Saturday, October 19, 2013

Happy Hallmark Holiday...

Happy Sweetest Day to all Sweethearts out there celebrating....

Today I consider myself lucky that I do not have a sweetheart. Because if I had a sweetheart, I would be in some big trouble right now.  I totally forgot the holiday until I crawled out of bed and opened Facebook.
There would have been no card or breakfast in bed (I am assuming my sweetheart would not like chocolate or flowers) or anything else the holiday requires...

Lucky me....avoided that train wreck.


There was another Hallmark Holiday this week that I did not avoid- Boss's Day.

I do have a boss. A pretty good boss, considering the other bosses in our office.

Our team gave the boss a card.  We would have given him a bottle of his favorite spirit, but some among decided that was not appropriate. 

And we just did not feel like shopping for anything else. 

Which is fine by me...He knows we love him...as boss.

He is one of the better bosses I have had - and I have had a lot of bosses.

We are on the same page about a lot of things; I think he would have appreciated the spirits.

But my boss has a boss.  

His boss is definitely not one of my favorite people - at all....

I became aware of another of his "plans" for our team Thursday that has made me pretty angry - so angry that  I stewed about it all day yesterday - a day I had taken as PTO  just to relax because of the new use-it-or-lose it policy. I did not relax...I stewed.

But that rant is for another post....maybe even on another blog, hopefully after I have calmed down a little...

Today, just enjoy your hallmark holiday...







Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Whining with my new toy...

When I decided to get back into the blogging world last weekend, I was reminded of one of the reasons I had left. There were a few reasons; but this one was a biggie....

I was trying to pick a template and customize it a little - just a little, because my computer was so f-ing slow that I lost any bright ideas I had before I could implement them...

But Sunday afternoon I had an even brighter idea.  My son was sitting in my living room doing something productive (I assume) on his laptop while watching the Browns pretend they knew how to win a football game.

I looked at him and I said..."I've decided it's time...I need a new laptop."

Talk about a kid in a toy store...he started surfing and telling me about this deal and that deal and rattling off RAM and processor specs... and before the Browns lost, he had ordered me a brand spanking new laptop.

That was Sunday.  This is Wednesday.  I am writing this post on my new laptop - all configured with the tools I need and my favorite programs.

And I did not need to spend hours shopping at Best Buy or Walmart or MicroCenter; I did not even need to leave my house... 

Thank you, oh son of mine:)

I hope to spend more time on this blog over the next few weeks and bring it to life.

In the meantime, I am still trying to decide:  Windows 8 - should it stay or should it go???



Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Letting the Brownies out of the box...

I am not Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker.

I do not have any desire to pretend I am.

But I like brownies,

I like to eat brownies..I like to bake brownies.

I use the box mix...I am not ashamed.

I recently learned a trick that one of my daughter's friends uses.

She substitutes milk for the required water.

I made some damn good brownies this weekend:)

Too bad the Cleveland Brownies did not do their part.

As my son-in-law said...stick a toothpick in those brownies, they are done:(





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Monday, October 14, 2013

Columbus Day???

So, it's Columbus Day, a  Federal Holiday here in the U. S. of A.

But we are not celebrating because the government is still shutdown.

So, will the banks be open and mailed delivered?

Just wondering...

Happy Day!



Apartment living is the life for me...

I used to think Condo living was the life for me...

That thought lasted a few years, until the maintenance fees skyrocketed and the maintenance itself got away from me...

So I left the condo life behind and moved South a few miles to an apartment.

There are a lot of things I like about my new life.

But today I am especially liking the maintenance.

My washer/dryer seemed a little off a few weeks ago.  One call to the office and I had a brand new washer/dryer the next day:)

And yesterday, as I was preparing comfort  food for the Browns game (let's not say any more about the game), I noticed that my dining room carpet was sopping wet.

First I checked the fridge and dishwasher…no leaks there.  

Then I checked the case of water sitting in my dining room – all intact.  

I no longer have dogs, cats, or little kids hanging around...it was not pee....

So I made the call…

Maintenance was knocking on my door within a few minutes. The nice gentleman determined that the pipe in the wall was leaking and he was willing to fix it immediately. But that meant tearing a hole in my wall.

BUT….I have company coming…. No problem – what time is good for you???  (Really????) Well, I will be leaving here right after the Browns game (if you can call it that) to bring my parents back home, so any time after that is fine.


When I got back home later that evening, feeling exhausted from cooking and driving and watching the Browns lose, I was thinking that I did not want to deal with a maintenance man in my apartment; I just wanted to let my Ta Tas free (in celebration of the day) and relax with a book.

No worries….maintenance man was there and gone during the 90 minutes that I had been getting  my parents home.  Granted I had a hole in my kitchen wall, and there was a huge fan blowing air on the carpet to dry things out…and a note letting me know that he would be back in the morning (while I was at work) to fix the wall.

But I had the place to myself….to do as I liked.



Yeah, apartment living is the life for me:)





Sunday, October 13, 2013

Are you ready for some football?

Growing up, my view of the world of sports was somewhat limited.

I did learn the basics, though.
I am from Cleveland...I root for the home teams...
This is the year; the Browns are going all the way...
You gotta believe - I believe.
I hate Shittsburgh...doesn't everyone?
I hate Baltimore more.
The only time I cheer for Shittsburgh is when they are playing Baltimore.

Over the years, my view of the world of sports has evolved somewhat. Having a couple of sons has helped that evolution. I even learned a few things about college ball...
O-H-I-O....
Michigan Sucks.

I have learned to not disown family members who root for other teams.

I let my daughter marry a man from Michigan....not that I had a lot of say in that, but still...

Today is Sunday...

The Browns are playing the Lions...

I have invited my Mom and Dad and kids over.

My Dad will be here because I am going to go get him and drive him here and take him back home.

My Mom will be here because she goes where my Dad goes.  Truthfully she does not get football and would rather watch baseball.  Sorry, Mom, the Indians disappointed and I find baseball boring. I did not host an Indians party.  Maybe I should have, but I did not and probably never will. I cannot see myself yelling at the television because the pitcher walked a guy in.

And yelling at the television is what I will be doing today.  I enjoy it. My Dad may be yelling too.  He enjoys it.  Much more than my kids enjoy it. Much more than my kids enjoy watching me do it.


But that is ok...  I have food...and that they understand....hanky panky and cresent dogs and brownies and some other goodies.....


Time to start getting that food together....

And I need to check the tv - make sure the game is being televised on a local channel..

Yeah, I am not normally a television watcher.  I rarely turn the t.v on except to watch the Browns.  I would not even subscribe to basic cable if I could watch the Browns without it...but I have not mastered that whole antennae thing yet...so for $20 a month x 12 months I get to watch 16 football games.  Make that 20 games, because this is the year the Cleveland Browns are going ALL THE WAY!!!!.