Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Feeling Every Bit the Monday

I had to return to work today after taking a few days off before the long weekend. The problem with taking days off, really shows you what life could be like if you didn't have to work. I don't want to work but I do want to have money and an occupation.

I have enjoyed working on my freelance job but didn't enjoy most today.  I did enjoy my lunch with Co-worker Linda. So I want to work for myself and meet Linda (and Theresa if she ever comes back to the office) for lunch. I like the freedom of making my own decisions but don't like too much alone time.

Trying to get caught up with emails and routine jobs from my mini vacation made today icky. I am also trying to keep up on the new HTML 5 coming and then there's CSS3 and ARIA that I have yet to learn. It is hard to keep your skills up when the subject advances and changes every minute.

Then there is the hope that You Tube's caption program will be good enough that I can stop captioning videos, nope it's not good enough yet. But hey, they are thinking accessibility which is really great. The machine reported "they are overcoming popsicles," yeah, we help people with disabilities overcome popsicles???? How about obstacles? Well, it appears that I will continue to do it manually as it is easy to type it in clean than to have to proof and possibly miss something like popsicles.

Enough for now...

Monday, May 30, 2011

I am Number Five ... right?

What does it say about who I am when I watch Jane Austins "North Hanger Abby," then I watched Jason Statham's "Mechanic" and finished of the weekend with "I am Number Four." I went from one end of the spectrum to the other.

With the prime and proper of days gone by I love the way that the heroine always wins in the end. In North Hanger Abby Catherine, a most unremarkable heroine, has flaws and a wild imagination and yet, you fall for her innocence especially in the wild and unpredictable Bath. Where boys flirt mercilessly and chivary is found by the accidental bump in an overly crowded public ball. Only Austin can create heros like Mr. Tinley, Mr. Darcy or Mr. Fairchild.

From innocents, I move in the world of assination. Arthur Bishop, the stoic and calculated hit man is duped into a hit that has him killing his mentor. Then he falls into the guilt ridden role of mentoring his mentor's son so that the idiot doesn't get himself killed. The only way that you like the hit man character was that all the hits were on total and complete creeps. I really liked the action in this and Mr. Bishop was not too bad on the eyes.

What goes after innocence and hit men? Aliens! In I am Number Four, the action was cool and #6 had some really cool powers. I have to admit that I love Bernie Kosar in this flick and Henri. Yeah, #4 was the  focus of the movie but Henri had that something. 

What kind of a person am I that all three of these movies totally entertained me? Not to mention that the book I am reading right now involves magic, elves, and more? Not sure but I don't think I grew up as I was supposed to.

Enough for now...

Friday, May 27, 2011

Sending Grandma Home

Today we, my mom and dad and sister and her husband, went to Grandma's funeral in Gore, OK. As far as funerals goes it was nice, a fitting tribute to her but it was three hours away. That was the hardest thing about today, was getting up and getting dressed for the funeral and leave the house at 8 a.m. Then have the return trip.

Oh wait that wasn't the hardest part, getting in my brother-in-law's pick up gracefully that was the hardest part. My 5'3" mother had a harder time than me so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Our family is somewhat spread out and we haven't seen the extended the family very much over the years and my sister has seen everyone even less due to her defection to Texas.  So when my aunt came up to us, I knew Kim didn't know her and I, not knowing really how to handle it, said: "this is my sister, Kim." Then my aunt said "I am Lou." Awkward! I could have handle it better but you never plan for these things.

The good thing was that I don't think Lou recognized Kim either. Next time I will say something like, "Aunt Lou this is my brother-in-law (who she's never met before)." At least it would have clued Kim and Lou in. It is odd being introduced to your aunt who you've known since you were a baby.

I did like the fact that we held the funeral at the church next to the cemetery and we didn't have to drive to the grave side. But that little church was straight out of the 1800s. There was a respectable showing for a 97 year old who has out live most of those who knew her in life. One real perk of the day was that the cemetery was deck out for memorial day with an explosion of flowers. Grandma would have liked that.

Mom was walking through cemetery reading the headstones of all her mother's mother's family. She kept saying "oh there's Pres, and there's Walt." I asked if she thought that all these were still alive, since these where Grandma's uncles? She really hadn't thought about it and not living in that town, she hadn't processed who had gone before her mom. It was like walking down your family's memory lane of people you didn't know existed, oddly interesting.

I didn't get to visit with my cousins much as that is a tough place to catch up with the sadness of the day and the sinking of the heels in the ground of the cemetery.

It is 8:30 pm and I think I could straight to bed and sleep straight through to the morning. These are the hard parts of life, we made it through this one. Now we need a little boring. 

Enough for now...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Where's Winston

What do you do when all your babies are clean and still warm from the dryer? Do you think Winston has enough babies or should we get him some more?

What really cracks me up is that he really does not play with them - he sleeps on them. Occasionally, he will get really excited and run one outside.

This was just too cute and I had to snap the photo.

Enough for now...

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

It's almost June, what the Vortex?

Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman
taken today in my county. Yikes!
Wondering if we all (Oklahomans) are going to OZ tonight? I do need a vacation but I don't think I want to go there (but I would like to see some flying monkeys).

These storms are such a pain, I wish the science would get to the point of saying "those on 1st street and Main, take cover now." Instead, you sit glued to the TV, thinking am I safe? Do I ignore those sirens? Do I grab the dog and head for cover?

Sometimes I get irritated at the weather men who interrupt TV for towns five hours away but at the same time I want everyone to have the same opportunity to be safe.

I do have to admit that I kind of poo poo'd my friend Linda this morning when she came into my office worried about impending storms. She was right! And I am worried that tomorrow, parts of our poor state will not resemble what they looked like this morning. I pray that this storm comes and goes with out a single injured. 

The reality of it, really boggles my mind. it's only air. Normally, you can't feel air and yet tornadoes cause so much destruction. Is that what Chicken Little meant when he said "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"

Enough for now...

Monday, May 23, 2011

Bonnie Aretta Griffith

Entered this Earth on November 3, 1913, went to Heaven on May 23, 2011

Rest Grandma, rest.

Bonnie Griffity and Lou Griffith

Grandma Bonnie and Lou

Lawny_Bonnie

Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Lawny

Griffiths

Grandma Bonnie and her kids and grandkid
(L to R: Barbara, Don, Andrea, Ruth, Tom, Tommie, Grandma, Wanda, Ramona and Shirley)

Bonnie_Wanda_Tommy
Grandma with Wanda and Tommy

Enough for now...

Friday, May 20, 2011

Exhausted but my hands look good

I have had a tough week this week and I couldn't / didn't want go and get my nails done. By today they looked horrible. So mom and I decide to go and we are going to enjoy a relaxing spa moment, wrong! We got there at 4:45 and they asked if we could come back at 6:30. My salon is walk-ins only.

Okay, we need this so we decide we can come back. We return a little early and the place is crawling with teenage boys and girls. They are obnoxious and on wearing every nerve. Mom and I are criticizing the mom for not settling to boys down and making them behave. The boys are central to one young girl and when her nails are done they all leave. The mom, we were bashing, was not their mom nor in charge of them. So to the Karma in the wind, we did try to walk back all our harsh words even though she didn't know that we were bashing her, I did feel bad.

Since school is about to let out, every seat was full and we had to wait another hour before we could get our turn. I think leaving the nail salon at 8:45 pm is too late.

I am also running on nothing because the thunderstorms kept baby up all night. He is thunder phobic and I gave him a Xanax when the storm rolled in but he was not going to soothed. At 5:45 a.m. my alarm goes off and I haven't slept at all and I sick to my stomach. I push through and go to work but the exhaustion makes my work so hard. I think I will crawl into bed and sleep like a rock tonight. Would it be wrong to take one of my dog's Xanax?

Enough for now...

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Laughter for the Soul



Okay, I totally take back my post from yesterday. Today I had a total ball at my supervisory training - go figure! I always sit at table of very cordial and polite state workers. My table this day consisted of Devon, Michael, Jean Marc and Stacey and much, much laughter.

Thankfully, the instructor was a good instructor and didn't do those stupid clappy hand toys and stuff. He treated us like professional adults. The class was on thinking laterally and basically ways to pull great ideas out of people, which also means crazy ideas too.

By 2 o'clock, we were punch drunk with laughter. I laughed till my sides hurt and I really needed it. It reminded me of this video! Enjoy!!

Enough for now...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Can we skip tomorrow?

As a state employee (who supervises another employee in name only ), I am required to attend supervisory training. These course are such a huge waste of tax payer money and should be assigned only when a supervisor proves lacking.

Each year, I am bored out of my gourd and much of the information taught is more than out-dated, they are passe' .  I hope that I don't get one of those instructors who pass out stupid toys, like the clappy hands that we all have to shake when someone gives a right answer. Then there are instructors who show videos from the 90s or older, and you know you are going to take home so real good knowledge.  Whimper....

I need to make a conscientious effort to move from the state government sector to the private sector. These classes insult my intelligence!

Tomorrow will be hard! Tomorrow will be a waste! Tomorrow will be icky!!!

Enough for now...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Come Plank With Me

Oh my gosh! They have a game that expresses exactly how I feel! I need to get a couple of friends to go Planking with me. I wonder if we could get a mass Planking on the banks of Bricktown's River or on Oklahoma Memorial Stadium or in the stacks at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

Post a comment if you want to go Planking with me.



Enough for now...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thumbs up for Downton!

I did absolutely nothing today except watch five episodes of Downton Abby; however, that took pretty much the whole day. I am not sure if any of my three readers are pron to watch Masterpiece Theater like I am. If so, does anyone despise Mary as much as me? Her arrogance is appalling. Thomas and O'Brien cause me to scream at the screen.

Whoever did the casting for this show, BRAVO! You nailed it especially with the Violet Crawley and Isobel Crawley. I absolutely love the way these two zing each other. First sign it was going to be tough was when Isobel asks the Dowager Countess after being introduced "What are we to call each other?" and the Violet says "Why Dowager Countess and Mrs. Crawley, of course." Ouch!
My favorite lines in the show are:
Lady Rosamond Painswick: "You know me, Mother, I have to speak my mind."
Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham: "Why? ....... Nobody else does."

Now on the staff side, oh my stars, will John Bates hurry up and kiss Anna! Geeze, I wanted to slap him upside the head when he was trying to push her away. And you just want to slap Thomas period! Hate him. Daisy is adorable but would probably drive you nuts if you really worked with her.

I can't wait for season two. Autumn 2011 is a long time to wait for Season Two!

Enough for now...

Friday, May 13, 2011

The elixir of the gods

I am trying to give up Coke. Now Coke is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. A large Coke will derail my diet before a pizza or some chocolate.

I am working on Coke Zero. While it is not horrible, like Diet Coke, it reminds me of vanilla coke right now. I am hoping to not notice that taste soon and forget how glorious Real Coke is. I am worried that I will learn to like Coke Zero as much as real Coke and it won't be in the restaurants.

Thank goodness it's the weekend. I need to retreat into myself and regroup.  I need to hit the tub with a good book, sleep late, annoy Winston. I need normal.

What I don't need is to clean my dirty house but I have let it go so long that it has actually become embarrassing. What is killing me is that this year Summer is here and I have yet to work in my yard. My planters have been left to their own devices. My trees have been free to do their own thing and the grass needs a hair cut.

None of these things sound fun but at the same time its beginning to be stressful not doing what I should. If I had a real Coke all of those things would be easy.

Enough for now...

Thursday, May 12, 2011

In Enemy Territory But Had Fun

I went with a co-worker to Stillwater today to collaborate with some other techies on an e-learning system to make it accessible for all our staff.  It was energizing developing and working through problems and finding solutions. It was also really nice being able to talk to someone without having to explain. In fact Chris talked above my head.
I also learned the accessibility  feature on You Tube for captions is pretty good. I can’t wait to test it now.  So I went to help my co-worker and came back with new tricks. Yippee!

I think the most stressful thing about the day was that Mom’s was having surgery on her eye (cataract). Three weeks ago, she had one eye done and today was the other. It is relatively routine surgery with little recovery. I don’t like being an hour and half away when people are operating on my Mom.

I had a good day but felt guilty for being so far away. Even though, I didn’t go with her for either surgery  (she said I didn’t need to but at the first surgery I was in town). Then I felt guilty for being in OSU territory and learned something, this Sooner girl felt conflicted.  My co-worker now sees the light  at the end of the tunnel.

Enough for now…

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Member of the club

I have now been initiated into the realm of mammography. WOW! I thought the tech was going to pull and then squish my boobs off!  I knew it would squished, what surprised me was how she had to pull. At one point, I wonder how high she was going to elevate my left boob. I caught myself tippy toey-ing.

Honestly, I don't think I would like working with boobs. Nope, not the job for me. I do like the fact that you find out before you even get dressed. My results came back normal.

Alright I have now done that I don't want to do that again. I am set for the rest of my life right? Right.

Enough for now...

State Capitol Hang Over

It's 6 a.m. and I am plum exhausted. I don't know why but working (mostly sitting at)  a booth at the State Capitol from 8:30 to 2:30 really takes it out of you.  If I didn't have so much to do I think I would call in sick today and recover.

Yesterday was State Web Day and a bunch of us took our laptops and monitors to the 4th floor rotunda to display our website. Thankful I took agency brochures because I talked more about our agency than I did about the website.

While not many legislators came out to talk to us, I still think it is worth while. It was the first year. Much to learn, and many to inform.

I saw my best friend from college, Scott, frat brother, Randy at the State Capitol. I didn't talk to him, I doubt that he would even remember me now. He is a legislator. For I second I wonder what Scott was up to, then I went about my day. That topic is an entirely separate blog altogether.

Now I am off to crawl to the shower and hope my Advil kick in soon. My feet are killing me.

Enough for now...

Monday, May 09, 2011

Missing My Lunch Buddies

Co-workers Linda and Theresa all but abandon me last week. Linda had the gall to actually enjoy her personal life by take a week and half vacation and Theresa was out in training most of last week. Work is no fun when they aren't there!

I was so looking forward to for us getting together and catching up - all of us didn't get to. I had crazy meetings. Theresa had commission and meetings and Linda was trying to catch up from a week's vacation. So Linda and I went to lunch and Theresa had a meeting for lunch.

So it's a Monday, we'll get together tomorrow. I have to go to the capitol and sit at booth for State Web Day. So no gossip or giggling. Maybe Wednesday, Noooooooo. I have to go to my very first mammogram. I don't want to! Is that really necessary? Crap... Okay, we can all get together on Thursday. No, no, no!! Crap, crap, crap. I have to go to Stillwater on Thursday. Waaaa, I don't think I am liking this week.

Enough for now...

Sunday, May 08, 2011

Thank God!

God really knew what he was doing when He created puppies, oranges, sunshine and the giggles. Imagine what life would be like without these - it would be less. But He was glorious when he created Moms. Imagine what life would be like without these - no thanks! I am eternally grateful that He blessed me with my mom!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Evolution of the hair!




Enough for now...

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Here we go - Mitt Romney for President

I am not sure that I am ready for another campaign cycle. With our current President on a never ending campaign, I am burned out. The Republicans held the first debate tonight - didn't watch - I know who I want. I am again rooting for Mitt!

I would love to see a Mitt Romney / Herman Cain ticket. While I have thrown my hat in Mitt's corner, I love Herman Cain. Herman has the best fiscal common sense that I think between the these two men, we might be able to buy our country back from China.



Enough for now...

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Sleepless in Yukon

Okay I am currently sharing a KING SIZE bed with Seamus and Winston and you would think that would be ample room right? Right! Wrong!!!!! Those dingle-berries think that they must sleep right next to me. Seamus is sleeping in the middle at the foot of the bed, so from my knees down I can't move. Winston has taken to sleeping right in the middle of the my tummy with his bum pressed on me.

In a king sized bed I have about one foot of bed to sleep on. Why don't I just move to the other side of the bed, you ask? Because they follow me. A bloodhound and a beagle are not going to leave you in peace when they can snuggle with you.

If Seamus decides to use your legs as a pillow within five minutes you've lost all circulation. When Winston decides to go to sleep, he wants to be curled up right next you chin and down to my tummy.

Tonight is the final night that Seamus is our bed buddy. Tomorrow we go back to normal with our own beds.

Did I also tell that they both are sleeping like babies? I am the only one losing sleep.

Enough for now...

Monday, May 02, 2011

Finally!

It is a great day. Not only has evil been eliminated from our world, but for  the families who this evil man has caused great pain, now get the comfort of knowing he no longer lives.

I am so glad that they had to killed him. I did not want him captured alive and brought to trial - I wanted him dead.

I am a little afraid of reprisals but at the same time refuse to live in fear. So I will go about my life as normal.

I do want to say Thank YOU to -  Navy Seals / CIA / Airmen / Solders - all those responsible for executing the operation is such a successful manner.  One again America military came through in defending America!

Enough for now...

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Up, Up and Away

I loved my comics when I was little and my parents never had to worry about political commentary in the storyline. Now, I really feel for parents wanting to share the childhood experience of reading comics.

I am so disappointed with latest move that the writers of Superman have taken in renouncing his American Citizenship. Wow. This really surprised me and thoroughly disappointed me. The comic will profit tremendously on this move and  I really wish it wouldn't. Even if parents didn't allow their children to buy this issue, the collectors will.

It just seems that anti-American rhetoric is every where. I really can't say I would like the blind patriotism of the 50s but it was definitely much better than what we are experiencing today. What should be a good versus evil has become political. Yeah, they will make a lot of money on this but it's the children who loose in the end.

Bummed.

Enough for now...