Don't Get the Stomach Flu

Last week I missed two lovely days of work due to this awful stomach flu. I think everyone in the house has had it now. The awful truth about the flu, is that although the initial symptoms last a mere 2 days, the stomach cramps and loss of appetite continue. I cannot say personally how long it could last, but a physician said that it can take up to 3 weeks to regain your normalcy. I have been famished, only to take 2 bites and experience complete fullness. Today, I simply don't care to eat. Water is the only thing that doesn't seem too rich.

In the workplace, emphasis is placed on political correctness in diversity. We have come to a point, where you cannot wish someone a "Merry Christmas" anymore. It has to be "Happy Holidays". Raised Catholic, I would not be offended if a person of Jewish persuasion (I don't know if it is PC to say "Jew" anymore) came up and wished me a "Happy Hanukkah". Actually, I think that would be far less offensive and perhaps complimentary as opposed to the H.H. greeting. So what is society doing? It almost seems that in the pursuance of PC, people are embarrassed to differentiate. This embarrassment is not healthy. We are not celebrating our differences, but hiding them. At work, we can't display any Christian preference, for fear of separating those that aren't. My feelings are that if you would like a crucifix in your cubie, go ahead. That is your little place in your work world, and if it gives you comfort, why not? When we have photos of our families we are not saying that we object to people without children. I really don't think dog people are offended when cat people have pictures of their animals at their desks. Why should anyone be ashamed of their religion?

I had to be out in the traffic this morning so I thought I had better stop at the store. As luck would have it, I got the second to the closest non-handicapped parking spot. That kind of luck doesn't come along much. I grabbed a basket to pick up the few things I needed and pressed on through the store. Grumpy faces broke into smiles when they looked up expecting to see another grumpy face and saw my smile. I couldn't help myself. Forever the rebel, I refuse to go with the flow and grump at other holiday shoppers. That is the valium I take shopping with me this time of year. WARNING: It is contagious. People pay it forward. At the end of my jaunt, there wasn't a cart left in the lobby or the cart corrals. I think the bulk of the crowd was behind me. Probably in a traffic jam in aisle 2.

That is it for rantings for now. I am going to trek downtown and see if I can pass out smiles there.

:)

Could It Be Any More Monday Than This??!!??!!

It always begins when you wake up late. I am usually up by 5:15, reading the paper and giving Sage her rubdown. (Its a morning thing, and she has grown to understand that when I stop, it is because I found another word in the crossword) This morning, it was 6:45. Nick and Ben had showers to take and so did I. I got them roused and they took long, luxurious showers. I had to leave the door open afterwards to get the steam down so I could see into the mirror after my shower.

Apparently I stepped on a piece of glass last night, because my foot was sore. That was a great night as well!! One of the children put one of the few remaining glasses right in front of the serving dish that I took out of the cabinet. It fell into the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl and broke into pieces that bounced into the mashed potatoes and all over the floor. They have only lived here for how long and still don't know where the dishes go when they are asked to empty the dishwasher? I don't buy it. It is a ploy similar to the shrunken or discolored clothes when men attempt to do laundry, thinking we will say "Oh, just forget it, I will do the laundry forever since you can't seem to do it right!" My ex once shrunk my favorite ecru angora sweater AND put it in with the reds, leaving me with a pink sweater approximately a child's size 4. I am now a firm believer that practice makes perfect and if they can't do it right, we need to give them more practice. That'll take care of that one!!!

Back to MonDaY:

When I get to work to get the once over from the boss. "I am going to have to send you home to change," she said in her tsk, tsk way while rolling her eyes. (I have to love her maturity sometimes!!!) After she went back into the office, the rest of the group did their eye-rolling. Apparently my sweater, turtleneck and jeans were not fit to be seen by the head honcho flying in.
At least I wasn't the only one to be sent home. I am just glad I live in town. One of my coworkers who lives 20 miles out had to go home as well.

Upon my desk, I found an x-mas baggy given to me by one of my coworkers. Apparently she enjoyed my recipe for caramel corn so much that she decided to beat me to the punch this year and give it to coworkers as gifts - as is customarily my practice. That doesn't ordinarily bother me, but this day it did. I let her know in no uncertain terms that she will no longer be receiving recipes from me. This is such a tradition at work that people were actually thanking me for them. I didn't do it. (Anyway, I don't give all my secrets away. I brought the bag home and Brian said, "this isn't as good as yours". I know. :))

That was my morning.

I got a call after school and Ben is sick with the stomach flu. He has his finals this week. He is in bed now. I suppose I should be baking or cleaning or something, but I had to unload. I hope tomorrow is better.

Santa, please remember me...

Curiosity Killed the Cat Again

As I turned onto Minnesota Ave., headed south this afternoon, this huge billowing cloud of smoke caught my attention. I nabbed Ben from work and we headed south. About 1 mile North of Harrisburg, there was a fire consuming a field and moving towards a grove of trees. We had arrived before the sheriff's department, but scurried past as not to obstruct traffic or emergency vehicles still arriving on the scene. As of 5:30, it had consumeed 10 acres. Surely the windy conditions did not help matters any. It was moving quickly with flames leaping several feet into the air at times. The photos that I got closer to the flames were not as dramatic as the view from Minnesota Ave.

It has been one hell of a weekend, week, month, etc. I am glad that school was over, but realize that it really kept me away from the drama that other people so much take for granted. I really am trying not to make any waves, but work, school, home, etc. I am offending all with any attempts that I have made to go out of my way to do otherwise. Perhaps I have reached
that lovely time of my life when I say "to hell with it" and go away for the holidays. I have this mental picture of me as an ostrich with my head in the ground and a sign hanging off my tail saying, "back off!" I have always objected to people being forced to work on the holidays when they don't want to, but have to for their job. I am a family-loving person that believes that folks should be "home for the holidays". I am, however beginning to see the benefits of travel at this time of the year. I hated it when I was in Arizona over the holidays. To wake up in the morning and remember that it was Christmas was difficult. Deck the cacti! I'm too friggin' sentimental and having grown up with white Christmases really doesn't help when I have a brown sandy one instead.

The tree is up, but the decorations are not. The caramel corn is made, but the other recipes are neglected. Perhaps next weekend. Or not.

Holidays Got You Down?

Sage has simply had it....

I gotta love this link, summing the year up with a lovely holiday ad. If you haven't noticed, it is one of my favorite websites.

I found this really cool photographer's website also. Makes you want to stop buying things made in China. I like his 100x100 photos. People are living in these "boxes" of apartments in China.
Notice that none of them have windows. Some folks are minimalists and some are hoarders, but none have enough REAL living space. Very sad. I assume by all the fans I see in each "box" that there is no central air.

My Favorite Christmas Card

Happy Holidays! Joy to the world. What a day. Crabby from the get-go. Then one thing after another. Nick got mad at me for taking the garbage out, after having asked over and over again yesterday. So, get it done. My main goal. He got mad at me and said that he wouldn't have been mad if I would just asked. (Again? What is the magic number of asking times?) Jess is mad at the world. She is mad because her dad is finally following through with his punishing her. She has 7 Fs and he won't let her have a friend over until her grades improve. But that isn't her fault, it is his. She is just like her mother. I have to keep reassuring him that he is doing a good job and stick to his guns and have to shut up when inevitably he doesn't.

Which brings me to: To tree, or not to tree; That is the question. I have removed nearly every breakable from her sight and/or reach. This because of all my things that have been broken in the house whenever she gets mad at her dad. I am not a part of this. She is not my child, nor my step child. She is a child that lives here because her dad does and can't afford to move out on his own. Earlier this year, we separated finances when we became "disengaged". It was great. My bank account is looking so much better now. Brian was always wanting a cell phone for himself and for his daughter. So...he needed to learn... He bought the cell phones and she surprised him with a nice $1000+ phone bill after the first 3 weeks. He wouldn't stop hitting fast food joints and convenience stores in which he was wracking up $50+ per week. Since then, he has had to borrow money from the bank. It is his turn to buy the groceries, and I saw his account, and I know it won't be happening. Neither will I buy them. So, the cabinets will be cleaned out of all the soups and the freezer of all the vegetables.

This is starting out to be such a fun weekend. I should call Bee. She will sip her cognac and I my wine. We can laugh together if nothing else.

Anne Hedonia

I would like to thank Cagle.com for providing me with updates on the best political cartoons. I couldn't help myself with this one.

As the holiday season progresses and I get more disenchanted, I think about a word that I learned in abnormal psyche. I never knew the word existed!!! Anhedonia. The opposite of hedonia, or hedonism. I think about my affection for the macabre and wonder...I think about my need to first get this done then I'll have fun...Well, the "this" list grows and the fun seldom happens...

So, I try to define fun. "Fun" is elusive. If I think I am having "fun" the shock hits me and the "fun" seems to fade. I can overanalyze happy. I think about something my father said about "cruising Broadway" in Yankton when I was a teen. He summed it up by saying that it was a bunch of kids driving around in circles. What is the purpose? Listen to the deflation... What about the amusement park? You stand in line for so long for a ride that lasts but a few minutes. Fun, maybe, if you don't puke, but worth it?? I guess the same could be said for sex. Except for the puking part.

So, anyway, how does anhedonia apply to Christmas? There is all the build up and then you find out that half your family won't even be there. Your kids are teens and don't believe in Santa nor do they have those cute squeaky voices of awe when they come downstairs and see the magic. But then again, you get to see your family. It is never enough. Those wonderful short glimpses of time that you spend together are so cherished and rare...and gone in a flash. Anhedonia.

Santa, I want fun for Christmas. Guilt-free, family-filled, squeaky-little-voice fun. I will leave out cookies and milk- and perhaps my famous caramel corn- and a big spot under the tree. I have been good.

Update on Thursday Evening

Here is an update on Thursday evening's activity. Nothing too much new today for reporting in the neighborhood.

Thank you, Santa

Let's go Outside and Watch Cops!!!

Who knows what it was about this time. Once again, sirens. This time an officer bolting out of his vehicle running and stopping with his gun drawn on the subject. The subject kept running. Perhaps it is was the cold weather, the overweight cop and the winded stoned subject, but after the initial weapon draw, the rest was in slow motion. The subject still running. The officer still chasing. Both in s l o w m o t i o n.
Nick said that the subject they caught was a stoner that comes into Walgreens all the time. (For munchies?) I spoke with an officer and found out they were still searching for another subject. I got on the phone and called the neighborhood into action. Nancy down the street slowly said she should lock her doors. (Should I call her every evening? She should regardless.) Richard further down said that he would keep an eye out and that I should be careful because I could be a target. Note to self: start turning down the media. must lower profile. do the limbo...
NOT speaking of which, I sent a letter to the editor of the Argus regarding their editorial, Plan to Help Neighborhood Needs Fixing of its Own. They stated that the city is throwing these poor low income housing people into the streets by their plans to "redevelop" the area. (Why is gentrification-an otherwise beautiful word-getting such a negative connotation?)
Okay, first of all, the properties the city is speaking of are the run down ones. Most of the housing in the problem area is single-family dwellings converted into multiple units shared by the tenants and their multiple friends and family members. (I think we are getting into exponents now) Initially, I believe that these conversions were allowed to happen in the depression era when homeless people created a market for those with larger houses that needed money. After prosperity returned, the owners could sell these "apartment houses" and buy another single family home or rent out the bottom floor as well. Over time, the practice was grandfathered and not monitored.
When they were inspecting these units, the sheriff's dept. assisted in removing in some up to 30 people that were not on the lease for a single unit. The toilets and sinks were plugged and they were using the back alley as a bathroom. Filth galore.
With the exception of our prosperous drug houses, the tenants are transient. They tend to live in a unit until they are evicted. I have seen it cycle many times. You can surely count the months from occupation to eviction and they are about the same every time. One landlord-couple graciously took me into an apartment where the people had just ditched without paying rent. They left a mess. They left so many things that you would think a person would grab at least on the way out. They left a beautiful couch, a bed, lamps, cough medicine, shoes, clothes, vegetable oil. I asked the landlords if they were sure the tenants were gone, and they said that this is what they are left with all the time. She looked over at him and said, now we can rent it as a furnished apartment. I guess despite the mess they had, they were making the best of it...
I asked them if I could give their names to the press for an interview and they declined. They are an older couple. They rented properties for years. They were the old kind of landlord that cared about the properties and their tenants. They sold their properties to a Columbian man who moved up here and began his history in the rental property business. He fixed up some of the properties quite nicely - in fact, the one that he showed me was redone with ceramic tile throughout!! It was gorgeous! But it seemed that this man wasn't up to the task. He could fix them out nicely, but rented to friends and others who said they could pay him later. No problem. They wouldn't pay. They left. He lost. He lost every property he purchased. But, the loss doesn't end there.
This older couple who sold him the properties purchases some land down south and had a beautiful house. (It was 100 degrees out when I was talking to them and they were working like folks half their age) Tears welled up in their eyes as they said they had to come out of retirement to once again go back to work on these properties. I think they sold them to the Columbian contract for deed. They had reclaimed all but two of the original properties when I spoke with them and were still to go to court for the rest. They were supposed to retire and live a better life, just taking care of their disabled daughter and enjoying their peace. Instead, these properties came back at them with a vengeance and they are starting all over again. They didn't know if they were going to have to sell their retirement property or not. I was in tears when I was done speaking with them, but am a better person for having done so.
Cindy, and old friend of mine, and her husband, purchased an older multi-family house in the neighborhood. I was looking up slumlord information and was surprised to see that she was the owner of this one. I called her after I overcame my shock and asked her about it. She said that she purchased the property from this Columbian guy who made so so many promises. She liked older homes and had dreams of renting 3 or 4 of the units while fixing up 1 or 2 of the others. Unfortunately, she and her husband were in for the ride of their life. They both work full time and spent so much time over at the property fixing things the tenants broke. She went into one unit where a tenant complained that he had a broken window. He was standing there ordering her to fix the broken one while his kid was beating on another one. She told him he would have to have his kid stop breaking them first. They battled tenants in court and ended up losing if not the case, by the legal costs. Some tenants play games with the system. Finally they ended up giving the house back to the bank.
BTW, anyone who wants to buy any of the gorgeous houses in this area that were rentals, I will tip you off that if they are for sale, they are most likely foreclosed on and available for a song. It would be a good investment as long as we are committed to a positive change here - I am.
Off to bed. It's late. I have to put my soapbox away and brush my teeth.

Fa, la, la, la, la

Rumor has it, if it isn't perfect this year, there is another one next year. Don't let the stress eat you alive.

Smiles,
A