Sad Day

Today is Michelle's birthday and she is at the hospital visiting her father.  He has been ill for a while and now has pneumonia.  She said she thinks "this is it".  It makes me sad to think that once on this very day they were also in a hospital together and yet it was so completely different.  So bittersweet.  I told her that time is a friend that constantly stabs you in the back.  I just hope he is comfortable.  I know it is hard for her but I also know he is happy she is there.  Man birthdays were just so difficult this year.

The Shape of Things

I saw this crosswalk sign and it killed me.  Right away I noticed that he has a shape just like I do!!!  How funny is that - no more stick figures - lol.  Seriously I have been super bad with diet and exercise this year, maybe because of the stress but probably some laziness too.  Things are going well and so I am going to refocus on that area now.  I may never be a stick figure but can find a happy middle ground.

National Bow Tie Day

Today is my friend Judy's birthday.  Man, August is an exhausting birthday month - mine, 3 nieces, and my friend - not to mention Belinda Carlisle and Madonna.  I guess it is a good thing that I love birthdays especially mine.  This year I was off and so I went to Mexico to have Chinese food and see a movie with my friend Oscar.  It was a good day.  Chinese food is sooooooo good in Mexico (how odd is that) and tickets to the movies are only $5 each - woohoo.

Well back to today.  Judy is not fond of the b-word, which is fine, we all have our things and I know plenty of other days she loves, like Halloween.  About a week ago I found out that today, August 28th, is National Bow Tie Day - how great is that?  Bow ties are fun.  I have never rocked one but I did learn from youtube how to tie one because I get asked that at my part time job.  I look at them and perhaps one day I will give it a try but for now I am just an admirer of them.  Well I told Judy this and that I would instead wish her a happy Bow Tie Day -- how is that for a loop hole?!?  Well it turns out that she had a wonderful Bow Tie Day and thoroughly enjoyed herself, even though she had to work.  This makes me very happy for her.  Bow Ties are fun and make you smile and she had a smile today so what more could I, or anyone, want.

Flowers in My Path

So today is a week at the new job - clap, clap, clap - yeah.  Things are off to a great start.  I am pleased at how everything is unfolding.  I am not just happy with having a job, I am happy with having this job.  It is a good fit for me.  There are definitely flowers growing in my path.  In addition I have worked out things at my part time job and so will be able to keep that.  It will be like 8-10 hours a week and that is perfect.  I can add as I want or have less if I want.  I still have plenty of personal work to do but have the time to keep that in motion too. I feel positive, very positive and now the job is to keep that going as that is what I have worked so hard for.

Brief Update

I want to say it all started with a really big curve ball but it did not.  I started well before that.  I messed up.  I was bad with money and then the first unemployment wave came.  I did what I needed to in order to survive but it messed up my money even more.  At my last job I was ok but I was just treading water.  Two years and I had little change for my financial front but stayed above water, just barely, each month.  Then the rug got yanked out from underneath me with being let go so very unexpectedly.  At that point everything came crashing down.  I had to look seriously at how I could survive.  I came up with a plan, a drastic one but one I could work out.  That is what I have been doing all this time and now things are falling in place.  It is the most detail I can post in this forum but do know that I am squarely on the right path and seeing a good future.  I still have a lot of work and need to stick to the plan but this new job is a major step.  It is not just a job, which worried me that I would need to resort to, but it is a good job that I want and that I know I will do well with.  It is a good company that does well and is local.  It is a great place to be and I am going to do my best to make it a great place for me.  "Glorious" Southern California - hmm that is one adjective but I can think of many more that I will not write.  In truth though it is not CA - it is me.  I made the decisions and took the actions and they have lead me to many places both bad and good.  Now I am driven to get to even better places and cannot wait.

Time to Celebrate

I am going to start blogging again but that is not the reason to celebrate.  Today I started a new job and that is DEFINITELY a reason to celebrate.  It has been a long and difficult time.  I could not blog, it just was not in me.  Now I feel like I have so much to say.  The light in the tunnel is finally getting brighter and I am sure it is not a train this time.  I have been fighting for security and stability and I have been building myself back up.  Today I placed a giant stone into my foundation.  I have to go to bed now because working is so exhausting LOL but I am sooooo happy to be exhausted.  Details, details, details to come.

  

Back to Normal

The fires are gone and things are thankfully back to normal.  It even rained a little bit last night which is good.  It was so bizarre the whole thing and a nervous time.  The arson teams are investigating everything.  One was proven to be started by accident from some construction equipment but we will see about the rest.  It just feels great to relax a little for now.

Calmer

Things have calmed down a bit.  The fires are more undercontrol although not out but the weather has finally broken which is helping things get back to normal.  I was nice to drive home without seeing the red glove of flames!  I believe I made it out of the woods and am very pleased to have done so.

Day 2

The San Marcos fire got worse today.  There are a bunch of fires but this one is the most worrisome for me.  It is the closest and also the worst one so far.  This scene is literally 8 miles from my house.  The winds are supposed to die down greatly tomorrow and stop on Saturday.  For now all is well but not over yet.  Even with them being able to lift with planes water from the nearby reservoir to put on it, it got so much worse.  Everywhere smells like smoke and ashes are falling from the sky.  My mother is very nervous which I hate but cannot do anything.  I keep her posted on it and keep my car packed to be ready.  They have a suspicion that this one may be arson.  It did not start in an unpopulated area and move to a populated one but did the reverse.  Believe it or not it is common for these fires to be started by arson - so twisted of people but true.  But for now I just hope for the continued safety that I have had so far.

Fires

The damn fires are back.  I told you that it was crazy hot while Matt was here and that was because there were Santa Anna winds - dry hot winds that blow in from the east off the desert.  They heat everything up and dry everything out and make this place a tinderbox.  They are happening again this week and so the fires have started.  Pictures below are taken from my yard of the Fallbook fire.  The scarier one for me is the San Marcos fires -- I could clearly see the flames at night.  I have my car loaded up if I need to make a speedy departure but so far I am lucky.  The Santa Anna's are going to continue through Saturday so I hope my luck continues but if not I am prepared.  I will keep you posted.

Matt

Matt came back for a visit recently.  Last time he came it rained for 5 days in a row.  That was very uncharacteristic and although he had a good time he came back for some beach weather.  He certainly got his wish as when he returned we had Santa Anna winds and it was super hot and in the upper 90's!  I had to work a lot but still got to enjoy his company while he was here.  He had a great time, went to the beach a lot and was a little crazy.  The first day he arrived we stayed in San Diego for a bit.  We went to Balboa Park, which is always great for photos.  We went into the Timken Museum, which was free, and a nice little collection of renaissance art.  It was crazy wild too how close you could get to the art.  I know you need to stand back to take in the larger pictures but it was cool to be close enough to see the actual brush strokes also.  Later we ended up at a bar in Hillcrest that was what we thought insanely busy for a Tuesday afternoon.  Lots of characters there which made me very excited and curious.  After a bit I ordered a vodka cranberry and it was only $2 -- and it all became clear why it was so busy at 5:30pm and there were so many drunk people.  Matt is a very good friend.  He is so kind to me and I so appreciate him.

Easter Dinner

My friend Carla invited me over for Easter dinner which was very nice of her.  I love ham dinner and it was yummy.  She is a good friend and very good to me.  The wires got crossed a little bit in that when I said yes she assumed I was going to church with her also.  She is Christian and usually we stay away from the topic since me being gay and a Catholic puts me one step below Satan and one step above the man that crucified Jesus.  I also am not that fond of Christians and the touch of superiority they exude.  In any case it is a good example of seeing the good in someone.  She has plenty of other awesome aspects to her and I guess I must too so that is what we focus on.  After dinner we went swimming with he two nephews and niece so I was a great afternoon all around.  It was not my family but it was nice to spend Easter in a family atmosphere.  She is very good to me.

Tax Day - Pay Up

Best I could do on not a very fun day of the year - yeeech.

Time to Get Going

Isn't this so cool???  I have been playing more and more with writing text on my photos.  Such a simple thing but it has me so excited!  I am thinking that maybe I will make a whole collection of photos with captions and then make a video since I have not made one in a long time.  What has me most excited is that I feel creative again.  It is like I have been dormant for the winter and now spring is here and I am waking up.

Before and After

My friend Carla always takes awesome pictures and sends them to me because she know how excited I get over them.  Last week it was a beautiful day and she sent me the above picture.  I loved it as I was having a tough week and it reminded me how awesome things are regardless, you just need to see it.  Getting this picture reminded me to stop and look up and see how fantastic of a day it was.  It was a fantastic day before getting the picture but it was not until I got the picture that I actually put my challenges aside and saw and appreciated that it was a good day.  On top of that I knew right away that I would be able to use this to make sure my friends also know they are appreciated.

On Saturday I took Carla's photo and modified it just a little bit.  I have been working out how to write on pictures and have it be legible.  I think I am getting it down so that pleases me.  I then texted this message out to a bunch of friends and included a personal note to each.  I know simple it is but it pleases me to be thought of and I wanted to spread some pleasure, appreciation and smiles to friends I was thinking of.  Now I am sharing it was those that do not text.  I hope you have a great day.  I am going to work on remembering to look up and see that it is a great day.  I hope when you see this you look up too.  Be good.

Max

This week was a very odd week.  In the thick of it is hard to see past the storm but I know I am moving forward still some how.  So instead of going on about all that I wanted to introduce Max.  My friend Debbie adopted him and I cannot get over how cute he is!  She said he is very friendly and loves going on walks.  I am so excited.  I am sure this furball is going to bring her plenty of joy which makes me happy.

Klutz

Ebay helps me while I am in my temporary holding pattern.  It helps me keep my time productive and earns me money but also it gives me the thrill of discovering treasure and seeing what profit I can turn it into.  Although I give in every so often, I do well at not getting treasures for myself and not filling my home to the brim.  I got some shirts, ties and shoes for my part time job and get compliments on them.  The compliments are good but then the customer thinks we sell them but we don't LOL.  A couple weeks ago I unearthed this awesome Waterford ornament egg.  It was made in 2004 and was in mint condition.  It still had the original box, packaging, labels, price tag,  and booklet - all for just $3 when full retail was $45 - cha ching!  Of course I saw profit in it immediately, especially being Easter time, but in addition it was so bright and shiny and mesmerizing that I just loved it.  I really am not that materialistic but I can appreciate beauty, even more so when it is shiny!  I need the profit so I just take enjoyment in finding the treasure, enjoying it THE SHORT while it is in my home, then shipping it off to someone that will love it.  This is all a great story so far right?  Well another one of my bad habit is that I drop things - very often.  I always have and it used to cause me so much stress but i know although it does not make me happy to drop things, it is not the end of the world.  As I was taking photos of this stunning turquoise ornament, I dropped it.  My floors are all tile - SMASH.  It literally tumbled from my hand in slow motion and although I knew what the end result would be I did think to myself as it was falling, "Maybe it won't smash to pieces".  Of course it did smash to pieces.  I was disappointed but not devastated.  I will find other treasures to sell.  I did however feel badly that this wonderful creation survived in awesome condition for 10 years and yet only 72 hours in my hands.  It just was not meant to be.  I have turned many items into profit and will turn something else into profit.  I used to get really harsh judgement over dropping things but recently while Matt was here I dropped something and broke it.  Matt just looked at me like, "Oh well crap happens, it is not the end of the world" and you know what, it is not.  Although I get very excited over nice things and labels, this proves I am not materialistic.  I know, believe and feel that breaking an item is not the end of the world.  Tomorrow the sun comes out and I will smile and there is no breaking that.  Not only that but even though it was swept up and put in the trash, I have these photos so I still have it and it will remain perfect in them. 

The Other Side of the Auction

So I wrote a good story about ebay but unfortunately that is not the norm.  I don't get contacted too often and in 890 feedbacks I only ever got one negative one (and the was because the dingbat did not read the posting).  I sell and ship lots and lots of t shirt.  I have it down pat and it works for me.  The only problem is when people want me to combine shipping - buy more than one shirt that is and ship them together for a lower cost.  I keep my shipping charges as low as possible to please my customers but ever so often there is a doosey that cannot do math.  Shipping is by weight and two shirts weighs twice as much as one shirt hence the shipping is more than if I was shipping one shirt.  It is not rocket science and it mystifies me that people have trouble with that simplistic equation.  I usually charge $4.99 to ship one shirt, well this gem bought two t shirts and requested a revised amount for shipping costs.  I changed it from $9.98 to $7.99 to be accommodating.  I know I was losing a little on the shipping but it all evens out in the end.  The along comes this snarky message.  Really folks as a customer service professional always remember this mantra - Sarcasm and snarkiness does not help your cause.  I literally wanted to reply, "You're a moron" and be done with it but no I explained in full and struggled to do my best not to be nasty also, although I admit it I don't believe I was completely successful.  PS I hate when people write "cheers" in an email??? So annoyes me unless you really are buying me a drink then I like it.

Here is the exchange in full it you want to read how stupid the world can be:

EMAIL FROM CUSTOMER:

Thank you for adjusting the shipping price from $9.98 to $7.99.

I still think that if it cost you $4.99 to ship one shirt, it should've been the same price if not maybe a dollar more to ship two shirts.

Anyhow, I'll ask the USPS employee to give me a shipping quote on the package when I retrieve it from my PO Box.

If USPS finds that the shipping rate to ship the package from your address to my PO Box was less than the $7.99 that you charged me, I will ask for a refund at that time.

Cheers,

REPLY TO CUSTOMER:

Hello,

I understand what you are saying and I wish the USPS was that cheap also but it is not. Shipping by USPS is based on weight -- two shirts equals double the weight hence not the same shipping cost as one shirt. Last night when I went to the post office and put the two shirts and envelope on the scale the price to your zip code the USPS fee said $6.95 --- you will not need to check with USPS as you will be able to see the cost I paid on the shipping label itself -- in addition to that I had to pay $1.08 for the envelope ($1 plus 8 cents CA sales tax) and in further addition eBay charges a 10% fee on shipping costs charged which will be 80 cents ---- all together it will cost me $8.83 (not including the cost of my time to go to the post office twice) to ship these shirts while charging you only $7.99. I was trying to be accommodating and always try to keep my shipping charges as low as possible.

When you check with USPS please let me know if there is a cheaper option as I would love to be able to offer that to my customers - my local office has indicated there is not. I appreciate your help.

thanks.

Matt Came to Visit

Matt came to visit last month.  It was so good to see him again.  I felt bad as it rained 5 days out of the week that he was here but he enjoyed himself in other ways.  He always has a positive outlook and makes the best of everything.  I really enjoyed his company.  He is like Valium for me - he just keeps me relaxed and de-stressed.  I get myself really worked up at times and it is usually over the smallest, dumbest things but he just calms me down.  Sometimes he pokes the bear but he knows when is when and doesn't go to far, so it makes it funny.  He really spoiled me too and we went out quite a bit - thank you so much!  I stock piled some stuff for his visit - a Diesel shirt, a Burberry sweater, and so one but the best was that I gave him a Barney's navy blue tee shirt (he looks so goods in navy).  The t shirt was never used and I only paid 50 cents for it but I knew it was high end and would be perfect for Matt.  After I gave it to him I asked him how much he thought it cost at Barney's and he said $80.  I shit my pants!  An $80 t shirt???  One they can't charge $80 for a t shirt and two did I seriously just give it away???  I did not believe him so I checked later and her was right!!!  OMG how crazy is the world???  I was kinda stuck on it for the rest of the week but when I saw how awesome he looked in it, as I knew he would, I was glad how well it all worked out.  This post seems like a joke that is not funny when you re-tell it but let me just say that Matt's visit was the best time I have had in ages!  Come visit anytime you want Matt.  Love you!

The Highlight of My Day

I have been doing well with reselling Tommy Bahama shirts.  Most of them are not my style but they are really well made, quality products and retail for over $100 each.  The one above was an excellent score.  It is a limited edition embroidered back, 100% silk, and never worn (new with tags).  I got it for $3.50 and it sold for $41.00 so I made a terrific profit and the buyer got a great deal -- success all around right?  Well the story continues.  After the customer got the shirt she left me positive feedback and also sent me an email.  In her email she stated that her husband was a pilot and he had this exact shirt that he wore all the time when he hung out with his other pilot buddies.  Unfortunately he passed away when he was involved in a crash a year ago.  His shirt meant a lot to her son so my customer gave it to him.  In the meantime she has been on the hunt for more in order to give to her husband's pilot friends as a "memory gift".  Long story short she told me all that in order to let me know if I come across another of this exact shirt she is still looking for more.  I know this all sounds odd but I was thrilled by it all.  I sell a lot of items and they go all over the world and because I am so curious by nature I do wonder sometimes why the customer bought the item and what is going to happen to it.  So to get this message volunteering this info pleased me and it was also a touching story.  I did reply back and in short I said that I was sorry for her loss, I never know what I will come across but will keep it in mind, and that I am sure her husband is happy with the "memory gifts" she is tracking down for his friends.  I figured that would be the end of it but no.  I got an email right back.  I made her cry.  She thanked me profusely for speaking of her husband being happy and using the present tense.  She said it has been difficult to let him go but even though she has his essence still exists and always will so it meant a lot for me to recognize this and use the present tense.  It was nice.  It was good.  It definitely was not an interaction that I imagined would be taking place today.  I am glad my message made her happy as her message made me super happy too.  The highlight of my day.

Be Careful of the Dress Hags

Ok this post might be a bit negative but I will do my best to keep it light.  My dignity went out the went out the window long ago.  I have a job where I literally make 13 cents and hour - seriously 6 year old kids in turn of the century sweat shop textile mills made more than I do.  But you know what - I am doing what I need to do, I am surviving and I am taking care of myself.  It is the slow season for retail so I pick up hours in any department that I can, again dignity is a long lost concept for me.  Today I was schilling women's dresses.  I have no problem with this but I do have a problem with the bitches in that area, or more to the point they have a problem with me!  I get that we all have numbers which adds to the pressure but what these so called "ladies" have not figured out is that regardless if we individually get 150% or 350% of our sales goal, we at the end of the day we are still just making 13 fucking cents an hour.  In men's we work together so we can all make a good individual goal instead of one person having 350% and the other having 25%.  It is called teamwork.  Long story short if I even looked at the register today then I was pounced by the lionesses. Seriously, again we are not on commission.  If I help 5 women pick out flouncy overpriced dresses in an hour or 50, well I am still only getting paid 13 cents for that hour.  End of the day I was glad it was only a 4 hour shift.  I smiled at all the my bitchey coworkers, said yes and ok to every insane piece of BS they said to me and privately did my eye rolls as I picked up the 15,0000 articles of clothing off the floor (what is the deal with women's clothing that it is not made to be on a hanger???)  I did help one lady by veering her away from this atrocious peach cotillion dress into a sharp and sleek black and white number that  was so much more flattered her age and figure.  With that one dress I made my sales goal and so had no problem staying clear from the hags at the register (serious why would a customer buy a $500 dress from a female sales clerk that has no make up on or could not even run a comb through her hair that morning?).  It is very often that woman say they do not like to work with other women -- I kinda get that now.  Its all good - I made the pennies I needed today and damn that lady looked good in the black and white dress.  She even gave me a hug!

Happy St Patrick's Day

This is a real doorway in Ireland.  I like that it is open to an amazing and thoroughly different world.  This is where I am on this St Patrick's Day, standing at a doorway to a different world.  I am going to walk through it.  I do know that once I go through I still have to make my way.  That is where I hope the luck of the Irish comes in.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and are in a wonderful world.

Happy Anniversary

Happy 6th Year Anniversary to me since I made my first blog posting.  I know that I have been awful lately but I was not sure what I had to say.  Seems like it is the same thing daily.  I am just focused on working out my finances and being able to support myself.  I have a plan that I am working on but it is taking time to get there.  In the meantime I have been helping support myself with eBay.  It is the most exciting things I do as of  late.  I try my best to stay away from any purchases for myself but I fail every so often.  This is a vintage Benrus watch that I picked up yesterday.  I works perfectly and was only 8 bucks.  I just could not pass up this swanky grandpa style, love it.  It was mangled but I fixed it up.  I polished the glass and got the scratches out and also reconditioned the leather band.  There is plenty of life left in this classic -- just like there is plenty of life in me (also a classic).  I promise I will be blogging more often.

Happy Valentine's Day!

How awesome is this mural???  You know I LOVE found art so you know that when I found this, I just knew that I would be happy on Valentine's Day --- and I am.  I hope you are all happy today too.  Enjoy a wonderful day with your loved ones.  MUAH MUAH MUAH to you all.

Men Cannot Dress Themselves

I worked tonight and helped 3 separate guys pick out outfits for Valentine's Day.  I am not a fashionista but men are really stupid when it comes to dressing themselves.  One guy was a bricklayer and he wanted to look casual but dressed up.  He brought in is navy blue suit coat and picked out a white oxford and jeans to with it.  It was atrocious.  He kept wanting me to say they all went together but they did not at.  He was a super night guy but I just could not lie and just agree with him.  The jeans were way to casual to pull off that look with the coat he had.  I told him that he needed a sports coat to make that look work not a suit coat.  I said he try this.  I got him an awesome Lauren sports coat (reg $275 on clearance for $60) and sent him into the dressing room with his jeans, a white oxford and a Michael Kors tie.  He came out an told me that he owes me big time.  He said that it was exactly the look he wanted but it did not look like someone dressed him.  I even showed him how to properly tie and fix his tie.  Another guy was this slim latino probably about 24 years old.  He picked out a nice dress shirt but he had a size 17 1/2 -- wtf that is my size and yet his waist was only a 28??? Guys refuse to dress in their sizes - it kills me as he was this young, trim, fit guy, what the hell.  I said hold on.  I measured him - he was a 15.  I got him a the same shirt in his size, a slim Calvin Klein tie and proper fitting Kenneth Cole dress slacks.  He said that he could not believe it when he looked in the mirror (I tied his tie too).  I told him that he was young and fit and his clothes should reflect that.  The last guy was in his late 50's but real tall and trim.  He said he wanted Levi's but not his 501's as people make fun of his Dad Jeans.  I got him a pair of real dark blue 513's and a casual yet age appropriate colorful button down.  He was pleased too.  Later tonight as I was at home I was thinking about how I got 3 guys all set for their big Valentine's Day plans but I have no plans.  I am working all day.  It does not bum me out.  I do not feel lonely but I did think it would be nice to have someone to dress for.  But for now I have bigger things to take care of.  I need to work my plan and get my life back before I can focus on finding someone to spend time with on I accomplish my plan.  It is a nice thought though.  I will line it all up.  I will get there.  Forever a work in progress.

I Was in Xanadu

I did not fall off the face of the Earth.  Odd times for me for sure but all is ok.  I am going to start posting again.  I am still obsessed with the muzak at work, mostly because I cannot figure it out at all.  The selection is so incredibly random.  It is the most bizarre mix and it constantly distracts me.  It plays plenty of current music, even alternative stuff and then comes on "Xanadu" by Olivia Newton John???  As I have said before Brent is my favorite at work to share my muzak obsession but only because he always laughs the hardest at me.  He is only like 22 at most so he does not know most the songs.  The day they started playing Xanadu must have been the worst day of his life.  And he is incredibly baffled at how I know all the words to these songs.  I must admit I am too as I can barely remember to take my keys with me in the morning when I leave the house.  He is also my favorite since he does competitive dancing so he is the only one I can get to move even a little bit.  I sent him this video and he was like WTF, how much drugs did people do in the 80's.  Sure Adele and Lorde are great but I want to know when the world became so serious?  I think it is the fault of the internet.  Everyone wants to be such a hipster and are too cool for fun.  Screw that.  Check out this video, this is the world I choose to live in - there is plenty of time to be serious when I am dead.  

You Make Me Happy

I look at the people in my life and am always flabbergasted.  How I managed this feat I do not know.  For all the questions I love to ask of people, I never ask why they are my friends - I only cherish the fact that they are.  There are a bunch of you but these four were on my mind a lot today.  In alphabetical order:

Jane:

Sent me this text, "I believe that it is a good thing to keep believing positive things until you fall asleep then wake up and embrace good things tomorrow".  I love her.  She says this and believes it and lives it.  So many gems in the treasure box known as my heart and she is one of the brightest.  I have talked about how much I love shiny things but she shines as bright as the sun.  Hence my never ending affinity to her brilliance.

Kym:

It is almost hard to put to words but she is so authentic and boundless.  She too lost her job recently and has also fought hard to make her CA dream a reality and the whole way keeps a positive and stunning attitude.  Knowing Kym is like swimming in the deepest ocean but without any fear as you know her support will keep you afloat no matter how overwhelmed or tired you get, she will keep you going.  I send so many positive thoughts her way.  You are powerful and genuine and I am so lucky to get to be part of this amazing novel you write.  I know that you will make the best of 2014.

Michelle:

She left her job today after 29 years with the same company.  Long story short, the past year and a half have been horrendous for her do to a truly evil person and yet she took that negative energy and made it work for her and not just against her.  She starts a new job and a new journey on Monday and  I can only imagine how afraid I would be to make a huge change like that but she is fearless.  I have said it a million times and still cannot say it enough, she can move mountains - she truly fucking can and it was Mount Everest that was recently moved.  So inspiring that I can barely fit it into my head.  Her epitaph will read, "Here lies Michelle, she moved mountains."  And because it is New York City someone will spay paint graffiti on there that says, "Fuck Yeah She Did!".  I so agree!

Walk Out to Winter

During the Christmas season along with the holiday songs on the muzak at work they also played repeatedly "Walk Out to Winter" by Aztec Camera.  This brought me untold happiness as it is one of my most favorite songs by one of my most favorite bands.  It was so odd hearing this 30 year old song that I adore from not a too huge band being played over and over but I smiled every time.  A few times when it was slow I would sing along and make a big display of it, all much to Brent's amusement.  Brent kills me.  He is so serious but when I act like a goof he dies laughing.  He is too entertaining.  Lately everyone back east keeps talking about the weather and the winter vortex thing is all over the internet.  Today I was feeling a bit miserable and lost.  While trying to find something productive to do and reading all about this crazy vortex thing, this song popped into my head so I decided to make a video.  All of the images were found on the internet as it is not too easy for me to get pictures of snow.  It is a bit slapped together but I am still happy with it - mostly because of the song.  My favorite part is when he dramatically reprimands, "Get your gear, get out of here  AND walk out to winter, swear I'll be there!".  That is the point in the song my gestures get really exaggerated with arms flailing and Brent pissing himself.  Not this winter but who knows, perhaps as the song says, next winter, "I'll be there.".

True Story

I was coming home tonight and I stopped at the dollar store to pick up a couple things.  When I walked up to the register there was a black woman there paying for her stuff and in her carriage sat the cutest little black girl.  She was 3 years old at the most and had huge round eyes and that crazy black girl hair do with the 7 or 8 braids.  When I walked up the little girl gave me the biggest smile ever and said, "HELLO".  I was thinking in my head, "What a peach, such a doll".  So I said, "Hi" is a very sweet sing songy friendly way.  The little girl's smile immediately disapeared into a frown and with a sternly furrowed brow she said, "I am NOT high!".  OMG it was the best ever.  In my head I was like WTF, what do I say now.  In that moment I was utterly convinced I was on camera and this was so going to be all over the internet.  Luckily her mom interjected, "Of course you're not high.  I should hope not at your age".  To which I immediately added, "And if she is then why is the girl holding out on us?".  The mother let out this huge holler of a laugh and when she was a bit composed she complimented me by saying, "You are a funny white guy!'.  I could have died and went to heaven on the spot.  It was the best trip to the dollar store ever.  I did not make up one word of this and soooooo hope it was on camera.  I would replay that insane moment like a thousand times.  

01.01.2014

Well we made it to 2014.  Another year changes and another year of changes.

Happy New Year!