Sunday, August 27, 2006

My Bday Week

Hey!! It was my birthday on Thursday! I took Thursday and Friday off and enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to have 4 days off in a row!!

Let's see what did I do? I went to the kidney transplant center with my sweetie and met his transplant team. They are evaluating his case and we'll hear soon about his eligibility for a transplant. It sounded pretty good, but we won't know until the "committee" meets and makes their decision.

I spent some time at the chiropractor fixing my neck, bought a great pillow - one of those Tempur-pedic kind - IT'S GREAT!!! I love it, my neck is feeling better and I've been able to sleep for a change. Wonderful! Then I hung out with my sweetie at dialysis. We get to hang out and talk, watch TV and eat dinner. It's nice to spend the time together. I was so tired on Friday that I cuddled up with him the best I could and slept on his pillow. :)

Saturday we spent the whole day driving around and seeing different parts of San Diego County looking for a possible house or at least a possible location we are interested in living. We found some wonderful places, but the problem is the drive back into town is about 45 - 60 minutes and Beka wouldn't be able to handle that! So, we'll keep looking for a place close by, up or down the coast. We'll probably have to rent a house since our future is quite unknown due to his kidney disease. He could be able to work for the next 9 years until he retires or would have to retire by the end of this year. It's all going to depend on how he feels. Renting would be good unless we find something "reasonable" here in So. Cali.

Today, we spent the whole day together. Ran errands, hung out, talked, grocery shopped, kissed, hugged, cooked, and laughed all day long. God, I LOVE THIS MAN!!

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"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
- Robert Frost

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Mondays

I love weekends - and this weekend was especially nice. We went to a cookout with one of my new friends and it was quite fun! The day was fantastic - great company, wonderful people, nice, sunny and fun. We both had a blast! He was feeling his best and I was very proud to be out with him. Well, I'm always glad to be out with him, but Saturday was something special. He was on top of his game. I'd have to say that the dialysis is really working for him. He's feeling much better than I've seen him feel in a long time. I'm so glad for him.

Glad to have the baby back! She came home Saturday night and we were so excited to see her. She had only been gone for 2 1/2 weeks but it seemed like forever. She looked fantastic - a sight for sore eyes. She was smiling ear to ear and was quick with the kiss and hug! God, it was great to have to home! We talked and laughed and looked at her new tattoo - the one that we bought her for her birthday in December - early you know. She told us stories, told us how everyone was back in Cincinnati and frankly, I was shocked to hear about her old friends in Reading. It was such a shock - so many kids gone astray. I'm just so glad that she's not caught up in any of that crap and mess.

Sunday was just a great day, we had a nice time at the Harbor. Ate fish & chips and sat by the harbor peering at the boats. It was very relaxing and lots of fun. We just hung out and told stories. I love my family.


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Friday, August 18, 2006

trying to keep up with old friends

In some way it's kind of hard to keep up with everyone. You have to budget time to write emails, letters, blog, text, IM and make phone calls. Maybe it's so hard because there are too many ways to communicate! I have lots of friends and I try to get to everyone in one way or the other. It just doesn't always work out.

I do try, I check my email often throughout the day and I try to answer it pretty quickly. I still get asked if I know other professionals for job opportunities and mostly in Cincinnati, not in So Cali. Then I try to keep up with what's going on in Cincinnati, I even listen to radio stations there so I can hear the news from time to time. The problem with that is I get homesick and kind of bitchy - hehe! Shame on me!

But now that I've been here in San Diego for 6 months, I'm making some friends - at work and in my apartment complex - so I'm starting to accept invitations to outings and parties. I know that it's healthy for me to socialize, it's how I am. I've never been a person to just stay home all the time, although I like staying home, I also like to get out once in a while. I realize that my honey's health may prevent him from going with me all the time. But that's ok, if it's something that I really want to do, I will go. Afterall, I live in So Cali and want to experience as much as possible. I want to see as much as I can, do as much as I can.

So in this condundrum to communicate with my old friends, have a personal relationship, become more social, and have personal time to read, relax, swim, workout and then I have to support myself - so there's the ol' job! My time is spread thin, that's for sure.

The moral of the story is.....if I owe you a phone call, a letter, an email, an IM or a text message, I will try to get back to you as quickly as I can. I guess it's better than owing you money!!

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
- Robert Frost

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

today's humor - great quotes

1) When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car."
--Author Unknown

2) Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."
--Author Unknown

3) "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
--Drew Carey

4) "The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
--Jeff Foxworthy

5) "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base."
--Dave Barry

6) "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice. There should be severance pay, the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp."
--Bob Ettinger

7) "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"
--Paula Poundstone

8) "A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh."
--Conan O'Brien

9) "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner."
--Lynda Montgomery

10) "I think that's how Chicago and Detroit got started. Bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.'"
--Richard Jeni

11) "If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."
--Johnny Carson

12) "Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography."
--Paul Rodriguez

13) "My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law."
--Jerry Seinfeld

14) "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?"
--Warren Hutcherson

15) "Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same."
--Oscar Wilde

16) "Suppose you were an idiot ... And suppose you were a member of Congress.... But I repeat myself."
--Mark Twain

17) "Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student. At least they can find Afghanistan."
--A. Whitney Brown

18) "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'"
--Dave Barry

19) Do you know why they call it "PMS"? Because "Mad Cow Disease" was taken.
--Unknown, presumed deceased

My Baby's Coming Home - WE MISS HER

Heavenly Thoughts

Well, she's not a baby anymore, she's 19 years old, but she is my youngest and does live with us! And she's been on vacation in Cincinnati for the last 2 weeks. She's due to come home on Saturday. We can't wait for her to be home and she can't wait to get back either!

We found a great little restaurant that specializes in fish & chips at Oceanside harbor, so we're going to take her there on Sunday. I can't wait to got to the beach on Sunday and just walk and talk to hear all about her trip. I know she's taken lots and lots of pictures and videos, so it will be fun to see off of those.

I just want her to get home safely and pray that Delta flight 300 and Delta flight 682 depart and arrive on time, in one piece and get my baby home safe. I have missed her soooooo much!! I'm pitiful, I go into her room every day, open and close windows and look at her stuff, it makes me miss her even more.

School starts on Monday for her, so she's going to come home, have one day and be busy with classes, studying and basketball. It will be a fun semester.

I pray for the safety of all airline passengers and crew. It's a sad time we live in where some fanatical idiots try to rule the world. Obviously, they haven't learned anything from history and once again, we're doomed to live in a time where history will repeast itself.
"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
- Robert Frost

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Things not to do when visiting a Mc Donald's. ADD ON

Things not to do when visiting a Mc Donald's. ADD ON

just for the record, I am borrowing this from The Consumerist website: http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/top/update-43-things-not-to-do-at-mcdonalds-pulled-we-restore-192699.php

also please know that the punctuation is exactly as it was originally published.....

Well first of all i guess i should introduce myself..My name is Joanna.. i work at Mcdonalds in Walker , Louisiana..i've been working at mcdonalds for 2 years .. moving from place to place to different stores since hurricane katrina.

i brought a copy of the old "things not to do when visiting a mcdonalds" that

i saw on here to work... and me and a few girls from work decided to add on during the shift.. and we came up with a lot more than we thought we would haha well if anyone is interested in reading them here they are.

1. If we have temporarily run out of an item on the menu, dont cry about it and make stupid commetns about how "this never happens at burger king!" either order something else or get the hell out!.

2. If something is out-of-order, get over it. The world is an imperfect place and mcdonalds is not immune to that.

3. If im on my break and eating in the lobby, dont ask me to fetch you BBQ sauce. just because im still in uniform does not mean im on the clock.

4. If you dont speak english well, bring an interpreter.. if not dont get upset when your order gets messed up.

5. Dont confuse franchises! we dont biggie size, we dont have onion rings or nachos, and no..you may not "have it your way".

6. Dont roll your eyes at me if you just paid me eight dollars and forty three cents in change and im counting to verify..its my register and ill do it my way.

7. If you dont see tomatoes on the sandwich in the picture dont fucking ask me to take them off. The big mac has been around for ages.. it dosent have tomatoes..

8. Dont start handing me change after ive already totaled your order, opened my register and started counting your change. Its not my fault you were too slow..just take what i give you!

9. Keep your sweaty, wrinkly bills to yourself..along with your sticky change.

10. Dont fucking ask me if your sauce is in the bag if you never asked for it in the first place.

11. When i hand you your food.. and say "have a nice day!" you better respond with a smile, a "thanks, you too" or at least acknowledge my existence.. its called being polite people..

12. Dont scream at me if i ask you to repeat your order.. we're talking about cheeseburgers , not missiles..so calm down!

13. Dont come into the lobby two minutes before we close. chances are ive already cleaned ,and it will only cause me to do unspeakable things to your (already stale) food.

14. If you ask me for a moment to decide , dont ask me "are you ready" you needed more time - not me!

15. If you have a "turbo disel" truck or an abnormally loud vehicle..how about turning off the engine genius? instead of trying to order over the noise .. I guarentee you'll find it much easier to understand each other.

16. Dont act offended when i check your bills to see if they are counterfeit. Everywhere else you bring it, they're going to do the same thing.

17. Please dont order a combo and then when i ask what kind of drink you tell me you dont want one. that defeats the whole purpose of ordering a fucking combo idiot!

18. When you pull to the window and hear/see me taking another order.. dont start talking to me about your order you rude whore.

19. After you pay, proceed to the next window if noone is in front of you.. Our buisness is over.

20. Listen when i say "your recipt will be at the next window" dont sit there and stare at me after i close the window.

21. Please learn what time breakfast ends and lunch starts. no .. i dont serve burritos all day. This is not jack-in-the-box.

22. If you're a senior citizen , dont think you can drive past the speaker and say you forget to order.. go back around like everyone else! you already get discounts ..what more special favors do you expect?!

23. For the LOVE OF GOD, if you know you should..then cover your damn self up! just cause its drive-thru dosent mean you shouldnt dress decent still.

24. If your card is declined.. dont ask why and assume its our fault. Put some damn money in the bank cheap ass.

25. Do realize that i can hear everything you say from the moment you pull up to the speaker till you drive off. so if you're talking shit , dont act so suprised when im not exactly friendly when you get to the window.

26. If im busy taking an order, dont put your money on the ledge and not expect me to do the same thing with your change.

27. Does this look like toys-r-us? who cares if your kid's got 10 of the same toy already.. thats telling me you dont feed them at home enough

28. I fucking know what PLAIN means.. dont feel the need to include that means "meat and cheese only!"

29. You are about 10 feet from the window when you are at the speaker..dont ask me what you total is when i told you once AND it was on the screen.

30. Dont order a large ice cream cone.. they're all one size.

31. Dont come through drive thru after your mid life crisis in your new sports car.. and try to impress me with your 1987 pick up lines.

32. Dont come through drive thru and then tell the manager at the 2nd window that i was rushing you. Drive thru is SUPPOSED to be fast.

33. Dont ask me if we do cash back, this isent a bank.

34. Dont order free water and then sit in front my window and ask what the hold up is..you arent paying for it anyway..

35. If you ordered a burger without pickles and they somehow ended up there anyway.. just pick them off because thats all im going to do when you bring it back to me to "fix it".

36. CLEAN. UP. YOUR. MESS . those trash cans are conveniently located next to the exits for a reason.

37. If you are the passenger of the car or in the backseat and you know that you dont talk very loud.. dont try to order for everyone in the car..

38. Please quiet your kids and other passengers from trying to order all at the sametime. I can only listen to one person at a time.

39. If you let go of your money before i grab it, or you drop it while i am handing it to you.. dont look at me like you really expect me to get it for you..besides you're closer.

40. What's the point of "easy ice"?? our ABS machine dosent even have that setting. either order no ice or take what you get.

41. if you wouldnt talk like you have SHIT in your mouth, i could understand you the first time...

42. If you see me having a conversation for a few seconds with the car in front of you.. dont be an asshole and honk your horn.. you will get your food soon enough, chances are it isent even bagged yet.

43. DONT TALK SHIT as you are leaving the first window. I still have another window i can catch you at..and trust me I WILL.!



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ok, Get out the hankies.......

THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT!

It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 a.m., when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be and will not be.

....OK, GET OUT THE HANKIES!!!!!!!!!!!


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Frustrations in the world of finance.........

You know it sucks sometimes, MONEY that is. And today is no different from any other day when I have to deal with money issues. It's never anything small or cheap, it's always something HUGE!! Like my car insurance. I found out that it went up from $550 in Ohio to $1756 in California for Beka and I to be added to his existing auto policy!!!! It's so overwhelming to be surprised like this!

I would have to say that I love living here for the weather, the mountains, the canyons, the beaches, the ocean, the breeze, the sunshine and my sweetie. But I HATE the taxes, the price of gasoline, the price of most foods (other than fresh produce), the housing costs, the close proximity of neighbors and the traffic. I feel like I've stepped into another country - mostly full of laws and rules designed by Liberals to protect people that aren't citizens or contributing to society in any way.

Oh well, it's only MONEY and one of these days, we can move! To Arizona or back to Cincinnati or ANYWHERE BUT HERE!! In the meantime, I guess it's best to just relax and enjoy. AND PAY THE PIPER!!


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Wednesday, August 09, 2006

2006 Darwin Awards


IN case you haven't received them yet, here are this year's Darwin Awards -- the annual honor given to the person who improved the "gene pool" the most by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. As always, competition this year has been keen.

And the candidates this year are.............

* IN Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

* A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he
ran," accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run.

* Buxton, NC: A man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug
into the sand caved in as he sat inside it. Beach-goers said Daniel Jones, 21, dug the hole for fun, or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach on the outer banks, used their hands and shovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge, VA, but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

* Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc, CA, as he fell
face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth (to keep his hands free) rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.

* Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in Selbyville, Del, as he won
a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in Andover township, NJ, and his
wife Bonnie was also injured, when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in their car. While driving around 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but apparently failed to notice the window was closed.

RUNNER UP:


* TACOMA, WA Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when
one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable lay nearby. One end of the cable was secured around Bingham's leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy river water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say" said Bingham, "is that God was watching out for me on that night. There's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was never located.

AND THE WINNER:
Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his
constipated elephant Stefan 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let it fly, and suffocated the keeper under 200 pounds of poop! Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr.Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him" said flabbergasted Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. ' With no one there to help him, he lay under all that dung for at least an hour before a watchman came along, and during that time he suffocated. It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that proves that "SHIT happens!"

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Monday, August 07, 2006

more thoughts about diet and exercise

Obviously, I suffer from a lifelong of poor body image. As a result, I have been on diets my whole life and even when I exercised, I couldn't seem to lose enough weight, so I hated it.  Just think, the most popular model when I was growing up was Twiggy - and in today's standards, she'd be anorexic!! But the clothing industry portrays such an impoosible to live up to body image for women and I believe as a result we have this population of overweight people.

In my career, I always  felt that if I had a great body on top of being logical, smart and having an uncanny sense of business, that I could have gone so much further in my career. I am convinced that "body beautiful" was the key to great success. Then when I moved to California I had an idea that everyone here was "beautiful", great bodies and big boobs (man-made of course!). I quickly learned that in the Central Valley (Fresno, Bakersfield, Hanford) that this theory didn't hold true, BUT afterall, it is an agricultural area. So, then when I moved to San Diego, I (once again) thought that the "body beautfiul" theory would stand. I mean, people in California are more health conscious, do more things outside like go to the beach, hike, ride bikes, and so on, they eat healthier than the folks in the midwest and are generally in better shape than those of us from Ohio.

Boy, was I wrong!! There are just as many overweight teens, women, children, men here than anywhere else!! I guess too many restaurants, big portions, lots of mexican food and too many cars. People have to have a car because it's far to get to anywhere.

So, over the weekend, he and I talked about this very topic. I'm sick of being so anal about it and he's "probably" sick of hearing me talk about it - well, he didn't say that but I would be if I was him. Anyway, he loves me just like I am, he doesn't care that I have extra pounds on me, he just wants me to be happy. I just want to be happy and I want to live the rest of my life without thinking about this on a daily basis. I am going to stick to my montra from last year or so when I started on Weight Watchers and decided JUST TO BE HEALTHY. If I have my health, am strong, eat good and exercise, then I will live long and be happy. I want to do that. I want to be heathy. The rest is just a number.

I exercise 4-5 times a week, sometimes even more. Over the weekend I upped my swimming from 50 lengths to 60. Only July 4th weekend, 10 to 12 lengths about killed me. I felt like a 30 year
pack-a-day veteran smoker!! And only a short month later, I am hitting the pool, gym, weights, sit ups, and ellipitcal like it's no big deal. I have a long way to go, but I have a long time to accomplish it. And if I can do things like climb the stairs without being winded and walk far without being tired, then I have accomplished my goal - be healthy.

I am going to give Hoodia a try to just "boost" the number on the scale - I would like to see it move down, I deserve it for what I eat. But, it's ok, I will try it for a month, see if it helps and if not, then I'm just going to keep on with the good diet, the workouts and the heathy lifestyle. I'll deal with the pouchy tummy and big thighs!!!!!!!!


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Friday, August 04, 2006

Dieting and Exercising

I'm doing pretty good on my diet. I slip every once in a while, especially on a special occasion, but I try not to kill my diet, just splurge a little. I exercise nearly every day, 20 min elliptical, weights, workouts, swimming 50 lenghts of the pool and still the weight won't come off. It gets frustrating from time to time -- like today -- and it causes me to eat something that I'm not supposed to have but at least I still workout. And today my treat is some Frito's. I never eat them anymore, but today, I am.

Tomorrow's another day.


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Thursday, August 03, 2006

Heavenly Thoughts

Heavenly Thoughts

Beka went to Cincy today to visit our family and her friends. I am thankful she made it in one piece, had a safe trip, and pray she gets home in one piece. She's doing so good living here: going to college, playing basketball, making friends, I am more than proud of her and I'm not surprised!!

Way to go Beka!! Have fun in Cincy and I'll see you in 2 1/2 weeks!! Love you!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Sweetie! Hope you had a great day and have many, many more!

Today is his birthday!! 53 years young! I'm so happy to be with him and celebrate this special day. I cherish every day that we have together especially after all of the years we had apart. So many times I thought of him, wondered how he was, hoping he was alright, wanting him to be happy, healthy, wondered if he thought of me ever...............

Well, what do you think??????? Did he think about ME??????????


"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
- Robert Frost