Doctor's Piss Me Off

My mother had her blood work done last week, which is all well and good. Well, Thursday the doctor's office called and asked for me, even though mom answered the phone.

They proceeded to tell me that most of her numbers were good, but her renal numbers were up and had the doctor talk to us about dialysis.

Now this upset me, but it was the doctor that my mother doesn't see that read her blood work and we were told mom's doctor would call on Monday.

Well no call came yesterday.

Also I found her paper work from her June blood work and the numbers weren't much different. She has also been on an antibiotic for a month for oral thrush..which can affect creatinine and BUN numbers.

I'd like to take that doctor and beat her with a stick, because she gave mom palpitations all weekend.

I'm Done With Summer

I'm sick of hearing the word "vacation."

I haven't had one since well before my father got sick and he'll be gone 4 years this Nov. I'm sick of other people whining that they can't go on vacation.

Look, I know I can't go. I have responsibilities to my mom and to my kitties. I also don't have any money or anyone to share the expenses of even a weekend trip.

I also have shingles that fell off my roof.

Sometimes you have to just suck it up and deal with it.

I've been dealing with it.

Its making me a little bit bitter, but I'm dealing with it. As long as I get a coffee or so from Perked Up Cafe or Starbucks, I'm ok.

I can always look at pictures of Cape May or Atlantic City or Boldt Castle or Put In Bay...or even Erie.

It won't make it better, but it will remind me that its out there.

Blooms in my yard

Stress, I Have It

I mentioned last week that Friday the 13th bit me in the butt. Well it didn't give up on Monday. I had a chunk of shingles come off my roof and they are hanging out in my drain right now.

So I'm waiting to see how much this is going to cost me.

I'm trying desperately to get bills paid off right now.

The whole Mokey situation from the beginning of the year has thrown my finances off.

I had plans to get a new storm door and dining set this year.

Oh well, that isn't happening. Probably not

Now I'm waiting to see when the guy can come and look at the roof.

Like Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.

Friday The 13th Bit Me In The Butt

We usually joke about bad things happening on Friday the 13th.

Nothing usually happens though.

Not so today.

A normal work day was disrupted by having to run to the bank in the middle of the day for my boss, and rushing back so that I could take our driver to the garage so that he could pick up one of the tractor trailers that was finished being serviced.

GAH!

Then no end of the day banking that usually shortens my work day by 15 minutes.

Oh and when I went to do laundry, my machine crapped out on me. I had to rewash my clothes, and submit a ticket for a refund, making it take over 2 hours to get everything done.

Oh and one of the cats decided to pull half a roll of paper towel on the floor to use as bedding.

Its been a long day and now all I want to do is sleep or at least curl up with a book and forget about the world around me for awhile.

My New Bucket List Place

Ok, so I've been reading Beverly Lewis' The Ebb Tide, which is a sweet little work of Amish fiction, and the vast majority of the book is set in Cape May, NJ.

I've not been a huge traveler in my life, but there are several places I'd love to see someday, Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands in NY is one of them. After reading this book, I'm adding Cape May to my list.

I started Googling Cape May last night and I started drooling. I have to admit, I love what I've seen of the Jersey Shore. I've been to Atlantic City a few times for Moody Blues concerts, and anyone that knows me, knows my love for that city, but Cape May! OMG so beautiful!

Lighthouses and Victorian architecture! Absolutely stunning.

I just want to go and take loads of pictures, and sit in the sand and stare at the ocean. Oh and I probably want to drink some pretty girly cocktails!

Its about twenty minutes south of Atlantic City and very near to Stone Harbor.

~sigh~

Now I'm thinking of the Stone Harbor Grill which keeps on popping up in my Facebook feed with photos of their gorgeous food.

Now I have something new to dream about.

Behold My Mug Collection

I have to admit. I love crazy mugs. I seem to be picking them up wherever I go these days.

Marvin is an old favorite. I've had him for years, as he's one of my favorite cartoon characters.

I have to say that takes me back to the 90s when the Disney Stores and the WB stores where in all the cool malls.

Are there any cool malls left?

The donut mug came from Big Lots. The 2 coffee time mugs are recent acquisitions from the Dollar Tree and Rite Aid's dollar section.

Yeah. I love mugs.

A Lot!

Greek Frappe

I used to read a mystery series with a Greek wanna be PI, who was very similar to Stephanie Plum for those of you that read Janet Evanovich.

Sofie always drank Frappes in these books and today I found a recipe for this coffee drink.

Its not like the stuff at Starbucks!

Its made with instant coffee!

I did not know this!

That is until the author posted a video with the recipe for the frappe, done by a very hunky Greek dude.

Eye candy and coffee. Really, you can't get much better than that.

If you're interested in how to make them, click this linky

Now I have to get some Nescafe stat, because this is the perfect drink for this kind of weather, right up there with using the keurig and brewing over ice cream!

Another Year Older

So I turned 44 yesterday in what was probably the most uneventful birthday of my life.

I learned a few things yesterday.

1. I'm old

2. Dining out is no longer my thing.

I'm dealing with #1 but #2 really saddens me. I used to love going to restaurants. I went to Eat N' Park for dinner yesterday. BY MYSELF. OK, so that made me feel like a bit loser, but it was nice to not be "dining with cats."

However, I have been watching my weight for the last year. I lost about 20 lbs but I've been at a plateau for months, mostly because I hate exercise and I haven't been able to walk because of either extreme heat or rain.

I ate way too much yesterday and that's not something I'm used to doing and now I'm miserable.

The only good thing was the food. Spicy pepper pasta was in fact, YUM.

But for now on, I'm cooking and if I'm eating out, I'll stick with sandwiches.

My Keurig Will Be The Death Of Me

My brother gave me a keurig awhile back and I absolutely love it, even though it makes coffee drinking more expensive.

But hey, what isn't more expensive at this point?

Before I had the keurig, Walmart and most of the stores around me had pods of all sorts. Now its just the same old same old, and I have to admit, I love me some flavored coffee. If its raspberry, then I'm probably going to do the happy dance.

They used to make the pods for iced coffee, now nope? And any flavors you have to buy online.

I hate ordering everything online dammit. Sometimes I want instant gratification.

Thank god they have some good flavors at Big Lots, because otherwise I'd have to get my Angelino's pods shipped more often than I want too.

Grrr.

Why can't I just get the good stuff in the stores I normally shop? Huh? HUH!

I Ate The World Today, Oh Boy!

Let's just say that Charleroi's Community Days are a detriment to my diet.

Why?

Food trucks and other random food vendors.

OMG!

I think we ate everything.

BBQ chicken kabobs, mac and cheese, onion blossoms, funnel cake, burritos, haluski and halupki.

You name it, we ate it today.

Granted we brought all of that home and we all shared.

Seriously, the chicken kabob was so big that three people could get plenty from it.

The only problem with most festival food are the prices.

Yikes!

Very pricey, but oh so good.

I'm just glad that this sort of thing only happens once a year.

My Life In Music

Around my birthday I find that I always start thinking about songs and the music that shaped my life. For the most part, I still love the same music, I just add on new favorites.

If its from the 60s, chances are I'll love it, or at least like it, especially if its in the pop category. The Beatles, The Monkees, Herman's Hermits, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap..the list goes on and on.

The 70s for me are all about Gordon Lightfoot and David Bowie.

The 80s were my growing up decade, Madonna, XTC, Roxette, Erasure, Duran Duran, (those two I didn't pick up on until 92 for serious love) Cyndi Lauper, Wham!, Def Leppard, Poison...gah so much to love for me in the 80s.

Considering that I was born in 1974, I didn't go for the music I should have and even the stuff that was current growing up, wasn't my favorite. I always went for the lesser known artists. I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan, even though everyone else was.

I picked up on Elvis Costello when he worked with Paul McCartney in the late 80s, but didn't really start to appreciate his music again for another twelve years. That goes for The Moody Blues too.

Now I've picked up on Irish music again. I've always had a fondness for Enya and Clanaad, but now I like the Irish boyband Celtic Thunder. I know they aren't a real boy band, but they are a prefab bunch of hotties that can really sing. I love Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Neil Byrne.

I miss making my mix cds for my birthday but I have no place to play them, as I haven't had a CD player in years.

Sigh

Don't Mind Me

This has been a slow month.

Between political outrage at what the USA is becoming and just trying to keep my head above water, I'm doing little else but reading and cleaning my house.

I find it very hard to be lighthearted right now when the country is turning into a dystopian novel.

Probably the only joy I've found came from being awakened one morning by my mom to watch Jack Benny.

Why?

Because the song we were trying to find now for over a year, was finally on. This was a weird episode with Carol Burnett, but not the one where she sang The Trolley Song. (Oh and sorry Judy Garland, but Carol sings that one so much better)

The song I'm talking about is The Moonshiner or I'm a Rambler, I'm a Gambler (the title depends on who sings it...go figure). It's an Irish drinking song. We heard it once and mom and I both remarked that it was a silly song we could imagine Daddy singing. My daddy was weird like that, bless him.

Dennis Day did a great rendition. Look it up on You Tube, you'll get a chuckle. It might be the only thing that will make you laugh for a long time.

Music Apps Will Be The Death Of Me

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Let me tell you, there are strange songs coming out of our TV when I get home from work. She's found all the music she listened to as a young girl at the canteens and then she listens to the Irish station, usually Celtic Thunder.

Thanks to the Celtic Thunder station I've discovered a band called The High Kings. If you like Celtic Thunder before they really jumped the shark a few years ago, you will love The High Kings. I recommend checking out "The Irish Pub Song." It will have you laughing and singing. It will probably stick in your head too.

I'm kind of peeved that these apps don't have the new Celtic Thunder album streaming yet.  X has a few songs I really liked from their last special on it. They finally got around to doing a version of The Wild Rover. It is nowhere near as good as The Dubliners, but its such a fun song. Plus anything that gives Ryan Kelly some extra singing time, always makes me happy. I kind of crush on that little Irish cutie.

Yesterday I came home to The Monkees station which amused me. That wasn't what I was expecting. My nephew seems to prefer the Peter, Paul & Mary station when he has to chose for her. Myself, I enjoy the Gordon Lightfoot channel, because you get a nice mix of folk music, along with Gord's great tunes.

I wonder what the Elvis Costello channel will play, besides Elvis Costello.

Why Am I Reading Slower

When I was in high school and even junior high, I would blow through Harlequins in a few hours. For that matter when I was reading my bodice ripper historical romances, as I tried to get my summer tan.

These weren't long books. The longest Harlequins usually topped 300 pages. The shorter ones, the Romance, Desire, Regency line were only about 180.

Why does it take me so long to read these now?

Its driving me nuts, because I have books piling up all over the place. They seem to multiply like rabbits in my house.

I blame it on ereaders.

I don't know what it is about them, but they have slowed down my reading.

OK, and maybe because I don't get to sit out in the sun and read as much as I did all those years ago too.

I seriously need some beach or porch or some kind of not in my house reading time ASAP

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

For years, I've had lousy luck making hard boiled eggs. I've followed just about every tip out there to get perfect eggs, and usually I failed.

I have to say that the way to get the best eggs is to make them ahead of time.

Don't plan on using the eggs right away.

I usually make mine the night before.

Why?

Refrigeration!

I follow the basic cooking rule. Eggs in  a pot of water until they boil then cover and remove from heat for about 10 - 12 minutes.

After that I rinse them in cold water for a few minutes, but rather than do the ice water bath, I stick them in the fridge for at least an hour, but overnight is best. Then when I peel them, most turn out perfect.

My Car Hates Me

So I was leaving work on Monday, and I walked around the back of my car. Not a normal thing for me to do, but for some reason I did.

My muffler is kinda just hanging there.

This does not thrill me, as my 2006 Focus has some pricey exhaust parts.

I zoom to the bank for my boss and over to Mr. Tire so they can have a look at it.

Well, said muffler was split in half.  Uh thank you Monessen and the wonderful freaky construction on Donner Ave.

The part costs a whopping $298.00 and there's labor included. Please kill me.

This is not what I need right now. I still have about $1500 to pay off on Mokey's hospital stays in Dec and Feb and I need to get the little guy his shots and a urinalysis to see how the prescription food is working. My regular credit card has more on it than I've had on them in years.

I seriously need to fall into some money pretty soon, though I don't know how that's going to happen. I hate debt. I dug myself out of it once and I hate having to do it again.

Also, because I need to bitch, I really wanted to get a new dining room table set this year, but thanks to all this crap, that isn't happening.

Why I Didn't Give A Fig About The Royal Wedding

I admit, I loved Princess Diana. She was what every little girl dreamed of being when she grew up. Married to a prince. (Note I didn't say a handsome one) Super glamorous. Oh and loved by all.

sigh

And though we look back at her dress and think it was just too much, it was a fairy tale gown, straight out of Disney film.

The outcome of that marriage and her death cast a shade on the weddings of her two children.

I had interest in Will and Kate's marriage, just because he will one day be king.

Harry and Meghan? Well they are a Hollywood couple. I love Harry, but he is the wild child and even some of the things I read about at the wedding spoke of being a bit much.

The problem with these weddings being televised all over the world, in my eyes, is that so many girls and women are going to think that their wedding should be that way.

Life isn't like this.

And you can't tell me that some of those things weren't done especially for show. Yeah, I'm sorry the girl is an actress and Harry is his mother's son. I don't doubt that they love each other, because I think that after seeing their own parent's marriages that they would want something better for themselves, but I think that there was a little bit of acting involved to make it more fairy tale like.

Meh.

There's no fairy tales for the rest of mortals

And It All Blows Up

I've been noticeably absent again.

Things have been going mostly ok.

Busy and boring and much of the sameness.

Yesterday was actually nice until right before supper.

I was getting ready to clean up the pans I used for dinner when the sink decided it was having none of it. The plastic connector for the two pipes below the sink gave way.

Yeah, water everywhere.

This shouldn't be a hard fix, except there's no one around that knows how to fix it and my plumber isn't one I can contact on a Saturday night.

So lets just say for the next day or so, its paper plates and plastic utensils that can be tossed in the garbage. Yeah not very environmental, but washing dishes in the stationary sink in the basement.

Why does everything happen on the weekend?

People Need To Give A Damn

I was taking my afternoon walk through my small town of Charleroi On Mon and I've come to the conclusion that the poorer you get, the less likely you are to care about how your home looks.

My town's median income is below the poverty line...go ahead google us.

The rental properties all look like hell. The lawns are full of toys and are just messy. The curtains and blinds look like they've seen better days, if in fact they have them, and not just a blanket or something hung over the window to keep out the light. WTF people.

If not for my mother I wouldn't have much, but I still take pride in my home. I don't want to live in a hovel. I like my things to look nice. I may not be able to have expensive things, but I want to be proud of what I have.

I truly can't understand why anyone would want to live in filth.

There are places where you can get curtains or any decorations to pretty up a place cheap. Seriously, Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar...I could go on.

If you don't have any pride in your living area, how can you have any pride in yourself. Which makes it hard for anyone to pull themselves up out of poverty.

You have to care.

It sucks to be poor, but there's no excuse for living in a pigsty. Cleaning products are sold at Dollar Stores.

It really isn't hard to clean up after yourself and make your space in the universe look decent.