to Son#3 two weeks ago. Two weeks. Another engine blown. Dead. Kaput. Extinct.

Then... oh yea, it gets better..........I hear a hammering in the backyard. I look out and see this...


Electricians putting the light in... which they had to order because they didn't have last week when they were here working....

Well I think, when I see them... at least something good is happening.....

.......they finish and hand me their final bill. If it wasn't for having to go back to work, I'd have gone upstairs, locked my door and climbed under my covers.

Instead, I wrote the electricians a check, called a tow truck to go get the now dead car, sent Son#3 in Son#2's car to go clean out the dead car and I came back to work.

This hurts. Huge hurts.

I'm not sure how many more hits like this I can take before I put the cars into the pool of doom, climb in, and pull the dirt in over me.....

Weather

Today kicks off Severe weather awareness week here in Atlanta. We started it with rain, thunder, severe lightning, tornado warnings, dime size hail, tornado watches and golf ball size hail breaking windows.

Gee, with all this bad weather, I'd hate to be someone that is waiting on some outside construction to be done around their house....

like a pool or something. cause with all the mud this is creating, it's not gonna happen for a while.

Yes, I know I go on about my pool of doom.... but I don't have a cat, or a hubby, and my teenagers just aren't cute and funny anymore.

.........welcome to my world / my blog.

MEME ... YOUYOU

You're supposed to list 10 things you've done that others probably haven't..... Ok then. Let's get started.


1. Once I... (no wait, that's not fit for public knowledge)

ok...ummm1. Once when I was married...............(No, I'm sure everyone has done that before).

1. I ......... (no wait, that wasn't me. My ex did that.)

Ok so......1. I once..... (no, can't admit to that. ever.)

(thinking.............)1. There was this one time that I ... (strike that. nobody would believe it anyway, I look way too innocent.)


Ok, this is going to take a while. Check with me later. In a few years.

ALA

I went to Alabama this weekend.

The middle of nowhere Alabama. I can sense your excitement. It's contagious, just like the creepingcoldcrud I brought home.

I took 2 cameras and didn't take one picture.

It was Alabama, you didn't miss much.

Lights!

Can I get a rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus?!

9:45 am. Power company arrives to shut off power.
10:00 am Electricians show up.
10:30 am I leave. No fun in a house with no power.
1:00pm I come home for lunch. They say the inspector has come and approved the job and left.
2:00 Power company shows up. Turns on power.
2:15 Electricians finish up.

Now I can have my pool deck framed and poured......
...............If it doesn't rain.

Yep, if you guessed that the forecast for next week is rain, you'd be correct.

And so it goes........... ONWARD!

P.O.D.

Tomorrow is PO-day. Power Off Day. Oh goody, gee, golly, I can't wait. I mean everything else has gone so smoothly, this should be a piece of cake.
I called Monday to arrange for the power to be turned off for the day on Thursday. And it seems since the account wasn't in my name, I couldn't ask for the power to be turned off, or more importantly back on. I've been meaning to do that for oh, about 7 years now. Change the name, that is... but there were some things I had to finish up first, before I could. Estate settling, divorce, name change. Things.

So... they wanted permission from the account holder to do the name change. Well, um, the account holders are um, dead. There's a conversation stopper. She waived all the fuss about needing their approval, social security number, etc. and put in for the account to be in my name. Of course with a $250 deposit for 'new' service of course. Nevermind I have 7 years of cancelled checks showing I'm the one who has made the payments. le sigh.

So, if I'm not back by dark, send an alert. Yea, like that will help.

The cost of Senility

There's something about a rainy, dreary, drippy, cold Valentine's Day that just makes you want to reach and touch someone. With a candy heart upside the head.

Lunch time and there I am shopping in a drug store, and although I'm not on drugs, they would however have come in handy or made a great excuse at the time... but that's not what I was 'in want' of at this particular moment. I came for the de riguere Valentine's Day candy or something for the loved ones who I accidentally forgot.

Yes, I accidentally forgot. And just who, did I forget, you ask? And thank you for asking......... I forgot my kids. Hey, I'm only human. And possibly senile too. Who knows.

I had all good intentions of getting the traditional and much loved silly stuffed animal and candy for them and then before I knew it, it was Monday and the much heralded Heart day was thrust upon me leaving me empty handed and them with no surprise upon waking this morning. Their surprise will now be this afternoon, instead.

Which brings me to lunch hour shopping. Me and 6 men. All of us searching up and down the near emptied out shelves of the Valentine gift aisle. Ladies, men are rude and frantic when forgetful. Whereas we bad mothers are remorseful and frantic. There's a shopping difference. Rude and frantic men just reach and grab something. Anything that has a heart. They reach right over your head, over your shoulder, around your body. They snatch and run. I can't wait til one of them gets home and realizes he just bought 'diet' chocolate for his significant other. Oh yea, SHE'S gonna be one happy lady....

Whereas remorseful Moms take their times. Looking at each of the animals left on the shelf, rather like the Land of Misfit Toys, taking care to choose that special little cuddly leftover that will make a male teenager roll his eyes. The girl teenager will love a stuffed animal. I know, cuz about 20 moved in with her. So after choosing the perfect animals for everyone, I then pondered over the candy, making sure that the candy I chose was some of their favorites...... thus making sure to ease my guilt of senility.

This time guilt only cost me $48.67. It was on sale. Seems senility gets a discount.

Valentine = NO roses

Yes, yes we all know today is Valentines Day. Ho hum. There will be no roses around this house under ANY circumstances. None. Nada. Zip. Mainly because I am not seeing anyone that would send me any but also ....................

I'm no longer fond of getting red roses as a gift. I love the flower. I love the scent of roses. But under few circumstances should anyone give me a dozen red roses. Two dozen, ok. Three dozen ok. For some reason a few dozen feels different. But one red rose or one dozen.... Please, No thank you.

My ex was notorious for bringing me red roses. Roses for I'm sorry. Roses for my birthday. Roses for Valentines Day. Roses for Anniversary. Roses. Spur of the moment ooops I forgot what day it is or I'm in trouble so let me run into the grocery store for the fastest thing I can get and pick up a red rose and/or 12 roses instead of a gift or thought and not even with a card or ever ever vary the color, roses. And once they had been given, everything was supposed to be great.

They were given in remorse. I'm sorry I forgot your birthday/anniversary etc.

They were given in place of actually having to put some thought into anything.

I once put a dozen in water and he accused me of killing them cuz they wilted in two days.

I am no longer a fan of the perfunctionary 12 red roses as a gift. As I said I love the flower, I love the smell. And, I swear I didn't kill the one set of flowers ahead of time. Really.

It was just every time I would look at them, instead of being able to enjoy their beauty, it would remind me that they were given with so little thought and meaning. And roses are far too beautiful to be treated that way.

And don't even get me started on Godiva chocolates. You don't want to know my thoughts on those.

But for everyone out there that does like receiving roses, I hope you get the most beautiful, long stem roses you all deserve.

And may they be sent with love.

Life continues

Sunday, and things are getting back to normal around here.

Son#1 left back for college. It's always odd to see him go. He left his car here for brother #3. He caught a ride with his Grandmother who is on her way back to NC and passes by UGA on her way. So that worked out very well.

Son #2 has gone to work. He's been working the graveyard shift. I'm still not thrilled with the place he works, but he's working. And making good money in tips. And realizing this is not what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Maybe this will be the best incentive to work harder and get back in college.

Son#3 now has a car to get to school and back. So that will be nice. Right now, he and the girl child are shopping. Getting a new shower curtain. I think they both just want out of the house for a while.

Girl Child #1. So far, there's no drama. And THAT is one big condition of her staying here. I won't have it. Fortunately, she's a good kid, and really wants to get on her feet and have a life. She's applied for a job where Son#2 works and she's going to start training next week.

Hopefully Son#2 and she will work the same hours and that will eliminate any car problems.I find the situation with her and her mom to be VERY odd. She adores her mom, so I don't voice my opinion. They do see each other... twice last week in fact. And talk constantly on the phone. But the woman has never called me. It's just very weird. How can you know your daughter is sleeping literally on the street and not even call the family that takes her in to help? Odd is an understatement. But girl child is very nice, happy to be here, and she helps out around here by cleaning. Sooo, so far, it's working out just fine. In fact, she's cooking us brownies as we speak. Did I mention she LIKES to cook? That's how we know she really isn't one of mine.

Sacrifice

Boss #2 came into town and it's always so stressful.

I mean he takes me to lunch, then he takes me to dinner. He regales me with lots of fun stories, great conversation, and he's just an overall GREAT friend in my life. And then after plying me with food, he dragged me shopping.........

.... for a new computer. APentium 4,3.20GHz,512MBof RAM, CDburnerthingey, bellsand whistlesSonyVaioWITH a colorprinter anda17" flat panel monitor....

.....SQUEAL!

My kids can be found drooling outside my door. Poor babies. Of course the new computer is for work...which he plans to load me up with and then once I do it, he will send me a paycheck for doing it.

Oh the sacrifices I make.

Reverse power

On Monday, I get to call the power company and ask them to turn off my power on Thursday for the day. Isn't that a kick in the pants!

It's the first time I've been the one to instigate cutting my power off. In the past, it was always their idea.

It's supposed to be off for a few hours. It took me one month and 3 electricians to get to this stage where it needs to be turned off. Any bets as to how many electricians it will take and which month it'll be turned back on? Yea, me too. I think I'm going to need candles and batteries.

A lot.

Shock Therapy

How many electricians does it take to............. etc.

So, I'm sitting at the car repair shop waiting on my Jeep and I get a call from my electricians, AAA Company. They went up to the county planning and development office and the county denied them a permit. le sigh.

I, me, the homeowner and now pool contractor has to send an affidavit or something something and say ___? Yea, it gets fuzzy about then.

So the next day (yesterday), on my lunch hour I head up to the county planning and development office. Two hours I wait. Watching listening, fuming, yawning, agitated, and worried cuz my lunch hour is only an hour and I'm already way over that.

Finally the nice lady calls my name and asks why I'm there.

"Bad pool man. No electricity. Pool of doom in yard. Electricians. Three weeks. Need Permit. Come here. You say no. Seven months. For the Love of Neptune, help me," I manage to babble.

The nice lady pulls up my records. "This is for a pool right?" She says.

Me, nodding, "Uh huh. "

"The electrical work has already been done," she says.

"Uhm, No it hasn't," I replied, resulting in Lady #2 coming over to see what the problem is.

"But we have issued a permit," nice lady says.

"Maybe so, but there is no electricity to the pool." I explain.

"Well, there's a permit for it." She says. Like THAT automatically means I have power."You should have power." Lady #2 offers.

"But I don't. And when my electricians tried to get a permit yesterday, you said no. And now I'm here." (and by the way after two hours, I'm so not having fun now.)

"So there's a permit and you say there's no electrical work done? " She's catching on quick. "Well, just have them go ahead and do the work." She retorts.

"I tried. You guys wouldn't give them a permit." I'm exasporated about now.

"That's cause they already have one." Lady #2 replies smartly.

Me thinking.. let's try this another way..... "The permit was issued to whom," I ask.

"DDD Electrical." Says nice lady #2."

And who are DDD Electrical?" I inquire.

"Your electricians." says snide lady.

"No they're not. My electricians are AAA Electrical." says the more adamant me.

"You don't want DDD to do the work? But they've already paid for a permit." Says man that has come over to 'help.'

"When did DDD Company pull the permit?" I ask.

"July .... 2004. So they should have done the electrical a long time ago...." Lady #1 replies.

I........ stare ....at....... them...........unblinking.

"Right. We'll erase them." Says man. But we need a letter from you telling us who will take over the job.

I reach over the counter and grab her post it note pad and write a 'letter'. I hand it to Lady #1. She looks at it and looks at me and looks at the scrawled letter and looks at me who is about ready to lose it....

Nice man says, "It's done. Have your electricians come back and get a permit. No problem."

No problem... Pfft.

He doesn't know who he's saying that too. This little 'no problem' took me 2 1/2 hours and I am betting it's not over with yet.

I can't wait to see what the next 'no problem' is.

Pool Saga Continues

The never ending saga of the pool of doom.....

So....

Three weeks ago, I called a new electrician we will call AAA. They came out and it turns out I need more power or something-something so 'we' have to get the Electric company to come out and shut off the power and then they need to install a new box. I don't know.. it's a conspiracy. These days I just nod my head and go with it.

So. Then the ice storm hits. The power company is a little bit too busy for pools of doom you know cuz see.... they're restoring power to a few hundred thousand people, so my job gets put on hold.

God is laughing. I just know he's rolling around watching this with divine glee.

Then later one evening, a few days after the ice storm, I get a call from the electrician who says he wants to start on the pool. Start..... on..... the....... pool?!!

Huh? It's started already. "Who are you? Who told you to call me?" says an oh so confused ME.

"I'm from 'The bad pool company'," the equally confused man says.

Huh? After 4 months of no work, no returned phone calls, suddenly the 'bad pool guy' is scheduling work on my pool? I don't think so!

So I tell the bad pool company electrician, (now named YYY)..... "No. And when you talk to the 'bad pool man', tell him to call me." Yea, right like he's gonna.

'The bad pool man' calls. He wants to finish my pool. Well DUH, I'm sure he does! I have one draw left which means money in his pocket.

After a "nice" little chat, he agrees to stay away from me, my house and my pool of doom... and I agree not to maim/ sue/ take his butt to court and make his life more miserable.

So.... I have 2 sets of electricians now and no power to the pool.

Ever heard the saying "Things come in 3's?"

..... Apparently that even applies to electricians.... to be continued.

Car Rhymes with Truck

I started this journal because of cars. I hate cars. They're the straw on this camel's back. Wednesday I spent 4 hours in my car dealing with a flat tire. Did I mention my boss is a nice guy? Normally, I don't think CEO's are thought of as nice guys, per se.

But there I was, at his condo here in town, waiting on the floor guy to give me a quote when my boss happens to arrive there, after 4 hours on a plane. The floor guy and I finish up and I go down to the parking lot and get in my car and thump. Flat tire.

Sooooo, knowing this is gonna take part of my day, I call upstairs and let boss know I'm in parking lot with a flat tire and I'll be late getting back to the office. And down he comes to help.

I don't think he's ever heard me cuss before. Not like this.

See, I know about cars. I know they break. So I TRY to take precautions. I have a spare tire. I have a little compressor, I have the can of tire fill stuff, I have tools, I have a phone book to find tow companies with. But that day, nothing helps. The spare tire is stuck in it's holder thingey and neither of us can get it out. The compressor doesn't seem to want to work, and the can of tire fill stuff isn't helping on the flat tire.

So eventually I call a tow truck. And Boss man tells me to use the company Amex card to pay for it. Nice! I'm wondering if it was cuz the sight of me in the back of my jeep in heels and a dress, breaking the metal spare tire holder while cussing at the spare tire like a sailor scared him.

Tow truck on its way, and boss rather reluctantly leaves me cuz he has a meeting. So I wait. And wait. An hour and a half for the tow truck. Did I mention it was cold and drizzly?

At the Tire place, they do a 'courtesy check.' Courtesy my ass. It's their way of making extra money. If I'd have let them have their way my bill would have been over $700. The list of things I supposedly needed was: 4 new tires. An oil change. Air filter. Wheel alignment. Wheel balancing. Yadda yadda ya.

After saying no no no and NO. The bill still came to $225.00. For a budget that doesn't have a lot of wiggle room, that news was like a bowl of jell-o.

4 hours after the saga began, I was on my way home just in time for peak rush hour Atlanta traffic. The joy. Lots of time to sit and think about the phone call I received while I was at the car center.

The pool of doom had hit another snag. Oh gee, surprise, surprise...

OOPS!

College son came home this weekend. I kinda forgot to tell him his 'sister' now has his room. Ooops. Every time I started to talk to him about it, something intruded. He came home to give up his car to brother #2 because brother #2's car is dead, again. Apparently the $1,000 engine wasn't enough to revive it. May it rest in peace, after I take a sledge hammer to it.

So to make up the loss of the car and the room, I told him to pick a brothers room to take over. We cleaned it, washed the linens, and generally made it livable again.

Though, truth be known, they all camp out in chairs and couches on the weekend and rarely sleep in a real bed anyway. But it made me feel better.

And, joy of joy, their Grandmother (my ex mother-in-law) showed up today from NC before I got home from work. She is the first to meet the new daughter child. I expect to be the subject of much wild and sordid stories for the next few years. And here I was thinking my rep as the black sheep ex daughter in law was slowly dissipating. Not. Baaaa.

Go me.

Information Overkill

Tax time. Those two words are enough to bring a grown man simpering to his knees. And not in the good way either.
Imagine what those two words do to a single mom who had a bunch of changes happen last year........

Changes like; bought a house, took on a second job, had 2 kids graduate high school, one went to college, another child turn the dreaded 17.

I bought stock and sold it, then bought it again. I had a 401K.... And a few other little details.

Details that added up to a very uneasy feeling about where I stood with my taxes. If I have one weakness, government forms that involved accounting jargon would be it. Show me a 1040 and watch me dumb up.

I'm good on the name, rank, serial...er Social Security number part. But after that, it starts to get blurry. Questions like 'Earned Income Credit.' huh? I did earn an income, am I getting like brownie points for it? Alternative minimum tax.... This sounds good... I mean....minimum tax is good, right? Right?

And I don't have a clue as to what to do with the "additional child tax credit" question. But I'm thinking if it has anything to do with having another baby, I'll be avoiding that line all together. Oh yea.

So... I spent all day Sunday going thru the piles of paperwork that I've meant to file one day.... and I pulled out all the 'legal' looking papers I could find. I heard somewhere(?) that I could deduct something something when I closed on my house, so I grabbed the mortgage statements, closing documents, W2's, 1099's, year end bank statements, Son#2'sW2's, car information, and anything else that just plain looked legaleze with year end numbers and went to see a tax professional. Oh ya.. information overkill.

Two hours later, and $200 poorer (for the moment), I had my taxes filed and the HUGE relief that I was in for a refund. I specifically made sure that we checked the box that said "If we're wrong, XX Company will discuss the return with the IRS ." For an extra $27.00, of course.

Now, I've spoken with the IRS, personally. A few times. And live to tell about it, but frankly, I'd have paid $27 hundred bucks to somebody to do that for me. Sigh... I still won't rest easy til the money is in the bank.

But that was just the best $200 I've spent in a long time.

The Best of the NFL

Ok, so I watched the Super Bowl.Yes, I like football.... but since I had no real 'vested' interest in either team, I watched mainly for the commercials....

.....And Howie Long.Yes, he was by far the best part of the whole night.

That man makes me think about actually wanting to date. Makes a girls mind wander.....Yummm Howie....... le sigh...

Oh, and congrats to whichever team it was that won, too.

Change. Chances.

Le Sigh.... It's been a learning couple of days.....

I've learned that barely 18 year old girls still sleep with stuffed animals. I've learned that 17 year old boys will go to great lengths to help their friends.

I've learned that inspite of my extreme desire to keep stress and conflict out of my life, I can't turn my back on a good kid who is in trouble.

I've learned my son can write out his feelings to his mom (me) in a beautiful letter. I've learned I hate anything that intrudes on my quiet world and makes it less so. And that's not a good thing.

I hope this works out. If it doesn't, I will be able to rest knowing that I tried and gave someone a chance

TV and the Lord

I've been home sick for the last 3 days. Working from home has definitely been the way to go. I can't see myself at work, still in pj's, wrapped in a blanket sniffling at my desk. So all in all, it's not been a bad 3 days.

I've had a chance to notice the huge wasteland that is daytime TV. Trailer trash talk TV hosts, infomercials, and more trash TV. So while channel hopping I ended up watching Joyce Meyer. I've always enjoyed listening to her. But haven't watched or seen her in many years. She gives practical applications of living well. And her talk was about helping people. How sometimes you'd say... Lord if you want me to do something to help, give me a sign. Show me that I'm supposed to do something. And she decided that instead she was going to say, Lord I'm gonna do something to help, unless you stop me. She also said going to church doesn't make you a Christian ... after all you could sit in the garage all day and you'd not turn into a car.... She cracks me up. Or maybe it's the fever.... anyway.......Helping people.

Last night a situation was brought to my attention. It's a friend of my sons. 18 year old girl. No where to go. Family problems. So I was laying in bed thinking, Lord if you want me to do something, let me know.duh... So instead, I'm helping, and if he doesn't want me to, he'll have to stop it. We'll see if it 'stops', bites me in the ass, or I'll temporarily inherit a 'daughter' that likes to clean.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Elephant Fever

I have a cold. Or the flu. I'm sick. I know this on many levels cause:

One, I stayed home from work today and ended up working more than I would than if I went into the office. The phone calls started around 8:oo am and my day just ended a little after midnight.

It never fails. I work more when I'm home sick than I do in a whole week in the office. You should see what I can accomplish working with a lap top from my bathroom floor.

The second reason I know I am sick is that I have been thinking of absurd things all day. Yes. more absurd than my usual thoughts. Thoughts like elephants. I even mentioned them to my son. Nothing in particular. Just elephants.

Did you know if you talk about elephants, kids will fix you dinner, bring you coffee and aspirin, and generally take care of you? They didn't even have to be pink either. Elephants...not the kids. Pink.

Did I mention I'm sick? Either that or Animal Planet has gone to my head.