Holiday Weekend

OK, I realise I have not been updating very often. I'm thinking of signing off altogether, but maybe not. I'm not much of a talker, so maybe it means I'm also not much of an updater?

I spent alot of time this weekend working on my container plants. I very much enjoy picking out plants and then arranging them in containers. I like everything about it. I like finding unusual containers; old buckets, new planters, etc., I like looking at all the many plants and then trying to decide which I want, I like haphazardly arranging them together and then watching how they grow, I like getting dirty and sweaty when I work with them.

The long holiday weekend is almost over. These long weekends go so fast! Ugh. I am not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I would much rather spend my time at home, but if that were the case I would be wanting to go to work (never happy so it seems).

Buddy Guy

GF and I went to see Buddy Guy play this weekend! As usual I didn't really want to go, but what a good time! Here is a clip of him on Letterman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UccVUT8Q988

I just recently learned who Buddy Guy is.......what a talent. He put on a good show. The audience was an interesting mix; young, old, white, black, and just about everything in-between. I had fun watching the crowd interact.

We watched his live show at a casino, then spent the night in the swanky hotel. We loved the room - best hotel bathroom ever! I lost all the money I took to gamble, but thankfully GF broke even! So we didn't come home broke.

Today we're laying around the house and resting up! I was planning on being more energetic and getting some things done around the yard. It doesn't look like that is going to happen, though. Ahh, there is always tomorrow.............

Wrestling.......

Isn't he cute? This is Mitts wrestling with a small pillow. The pillow used to look nice on the couch. Now it is usually found on the floor. Oh the box he is in, is also part of our living room "furniture" these days.

In other news.......... I'm still employed! The workplace has been difficult the past month or so. None of us know who will get laid-off next. Rumors continue to flourish - they drive me crazy. It's ridiculous how we behave when changes and uncertainty are close. I'm trying to stay away from all the negative talk; it ain't easy! Some days are more successful than others. I'm not sure what wears me out more - the constant persistant speculating from my co-workers, or my inability to get away from my co-workers and their constant persistant speculating. Ugh.

My gf got an extension on her volunteered lay-off. She is home until June 1! She has been busy enjoying her time. I am also enjoying being well taken care of by my unemployed gf who has lots more time and energy these days.

The First Cut

The first wave of 200 hourly workers getting permanently laid-off were notified Friday. I made it through! Whew! Some of the people who were with me during our orientation were included in the lay-off. Most of the laid-off people were working in the area that I first started in. I feel lucky to have been moved to a different area. I'm safe for now, but still expect some kind of time off in the near future. Rumor has it we might be doing a rotating type lay-off; half of each area works for a month, gets laid-off for a month, etc. I'm hoping that is what happens, but who knows?

My girlfriend who has many years seniority has taken a month volunteered lay-off. She has been off work since early March. I'm glad we can afford to let her have the time off. She is enjoying it! And I'm not too unhappy to have her here doing most of the housework, and cooking - it has been very nice indeed.

I'm going outside today to do some yard work - yeah! It is only around 43 degrees outside, but very sunny. It feels good to be outside, even if it is still cold. We had a long and snowy winter, and the yard is messed up from plowing the driveway. It beckons me........

Oh for the good old days..........

The joys of being 50 (or 51) continue. Today I had a colonoscopy. Good times. Everything is fine, it was just a check-up thing, but times like these really make me miss the good old days.

The days when I ate nothing but junk food, drank like a fish, smoked a pack and 1/2 a day, and never gave a thought about going to the doctor. And excluding the hangovers, I felt just fine.

Now I go to the doctor regularly, watch my food choices, no longer drink or smoke, force myself to exercise, and usually have some kind of ache or pain everyday. Pretty much sucks, don't you think?

Mitts is a He

Mitts got home from the vet today. Mitts is a boy! Guess you can't trust two lesbians to find the "boy" equipment on a kitten? Anyway, he is home after spending an extra night at the hospital. He licked the thumb on one of his paws open and the vet had to suture it shut. Hence the extra night. We're glad he is home, even if poor Bails is not. We have to give him medicine for a couple days, should be interesting.............

Another Lay-Off Coming?

It's Monday and I'm not looking forward to going to work. The company I work at announced last week they are going to have 200 permanent lay-offs and 1200 temporary lay-offs. This is supposed to happen sometime in April, May or June - depending on which source you talk to. I'm pretty sure I will be one of the 1200 temporary laid off. I don't think I'm feeling too much stress about it yet. There are just too many variables involved in how and when they let employees go, so I am trying not to get myself worked up and in a funk over something I have no control over.

Mostly what I feel now is aggravation and irritation at my co-workers for constantly speculating about the future and for the many many rumors that are spreading like wildfire. I just want it to stop!

To change the subject completely; Mitts is at the Vet's today. She is getting fixed and her front claws removed. I feel horrible about the claws, but cannot let my furniture and house get ruined with her scratching. I am having trouble concentrating because I keep thinking about her. Can't believe how quickly I got attached to the little trouble maker! We're bringing her home tomorrow. I'll be glad when she is home and healed.

Mitts

We have a new family member. Meet Mitts; she is almost 6 months old and is a little terror.

Our home is usually calm and quiet. Not so this week. Mitts is very lively. She wants to play with our 13 year old cat Bailey. But Bails wants none of it. It makes for much growling and hissing. Poor Bailey. I hope she comes around soon. I'm getting tired of trying to keep Mitts away from her.

Out with the old.........

GF and I just watched the inauguration. Wow! I got chocked up more than once just watching the crowds. Incredible.

It's a good day to be an American.

Meeting My Love

Maria over at Just Eat Your Cupcake has inspired me to attempt to tell the story of meeting my girlfriend. So here goes.......

The first time I remember seeing her was at a local bar I used to spend most of my time at. She came in to meet a mutual friend. She had a long skirt on and looked like a hippie to me. I thought she was an odd-ball and didn't pay much attention to her.

A week or so later, she showed up again to meet the same mutual friend. I learned at that time (from our mutual friend) that she was back in town after living in Cincinnati for a brief time. She had split up with her long time lover and was trying to meet new people. I still thought she was odd and didn't give her much more thought than that.

Maybe a month of so longer I was at a gay bar in town and she was there by herself. I felt kind of bad for her because I knew she was recently out of a long term relationship, so I said hello. And we started talking. We talked for an hour or more and I (surprisingly) enjoyed myself.

One thing led to another....... we would see each other every now and then when we were both out drinking. Which led to more talking, which eventually led to drunken sex. This went on for a few months.

We continued this drinking/sex pattern until this odd women told me "while she very much liked me, I drank too much and she could not continue to drink with me. And maybe I should consider not drinking so much."

Well, that didn't go over very well with me! The nerve of this women to say such a thing! I was just trying to be nice to her, and she accuses me of drinking too much...........the only problem with this line of thinking, I was having a nagging thought about the very same thing. Then to have someone actually say it out loud to me? Hmmmm..

So we didn't see each other for another few months or longer. I continued drinking and life started falling apart for me.

More time went by. I finally got the help I needed to stop drinking, and started to make positive changes in my life. I needed friends in my life who didn't drink. I couldn't think of anyone except this odd women who I fucked around with and had the nerve to tell me to stop drinking. I was desperate for new people (and I wanted to get her approval for changing my wicked ways) so I gave her a call. We talked for hours and got together a few days later. We started hanging out together. I started to think maybe this women wasn't so odd after all. I started to have fun and I started to fall in love. I was shocked! We waited to make sure my sobriety was for real, we waited to make sure my feelings were for real, (we waited because I was scared to death) we waited until I couldn't stand not be be with her..... we have been together ever since. Best thing I ever did.