Thursday, May 28, 2009

Good for Goodness Sake


I love this sign. I love what it says and implies. I did not know, until I read Time today, that there were Atheist groups getting them on buses here in the U.S. I knew about the brouhaha in Brittan, but was unaware that there were any signs going on here.

I am thrilled to see it. With the bus service we have in my town, servicing the university, I wish we could get them up on them, but don't see it happening. Even though the buses serve all of the county there are people who would claim that they are part of the school and can not take upon them that type of advertising.

I have said , for a long time, that people can be good people without the Big Sky Man, or the Book, telling you how to live. I can be a good person without all that crap. How can you not? Who are the folks that are weak enough that they simply can not, or are too afraid, to make choices without one or the other. I simply can not understand or fathom these types of people. They have some degree of intellect....why don't they use it to question and ponder? Or do I give them too much credit?

Monday, May 25, 2009

Ahhhhh, Weekends, Fine Weather & Wine



Now, my good buddy Mixter knows that I had plans to drink for the both of us this weekend, and I want her to know that I did my best, BUT this photo is NOT from this weekend, but from a small back story that I am going to share momentarily along with a couple of bits about the weekend that I am still enjoying this morning!

This delightful photo comes to us courtesy of my hubby when he was in Qatar. It was early May and we were having that very unexpected weather in the upper 80's. I had worked all morning and then gotten home and walked the dog AND did yard work. I was not only hot, but tired as well. So it seemed the natural thing to do and have a nice, chilled bottle of a great summer wine!! A wine that went down REALLY, REALLY fast!

Then John called, on Skype, and I brought my laptop out in the back yard to sip some more wine and yak with him. I can not tell you how long we were in to the call, but at some point I passed right out, or should I say, fell asleep!! :-D Next thing I know he is playing some loud music in Arabic over the sky waves and wakes me up. "Nice nap?" He asks. I laugh and we continue, not knowing how long I was out I then receive the photo next day by e-mail. I laughed for a very long time. I am just glad that my laptop did not fall off my lap and into the yard.

The yard is exactly where I am sitting right now, as the sun is coming up, having my coffee and listening to as well as watching the birds. Yes, I have the day off and I am milking every bit of joy out of it that I am able. I plan to buy a few dollars worth of flowers and put them in the bare spots that are left in my garden. It looks like all the seeds John brought me from Australia are coming up. I saved the seed packets so I will be able to identify them and will post a few pics when they bloom.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at friends having what I call a feeding and wine frenzy, beer for John. They had their pool open, but WAAAAY too cold for this gal. Only kids can tolerate pool water at this early in the summer. Our pal Ed always cooks like he is in the Army and also many varieties of meat, so I decided to allow myself a carnivores delight and had some of all of them. Nothing says summer like the taste of crispy, charcoaled meat from a grill!

Along with the usual, and plentiful side dishes, there were also PIES!! an I just tell you that both John and I were so full that we were really miserable! Both of us had to come home and put on pj's to be more comfortable. I think I may not eat at all today. Seriously, I am just now feeling human again and less like my dog.

Along with that there are three of us here and we are down to one car. The brakes just went out on Max's and, thank God he works the night shift, we are going to shuttle him to work and let him get a ride home.C an't help him out on this one, sadly. Now he can get a feel for real world stuff and see what he will face in a life without the military. That is a story for another time and one that I am not ready to talk about too much right now.

Work is going well and I am assuming the role of leader and playing the corporate game. Proudly serving my corporate master. Hopefully by fall I will have had all the trainings and be ready to take that promotion.

John is leaving at the beginning of June for India and that might be the last job prior to a lay-off. We are hoping not, but he does not believe that they have sold anything. With his company that can change in a split second, so never say die! He thinks there might be a job in Norway. We are hopeful. I do not relish the thought of having to try and live with unemployment. Things are very tight now, but there is a smidge of wiggle room, bu there would be absolutely zero of that with unemployment. We can only hope that India lasts a few weeks,. long enough to make a bit of money and have a few sheckles for an emergency.

Other than that....all is well and Hope it is also with you! Welcome to Guy and it is awesome to have his input and perspective here at the Mix!!!!!!! Guy, you know I adore your sense of humor and look forward to your posts!!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Taking the Plunge into a Double Tall Sugar Free Vanilla Non-Fat extra Whip Latte


This week, even while ill, I met with the muckity-mucks, the powers-that-be, my higher-ups with the coffee mega giant. I have decided to move my way up the corporate ladder.

Even though the economy is not yet recovering or moving in a strong manner there is still possibility for growth within the company. There are promoting from within and not looking for outside people. That is where I fit in.

After three years I have decided to go ahead and work on the promotion. I don't want to look for another teaching job and have to start off at the bottom of the ladder and face another job loss. I am invested in this job and have good benefits. With a promotion it would mean a VERY nice wage increase and even more PERKS! Yes, an intended pun.

They are accepting my offer to train and sending me to several necessary classes where I will learn more about business. Things that have been outside of my previous schooling such as profit and loss statements and various other business classes that I might require. Then my district manager will have some practice interviews with me to prepare for the panel that I will meet with before they give me the final/actual promotion. It could all be in place by the end of Aug. and I could actually stay in my current store. That would be my ideal.

I like wearing a simple "uniform" and not having to dress teacher-like and worry about what I look like daily. I am too advant-guarde to fit into a traditional school setting and have found that this job better suites my lifestyle and personality these days. It seems to be something that I could do for a good while.

Not to mention that we sell my favorite last legal drug!!



Friday, May 15, 2009

Blowing My Brains Out



It has been nine days. Ten if you count the night that I actually started with the sore throat. Ten VERY long and arduous days and nights. Sleepless, hacking, barking, sneezing and blowing, falling asleep with cough drops stuck to either my teeth or the roof of my mouth. Sleeping on either side, sleeping sitting up, basically NOT sleeping. Top it ALL off with a good deal of working and a companion box of Kleenex and an overall bitchy attitude and that will sum up this recent bought with a virus.

Today I am finishing off the OTC bottle of mucus fighting pills as I STILL continue to blow what is left of my brains out! I can not recall having been this sick in quite some time. Well, as an over achiever I can not do anything unless I do it 110%. Yes sir, that's how I roll.

Several near melt downs at work and a few real good melt downs at home helped to seal the deal. I was a total mess! Nothing says fun like having to actually work AND function at home when you are hacking up a lung.

It all started last Tuesday when John & I went to the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game and I had a sore throat that morning. I knew that was an ominous sign. Already having surprised John with the tickets I could not ruin the good time that we knew we would have. To make it even more fun I had gotten us a hotel room on Priceline dot com, at a very swank $200 dollar a night room, for fifty bucks!!! Love Priceline! Throat was killing me at this point.

Being the intelligent person that I am I continued on to the game and proceeded to scream, what could have been left of my voice, until I had no voice at all. That was smart. It was all downhill from there. not to mention the vast array of germs that I could have picked up from the 25,000+ fans. Should have passed around the Purell a few times.

So I am sure that lack of sleep and a crazy week at work did not help with the severity of this illness. Since I was stressed and my immune system was vastly compromised.

On the upside I think I managed to sleep most of last night. I don't remember it, so I think that it means that I slept. YES!! I have the day off, the sun is shinning and even though I have a list as long as my arm of things that NEED to be done....... it is all good because I think I can get it all done without a cough drop or the ever ready glass of water and the truck sized box of tissues.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Still!!??



Still..... seriously, are they still discussing the sexuality of the Adam guy on American Idol??

It is unfortunate, for me and maybe the readers, that I am still suffering from this nasty & long lingering bronchitis/cold crap. Otherwise I would feel like really tearing into the articles comments about the Danny & Kris fella and their quaint,"churchy, youth-group, God and church loving activities".

If the American Idol show is such a Christian loving/family show then maybe they need to get Paula Abdul off the sauce or pills and have the female contestants stop trying to be so sexual/sensual!

Or maybe this is just the mindless rantings of a Dayquill/Nyquill abusing worker-bee.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Back Off Vatican



I know that If I wasn't getting sick that this would be a much longer and well thought out posting, but with how I feel....... I am not seeing that happening. I will leave that to the folks that comment!

Seems like, once again, the Vatican has their panties in a bunch over another Dan Brown novel/turned movie by Ron Howard.


I was thrilled to hear that this book was being turned into a movie because I always thought that it was the more interesting and exciting book. If you haven't read it you should. It is much better than the DaVinci Code. Although I did enjoy the latter it just didn't hold a candle to A&D.

I can not believe that the Vatican still believes that it has such awesome power, and since they caused them some difficulties, it seems that they might. Silliness or is it? They talk about the" fictionality" of the book, but if that is the case why do they even care? The movie is not claiming to be a documentary, but rather ENTERTAINMENT!!

The Vatican would be wise to relax their collective sphincter and concentrate on something more useful to humanity.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Seriously?



Seriously? I can not even believe the article let alone the fact that there is even any discussion about this topic. It must be a slow news day over at MSNBC.

They are actually asking the question about whether or not people are ready for the winner of American Idol to be gay! I can not even believe that it is a question.

Who cares! Everyone knew Clay Aiken was, and if you didn't I am sorry for bursting your bubble, and he still won. Isn't it supposed to be about the TALENT? At least that is what they say the main theme is on that show.

I will admit that I did watch the very first year when it was a new show and a fresh break on TV. I also liked Kelly Clarkson's voice etc. I have not thought that it was well done for many years now. On a few nights when I was bored as hell, and maybe had a few glasses of wine too many, I have taken a peek and thought that they were mostly boring...except for this Adam kid that is causing the big, fat GAY debate.

He does have a voice, maybe not so much for hard rock, but he is much more fun to watch than the others. Anyway.... I suppose that it is just a ploy to keep people talking, as I am now, that they are making this into a topic. People like to have "Idol" water cooler conversations at work. The producers know that this may be the last year that anyone will even tolerate that show and so they have to cook up something to get/keep viewers.

Kids are mostly the audience and when have they ever cared about some singers sexuality? If they don't give a crap when some rappers shoot and kill each other or beat their women, heavy metal guys go into and out of rehab, why would they give a darn about whether or not Adam is gay? Besides there are so many guys out there wearing eyeliner these days that it is nothing new or anything to talk about!