*Bounces in and lies down*
This is it Mr. Blog, the start of my next big adventure.
I spent all day yesterday shopping and packing for my trip to the
KNOP Port Angeles high school Home Show!
At the last minute I had the idea to make some Twilight photo op props for my booth.
Last summer I bought the Twilight poster, "So the Lion Lay Down With The Lamb"and
spray-glued it to cardboard and cut out Bella's face so people could stick their face in the hole.
When Terry and I took the Forks Twilight Tour I asked a few teen girls at the
Dazzled by Twilight store in Forks if they would want to get a picture with Edward.
The teens mobbed me and Terry laughed and laughed as
women of ALL ages got their picture with Edward. He said I could have charged a dollar but
I just did it for fun, because I could.
Well yesterday I woke thinking that Port Angeles is in the heart of Twilight country
and the teens at Port Angeles high school might like their picture in a poster.
I called Ostroms and they had tri-boards so I dashed over and picked up three.
When I get to Port Angeles in a few hours I'll try the Dazzled By Twilight store
and see what they have. Ideally there would be ones that I can cut Bella's face out of so
the girls can get their faces with Edward, Jacob or...BOTH!
It just sounds so fun to put my card table in the back of my booth for the teens to take pictures!
It is a typical wet, gloomy day this morning and reminds me of what Terry
said to me when I read him an article from the newspaper that said Americans
think November is the gloomiest, least favorite month of the year.
He said, "That is why God made you in November. You are the light in the gloom."
So with that in mind
I'm atta here until Sunday night.
Ciao! Mr. Blog
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
2/25/10 Pack 622 Blue and Gold Banquet
*Drags in smiling*
Hi Mr. Blog, better grab a pillow since this is a long story...*waits for him to lie down*
I have a casserole hangover from the cub scout blue and gold banquet last night.
It was right down the street at the Kenmore Community Center Clubhouse instead of KJH.
Teddy met me there and it was total, absolute pandemonium.
Take forty seven six to eleven-year old boys, add twenty siblings and fifty parents and it spells:
C-H-A-O-S!!!
Thank God I was a den leader there for a decade while still in my forties and my nerves could handle the deafening roar of screaming kids.
It was so awesome to see all my old and new scout pals, especially the Bushes and Meagan Colella. She was even signing up to take Michael to camp! I remember five years ago when we took Teddy and Chris up to Camp Brinkley and she told me how much she hated to camp.
We had the best time of our lives up there with NO COOKING OR CLEANING!
Just hiking and helping and enjoying watching the boys learn how to row boats, shoot rifles, shoot bows and arrows, learn and do skits and songs and enjoy friendship fires nightly!
So I got to sit with the Colellas and little Tyler Hass remembered me! He sat with me all night and is already in third grade. He lives with his elderly grandparents and you know what?
I'm thinking about taking him to camp since his grandpa is having so much trouble walking.
Greg Tanner and Alun Jones did a great history show since it was the packs fiftieth birthday and the Boy Scouts of America's 100Th birthday.
You should have seen the food! It was ten times better than anything we had when I was in that group! Part of the reason the pack has grown was the Arrowhead and Lockwood elementary schools' packs went out of business a few years ago. They couldn't get enough parents to lead the dens. It was the hardest job I never got paid for for ten years so I understand. Just sad.
We chatted and listened to the scout history story and near the end I asked Meagan when the skits were starting. She said, "No skits." Ugh! I love watching those silly kids in their goofy skits! I told her that the skits were the tradition at the blue and gold banquet and she said that traditions change. I told her I might have to go to camp. Think I'm in skit withdrawal.
Well, I sure enjoyed being with all those kids and their parents.
The Webelos IIs that cross over this year led originally by Greg Tanner and Alun Jones
are the first group of boys I coached when they were in first grade as tiger cubs.
My last four years as den leader, I started up the new tigers and gave the parents
training or information or any help I could and you know why?
I was Tyler Haas in 1962! My single working mother was exhausted when she got home
and she signed me up for Girl Scouts. God I loved my little Brownie dress and beanie!
I couldn't wait to sell cookies!
My den leader, Mrs. Wetmore, took a shining to me and I was friends with daughter Debbie.
This was when I was seven and we had moved out of the projects to a tiny house on 28th avenue south on Beacon Hill and I went to Van Asselt. My gang of girl scouts was awesome first to third grade! I still remember most of them although we moved at the end of third grade to the north end and I went to Bryant Elementary after that.
Our Beacon Hill group was: Debbie Wetmore, Theresa Lucretia, Lisa Malen, Sherry, Susan Chew and more that I no longer remember the names for.
We were on JP Patches twice! I remember the shock the first time when we went downtown and I kept looking for the garbage. Boy was I surprised that we weren't in the city dump!
We toured a taffy factory and Lucern Milk and Hostess cupcake factory and guess what?
They all gave out samples!
So anyway, when I was Little Gretchen, I always wanted a baby to grow and scout with and expected a bunch of girl scouts since I only had sisters and nearly all girl cousins.
Well surprise! Back to back sons for me!
When Troy was in kindergarten I called Katy Wilkens and asked if I could be a den mother
and she laughed and told me I had to wait another year.
I couldn't wait to be a den leader!
I was so excited to help those little boys learn songs and skits and games and
go on huge adventures to camp and sleep over at the Seattle Aquarium and
tour the Turner Joy battleship!
I just like people Mr. Blog. I think they are funny and interesting.
Scouting is the best place in the world to make friends.
Hi Mr. Blog, better grab a pillow since this is a long story...*waits for him to lie down*
I have a casserole hangover from the cub scout blue and gold banquet last night.
It was right down the street at the Kenmore Community Center Clubhouse instead of KJH.
Teddy met me there and it was total, absolute pandemonium.
Take forty seven six to eleven-year old boys, add twenty siblings and fifty parents and it spells:
C-H-A-O-S!!!
Thank God I was a den leader there for a decade while still in my forties and my nerves could handle the deafening roar of screaming kids.
It was so awesome to see all my old and new scout pals, especially the Bushes and Meagan Colella. She was even signing up to take Michael to camp! I remember five years ago when we took Teddy and Chris up to Camp Brinkley and she told me how much she hated to camp.
We had the best time of our lives up there with NO COOKING OR CLEANING!
Just hiking and helping and enjoying watching the boys learn how to row boats, shoot rifles, shoot bows and arrows, learn and do skits and songs and enjoy friendship fires nightly!
So I got to sit with the Colellas and little Tyler Hass remembered me! He sat with me all night and is already in third grade. He lives with his elderly grandparents and you know what?
I'm thinking about taking him to camp since his grandpa is having so much trouble walking.
Greg Tanner and Alun Jones did a great history show since it was the packs fiftieth birthday and the Boy Scouts of America's 100Th birthday.
You should have seen the food! It was ten times better than anything we had when I was in that group! Part of the reason the pack has grown was the Arrowhead and Lockwood elementary schools' packs went out of business a few years ago. They couldn't get enough parents to lead the dens. It was the hardest job I never got paid for for ten years so I understand. Just sad.
We chatted and listened to the scout history story and near the end I asked Meagan when the skits were starting. She said, "No skits." Ugh! I love watching those silly kids in their goofy skits! I told her that the skits were the tradition at the blue and gold banquet and she said that traditions change. I told her I might have to go to camp. Think I'm in skit withdrawal.
Well, I sure enjoyed being with all those kids and their parents.
The Webelos IIs that cross over this year led originally by Greg Tanner and Alun Jones
are the first group of boys I coached when they were in first grade as tiger cubs.
My last four years as den leader, I started up the new tigers and gave the parents
training or information or any help I could and you know why?
I was Tyler Haas in 1962! My single working mother was exhausted when she got home
and she signed me up for Girl Scouts. God I loved my little Brownie dress and beanie!
I couldn't wait to sell cookies!
My den leader, Mrs. Wetmore, took a shining to me and I was friends with daughter Debbie.
This was when I was seven and we had moved out of the projects to a tiny house on 28th avenue south on Beacon Hill and I went to Van Asselt. My gang of girl scouts was awesome first to third grade! I still remember most of them although we moved at the end of third grade to the north end and I went to Bryant Elementary after that.
Our Beacon Hill group was: Debbie Wetmore, Theresa Lucretia, Lisa Malen, Sherry, Susan Chew and more that I no longer remember the names for.
We were on JP Patches twice! I remember the shock the first time when we went downtown and I kept looking for the garbage. Boy was I surprised that we weren't in the city dump!
We toured a taffy factory and Lucern Milk and Hostess cupcake factory and guess what?
They all gave out samples!
So anyway, when I was Little Gretchen, I always wanted a baby to grow and scout with and expected a bunch of girl scouts since I only had sisters and nearly all girl cousins.
Well surprise! Back to back sons for me!
When Troy was in kindergarten I called Katy Wilkens and asked if I could be a den mother
and she laughed and told me I had to wait another year.
I couldn't wait to be a den leader!
I was so excited to help those little boys learn songs and skits and games and
go on huge adventures to camp and sleep over at the Seattle Aquarium and
tour the Turner Joy battleship!
I just like people Mr. Blog. I think they are funny and interesting.
Scouting is the best place in the world to make friends.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
2/24/10 Turbo Tax
*Walks in slowly and lies down*
Ugh. Haven't had my coffee yet Mr.Blog.
I was up until eleven sorting business receipts and got them sorted and started adding them up.
I only have three categories left to tally this morning
then it's time to enter everything into the computer and pray it goes through.
Terry is very tyrannical about doing taxes early to get his refund.
I told Brenda that Terry wants me to go back to work at the post office.
I told her how I was fed up with subbing a few weeks ago because the schedule is so erratic
and she said, "Which is worse? The post office or subbing?"
Well that woke me up and I smelled the coffee!
When I get back from PA I'm taking every sub job I hear and not turning anything down.
I know I get sick from the gooey kindergartners
but having Terry cheer up is more important right now.
Wish me luck?
Ugh. Haven't had my coffee yet Mr.Blog.
I was up until eleven sorting business receipts and got them sorted and started adding them up.
I only have three categories left to tally this morning
then it's time to enter everything into the computer and pray it goes through.
Terry is very tyrannical about doing taxes early to get his refund.
I told Brenda that Terry wants me to go back to work at the post office.
I told her how I was fed up with subbing a few weeks ago because the schedule is so erratic
and she said, "Which is worse? The post office or subbing?"
Well that woke me up and I smelled the coffee!
When I get back from PA I'm taking every sub job I hear and not turning anything down.
I know I get sick from the gooey kindergartners
but having Terry cheer up is more important right now.
Wish me luck?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
2/23/10 Kenmore City Council Meeting
*Walks in and lies down*
Hi Mr. Blog,
I'm just waiting for my coffee to kick in to get back to work on my taxes.
So last night I talked Terry into going with me to the city council meeting.
We went early so I could have my three minutes at the microphone first.
We met a nice reporter from the Northlake News and chatted before the council came in.
We know all of them since we have lived in Kookmore since 1990.
They all sat down and then the mayor looked at me and said, "Mrs. Kennedy, would you lead the flag salute?" Everyone stared at me since he was staring at me and so I turned in my chair and looked down the hall behind me. One of the council members said fairly loudly, "It's Nixon not Kennedy." Dave turned really red and said, "Oh, I had a senior moment. Mrs. Nixon, would you lead the flag ceremony?" Everyone laughed and Terry and I thought it was hysterical.
So I jumped up and led the Pledge of Allegiance and then we all sat down and I got
called up to read my letter. I had photocopies for the council members and the city clerk and manager and lawyer.
I only got through the first page of two in my three minutes before the red clock timer hit 0.
But they are all smart and can read it and be craving that river walk trail just like we do!
Before all the bridges washed out over the creek, we were down on that river every single day.
I was looking for Earl and Winston at the trailer park down the street last week and went
to the river and saw how beautiful it was and got in a frenzy to get a river walk trail again.
I could put my canoe on my wheeled cart and roll it right from my house!
So now I'm trying not to panic but it is really hard.
Terry told me last night he wants me to go back to work at the post office.
When I carried mail for ten years I was never late or absent and I was tied as faster mail sorter with JoAnn and the supervisors still harassed me half to death every day of my life there.
I still get nightmares about it and I left working there in 1987!
So he said that I need to make cash on Nixpix or pull the plug soon.
Then he went to get milk and I got requested to sub next week!
The teachers are so darn healthy that no one could make a living as a sub.
They give all the long term sub jobs to retired teachers who are already pulling down
full retirement and social security which forces any primary breadwinners to quit subbing if they are not retired teachers.
So I don't regret that I didn't go into teaching right out of college after high school.
I'd be retiring this year.
I met so many wonderful people when I carried mail and dug ditches and was a custodian and a flight attendant. I don't regret any of it because it was all very fun and interesting.
But, I do regret that Terry can't seem to cut me any slack and is beginning to sound like a postal supervisor to me. Well, I'm going to file a grievance!
Hi Mr. Blog,
I'm just waiting for my coffee to kick in to get back to work on my taxes.
So last night I talked Terry into going with me to the city council meeting.
We went early so I could have my three minutes at the microphone first.
We met a nice reporter from the Northlake News and chatted before the council came in.
We know all of them since we have lived in Kookmore since 1990.
They all sat down and then the mayor looked at me and said, "Mrs. Kennedy, would you lead the flag salute?" Everyone stared at me since he was staring at me and so I turned in my chair and looked down the hall behind me. One of the council members said fairly loudly, "It's Nixon not Kennedy." Dave turned really red and said, "Oh, I had a senior moment. Mrs. Nixon, would you lead the flag ceremony?" Everyone laughed and Terry and I thought it was hysterical.
So I jumped up and led the Pledge of Allegiance and then we all sat down and I got
called up to read my letter. I had photocopies for the council members and the city clerk and manager and lawyer.
I only got through the first page of two in my three minutes before the red clock timer hit 0.
But they are all smart and can read it and be craving that river walk trail just like we do!
Before all the bridges washed out over the creek, we were down on that river every single day.
I was looking for Earl and Winston at the trailer park down the street last week and went
to the river and saw how beautiful it was and got in a frenzy to get a river walk trail again.
I could put my canoe on my wheeled cart and roll it right from my house!
So now I'm trying not to panic but it is really hard.
Terry told me last night he wants me to go back to work at the post office.
When I carried mail for ten years I was never late or absent and I was tied as faster mail sorter with JoAnn and the supervisors still harassed me half to death every day of my life there.
I still get nightmares about it and I left working there in 1987!
So he said that I need to make cash on Nixpix or pull the plug soon.
Then he went to get milk and I got requested to sub next week!
The teachers are so darn healthy that no one could make a living as a sub.
They give all the long term sub jobs to retired teachers who are already pulling down
full retirement and social security which forces any primary breadwinners to quit subbing if they are not retired teachers.
So I don't regret that I didn't go into teaching right out of college after high school.
I'd be retiring this year.
I met so many wonderful people when I carried mail and dug ditches and was a custodian and a flight attendant. I don't regret any of it because it was all very fun and interesting.
But, I do regret that Terry can't seem to cut me any slack and is beginning to sound like a postal supervisor to me. Well, I'm going to file a grievance!
Monday, February 22, 2010
2/22/10 Monday Monday...Thank God for Mr. Blog
*Walks in with a spring to her step*
Hi Mr. Blog,
I am so glad you are here today. I woke up hearing The Mommas and the Papas song,
'Monday, Monday', over and over again in my head.
I pushed hard to get the house and chores sorted from being gone to the RV show.
Yesterday was busy with church and then Troy's basketball game.
The Sonics won by ten points and Troy played brilliantly scoring ten points of the 52.
When we got back I sent group e-mails to all the DECA advisers in the state
asking them to share my website with their students. Carlos, Troy's best friend, said that starting today they learn to write business plans. He won't write me one, the little butthead. After I've made him and Troy a million gallons of Kool Aid too! So I asked some other DECA friends of Troys. Brendan Meese and Junior Vi. They are both great people I admire.
When I was flying back from Honolulu, the gal across from me had several friends with businesses and she said half of all businesses fail simply because they don't have a business plan. I wrote one I made after reading, 'Small Business for Dummies' but it wasn't very good.
I e-mailed Megan Sun to volunteer at the March DECA conference March 4th and she sent me a form to be a judge. I am going to do that for her. I like her and the DECA program.
At church several women I like asked me if I was going to the women's retreat in Indianola.
Well, I've been wanting to do that for years.
My mom used to go to CWF through the University Christian Church that my grandma had started going to after she moved here from Montana when she was a young woman.
But it starts the same day as the DECA conference and runs through both boys basketball games. What do you think I should do? I live for watching my kids play basketball
but most of the time my belief in God is what keeps me going in my business.
I feel like at this, the last quarter of my life, that I found my calling.
To produce games that help people learn and succeed at mastering tough subjects.
Games that make them smarter and feel better about themselves.
Ugh. Everything always seems to happen at once for me.
But, I do my best work under pressure so I am determined to finish sorting these tax receipts today. Terry's day off is Wednesday and I want everything ready to feed into the Turbo Tax program on the computer. It is a much better program than H&R Block's program or the Federal Government website. The H&R has so much color and graphics eating up the memory space that it runs too slow and the Federal Government's is too austere to be user friendly.
The Turbo Tax program falls right in the middle of those too. User friendly, yet fast.
It is still breathtakingly sunny this morning Mr. Blog.
If it hadn't been sunny this week I would not have gotten through my lack of success from the RV show very well.
My half-sister Heimy loaned me a book last fall that I read while licking my wounds called,
'The Historian.' It was a historical fiction about Dracula and now I'm in a frenzy to go to Romania and Bulgaria and all over that region.
Supposedly our great great great grandmother on my dad's side of the family was from Armenia. That would explain my love of folk dancing which I have only done a few times as a kid at summer camp. But my business is not taking off and right now I'm losing my shirt on it and travel is very expensive.
Wouldn't a history game about Romania be fun? The players could travel in time and be hunted by Vllad the Impaler. Yikes he was a scary guy. *Shakes head to remove him*
Bad idea. Too much violence in history and I'm trying to promote peace and good cheer in my games not more awful thoughts.
So I was dreaming about my cousins Care, Boo and Dan right before I woke up and I didn't send Care a birthday card and I want to think a little about that. I'd like to mail her some pussywillows and I'm short on time but long on loving her.
It takes tons of time to be thoughtful and helpful
but life is so complex and difficult that I have made it my mission to
lighten peoples burdens in any way I can.
Usually just listening is the biggest help and I have trained myself the last two decades to
perfect that skill. I look at the clock and tell myself not to speak for five or ten minutes unless asked a direct question. At those check points I ask the person I am listening to if they want any feedback or advice. I don't believe in giving unsolicited advice in any form.
Or opinions either. It is not a person's place to give an opinion as an active listener.
That's why I love you Mr. Blog. I can tell you anything on my mind!
If I was to tell a real person the stuff I tell you
they would die of boredom!
Have a great day. I'm going to start my daily routine of coffee, reading the newspaper and jumping around with my Jane Fonda tape.
Ciao
Hi Mr. Blog,
I am so glad you are here today. I woke up hearing The Mommas and the Papas song,
'Monday, Monday', over and over again in my head.
I pushed hard to get the house and chores sorted from being gone to the RV show.
Yesterday was busy with church and then Troy's basketball game.
The Sonics won by ten points and Troy played brilliantly scoring ten points of the 52.
When we got back I sent group e-mails to all the DECA advisers in the state
asking them to share my website with their students. Carlos, Troy's best friend, said that starting today they learn to write business plans. He won't write me one, the little butthead. After I've made him and Troy a million gallons of Kool Aid too! So I asked some other DECA friends of Troys. Brendan Meese and Junior Vi. They are both great people I admire.
When I was flying back from Honolulu, the gal across from me had several friends with businesses and she said half of all businesses fail simply because they don't have a business plan. I wrote one I made after reading, 'Small Business for Dummies' but it wasn't very good.
I e-mailed Megan Sun to volunteer at the March DECA conference March 4th and she sent me a form to be a judge. I am going to do that for her. I like her and the DECA program.
At church several women I like asked me if I was going to the women's retreat in Indianola.
Well, I've been wanting to do that for years.
My mom used to go to CWF through the University Christian Church that my grandma had started going to after she moved here from Montana when she was a young woman.
But it starts the same day as the DECA conference and runs through both boys basketball games. What do you think I should do? I live for watching my kids play basketball
but most of the time my belief in God is what keeps me going in my business.
I feel like at this, the last quarter of my life, that I found my calling.
To produce games that help people learn and succeed at mastering tough subjects.
Games that make them smarter and feel better about themselves.
Ugh. Everything always seems to happen at once for me.
But, I do my best work under pressure so I am determined to finish sorting these tax receipts today. Terry's day off is Wednesday and I want everything ready to feed into the Turbo Tax program on the computer. It is a much better program than H&R Block's program or the Federal Government website. The H&R has so much color and graphics eating up the memory space that it runs too slow and the Federal Government's is too austere to be user friendly.
The Turbo Tax program falls right in the middle of those too. User friendly, yet fast.
It is still breathtakingly sunny this morning Mr. Blog.
If it hadn't been sunny this week I would not have gotten through my lack of success from the RV show very well.
My half-sister Heimy loaned me a book last fall that I read while licking my wounds called,
'The Historian.' It was a historical fiction about Dracula and now I'm in a frenzy to go to Romania and Bulgaria and all over that region.
Supposedly our great great great grandmother on my dad's side of the family was from Armenia. That would explain my love of folk dancing which I have only done a few times as a kid at summer camp. But my business is not taking off and right now I'm losing my shirt on it and travel is very expensive.
Wouldn't a history game about Romania be fun? The players could travel in time and be hunted by Vllad the Impaler. Yikes he was a scary guy. *Shakes head to remove him*
Bad idea. Too much violence in history and I'm trying to promote peace and good cheer in my games not more awful thoughts.
So I was dreaming about my cousins Care, Boo and Dan right before I woke up and I didn't send Care a birthday card and I want to think a little about that. I'd like to mail her some pussywillows and I'm short on time but long on loving her.
It takes tons of time to be thoughtful and helpful
but life is so complex and difficult that I have made it my mission to
lighten peoples burdens in any way I can.
Usually just listening is the biggest help and I have trained myself the last two decades to
perfect that skill. I look at the clock and tell myself not to speak for five or ten minutes unless asked a direct question. At those check points I ask the person I am listening to if they want any feedback or advice. I don't believe in giving unsolicited advice in any form.
Or opinions either. It is not a person's place to give an opinion as an active listener.
That's why I love you Mr. Blog. I can tell you anything on my mind!
If I was to tell a real person the stuff I tell you
they would die of boredom!
Have a great day. I'm going to start my daily routine of coffee, reading the newspaper and jumping around with my Jane Fonda tape.
Ciao
Sunday, February 21, 2010
1/21/10 Tax Time/Texting/Cell Phones
*Walks in cheerfully and lies down*
Hi Mr. Blog, how are you today?
I've cheered up a bit from the blow of the RV show.
Took a few days to haul everything in from the van.
So Monday I put my selling table in the living room in front of the picture window
and fished out the form that H&R Block gave me last year to record business expenses
and I began the long tedious job of sorting two years worth of receipts
for my business start up.
It has been shockingly sunny all week and that helped my recovery greatly.
I'm not claiming anything on my taxes that I don't have a receipt for.
I look awful in orange so I'm not about to go to Federal prison for tax evasion.
I might be the only person that enjoys paying taxes I know.
I love the roads and bridges and services for the less fortunate that our taxes help pay for.
But, I hate wasteful spending and can get riled up over unnecessary taxes.
So a job was posted for the City of Kenmore for a custodial position I am applying for.
Our beautiful publics works building is very large and would take lots of effort to clean.
But I was a custodian for the Poncho and Bathhouse theaters in 1978 so
I know what is involved.
The pay starts at $3,000.00 a month!
Takes money to make money.
The snag is, last year when I applied for jobs at all the local businesses including a custodial
job I was told with five years of college that I was overqualified. Bleh.
So I'm a bit between a rock and a hard place.
Overqualified for blue collar jobs
and too old to get hired as a full time teacher!
I know the principals want teachers that can push the kids to success for thirty years
and the only thing I'll be pushing in thirty years is daisies from my grave.
Plus, our culture is a youth culture.
Madison Avenue does everything in its power to make American women think
that their value is based on an external rubric of physical beauty
and they spend billions in advertising this ideal of beauty
for the promotion of sales of the billion dollar
cosmetic and fashion industry.
Sad thing is, most young people fall into believing all this hogwash
and some older people too.
Thus making an older person like myself undesirable to look at by most people in
hiring authority.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!
I am one of the few people that prefers to converse with others my age or older.
And heaven forbid I try to have a conversation with anyone in their twenty or thirties!
I avoid them like the plague because they have these new
devices called cell phones that have managed to bring the level of American rudeness
to new heights!
I have cut short a few budding friendships because these people engage in a new activity
called texting in the middle of a conversation.
While less rude than talking on a cell phone during a visit
it is still the epitome of self-absorption and bad manners.
Technology, like televison, video games and cell phones
have lowered the levels of human bonding
by removing the need for companionable elocution.
I long for discourse with people that still value the spoken word.
Of conversations regarding global, regional and local issues
on all topics.
I think that is why I sometimes get lonely in my own home of four people.
Terry and the boys love television/video games and hate conversation.
So now I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed by my mountains
of chores and tax papers and job applications and everything else.
I'm going to remind myself to eat my elephant the way I ate the last hundred elephants,
one bite at a time.
Hi Mr. Blog, how are you today?
I've cheered up a bit from the blow of the RV show.
Took a few days to haul everything in from the van.
So Monday I put my selling table in the living room in front of the picture window
and fished out the form that H&R Block gave me last year to record business expenses
and I began the long tedious job of sorting two years worth of receipts
for my business start up.
It has been shockingly sunny all week and that helped my recovery greatly.
I'm not claiming anything on my taxes that I don't have a receipt for.
I look awful in orange so I'm not about to go to Federal prison for tax evasion.
I might be the only person that enjoys paying taxes I know.
I love the roads and bridges and services for the less fortunate that our taxes help pay for.
But, I hate wasteful spending and can get riled up over unnecessary taxes.
So a job was posted for the City of Kenmore for a custodial position I am applying for.
Our beautiful publics works building is very large and would take lots of effort to clean.
But I was a custodian for the Poncho and Bathhouse theaters in 1978 so
I know what is involved.
The pay starts at $3,000.00 a month!
Takes money to make money.
The snag is, last year when I applied for jobs at all the local businesses including a custodial
job I was told with five years of college that I was overqualified. Bleh.
So I'm a bit between a rock and a hard place.
Overqualified for blue collar jobs
and too old to get hired as a full time teacher!
I know the principals want teachers that can push the kids to success for thirty years
and the only thing I'll be pushing in thirty years is daisies from my grave.
Plus, our culture is a youth culture.
Madison Avenue does everything in its power to make American women think
that their value is based on an external rubric of physical beauty
and they spend billions in advertising this ideal of beauty
for the promotion of sales of the billion dollar
cosmetic and fashion industry.
Sad thing is, most young people fall into believing all this hogwash
and some older people too.
Thus making an older person like myself undesirable to look at by most people in
hiring authority.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!
I am one of the few people that prefers to converse with others my age or older.
And heaven forbid I try to have a conversation with anyone in their twenty or thirties!
I avoid them like the plague because they have these new
devices called cell phones that have managed to bring the level of American rudeness
to new heights!
I have cut short a few budding friendships because these people engage in a new activity
called texting in the middle of a conversation.
While less rude than talking on a cell phone during a visit
it is still the epitome of self-absorption and bad manners.
Technology, like televison, video games and cell phones
have lowered the levels of human bonding
by removing the need for companionable elocution.
I long for discourse with people that still value the spoken word.
Of conversations regarding global, regional and local issues
on all topics.
I think that is why I sometimes get lonely in my own home of four people.
Terry and the boys love television/video games and hate conversation.
So now I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed by my mountains
of chores and tax papers and job applications and everything else.
I'm going to remind myself to eat my elephant the way I ate the last hundred elephants,
one bite at a time.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2/17/10 Trying Not to Think About Mom and Lyle's Birthdays
*Walks in like a robot and lies down*
Hi Mr. Blog. How are you today?
I'm trying not to think of my step-dad's birthday today but it is hard.
He has been in heaven drinking coffee with my mom and doing crossword puzzles for
six years now already.
The heart surgeon said he'd be fine after a few days.
He wasn't fine.
He died.
I miss him so much.
Mom's birthday is the 19th.
I miss her so much.
Mom and Jim were divorced when I was two so I don't remember living with my real dad.
When we moved from my baby house in Alderwood Manor
to Holly Park Housing project in 1958
I thought it was great 'cause there were more kids to play with.
They were almost all black but I didn't know about color yet.
My first best friends, Michelle Price and Floydy Chaffin were both black.
Man we had fun when we were three riding our trikes.
I would sneak mom's transistor radio and listen
to Elvis Pressley. Mom said his music was devil music but I loved it.
Our black babysitters had great music in the 1950s and taught us all to dance.
I still love to dance fifty years later.
So mom had some boyfriends we liked and didn't like.
We ran off the ones we didn't like by being totally horrible.
Strawberry and Pam told me what to do.
When mom met Lyle in 1967 we all liked him.
Strawberry took off in 1969 with a bunch of hippies
to Vancouver Island and never came back.
When mom married Lyle in 1975
they moved to Pocatello Idaho for twenty years.
He was the campus minister at Idaho State University
and had a cute TV show called
News and Views from the Pews.
I didn't move with them because I wanted to start my own life at 18
and stayed with my grandparents until I got hired
at the post office on 4th and Lander in 1977
and could afford my own place.
I'd visit mom and Lyle every summer
and they had the dandiest house at
270 Skyline Drive
and loads of friends.
I think it was the happiest time of their lives.
They always had people over or
visited other people.
That was when I met Chuck and Raylene Naftzger.
Raylene was mom's best friend
from 1975 until she died in 2006.
When ISU couldn't afford dad anymore
he got hired by the United Church of Christ
as an interim minister to help churches
transition between ministers.
I was the only person that was able to visit every single place they lived
because when I was a flight attendant I could fly anywhere free.
They lived in Colville, Washington, Malta, Montana and Orem, Utah
and then Lyle retired in 1993 when I was pregnant with Troy.
Pam and I found them a nice mobile home right down the street
at Lakewood Villa mobile home park.
1993 until mom went to the nursing home in 2004
were some of the happiest years of my life.
I had a mom and dad together
nearby for the first time.
I quit flying when I was pregnant and hung out
with them every day.
Dad and I would do the crossword puzzles and mom
would putter around cooking or making coffee.
It was truly golden times.
I had always wanted a baby since I was a little kid in 1958.
At 37, my wish was granted and I had Troy.
I didn't know that a person could love that much!
So I took him to mom and Lyle's every day.
They had never had local grandkids when they were moving around
so they had a much fun as I did with him.
We'd all go to Mar Vista Resort
on San Juan Island every summer
and when Teddy came
he had our brown eyes.
One time at Denver Stapleton airport a gate agent said I looked just like my dad when
he was getting on a flight I was working. We laughed and laughed.
Mom called Troy her Golden Boy and doted on him like crazy
and Lyle called Teddy his little Teddy Bear and doted on him like crazy.
We had mom and Lyle over for every single holiday dinner
and during the summer they had us down for bar-b-ques all the time.
Those were so great times Mr. Blog.
I felt like a real family for the first time.
I think that is why I love Terry more
every year.
Because not only is he wonderful
but he is the best dad in the world.
He doesn't have that tall man condescending attitude
that most tall white men have.
He is smart, funny, kind, outgoing, helpful, dependable and nice.
Just like Lyle was.
Our kids probably don't even think about what a great dad they have.
I am such a screw-up so much of the time that I am very happy I did one thing right
and picked out a really good dad for my kids.
When Mom and Lyle lived down the street it was the happiest time in my life.
Hi Mr. Blog. How are you today?
I'm trying not to think of my step-dad's birthday today but it is hard.
He has been in heaven drinking coffee with my mom and doing crossword puzzles for
six years now already.
The heart surgeon said he'd be fine after a few days.
He wasn't fine.
He died.
I miss him so much.
Mom's birthday is the 19th.
I miss her so much.
Mom and Jim were divorced when I was two so I don't remember living with my real dad.
When we moved from my baby house in Alderwood Manor
to Holly Park Housing project in 1958
I thought it was great 'cause there were more kids to play with.
They were almost all black but I didn't know about color yet.
My first best friends, Michelle Price and Floydy Chaffin were both black.
Man we had fun when we were three riding our trikes.
I would sneak mom's transistor radio and listen
to Elvis Pressley. Mom said his music was devil music but I loved it.
Our black babysitters had great music in the 1950s and taught us all to dance.
I still love to dance fifty years later.
So mom had some boyfriends we liked and didn't like.
We ran off the ones we didn't like by being totally horrible.
Strawberry and Pam told me what to do.
When mom met Lyle in 1967 we all liked him.
Strawberry took off in 1969 with a bunch of hippies
to Vancouver Island and never came back.
When mom married Lyle in 1975
they moved to Pocatello Idaho for twenty years.
He was the campus minister at Idaho State University
and had a cute TV show called
News and Views from the Pews.
I didn't move with them because I wanted to start my own life at 18
and stayed with my grandparents until I got hired
at the post office on 4th and Lander in 1977
and could afford my own place.
I'd visit mom and Lyle every summer
and they had the dandiest house at
270 Skyline Drive
and loads of friends.
I think it was the happiest time of their lives.
They always had people over or
visited other people.
That was when I met Chuck and Raylene Naftzger.
Raylene was mom's best friend
from 1975 until she died in 2006.
When ISU couldn't afford dad anymore
he got hired by the United Church of Christ
as an interim minister to help churches
transition between ministers.
I was the only person that was able to visit every single place they lived
because when I was a flight attendant I could fly anywhere free.
They lived in Colville, Washington, Malta, Montana and Orem, Utah
and then Lyle retired in 1993 when I was pregnant with Troy.
Pam and I found them a nice mobile home right down the street
at Lakewood Villa mobile home park.
1993 until mom went to the nursing home in 2004
were some of the happiest years of my life.
I had a mom and dad together
nearby for the first time.
I quit flying when I was pregnant and hung out
with them every day.
Dad and I would do the crossword puzzles and mom
would putter around cooking or making coffee.
It was truly golden times.
I had always wanted a baby since I was a little kid in 1958.
At 37, my wish was granted and I had Troy.
I didn't know that a person could love that much!
So I took him to mom and Lyle's every day.
They had never had local grandkids when they were moving around
so they had a much fun as I did with him.
We'd all go to Mar Vista Resort
on San Juan Island every summer
and when Teddy came
he had our brown eyes.
One time at Denver Stapleton airport a gate agent said I looked just like my dad when
he was getting on a flight I was working. We laughed and laughed.
Mom called Troy her Golden Boy and doted on him like crazy
and Lyle called Teddy his little Teddy Bear and doted on him like crazy.
We had mom and Lyle over for every single holiday dinner
and during the summer they had us down for bar-b-ques all the time.
Those were so great times Mr. Blog.
I felt like a real family for the first time.
I think that is why I love Terry more
every year.
Because not only is he wonderful
but he is the best dad in the world.
He doesn't have that tall man condescending attitude
that most tall white men have.
He is smart, funny, kind, outgoing, helpful, dependable and nice.
Just like Lyle was.
Our kids probably don't even think about what a great dad they have.
I am such a screw-up so much of the time that I am very happy I did one thing right
and picked out a really good dad for my kids.
When Mom and Lyle lived down the street it was the happiest time in my life.
Monday, February 15, 2010
1/15/10 The 47th Annual Seattle RV Show Adventure
*Walks in slowly and plops on couch*
Hi Mr. Blog. I sure missed you. Please lie down for this long story. *Waits until he does*
It was a tough pill to swallow that I didn't even break even on the RV show.
My half of our booth was $250.00 plus $40.00 for parking.
I only sold ten games in four days.
I thought the seniors would love to play and refresh their driving knowledge but I was wrong.
They told me that they had satellite dish TV and DVDs and that was all they liked.
Ugh.
The ten people with teens bought them on the spot happily.
Driving down on Wednesday to Qwest Field for set up was fine.
Lots of childhood memories seeing downtown and the Smith Tower.
Taking the bus from Holly Park housing project for shoes from Nordstorm
when they only had shoes in the '60s and going to see Santa and Frederick and Nelsons.
I'd never seen Qwest field and convention center and it was really dandy.
I got to drive right into the upper level and push everything out of the van at our spot.
Then I found a safe spot in the garage right under the ramp that I liked.
I spent two hours duct taping black tablecloths from the Dollar Store to the van windows.
It took me hours to set up our booth. I started at one o'clock.
I just used the garden canopy I had without the cover and it has nice white legs.
The Dollar Store didn't have yellow and black so I got red and white crepe paper
and wound it around the legs and top poles and draped red shiny garland and guess what?
The show colors were red and white! All the signs and backdrops were red and white!
Then I tied the 3 & 4 foot tall pussywillows to the front leg and put my pot of tulips
on the floor in front of them. We were the first booth when people came up the stairs
and it looked so pretty! Nicolette had the front side covered with luscious Cookie Lee jewelry and I had the walkway side with my driving game. I taped three maps to the front of my table
and had one game displayed vertically and one flat for people to play.
My gold prospector claim sales neighbor, Bill, helped me put up my giant NIXPIX.COM sign up on the backdrop. I didn't like the way it looked so I climbed up on a chair and hung it from
the back poles of my garden canopy poles and then it looked really cute.
When I get my business going I am SO going to buy a motorhome and gold claim membership!
So at eight I finished decorating and went to camp in the parking garage.
I locked myself in with my aluminum baseball bat and butcher knife and sat on the back seat
and had a half of a beer from my cooler.
Funny thing is Mr. Blog, I wasn't scared at all.
I used to camp alone in the 80s and what scares me are bears.
I had a bunch of camping pads and four sleeping bags and it was one weird fit.
I had my head in the back but to stretch out I had my legs between the front seats.
It is only a six inch gap so I had to lay on my side.
I forgot about King Street train station being next to the stadium and boy was it loud
when the trains left the station! First the bells, then horns, then the van shook
like a salt shaker with me inside of it! That was about ten times at night and morning.
I forgot my watch battery was dead so to check the time I would have to climb out of my sleeping bags and find my keys and put it in the ignition to start the van clock!
I had my dandy Coleman camping toilet and my favorite pillow and Winnie the Pooh
stuffed bear so I slept great and got up around eight for my Raisen Bran.
I went inside around nine and started making little bouquets of pussywillows to pass out.
I was about half done when Nicholette arrived at ten.
She was like a fresh July day on feet and I'm not kidding!
She looked so much like Alice Bacon I couldn't believe it.
Alice was my best friend in 1967 when Marta moved away for fifth grade.
She had olive skin, hazel eyes, wavy brown hair and a zillion freckles.
I LOVE freckles. They just make me think of summer, Kool aid and climbing trees all day.
So anyway, Nicholette got her jewelry display finished and the show opened at eleven.
I only sold one game on Thursday and she didn't sell any jewelry.
So at eight I went out and jumped in my van and turned on all my flashlights
and wrote out all my valentines that I had with me and then konked out.
I slept even better the second night cause everything seemed familiar.
When I got in at nine I could have killed for a cup of coffee!
The vendor wasn't coming in until eleven so I found a security guard and he took me took to the front door on First Avenue and told me where to get coffee one block over.
It was a lovely, blustery morning Friday and NOT raining so it was great to get outside.
The coffee girl was adorable and friendly and I got two huge cups to start my day.
I took my time on the main floor looking at motorhomes and RVs going back.
When I got upstairs Nicholette was there and ready to rock.
She had lots of sales on Friday and I didn't have a single one.
I needed a shower so I jumped in my van at closing and carefully drove home.
Despite not seeing great at night I made it home and LOVED my shower and bed.
I kept dreaming about Earl and Winston
and woke up with tears in my eyes that they were gone.
When I got ready for the show I was so happy after seeing Terry and Troy.
Teddy was at his friend Cameron's house but his team had won their basketball game.
I was in a cheery mood when I got back and happy to see the security guards.
Qwest Field has the nicest security guards in the world
and since we practically were living there four days it was like a huge family reunion as
we all got to know each other and horse around.
Barbara and Just Rita were handing out vinyl siding flyers and they were both adorable.
Maybe a few years older than me but charming as the day is long!
Bill's co-workers at the prospector's booth were great and friendly
and Howard and Cynthia at the Washington State park booth cracked me up.
Howard and I were taking a stroll down the backside of the booths and saw the cute
Progressive Insurance lady from TV on the life-sized cardboard cut out.
The booth workers weren't there so we were looking at the good loot on the table.
We both had picked up a pen and post-it note pad and big notepad and were admiring how many freebies Progressive Insurance could afford to pass out when we heard a loud voice say,
"Hey! Whatdaya think your doing?!"
We jumped out of our skin, dropped everything and turned around
and the Progressive Insurance ladies were laughing their heads off!
Howard and I had such red faces and the ladies
came behind their table and joked around with us and made us take all the freebies we had dropped. We just all laughed and laughed together and if Uncle Doug
wasn't our insurance agent I would SO BUY PROGRESSIVE Insurance.
I sold two games to retired couples and two to people with ten year olds
and the other six to people with fourteen and fifteen year olds.
The kids were wild about the game and there were a half dozen that
couldn't talk their parents into buying it for them.
I remember when I took it to Brookside Elementary last year and let the kids play it at recess when it was raining. Those third graders were fighting over reading the driving manual of all things and that is written for teens and up. Geez I miss those kids!
So I was darn happy at the end of Saturday to have something in my deposit bag.
I got home and crashed in a heartbeat and left early on Sunday.
Jim and Bob of the roofing company helped me sneak my five eighty pound suitcases out the fire door before the show opened so I wouldn't have to do it when I was tired at the end of the show. They had some GREAT stories about naughty stuff they had done that I'll be keeping secret 'till I go to the grave. I may be a screw up in a lot of ways but
I KNOW HOW TO KEEP MT MOUTH SHUT.
I stopped by the Garlic Gourmet stand and enjoyed visiting with them for a bit.
They are the nicest people in the world and they had bought
their booth as a franchise and told me that was the way to go with Nixpix.
I don't know about that but I do like working at the conventions
more than the arts and crafts fairs.
The convention vendors are a rare breed of people.
Outgoing, friendly, funny, caring, and they all have the BEST STORIES!!!
Nothing I like better than a good story told by a real person.
I like that better than TV or movies put together!
So Nicholette got there and told me a scary story.
When she left the previous night she stopped for gas and got jumped at the gas station.
Two big black guys saw her dripping with jewelry and grabbed her wrists.
She told them it was fake and she could have it but they didn't let go.
She had a six pack of beer in her hands and raised it up and told them to take it.
When they let go of her to grab the beer
she skedaddled right out of there and jumped in her car.
I was so scared that she had been accosted that I was upset for hours and so was she.
I was thinking how dumb that was to get gas in that bad part of town
and realized I had just slept in my van there for two nights and was really stupid!
Once we got customers coming and got busy
we shook off the bad vibes.
It was Valentine's Day and Nicolette made a killing
and I was so excited for her!
At noon Connie and Vince showed up and I couldn't believe it!
She took over for two hours and I went and had lunch and watched the American Cookware Waterless Cooking demonstration that I had been smelling for four days.
Leroy did a great job and I could not believe how yummy the food was
cooked without ANY water or grease!
The minute I get my business going I am so going to buy a set of that cookware!
Then climbed in my VERY FAVORITE FLEETWOOD MOTORHOME!
I laid on the bed and imagined owning a motorhome.
I'd have it painted bright yellow with giant Nixpix.com logo on every side.
I'd travel to all fifty states selling Gin Latin and my driving game
and meet all kinds of nice people and a few cranky people.
I'd give the cranky people gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse all over
and they'd be all happy and feel better.
I'd give the happy people smoked salmon from home
and wine from Barbara's vinyard and Ritz crackers.
I was having such a nice daydream that it was hard to get up and go back to work!
I took a quick spin through the gold show and picked up odd golf freebies
to send to my step-dad Jerry.
If there are single girls out there they need to go to the golf show or work there because
there were wall-to-wall handsome men there!
AND they had on nice clothes too and knew how to shave!
So I got back upstairs and Connie had sold two games
and she needed to get Vince back home 'cause he was starting to catch a cold.
By then it was near three o'clock and Nicholette was making a
killing on that Cookie Lee jewelry!
I didn't have any more sales so I was chatting with my new friends from
Yakama RV park. Man, they were such nice people that I would so stay there if I had a motorhome! I was too shy to ask their names but I wanted to really bad.
I miss them and Nicholette after hanging out together for four days.
I might even go there and stay in a teepee!
http://www.ynrv.com/
So I went to wash up before going home and Debbie from siding
was hanging out at the beef jerky stand so I went to hang out for a minute too.
Then the nice man with the big beard came up behind us and started scratching our backs!
We were so happy and he'd been giving us samples of that great jerky for days.
We were all laughing and having fun and enjoying ourselves so much!
So at five we all packed up and since I had taken the bags out in the morning I was driving home by 5:15!
I woke up this morning feeling really sad about not making a profit at that RV show
but after telling you all about it I just
realized that I had some of the best four days
of my life at that RV show.
I may never have the cash to buy an RV Mr. Blog.
I may never be able to afford one of the cool electric scooters either
but you know what?
I don't care.
I saw a lot of homeless people down there in Pioneer Square
and I have a nice home.
It is old and dumpy but I don't care.
I have the nicest husband and kids in the entire world too.
And I have perfect health Mr. Blog.
I mean Margo will have to have her hip replacement soon
and sissy will have to go to dialysis for the rest of her life.
And you know what Mr. Blog?
I have the nicest friends and relatives in the world too.
What more could a person ask for?
*Looks over at Mr. Blog snoring and quietly gets up and covers him with
a granny-square blanket from the closet and tip-toes out*
Hi Mr. Blog. I sure missed you. Please lie down for this long story. *Waits until he does*
It was a tough pill to swallow that I didn't even break even on the RV show.
My half of our booth was $250.00 plus $40.00 for parking.
I only sold ten games in four days.
I thought the seniors would love to play and refresh their driving knowledge but I was wrong.
They told me that they had satellite dish TV and DVDs and that was all they liked.
Ugh.
The ten people with teens bought them on the spot happily.
Driving down on Wednesday to Qwest Field for set up was fine.
Lots of childhood memories seeing downtown and the Smith Tower.
Taking the bus from Holly Park housing project for shoes from Nordstorm
when they only had shoes in the '60s and going to see Santa and Frederick and Nelsons.
I'd never seen Qwest field and convention center and it was really dandy.
I got to drive right into the upper level and push everything out of the van at our spot.
Then I found a safe spot in the garage right under the ramp that I liked.
I spent two hours duct taping black tablecloths from the Dollar Store to the van windows.
It took me hours to set up our booth. I started at one o'clock.
I just used the garden canopy I had without the cover and it has nice white legs.
The Dollar Store didn't have yellow and black so I got red and white crepe paper
and wound it around the legs and top poles and draped red shiny garland and guess what?
The show colors were red and white! All the signs and backdrops were red and white!
Then I tied the 3 & 4 foot tall pussywillows to the front leg and put my pot of tulips
on the floor in front of them. We were the first booth when people came up the stairs
and it looked so pretty! Nicolette had the front side covered with luscious Cookie Lee jewelry and I had the walkway side with my driving game. I taped three maps to the front of my table
and had one game displayed vertically and one flat for people to play.
My gold prospector claim sales neighbor, Bill, helped me put up my giant NIXPIX.COM sign up on the backdrop. I didn't like the way it looked so I climbed up on a chair and hung it from
the back poles of my garden canopy poles and then it looked really cute.
When I get my business going I am SO going to buy a motorhome and gold claim membership!
So at eight I finished decorating and went to camp in the parking garage.
I locked myself in with my aluminum baseball bat and butcher knife and sat on the back seat
and had a half of a beer from my cooler.
Funny thing is Mr. Blog, I wasn't scared at all.
I used to camp alone in the 80s and what scares me are bears.
I had a bunch of camping pads and four sleeping bags and it was one weird fit.
I had my head in the back but to stretch out I had my legs between the front seats.
It is only a six inch gap so I had to lay on my side.
I forgot about King Street train station being next to the stadium and boy was it loud
when the trains left the station! First the bells, then horns, then the van shook
like a salt shaker with me inside of it! That was about ten times at night and morning.
I forgot my watch battery was dead so to check the time I would have to climb out of my sleeping bags and find my keys and put it in the ignition to start the van clock!
I had my dandy Coleman camping toilet and my favorite pillow and Winnie the Pooh
stuffed bear so I slept great and got up around eight for my Raisen Bran.
I went inside around nine and started making little bouquets of pussywillows to pass out.
I was about half done when Nicholette arrived at ten.
She was like a fresh July day on feet and I'm not kidding!
She looked so much like Alice Bacon I couldn't believe it.
Alice was my best friend in 1967 when Marta moved away for fifth grade.
She had olive skin, hazel eyes, wavy brown hair and a zillion freckles.
I LOVE freckles. They just make me think of summer, Kool aid and climbing trees all day.
So anyway, Nicholette got her jewelry display finished and the show opened at eleven.
I only sold one game on Thursday and she didn't sell any jewelry.
So at eight I went out and jumped in my van and turned on all my flashlights
and wrote out all my valentines that I had with me and then konked out.
I slept even better the second night cause everything seemed familiar.
When I got in at nine I could have killed for a cup of coffee!
The vendor wasn't coming in until eleven so I found a security guard and he took me took to the front door on First Avenue and told me where to get coffee one block over.
It was a lovely, blustery morning Friday and NOT raining so it was great to get outside.
The coffee girl was adorable and friendly and I got two huge cups to start my day.
I took my time on the main floor looking at motorhomes and RVs going back.
When I got upstairs Nicholette was there and ready to rock.
She had lots of sales on Friday and I didn't have a single one.
I needed a shower so I jumped in my van at closing and carefully drove home.
Despite not seeing great at night I made it home and LOVED my shower and bed.
I kept dreaming about Earl and Winston
and woke up with tears in my eyes that they were gone.
When I got ready for the show I was so happy after seeing Terry and Troy.
Teddy was at his friend Cameron's house but his team had won their basketball game.
I was in a cheery mood when I got back and happy to see the security guards.
Qwest Field has the nicest security guards in the world
and since we practically were living there four days it was like a huge family reunion as
we all got to know each other and horse around.
Barbara and Just Rita were handing out vinyl siding flyers and they were both adorable.
Maybe a few years older than me but charming as the day is long!
Bill's co-workers at the prospector's booth were great and friendly
and Howard and Cynthia at the Washington State park booth cracked me up.
Howard and I were taking a stroll down the backside of the booths and saw the cute
Progressive Insurance lady from TV on the life-sized cardboard cut out.
The booth workers weren't there so we were looking at the good loot on the table.
We both had picked up a pen and post-it note pad and big notepad and were admiring how many freebies Progressive Insurance could afford to pass out when we heard a loud voice say,
"Hey! Whatdaya think your doing?!"
We jumped out of our skin, dropped everything and turned around
and the Progressive Insurance ladies were laughing their heads off!
Howard and I had such red faces and the ladies
came behind their table and joked around with us and made us take all the freebies we had dropped. We just all laughed and laughed together and if Uncle Doug
wasn't our insurance agent I would SO BUY PROGRESSIVE Insurance.
I sold two games to retired couples and two to people with ten year olds
and the other six to people with fourteen and fifteen year olds.
The kids were wild about the game and there were a half dozen that
couldn't talk their parents into buying it for them.
I remember when I took it to Brookside Elementary last year and let the kids play it at recess when it was raining. Those third graders were fighting over reading the driving manual of all things and that is written for teens and up. Geez I miss those kids!
So I was darn happy at the end of Saturday to have something in my deposit bag.
I got home and crashed in a heartbeat and left early on Sunday.
Jim and Bob of the roofing company helped me sneak my five eighty pound suitcases out the fire door before the show opened so I wouldn't have to do it when I was tired at the end of the show. They had some GREAT stories about naughty stuff they had done that I'll be keeping secret 'till I go to the grave. I may be a screw up in a lot of ways but
I KNOW HOW TO KEEP MT MOUTH SHUT.
I stopped by the Garlic Gourmet stand and enjoyed visiting with them for a bit.
They are the nicest people in the world and they had bought
their booth as a franchise and told me that was the way to go with Nixpix.
I don't know about that but I do like working at the conventions
more than the arts and crafts fairs.
The convention vendors are a rare breed of people.
Outgoing, friendly, funny, caring, and they all have the BEST STORIES!!!
Nothing I like better than a good story told by a real person.
I like that better than TV or movies put together!
So Nicholette got there and told me a scary story.
When she left the previous night she stopped for gas and got jumped at the gas station.
Two big black guys saw her dripping with jewelry and grabbed her wrists.
She told them it was fake and she could have it but they didn't let go.
She had a six pack of beer in her hands and raised it up and told them to take it.
When they let go of her to grab the beer
she skedaddled right out of there and jumped in her car.
I was so scared that she had been accosted that I was upset for hours and so was she.
I was thinking how dumb that was to get gas in that bad part of town
and realized I had just slept in my van there for two nights and was really stupid!
Once we got customers coming and got busy
we shook off the bad vibes.
It was Valentine's Day and Nicolette made a killing
and I was so excited for her!
At noon Connie and Vince showed up and I couldn't believe it!
She took over for two hours and I went and had lunch and watched the American Cookware Waterless Cooking demonstration that I had been smelling for four days.
Leroy did a great job and I could not believe how yummy the food was
cooked without ANY water or grease!
The minute I get my business going I am so going to buy a set of that cookware!
Then climbed in my VERY FAVORITE FLEETWOOD MOTORHOME!
I laid on the bed and imagined owning a motorhome.
I'd have it painted bright yellow with giant Nixpix.com logo on every side.
I'd travel to all fifty states selling Gin Latin and my driving game
and meet all kinds of nice people and a few cranky people.
I'd give the cranky people gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse all over
and they'd be all happy and feel better.
I'd give the happy people smoked salmon from home
and wine from Barbara's vinyard and Ritz crackers.
I was having such a nice daydream that it was hard to get up and go back to work!
I took a quick spin through the gold show and picked up odd golf freebies
to send to my step-dad Jerry.
If there are single girls out there they need to go to the golf show or work there because
there were wall-to-wall handsome men there!
AND they had on nice clothes too and knew how to shave!
So I got back upstairs and Connie had sold two games
and she needed to get Vince back home 'cause he was starting to catch a cold.
By then it was near three o'clock and Nicholette was making a
killing on that Cookie Lee jewelry!
I didn't have any more sales so I was chatting with my new friends from
Yakama RV park. Man, they were such nice people that I would so stay there if I had a motorhome! I was too shy to ask their names but I wanted to really bad.
I miss them and Nicholette after hanging out together for four days.
I might even go there and stay in a teepee!
http://www.ynrv.com/
So I went to wash up before going home and Debbie from siding
was hanging out at the beef jerky stand so I went to hang out for a minute too.
Then the nice man with the big beard came up behind us and started scratching our backs!
We were so happy and he'd been giving us samples of that great jerky for days.
We were all laughing and having fun and enjoying ourselves so much!
So at five we all packed up and since I had taken the bags out in the morning I was driving home by 5:15!
I woke up this morning feeling really sad about not making a profit at that RV show
but after telling you all about it I just
realized that I had some of the best four days
of my life at that RV show.
I may never have the cash to buy an RV Mr. Blog.
I may never be able to afford one of the cool electric scooters either
but you know what?
I don't care.
I saw a lot of homeless people down there in Pioneer Square
and I have a nice home.
It is old and dumpy but I don't care.
I have the nicest husband and kids in the entire world too.
And I have perfect health Mr. Blog.
I mean Margo will have to have her hip replacement soon
and sissy will have to go to dialysis for the rest of her life.
And you know what Mr. Blog?
I have the nicest friends and relatives in the world too.
What more could a person ask for?
*Looks over at Mr. Blog snoring and quietly gets up and covers him with
a granny-square blanket from the closet and tip-toes out*
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
1/10/2010 Pussywillows
* Walks in with a bounce and lies down*
Ahhh, that feels so good Mr. Blog.
I ache from my head to my toe working so many hours in a row. Love to lay down a minute.
So Patti Byers, the Kenmore Elementary PTA president stopped by for the carnival stuff.
She is so wonderful! I had forgotten how well I organized the folders for the 12 committee members with checklists for their job descriptions. She said they didn't have a chairperson yet and it didn't surprise me. I'm the only person stupid enough to work for free doing carnivals for ten years. She asked me if I wanted to chair it and I couldn't help but laugh.
Teddy is in junior high now so I told her, "No thank you."
Did I tell you I got my copyright last week for my how-to book, 'Carnival on a Shoestring'?
Anyway, after Patti took off Connie stopped by with her suitcase and loaded games.
The snag with having "Supermom" as a business partner is when school started
she had to go back to her mom job. I'm a terrible mother compared to her!!!
So when she left and the van was near done I took a break around four.
The fog had burned off and it was sunny so
I dashed down to the swamp and picked pussywillows.
There were a few trees when we moved in and every year I'd clip and plant branches
and there was a great tree at Doyle Chiropractor on Dead Man's Curve
that I cut ten starts from and planted.
Now there are dozens of baby trees in the swamp
and when they put in the new river trail
I plan to plant hundreds all the way along the trail.
The first sign of spring.
Pussywillows.
Well, I'm off to the RV show so I'll see you Sunday night, late.
Ciao!
Ahhh, that feels so good Mr. Blog.
I ache from my head to my toe working so many hours in a row. Love to lay down a minute.
So Patti Byers, the Kenmore Elementary PTA president stopped by for the carnival stuff.
She is so wonderful! I had forgotten how well I organized the folders for the 12 committee members with checklists for their job descriptions. She said they didn't have a chairperson yet and it didn't surprise me. I'm the only person stupid enough to work for free doing carnivals for ten years. She asked me if I wanted to chair it and I couldn't help but laugh.
Teddy is in junior high now so I told her, "No thank you."
Did I tell you I got my copyright last week for my how-to book, 'Carnival on a Shoestring'?
Anyway, after Patti took off Connie stopped by with her suitcase and loaded games.
The snag with having "Supermom" as a business partner is when school started
she had to go back to her mom job. I'm a terrible mother compared to her!!!
So when she left and the van was near done I took a break around four.
The fog had burned off and it was sunny so
I dashed down to the swamp and picked pussywillows.
There were a few trees when we moved in and every year I'd clip and plant branches
and there was a great tree at Doyle Chiropractor on Dead Man's Curve
that I cut ten starts from and planted.
Now there are dozens of baby trees in the swamp
and when they put in the new river trail
I plan to plant hundreds all the way along the trail.
The first sign of spring.
Pussywillows.
Well, I'm off to the RV show so I'll see you Sunday night, late.
Ciao!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
1/9/2010 Getting Loaded All Day
*Walks in slowly and lies down*
Oh my goodness Mr. Blog. I am so not used to working this hard, but,
I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
I finished the bag toppers at noon and
started getting loaded.
Each suitcase weighs about eighty pounds and there are five of them. Near 500 games.
So. True to his word, Troy came home from school and loaded my entire mini-van.
My goodness it is full. Am I lucky he had weight-lifting this semester or what?!
He carried in the middle van seat so I have more room for storage
and to sleep.
I feel like it's friggin' Christmas, Easter, Halloween, my birthday and Thanksgiving
all at once.
Man, I wish I could jar up this joy and mail it to every person in the world.
Oh my goodness Mr. Blog. I am so not used to working this hard, but,
I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
I finished the bag toppers at noon and
started getting loaded.
Each suitcase weighs about eighty pounds and there are five of them. Near 500 games.
So. True to his word, Troy came home from school and loaded my entire mini-van.
My goodness it is full. Am I lucky he had weight-lifting this semester or what?!
He carried in the middle van seat so I have more room for storage
and to sleep.
I feel like it's friggin' Christmas, Easter, Halloween, my birthday and Thanksgiving
all at once.
Man, I wish I could jar up this joy and mail it to every person in the world.
Monday, February 8, 2010
1/7/2010 Best Day Ever
*Dashes in and perches on wingback chair*
Oh my goodness Mr. Blog! I barely have time to breathe!
I worked twelve hours a day Monday through Saturday.
My PTA pal, Gail Schultz, came on Friday and packaged 600 mini-racer cars in snack sacks
for me. At top speed we got them ready for the game bags.
Yesterday I needed to go to church even though I didn't have the time.
Terry was on the phone with a friend in the morning saying he was bored and going to play some basketball. When he hung up I said, "If you are bored you could always go to church with me."
He gave me a look like, "What's your point?"
So I dashed off and was thrilled to see my pew-homies, Carol, Char and Caroline.
Great sermon about Peter in the fishing boat was just for me!
And then...We closed with my favorite hymn, 'Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore.'
When I got home I called Nicholette and she said I can bring my canopy frame
and decorate it with yellow, pink and black streamers for Nixpix and Cookie Lee!
I have balloons too.
Then I heard a rowdy noise and it was Cub Scouts on the bike trail hiking!
My pal Meagan Colella is leading them and we used to have such a blast at camp together!
Her youngest son is already in third grade and he gave me the world's cutuest
invitation to the Pack 622 50th birthday Blue and Gold Banquet
celebrating the centennial of Boy Scouts! I got choked up when I saw his dear little
handwriting and remembered ten years of fun with the little cubs at camp and around the hood.
I hiked with them a ways and when I needed to come back and start work I saw some pussywillows in bloom! I'm taking some to the RV show for decoration.
I worked until ten last night and got all the games packaged so now I have
near 500 bag toppers to staple on by bedtime.
I need to get loaded all day tomorrow so I'll catch ya on the flip side!
Oh my goodness Mr. Blog! I barely have time to breathe!
I worked twelve hours a day Monday through Saturday.
My PTA pal, Gail Schultz, came on Friday and packaged 600 mini-racer cars in snack sacks
for me. At top speed we got them ready for the game bags.
Yesterday I needed to go to church even though I didn't have the time.
Terry was on the phone with a friend in the morning saying he was bored and going to play some basketball. When he hung up I said, "If you are bored you could always go to church with me."
He gave me a look like, "What's your point?"
So I dashed off and was thrilled to see my pew-homies, Carol, Char and Caroline.
Great sermon about Peter in the fishing boat was just for me!
And then...We closed with my favorite hymn, 'Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore.'
When I got home I called Nicholette and she said I can bring my canopy frame
and decorate it with yellow, pink and black streamers for Nixpix and Cookie Lee!
I have balloons too.
Then I heard a rowdy noise and it was Cub Scouts on the bike trail hiking!
My pal Meagan Colella is leading them and we used to have such a blast at camp together!
Her youngest son is already in third grade and he gave me the world's cutuest
invitation to the Pack 622 50th birthday Blue and Gold Banquet
celebrating the centennial of Boy Scouts! I got choked up when I saw his dear little
handwriting and remembered ten years of fun with the little cubs at camp and around the hood.
I hiked with them a ways and when I needed to come back and start work I saw some pussywillows in bloom! I'm taking some to the RV show for decoration.
I worked until ten last night and got all the games packaged so now I have
near 500 bag toppers to staple on by bedtime.
I need to get loaded all day tomorrow so I'll catch ya on the flip side!
Friday, February 5, 2010
1/5/2010 Camping in a Parking Garage
*Drags in and flops on couch*
Ugh Mr. Blog,
I am so beat.
I have not worked four twelve hour days in a row since I was carrying mail for the post office during the presidential election of 1984. Reagan Mondale and I was a T-6 which means I had five mail routes that I cased and carried on a rotating schedule to cover the regular mail carrier's day off. There was so much mail I stayed in and cased political mail for a few sixteen hour days. 'Course I was only twenty-five back then.
Anyway, I worked twelve hours a day for four days rolling gameboards and packaging games.
My high school pal Margo Thorning Serano came and helped me yesterday.
Geez she is delightful! When they were passing out charm she got in line twice!
She fell off a loading dock five years ago and trashed her back and hips.
She had to get her back fused and is getting a double knee replacement at the end of this month. Despite being in horrible pain and in a wheelchair, she offered to help me.
I picked her up and she used her walker to get to and from the car and I'll tell you what
that girl is a workhorse! I can't really tell you how many hundreds of games she packaged for me but I think I am about half done.
So I had some other great news yesterday!
I got my City of Kenmore business permit in the mail!
I am going to camp at the Qwest Field parking garage in my mini-van for the RV show!
Isn't that exciting?!
It is a bad part of town but don't worry.
I'm taking my aluminum baseball bat that I keep under my bed for when Terry is out of town.
He looks like a blond Charles Manson so I never worry when he is home.
I'm also taking my good butcher knife that would make a clean wound in case someone tries
to murder me. That way they won't get an infection when I stab them.
I am so excited. I'm taking the middle bench out of my Ford Windstar mini-van
and loads of camping gear.
I'm going early to get a spot in the parking garage.
Terry says it would be ten degrees warmer in there than in the outside parking lot.
Yikes! I have another twelve hour day of packaging so I'd better dash!
Ciao!
Ugh Mr. Blog,
I am so beat.
I have not worked four twelve hour days in a row since I was carrying mail for the post office during the presidential election of 1984. Reagan Mondale and I was a T-6 which means I had five mail routes that I cased and carried on a rotating schedule to cover the regular mail carrier's day off. There was so much mail I stayed in and cased political mail for a few sixteen hour days. 'Course I was only twenty-five back then.
Anyway, I worked twelve hours a day for four days rolling gameboards and packaging games.
My high school pal Margo Thorning Serano came and helped me yesterday.
Geez she is delightful! When they were passing out charm she got in line twice!
She fell off a loading dock five years ago and trashed her back and hips.
She had to get her back fused and is getting a double knee replacement at the end of this month. Despite being in horrible pain and in a wheelchair, she offered to help me.
I picked her up and she used her walker to get to and from the car and I'll tell you what
that girl is a workhorse! I can't really tell you how many hundreds of games she packaged for me but I think I am about half done.
So I had some other great news yesterday!
I got my City of Kenmore business permit in the mail!
I am going to camp at the Qwest Field parking garage in my mini-van for the RV show!
Isn't that exciting?!
It is a bad part of town but don't worry.
I'm taking my aluminum baseball bat that I keep under my bed for when Terry is out of town.
He looks like a blond Charles Manson so I never worry when he is home.
I'm also taking my good butcher knife that would make a clean wound in case someone tries
to murder me. That way they won't get an infection when I stab them.
I am so excited. I'm taking the middle bench out of my Ford Windstar mini-van
and loads of camping gear.
I'm going early to get a spot in the parking garage.
Terry says it would be ten degrees warmer in there than in the outside parking lot.
Yikes! I have another twelve hour day of packaging so I'd better dash!
Ciao!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
1/3/10 The Evil Wife
*Walks in cheerfully and perches on the edge of the chair*
Yikes Mr. Blog,
My marriage is hanging by a thread this time.
My friend Molly McLean stopped for coffee on her way back to Oregon
and I told her about trying to sneak out a loan without telling Terry.
I was so sure I could sell the games and replace the cash before he noticed
AND get Gin Latin printed. Ugh! Gin Latin will make
Terry an instant millionare.
That is why I worked twelve hours the last two days
to get ready for the RV show next week!
And guess what?! The Seattle Times Business section yesterday reported attendance up
at all the garden and boat shows by 5% for the first time in two years!
54,000 people went to the garden show!!!
If that many come to QWEST Field for the RV Show next week I KNOW I can sell the
last 479 driving games!!!
So anyway, back to Molly.
When I told her about the loan fiasco she reminded me of the Laser Hair Removal fiasco
and asked me why I never learn from my mistakes.
She doesn't even know about my E-Bay fiasco or the time I got us sued for a quarter of a million
dollars and I don't need to share that with her or anyone.
I DO LEARN from my mistakes!!!
I am just a risk-taker and that is how God made me Mr. Blog!
I'd better run-got another twelve hour day of game board rolling.
Ciao!
Yikes Mr. Blog,
My marriage is hanging by a thread this time.
My friend Molly McLean stopped for coffee on her way back to Oregon
and I told her about trying to sneak out a loan without telling Terry.
I was so sure I could sell the games and replace the cash before he noticed
AND get Gin Latin printed. Ugh! Gin Latin will make
Terry an instant millionare.
That is why I worked twelve hours the last two days
to get ready for the RV show next week!
And guess what?! The Seattle Times Business section yesterday reported attendance up
at all the garden and boat shows by 5% for the first time in two years!
54,000 people went to the garden show!!!
If that many come to QWEST Field for the RV Show next week I KNOW I can sell the
last 479 driving games!!!
So anyway, back to Molly.
When I told her about the loan fiasco she reminded me of the Laser Hair Removal fiasco
and asked me why I never learn from my mistakes.
She doesn't even know about my E-Bay fiasco or the time I got us sued for a quarter of a million
dollars and I don't need to share that with her or anyone.
I DO LEARN from my mistakes!!!
I am just a risk-taker and that is how God made me Mr. Blog!
I'd better run-got another twelve hour day of game board rolling.
Ciao!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
1/2/10 Groundhog's Day and The Talk*
*Dashes in and lies on brown leather couch*
Hi Mr. Blog,
Happy Groundhogs day! When I was working the red-eye flights from LA to Cleveland in '92
we would save the apples left on the plane and take them to our hotel.
It was around six am and dawn
and we'd huck the apples off our hotel balconies towards the bushes near the creek
and loads of small groundhogs would run out and grab them.
They would sit up like prairie dogs only they were so much cuter!
I'd never seen one before except Puxatwanny Phil on TV.
I wondered if I could get one for a pet they were so darn adorable.
So last night Terry told me he knew I'd gotten into the home equity account
and I told him I took out a bit for printing the game.
I had hoped to sell fast enough to replace the cash before he noticed
but it just didn't work out for me.
I thought he was gonna divorce my ass on the spot!
But I told him when Gin Latin goes global
the first thing I'm going to do is pay off the house.
He seemed happy about that.
He even peeled me an orange when he got back from the store AND put it in a bowl for me.
That is VERY significant.
I had folded and rolled games for twelve hours by then and was exhausted
and my arthritis was starting to make my fingers stiff.
I'm relieved he knows 'cause the guilt was killing me.
Just wish I could get this business going faster.
Well-time for another twelve hours of game board rolling!
Hi Mr. Blog,
Happy Groundhogs day! When I was working the red-eye flights from LA to Cleveland in '92
we would save the apples left on the plane and take them to our hotel.
It was around six am and dawn
and we'd huck the apples off our hotel balconies towards the bushes near the creek
and loads of small groundhogs would run out and grab them.
They would sit up like prairie dogs only they were so much cuter!
I'd never seen one before except Puxatwanny Phil on TV.
I wondered if I could get one for a pet they were so darn adorable.
So last night Terry told me he knew I'd gotten into the home equity account
and I told him I took out a bit for printing the game.
I had hoped to sell fast enough to replace the cash before he noticed
but it just didn't work out for me.
I thought he was gonna divorce my ass on the spot!
But I told him when Gin Latin goes global
the first thing I'm going to do is pay off the house.
He seemed happy about that.
He even peeled me an orange when he got back from the store AND put it in a bowl for me.
That is VERY significant.
I had folded and rolled games for twelve hours by then and was exhausted
and my arthritis was starting to make my fingers stiff.
I'm relieved he knows 'cause the guilt was killing me.
Just wish I could get this business going faster.
Well-time for another twelve hours of game board rolling!
Monday, February 1, 2010
2/1/10 The 47th Annual Seattle RV Show at QWEST Field
*Bounces in and perches on the edge of the dark leather wing back chair*
Hi Mr. Blog! Did you miss me?
I had to take a sabbatical to get my head back on straight.
No, I can't tell you about it today.
Maybe in a few months.
I had the best news Friday! Out of the blue, Nicolette Johnson calls me and tells me I can
split a booth with her at the RV Show at QWEST Field February 11th-14th! Next Week!!!
Her dad owns an RV store and is friends with the organizer, Dave Henderson, and he helped us
work out all the details. I had given up working at the show because I couldn't afford
the outrageous $500.00 vendor fee and didn't have that much credit on my business account.
If I can sell all 479 remaining games I can pay off my business loans AND
get Gin Latin 1 printed in a few months
AND go to the Boy Scout jamboree in Virgina this summer!
Woo Hoo is all I have to say about that!
Gotta go assemble those games.
See you later Mr. Blog!
Hi Mr. Blog! Did you miss me?
I had to take a sabbatical to get my head back on straight.
No, I can't tell you about it today.
Maybe in a few months.
I had the best news Friday! Out of the blue, Nicolette Johnson calls me and tells me I can
split a booth with her at the RV Show at QWEST Field February 11th-14th! Next Week!!!
Her dad owns an RV store and is friends with the organizer, Dave Henderson, and he helped us
work out all the details. I had given up working at the show because I couldn't afford
the outrageous $500.00 vendor fee and didn't have that much credit on my business account.
If I can sell all 479 remaining games I can pay off my business loans AND
get Gin Latin 1 printed in a few months
AND go to the Boy Scout jamboree in Virgina this summer!
Woo Hoo is all I have to say about that!
Gotta go assemble those games.
See you later Mr. Blog!
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