Red Nose

Keeping Busy

Remember that axe I told you about earlier this month?

Yep, it fell. Missed me by inches, but struck down six of my closest coworkers. I'm glad I still have a job, because it saves me the nerve-wracking process of finding another job, but I'm really sad to lose such great coworkers and friends.

At any rate, I kept busy this weekend so that I wouldn't think about it too damn much.

To wit:

• Friday night was another gathering of my high-school pals; it was a pile o' fun as usual. I made sugar cookies to take along for dessert; they turned out wonderfully well, thanks to some fancy Irish Kerrygold butter (which I got on sale) and a slight substitution of light brown sugar and orange extract. Yumsy-umsy.
• Yesterday Joe and I took in the early show of The Fighter. I've been wanting to see this movie and I am glad I did. I love a good fight movie, I really do. This one was terrific -- I was looking forward to Mark Wahlberg's performance, but Christian Bale really stole the show. Four stars!
• After the movie, we had lunch, then we ducked into the mall so that I could exchange a shirt that Joe gave me for my birthday. Luckily, they had the right size! Even better, it was now on sale, so we got money back!
• I did the taxes. Woo-hoo; refund!
• We watched the NHL All-Star Skills Competition; Ovie won the breakaway challenge!
• Today we grocery shopped. After that, I cleaned out the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Then I made more sugar cookies. We watched the NHL All-Star Game. Then I e=filed the taxes.

Tomorrow it's back to work in the new, smaller world. I supposed everything will shake out fairly quickly; after all, there's work to be done.

And six fewer people to do it.

Storms and Samaritans

Remember yesterday's post when I mentioned that I was a little worried about Joe?

Yeah.

Joe forgot his cell phone yesterday. He was supposed to work until 9:45 last night, the other evening shift associate actually got there on time at 6:00, so Joe decided to beat feet.

He made it halfway home before he got stuck, the wheels spinning on a particularly icy patch of the highway. Enter Good Samaritan, who gave Joe a push and got him going again.

He was right at an exit that had just been plowed, so he headed on up the ramp and filled up the gas tank. Since the main highway was icy and dangerous with cars angled every which way, Joe drove down the back way to a local sports bar to relax, have a meal, and get ready to try again. He borrowed the barmaid's cell phone and brought me up to date. It was now about 7:00.

Then he tried again, only to get flagged down and told the road was closed due to a truck that skidded across the road. So he turned around and backtracked, headed down I-95 and got off at our exit.

Where he found that the road was closed due to downed power lines. He was four miles from home at this point, very close to a Holiday Inn. He thought, Fuck it, I'm getting a room.

As he was looking for a parking space, he drove over a snow-covered invisible curb and got stuck, partially blocking in another car.

Enter Forced Samaritan, who helpfully informed Joe that he (Joe) was blocking his (Forced Samaritan's) girlfriend's car. So Forced Samaritan helped unstick the car and Joe managed to wrangle the car into a parking space.

And then found out that the hotel was completely booked.

So he decided he might as well walk home.

In his suit and dress shoes.

Through the snow.

Down the back way, through the gravel pits and the by the woods, down hills and up hills.

He made it about a quarter mile when Amazing Samaritan and Son pulled up and hollered, Where you going? Joe answered and Amazing Samaritan said, Get in! We'll take you home! And they did, right to the door.

It was midnight. He'd left at six. I was so relieved when I heard the key in the lock that I didn't even think about how we'd get the car. We would. We'd figure out how in the morning.

So this morning we decided to shovel out the parking space and the sidewalk so we'd have a nice clear spot to put the car in, once we retrieved it, however we retrieved it.

Snowstorms seem to be the only time we really converse with our neighbors, and we were exchanging storm stories with our neighbor as we cleared our respective spaces. When Joe said he'd left the car at the hotel, Neighbor Samaritan immediately offered to give us a ride.

Which we immediately accepted, and then immediately helped him finish clearing his parking space.

And he did, and the car was there, and all was well.

Thank you, Good Samaritans all!

The Forecast Was Right!

When I woke up this morning, it was sorta sleeting. A coating of icy, slushy snow coated the ground, but it really wasn't much -- just the typical Washington Wintery Mix.

Twelve hours later, snow is pouring out of the sky and (according to the weather mavens) it won't stop for another three hours or so. We could get 10 inches. (Insert very bad joke about getting 10 inches.)

I actually wussed out completely and stayed home today. I had my laptop so I could get my work done, but around noon I was feeling a little sheepish. I mean, this is what my front yard looked like:

But just about 2:30 the rain started dripping down. It quickly turned to a hard rain -- and by a "hard rain", I mean sleet and hail!

Shortly after that, sleet transmogrified into big, fat flakes of snow, and those quickly piled up on the ground, both pavement and grass. Now the snow is falling fast -- this last shot was just before the light got bad outside.

We now have at least four inches on the ground and lots more to come. I am so glad I wussed out, because Joe is working the late shift and I would have had to take the subway, catch the bus, and then walk two blocks. Given the traffic reports, I would probably still be on the bus -- if I was lucky. Now I am a little worried about Joe -- he's supposed to work until 9:45 pm, but I doubt he lasts that long. Cross your fingers that he gets home safe and sound!

Tomorrow? I foresee more wussing out.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Mom's death. I thought about going to the cemetery today, but I didn't. It just didn't seem like something I wanted to do. I mean, what would I do there? Stand by my parents' grave and my brother's grave and cry on this bitter cold day? I can do that just fine here and stay warm. Really, there's more of my mother right here in my living room than there is in the cemetery. I can look in every direction and see her in the art on the wall, the antique clock ticking softly, the photos on the side table.

That was quite a day, one year ago. I was sitting right here with two of my pals, doing crafty things, when the nursing home called. The nurse said that Mom had expired.

Expired. LIke a coupon.

My pals hugged me, Joe held me, I started making calls. My sisters, my brother, the funeral home... then we drove out to the nursing home because I had to do something; I couldn't just sit at home. I thought we had let enough time elapse that the funeral home would have already picked up her body, but I was wrong. The young woman who was taking her away was still there. She asked if I wanted to see her.

I thought about saying no, but I didn't. I said yes. Since I wasn't there when she left, I thought I should take a last look before I packed up her few remaining things.

So the young woman unzipped the carrying bag and I went in the room. I let the tears come as I touched her cool skin and kissed her forehead and looked at her still, peaceful face.

And I said goodbye to my mother, one year ago tomorrow.

 

Prime of Life

Holy smokes! My Facebook wall is positively buckling under the weight of all the lovely birthday wishes I've received today -- thank you, all of you, for the postings, the e-cards, the real cards, and the emails. I adore you all, especially you.

Oh, and you too!

Anyway, I'm 59 today. As one of my many admirers pointed out, 59 is a prime number. (Quick -- what's a prime number? First correct answer gets two pats on the head.)

So the horoscope (from the Washington Post) for people born on January 18th reads:

Within the next eight weeks, you will enter into or renew a partnership that touches every part of your  life in a positive way. Work challenges lead you to hone your message or product, which helps you increase your income in March. May puts a hot ticket in your hand. June brings sudden popularity or even fame. Virgo and Leo people adore you.

Whoa. I like the sound of this. Remind me to buy Powerball and MegaMillions tickets in May. And you Virgos and Leos? It's nothing, really. Just leave the tribute on the stoop.

 

The Saturday 9

Since it's Saturday, and I'm feeling lazy, and Jim and Bev did it, I'll do this meme from the Saturday 9 too!

1. Where did you grow up? Where do you consider home?

I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Even though I've traveled all over the country (and a little bit outside the country), I still live just outside Silver Spring in Burtonsville, Maryland. I consider the whole D.C. metro area my home.

2. If you could paint your car any color with no loss in value, what color would it be?

Our car is gray now, so I'd jazz it up a bit. Arrest Me Red would be nice!

3. What do you think comes after death?

I think our souls merge back into the universal mind to get ready to try again. Hey, it's as good an explanation as any. What I do not believe in is Paradise in the Sky or a Lake of Fire.

4. Name a TV show that should NOT be renewed for another season.

Jersey Shore. I've never even seen one episode, and yet it annoys the shit out of me.

5. If you could have a free subscription to any online service, which would you like to have?

Netflix.

6. Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?

I thought I'd be married and have a family. Which I am and do, so yay me.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

In grade school, I wanted to be a Carmelite nun (Hi Bev!). Then I got to high school and realized that boys were fun! Then I got to college and realized that boys were really, really fun!

8. If you were to suddenly become famous, and were forced to change names, what would you choose as your stage name?

Trixie LaRue. What?

9. What is the first book that you can remember reading by yourself as a child?

I remember my older sister reading Winnie The Pooh and Alice in Wonderland to me, but the first books I remember reading by myself were the many Little Golden Books we had. My favorite was Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat, about a mean bear who would sit on the homes of the sweet woodland critters and smash them. The sweet woodland creatures foiled him by setting up house in an old tire. When Mr. Bear plopped on the tire, he bounced!

What I Would Do

This morning on the radio I heard about the Winklevoss twins, who sued Mark Zuckerberg for stealing their idea and turning it into Facebook. They were awarded $65 million in cash and stock, and now they're saying "Oh no, that's not enough."

Can I tell ya something? If a judge handed me that kind of cash, I would say "Thank you very much" and maybe tear up a little bit.

Then I would take a one hundred dollar bill and wipe my teary eyes with it.

Other things I would do with hundred dollar bills?

I would hire a minion to walk in front of me strewing them like rose petals.

I would use them as tissues to blot the shine from my glowing cheeks.

I would fold them into interesting origami shapes.

I would light Joe's cigars with them.

I would weave them into nice placemats.

I would roll one up and tuck it jauntily behind my ear.

I would floss my teeth with them.

I would use them as coasters.

And finally? I would fill up my bathtub with them and lie in the money.

Lie. In. The. Money.

And How Was Your Weekend?

Mine's been nice, thanks! I did a lot of sitting on my ass, punctuated with brief spurts of activity. I mean, really now -- you must rest in between tasks, don't you think?

Yesterday I spent quite awhile on the phone with the cable company, trying to get the new HD box to recognize all of our channels and then actually display them. After the first activation call, we were getting only the very basic cable lineup. After the second call, we managed to get the preferred lineup, but not the premium channels that we pay for. After the third call, we weren't getting any channels at all; only a display message telling us that the channel "would be available shortly." I hung on the fourth call after being on hold for 15 minutes. FInally, with the fifth call, we got it all straightened out.

And now we have HD!

After that ordeal, I decided to clean out the cabinet under the sink in the powder room.

Wow.

Perhaps the only downside to receiving flowers from one's sweety is that you accumulate vases. I must have recycled a dozen glass vases that I'd stored under the sink! Now there is plenty of room for toilet paper, soap, and other things that actually belong in that space.

After that, I made some gingerbread from my Gramma's recipe; it turned out to be extremely tasty, but next time I'll bake in a tube pan. Then, I think, it will be perfect.

To top off a great day, my Caps beat the Panthers and Ovi broke his scoring drought!

Today, of course, was Wild Card Sunday. After dropping Joe off at work, I bought groceries and filled up the gas tank, then fixed myself some lunch and settled in to watch the Ravens beat up on the Chiefs. Then I hung some pictures. There's no sense in letting them moulder in the basement' so up they went. My living room is starting to look more and more like my Mom's!

I tidied up my shoes, which had been carelessly strewn beside my bed, and de-Christmased the living room. Now I am getting ready to go get Joe, and enjoy a laid-back Sunday evening. 

Is That An Axe Over My Head?

Once again there is reorganization in the air, spewing Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Not only is my department being turned on its head, the whole company is changing. I have to hand it to the execs, because they've been honest about the whole thing.

What I find kind of frustrating is that we have not yet heard the dreaded, unspeakable Word of Doom: layoff.

What I find kind of refreshing is that they have not used any of the stupid euphemisms, like "rightsizing."

They have, however, said right out that the company will be about 10% smaller. They have not revealed how or when, but the "implementation" of the new "three-year operating plan" starts this month.

Will it be a swift, major slicing or the death of a thousand cuts? We will see.

I am remarkably calm about this whole thing. I'm good at what I do and I think the folks who are reorganizing my department recognize that. The conundrum may not be whether I have a job, but whether I want the job that I might get.

Then again, I might get a severance package. How good of a package?  Unknown at this time.

At any rate, I can't control this outcome, but I can control whether my resume is up to date.

So hey, it's the last day of this year's Holidailies! I posted on 25 out of 30 days, 83%; not bad! As usual, it was lots of fun and a fine way to end 2010 and begin 2011.

A Champagne Tale

After we went grocery shopping on New Year's Eve, Joe and I saw lots of signs for a champagne sale at a new wine emporium close to our new favorite supermarket. Seeing as how we needed a split of bubbly to welcome in the new year, we stopped in to pick up some this on-sale champagne.

We walked into the shop; the owners greeted us cheerily.

"So tell me about this champagne sale," I said.

The lovely lady owner pointed out the sale bottles, then the nice male owner said, "Let me show you. All these wines with the yellow tags are on sale. Here's a wonderful champagne on sale for 299."

Two dollars and ninety-nine cents? Boy oh boy, that IS a bargain.

Alas, that's not what he meant. He meant two HUNDRED and ninety-nine dollars!

"This is our best champagne. It's Krug, the King of Champagnes!"

My friends, I could not resist.

I replied, "We're really more interested in the Peasant of Champagnes."

I mean, for cryin' out loud, we were going to drink one -- maybe two -- glasses of champagne. Call me cheap if you like, but to be worth three hundred bucks, the King of Champagnes would have to scrub my floor, organize my basement, pay my bills, and give me an orgasm.

So... we bought one of the last remaining bottles of $15.99 champagne. It was just fine, both for toasting the arrival of 2011 and the Caps win against That Other Team.

Happy New Year!