I just got back from San Antonio. The association I work for had their annual conference there last week. As usual, there were some glitches, but nothing major. We got everyone registered and they seemed happy to be at the conference. I got to see some old friends and meet some new ones. The members are from the medical community and are really great to work for. The worse part for me was I got a blister on my little toe. Being diabetic, I do have to keep an eye on it, but it is already getting better.
On the bright side, before I left I tried on a pair of pants that barely fit. When I put them on Wednesday, they fit. Oh, I still looked fat in them, but they zipped and buttoned up without my laying on the bed. That was a real good thing because the bed was supper comfy and I was up early and working late every day.
San Antonio is famous for its very large crickets. Of course there was one in my room. I was getting ready for bed when I saw something crawling along the floor. After eliminating centipede and cockroach, I figured out it was a cricket. So there I was in my pj's trying to figure out how to get it out of my room. I finally decided to put my robe on and grab a piece of cardboard and shove it out. I got it headed for the door, but pushed it back against the wall since it was too big to go under the door. I got it around the door and then shoved it out shouting "get out, get out." I shut the door as soon as it was out and prayed that no one on the floor was calling security on me. Thank God, they didn't and I was able to sleep without hearing a cricket all night.
People in San Antonio are use to them. I even heard of one man eating and having a cricket fall on his sandwich. He picked it up, threw it on the ground and proceeded to eat his sandwich. Supper yucky!
My room was on the 14th floor of the Hilton on the Riverwalk. It was very muggy, but I was able to sit on the balcony and there was a beautiful breeze. No mosquitoes or moths. I don't know how they keep them away, but I was grateful.
Had a lot of Mexican food, but not a lot of barbecue. The next time. I do plan on going back. Just have to stop spending money and get my new windows and do some more things around the house. It looks like it may be awhile before I get back.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Update on Me
This week I went to my first wake since my mother and aunt died. My friend from high school lost her mother to rectal cancer on Wednesday. My friend lives in Florida and came in with her family for the wake and funeral. I spent a few hours with her on Friday at the wake and then went to the mass on Saturday. This morning we had breakfast so we had some time to talk without interruptions. She was the friend I would call in the evening after we spent most of the day at school, talk into the night, and then take up the conversation the next day. I hadn't talked to her since she came to Chicago in 2008. That was a year before my mother died. Her mother had gone through the same thing that my mother went through with hospice, but she was at home. My mother was in the hospital. We did have a lot to catch up on and I am sure that we could have spent a week and not have told each other everything that was going on in our lives.
I also had dinner with my cousin and a friend on Saturday. We have been getting together as often as possible, but we keep going to the same restaurant. This is one of those restaurants that we made fun of when we were younger. The "old" people go in the afternoon and leave with doggy bags. We went in the afternoon and left with doggy bags. We finally had to admit that we were getting nearer to "that age". Of course we are not old yet!
My friend and her son left this evening for Florida. I have been tracking her flight. She has 10 minutes left and my laundry is done, so I guess that is my cue to go to bed.
I also had dinner with my cousin and a friend on Saturday. We have been getting together as often as possible, but we keep going to the same restaurant. This is one of those restaurants that we made fun of when we were younger. The "old" people go in the afternoon and leave with doggy bags. We went in the afternoon and left with doggy bags. We finally had to admit that we were getting nearer to "that age". Of course we are not old yet!
My friend and her son left this evening for Florida. I have been tracking her flight. She has 10 minutes left and my laundry is done, so I guess that is my cue to go to bed.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Murder
I was reading about John McCluskey and his cousin-fiancee (I am not sure where they are from or if they are 1st, 2nd, etc. cousins, but I do find this weird) and their rampage. They are "suspected" of killing an older couple and McCluskey said he was sorry he did not kill the ranger who spoke to him before they were caught. I then read about Leroy Owens and Jonathan Robinson who killed a 71 year old man in his home. These are just recent killings. I really don't understand the lack of regard for human life. This has been going on for ever, but it seems that in the last few years, it has gotten worse. It used to be that a gangland shooting only involved the shooter and the person they were after. Now it is anyone who happens to be around. They shoot just to shoot up a rival gangs neighborhood and don't care about who is caught in the crossfire. Isn't it about time we give them the death penalty and don't worry about the killer's background, upbringing, the amount of education they have had, if they are mentally challenged? It seems that the idea of spending life in prison doesn't stop them, they just join the gangs in prison and kill again in prison. We really need to look at the punishment they receive and start treating them like they deserve.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
My To Do List
OK, I have made a decision, I have to lose weight, clean the house, and save money/pay off my credit cards. Too many things to do at once? No, not really. They all tie in together if you look at them from my point of view. Of course, not everyone thinks the same way I do, unfortunately for them. It is called multi tasking. You see, I can do all three at once. Once I start cleaning the house, I am getting exercise. (I have the exercise part on good authority, Kim Woodburn and Aggie McKenzie of "How Clean is Your House?") I am also not eating as I am cleaning. By not eating (I am talking about in between meals type eating, i.e., junk food), I am saving money by not buying said junk food. Since one of my biggest purchases on my credit cards is at the grocery store and the said junk food takes up a major portion, that saves me money and I have more money to pay off my credit cards.
OK, I just found out though that my car insurance is going up $20.00 every six months and my house insurance is going up $100.00 a year. Car insurance I can handle. I have money taken out of my check and put straight into my savings account that I set up when I bought my first car just for this purpose. It's this house insurance. My mother always paid that. Now I have to come up with the money. I have already paid the first half of the real estate taxes. That is also something my mother took care of. So I guess that I will be able to clean the house and lose weight, but I am going to be losing weight because I can't afford food. I am not going to be able to pay down my credit cards as fast as I wanted to, nor put money into my savings account.
Owning your own home is nice. You don't have to worry about playing your music or TV too loud, unless it is causing your neighbors to become deaf, then it really is too loud, but no one told me about all the expenses. Being a grown up sometimes really sucks.
OK, I just found out though that my car insurance is going up $20.00 every six months and my house insurance is going up $100.00 a year. Car insurance I can handle. I have money taken out of my check and put straight into my savings account that I set up when I bought my first car just for this purpose. It's this house insurance. My mother always paid that. Now I have to come up with the money. I have already paid the first half of the real estate taxes. That is also something my mother took care of. So I guess that I will be able to clean the house and lose weight, but I am going to be losing weight because I can't afford food. I am not going to be able to pay down my credit cards as fast as I wanted to, nor put money into my savings account.
Owning your own home is nice. You don't have to worry about playing your music or TV too loud, unless it is causing your neighbors to become deaf, then it really is too loud, but no one told me about all the expenses. Being a grown up sometimes really sucks.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Illness and Thanksgiving
OK, I really did intend to post before now, but I have been sick. Oh, not just your ordinary cold or flu. Noooo, I had to come down with walking pneumonia. It came on suddenly as I was shopping in Dominick's on a beautiful Sunday morning, November 8. I went from planning to do a little cleaning, but mostly chill out and try to clean during the week (always my plan, but somehow it seems to end up that I do it all on the weekends). I was standing next to a man who reeked of cigarette smoke. OK, my sinuses. Then driving home with car windows open and pollen blowing all around making my sinus attack worse (oh, I forgot to mention that I had not taken my medicines for two days). By Sunday night I knew it wasn't going away anytime soon. Monday morning I call in (or rather croak in) to work. I hope that my director either got the message or would just figure that when I did not show up, it was me on the phone. I am sure she could not understand the full message. Tuesday was just as bad, but I decided to take my temperature, 100.9. That of course always makes you feel worse. Wednesday was the call to the doctor. I go in expecting to be told that I have bronchitis (which I have had before), but instead get the good old pneumonia diagnosis. I was home all that week, went to work on Tuesday and Wednesday for a half a day, took off Thursday, and went back to work on Friday.
Friday was more fun. As I was driving to work my car suddenly had no pick-up. I was doing 30 in a 35 mile hour zone and losing ground fast. I wasn't too far from my regular gas station which some friends work at, so I tried to get into the right hand lane, but realized that I was going to stall sitting in the middle of both lanes. I did manage to get into the median of the solid yellow lines. Called AAA and waited for 45 minutes for them. In the meantime, I am still trying to cough up another lung (I had already coughed up the right and left last week). The only good thing was that some dick head in a van drove right up behind me trying to get ahead of the rest of the traffic. He had to sit behind me while the cars that were behind him went right passed. He missed the green light, too. At least that brightened my day. OK, it is bad to be happy about someone else's misery, but it entertained me for a couple of minutes. This time I did not burn a wire in my car or anything minor, my motor needed to be replaced. I now have a "new" used motor in my car. No money, but a "new" motor. Merry Christmas, car!
This brings us up to Thanksgiving. Up until 10:30 that morning, I thought I would be spending it home alone. My cousin called to let me know she has had the wrong phone number for me for years. She asked if I was coming. Of course, I never heard about it even though my brother knew for a few weeks, but couldn't be bothered to let me know. Anyway, I did have some place to go for Thanksgiving.
Every family party ends up with a game of Left, Right, Center. This is a dice game in which you have three dollar bills in front of you (you can play with more money or less, but the less you play with, the less you win). You roll three dice at the beginning and if you have a dot on each of the dice you get to keep you $3. If you roll a L or R you pass a dollar to the person to either the right or left of you. A C, the dollar goes into the pot (the center of the table). You can roll all dots, L, R, or C, or a combination. The person with the last dollar rolls the dice and if they roll a dot, they get the money in the pot. If they roll a C, the game starts over with the pot growing until someone wins. I have never won.
I then had a new experience of playing WII. I know everyone in the world has now played at least one game on WII, but not me. I usually do not do good with any of these games. On PlayStation, I always managed to run my car into the wall or caused the skateboarding guy, Tony, to have permanent brain damage. I have tried to avoid these games since then. It was decided after the guys played golf, that the women would play bowling. I enjoy bowling even though my average would be between 60 and 70. I ended up coming in second. I don't remember my exact score, but I know it was over 120. I think I like this WII bowling.
Today is back to reality. I really need to clean this house and my brother told me that he would come over and put the storm window in the front door. I don't think either is going to be done since it is after 3:00 PM. That is what I want for Christmas, the storm window in the front door, my dishwasher set up, and an asparagus cooker (my cousin has one and it is really easy to use).
That is about it for now. If you do not hear from me again, it means that I never got the storm window and I froze to death.
Oh, Lisa asked me about the cemeteries that I had been visiting. My mother and her family are at Queen of Heaven and my father's family is at Mount Carmel. They are across the street from each other which makes it very convenient.
Friday was more fun. As I was driving to work my car suddenly had no pick-up. I was doing 30 in a 35 mile hour zone and losing ground fast. I wasn't too far from my regular gas station which some friends work at, so I tried to get into the right hand lane, but realized that I was going to stall sitting in the middle of both lanes. I did manage to get into the median of the solid yellow lines. Called AAA and waited for 45 minutes for them. In the meantime, I am still trying to cough up another lung (I had already coughed up the right and left last week). The only good thing was that some dick head in a van drove right up behind me trying to get ahead of the rest of the traffic. He had to sit behind me while the cars that were behind him went right passed. He missed the green light, too. At least that brightened my day. OK, it is bad to be happy about someone else's misery, but it entertained me for a couple of minutes. This time I did not burn a wire in my car or anything minor, my motor needed to be replaced. I now have a "new" used motor in my car. No money, but a "new" motor. Merry Christmas, car!
This brings us up to Thanksgiving. Up until 10:30 that morning, I thought I would be spending it home alone. My cousin called to let me know she has had the wrong phone number for me for years. She asked if I was coming. Of course, I never heard about it even though my brother knew for a few weeks, but couldn't be bothered to let me know. Anyway, I did have some place to go for Thanksgiving.
Every family party ends up with a game of Left, Right, Center. This is a dice game in which you have three dollar bills in front of you (you can play with more money or less, but the less you play with, the less you win). You roll three dice at the beginning and if you have a dot on each of the dice you get to keep you $3. If you roll a L or R you pass a dollar to the person to either the right or left of you. A C, the dollar goes into the pot (the center of the table). You can roll all dots, L, R, or C, or a combination. The person with the last dollar rolls the dice and if they roll a dot, they get the money in the pot. If they roll a C, the game starts over with the pot growing until someone wins. I have never won.
I then had a new experience of playing WII. I know everyone in the world has now played at least one game on WII, but not me. I usually do not do good with any of these games. On PlayStation, I always managed to run my car into the wall or caused the skateboarding guy, Tony, to have permanent brain damage. I have tried to avoid these games since then. It was decided after the guys played golf, that the women would play bowling. I enjoy bowling even though my average would be between 60 and 70. I ended up coming in second. I don't remember my exact score, but I know it was over 120. I think I like this WII bowling.
Today is back to reality. I really need to clean this house and my brother told me that he would come over and put the storm window in the front door. I don't think either is going to be done since it is after 3:00 PM. That is what I want for Christmas, the storm window in the front door, my dishwasher set up, and an asparagus cooker (my cousin has one and it is really easy to use).
That is about it for now. If you do not hear from me again, it means that I never got the storm window and I froze to death.
Oh, Lisa asked me about the cemeteries that I had been visiting. My mother and her family are at Queen of Heaven and my father's family is at Mount Carmel. They are across the street from each other which makes it very convenient.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Update?
OK, I have not been here for a long time. My original computer is still being worked on. It seems it needs more memory. I don't know how long it takes to find memory for a computer, but from June to now seems to long. I will have to send an e-mail tomorrow to see what the problem is. In the meantime, I will have to continue to plug away on this laptop that drives me crazy. I miss my number key pad and the fact that when I roll over something it doesn't automatically pop up or the page disappear.
Anyway, there have been some changes since my last post. Back then I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. For years I have been taking care of someone. It started with my nephews. When my brother joined the fire department and my sister-in-law worked on Saturday, I took care of the boys. Even when my brother didn't work, I was at a game or doing something with them. Then in September, 2006, my mother collapsed in the bathroom. I took care of her until her death March 1, 2009. When she died my older nephew was 19 and driving (he was even driving me places) and the younger one was a sophomore in high school, hardly wanting to hang with his Aunt Mary!
People kept making suggestions that I thought about, but then just let them slide. Well, I finally decided to join my neighbor and a fellow co-worker in a weight loss club. I mainly did that because they went out to dinner afterwards. It is something to do. Since joining, I am 1 1/2 lbs up. It really doesn't seem to be working, but I am enjoying my dinners out once a week!
The other thing I have been doing for the past four months is going to the cemetery to see my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, and aunt. It was funny, a short while before my mother died, she said that I should go out there since I had not been for years. Little did I know that I would be going to see her. I don't go every week, but lately I have been out there more than usual. A couple of weeks ago, my aunt came in because her brother, my uncle, was going to have surgery. I asked her if she wanted to go out since the cemetery is close to the hospital. She was agreeable, so off we went. At that time, I had not been able to find my uncle (her other brother) and aunt. Since it was cold and raining we decided just to visit the ones we knew we could find. She asked me if I brought flowers out, so of course, I felt bad, because I didn't do that. Last weekend I thought it would be the last good weekend weather wise, so out I went to buy flowers and I even stopped and ordered the date of death to be put on the tombstone. I put the flowers on my mother and father's graves. I took two out and put one on my grandparents grave. I then took up the search for my uncle and aunt again. I had asked at the office and they sent me in the opposite direction. Then I was told they are buried near my grandparents under a tree branch. Well, I finally did find them. The tree is now cut down and they are near a stump. I find everyone by counting the rows from my parent's grave. It is a lot easier and I don't have to worry about trees being cut down.
This Sunday in the Catholic religion is All Souls Day. We celebrate that life of all the people who have died. The cemetery had an open house. The first time I ever heard of this. It was funny seeing the signs inviting people to come. Who exactly was the host? The dead? It got creepier the more I thought about it. I did go and found that the flowers are still on all the graves. My parent's have a standing stone, but my grandparents and uncle and aunt have flat stones, but they hadn't blown away or been stepped on. I was able to talk to this man who told me were my father's side of the family were buried. They are in the cemetery across the street, so the next time I will be able to visit them. There was also a short prayer service that started at 1:00 PM. It lasted only 20 minutes, but people were coming in just as they were rapping up and there was no second show. I really don't know if they found out about it at the last minute or if they just thought that everyone was going to wait for them. Anyway, I am glad I got there on time and was able to participate. It might be the last time I get out there this year. I am a fair weather outdoors type.
Anyway, that is what I have been up to and hopefully it won't be so long between posts.
MaryCatholic
Anyway, there have been some changes since my last post. Back then I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. For years I have been taking care of someone. It started with my nephews. When my brother joined the fire department and my sister-in-law worked on Saturday, I took care of the boys. Even when my brother didn't work, I was at a game or doing something with them. Then in September, 2006, my mother collapsed in the bathroom. I took care of her until her death March 1, 2009. When she died my older nephew was 19 and driving (he was even driving me places) and the younger one was a sophomore in high school, hardly wanting to hang with his Aunt Mary!
People kept making suggestions that I thought about, but then just let them slide. Well, I finally decided to join my neighbor and a fellow co-worker in a weight loss club. I mainly did that because they went out to dinner afterwards. It is something to do. Since joining, I am 1 1/2 lbs up. It really doesn't seem to be working, but I am enjoying my dinners out once a week!
The other thing I have been doing for the past four months is going to the cemetery to see my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, and aunt. It was funny, a short while before my mother died, she said that I should go out there since I had not been for years. Little did I know that I would be going to see her. I don't go every week, but lately I have been out there more than usual. A couple of weeks ago, my aunt came in because her brother, my uncle, was going to have surgery. I asked her if she wanted to go out since the cemetery is close to the hospital. She was agreeable, so off we went. At that time, I had not been able to find my uncle (her other brother) and aunt. Since it was cold and raining we decided just to visit the ones we knew we could find. She asked me if I brought flowers out, so of course, I felt bad, because I didn't do that. Last weekend I thought it would be the last good weekend weather wise, so out I went to buy flowers and I even stopped and ordered the date of death to be put on the tombstone. I put the flowers on my mother and father's graves. I took two out and put one on my grandparents grave. I then took up the search for my uncle and aunt again. I had asked at the office and they sent me in the opposite direction. Then I was told they are buried near my grandparents under a tree branch. Well, I finally did find them. The tree is now cut down and they are near a stump. I find everyone by counting the rows from my parent's grave. It is a lot easier and I don't have to worry about trees being cut down.
This Sunday in the Catholic religion is All Souls Day. We celebrate that life of all the people who have died. The cemetery had an open house. The first time I ever heard of this. It was funny seeing the signs inviting people to come. Who exactly was the host? The dead? It got creepier the more I thought about it. I did go and found that the flowers are still on all the graves. My parent's have a standing stone, but my grandparents and uncle and aunt have flat stones, but they hadn't blown away or been stepped on. I was able to talk to this man who told me were my father's side of the family were buried. They are in the cemetery across the street, so the next time I will be able to visit them. There was also a short prayer service that started at 1:00 PM. It lasted only 20 minutes, but people were coming in just as they were rapping up and there was no second show. I really don't know if they found out about it at the last minute or if they just thought that everyone was going to wait for them. Anyway, I am glad I got there on time and was able to participate. It might be the last time I get out there this year. I am a fair weather outdoors type.
Anyway, that is what I have been up to and hopefully it won't be so long between posts.
MaryCatholic
Monday, May 11, 2009
Losing My Mind
One thing that seems to be a big dark secret among those who are grieving is the fact that no matter what your age, you seem to suddenly develop Alzheimer's and ADHD. This was told to me by a grief counselor after a few weeks of not being able to finish a sentence or concentrate on one thing for more than two minutes. And it does not end in a few weeks. You seem to be getting better and suddenly it starts all over again.
Today was a perfect example. I did not see my sister-in-law yesterday and wanted to make sure she got my Mother's Day card. Since postage rates have gone up, I try to either drop things off or e-mail them. The house is on my way to work, but you cannot turn down certain streets between 7-9 AM since they don't want a lot of traffic cutting through the side streets to get to the main streets. In order to get to my brother's house between those hours, I have to turn about 5 blocks before their street. What did I do today? Sat at that street waiting for the light to turn green thinking that I have to turn down that street. Of course, I did not turn and had to go out of my way to get the card to her. It have been easier to go after work, but I would probably forget again and I would end up with a card that I would have to remember to give her next year and forget about that.
That was just the start of my morning. When I turned down the main street to get back to the house, there was a street cleaning truck in front of me. He decides to lower his brushes and start cleaning just before we got to the corner. He then proceeds to turn down the same side street I was going to go down. He did move into the middle of the street and I was able to get around him. Got the card dropped off and, to make a long story a little shorter, ended up going around the block to start to work. Oh, by the way, girlie, picking at your nails is not attractive and blocking an intersection is against the law.
Of course, with my wonderful memory, I forgot to get gas on Sunday, so on I truck to the gas station. Got in and out, but I had to pick up a cake for a co-workers birthday. I was picking it up at Dominick's Food Store. I could see the sign. I was almost there when the red lights started flashing and the gates came down. I just thank God it was not a freight train, so it went through fast. Got in and out with the cake. I got to the intersection in which I can make a right and be slowed up by a few stop signs or go straight and may be stopped by another train. Since the light was red, I thought it would be just as fast to make the right as to wait a chance getting stopped by another train. Wrong. The street I would have normally turned down was closed, so I had to go down another block and then up and around to get on to the street I needed to be on to get to work. I decided to park the car in my usual spot and make a couple of trips through the parking lot instead of stopping by the door and then trying to park. Who knows what I would find to block my way in the parking lot.
And it's only 12:05 PM. I sure hope my day gets better.
Today was a perfect example. I did not see my sister-in-law yesterday and wanted to make sure she got my Mother's Day card. Since postage rates have gone up, I try to either drop things off or e-mail them. The house is on my way to work, but you cannot turn down certain streets between 7-9 AM since they don't want a lot of traffic cutting through the side streets to get to the main streets. In order to get to my brother's house between those hours, I have to turn about 5 blocks before their street. What did I do today? Sat at that street waiting for the light to turn green thinking that I have to turn down that street. Of course, I did not turn and had to go out of my way to get the card to her. It have been easier to go after work, but I would probably forget again and I would end up with a card that I would have to remember to give her next year and forget about that.
That was just the start of my morning. When I turned down the main street to get back to the house, there was a street cleaning truck in front of me. He decides to lower his brushes and start cleaning just before we got to the corner. He then proceeds to turn down the same side street I was going to go down. He did move into the middle of the street and I was able to get around him. Got the card dropped off and, to make a long story a little shorter, ended up going around the block to start to work. Oh, by the way, girlie, picking at your nails is not attractive and blocking an intersection is against the law.
Of course, with my wonderful memory, I forgot to get gas on Sunday, so on I truck to the gas station. Got in and out, but I had to pick up a cake for a co-workers birthday. I was picking it up at Dominick's Food Store. I could see the sign. I was almost there when the red lights started flashing and the gates came down. I just thank God it was not a freight train, so it went through fast. Got in and out with the cake. I got to the intersection in which I can make a right and be slowed up by a few stop signs or go straight and may be stopped by another train. Since the light was red, I thought it would be just as fast to make the right as to wait a chance getting stopped by another train. Wrong. The street I would have normally turned down was closed, so I had to go down another block and then up and around to get on to the street I needed to be on to get to work. I decided to park the car in my usual spot and make a couple of trips through the parking lot instead of stopping by the door and then trying to park. Who knows what I would find to block my way in the parking lot.
And it's only 12:05 PM. I sure hope my day gets better.
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