Stolen

I don't often do meme's but this one looked like fun so I stole it from Tina. It was not as fun as I thought it would be it took me hours to get the pictures here. I still can't move them to where I want them.

The Rules: Type the answer to the following questions into Google Image, then pick from the first page.

Age at my next birthday:

Place I'd like to travel:

Place I've been:

Favorite food:

Place I was born:

Place I live:

Name of past pet: (he is current I could not find a pic of last pet name)

Best friend's nickname:

(this is another name for my Honey)

My first name:

First job:

Wacko's weather, and other things

OMG! I am not going to post the name of the group that is going on and on about getting something up at the capital that talks about Santa and hell. Now, I knew that these cult like, picketing, people were crazy but now I know that they are nuts. I really really wished that they had gone to Canada where with their signs they would have all gotten jail time. Anyway, as I am not mentioning the wackos by name here is an article from a local paper about what they are trying to do.

Weather, we are now under a winter storm warning. What that means for us, is a sudden drop in temperature, rain/snow, snow, high wind and if we are lucky we will still have power in the morning. They keep changing when this storm is to get here but the last I heard was 2200 tonight. That is why I am blogging now so that I can.

I did work today, woohoo. Well, kind of. Today I worked at the hospitals Hospice House. I don't mind that kind of work but going from working with one patient to 5 was hard. It is a nice place to work, everyone there tries to make the passage from this world to the next as easy as possible.

Yes, I do believe in an after life. It might not be what we expect in fact I think that the Wackos will be totally surprised at what is there.

No Work

I am so sick of not working right now. It seems as if the hospitals have put everything on hold. Last week I worked all of 10 hours and this week nothing. Every shift I have had has been cancelled. I know a lot of it is the economy, elective surgeries are not being done. That cuts down on patient load but you would think that with all of the emergency's and car accidents that they would not be sending people home.

This morning I was just about to walk out the door when they called. At least I get late cancel pay.

I have been working on my stitching and have finished a panel. I should take a pic and show what is done. But at least it keeps me busy, and I would rather be busy than go shopping and spend money. Though if I get cancelled tomorrow, I might go and spend the day at the book stores. I don't know all of this inactivity is starting to make my brains go mushy.

Remembering Christmas Part 2

My sister and I are several years apart in age. Not a huge age gap but enough so that people could tell I was the older one. Mom, use to buy us matching outfits. I don't know if that was the "Thing" or if she thought it was cute or if we wanted them that way. I do remember when that all stopped.

It is a family tradition that on Christmas eve we all got to open one give, new Jammie's. My sister and I always got matching ones. Then one year, I don't know if my parents were at a party or where they had gone, but they were not at Grandma and Grandpa's. This year the three of us got footie Jammie's. My sister and I matching ones again they were pink. My brother I think had cars on his.

When it came time for us to get ready for bed we all went to put on our new pj's. At that time I was about 4 inches taller than my sister. I did not think anything of it when I put on my PJ's and they were short. I had to scrunch down to get my shoulders in the sleeves, my knees bent it was miserable I could not stand up straight. Now, my sister, hers were to long. Footie's dragging behind her, sleeves covering her hands. So what did we do, not change clothes. Oh no, I was in MY Jammie's and she was in HERS. So we did the natural thing. "GRANDPAAAA!!!!"

What did he do, he took one look at us grabbed a pair of scissors and cut my feet free, the he attacked my sisters PJ's and cut off all of the extra material. She looked OK just a bit ragged, I looked like I was wearing high waders. The elastic that should have been around my ankles were around my calf's.

Needless to say mom was not happy when she got back later that night. However, we never got matching PJ's again. I think that my Grandfather did that deliberately. He was a very smart man.

Remembering Christmas

When I was six years old my Grandfather got in trouble. It was not his fault, someone bought my brother a toy dart gun for Christmas or that my grandmother had hung up honeycomb crepe paper bells in all the door frames of the house. It was not his fault that my brother was more interested in the trucks that he got.

So I asked Grandpa if he would teach me how to shoot. So what the bells made convenient target practice, it was not his fault that I had good aim. Boy, was my Grandmother mad. She hollered and yelled and even cussed him out.

But out of all of that, I remember spending time with grandpa (who always smelled like pipe tobacco). Sitting on his lap taking careful aim at the bell, and shooting it. It was as if we were the only two in the house and I know that was not true. The house was full of people. Grandma, Grandpa, kids, parents, aunts, and uncles.

But what I remember the most is Grandpa, the smell of his pipe, sitting on his lap, and target practice.

Years Past

Today the 29Th is my son's birthday, he is 17 now. The years just go by so quickly. So today I was thinking about him and some of the things that he has done over the years that make him who he is.

First there is Boo's Box, my cocker spaniel had a box. It was his bed, his safe place and if I was lucky I could get his blanket out to wash it every once in a while. When the Boy was nine months old he was bound and determined to see what was so cool in the box. He had already checked out the dog food, and water dish, now it was time for the box. The only thing is Boo was in the box. The Boy crawled over to the box reached in grabbed Boo's long ears and started to try to pull him out of the box. Boo was not having that, he did not bark, growl or show teeth. He pulled back. It was going to be an epic tug of war, who would win the Boy or the dog. Neither, I won. I picked the Boy up.

When the Boy was three we had taken him to Costco and he fell asleep in the car. Getting him out of the car woke him up. He was not quite awake enough to walk so my brother was caring him. It was December and the store had a Santa outside handing out candy canes. The man came up to my brother and said, "little boy would you like to have a candy..." Before he could finish his sentence the Boy punched him right in the nose. He has always hated Santa, there will be more on this if I remember to post about it.

When he was four he was enrolled in karate. He was in it up until he got his green belt. However, when he was six he used it for the first time. He and my brother were roughhousing. My brother kept picking him up and tossing him on the couch. The Boy said "stop" several times. Bro of course did not listen to him. So what did the Boy do? A round house kick, got my brother right in the knee. Dropped him like a rock. The Boy was standing over him crying "I did not know it would work, I didn't". R was on the floor rolling about holding his knee. I like a good mother and a good sister was laughing my a$$ off.

So Happy 17Th Kid.

Tequila Suprise

When I go out drinking Tequila is my drink of choice. I love to have it plan in a glass, just a shot or a double shot. I know that there are all kinds of other ways to drink Tequila, there is the Sunrise, the Margarita, Acid Trip, and many others. Now there is a new use for Tequila. I would have never thought about that.

Thank you Dr.'s however this better not cause a Tequila shortage.

The Laundry

Today was laundry day, the only thing I like about doing it at a mat is that in an hour and a half all of it is done. What I don't like is dealing with all of the people. Most of the time they leave me alone and let me do my cross stitching. Sometimes I get questions on what I am doing or making, when they find out it is stitching their eyes glaze over and they walk away.

Sometimes I will start up a conversation, but I have to be in a chatty mood to do that. I think the last time I started a conversation was a week before the election. I see doing my laundry at a mat as a personal time.

Today however, there was a family in there and I would have liked to slap the parents about the head with a common sense stick. Mom and dad doing laundry and a bright boy about 2. He ran all over the place opening the machines if they were running or not, wandering off outside, then talking to a stranger. Now to me all of these at that age are unacceptable. Playing with the equipment there I understand, the kid is curious. When his parents would tell this little boy not to do something or to mind them he would say quite clearly "F**k off". Guess what mom and dad did, give up. They laughed.

Mulberry Street

Today I saw a man in his yard with a house vaccume cleaner vaccuming his yard. He had it turned on and was vaccuming his grass. I don't know if he was trying to suck up the leaves or the pine needles but it was an intersting to see him out there vaccuming the grass.

This kind of reminded me of my favorite poet. I know that most people do not feel this way about Dr. Seuss. Just read Green Eggs and Ham, or A B C and you will see what I mean. He has a way with words. If I had to choose between Dr. Seuss or Ogden Nash I would have a hard time. Ogden Nash is another favorite poet of mine.

Anyway, when I lived in Springfield MA. I found Mulberry Street, the street that Dr Seuss wrote about and I think lived on when he was a kid. When I saw this man vaccuming his yard I thought about what I saw on Mulberry Street. I have not read that book in a long time.

2 Pics and a link.

Project Postcard

I have 5 postcards at home for this I need to get more. Oh and I still have no computer at home.

An update

The computer is still in the shop. Bummer.

My sister and I talked about my being a lesbian and she is cool with that. Yeah sis. I still have to tell the aunts and my brother. But, I am getting there. Honey is on the east coast this week and I wish I could have gone with her. I miss her when she is in CA and I miss her even more when she is in FL.

A friend of mine who lives in Canada the town of Oshawa sent this to me. She works at that school but did not see the attack she had her back to the parking lot when it started. This is the updated article.

If you have not yet checked out Join The Impact the next event is DEC 10Th.

NO Computer

I am without computer at home for at least a week and I am not to be using the one at work for personal things. I am going to try and get to the library on a daily basis and see if my laptop will connect to their wifi. So I am going to have to try and catch up or seek a peek at the hospital.

Hard things, I guess that we are coming out together

In life there are somethings harder than others. It is not until they are faced that it is seen how hard and how easy events, and situations in life are. Then the same thing can be easy or hard depending on how they are dealt with.

This past week has been one of those dreaded and then not so dreaded times. My blog I have kept from my family because I post things on here that I thought would get some of them very upset, that I would be rejected. I do know what that feels like and it is not a good feeling. The other day my sister found my blog, it was a link to a link type of deal. I don't even know who is reading my posts that she is reading from. I know confusing, but we all know how that goes. Anyway, I posted some topic on here that we had talked about and she asked me if Katzenjammer was mine. After mumbling a bit I admitted that it was. She then lost the link, and I did not send her one. A few days later she found it again. We have talked but I am sure that she has things she wants to ask me about that I have not yet brought up.

How do I tell her the night that I knew from the time I was a late teen that I found women more attractive, or that I married because I thought it was what I was to do ( that was a HUGE mistake)? Or the nights when I would get off the phone with my best friend and tell myself that I was not in love with her, that I had myself convinced of that? Or that weeks later when I saw her again I started having panic attacks when I realized that I did love her. That I for days was a nervous wreck, or the joy I felt when she said that she loves me too. We have not talked about any of this. There is a lot to talk about, the present and the future.

I would like to think that my dad would have been OK with me being a lesbian. My mom would have called me a slut and a whore among other things, but she did that when some guy would smile in my general direction when we were at the store.

So today I took another step in the process of coming out. I called my cousin. I wanted to meet someplace for lunch and talk face to face but with his new job that is not possible. After a bit of chatting, I told him that this summer I had gotten engaged and that my Honey is a woman. He was OK with that, I thought he might be and that is why I told him before some of the others.

As I write this I am tearing up. It is OK Honey. It is a relief to have it out there and yet there are still more people to tell. The one that I fear telling the most is my brother, my aunts I have some worry about and as for my son I will have to tell him when I can sit down and tell him face to face, but I want there to be people that he trusts that he can talk if and when he needs to.

Book Club Night--- Infidel

Tonight was book club night and for this month we read a book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali titled Infidel. I tried to get a link but the computer is not allowing me to at this time. When this book was brought to my attention that it was going to be one of the ones that the group was reading I was not happy. I thought that I would not like it, that it would be a book that would be difficult to read. I was wrong.

For most of the book I enjoyed reading about a different outlook on life, a different culture. I will admit that one point it was very hard for me to get through. The author was describing what happened to her, her sister, and brother. He was circumcised, she and her sister were mutilated. I had to read a word or two and walk away and then come back and read some more.

If asked I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about overcoming obstacles, to learn about Islam, to learn about what it is like to be a refugee. A very good book.

The next time the group meets in Jan 8Th and we will be reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

I voted

I voted. It was a simple processes really. I voted for president, Governor, and other offices that were on the ballot.

Then I got to the propositions. One was easy enough. It was about traffic, and buses.

Then there was proposition 1000. Prop 1000, Death with Dignity, Physician Assisted Suicide. This one made me think more than the prop about the buses. What as a person who works in the medical field think about this. I have seen people die, watched them as in pain they struggled to breath. Listened to them as they begged to die, to end the pain. Sometimes I am the only one in the room holding their hand as family refuses to come and say good by.

I do not believe in taking a life, I have never had to deal with self defence so I am not sure about that. I do think that taking another life is murder, and that it is wrong to do that. However, as I sat and thought about prop 1000 I asked myself some questions that I needed to answer.

I came to the conclusion that I do not have the right to tell others how and when to die. That is not my job or my responsibility . That being the case, how should I vote. No, because I believe taking a life is wrong. Yes, because it is not for me to tell you how to live or die.

I voted yes. I do not have to help someone die, I cannot give them the medication to die. I can go to bed knowing that even though I do not believe taking a life is OK, I have made the choice to allow other to die in a manner that they choose.

Why could not CA, AZ, FL and AK do that? Vote so that others could choose their own lives, their happiness?

I can only hope, and fight and maybe one day Honey and I can get married, not just unionized.

Exposure

The good news the great news is that 8 against 8 raised $13,759.

I love my job, I love my job, I love the bugs at my job. As long as I keep saying that things will be OK. This is actually more of a note to me. So today between the hours of 1300 and 2100 on October 30 2008 I meet some good bugs. I was in and out and in and out and in and out ( get your mind out of the gutter) of a room today and on the last run in there a nurse came up to me and said, " one of the patients in here is being moved to a private room, the doc thinks she has TB." Whoopee, if Honey did not like my hair I would have pulled it out then and there.

Then today between the hours of 1300 and 2100 I went to a room that had a nice tiny little sign "droplet precautions". So on go the gloves, the mask, and the pretty (read ugly as sin) yellow dress. OK, so its not really a dress it is a long sleeved, open in the back hospital type gowns. See photo above. Get in the room and the nurse says to me. "They don't know what she has they think it might be encephalitis." What the he!! is going on? I know that encephalitis is not airborne but some of the things that cause it can be. What they don't know is what caused it.

This week alone I have come across more and more nasties than I have in a long time. Bacterial meningitis, salmonella, TB, encephalitis, e.coli, not to mention the more normal ones. MRSA, VRE, 2 cases of the flu, colds, sinus infections, and more. Thank the frogs I am not a hypocondrac.

Marriage means to me

With all of the talk on marriage and the rights that go along with it I thought I should write about what marriage means to me. The me that got stupidly hitched at 19 because that is what I thought I should do. The me who when he left me pregnant became a single mom. The me who did not for years even think about a relationship, because the kid came first. The me who for several months lived in a homeless shelter with a small child. The me who held nontraditional jobs, like fire support for ground and air firefighters.

Personal, I am scared to get married. I don't want to disappoint Honey, I don't want to hurt her. I don't want her to one day wake up regretting marring me.

Marriage is to me an acknowledgement of our love. It is me telling others that I love this woman so much that I am willing to stand up and tell the world of my love for her.

Marriage to me means being with her when facing the hard times. Taking care of her when she needs it.

Marriage means compromise. Accepting her for her, and giving her space when she needs it. It means realizing that you are both individuals working toward a common goal. Marriage means working through the misunderstandings or finding a way to live with the two different points of view.

Marriage means growing as both a couple and as individuals.

Marriage means sitting at a hospital for all hours. It means fixing her favorite meal when she is sick. It means having someone to hold in the dark scary times. It means that after death the survivor will get the respect of being a widow.

Marriage to me means that my love is as important as your love.

8 and Movies

Thank you to everyone who donated, and read, and posted about 8 against 8. I don't know what the total is but I do know it is more than $8,000. Woohoo!!

Now on the the topic that is going around work this week. What should I bring to a Halloween potluck? I want to take something so that they won't ever ever forget me. I was thinking lung cancer cake or something equally nasty with out all the work.

Speaking of nasty, one of the things at work we have been talking about is scary movies. I love a good scary movie. I don't mean a gory one filled with blood and guts and oozy things I see that at work all the time. Gory movies are not scary or entertaining they are more like a bad documentary. I am not allowed to watch them with family anymore. My family sits around and says things like "eewww" or "what is that?" They really don't like it when I say "That evisceration with the chain saw was not deep enough to show the kidneys. Oh, and where are the reproductive organs? Movie makers seem to forget those." Gory movies are like a bad day when I was an EMT.

I want movies that are scary enough so that at night when in bed alone every little noise from the fridge starting up to the car alarm 5 doors down makes me want to get up, turn on all the lights, shove a holy book under my bed, and have a death grip on a baseball bat until the sun comes up. That is the kind of movie I want to see. I do think that the movie studios have quit making them.

Some of the ones that I like that are hard to find on DVD are... Watcher in the Woods, The Cat People (1942 version) , and The Haunting (1963). What are some of yours?

Waaaateeer

I have decided that with all of the talk about politics and just how serious things are getting in the news that I would change things here for a bit. I thought about telling a ghost story but I want to write it out, get it right before I tell it. Then I thought about a joke of some sort and realized that I am not good at telling those either.

So tonight I went shopping, I needed just a few things. I used the self check out as I had gotten under 5 items and it was close to closing time. I got some cleaning supplies, 2 bottles of water as my brother and I were thirsty, and ice cream. The cleaning supplies, ice cream all scanned well. The water we had to enter in the UPC code. After typing the code into the machine it spoke phonetically. I thought that I was going to pee.

The machine sounded like something on Sesame Street. It said "put the Waaaateeer in the bag." Waaaateeer. Drawing out the vowels making sure that I understood that I needed to bag my waaaateeer. Not my ice cream or my cleaning items my waaaateeer.

Riot

I am worried and frightened, about what is going to happen in the next two weeks. The election is a big part of it and if I had thought I would have requested Nov. 4th off. I do not want to work that day. I hope and pray that I am wrong, that my fears are ungrounded. I however am not sure that they are.

On the 4th I am packing a bag in case I have to stay at the hospital. This election to me seems more volatile than the ones in the past. Yes, I am worried about who is going to be in office, the state of the economy, if I will ever be able to marry my Honey. Will I be able to get a car that is not falling apart, will the sun come up tomorrow (ok that was tossed in there).

What I am worried about is the outcome of the election. Not who is elected, I will have my say. The reaction of people when the results come in. The hospital that I am working in is full, packed, no empty beds and they just opened up a new wing with 37 beds.

What happens if there is rioting? I hope and pray that this feeling I have is wrong, that there will not be rioting.

8 and a sad sad need to get angry about article

Have you donated yet? I have. Donated for 8 Against 8. Not only is there the ballot measure in CA but one in AZ and FL too. The one in FL is scary with the way that is worded. I don't have a quote for that but I am sure that it is out there on the net somewhere, or that someone knows what I am talking about.

Talking about scary things, Honey sent me this news article and while I do not like to post about some thing that I cannot talk about I think that this is worth a read. Be warned I cried when I read it, and I am not talking happy tears. Women in the Congo.

8 Against 8

I have not gotten political on my blog before. I have tried not to, there is enough out on the net without my saying anything. On this I am going to get political. Honey and I in June got engaged, I asked her to marry me when we were on vacation. I live in Washington state, where Deno Rossi has stated that if he gets elected Governor he will veto a marriage bill, and try to roll back existing protection for GLBT. Honey lives in CA. I am going to move down there in the summer and then eventually we will get married.

I want to marry her more than I want to get a fully loaded 2009 Dodge Challenger.

So from October 20 to the 27Th. 8 bloggers are trying to raise $8,000. This sight 8 Against 8 or any of the blogs listed below can link you to where to donate. They are not asking for everything that you have $1 will help.

Grace Chu and Grace Rosen - Grace The Spot

Lori Hahn - Hahn At Home

Kelly Leszczynski - The Lesbian Lifestyle

Dorothy Snarker - Dorothy Surrenders

Pam Spaulding - Pam’s House Blend

Sinclair - Sugarbutch Chronicles

Riese - This Girl Called Automatic Win

Renee Gannon - Lesbiatopia

I miss you

*** Honey wrote and sent this too me. I did ask and she did say I could put it up here. This is one of the many many many reasons that I love her.****

I love you and I miss you so very much.

I miss that look of incredulity that precedes you shaking your head and rolling your eyes or laughing your ass off when I come up with something totally off the wall.

I miss having my friend with me when I go shopping - for food, clothes, whatever - to say Look at this! Did you see that? Have you ever!?!? over whatever catches my eye...

I miss sitting on the beach with you, watching the endless waves break on the sand...

I miss coming home to you at the end of a long, hard day to relax in your arms. Or to have you come home after a trying shift and watching you as you sit with me to unwind. (OK - I know we haven't actually done that yet, but in my mind's eye it's happened so many times already...)

I miss cooking with you; "Do you think I should add this, Why don't you try some of that, Let me have a taste, What do you think of this recipe, You'd better turn the fire off under that pan or by the time I let you out of bed it will have burned" as I drag you toward the bedroom...

I miss the softness of your skin, the strength of your arms around me, the so-right feeling of my arms around you, my lips on yours. The subtle sweetness of the taste of you. The dreamy look in your eyes when I touch you here... and here...

I miss the look in your eyes - love, desire, lust - when you look at me as I relax and completely surrender to you.

I miss falling asleep in your arms after we've made love. Being tucked back against you, feeling your warmth surround me, your arm around me, keeping me close to you and safe.

I miss waking up in the middle of the night to feel you reaching out to touch my back ever so lightly, as though you're afraid to wake me yet still need to reassure yourself that I really am there, that I didn't disappear in the night like some figment from a dream.

I love you and I miss you so very much.

Work

This is not a nice story so be warned.

A few months ago a man and his wife came into one of the hospitals that I work at. He was very upset and so was she. He had an accident in the beginning of the year, and as he could not afford the $35 co-pay did not go to see the doctor. Now months later in the hospital the ER doc's told him that he was going to loose both of his legs below the knee. They also said that if he had gotten checked out when the accident happened he would not be in this position.

He has to have the operation or he will not live. So the papers as signed, the date is set. However, before he goes in there are some questions that have to be asked and answered so that he can be better taken care of and get the right medication.

Keep in mind he has a job, a wife, health insurance but can not afford the co-pay.

So the standard questions are asked. Do you have any medication allergies? Then eventually the social questions are asked. These may seem invasive but they do help look of and stop potential problems both during and after the operation. Like needing nicotine replacement. So on to the social questions.

Do you smoke and do you drink? Yep to both. I do remember that he said each night he drank 2 big glasses of vodka. When asked how big he said about the size of a large soda glass. But he could not spend the copay to save his legs.

Sometimes I really really hate my job. Although it is not my job that I hate it the the choices people make.

This Weekend

This weekend was great. On Saturday I went out for breakfast to a little place called The New Moon Cafe. Oh I love their food, they have real wild blackberry jam. I wish I could buy it in bottles. Then after a short walk I went to my bath and massage appointment. A half hour soak in a tub where the water comes up to my chin then an hour long massage. The only thing that would have made that better is if Honey were the one doing the massaging.

Then I went shopping. I put something red, blue and yellow on layaway. Went to the bookstores and got a few things. Nothing much there, a new day planner, copy of Curve, a copy of The Cross Stitcher and a coffee.

By the time I got home it was the afternoon and I got some great shots of the grounds here. When I have the energy and the time I will post the pics.

Sunday I spent at home in my grandfathers rocker working on a cross stitch project and watching movies and TV shows. A great weekend.

Another Post on Breast Cancer

I know that today is national out day. OK, I am a lesbian I am madly in love with my girlfriend. She lives millions and millions of miles away (that is an exaggeration she is in CA, and I am in Olympia WA).

The other post on breast cancer is about the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation she is seeking an Army of Women for some interesting research in breast cancer. She is looking for one million women to participate in healthy breast research. That way the scientists can study what is healthy, and hopefully be able to spot the subtle changes in breast tissue. I have signed up and so has Honey. I am going to see if I can get some of the others that I know to sign up as well. I have some emails to get out.

Breast Cancer

This month is breast cancer awareness month. The hospitals where I work are having games, walks, and other fundraisers for raising money for a cure. I for many of these events have to work and so will not be able to participate in them. There are also scrubs, and other items that I can buy where a percentage of the cost goes to cancer research.

All of that is well and good however, none of the shirts that the nuns are willing to sell fit my personality. So I go to a shop called Torrid. There I bought a shirt that says Boobs Rock. Twenty percent goes to breast cancer and depending on who sees me wearing it I get nasty looks or thumbs up. My profile picture is now a photo of my shirt.

Monday night

Monday night I went to a book signing in Seattle. It was for the author Christopher Paolini and his new book Brisingr. My son is a huge fan of this authors and if I had not made the "get A's and B's" deal with him I would have not gone. I got there at 6:30 and all ready there was a line around the block. Now this was not an open event attendees had to have tickets.

Once in the Knights of Seattle put on a good show. The only think I heard them complain about was that the horses would not fit into City Hall so no jousting. After the show Paolini came out and talked for a bit. He is a gamer for those interested. Read a few chapters from his new book and then at about 8:30 started to sign books. I got out of there at 11pm.

My son is thrilled that I got the book signed for him. I just wish that he could have been here for that (long story). Yes, I have a kid a teenager.

Also on the home front I have gotten a contract at a hospital in Federal Way. I have the most strange hours ever. I work from 1300 to 2100. I was told that the shift is normally from 1500 to 2100 but they could not get anyone to take that as a 30 hour week. What I don't understand is why they did it that way. Why not extend the hours to 2300? But I just fill in where needed I do not run the diagnostic imaging.

The de Young

On the 28th of September Honey and I went to the de Young for the last day of the Chihuly exhibit. She drove me up to the headlands so that I could see Golden Gate Bridge, and the city that way. We stopped for some alone time there. Then drove into the park or I should say tried to. It turns out that it was opening day for another museum there. First day is free, weee!!

Not good for us. We had tickets for 2pm after about an hour of looking for a parking spot we drove though the park to find one. There was a line of people running up the road. Honey did drop me off so that I could get our tickets and start the tour while she kept looking for a parking space.

We learned on Sunday that the line of people was over a mile long. They had to call in EMT's as people kept passing out. The museum was letting in 500 people an hour and at the end of the day over 50,000 people when through those doors. When I got home I did look up online the price of the museum ticket one adult $26. I think it would be worth the $26 to get in on a less crowded day.

Anyway, I did get some good shots of the glass that Chihuly had on display there. These are just some of the pictures that I got. I am going to have to figure out how to move the pictures where I want them one day. Then one day I am going to have to figure out how to get some of the wicked cool templates that I see on other blogs.

The Beach

These are some of the pictures that I took when Honey and I went to the beach in CA. I wish I had gotten a picture of the sand it was more like fine gravel than the sand that we have here in WA. We went to Bodega Bay and to Goat Rock beach where the Russian River joins the ocean. The wind was so strong that the birds had a hard time flying, sail boats out on the ocean seemed to be tipping in the waves. The power boats moving in slow motion. It was a wonderful day and the nights were better that however, you have to use your imagination on.

I'm Fined

I made it back from my trip ok I got home on Sunday at about 1130pm. Monday I woke to find that I brought something back with me. I have a cold. A nasty nonthinking nose running cold. So Right now I am fined and when I am all better and fine. I will put up some pics from the trip. I am going back to bed and watch very bad movies.

Vacation

I have started a vacation this week and will not be able to post until I get back home. I hope to have some pictures to show everyone. Next Saturday Honey and I are going to see Chihuly at the de Young in San Francisco. So have a good week.

The Bobbles, the Pool Shark and the 12th Man

The Bobble heads

I was in the car stopped at a light when I looked into my rear view mirror. There in the car behind me were four people all listening to music. I don't know what they were listening to but they were all bobbing their heads in time to the beat. They looked like a group of bobble head dolls.

The Pool Shark

Do not listen to Honey if she replies on here. We have been playing online pool for the past few days and the only time I win is if she sinks the cue ball when she tops the eight ball in. I don't feel that is winning as I have only sunk 2 balls myself. I have even tried blowing in her ear but I guess that just does not work on the phone.

So I decided that we should play another online game. Chess, we guess what she beat me at that AND checkers. So last night we played dominoes and I won. WOOOHOOO me! I know that will only be until she figures out all the rules and nuances of the game. So if you happen to meet Honey online and she wants to play pool know this she will kick your butt. She is only slightly competitive, but she knows that turns me on.

The 12Th Man

Sunday I went to my first ever NFL game. The hawks were playing some team I don't remember who. It was so much fun. I screamed until I was horse and when I talked I sounded like a cartoon character. I ate garlic fries, had 2 bottles of $3.50 water (beer was $7.00). Got some great shots of the stadium and Seattle. The best part of it was I was for once a real 12Th Man.

For those of you who don't know what a 12Th Man is they are the loudest fans in football. In fact several other football teams have accused the Seahawks of miking the crowd because they cannot hear the plays that are called. That is just not true here is more from the fans, and just one more. How the team uses that is amazing.

View of the City from Qwest Field
View of the City from Qwest Field

The Sound with a ferry before the game

The Blue Thunder Drum Line

Filling up

Raising the 12th Man flag

Blitz the Mascot

Blue Thunder

Go Seahawks

Sea Gals

Full Stadum

Hard-ly Working

I have less than a 7 days to get ready for a trip. I have to pack, clean the car, clean the house, and yes still go to work. So with all of that on my plate why am I sitting here reading, listening to and writing blog stuff?

I have started coming home and napping in the afternoons. I do not want to make this a habit, so I am waiting until I am getting to the point of being sleepy then I am going to get up and work on the car. The car was not going to be my first job as I know myself and will have to clean it out again before I go. The car is first on the list with a good scrubbing, on the way to work before I left my driveway I spilled my coffee. This would not normally be bad at this time of year but the temp reached 90+ in the car. My coffee had milk in it. So this is not going to be just a pick up the trash that might be in there, and take it to be vacuumed. NO now I have to vacuum and then bring it home and scrub the carpeting. eeeeeeewwwwwwww..

Oh and why is vacuum spelled that way? Why not spell it an easier way?

Late on posting

I meant to get this up on Friday or even Thursday night but have been to tired, cranky, hormonal. Thursday was my second book club meeting and we reviewed Out Stealing Horses. For me it was a book that I would have read only if I were incredibly bored, that includes cleaning the bathroom. It was well written however it left many questions unanswered for me. What happened to Thrond's father? Why a suit, why not something more useful? It is not one that I will read over again.

For this month we have decided to read Wizard of Earthsea. We were to have read one called Infidel but have pushed that book back to next month. What has brought about this change is that the library here is having what they are calling Timberland Reads Together. In this the local booksellers agree to sell the book at a discount and anyone in the library system can read the book them meet for a mass discussion.

Timberland library covers 5 counties, not just one or a few city's. This is a huge library system and I love it. I should tell them that. Back on topic, this is the fourth such read that the libraries have worked out. At the end of each read the author if still living is invited to read, answer questions about the book and also sign them. So it looks like this will be an interesting one.

Assaulted

Assaulted, this past week I have been audio assaulted more times than I can count. It started Monday. After I went to the library to work on my laptop and spend some down time I wanted a nice quiet lunch. So I went to a fish place and when I walked in the restaurant was quiet, however before they served me my meal someone had turned on the radio. Not to something quiet and relaxing so that there was a soothing low toned music in the background. No, this was a non-local country station. So not only did I have to listen to music that I am not fond of I had to listen to the static that occupied an out of town station.

There were several times that I was in my car and I could hear others stereos over mine. I will admit that I do not have the best car stereo in the world (I have one working speaker). I do however do not want to hear what others are listening to when I am trying to hear something else.

But the worst was today. I got home, and had gotten off the phone with Honey when the neighbores started up with their music. Don't get me wrong listen to your tunes. I just don't think I should be able to understand what they are listening to when I am in my bedroom and that is not the shared wall.

I like music, I like all different kinds as Honey can tell you. I like that other like music, I just don't want to hear it.

Sand in the City

This weekend was Sand in the City. It is a benefit for the Children's Museum, every year they have a theme, and this year it was movies. When I went there yesterday it was between down pours so I am sure that on Saturday the sand sculptures were a bit more defined. It was still incredible to walk thought and see what each person or team had come up with. I love the look on the dogs face that is getting the shot.

Sir Hissss from Robin Hood

King Kong, Evolution in Engineering

Not sure but I think it is Cats and Dogs

Verne from Over the Hedge

Hammy from Over the Hedge

R.J. from Over the Hedge

Amethyst Initiative

I have been reading and hearing a lot on the news about the Amethyst Initiative. One side will talk about hoping to stop binge drinking and therefor the problems that binge drinking causes. The other side says that lowering the drinking age would cause more fatal car accidents. Who is right?

I don't know. What I do know that at the age of 18 my son will have the right to vote, have to register for the draft, can join the military, and if found guilty of a crime be charged as an adult. However, he as an adult who can go to war and be killed for serving the country, sacrificing his life if he so chooses. He at this age can do all of that is not allowed by the same government who he might choose to serve, cannot at the end of a long hard day have a beer. Or at the celebration of achieving something is not allowed to have a celebratory glass of wine.

Am I the only one who this does not make sense to?

Aug 20th 2007

I know it is odd to have a post dated for a year past, however this is the date that I sent Honey an email that changed everything and for the better I might add. Today is one year in our more than friends relationship, in this year we have covered much ground. We have gone from friends to lovers to being engaged. Happy Anniversary my love.

More flowers for you

This morning

I woke up this morning at 330 it was a noise that woke me and I thought that it was my new upstairs neighbors doing who knows what. Not really caring what they were doing, I just knew that my last half hour of sleep was interrupted. Just as I dozed off the sound came again low and far away rumbling in the sky. Thunder. I stayed in bed and listened to it until I was almost going to be late for work.

It was not the sharp cracking thunder this was the low reverberating echoing rolling thunder. The kind that starts out soft and low, then gradually intensifies in sound, and then slowly fades away. I did not see any lightening just heard the thunder. What a wonderful way to wake up. Much better then who know what the neighbors are doing now.

Heat

It is almost midnight here and it is to hot to sleep, to hot to eat. I would love to be able to climb in the freezer and cool off. Tomorrow it is to be about 105, we don't have air conditioning it is not often that we get heat like this. I should be in bed, I have to get up in less then 4 hours for work but everything is sticky. It is as if the lakes were about to boil, the rivers are still cool, but the beaches are full. I live in a small city, I would hate to live in Portland or Seattle right now, the heat rising from the black top would only make it worse.

I am so looking forward to the fall when the rains come again. I do miss the rain, the cool breezes, football season. It is even to hot to blog. So I will leave a pic of what it feels like outside right now.

What a week

I have changed my work schedule from having the weekends off to taking Sundays and Mondays off this month. So on Tuesday my alarm goes off at 4am and then the phone rings, the hospital does not need me. Great nap time, every 10 minuets until 7am the bloody phone rang with calls from work. So I finally get a little more sleep get up at 10 and at 1445 I get a call they need me to come in and work of the evening. Great but evening shift starts at 1400 and at that time of day it takes me an hour to get to the hospital. They are OK with that. SO I work until 2245 head home get to bed at about midnight. The alarm goes off at 4am Wednesday.

For what happened on Wednesday see above.

Thursday the alarm goes off at 4am. I think what idiot turned that thing on and went back to sleep. I sleep alone I am the idiot. 5am I wake up in a panic, call the hospital and guess what they need me for the day shift. That starts at 6am, I can get there in time IF I leave in 15 minutes. No breakfast, no COFFEE, no lunch, but I made it. Worked until 1430 drove past my house for an appointment at 1600 got there early so I got out of there early. Went home and zoned out until 1800. Talked to Honey on the phone, made a mad dash to get ready for the book club.

Book club this was my first meeting and I am the youngest one there. The average age of them seems to be about 65. Me I am not even 40 yet. The book club was some of what I expected some not of what I thought it would be like. We had read Little Heathens this month. Next months is Out Stealing Horses.

Friday I worked a day shift, tried to do laundry I have to go to a laundry mat. My bank was having a "little glitch" with the computer and so as I had used all my quarters to wash I had 5 loads of wet laundry to deal with. Hours later they got the "little glitch" fixed. I did not have to wait that long to get the laundry dry I got to borrow some quarters from my brother.

Then yesterday I worked a day shift. Ran some errands and fixed dinner. Talked to Honey and Passed out cold until about 830 this morning. That has been my week.

A side note I talk to Honey every night even when I work a double. On the goals my car goes in Monday for an alignment. That means I have a day at home where I can clean the apartment. Woohoo

The list, L K, and Berrys again

I am not a list person nor am I an A type person. In fact on the alphabet scale of person types I am more of an L or a K type personality. What I did was I actually made a list of things that I want to one day blog about. That is where the list comes in at, I wrote it up at work when my patient was sleeping. It was so warm and quiet in there I needed something to do to keep me awake. So I have this list one and a half pages long, why am I not blogging about anything on that list? I wrote it down so I would not have to remember it, good plan. The list is in the car.

L or K type to get the list I would have to go into my bedroom find the keys, put on some type of footwear, walk out to the car, unlock the door, find the notebook, lock the car, walk back to the apartment, take off footwear, walk to the computer, decide what topic that I want to post about, and then type it up. That sounds to much like work to me.

Oh this week I froze a flat of blueberries and I talked to my supplier, they are going to get in boysenberry's. Last year none not one boysen, this year I am going to get me some.

Directional Devices

They are everywhere. In the cell phone, the handheld gaming systems but more importantly in cars. What are they? Talking GPS systems.

The ones that you program in your home address then the address of the grocery store that is three miles away, and that you go to every Friday for their deal on chocolate cookies. The idea on how they work is great, listen to the voice and never get lost. The voice is a polite computer safe voice. One that is not grating on the ears, one that is attention getting, one that is commanding.

Program in the directions and hear (depending on the system) "turn left on Main st. in half a mile turn right on 12Th Ave. in one mile turn left on Elm st. in point 5 miles you have reached your destination." Great. I don't want one in my car.

Give me a realistic one. Program in the home address the destination address and this is what come out of the speaker. " What the, you want me to tell you how to get some place 3 miles from here. Jeez, what happened to you? Do you need me to tell you how to put your pants on. OK turn left on Main st. No, left your other left. Turn right on 12Th ave not that street that is 10Th. Crap now I have to reprogram new directions."

If the companies that made the directional devices built one like that I would buy it just to have it annoy people.

Goals
exercise did the ball and some stretching
only have 5 more cookbooks to go thought

Goals to meet
alignment, bill

Today I went for a walk to the lake. There are two places that are public access. The park where I went and the boat launch. The park is not a fancy one by any means. There are a few picnic tables, a paved path, and a few clearings. The rest of it is trees. Most of the people who use this park go there to let their dogs swim or for some solitude. I went there to read and to take a few pictures. I did get another idea for a goal when I was there. I want to go to every city, state, county, and national park with Honey and make out.

I know there are thousands of parks and it could take forever. I'm up for that.

GOALS MEET. .
Exercise, 150 reps on the ball and walked to the park. One half my cookbooks are gone through I am so far keeping 6 that I know of.

GOALS
Exercise
TWO WEEKS pay off bill, alignment on car.
LONG TERM make out with Honey at every park

No Work

Working as an agency nurse means that while I have the good times I also have the bad. The good times include higher pay, benefits, and the biggest choosing my own schedule. I do not have to ask for time off, for vacations, for family events, and I can choose where I want to work. If one place is full of politics, and backstabbing I don't have to put up with it.

Now for the bad times. If the patient load drops I am one of the first cancelled. Sometimes that means that I don't get the hours in a week to pay for gas. This week so far I have managed to get in 16 hours. I still have Saturday and that is usually when more support staff is needed. So I am hoping to pick up a shift tomorrow but as of now the only place that they need me is a place that I won't go.

The place that needs me is for a night shift tonight and even thought they are offering double time I won't set foot in the place. It is dangerous, I refuse to go there and face the possibility of loosing my license. The last time I went there I was the only one to show up for an evening shift that started at 1400 or 2pm. Day shift took off before they could be stopped, so it was me and one other person from days for 70+ patients. The rest of the shift staggered in when they decided to after a football game. There was to my knowledge there was not any form of punishment to the staff.

Goals meet
Clean Car
Ball exercises 150 total reps. 50 crunches 50 back crunches 50 push ups

On going goals
This weekend: Go Through my cookbooks and thin them out
Daily: Exercise
Next two weeks: Pay off a bill, have alignment done.

Accountability

I have been thinking about some things and one thing that I do is I set goals that I do not meet. I know that is something that a lot of people do. Others are so good that they do not have that problem.

I know I do I can procrastinate with the best of them. Trust me it is not that hard. Then there is a mad scramble to get things done that are needed or wanted done at the last minute. So I have decided that I am going to set goals and post them at the end of the blog so that I can keep track of what I have and have not accomplished. I will have short term and long term goals on here.

So to start...
Short term CLEAN OUT CAR..
Daily goal GET UP AND USE THE EXERCISE BALL before work
Two week goal GET A BILL PAID OFF AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT

Well, I can say that I missed my daily goal today, but I still have a chance at a clean car.

Hands

I asked Honey if I could post a picture of her and this is the one I chose. I just love her hands. I love how delicate they are and how I can trace each bone.

She has some scars on the backs from a job that she did and then some from her cats. They add something to her, some form of character, something that I cannot name. I love to run my fingers over them it is as if they were there just for me. I know that most people will not see them. They are just like her hands fine and delicate. I know thought not to let that fool me she has got a strength in her hands and fingers that I wish I had.

I am always touching her hands in some way. Holding them, running my finger over the backs of them. She posed for this picture for me, then I used Picasa2 to add the color change and the tinting. I just wish that I had asked her to put her ring back on. Oh well, next time.

Berrys

Saturday I went out to the local berry farm and got a flat each of black and raspberrys. Now I know for all of us who grew up on the small wild hard to find blackberrys that the ones that are farm grown are not the same. The taste is a whole diffrent experance. Wild blackberrys are so yummmmmmmmmmmy. Oh, maybe next Saturday I should go into town and have breakfast at the Blue Moon they have wild blackberry jam. That alone is worth it.

What I did with all the berrys was freeze them. They joined a flat of strawberrys that I did a few weeks ago. Next weekend is blue and marionberrys. They to will get frozen. I use them all of them for cobblers, smoothies, muffins, and pancakes(well just the blueberrys for that one). But still, they are so good so tasty. I don't know about boysenberrys I have not seen them in a while. I don't know if people are not growing them or if there is an other problem with the crop. Weather, and pollination can drasticly have an effect on the berry season.

There are two posts tonight I wanted one but I could not get Honeys hand picture in this post. I guess the program I was using has a "thing" about that.

I hate coming up with titles

Sometimes what I want to post and what I actually do post is not the same. Last night I had a great idea for a post and this morning it was gone. All of it each idea each thought. It was gone. My mind was a blank. Even now I feel like I am posting drivel.

I think that I have to much on my mind. My Honey and I have been talking about wedding plans. She told me that she never even as a kid thought about getting married that all of this is new to her. So every once in a while I will email or text her a question about a wedding that sets her off on thinking about something that she never would have.

A simple one word text is all that it takes. Music? Photographer? Food? Then she tells me that she has never thought about those things. We have looked at websites for rings, hotels, and places to get married at.

I am open for ideas and thought on a wedding. I know that we can do anything we want we don't have to have a traditional wedding. We can have a hand fasting outside nakked in the rain if that is what we choose.

Any ideas, any thoughts.

Posting

I know that I said that I was going to post a long one today as I have the time. I just don't feel like it. I need to deal with somethings but not online or today. So I am going to have to sit and worry about it until I can get to a point where I can actually deal with what is going on, or more appropriately what was said.

I don't know if K said it as a joke and others took it the wrong way or if he was serious. I do hope that he was joking and that the others took him wrong. I need a hug.

Bad Nursing Jokes

What do you give a man who has got everything?

Antibiotics

Knock Knock

Whose there?

HIPPA

HIPPA who?

Sorry, cannot divulge that information.

Quick Note

I have been out of town for two days and have had company. I do have to leave for errands before work in a few minutes but tomorrow I will have time to do a post with pics.

Vacation Photos

Photo #1 is the Big Wood River outside of Ketchum Idaho in the National Forrest.
Photo #2 is the Big Wood River outside of Ketchum in the National Forrest
A shot of one of the Mt.s on highway 75 going toward Stanley
The Redfish River in Idaho
This is the meadow where Honey and I got engaged. It was full of blooming Lupine, and last year that is where they had a huge fire. Some of the burned trees are in the photo.