People who walk in the rain

View from the plant in Mexico where Big Daddy is working.

Not just any rain, pre-Isaac rain on Bourbon Street. On one hand the President, the Govenor and the Mayor involved with this storm have been on the television all day explaining to people how this should work. On the other hand we have EarthCam on Bourbon Street showing us what is really going on. This is hilarious. Look at the laptop and then look at Jim Cantore on the television. This is why China has a chance to overtake us-if they start in the deep south.

Had a rant today for Purple Heart, the charity supposed to be picking up my used books. Some of these books are only a week old and they blew me off. When I called they put me on hold and then hung up on me. Well, they called back, apologized and are coming back tomorrow to pick up the books. I hope so because it is very hard to find a place to donate around here. I can't imagine why, Michigan is supposed to be one of the poorest states, especially the Detroit area.

Sammy is in the dog house, we do not need to discuss why, we will just say he fucked up.

Big Daddy is amazed at how the mountains in Mexico do not have trees. We both forgot about that, it is odd to see. He is trying to stick to his eating plan but in Mexico he cannot eat salad or fruit unless he peels it, just too risky after the China syndrome.

Punkin Head is going on a job interview tomorrow so he is emailing me the trip itinerary so I can follow him on FlightAware, that is the best site ever for plane activity, at least here in the US and with  US airlines.

See y'all later.

Holey Moley

Whomever the force behind the cement fish might be, they are auctioning off all the fish next week. The ticket to the event where you may bid on a fish is 150 dollars per person. Too bad Big Daddy will be out of town and I will have to miss this gala evening.

Randazzo's got the furnace job and we will see. The gal we liked turned out to have a boss that was a stone asshole, his quote for the duct work was quadruple everyone else and would have been as unsightly as hell.

Today is spa day and Sammy and I got treated. His usual grooming and his mustache is starting to look nice. Jean ran a pedicure sale at Wink so I had a mani/pedi and so enjoyed it.

When we got home there was a goldfinch in my cone flowers. I could not get a picture but will try again. The cone flowers are going to seed and attracting the birds. There were hundred of sailboats on the lake, a regatta I believe and I missed that picture too. Went to JoAnne fabrics and got some remnants of different weights and textures to try this sewing thing out.

Big Deal this afternoon will be cleaning the front porch and the  living room window.

Adios, Muchachos

Thursday, the day before garbage day

We are feeling much better at the old homestead. Sammy recovered, then I got sick. Big Daddy has lucked out so far. The Fiancee is sick too. Punkin Head is up North communing with nature, up North being the UP, where he is camping and visiting with an old friend. So far he has survived the Bates Motel and random bears.

My goal today is to learn how to work this damn phone. I took some ridiculous photos last week to see if I could post a pic of my new hair without sharing a lot more information. I have seen other fashionista and style  gurus do this, it can't be that hard. Well, yes it is as I have no photos. Not bad photos, not unsuccessful photos, no photos. The only pics on that phone are the cement fish.

We should be making a decision tomorrow on the furnace and hopefully schedule installation for early September. Oddly enough, the company we dealt with for years and years will not be getting the job. I think it is a case of to big to care, they coast on their name and did not do the job.

Pearl, over at "Pearl why you little", inspired me today. She is not learning another language-but is picking up useful phrases. Muchas gracias Pearl and adios my peeps.

We are all exhausted

Sammy the Spanky dog is not well. He woke me up every 15 minutes last night. I had about 3 hours of sleep and then boom, we were on the wake up cycle. I hate taking the dog out in the dark as I am terrified of bats and criminals.

 I read these random stories every now and again about someone dying from a bite from a rabid bat. This usually happens years after the bite.

Then there  is the usual person getting shot, stabbed, or just fucked up somewhere in some neighborhood. It could me in mine tomorrow. Now my neighborhood is pretty good but that is always when it happens, just like the blond in the movie checking the basement. NO NO NO.

So me and Sammy and sometimes Big Daddy spent a lot time out in the yard this morning. We thought he was constipated. Until daylight. That is when I learned he had the runs. Thank you Sammy for waking me up, it is better to wash the grass than my bed linens.

The mystery of the knock knock

I could not sleep last night and got up too early to look at the newspapers on line. I was reading at the dining room table when I heard the knock knock. It was around 4:30. It was the paperboy. I doubt they are still called paperboys, but whatever. Since we only get the paper 3 days a week this makes perfect sense for it to be a once in a while phenomenon. It probably has to hit just right and weigh a bit more than usual.

I still have no idea about the old guy with the shovel.

Funny of the day, from the letters to the editor, Detroit Free Press: This person strongly stressed "the need to eliminate the emissions of carbonated gasses into the atmosphere". I don't know which is worse, that someone wrote and sent it in to the paper or that it was printed without any notes about putting Coca Cola out of business.

We are in hiding

That is Sammy and I are in hiding. We are having the furnace estimates today and I am keeping Sammy in the guest room to make this all goes a bit quicker. He can't be shut away and remain quiet it freaks him out. I think this might go back to the idea that his former owner died. He has been laying on the bed and eyeballing me to make sure I don't leave.

So while I am stuck in here I suggested to Big Daddy it is time we cleaned the computer desk area. What a fucking nightmare. Punkin Head did not help out here, thanks for the beer caps. Big Daddy threw away electrical hook up shit from a decade. And we still have the desk to go through. One printer, one computer brain sans hard drive, and maybe one monitor is going to the curb. BD did finally admit he is a hoarder. He said if I died PH would have to hire a crew to come in. But PH is just as bad.

So far all the estimates are in the same ball park so we just need to pick which people seem the best.

I met my niece in Royal Oak yesterday for lunch. They cut her hair in the short lived Navy career and she got it amped up when she got home and it looks great. She is working to save up money to go back to school.

So far the Fiancee is the only one that notices and comments on my new hair. I think it is because she only knows me as a blond. I was a redhead for years and that is how people expect me look.

Whew

Big Daddy bought a new digital scale for me. I have not gained any weight.

That's a relief.

What a Conundrum

Meaning I have an intricate and difficult problem. Yep, I need to vent about the IBS again.

I admit I have gained weight and need larger clothes. The problem is the bloating that accompanies IBS. Fatter people have bigger bloating than thinner people and in my opinion it is because there is just so much more of you to bloat. I am not sure if bloating is a factor in what one weighs and I attempted to do an experiment on that today.

Here why this is so important to me. Remember the too big jeans that were exchanged for the next size down? Yesterday when I went to the bathroom they just pulled right down. Now I don't remember jeans ever pulling right down, and I mean the buttoned was still buttoned and the zipper was still zipped. I used to wear pants with some elastic type give in the waist to accommodate the bloating and they would come on down without the zippers and buttons on most days. But jeans? Never. Now these jeans have a tad of stretch but not that much. And I wore them a couple times but really. Then today the same thing. Then I ate lunch. Cottage cheese, normal lunch. And then the stomach went south. The bloating began, the cramping and the uncomfortable feeling.

On a whim I decided to weigh myself. According to my scales I have gained 10 pounds in one month and my pants are practically falling off. That just does not seem right. Now I am wondering if red hair dye weighs more than blond hair dye. It is darker.

Big Daddy just called and some asshole in Mexico crashed his tool and now BD has to go Grand Rapids and check something out so he won't be coming home tonight. Hope he remembered to always have a change of clothes or at least underpants in his car. That is the one thing I hated about automotive, everything is an emergency. And he got in so much trouble that time he went to Canada and showed the border guards  his underpants to prove he was spending the night.

Why are 2 rich white guys a bad thing?

Rich people are bad, why? Every rich person I know has hired people, many people for many different jobs. People that worked in the shops, people that cleaned the house, people that put the indoor pool and bar in place. 

White people are bad, why? This one I don't get, does skin color make a person different?

Black rich people are good, why? Ditto to the above.

White rich women are okay, why? Double ditto. Plus Nancy Pelosi gives me a headache.

Why do we judge people on how much they give to charity on their taxes? I give more money that cannot be claimed than money that can be written off. Remember the boots of the fireman from 9/11, did you put in a buck in a boot or a wad in a few boots? However, I do think Obama and Biden should explain their the donations, or not claim any as they are so small. If you do not believe in shouting out your giving, don't claim it on your taxes.

Why do some people get a pass? That is the way it is.

Why do we refuse to set up actual rules and demand that they are followed for our elected officials? We are wusses, why do we allow the government employees better bennies than we get? 

Why do we put up with stupid? We can't be bothered.

I might answer these questions in the future, but I would love to hear another opinion.

Answers in italics, have a nice day.

Is it just me?

My furnace salesman from Flame Furnace called this morning to explain he was halfway up north and no one told him he had an appointment today. Hmm, I made that appointment a week and a half ago. He told this farce to Big Daddy and said he would call back Monday. I don't think so, I am not paying a bunch of money to a company that can't communicate an appointment. I personally think Mr. Fisherman is going to get into trouble.

The other salesperson came early, no harm or foul but I am starting to think there has been a serious eroding of professional decorum in the race to the bottom here in Michigan. The quote was okay and now we will see. Two more estimates to go.

Although she did say my current furnace is 40% effective.

Important items to make sure everyone knows

Under no circumstances do I want people standing around looking at my dead body and discussing how I look. Do I look pretty good? Better than last week? Let us just assume I am going to look dead and commence with the cremation in a timely fashion.

Do not put my age on the funeral card. Nor my birth date as that is no longer relevant. There will be no more parties.

Put my obituary in the newspaper or the on-line news forum for where I am living and might know people. Do not use the funeral home website as an alternate way of dealing with this issue. And do not ask people to add photos to my death site.

Just take care of business and have a party, or at least a congenial gathering. I would rather have people happy than sad.

I got to wear my rubber shoes

Yes, I own rubber Crocs just for rainy days like today. I actually got them for the monsoon season in China but they are just as good for Michigan rain. It has rained so much today I am expecting the cement painted fish to start floating by this afternoon.

Well I went to town to buy funeral clothes. I also got some sale fat clothes. Killed me to pay full price for funeral clothes but I am saving a ton by not smoking so what the fuck. I did think this over yesterday and in the evening I found their phone number and called and the daughter said she had been looking for my number. We talked a minute and I spoke with the husband and I decided to definitely go to the visitation on Friday. I cannot do the funeral.

We were the closest of friends and the 4 of us did so many things together and laughed all the time. We went cross country skiing up at the lake and none of us had ever done that before. We went to all kinds of places and did most anything. She called me once in tears and begged me to come right over and cut her hair, she had just gotten the haircut from hell. I had never cut her hair before but I went over and did it. I also used to frost her hair until her daughter convinced her frosted hair was the equivalent of avocado appliances. She had those for way too long. Gosh I did miss her. But that was then and this is now and I have new fish to fry.

One new fish is I need to learn how to answer my new mobile phone. It is trickier than most as the little green phone symbol does not seem to do the job.

And I am pleased that my knowledge of all things airplanes is coming in handy for Punkin Head. He called me a few weeks to find out which website I used to track planes and today he inquired about different airlines and I was able to help him with a few things. Makes a mom feel good to be needed.

Very Sad News Today

I received a phone call this morning from someone I had not talked to in probably 15 years or so. She called to tell me an estranged and formerly very close friend had died this morning. My friend got mad at me one day and that was that. We never spoke again. The friend who called had been through a similar shunning but the husbands were childhood friends and it was eventually made up with a lot of grovelling. My friend had not spoken to her brother in 3 years and they were always close.

I always wondered what exactly happened. What did I do to make her angry. I think she had some problems and she hit menopause it just went downhill. Some people do not cope with that well.

 She died of lung disease. She got very sick back in the 90's with bronchial problems after a trip to Germany. I mean really sick. And she did not quit smoking. It may have helped or not.

The gal that called wants me to go to the funeral home and the funeral. I do not know if I should do this. I do not know if I can do this. I do not want to upset the family, but I was told it would not. But the family also told her not to call the brother and she never said the family asked her to contact me.

And we all know I do not have funeral clothes. I may have to actually go out and shop tomorrow.

HVAC and me

Told ya I had more fish.

Well I think it is finally time that we move into the new century. It is 2012 and my furnace is original to a house built in 1954. The second furnace that died is of unknown origin but of a later date. I have a newer air conditioner-this century- and one from the 1960's and we don't even want to talk about the one built into the brick wall.

Flame Furnace came to visit today and sent old Joe. Joe has probably been doing this since furnaces were first invented. He said I have the oldest, most inefficient furnace on the planet. I think if I was a relative old Joe would have gone off on me. As it was he was trying to get his head around a really old furnace, a dead furnace, a somewhat newer air conditioner, one of the first air conditioners built and he did not even want to acknowledge the brick wall unit. We decided not to top off the tank on the air conditioners for the cold stuff until we talk to the furnace salesmen this weekend.

Joe seems to think that I will be able to pay off the new system(s) in the first utility bill. I think that is a slight exaggeration. A lot is going to depend on if I still need 2 of everything. Either way this will be the big expense this year. Now I gotta find out the best manufacturers, I only know toilets, Toto is the best.

Another fish, I have more.

I cannot believe I got this pic on here and I doubt I can ever do this again. Windows 7 is not my friend. This pic was taken with my new phone. It is a free Motorola. I paid for the computer but not the phone. I had to take the fish pictures twice as the first time I did not click the right button and never took a photo. Paid under 400 for the computer and nothing for the phone with a 20 dollar reduction in my bill and more shit than I will ever use. I have unlimited WIFI and that kind of stuff and what would I use that for anyway. I am not going to sit on the train and look at a phone for 4 hours. Big Daddy is jealous, he says my free phone is better than his new Blackberry-company issued-and he is having fun playing on it.

We had a wonderful lunch at Roma Cafe and went shopping at Trader Joe's. Tomorrow the furnace people are coming for a check up and it is election day. Who to vote for?

The new laptop

I have a new laptop. It was a deal. I am trying to set it up. There are only a few things I cannot figure out. 

How the fuck do you get the finger, think middle, pad to quit working when you type. Do not use this device as I am a mouse girl and don't want to relearn this right now. 

I cannot get the sizes of things to match my expectations. This blog print is too small. Now my Icons are too big. In Google Chrome there is no longer a thing on the bottom right to adjust the size and there is no longer a thing at top left to get a blank page. I really do not need 300 tabs opened just to get a new page. 

I am also having a problem using the keyboard. I did not realize how different the Chinese style English keyboard was. There was not a numbers keypad so on this keyboard everything is to the left of what I want to do. Just feels off to the touch.

I gotta get this finished as tomorrow I have to go to Sprint and figure out the mobile phone situation. And that is just gonna be nasty. 

I have a replacement computer

It is charging. Once I start the process this could be a nightmare from hell. So, if you don't hear from me for awhile it is due to my lack of computer skills.

If you do hear from me soon it is because I am a genius.

Big Daddy is home

The painted fish are all over town. Of course the painting is different for each fish. 5 or 6 years ago I remember they did this with frogs. I have no idea why they do this shit.

Got the fabulous mani and pedi this morning, went to Trader Joe's and spent my wad on shit for Big Daddy and came home because it was too damn hot to go to another store. When BD got home and adjusted we went to Farm's Market for dinner fixings and items you can't find elsewhere. Hot pepper jelly, ginger jelly, young asparagus, and bone in steaks. Made me feel odd as my oldest and dearest friend is having some bad readings on her blood work for sugar. I gave her every lentil recipe I know as the docs recommended lentils and fruit and veggies. Sounded odd to me but she is following those rules. Fruit is full of sugar and to load up on it, I don't think that is right. Oh well.

When I got home this morning there were cars all over the place including 2 huge Mr. Rooter trucks. I remember Mr. Rooter, the assholes that fucked me over on my furnace/water heater a few years ago. I have no clue but they are at scary old corner guy's house and that is where the city was digging for many days a week or so ago. Maybe he is moving odd things he buried back in the day.

And the other half of the cars were the "House Inspectors" for the vacant property across the street. They must have made an offer. I hate that, there are teenagers and no visible dad, acting out at the showing. Please do not let them have an unleashed dog, I already have 2 unleashed dogs in the neighborhood along with the 3 cats that wander about. I have seen no evidence of a problem with cats but I do not need more extra dog shit.

All is well

This is the famous thin crust truffle pizza from the Italian Restaurant on Maoming.

Although Big Daddy's job hit a snag the gang did make it back to Shanghai Thursday afternoon. He went to the rabbit warren and saw Amay, she loves my furniture, and once again said I was welcome to stay with her anytime. He saw David going out the back way and David has been hired back by the old restaurant to get some people coming back. We quit going because the food sucked after the owner changed. First thing David did was fire the cook. Then he went to the best Italian place in Shanghai and had the fabulous pizza. He is a happy man right now.

Typhoon went north so he is fine and Beijing will prolly flood again.

Should be home tomorrow around noon and he gets to try out his new Global Entry and see if it works as advertised.