i'm suppose to be the "finder", not the "loser"!!!

it seems like whenever someone is looking for something, either at home or at work, they come to me; many times its because its something that i had worked on or was involved with, or as is the case at work, i've been here longer than some other folks. and so, when i 'lost' my purse this past weekend, i was and still am, in SHOCK! first of all, the last time i remembering seeing it, it was with me in my apartment and i didn't go anywhere, so i couldn't have left it some place else....my car keys, work keys, apartment and mailbox keys were in there; my lipstick, inhaler for my asthma, drivers license, health flex card, work ID, and numerous pieces of paper - receipts, bills, phone numbers, notes to "self" - all GONE! how, how could this happen? my apartment is not that big!! i even spent 30 minutes in the dumpster in the slim chance that somehow it was accidentally thrown in the trash, but NOTHING. the only thing i can think of is that perhaps in the hectic rush to help my sister get her car loaded, my purse somehow got left out on the sidewalk or the parking lot and got picked up....somewhere, someone is $20 richer....

if i promise to drive on the road, will you stay on the sidewalk?

i work on a university campus, my alma mater, and every single day i repeat the same mantra as i make my way into the parking garage "please don't let me run over anyone today, PLEASE". it has become one of my most dreaded nightmares - "hello, GEICO? am i covered for running over a Bobcat? what, my policy doesn't include hitting wildlife? no, no, i mean "Bobcat" as in Texas State University student!" i know they are very busy with exams and work and class [insert beer pong, boyfriend/girlfriend, and texting here] but didn't their mommas teach to watch out for cars? there are perfectly good sidewalks on the edge, EMPTY, sidewalks waiting for someone to use them. in the meantime, a mass of humanity crowds the street to the parking garage. its as if the students believe that all of campus is pedestrian only. don't they see me? i may not drive a Hummer but surely my Vibe isn't invisible.....maybe if my car was red instead of silver i might be more noticeable. [sigh] well, it may just be one of those statistical things - driving in the same situation over and over again, eventually the probability of such an accident occurring increases to the point that BAM, a Bobcat goes down..........


photo credit
http://mindtreasures.com/collegestudents.php

my latest guilty pleasure.....

ok, i admit i'm not perfect and quite human - far from sainthood, haven't been an angel in decades. anyway, i love my cable or perhaps infatuation is a better way to describe it. i was so excited when i found old episodes of survivor man with les stroud! OMS [oh my stars] i watched 3 episodes of big bang theory in a row, i couldn't believe my luck. and now, my latest guilty pleasure, the showtime soap opera "weeds"......

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

and of course, the reason they are my guilty pleasure is that neither have any redeeming social value at all - in fact they are full of non-PC language and generalizations and stereotypes; lust, betrayal, sex, messed up kids along with death, cancer and war. like fried chicken, i know its not good for me, but i can't resist....

Fried pickles

Fried pickles

yummy toasted sandwich

i love sandwiches and the more ingredients, the better :) one place in town i love to eat sandwiches at is the which-wich because i love their olive salad. well yesterday, i made up my own olive salad and it tremendously added to the yummy factor of my sandwich. so here's the recipe:
cut up 8 or so olives [i used the small green ones stuffed with pimentos] - drain them well or even let them 'sit' on a paper towel for a few minutes
add the olives to a tablespoon of real mayo and add a dash of black pepper, a pinch of dried red pepper flake and a dash of paprika
mix well and add to your favorite sandwich
i added mine to a grilled ham and pepperoni sandwich with american and cheddar cheese, heavenly......

9 years ago today

while i had watched the shuttle explosion on tv when i was in high school and remember crying and us students being really upset, the horror i felt while witnessing that second plane fly into the twin towers was nothing i had ever felt before. i was at home with my son, my husband at work and my daughter in school and usually we were watching sesame street at the time, for some reason on that particular morning, we had cbs on and the news broke about the first plane. moments later the phone rang - it was my mom and we both watched and cried as the 2nd plane hit. i remember being very afraid and confused and just in shock - how could this happen? then the reality of all those people in the buildings that are now injured, the dying and the dead; their families - mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters now gone or worse yet, now left to mourn. the theories abound on whose fault it was, what could have been done to prevent such a horror, the series of events that lead up to this, considered one of the worse things that we as a country have experienced. well, it doesn't really matter - it happened and those wounds still need healing. my thoughts and prayers this morning go out to all those who died, who worked in the rescue efforts, to those who lost family & friends, but most of all, to all those men and women who have fought and died in the war resulting from 9/11. they and their families are still paying the price; may we all have peace soon.


photo credits:
asian-pacific journal online
and
http://www.freefoto.com

max and i walking before dawn

under a dark blue sky with smears of white clouds, a spotted veil playing peek-a-boo with the stars. there were frogs and the sounds of birds, a few cars and no other dogs and owners about until the very last 5 minutes of our one and a half hours walks. you see i was determined to get a good and FULL night's sleep, wake up early and get to work early. well, first there were the texts from my [soon to be ex] husband and then the girls waking me up at 11:30. well, of course i woke up at 4am and could not fall back asleep so finally at 4:30 i couldn't stand it anymore, i got up, got dressed, and max and i hit the sidewalk, not returning back to the apt til 6am. i did notice something that i had missed in the past, or what i really think is that it is new - i came across the "bus stop" for the tsu tram; it a spray-painted head of a bobcat on the sidewalk next to also stenciled, the words "stand here". wow, that didn't cost a bunch, did it? anyway,i got home, i washed dishes, made muffins too, had coffee AND helped watson finish up a missed assignment. but then it always happens, every time i have lots of 'extra' time [is there really such a thing?], i start doing other things and lose track of time and then, well, i'm running late! my son had to eat his cheese taco in the car on the way to school.......