10/19/09 Lloyd Swena , Troy Drove

*Walks in and lies down* I still feel a little icky
and one of my best friends from Continental in-flight training
died a few days ago from liver cancer.
Lloyd Swena was one of the most
positive people I have ever met
in my whole life. I just loved him.
My heart is all crumbly still.
When I was in flight training and living at the Houston Intercontinental Airport Sheraton hotel
he and Tony were in the room next to us.
Every single night at ten they would pound on the wall and yell,
"Goodnight Gretchen! Goodnight Heather!"
We'd do the same and laugh and laugh.
He and Tony and Danny were always pranking all of us.
One time they snuck into an empty classroom at night and our entire
class of fifty came down and had a pajama party!
We had popcorn and soda and they played the movie "Airplane."
Every time the star came out, that brunette actress, they would all yell,
"Gret-chen! Gret-chen!" We laughed so hard.
I was twenty-nine when I got hired which is really old for a new hire
flight attendant. I was very serious in training and never horsed around.
After carrying mail ten years, flying was a dream come true and
I wasn't about to screw it up!
Lloyd would tease me mercilessly all the time
to try to get me to lighten up.
He always made me laugh even
when I tried so hard not to.
The last time I saw him was in 1993 when our old class
was almost all working an airbus from Denver to Chicago.
We had a strong tail wind and got there with a full boat of 340 pax
in 1:50!!! I was working main galley and we barely got
our hot meal served and picked up and no one had time to give me
their liquor money until we landed! I just shoved all of it in my apron
and we all went to the hotel.
I was in my room in my ratty, "Marry Me and Fly Free" tee shirt
and I had $500.00 in cash all over my bed in
neat piles while I filled out my liquor forms.
I had to fill the scan-tron sheet to match the
cash exactly and I was pulling figures out of a hat to match
up the minis, beer and wine amounts.
There was a pounding on the door and I cracked
it open and Lloyd, Tony, Michael, Jan, Theresa, Barbara,
and Danny all burst in and started jumping up and down on
my bed!
The money and change was flying
all around the room and they were chanting,
Gret-chen! Gret-chen! Gret-chen!
I was hollering at them, worried I'd get fired if anyone told on me.
I gave up and threw on my clothes and went out with them
and turned in the money at the airport
the next morning
with my fingers crossed.
Lloyd and I would call each other every six months or so
to stay caught up and now
I will never hear his voice again.
I forgot to tell you that Troy drove down the street and back on Sunday.
It was terrifying and look at this: *Shows head with white hair still standing on end*

10/17/09 The Good Listener

*Walks in gingerly and lies down* Hi Mr. Blog. I'm not feeling too good. Sore throat, headache and body aches. I'm going back to bed when I get home.
So yesterday I went to Steve's to proof the new edition of our game.
I love, love, love it. He is the best graphic designer in the world.
The bigger size with the larger font will make adults so happy.
Sometimes adults have to retake the test themselves.
If they forget to renew their license on time or get a DUI.
But mostly some people like people. Not TV people.
Real people that they can see and touch and laugh with.
That's what the game is about. Socializing.
Sure it is educational and blah, blah, blah.
But with this nasty weather it might be handy to own a new game.
Call a pal and say, "I got this new game. Want to try it?"
I forgot to tell you about last week-end.
Terry and I went to Patty's for dinner and had salmon and salad and loads of other stuff
and cherry pie for dessert. Riel was there and we just laughed and laughed.
We watched the DAWGS play football and every time they showed the stands
we looked for our friend Marcia and yelled, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"
Riel started it but it got funnier and funnier cause all they showed
were the cute young blond girls every single time.
We had a theory that the cameraman was a twenty-five year old single guy.
So I got 200 out of 1,000 of my new business cards attached to magnets.
Then Wednesday I needed to be a good listener.
Brenda and Connie both had problems to process.
I just shut my mind to my world,
sealed my lips,
and opened my ears.
I know I didn't get much work done on the business that day but you know what?
People are more important to me than money.

10/12/09 Hoping For a Miracle Sub Job

*Walks in with hopeful look and lies down* Hi Mr. Blog, you won't believe what was
posted on the Shoreline school district website yesterday. A long term substitute job in fourth grade, which happens to be my VERY FAVORITE GRADE. I love Washington state history.
I'm not even getting my hopes up this time. There is always someone better.
So I'll turn it over to God.
It starts now and goes until March would be enough income to pay off our business loan and cover the costs of Pass The Test, USA!!!
So Connie and I did the final edits for the bigger Pass The Test for families today.
I feel like I'm playing Beat The Clock against the October 27th DECA convention.
I'm praying very hard since there will be 1,400 people to talk to there including the
100 DECA teachers that could pick my game for their classes to market.
So can we get the edits, mock-ups, and printing done that fast???
I do believe in miracles.

10/9/09 Great Bid From Allegra Printing

*Walks in with a bounce in her step and lies down* Did you notice how cold out it is getting now Mr. Blog? Brrr. There was frost on sissy's roof morning before last. She lives next door in our mother-in-law apartment.
So I had GREAT news yesterday mr. Blog. I got home from subbing at Brookside, my favorite school, and I had an e-mail from Jeff at Allegra printing up in Bothell.
He did the bid including most of the assembly and it was fantastic.
This game is the world's hardest game to assemble because
it has two boards glued together.
Every time I make one I get covered head to toe with glue and stuff sticks to me all day.
Connie can do it neatly. She is a marvel of coordination!
The smallest bid is for 500 games and I really want 1,000
but we won't be able to borrow that much.
This next edition has large print fonts so grown ups can play without glasses.
I can't wait to bring one in to show you!
16"x22" in full color laminated top.
The colors are so vibrant they jump off the page!
So sissy changed her mind about wanting one of my kidneys.
She said she did not want to feel "indebted" to me.
I'm sad 'cause she'll live ten to fifteen years less
with a cadaver kidney.
Oh well. Just cause I'm crazy about life doesn't mean she is.
Our real dad, James Frederick Lehde, asked me to donate one to her before he died.
I told him of course I would when the time came.
Not to worry, not to worry.
I love my sister.

10/5/09 My Kids Hate Me

*Walks in and lies down and stares at the ceiling*
Parenthood is so confusing. I feel like a prison guard half the time and I hate it.
I told the kids not to bring home those violent shooting games for their machines.
I told them a thousand times
that if they kept it up the machines would disappear.
So today I removed the machines. No more X-Box or Playstation.
My kids hate me.
They can have them back when they move out.
Those games are evil and creating a generation of violent killers.
I just can't run my business when I'm worrying
about the kids getting brainwashed
into being killers.
I love my kids.

10/3/09 Trying Not To Panic

*Walks in dazed looking and sits in the chair fidgeting*
Oh, Mr. Blog. I dropped off the other sample for bid at Print Fusion after Allegra Printers.
Minimum to get a good print price is 1,000 games so now I think I'm in big trouble.
I'll need between eight and nine thousand dollars and have NO IDEA how I can
borrow that much! I feel sick to my stomach I'm so worried.
I went and had coffee with Patty and she said not to borrow on
our home equity loan without telling Terry. But he'll say no
so I am a total wreck today.
Will I ever get this business off the ground?!

10/1/09 Need Fun?

*Drags in with hangdog expression and flops down*
Oh Mr. Blog, the new bid I got from Allegra printer in Bothell is too high.
Unless we print thousands. I'm so sad. I can't get a business loan because I don't know if I will every sell enough games to be successful and repay a business loan.
Bleh.
At least I came up with the Nixpix tagline, "Need Fun?" Do you like it?
I think having fun is as important as breathing but then I'm a bit of a freak.
I'm going to go make blackberry jelly for my friend Art now.
When I moved to Kenmore in 1990 from Bothell, I wanted a local car repair shop and I
could walk to Northshore Garage so I started going there.
I had this really hot 1980 red and black Rally Sport Camaro with tee-tops.
I loved that car!
So Art has always been so kind to me
and I think some blackberry jelly
would brighten his day.
That is my goal in life.
To make everyone's day a little brighter.