TAXES

Today I worked all day on my taxes.  Having a business and then of course my personal taxes takes days to get everything all organized.  Every year I think wouldn't it be great to organize the stuff each month?  Yeah, right!  I can barely get around to invoicing my clients each month!

I am pretty organized that I put all receipts in a folder and keep really good track of where I go so I have 98% of my mileage, tolls and parking kept track of.  I just don't have it neatly in a spreadsheet until I do my taxes and that is why it takes so long.

Until tomorrow...

BEAUTIFUL RUINS

I just finished the book Beautiful Ruins.  Now you might ask where do I find the time to read a book?  Well, it took me about a month and a half to read this book.  I mostly read at 4 am when I wake up and can't fall back to sleep right away and at 6:20 am when Lucky wakes me up to go outside and once again I can't fall back to sleep right away.  I am so happy I got a Kindle because I open it up read a few pages with the backlight turned down and fall asleep holding the Kindle. 

This book was hard to start.  I hated the first chapter.  I had to start it twice.  I thought I would hate this book but I heard it was great so I wanted to give it a chance.  Once I got into it, I was stuck.  I wanted to read it every day.  I recommend this book.

Until tomorrow...

FEET

I am going to be talking about my feet so if you are squeamish about feet or foot issues, this is your warning to close this blog and come back tomorrow.

I have horrible foot troubles.  Many folks with RA have foot troubles.  My feet hurt a lot especially in the morning.  They swell.  I had warts for years that took years to get rid of because I could not get them cut out.

Now I have corns.  I didn't know what to do with corns.  I spoke to my doc and he said to use corn pads.  I have been using them for about a week now and they seem to be working.  It is easier to walk since it is less painful.  I am hoping to have my feet look nicer before we go away on vacation.  For my birthday I asked for this new product called Amope Pedi Perfect.  It is supposed to make your feet look nicer.  I can only hope.

Until tomorrow...

BROUGHT ME SOME FLOWERS

My very nice neighbor brought me some flowers. He went to a flower mart and bought too many flowers so he put together this lovely arrangement and rang my doorbell.  Aren't they beautiful?  Nothing cheers up my day like a beautiful flower arrangement. 

Until tomorrow...

MADE LEMON ALMOND RISOTTO

Tonight I made Lemon Almond Risotto.  It turned out really good. 

Until tomorrow...

DIFFICULT PEOPLE

I went to a meeting and had to stand up to some people who were trying to make a bad decision.  They didn't want to hear what I was saying.  They wanted to do what they wanted.  Isn't that always the way?  I know the law and the procedures but don't listen to me!  So frustrating.  You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.  Or you can tell people the law but you can't make them adhere to it.  What is it that people think they can skirt the law or that the law doesn't pertain to them?   In the end, I convinced them to make a better decision.

Until tomorrow...

HARD TO READ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

I have this person that I have to meet with and I have a hard time reading their face.  To me their facial expression says I am really busy and you are wasting my time.  I have questioned if the person is busy and doesn't have time to meet and they say they have time.  But I have this weird feeling that something is going on that I am not getting.  I need to figure this out.  I know people are going to say it probably has nothing to do with me and I am taking it personally.  It is really hard to not take it personally when you are meeting with someone and they have a weird expression on their face.

Until tomorrow...

NEEDED A REST

I had a hard time today.  I don't know what hit me but it was one of those days when I could not get off the couch.  I was so exhausted I could not stay awake.  I wish I was more productive.  I need to do so many things but I could not.  I just laid on the couch.

Until tomorrow...

PROTEST KARMA

Today I was going to meet my friend and it was one thing after another.

First I got caught in a three car pile up.  No, I was not in the accident, I was just caught in the traffic from the looky loos watching the tow truck and the police.  Then I finally got within a few minutes of my meeting and I got caught in a protest.  I was supposed to turn right but the road was blocked and I could not turn.  I went blocks out of my way and thought I was clear. While I was waiting at a red light, low and behold, here comes the protest marching right in front of my car.  Caught again! 

Then a very nice young lady saw my distress and told me she would move the crowd when the light turned green so I could get by.  I told her I was just so late!  I had now been caught three times.  I told her I supported what she was protesting against (people being evicted from their homes) and she sure enough moved the crowd so I could get by! 

Brenda said it was my protest Karma from all the times I blocked cars protesting the war, gay rights, AIDS funding, etc.  I ended up being 20 minutes late!

Until tomorrow....

ELEVEN

It has been eleven years since Brenda and I went to the City Hall in San Francisco and got married.  Long story short we got up at the crack of dawn to stand in the line that wrapped around City Hall.  We were lucky that a friend knew we were outside and snuck us inside so we didn't have to wait in line for hours.  He then married us in the rotunda. 

Tonight we went to dinner at a nice restaurant.  I had a nice salad with Asian pears and candied walnuts.  Then a vegetable puff pastry thing.  It is fabulous. 

Until tomorrow..

ARE YOU PREPARED?

Tonight was our neighborhood watch meeting.  We had a speaker come to talk about emergency preparedness.  How to get out of a burning building?  Make sure your smoke detectors are working first!  Then if the house or building is on fire, crawl.

Make sure you are ready with your emergency preparedness box/bin/container.  Food, water, medicine, blankets, bandages, plastic bags, batteries, radio, flashlight, etc.  It is important to be prepared.  Have a plan.  A person to call outside of the area to be the point person.  Have a reunification plan with your loved ones.  A place to meet if an emergency happens and you can't get to your home. Where will you meet up?

It was an informative meeting with handouts and lots of laughter.  I think laughter is important for meetings.  Especially meetings after work and after dinner.  Keep it light and moving. 

Hopefully more neighbors will become prepared.  I don't have enough food and water for all of them!

Until tomorrow...

PHOTOS

I have some photos I missed posting.

Here are the tulips I gave Brenda for our anniversary.

We got a new comforter and sheets. I think it looks great.

I cleaned out my closet and got rid of the clothes that are too big for me. Then I sorted through my clothes and organized them. 

Until tomorrow...

STUPID THINGS PEOPLE SAY IN AN INTERVIEW

I read this article recently about stupid things people say in interviews.  I would think that an interview is one of the most important things in your life (okay, not as important as your wedding or childbirth) if you want to eat or pay your rent.  I would think you would want to practice before going into an interview but it is clear from this article that people probably do not practice.

Q: Describe your experience with XXX.
A: Of all the tasks on the job description, XXX is the item I have no experience with.

Q: How much experience do you have in XXX
A: None, but I have been told I could learn XXX in 15 minutes.

Q: Tell me about your last job.  (The person was applying for a file clerk position)
A: I had to do regular office stuff like photo copying, filing, data entry, and running errands.  I liked it all but the filing, it was boring.

Practice your answers to put yourself in a positive light before you go into an interview.  Just a helpful tip if you are looking for a job.

Until tomorrow...

NETTING ON THE POND

After having many dreams that the crane returned and ate all the fish, I put some netting over the pond.  We did this years ago when we had a crane problem.   I took tent spikes and put the spikes around the pond.  Then I took the netting and stretched it across the pond and anchored it with the spikes.  The theory being that the crane will not be able to get any fish without getting caught in the netting. 

Since the weather has been so nice, this is the perfect type of weather for the crane to come visit.  I can't be watching all the time.  Hopefully this works.

Someone wrote in and said the crane is a Sandhill Crane. I call it a very pretty pest who eats my very pretty fish. 

Until tomorrow...

ANTICIPATION

Yesterday was mine and Brenda's 22nd anniversary.  We decided to go out for dinner at a local restaurant. We frequent the restaurant about 3 times a year. The food is okay.  They have a dessert we really like. It is the Brownie with Bouron Butter Pecan Gelato.  Last night it was a big disappointment.  The brownie was over cooked and hard. The gelato didn't seem like bourbon butter pecan.  We sent it back. 

It is hard when you are anticipated something and it doesn't turn out like you expect.  

Until tomorrow...

PHOTOS

I thought I would post some of my photos.

The crane on our neighbors roof.

Little Lucky.

Until tomorrow...

ALABAMA IS NUMBER 39

It is rare that Alabama is 39 in anything. Okay in football they are usually #1 or #2.  But in other things such as education or well-being or quality of life or health they are closer to #50.  This week Alabama became the 39th state to allow same-sex marriage. Well, because of some renegade politician name Moore, most of the state allowed same-sex marriage. The rest of the state is holding out for fear of losing their job or homophobia, who knows.   Hopefully in June the US Supreme Court will solve this issue once and for all.  Mr. Moore will then have no choice but to follow the law of the land.

Until tomorrow...

RAINPOCOLYSE DID NOT ARRIVE

Last week we were told to get ready for a monstrous rain storm. It was going to be huge. A deluge was going to set upon us. People were going to the store to buy milk and bread. Yes, out West they buy milk and bread for rain storms. 

We got 1.5 inches of rain over a weekend. It was a big fizzle.  Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Barely made a mark.  I think the weather people get a kick out of naming these storms so they have something important to talk about. Talking about a storm is boring but talking about STORMMANIA is exciting!  See what I mean?

Until tomorrow...

DID HE NEED A FREE TRUCK?

Tonight I watched a football player receive a gift of a new truck.  Normally I would not even listen to the story but this particular story really annoyed me.  Here is the story:

When the Patriots won the Superbowl, Tom Brady won a free truck for winning the Superbowl.  Because Malcolm Butler had a great play that won the game, Tom Brady gave him the truck.  (There are also other reasons.  Malcolm has been driving an older truck.) 

After his last Superbowl win, Tom Brady donated the truck he won to his high school which in turn raffled it off for $365,000.  

The reason this annoyed me is that it would have been good PR for Malcolm Butler to donate the truck to a charity of his choice or to a needy family instead of keeping it.  The man is not so poor he can't afford a new truck.  Butler made $585,000 this season, including a minimum of $420,000 and a $165,000 bonus that all Patriots players got for the postseason.  To make it seem that he can't afford a $35,000 truck really is slap in the face to families who have to buy cars on wages far less than six figures.  Granted Mr. Butler does not make as much as the $8M contract that Mr. Brady has but he can still afford a truck. 

I write this as a I gaze at my beloved 13 year old Cabrio VW convertible. 

Until tomorrow...

WHY I HAVE NOT CALLED MY SISTER-IN-LAW AND HAVE NOT INSTALLED JAVA

Now you might ask what these two things have in common.  My sister-in-law will understand.  She has two kids under the age of five.

Last week was my sister-in-law's birthday.  I have not yet called her to wish her a happy birthday.  Since she reads my blog: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  At this rate this may be the closest I get to telling her happy birthday and I love you!.  Don't even think about a birthday card or present, I have not even sent my brother his card and his birthday was in December.  I am a little behind.  This is really hard for me since I love finding the right card for the right person.  I buy cards months in advance and put little stickies on them so I don't forget.  I also love buying the right present for folks.  I once bought my sister-in-law a decorate yourself cupcake kit. The cupcakes arrive already made and you get to decorate them yourself.  I think she really liked that one.

I have also been stalling on installing Java on my computer.  Every time I open up a program I get a warning: your Java is out of date.  You must install the new java.  Horrible things will happen to your computer if you don't install the new Java.  Okay, okay!  Settle down.  Even I know nothing horrible is going to happen.  The world as we know it will not end if I don't install the new Java.  The old Java will continue to work.  It is a marketing ploy but eventually it gets annoying even for me.

The reason I have not done these two important items you ask?  I have been working from the crack of dawn to the wee hours of the night.  I barely see Brenda.  Any spare time I have has been spent taking dogs to the vet or chasing off cranes.  I am burning the candle at both ends.  Trust me my vacation in April is not coming fast enough!  Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking working for myself and then I remember, set hours, working for the man.  Aha.  I have crazy hours but I can do it at home in my pajamas!  With two cute puppies at my feet.  In front of a roaring fire in the fireplace.  Okay now the picture just got weird.  I am usually in front of a large screen TV watching Scandal or The Big Bang Theory but now we are off topic.

So, I have to carve out time to do these two most important tasks.  But in the meanwhile, Happy Birthday Courtney!

Until tomorrow...

POND AND CRANE

With all this rain we have had to take out about 3 inches of water out of the pond.  While I was outside removing the water, a crane arrived.  I went inside and the crane flew down and ate a fish.  I went back outside and tried to chase away the crane.  That damn crane has lost it's ability to live in the wild.  We made loud noises, yelled and banged things and that damn bird just sat on the neighbor's house.  Usually the crane's fly away once we make loud noises.  Even the dog barking didn't faze it.  It is practically domesticated.  It sat there all day.  Then finally around 4 pm it took flight to try to get in the pond again and we ran outside and yelled.  It got scared and flew into our neighbor's tree and then flew off.  Hopefully we scared it for awhile.

Until tomorrow...

CALLED THE VET FOR HAPPI AGAIN

Poor Happi.  She is sick again.  I had to call the vet again.  This time I got another doctor (third one) and this one was shocked that she had not been put on Flagyl.  If she has a stomach infection or stomach issue the Flagyl will kill it.  So we rushed over to get the medicine before they closed for the weekend.  She has to stay on the chicken and rice.  Poor baby!

Until tomorrow...

FINALLY RAIN AGAIN

It is raining again.  Yay!  We are supposed to be getting a bunch of rain.  It is so exciting. Maybe even a thunderstorm.  Yippee!  It would be really nice if we didn't get these huge amounts of rain all at once and instead a sustained amount of rain over a week or so.

Until tomorrow...

HAPPIS TEST RESULTS

 We got Happi's test results back and the tests came back fine.  So the poor baby is back on chicken and rice and Pepcid.  She seems fine and is acting like her regular self again.  I wish these dogs could talk (like in the movie UP).  It would make things so much easier.

Until tomorrow...

TOOK HAPPI TO VET AGAIN

Got up early today and took Happi to the vet.  She woke me up at 1:30 and 3:30 am to go outside but she didn't want to pee or poo she just wanted to cry and cling to me.  I got up early and rushed her to the vet.  After this weekend I was taking no chances.  The vet checked her out and took some tests.  I get the results tomorrow.

Meanwhile Happi is back on chicken and rice with a side dish of Pepcid.  Poor baby is having such issues.  The current theory is some sort of stomach flu.

Until tomorrow...

BRENDA'S GLAUCOMA

Today was Brenda's eye doctor appointment.  The doc has to monitor her glaucoma carefully.  I think she is finally taking it seriously.  It is a very serious disease.  They test her pressure in her eyes every 6 weeks.

Until tomorrow...

STARTING TO FEEL A BIT TIRED

Am I feeling tired? Yes.  Am I getting sick?  Maybe.  Everyone is sick.  Or just getting over being sick.  Or just about getting sick.

I am trying hard not to get sick.  Going to bed early.

Until tomorrow...

HAPPI SEEMS BETTER FOR THE SUPERBOWL

Happi seems to be much better.  She is liking the chicken and rice. The Pepcid seems to be working.

Did you see that Superbowl?  Yes the game was crazy but I loved the half time show.  Missy Elliot was great!  I loved the way Katy Perry came riding in.  Lenny Kravitz was good singing my fav song "I kissed a girl and I liked it".  Once again the Seahawks had a knucklebiting ending of a game.

Until tomorrow...