9/13 Thursday Thirteen

In the constantly changing internet world, its a relief to find something that remains the same.  There is still a Thursday Thirteen website and meme.

And so, I will use that fact to sanction today's list of random bits and pieces from the week just past.....and perhaps at some later point I'll expand on one or more of the items ;)

1.  I called my XX back - got an automated attendant that gave a different number and hung up - not realizing until a bit later that he probably has calls transferred to his cell and so I could have left a message  But no matter - he'll see my # on the caller ID.

2.  Which brings me to how easy but at the same time difficult it is to stalk someone these days.  Sure, if they haven't blocked FB you can see all sorts of things, but I "think" there are widgets that let the page owner see who has viewed them - just as caller ID lets them see who has called.  There are surveillance cameras everywhere, so you can't get away with following them.

3.  None of the above is meant to suggest that I've ever stalked someone.  I did have a stalker once (well actually for a number of years and some pretty scary encounters)  - but that's its own blog someday.

4.  Work is actually pretty easy at the moment but I'm frustrated with all the drama - if people would just spend their time doing work instead of complaining about it - they would discover its not such a burden after all.

5.  Last night there was an actual herd of deer in my backyard - five of them - tonight only two - and they didn't come up close enough to get a good picture.

6.  That's actually a positive as the spray nozzle on my deer repellent seems to have broken so I can't properly protect my hosta - and because I'm a neat freak - I don't have any empty sprayers laying around - I'll have to pick one up tomorrow.

7.  I'm fighting a mole who has taken up residence in my yard - ironically right next to the Solar Mole Spike I installed a couple of months ago.

8.  Why is spellcheck questioning my use of the word "hosta" in #6?

9.  My summer bowling partner apparently had a seizure last week - his son says he stopped taking his medication.  If that's the case- its the fourth time that I can remember this same sequence of events - stop taking anti-seizure medicine - have seizure.   What is it with people who keep doing the same thing over and over thinking this time the result will be different.

10.  Which is perhaps a good segue into my XX.  We had great physical chemistry and made some great memories - but it was always me pushing him to go out and do things....he'd just as soon sit at home and get drunk.  I've told him a number of times that I just couldn't be in a relationship with an alcoholic but in hindsight, that really wasn't and isn't the problem/

11.  The problem is that in the 11 years since we broke up, I've gained the confidence to be able to do what I want on my own, instead of waiting for someone to join me.  Granted, I'm still not much for going to sporting events or concerts alone (witness me skipping Richmond last weekend) - but each time I overcome my fear and just do something - its a good experience that helps moves me forward.  I don't want to be held back by a partner that only shares my physical, not my mental passions.

12.  Back to shallower thoughts.  I had an appraisal this week - hopefully it will come in high enough that I can refinance - the lower rate means I could spend the same each month but pay the house off much sooner. The appraiser mentioned that if I added heat to my enclosed sideporch, it would count as living space and increase the value of my house a good 5K if not more.  All that would involve is cutting a hole in the wall and flipping existing ductwork outward....something I might even be able to do myself.

13. Which reminds me - wonder if XX is still handy with gas engines?  My lawnmower hasn't worked since early spring and I'm not comfortable taking it apart to try to figure out the problem.

Hope all of you are having a good week......I'm off to Kerfuffle with my friend Steph on Saturday, and then Myrtle Beach with my BB and another close friend on Sunday.......life is sweet these days.....

1/14/11 - Weekend Wine - PromisQous Red

Forgive me blogger for I have sinned - its been almost a week since my last posting ;).

Goodness - I have to say that I'd forgotten how much work goes into living.  First off, there's my new years resolution to indulge in some form of exercise every day....even if its just Friday night bowling.  I'm pleased to say that with the exception of Thursday night (where I ended up in bed at 9 pm because I felt like crap) - I've managed to either go to aerobics class or pop in at least a miles worth of Leslie Sansone. One of those things where it is tough to get started, but I do feel much better (and less hungry) when I've finished.

I've been doing pretty well at tracking my foods on MyFitnessPal too - and although I haven't lost much weight yet, I'm paying attention to what's going in my mouth and there's a lot less bread and a lot more vegetables going on.  Unfortunately, there's not much room in my diet for wine and beer - so I've moved to an every other night approach.

 Then there is school.  This is the next to last class for my MBA, and it involved four papers, with the first one due tomorrow.  Sometimes things flow, but this time they didn't until today...when I find myself at the required paper length and still have two topics to address.  I don't want to find myself rushing through the end of this thing, so I thought I'd take a break for an hour or two and then go back with fresh eyes.....part of the reason I'm here.  Fortunately there are no papers due while I'm away on vacation, so I'll just need to check in at least twice and contribute discussion comments - and with three sea days on the Splendor - I should be able to find the time for that.

I'm quite excited about the trip - not just because of the ship and its incredible spa and my first experience with a balcony - but because my best friend will be coming along.  I'm a bit concerned because she hasn't cruised in almost 20 years  and things have changed a lot since then.  For me, they've changed in a good way - less formality, more flexibility, and a younger crowd (although at 50something we aren't really considered part of that crowd anymore, sigh).  But I'd hate to see her expecting the formality (and three fork place settings) of the past.

But then again - there's the spa - and that alone is, IMO, enough to make anyone happy.  I have now been on all three Carnival ships with the expanded spa and this one is my favorite.  On the other ships, I feel as if the area was shortchanged to put more cabins in, and that definitely made the place more crowded.  The Splendor was actually a Costa build, so I've thought perhaps I should try one of their ships - but then again, considering what an unlucky Friday the 13th it was for the Costa Concordia - perhaps not such a good idea.

Hmm - I guess I had more to say than I thought....but I do need to get back to my paper, so let me discuss the wine.....

I picked up a bottle of PromisQous Red because of the catchy label, which says in part


For 10 bucks I couldn't resist.

And it's not bad - out of the bottle it looked  thin like a cheap Pinot -but it tastes like a Zin - not the BIG ones, but the dark fruit with just a bit of pepper ones.   When I looked it up - indeed it is Zin based - and 42% Lodi at that.  At this price, I prefer Sobon's Vicious Red or Sexy Wine Bomb's Red Blend but this is definitely something that would please the majority of folks looking for something to bring to a party.