A day like no other

I went to see about the Tracker last night, the guy stayed late for me, the twins and I drove it……I liked it, but I am going to give it some thought today…..if it gets sold to someone else, so be it…..I will find something else.  Today also is the day this guy I knows gets cars from the auction, he always picks cars I like so I am going to check him out after work……plus I am going to call my friend who goes to the auction, let him know what I am looking for…..never know, one may pop up!

 

Wow, news travels fast……blog news included.  It wasn’t even 2:35 yesterday and Sierah was calling me from her cell phone while on the bus, pissed off.  Not pissed for any reason apparently other than the fact I called her ungrateful.  She strongly disagrees…..I beg to differ….on the car note anyways….

 

Sierah disclaimer: 

 

She is a great child, intelligent, respectful, the type of child that most parents would love to have as their own child, a kid who is going to “be somebody” one day…. she is not only my child, but also my friend and confidant whom I trust, respect and enjoy a great deal…… she also has the capability to be an ungrateful turd and take herself far too seriously on occasion…. but I still love her.   

 

 

Moving on:

 

Yesterday was a strange day…..a full moon kind of day.  After an entire steam of strange stuff and people drifting in and out of my office….Mid morning I had one resident barge in here with what looked like an entire cup of vegetable soup spilled down the front of her shirt and shout, “Turn my phone back on!!”…….

I pause and say:  “I didn’t turn it off.”

Resident:  “Yes you did.”

Me:  “No, I didn’t.”

Resident:  “YES, you did!”

Me:  “No, I didn’t, I can’t turn your phone off”

Resident:………long pause…. then looks at me with one eyebrow raised.  “YES YOU DID!…..I need it on in case of emergencies.”

Me:  I understand, but I assure you I didn’t shut it off, maybe you should call the phone company and make sure you paid the bill.”

Resident:  “Hum…..I don’t know…….”  Shoots me an evil stare…Then marched out of my office with the same vengeance she marched in with.

 

 

Well……alrighty then……I’ts gonna be a long day…..

 

 

Few minutes later:

 

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

 

Resident #2 enters my office wearing one of those little paper white facemasks:  “Laura I don’t mean to bother you but there is a smell in my apartment.”  (Interesting comment from someone who is stinky herself …. thinks to self, maybe she just realized she stinks….Why is it that stinky people never seem to smell themselves?)

 

Me:  “What’s it smell like?”  (I was trying not to laugh because her voice was muffled due to the little mask over her mouth and the little string that goes around your head had her hair puffed up in the back like a mushroom)  While I press my tongue against the back of my teeth.  Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh…..ummmm…don’t laugh Laura.

 

Resident #2:  “It smells like Moth balls.” (WTF?)

 

Me:  “Moth balls….Do you have any?”

 

Resident #2   “No…..I think it’s coming from the dead guys apartment.”  (We had a guy die in his sleep last week….humm…..* She might have actually killed the guy bugging him to death….)

 

Me:  “You can smell the smell in the hallway?”…… the guy that passed away last week, lived across the hall from her…

 

Resident #2  “No, I can smell the smell in my bathroom.” 

 

Me:  “So, how would a smell from Mr. So-n-so’s apartment be in your bathroom?” 

 

Resident #2….  “I think they spray a spray that smells like moth balls when they find a dead body…….I don’t know how long he was dead in there, but I’m sure they sprayed something that smells like moth balls……it is just too much stimulus for me, I cant be in there with that smell…..could you please go in and open his windows so the smell goes away?”…………Ahhhhhh!…….  (Last week you were in here complaining about your neighbor above you listening to TV all night and that was too much stimulus for you even with your little stupid ear plugs AND your little puffy thing at the bottom of the door…….Stimulus ,are you kidding me… speaking of stimulus, every time you come in my office you stimulate my sinus cavity…You smell like a rotten tuna fish sandwich and cant you feel your dirty hair that is matted to the back of your little head…maybe you should shower so you’re not so damn cranky all the time…..a shower usually makes me feel better…better yet ……Forget opening his window….how about I open the window in YOUR apartment and you can just jump out!….Here, let me hold the curtains back for ya while you throw yourself out!!!!…..  UGH!  Oh, and who are “they”, that spray mothball spray when someone dies, the little mothball spray fairies?  Did they have on little green tights and leave a trail of sparkly white moth ball dust behind them?…Is that who THEY are???……Ahhhhhhhhh!)  Somebody get me outta hereeeeeeeeeeee!

 

 

Me:  “Okay, I’ll go check that out for you.”

 

 

 

 

Icing on the cake of my day….. the maintenance guy comes into my office, has a conversation with me, waits till a resident left that was using the phone…..waves his hand in front of his face and says, “I think somebody broke wind in here”……then quickly leaves laughing his @ss off…..leaving me in my air tight, self contained fish bowl of an office with his stinky fart…..I nearly threw up before I could spray some spray and light a candle.  (**Wonder if I have anything in my office sharp enough to flatten all his truck tires**….)  Nasty B@stard! 

 

 

Almost scared to think what today might bring…Wishing you all a day full of non-crazy people and non-farting maintenance men….

 

me

The “Wraggly” Tracker

My night after work will entail picking up Sierah and Jenna from home, dropping Jenna off at the library, driving a couple of miles to the kids school, picking up the twins from tennis practice, going to look at and test drive a little Geo Tracker for Sierah, picking Jenna up from the library, going home, cooking out on the grill and then I guess…..phew…..relaxing.  (Yeah, right….no rest for the wicked…..so much for relaxing.)

 

But let me not get too far off of the true subject here.  The car.

 

Back tracking……

 

My Jeep (that Sierah now drives) now has a transmission that’s slipping.  The cost of replacing the slipping transmission is $1300……once I was told that bit of info I starting looking for a cheap car for Sierah…..I will sell the Jeep for what I can get out of it in the condition it is in…buy her something thing else…pay up her insurance for 6 months….and be thru with it……she started looking for something right away too….something way more expensive than I was able or willing to pay for right now……

 

Yesterday I saw a little red Geo Tracker, nothing grand, it is cute, convertible top, has some rust on the bottom on one side, but not in really bad shape either.  I stopped, looked at it, glanced over at Taryn and said, “Do you think Siearh would drive it?”  She answered a prompt “No.” and chuckled to herself…….

 

 **Scowl** 

 

“NO?  Why wouldn’t she?”  Taryn says, “It’s not girlie enough.”  I reply, “Not girlie enough?  What the hell….not girlie enough?”  (It’s a car….that someone is buying and giving to her!!…….not girlie enough)…..

 

Lets not get me started….grrrrr.

 

I left Sierah a voice mail (She was working out at the YMCA) and I mentioned the car, where it was, said it had some rust but we could get it painted if the engine is good, etc, etc.  She didn’t mention this to me at all last night when she got home so this morning when I woke her up I asked her if she went past to see the car.  She said she had not.  I said, “Do you think it would be okay?”  She says, “If it’s not too “wraggly.”

 

 I said, “Wraggly?”

 

She says, “Well, if it’s real bad, I’ll just keep driving the Jeep.”  HELLO!  The Jeep is nice but it isn’t going to last forever with the transmission slipping, one day you are only going to be able to 15 mph all the home or worse yet, you might only be able to drive in reverse all the way home.  (This DID happen to me once many years ago!……and I was drunk to boot…..don’t try this at home folks…**clears throat**….moving on…..)  Trust me, I’ve driven my share of “wraggly” cars in my day.

 

So, last night we went to look at the “wraggly” Tracker.  We first passed the lot to get the twins from school, I slowed down, she kind of laughed about it…..instantly pissed me off…..she says something about Marcus telling her that his Aunt had one and they are bad on the snow, bla bla bla…..(HELLO Sierah….I use to have one too remember, it was NOT bad on the snow, just light weight….bags of sand in the back work wonders.)

 

Then she says, “It looks like the top doesn’t even come down all the way.”  I swear, it just rubbed me the wrong way instantly……We had a short argument and I basically said she was sounded extremely ungrateful and that I am NOT her wealthy Grandparents OR Father…..I am her broke ass mama who barely has 2 nickels to rub together and I am doing the best I can to be a single parent with 5 kids and a mediocre job…..

 

I said, “You know what, you don’t even have to get out and look at it, I will….” 

 

She still hopped out when I got to the car lot.

 

YUP…..It was “wraggly”……and Sierah and I both laughed as we drove it…….I guess it just needs minor stuff, breaks, a tune up, something with the exhaust….. It’s what we call “A to B” car.  (Gets you from point A to point B, but not much further.)  I wanted to drive it because mine looked bad but ran like a champ…….The lady came down on the price while I stood there and had not truly began negotiations…….I was just going down the list of what I found wrong……I am NOT a woman who knows little or nothing about cars…….I cant work on them, but I am able to tell lots of what’s wrong by driving, listening and looking…..

 

Marcus met us there to see the car and he and Sierah left together……the twins and I went to look at a couple other car lots.

 

There was another Geo Tracker down the street on another lot, but was in much nicer condition, also twice the price but I still went to look.  It was cute, clean, has lower miles and I imagine it is going to start up and sound just like my old one…….and the lovely part these little things, you put $10 in the tank and drive for two weeks……..The Jeep we put $10 in it every time she goes anywhere……literally.

 

Anyways, while we stood there I said, “I should buy this for me and give Sierah the Van.”  Acacia and Taryn both said, “You should buy yourself a car Mom.”  **Light bulb shines brightly over my head**…….hum……  “I should, shouldn’t I?”……..  (Chuckles to self…..)

 

Instantly I realized that IS what I am going to do…….Hell, I wouldn’t mind driving the “wraggly” Tracker, anybody that knows me knows how true that statement is, but I have wanted another little jeep that has a top that comes off since I sold my last one.  They are fun cars and I always enjoyed it…….I miss taking that top off on a hot summer night and driving down the road wind blowing in my hair……..  Its a great feeling……..

 

The Van needs some minor work, I had planned on getting that done this week….it is clean, runs good and is good on gas……

 

“Oh Sierahhhh……guess what?”…..  Ha Ha……

 

She is going to be…..well…..furious…….  lol  How do I know?  Cuz I was exactly like her at that age……but guess what kid-o, Its time to buck up, this is the real world……you better wake up and smell the coffee.  You’ll get what you get, and be happy about it…..It’s not every day that someone gives you are car…..good, bad or “wraggly.”     Deal with it!

 

End of story! 

The fog is lifting

Spring has sprung in Indiana.   

 

A few days after getting my second $300 heating bill, temperatures have risen high enough for me to shut off the heat.  Woo-Hoo!  (At least for a few days)  With the warm weather has came leaky sky’s, but I will take the good with the bad……just to enjoy a few warm days.  Although we are under a tornado watch today…….

 

I can honestly say one of the reason’s I love Indiana is the change of Season’s…..Fall being my favorite season.  Spring is in a close second….this Spring, I am really ready for a change in weather.  Sick of winter, snow, cold weather and high bills……I just want to get out in my yard, walk in the park and sleep with my bedroom windows open.  (It is going to be 67 today, but low tonight of 30 with a chance of snow)……SNOW….. the dreaded 4 letter word…. ugh.  I’m sick of it!

 

Although my weekend included much needed dog-doo-doo detail, raking and cleaning the yard of 4 lawn bags of slimy leaves and other random stuff that winter winds has blown into my yard, I was able to get out of the house long enough to attend a family party yesterday…… toted along with me my famous cheese ball and spicy beans and rice, daughter Acacia, friend Laura, niece Amayah and my sister Vickie.  We had a really nice time….. my favorite cousin Bonnie turned 50…….her daughter planned a big surprise party and the best part of all……I took photos with my new camera!  Yup, I said new camera.  

 

A portion of the “brain fog” has cleared and I not only bought a new camera, but also purchased paint for my room……..the fog IS lifting people, my brain is making a come back.

 

I purchased the new camera on Saturday afternoon, and then spent the entire evening Saturday playing with the camera.  I evidently took my steroid pill too late so I couldn’t help but stay up till 3:00AM reading manuals, taking photos of sleeping dogs, trying to figure out all the cameras bells and whistles.……etc.  YES!  A new camera and I love it. I am thrilled! 

 

In retrospect, I’ve got to say that when you purchase a camera, you may think you are getting a great price until you find out that you have to also purchase a few other needed items……

 

For instance, a bigger memory card for an unexpected $50- $75 more (The one included with the camera holds only about 5 photos and I wanted something that would hold around 150), of coarse you must also buy rechargeable batteries and charger (silly if you don’t due to the way they eat up batteries), a camera case because the cheap b*stards don’t even include one,  and then there is the dreaded “Protection Plan.”…..  I hate to admit it but I by-passed on the plan.  Why you might ask……well, the plan covered everything except me dropping the camera,  basically.  WHAT?  This IS what I would need the protection plan for, me dropping it or accidentally sitting on it…something of that nature…so, what’s the point?   I opted “No”.

 

My point is this; in essence when you think you are getting a really great deal on some new digital camera, plan on spending another big chunk of money on camera necessities before you leave the door.

 

Nonetheless, I am thrilled with my new camera and purchasing the camera has made me have a new idea for my BLOG!  (Details will follow…..)

 

Next weekend……the dreaded painting of my room.  (I’ll take a picture when I’m done!) 

 

 

me

The Brain MIA

Light at the end of the tunnel….

 

I can honestly say that I am feeling a lot better.  I certainly seem to be on an upward swing from the pneumonia that overtook my body and brought me to an immediate stop, making me feel like I crashed and burned…..but now starting to feel like I am returning to my normal spunky self……Just one problem, my brain still seems to be stuck in a fog somewhere…..I hate to report, that my brain is currently missing in action.

 

I am generally someone who knows what they want, goes out and buys it, takes care of it, fixes it, completes it, whatever is needed.  Not lots of haggling, decision making, indecisiveness……I just get what I need or do what I need to do and go home.  I’m a take care of business kind of gal….

 

This has proved not to be the case since I first became ill a few weeks ago.  When I got sick, my brain turned to toast…maybe the high temps, maybe the vast array of different meds..…I’m not sure, but my brain focusing ability and decision making capabilities have gone straight out the window.   

 

Remember the new furniture I couldn’t make up my mind about a few weeks back?  Seems I am still in a brain fart fog and my house is still minus the new furniture.  A camera I have wanted to buy, is still at Best Buy secretly calling my name, a new bedroom set and paint on my bedroom walls is still un-purchased and the paint color has still not been determined.  I even stood at Wal-Mart the other night unable to decide what kind of socks I wanted to purchase…holding a different sack of socks in each had….me standing there with a blank stare on my face.  *Crickets chirped*

 

I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.  It’s like my brain has joined Elvis and “Left the building.”……Gone, absent, nada.  I have without question entered the brain fart zone…..and it has sucked me up like a black hole.

 

I need my brain back. 

 

I can meander thru the rather dull parts of my days without my brain, but for mildly more strenuous mental decisions like rent calculations, my normal smart @ss witty come backs, learning the new system at work, furniture picking out, paint and camera decisions…… my brain is desperately needed. 

 

So in the weeks to come, when you pull your milk carton out of the refrigerator please take note of the message on the side:

 

Missing:  Laura’s Brain

 

 

If found call 1-800-BRN-FART

 

 

 

 

 

Old lady sweater

Yesterday the computer guy came out to help me with my new camera for work………Little did I know, he took this photo of me in my office while I was working away at my desk, I’m thinking he was behind me trying to adjust the camera…..Then…..  *FLASH*……I spout, "Hey now, what are you doing back there?" and shot him a mildly dirty look…..  *FLASH* He took another as soon as I turned around but I am unable to post it, I had a finger in the air that shouldnt of been (oops) and my glasses at the end of my nose……..*edit*…….

 

The reason I have posted this photo you ask?……please note my old lady sweater……..lol……..and to think I was wondering why that old man hit on me at the park last week………….old lady, it’s written all over me!    Oy!

 

 

me.

A trip to Mexico

FYI:

 

Just a short warning……….if you are planning on taking a cruise or trip to or near Mexico any time soon………..

 

Evidently my Father and his girlfriend took a cruise, which brought them past the lovely coast of Mexico.  During the cruise my Father became very ill and was bleeding internally.  The ships Doctor said he needed immediate urgent care and they had to dock the boat to get my Father to the closest hospital. 

 

Once they were in port and were transporting him to the hospital they informed him that his girlfriend had to stay on board because they were not married.  My Father left all of his credit cards, etc with her for safekeeping.

 

A few days after being admitted he was ready to be released.  At that time the hospital informed him that he had to pay his bill up…..in cash.  $7000 cash to be exact.  If he didn’t have the funds he would be transported to the local jail and would need to sort out his affairs from the jail.  No exceptions.

 

Obviously my Father didn’t have this type of cash on him and his credit cards had sailed off into the horizon with his girlfriend. 

 

He had to have my sister draw out over $8000 out of the bank, fly to Mexico, get him out of the bind he was in and THEN he also had to pay cash for two plane tickets to then fly them both back home……

 

He was NOT a happy camper!

 

Buyer beware…..

Old Lady Shoes

That train that hit me, drug me down the tracks a couple miles. 

 

Since I last blogged I have returned to the Doctor 3 times, had 3 breathing treatments, two different antibiotics, a new found inhaler that I have to use 4 times a day, a steroid inhaler, cough medicine and an oral steroid…….The little thing that they attach to the end of my finger says I am not getting enough oxygen in my blood (causing among other things severe exhaustion) and the Doctor says I am not moving enough air thru my lungs.  (I could have told her that for free)  My right lung feels like I have a brick in there……moving air isn’t so easy with a brick in your lung.  Hack!  Hack!

 

The interesting thing is I am have never had asthma…..my current diagnosis is Asthmatic Bronchitis.  I will find out tomorrow after I get the results of my X-Ray, if it is actually pneumonia.  I would be surprised if it isn’t.  The Doctor kept me off work for a week, and I will return tomorrow……. Joy.

 

Not working is so strange for me and it is really hard for me to then stay my @ss in bed when I DO stay at home……Each time I could muster up enough strength to do a little something, I then required a 3 hour nap to recuperate.  I have been a home for a week and was unable to do anything productive in my house.  (Like painting or spring cleaning…ugh)

 

Honestly, the really scary thing in all of this……not being able to breath…..something we all take for granted.  For me breathing is normally like my heart beating….. it is something that is just happening but I am blissfully unaware…..my body just does it.

 

Now, every breath I take, I am aware of……..it is a crazy feeling to feel you are unable to fill your lungs with air.  Scary.  I even had a couple dreams of being suffocated……(It could be the asthma, but then again it could have been Charlie Tuna sleeping on my face………I may never know…..)

 

Yesterday it was a sunny 45 degrees out so I decided to go to my favorite park for a stroll with Bear.  I know walking at the park doesn’t seem ideal considering my condition, but I felt I was rotting away inside my germ infested house…..I needed a change of scenery.  Off to the park we went.

 

The park was eerily quiet and the trees standing tall and leafless appeared almost like bones…The woods take on a whole new life in the winter….Foster Park is beautiful, it is a large park that has a 4 mile section of walkway that I normally walk, that goes around a beautiful 18 hole golf coarse bordered on one side by a river and about half the way around bordered by big beautiful estates…… I love to look at and dream about those beautiful houses as I walk.……it is a beautiful, scenic walk I always enjoy. 

 

I do love walking my dogs and just getting out of the house…… so in the Spring, Summer and Fall I am at the park at least 4 or 5 times a week…..I guess you cold say that I am there often enough that normally by mid summer, faces of other people who frequent the park and dogs who accompany them become familiar ….

 

The park is full of dog walkers, joggers, roller bladders, bicyclist….you name it because the path around the park is part of 15 miles of what we call the “River Greenway.”  I like to go early in the morning when it is quiet…….No one to bother me.…..

 

As I was walking, about half way around….. an older gentleman walked up to me from behind.  Normally people don’t pass me walking because I generally keep a nice pace or duck into the woods and opt for the more quiet paths that run along the river…… but yesterday I was strolling along the greenway slowly.  (Trying not to concentrate on my breathing, or should I say my inability to do so.)    Bear had become interested in some wood peckers that seemed rather unhappy with him at the bottom of their tree…….I was standing there laughing at Bear as he was up on his back feet trying to investigate the chatter…….I stopped so he could further investigate.

 

There I stand, holding a sack of dog poo, and my dog is standing up on his hind feet looking like he was doing some sort of circus poodle routine…….the older man who walked up strikes up a conversation with me…..Not unusual because the walkers in the park are notoriously friendly.  It is strange if you pass anyone who doesn’t smile and say hello……I readily engaged him in conversation. 

 

"Beautiful day isnt it?"……..

 

My first observations of the guy included a well groomed head full of gray hair, all black upper scale “outdoorsy” type clothing, a black Titleist Golf hat and a walking stick that he swung like a golf club the entire time he talked to me…….Without question, he was old enough to be my Father.

 

He immediately starting shooting lots of questions at me and at first I must of seemed puzzled …… then it finally became obvious he was going to ask me out when he asked if I live alone……..I guess he was rooting around for a husband or boyfriend, wanting to know where I lived, how old were my kids, what I did for a living.  Hell, I felt like I was on a speed date, there in the park holding a bag of dog poo, my fearless watch dog still engaged in the wood peckers who never stopped clucking at him……Bear never even glanced back at the stranger……I honestly have no idea how this old guy asked me so many questions in such a short amount of time………but he did.

 

He was handsome in an “Older man kind of way”, charming, yet far too pushy for me and had salesman written all over him….. he even asked if I was looking for any part time work……….”No”.  As I quickly brought our conversation to an end, but not before he invited me over to drink a couple beers with him at his apartment……..”Oh thank you but I don’t really drink that much….. it was nice meeting you…..I really must get going now, take care.”  He still pursued a few more questions while he swung that stick like it was a 9 iron…….I kept it brief.  He was someone who didn’t take no for an answer, but that is what he got out of me…..no thanks Daddy-O.

 

I am standing there thinking…….an old man just asked me out…… somebody’s Grandpa, a man who without question had children older than me……….

 

I should be flattered right?  Wrong……there was just something so wrong about it in so many ways……I mean I have never been asked out by someone who appeared to be almost twice my age. 

 

Not sure if it spoke more of him, or more of me…….but I couldn’t help but think to myself all the rest of the way around the park, “How old DO I look?…….Maybe letting my gray hair come in was a bad decision….. Oh these old lady New Balance Walking shoes I just bought……I told Sierah they looked like old lady shoes……….ugh!!”……..

 

 

 

Laura