10/25 - There I go - intentions good - implementation bad

I really did intend to blog every week from now on - and I even sat down a couple of times to get started.....but life got in the way.

And when I say life, I can't even excuse myself with exciting or important things - it was just distraction by shiny objects - or the urge to eat ice cream - or something good on TV......the list of mundane interruptions goes on and on and on.

But I'm here now - so let me do my best to at least catch up a bit on my thoughts....

Last weekend I went to the Md Renfest with Steph and her son (who was visiting from southern Virginia).  It's funny - with Steph its entirely a social interaction/party event - you'd think she never got out of the house the way she soaks up as much human contact as she can.....and actually she doesn't get out of the house as much as she probably should).....we didn't watch a single performance, didn't listen to a single musical group, and only stopped in one shop - and that was for her to say hi to a vendor friend.

And yet I don't feel as if I missed anything.....it was still a wonderful experience.  She's one of those people who is everyone's friend - people gravitate towards her and she literally lights up - and with her, so does everyone else around.  I have some other friends with that ability.....its quite amazing.

Jezebel had me worried earlier this week   I noticed that she wasn't excited about eating and she wasn't as social as usual in terms of following me around and hanging out.  BI watch her more closely than I used to., since she's diabetic.   But she seemed better yesterday - her blood sugar was higher than usual, but it dropped like it should - she was back to her annoying self - and I brought home some Sheba which they both wolfed down - so  part of the eating issue was likely food boredom.  Maybe weather changes bother her sinuses the way they do mine....I just hope it was just one of those shortterm things because...

Its less than a week before I head off on vacation - I'll be cleaning house and packing and mowing the grass for possibly the last time this season.  My hot tub still leaks a bit, so I'm going to drain it rather than just turn it off....I've decided I'll attempt the repair myself (I'm hoping its just a seal).....worst that can happen is I gum it up and have to call in the professionals.  (that's assuming there are professionals out there somewhere, lol). I bought new curtains for my living room.....to go a bit better with the new rug I am so excited about....and who knows, perhaps my home improvement urges have returned.  I certainly hope they have as I've been spending way too much time sitting on my butt rather than doing useful things.

And then there's vacation - this one is all about relaxing and spending time with friends.....including some that I haven't seen in a couple of years.  There's a total of 12 of us in an informal "group"  I know eight of them and the rest are friends of friends so I'm sure it will work out just fine.  I'll spend a couple of days in Charleston visiting with my BFF and then we are off on the Carnival Fantasy for a week of mindless fun in (hopefully) the sun. This is not the ship or the cruise itinerary I would have chosen for myself - but it really is all about the friends and the relaxation...and speaking of relaxing

The high point of this adventure will probably be the villa we've rented on Half Moon Cay.

Awesome enough to have all this for our group (and it includes a bathroom)....but even better - check this out.

Yep - it comes with a hot tub....I think this is definitely going to be a splurge to remember.



And with that, my lunch has arrived - eggdrop soup and an eggroll - not the best choice but I didn't pack anything....and I'll settle for salad tonight to make up for it.

Hope everyone out there has a wonderful weekend......

10/8/13 - Tuesday Thoughts

 
As you can see, it was a lazy weekend at Chez Em - at least for some of the residents.  The unseasonably hot weather meant that I kept to indoor chores like laundry and cleaning....no vaccuuming because I didn't dare disturb their highnesses.

Speaking of which, we had a vet appointment last week and Batcat is in great health and at a perfect weight...the vet was impressed.  Jez might be better off losing a few ounces, thought she's much closer to her ideal than her owner, lol.   I let them run some bloodwork and the only issue is that she's diabetic - and we knew that already.  But the disease is well under control, so I can't complain.

Well, I mean - I could complain - work is really frustrating because of the impending debt ceiling problem.  Our company doesn't want to spend any more money than necessary to protect against cashflow problems if the government stops paying us on time.  But we don't want to antagonize anyone - so we can't just come out and say that - we have to try to just "not do things" without explaining why.

However, I have a job, I got paid last week, and I know I'll get paid again in two more weeks - which puts me in a better place than many folks around here - not just my government worker friends who are furloughed, but the businesses in this area who are dependent on consumer spending.  If you aren't working, you probably don't want to pay for child care or dog walking.  The leaves are starting to change, but a fall vacation to the local mountains isn't nearly as appealing if you can't visit Shenandoah or Catoctin National Parks.

Last week's heatwave was a lovely extension of summertime - but this morning there was a chill in the air again....and each day is a bit shorter than the one before....reminding me that soon I'll be needing to put away the tank tops and pull out the sweaters, sigh.

I tell myself that having seasons is good.....but as I look out into the cold darkness.....I'm thinking I could manage just fine with summer all year long.....


 

10/1/13 - Tuesday Thoughts

I usually have every other Friday afternoon off from work - but it was a really busy time so I switched things around and took Tuesday instead....and decided to take the entire day - not just the afternoon.

What a difference - I felt as if I lived in a different city, maybe even on a different planet today.....once I got through the morning commuter traffic (something I'm not used to because of my own very short commute)....it became a world of plenty - plenty of room to wander store aisles, plenty of cash registers to ring up my purchases, and the entire mani/pedi spa to myself.  It might have been a bit lonely, except that one of my old neighbors and good friends is a government employee who was furloughed this morning....so we met for lunch at Silver Diner.

And if you happen to have one of these in your neighborhood....check them out.  They've completely revamped their menu with a focus on using local sources and cooking fresh.  I had lamb sliders - an unexpected combination which was quite wonderful - it was served with a greek salad that I found a bit unorthodox but tasty.  (having eaten greek salad in Greece, I know the difference).

Which brings me to the government shutdown.  No matter the reasoning behind the impasse, there's one thing that troubles me greatly.  It's not easy to enact a law - you have to have agreement between both houses of the legislative branch as well as the President....and in some cases, if the validity of the law is contested, you even need the approval of the Supreme Court - the judicial branch.

After all that - shouldn't a law be a law unless/until it is repealed?  If a minority of our elected government can invalidate a law at will.....then whats the value of having a law in the first place?

If I'm a business owner, should I stop following OSHA safety regulations or should  I  not pay taxes hoping that part of the government will decide to defund the law that allows the IRS to collect money from me or the law that makes me provide a safe workplace?

For that matter - how can I make any decisions about my life when the laws I am working with can be "defunded" at any time?  What if the teaparty conservatives decide that women aren't really equal to men - they can defund the law that guarantees me the right to mammograms covered by my insurance - or the law that keeps me from being fired because I happen to get pregnant?  Imagine being in the middle of negotiating the purchase of a house and then someone decides to defund the mortgage insurance program that lets me become a homeowner?

If you know me, you know how I feel about the Affordable Health Care Act - but even if this was about a law that I disliked  (and there are many), I'd still believe it was wrong for a minority to be able to defund it.

So as ridiculous as this whole thing is - I  support the President and Senate's insistence to only accept a funding resolution that is clean, without other crap attached.

That's all the politics that you'll get on this blog ;)

In other news, I'd been wanting to find a rug for my kitchen to put under the table (its an eat in kitchen).  There's a lot of floor space and it just felt like it needed something to break up all the oak vinyl planks.  As it turns out, I came across a rug that I really liked for my living room, and so the one I already had (which happened to be indoor/outdoor anyhow) got moved and it has all worked out awesomely.  The rug was on clearance for 80.00 - and I got 10 dollars in Kohls cash which I'll use to buy a new runner next week......  I started to think twice about spending the money because I'm really trying to be frugal these days....but then I realized that its only two mani/pedis...and we're getting close to the end of sandal season anyhow.

Although you wouldn't know it from today weather which made it into the 80s this afternoon and I hear its going to continue this way through the rest of the week.  I've been faithfully watering half of my lawn (I put grass seed down a week and a half ago) and am seeing some small sprouts...so perhaps by the weekend I can move the sprinkler to the other half...

And so far that damned mole hasn't shown up......but if he does - I have the trap and I'm ready for him :)