Thursday, July 31, 2008
My Widget, The Things I am Thankful for
I have a lot to be thankful for this week... First, my decision to join the local artist guild and knowing I will be submitting a piece of my art had me walking around on cloud #998, yet it was sort of surreal in a sense. Since the computer was in the shop, I mostly told my friends and family this weekend rather than sending it out as an email. I am so very thankful for the short, but sweet visit with my best friend Penny and her family on Sunday evening. I am thankful for all the photos taken, but I wish I had copies of the ones her sister-in-law took on her digital camera. I am envious of them. I am thankful for one of The most inspiring posts by David (please see my previous post entitled "Never Hide".) I am thankful for all the signs I have seen this week. I am thankful for all the freebies I have received such as getting my sunglasses repaired for free, a free lunch and having my lunch at work tooday so I did not have to get out in the extreme heat as well as saving on gas. I am thankful for the laughter Rhett and I shared this week over "Josh and Stupid". I am thankful for the anniversary of my blogging career and the anniversary receiving of my digital camera. I am so thankful for my mom who gave me that camera last year. I am also thankful for the good photo I took of myself with that camera. I am thankful for the fact that I added a counter to my blog even if I put in the wrong place. I am thankful for The Widget I added to my blog which I just love. I did one this morning, printed it out in black and white then made this greeting card on pink paper in a matter of minutes. I love it when that happens. And I spiced up my blot a bit by adding that good photo of myself as you can see...
This evening we will be having dinner at Johnny Carino's with my other best friend Genie and her son Tony. I can hardly wait! If you remember Tony was in a bad wreck and I felt like he was a walking miracle the last time we saw him back in the spring.
The computer is fixed and I am so very thankful. YEAH! I am sure Rhett is too. Hope it works so we don't have to buy a new one. If we do, this is a tax free weekend here in Georgia.
Life is good and I am so very thankful.What do you have to be thankful for today or any day? If you would like to participate in Thankful Thursday, please go to the following....
http://www.eph2810.com/
I have not participated in this endeavor in a few weeks I guess because I did not sometimes feel worthy enough, but today I surely do because of all my many, many blessings. Iris, the owner of the blog, has a really good post today. It sort of reminds me that I may be one person, but I may be the world to that one person or something like that.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A fun Widget
I discovered this fun widget where I created a wonderful, colorful piece of art but was no where near a color copier so I didn't know how to save it. Give it try... You can print out what you create. My background is black but it would make a neat card. Have fun creating.
I just did one, printed it out, photocopied it then put in on pink paper. I will upload my results later. It only took me a matter of minutes and viola! An instant card. Too cool.
I just did one, printed it out, photocopied it then put in on pink paper. I will upload my results later. It only took me a matter of minutes and viola! An instant card. Too cool.
Never Hide & Jessica
I would like for you to read a post on a very,very talented writer/photographer's blog that struck a chord with me on Monday. It was one of THE most inspiring post I have read in awhile as if fell on the heels of my latest bit of good news. It was something I needed to hear/read at this stage where I am at a new crossroads in my life as I put my whole foot in the water to wade into the world of art as an artist. I felt compelled to share it with you... please go to
http://david-mcmahon.blogspot.com/2008/07/blank-stair.html
On Monday I went to pay a bill only to discover Webkins are now sold at JCPenney's and Dillard's. Rhett has two so he is really into them. I found one I liked at Dillard's. It was a tannish colored coker spaniel with the prettiest curly hair. I even preferred it over a black poodle, but I think it was due to the quality of the hair and the cute curls. So I bought myself one to share with Rhett.
Then I was attempting to get my cheap sunglasses fixed at Lenscrafter's because I'd lost the screw on one side. My sunglasses fit over my glasses. I know it sounds cheap, but I have done this for years and saved a lot of money which is always a good thing. I used to have a black pair trimmed in hot pink which I loved and lost. Not being successful at replacing them with a similar pair, I settled for what fit; what was cheaper at Walmart. My mom has a pair exactly like the ones I wear now so I have to be careful not to pick up her's as she needs them far worse after cataract surgeries on both eyes.
As this nice lady was trying to find the right screw to fit without much success, I saw a sign that said, "NEVER HIDE" and asked her if I could take a picture of it. Unfortunetly my photo did not turn out. It was so dark, it looked like it said, "Never Hid". Oh, well... I knew she thought she had a real nut case sitting in the seat, but she told me I could take it with a "why would you want to" look on her face. Then she went to get a small box of tools. She told me I made her get out her surgical instruments so this would cost an office visit of $25. Gullible me believed her as I told her the glasses didn't cost that much! She laughed & told me she was kidding. Whew! After minor surgery, she was able to fix them good as almost new and even cleaned the lenses to boot. All for free. Actually two freebies in one day. First the sign then my glasses. My lucky day. Guess my guardian angel was watching over me.
So I told Rhett I had a surprise for him waiting in the car. He was so excited that I had my own Webkins now. I was rattling off my name choices to him. I actually thought the pup looked more like a male dog, but I played around with mostly girl names. I thought of Millicent, but call her "Milli" or "Milly Vanilly V" but that brought up memories of the singing group and I said Nah. When I told Rhett it looked more like a boy dog, he said, "How about Vinny V?" That did not do much for me. Even though a week ago I told him if we got a black guard dog, we should name him Elvis. He asked me why that came out of the blue? Who knew?
I just have trouble deciding on names. Even as I did Rhett's when he was born. I knew I wanted the Rhett part and that is who he is now. Although he was wanted to change it to Drake as is "Josh & Drake" on Nick tv. Which brings up an funny memory that makes me laugh so hard I am crying as I type this; just as hard as the day it happened... Don was getting onto Rhett about misplacing the remote. Rhett said he didn't have it or had not used it. Don told him he did because he changed the channel to "Josh & Stupid". I lost it. I became my grandmother laughing that silent belly laugh with tears coming out of my eyes. Rhett saw me laughing and cracked up also.
So as Rhett was holding my new nameless dog, I thought of Jessica and call her Jessie for short. Not very original I know, but neither would Molly or Maggie be any more original. So he helped me adopt her on line on the Webkins site. Now I have 3 more passwords I have to remember although I do have them written down. He was going too slow for me looking for what I wanted in her room. I'd know it when I saw it so I took over the mouse. I bought her something to eat, some water, gave her a pink bedroom and bought her a pink bed to match. I was good. Rhett asked, "Don't you want to buy her some blueberries?" Now why would I want to buy a dog blueberries? So we let Jessica go to sleep until the next time...
The next morning I was telling my co-worker about Jessica when I realized she had a real life one like her named Bella who got ran over. Funny that I'd told Rhett this morning as we were walking out to the car that I probably should have named her Bella. I asked him if I could change it. He is not sure if it could be done.
Later I thought I should have named him Ashley due to Rhett's name. I hate it when I am indecisive like this. It reminds me of a wishey-washy woman I used to work with years ago.
In thinking of a title for this, the song "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" came to mind. So what do you think this doggie's the name should be?
I also had a free lunch at work. They were serving barbecue chicken which is the only thing I will eat that they cook now.
I have reached the anniversary of my blogging for a few years now and well as the year mark of getting my digital camera, but I did not start posting photos until around September of last year. Yesterday I finally added a counter to my blog, but I put it on a certain page and don't know how to change it. So I guess I will have to keep going back to that page to see how many hits I got.
This morning I took these photos of Jessica. I took her to work with me to show my co-worker. I have her sitting on some paperwork. Hope she doesn't go on it! LOL
Quotes of the Day:
Friends are everwhere!
-Peter R. Stone-
(Thank goodness!)
Most of what my friends have been telling me since my bit of good news have been along the lines of this quote...
Just go out there and do what you've got to do.
~Martina Navratilova~
Self Portrait of Becky
At first I was going to use several photos of Rhett's bouncey ball collection as my B is for... for ABC Wednesday today but... I picked this one of me, Becky, instead.
I had been attempting to take photos of myself with the digital camera but didn't like the results until Saturday when I took this one. I had just gotten ready to go to our granddaughter Tatum's 11th year birthday party. I had on a new blouse I'd purchased at JCPenney's on sale for $8.99. The blouse had screamed out at me, "Buy me! Buy me because I am a Becky blouse." This photo was taken on our 14 year old Lazy Boy couch. Right before Montgomery Ward's went out of business, my mother bought me a white three bulb floor lamp which I love to this day. One of the best gifts she has ever given me except for the digital camera last year. The only light source was this one bulb burning which gave it a nice effect I think. This is one of the best pictures I have taken of myself in months so I am rather proud of it even if I sound like I am tooting my own horn on an ABC Wednesday. If you would like to participate, please go to the following... http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/
~Becky~
Monday, July 28, 2008
Odd Ball
Rhett collects bouncey balls now and I am the supplier of his habit. LOL Last week I bought him this one for a quarter out of a gum ball type machine at KFC when I went to lunch. I thought it was neat and he did not have one like it in his growing collection. Well, maybe an orange colored one like it. So I placed it on a turquoise inter-office envelope for contrasting colors I thought were complimentary. I snapped several shots, but I liked this one best because it looks like there is a face in the left hand side of the ball. Do you see it? I can't decide if it is a woman or a ghostie. Sort of eerie looking. "Twilght Zone" theme playing now.
If you would like to participate in Odd Shot Monday, please go to the following...http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/
Free Counter
Friday, July 25, 2008
Under a Turquoise Sky
I took this shot a week or so ago. Of course the sky was not actually this shade of turquoise. This is just the color it turned out once the sun's rays refracted in the camera's lense. I printed it out this week and fell in love with the color of it. In fact I made several copies. I like to think this turquoise sky is smiling down on me...
I have some exciting news to share... I went to my 2nd artist guild meeting last night and I am joining. This meeting was much better than the last one I attended. The President of the guild was there and we had a room full of artists, again mostly painters of water color, acrylics and oils. We had to introduce ourselves as before. The man next to me came with his wife, a painter, but he'd keep adding something to his introduction as I was attempting to rise up out of my seat about three times until he finally got it all out. It was rather comical and probably drew attention to myself. I proudly said, "I am an abstract artist" and actually felt like one.
The guild is having an art show in the middle of Sept. I have to pay a submission fee of $25 to enter, but I can submit one piece of my art work. As usual I have waited until almost the last moment to decide if this is what I want to do. Now I just have to figure out which piece to submit. Another artist told me she joined this guild last year and she had never taken a painting lesson in her entire life. She submitted a piece of art and won a green ribbon. She did not say if she won any monetary award like money. Still that gave me hope. I believe they have a First Timer's Award as well as 1st, 2nd & 3rd places along with prizes and new awards. AFLAC is donating a large grant. If your piece is chosen, it will hang in the library.
There was a lady painter who had a very unique style who was the guest speaker, demonstrating how she paints. Her work was a bit intimidating, but I was told not to be intimidated.
I also met a lady who owns or runs a shop who is willing to display local artists. The only downside is she charges 30% commission on what you sell. She did tell me another art gallery only charged 10%, but they have to approve of your work before a committee before it can be displayed. I would add the link of her website, but it did not have a lot of paintings displayed.
I should be able to add my art on the guild's website which will be so cool.
As a pre-celebration and because I was starving after the meeting, we got Gotham pizza from Domino's and hot wings which meant I ate at almost 10 pm. At 3:30 am, my tummy woke me up rolling with such loud noises. I got something to drink, but couldn't go return back to sleep due to my excitement. I kept reliving the meeting over and over especially the part where I said, "I am an abstract artist."
Please keep your fingers & toes crossed for me in this new adventure. If you should decide to go back on my blog and look at some of my artwork, please let me know what you liked. Thanks.
If you would like to participate in Sky Watch Friday, please go to the new link... http://skyley.blogspot.com/. Hope you have a great weekend.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A is for Art
After reading the new rules for ABC Wednesday, I pretty much knew I wanted this one to be my A is for... Art post for today. A is for Art. Yeah! I need to be doing more art so maybe this will motivate me as well as other artistic souls out there in blog land. Ironically or serendiptiously there is an Artist guild meeting tomorrow night which I plan to attend. I hope to meet more artists and learn from them. I plan to take only one piece of art with me when I go this time. The one I did of the blue lady butterfly I created on the 4th of July. Although my friend Cheryl said I should take whatever I want to take with me. She has been trying to build up my confidence in myself lately and I am grateful.
It is my strong hope that this photo will inspire your art today. Lately I have been doodling again on my desk pad at work, adding things daily. So far I have a really L-O-N-G, black centipede I made with the help of an unsharpened pencil for the circles. Centipede is one of my favorite all time video games) and I have a flag pattern going on from a stamp that isn't stamping like it did when I first bought it. I haven't used it in awhile. I have a pen that stamps a blue wavey line sort of like a running stitch which I also used because I cleaned out my messy desk drawer and re-discovered it. Love it when that happens. It reminds me of quilt patterns when used as a connection. Another favorite thing of mine is creating patchwork quilt art with paper as the medium and turning them into collages. What is your favorite type or piece of art?
~theRAV~
If you would like to participate in the new ABC Wednesday,please go to the following....
http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/
I am not sure how to do the new site yet. Sorry.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Allow Joy
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Allow joy
Joy is your true nature. That's why it feels so right. Simple yet profound, joy asks only to be. Joy fills your life to the extent that you allow it. Let go of the frustration, the anger, envy and worry. And joy comes quickly to fill the void. The smallest things can inspire joy. And the biggest moments in life benefit when they are lived in joy. Joy costs nothing and yet it gives so much. Joy is completely unreasonable and that is its most powerfully compelling reason. Joy is always here and now. Allow joy to fill your heart, and its great value will fill your world.
-- Ralph Marston--
Yes, the smallest things can inspire joy. So true especially this morning as Rhett & I were walking out the door. A red bird was on the bricks of the kitchen window serenading us with his morning song. Rhett said he'd never been that close to a bird before. I recalled one flew by me standing on my mom's back steps recently. I thought it was going to hit me!
At work I finally got a new phone cord so I could hear static free. The cord was gray which matches the interfacing of the phone. I was thrilled. As I have said before, it doesn't take much for me. It is the simple things such as these things that mean far more to me. I was told the appreciation for them comes with age. LOL
Rhett got to play a WE yesterday so that was all he talked about getting for Christmas to the point I told him I was not buyin one that night. I am going to purchase a shredder on sale of my mom at Staples this evening after work. Color copies are on sale at two place. Office Max is much cheaper so that may wait til Thursday. Planning on having grilled cheese sandwiches for supper. On Thursday there is another Artist guild meeting and I have niggling doubts about myself, but my friend Cheryl's past words were what I really needed to re-read today to build up my confidence in myself. I will probably join the guild. Will joining make me a real artist? We have our granddaughter's birthday party on Saturday evening to look forward to as well as my two best friends will be in town soon. Can't wait! Life is good. I certainly found the joy today.
Did you find Joy today?
~theRAV~
Allow joy
Joy is your true nature. That's why it feels so right. Simple yet profound, joy asks only to be. Joy fills your life to the extent that you allow it. Let go of the frustration, the anger, envy and worry. And joy comes quickly to fill the void. The smallest things can inspire joy. And the biggest moments in life benefit when they are lived in joy. Joy costs nothing and yet it gives so much. Joy is completely unreasonable and that is its most powerfully compelling reason. Joy is always here and now. Allow joy to fill your heart, and its great value will fill your world.
-- Ralph Marston--
Yes, the smallest things can inspire joy. So true especially this morning as Rhett & I were walking out the door. A red bird was on the bricks of the kitchen window serenading us with his morning song. Rhett said he'd never been that close to a bird before. I recalled one flew by me standing on my mom's back steps recently. I thought it was going to hit me!
At work I finally got a new phone cord so I could hear static free. The cord was gray which matches the interfacing of the phone. I was thrilled. As I have said before, it doesn't take much for me. It is the simple things such as these things that mean far more to me. I was told the appreciation for them comes with age. LOL
Rhett got to play a WE yesterday so that was all he talked about getting for Christmas to the point I told him I was not buyin one that night. I am going to purchase a shredder on sale of my mom at Staples this evening after work. Color copies are on sale at two place. Office Max is much cheaper so that may wait til Thursday. Planning on having grilled cheese sandwiches for supper. On Thursday there is another Artist guild meeting and I have niggling doubts about myself, but my friend Cheryl's past words were what I really needed to re-read today to build up my confidence in myself. I will probably join the guild. Will joining make me a real artist? We have our granddaughter's birthday party on Saturday evening to look forward to as well as my two best friends will be in town soon. Can't wait! Life is good. I certainly found the joy today.
Did you find Joy today?
~theRAV~
Monday, July 21, 2008
Odd Shot Monday 7/21/08
Sometimes it pays to drive over to the other side of town and see what life is like there. I wasn't sure if you could tell what this was so I will tell you. After we dropped off the computer for repair, we took Don's cell phone to Alltel. There was a Krispy Kreme across it's parking lot. Rhett loves doughnuts. I asked him if he'd like to walk over there instead of driving so we'd save a bit of gas. He said "YES!" really fast. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw this and knew I had to take a photo of it. It is their neon sign only it wasn't lit up in daylight so it looked odd, but neat to me. Now is that what you guessed?
~theRAV~
If you would like to participate in Odd Shot Mondday, please go to the following...
http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/
Saturday, July 19, 2008
3rd Robbery
Well, we have been robbed a 3rd time now! Don came in the back way yesterday evening and discovered his long bed trailer he used to cart his 4 wheeler to the woods was no longer residing with us. The police couldn't find us at 1st & had to call back to get directions. Good thing it was not an emergency! The detective that came out said theives are now stealing such items as this, tearing it apart and selling it as scrap metal. Don doesn't think they will do that with his as it is not even a year old. I told him, "No, they are going to use it to go hunting with all the other hunting stuff they stole from you!" At least he laughed. I have been jumpy all day today.
After checking old emails & responding, I took the computer to be worked on. It should be ready by Wednesday if it is not too bad & should cost only $95. Hope that is a good price. Got the weather text messaging on Don's cell stopped so there should be no more extra charges. Sometimes life sucks then it has it moments you would not trade for all the crab legs in the sea... I ran into a co-worker/friend/fellow vamp reader who turned me on the Black Dagger brotherhood series by J. R. Ward at a used book store. She showed me all sorts of good books. Got Rhett a Batman comic book & I got a free book so I can learn how to draw cartoon characters with BIG eyes. How cool was that? I felt guilty about getting the freebie so I bought Rhett the comic book. I also got my Odd Shot while we were out & about today. I guess my luck is running better than Don's has been lately.
After checking old emails & responding, I took the computer to be worked on. It should be ready by Wednesday if it is not too bad & should cost only $95. Hope that is a good price. Got the weather text messaging on Don's cell stopped so there should be no more extra charges. Sometimes life sucks then it has it moments you would not trade for all the crab legs in the sea... I ran into a co-worker/friend/fellow vamp reader who turned me on the Black Dagger brotherhood series by J. R. Ward at a used book store. She showed me all sorts of good books. Got Rhett a Batman comic book & I got a free book so I can learn how to draw cartoon characters with BIG eyes. How cool was that? I felt guilty about getting the freebie so I bought Rhett the comic book. I also got my Odd Shot while we were out & about today. I guess my luck is running better than Don's has been lately.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Opelika, Alabama Skies
Last Saturday Don wanted to go to Opelika and Valley, Alabama better known as "The Valley". We stopped in Opelika to look in a phone book at this Liberty gas station. Did you know it is relatively hard to find a phone book hanging from a pay phone these days? I noticed the birds on the sign so naturally I had to take their photo. I called them "The Liberty Birds" and of course Don just laughed at me as always. Notice the beautiful blue sky.
Once we'd sought what we were looking for in Opelika, Don wanted to head to Lanett or the Valley. He showed me where Georgia is on one side of the road and Lanett, Alabama is on the other with no river in between. Sort of like Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas. He was looking for a place to eat he'd eaten at before when his old job took him out of the shop to weld especialy at Piggly Wiggly stores. The 1st place was closed. Then we found David's which was a barbecue place in the 2nd photo. I thought it was a neat place. They had old car tags surrounding the front bar complete with bar stools. That was where Rhett wanted to sit, but we wanted to sit in a booth, old fuddy duddies that we have become. I kill Don because here we are at a barbecue place and I order a hamburger. I do this because I may not like their style of cooking the barbecue. I sampled some of Don's. It was ok. Not the best I have ever had, but I was content with my burger. I kept getting the barbecue sauce mixed up with the ketchup until I moved it over to Don's side of the table and kept the ketchup near me. I purposely tried to get sky in the background.
We stopped at a few other places. One was a coin place where I took the 3rd photo. They had Alabama and Auburn Coke and Pepsi bottles on the window' shelf with the cola still in the unopened bottles. Of course I was taking the picture towards a window so it is rather dark, but you can see sort of see it as well as sky in the background as well as where a bird blessed the window.
If you would like to participate in Sky Watch Friday, please go to the following new Sky Watch site....
http://skyley.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Book Mark
Yesterday Rhett and I found a bookmark just lying on the ground as if it was waiting for us. We looked around. Not a soul was to be found in our sight. So I picked it up to see what kind of bookmark it was; to see what it said. It said the following:
"Surround yourself with magic and mystery
READ"
-from The Spiderwick Chronicles
When I saw it, it sort of reminded me of the antique looking cards I had been making. Maybe it was a sign... instead of just a bookmark. A sign to make more cards and art or incorporate this one in another piece of my art from my heart. I believe I found this for a reason... and not just to view another beautiful piece of artwork. Perhaps to gain a new quote for this quote collector; to gain a new outlook; to reach beyond my physical limits; to read more; to be more inspired; to create more art.
So I was thankful for finding this bookmark. I was thankful the last few days have been quieter at work.
The Black Widow Spider aka Illy Nilly has been given a new name by my friend Ruth... Tarantella! LOL I only put that here since I mentioned The Spider Wick Chronicles. Illy Nilly is such much more fun to type.
What did you find today?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Z is for.... Zaxby's
Zee 1st thing I thought of for my Z is for... post for ABC Wednesday was using the character of Zsadist from the J. R. Ward vampire novel, but it has no photos of "Z" as he is often referered.
I have a cousin Zach. Zach was actually named after the character Dr. Zachary Smith of the "Lost in Space" tv fame. Thank goodness he is nothing like the character!
I had a favorite blouse that had a zebra collar and matching cuffs. The rest was hot pink silk. Silk is not a very sturdy material. It tends to split easily and come apart as this one did which is why I said had. I have photos of it somewhere taken on a birthday. I even bought a zebra frame to put the photo inside.
I began looking through the dictionary for z words. I knew I was being my usual zany self with my thoughts about this z post, showing my zeal and zest for life.
Now I could have began with the infamous line, "What's your sign?" from the 70's. My zodiac sign is Capricorn. What's your's?
Then I thought of zazzle.com where I have submitted some of my ideas and photographs. I need to do more to that.
Last Thursday we picked up supper from Zaxby's. I got a side of chicken zalad and spicey mushrooms. It was in the zone.
Speaking of Zaxby's, I have a funny story to tell... I had to pay a bill for Don after work after yet another Illy Nilly episode in the saga of "As the Prison Door Slams". I knew there was a Zaxby's nearby where I paid the bill. Acting like a spy, I pulled into a new eatery's parking lot across from Zaxby's, in an attempt to get close to Zaxby's sign. Not only was I going in the wrong way towards the drive-thru, I was seen by church friends. I was trying to turn around without being seen by them, but no such luck. They saw me so I waved. I backed on out and drove over into Zaxby's parking lot which I should have done in the beginning. I parked on the other side of a car out of the view of my friend's car. I got the above photo after the 3rd try. This was the best one. I liked the fact that the neon was begining to glow. As I was pulling out, I saw my friends were still sitting in their car! I knew they thought I was a loon and were probably wondering what I was doing. I am sure they will ask me about it at church tonight. I could never be a spy, a sneak, or a cheat because I'd get caught just like I did yesterday. Not that I would be one of those beings anyway.
Ironically I had more spicey mushrooms from Zaxby's today. So I guess my Z is for... is for Zaxby's.
I almost completely forgot about zentangles. Go to http://www.zentangle.com/ to see what they are. Even a 7 year old can do these. Some other excellent examples zentangles are at Janet's blog The Lavendar Loft. Go to http://lavendarloft.blogspot.com.
If you would like to participate in ABC Wednesday Z is for... please go to the following...
http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Understanding the meaning of Understanding
Well, Illy Nilly didn't have anything to complain about so she found something... I'd taken a message for someone which was not important, major or life threatening. Now this person never comes up to check his messages. One lady was out yesterday & I was doing two jobs. Illy did not know that I stayed 20 mins over to finish up the deposit which I won't get paid for. Otherwise she would have jumped on me for not finishing it. They warned me she was going to say something this morning. Because I was the one who took the message I was expecting the worst from her.
As she was telling me what she'd already told the others, that no messages would be left in the carousel. They must be delivered. So while she is standing at my desk telling me this, I am putting my time rosters in order not looking at her which really ticked her off. She kept asking me if I was listening. Well, I am capable multi-tasking. I can walk & chew gum at the same time. I told her I was listening. The 2nd time she asked if I was listening, she said she was accustomed to people looking at her when she talked. Well, I might if I respected her. So I stopped and looked at her with my eyes really wide and said "Okay. I am looking at you." I knew I was pushing it, but I couldn't help myself. Ironically I'd reminded Don last night about a tax payer complaining because I rolled my eyes at him years ago which seems like a lifetime now. So today I am in "trouble" for not looking at someone. I can't win for loosing. Not that I am feeling sorry for myself. She ended it by saying "We have an understanding." I wanted to say you might, but then she doesn't know the meaning of the word.
Then she said we had to answer the phone by saying our names. At all of my jobs I have worked, I have never said my name. Even if I did, they would never pronounce it correctly. I tried to remind her that the warden had not too long ago told us to answer the phone "The prison. May I help you?" She kept interrupting me as I was trying to say this. I finally was able to repeat that I was only doing what the warden instructed us to do. My hands were shaking at this point, but she couldn't see and I was not backing down when I knew I was in the right.
I went to get my daily rosters and she was in the warden's office being a tattle tale behind closed doors. I have never liked tattle tales. It reminded me of a red headed girl in elementary school. I had to put some papers in his box and I wasn't really eavesdropping, but I heard him agreeing with her probably to passify her while she was in there so she'd leave.
One man came in the office, asked me if the sun was shining on me. I said of course! I knew her german sheppard ears were listening. He cracked a good joke which was what I really needed at that moment so I was thankful for that.
She went outside to her car to smoke so I just had to look up the meaning of the word understanding, but first I had to read the word understand.
understand - v. (1.) To come to know the meaning or import of; apprehend. (2.) Perceive the nature or character of; My dictionary used this sentence which said it all: I do not understand her.
3.) To have comprehension or mastery of. (4.) To be aware of; realize. The sentence they used here was: She understands her position. (HA!) (5.) To have to be told; believe. ( 6.) To take or suppose to mean; infer: How am I to understand that remark? (7.) To accept as a condition or stipulation. (8.) To supply in thought when unexpressed, as a subject of the sentence. (9.) To have an understanding; comprehend. (10.) To be informed; believe. See synonyms under apprehend, know perceive, solve - to understand each other. To be in agreement; to be privately in sympathy with each other. (Again HA!)
-from the New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language, 1996
While she was out at her car, I read this to the ladies and we all had a good laugh especially about the dictionary's sentences refering to "she". It was as if the dictionary knew....
Coincidentally I came across these words below which fit right in today...
Be different
To make a
difference, you often
must be different. It
takes courage and
confidence to go against
the grain of negativity
that surrounds you, and
such courage can bring
great rewards.
Where others see only
doom and gloom, look
for the bright glimmer
of opportunity. For it is
most certainly there.
When everyone is
looking for someone to
blame for what has
already happened, turn
your focus toward the
future. Exploring the
current possibilities will
create infinitely more
value than arguing over
past failures.
When you encounter
rudeness and irritation,
generously offer your
own polite and
confident patience.
When you bump up
against the arrogance of
another person, melt it
away with your own
sincere, self-assured
humility.
Just because everyone is
heading in a negative
direction doesn't mean
you must go that way
too. On the contrary, it's
a valuable opportunity
for you to set a positive
example.
In times of great
difficulty and stress,
choose to be a beacon of
encouragement,
understanding and
positive purpose. Be
different, and you can
truly make a valuable
positive difference.
-- Ralph Marston
As she was telling me what she'd already told the others, that no messages would be left in the carousel. They must be delivered. So while she is standing at my desk telling me this, I am putting my time rosters in order not looking at her which really ticked her off. She kept asking me if I was listening. Well, I am capable multi-tasking. I can walk & chew gum at the same time. I told her I was listening. The 2nd time she asked if I was listening, she said she was accustomed to people looking at her when she talked. Well, I might if I respected her. So I stopped and looked at her with my eyes really wide and said "Okay. I am looking at you." I knew I was pushing it, but I couldn't help myself. Ironically I'd reminded Don last night about a tax payer complaining because I rolled my eyes at him years ago which seems like a lifetime now. So today I am in "trouble" for not looking at someone. I can't win for loosing. Not that I am feeling sorry for myself. She ended it by saying "We have an understanding." I wanted to say you might, but then she doesn't know the meaning of the word.
Then she said we had to answer the phone by saying our names. At all of my jobs I have worked, I have never said my name. Even if I did, they would never pronounce it correctly. I tried to remind her that the warden had not too long ago told us to answer the phone "The prison. May I help you?" She kept interrupting me as I was trying to say this. I finally was able to repeat that I was only doing what the warden instructed us to do. My hands were shaking at this point, but she couldn't see and I was not backing down when I knew I was in the right.
I went to get my daily rosters and she was in the warden's office being a tattle tale behind closed doors. I have never liked tattle tales. It reminded me of a red headed girl in elementary school. I had to put some papers in his box and I wasn't really eavesdropping, but I heard him agreeing with her probably to passify her while she was in there so she'd leave.
One man came in the office, asked me if the sun was shining on me. I said of course! I knew her german sheppard ears were listening. He cracked a good joke which was what I really needed at that moment so I was thankful for that.
She went outside to her car to smoke so I just had to look up the meaning of the word understanding, but first I had to read the word understand.
understand - v. (1.) To come to know the meaning or import of; apprehend. (2.) Perceive the nature or character of; My dictionary used this sentence which said it all: I do not understand her.
3.) To have comprehension or mastery of. (4.) To be aware of; realize. The sentence they used here was: She understands her position. (HA!) (5.) To have to be told; believe. ( 6.) To take or suppose to mean; infer: How am I to understand that remark? (7.) To accept as a condition or stipulation. (8.) To supply in thought when unexpressed, as a subject of the sentence. (9.) To have an understanding; comprehend. (10.) To be informed; believe. See synonyms under apprehend, know perceive, solve - to understand each other. To be in agreement; to be privately in sympathy with each other. (Again HA!)
-from the New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language, 1996
While she was out at her car, I read this to the ladies and we all had a good laugh especially about the dictionary's sentences refering to "she". It was as if the dictionary knew....
Coincidentally I came across these words below which fit right in today...
Be different
To make a
difference, you often
must be different. It
takes courage and
confidence to go against
the grain of negativity
that surrounds you, and
such courage can bring
great rewards.
Where others see only
doom and gloom, look
for the bright glimmer
of opportunity. For it is
most certainly there.
When everyone is
looking for someone to
blame for what has
already happened, turn
your focus toward the
future. Exploring the
current possibilities will
create infinitely more
value than arguing over
past failures.
When you encounter
rudeness and irritation,
generously offer your
own polite and
confident patience.
When you bump up
against the arrogance of
another person, melt it
away with your own
sincere, self-assured
humility.
Just because everyone is
heading in a negative
direction doesn't mean
you must go that way
too. On the contrary, it's
a valuable opportunity
for you to set a positive
example.
In times of great
difficulty and stress,
choose to be a beacon of
encouragement,
understanding and
positive purpose. Be
different, and you can
truly make a valuable
positive difference.
-- Ralph Marston
Monday, July 14, 2008
Alien Odd Shot Monday 7/14/08
I figure I'd better explain this one or you will think it is an alien... or maybe I should let you continue to think it is one... LOL
Last week I was thinking... I need an odd shot or else I would have to resort back to some of my odd trees I haven't posted. Ya'll seem to like those especially DiXymiss. Rhett had spent the day with his friend Alex on Thursday. I had to pick him up at a McDonald's after work. It was pouring down rain. First, Rhett wanted some of their sweet tea. After I got that, then he wanted fries so as I waiting on a happy meal, I saw my odd shot for this week... I thought their lights were neat in an odd way. As I walked up closer and zoomed in, I captured a fly on the light. How cool was that? I thought maybe you couldn't see the fly but I looked at it once I posted it to the blog and you can.
If you would like to partipate in Odd Shot Monday, please go to the following...
http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 11, 2008
Evening & Night Sky Watch
I took these two photos on the the 4th of July. We were sitting on the Phenix City, Alabama ampitheatre side of the Chattahoochee River across from Columbus, GA awaiting the festivities to begin then the fireworks. I thought the evening one was a good one. Then I waited awhile and took the night shot which really looked awesome in the camera. It didn't look as good when I zoomed in it at work but looks better now. Hope it is not too dark here. The later was taken without flash.
If you would like to participate in Sky Watch Friday, please go to the following....
http://womtig.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
You Can, You Can!
Hi Ya'll!
Oh, yeah... I knew I wanted this to be a positive post today especially after yesterday morning's episode and with Illy Nilly yammering away this morning. My Y words actually re-appeared to me over the course of the holiday weekend. I was doing my usual "cuttings" of scraps, shapes, objects and ideas out of catalogs. These Y words were on a flyer I'd held onto for awhile. I re-found them when I was cleaning out my big bag which had become way too heavy for me to carry. When I saw them, I thought to myself, "Yes! They are just perfect for my Y is for... post for ABC Wednesday. Although the photos are not noteworthy, it does have a golden yellow hue to it.
Yes, You can, you can! You can do anything you set your mind to do. You can be the writer, the artist or whatever you dreamed of being. Never, ever give up on your dreams no mater how old you are. Don't let others bring you down either. Don't let them get to you. Don't let it show if they do. You know you are a wonderful person on the inside and out. You have a wonderful life full of love, family and friends and that is far more important than anything. You can do anything. You can, you can!
Oh, yeah... I saw a car tag with the word "YUM" on it this morning on the drive to work. I couldn't reach my camera in my purse on the back floorboard. Sorry ya'll.
Then I received an email with these words in this photo which just reinforces the above words. How cool was that? I cut them out and stuck them to a sticky memo board I have at my desk at work. I could collage them with the above words also. The possiblities are endless...
Take care now Ya'll.
~theRAV~
If you would like to participate in ABC Wednesday Y is for..., please go to the following...
http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/
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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Blue Lady Butterfly Ink Blots
Now this was what I had originally intended to blog about; to toot my own horn about. I did this on the 4th of July. Leah had the idea on her blog a day or so before the 3rd so I knew I wanted Rhett & I to try it. We dropped a drop of paint in a journal my friend Genie gave me for my birthday and this was the result. Later I read Leah did a butterfly too. This is the link to her post:
http://www.creativeeveryday.com/creativeeveryday/2008/07/juggling-acts.html
I was pretty proud of this although it was hard to photograph. I felt it had to be finished that day. It was really, really something I wanted to do and complete. Janet of Lavendar Loft should be proud of me for messing up two pages in a journal. LOL If you zoom in, you can see a red bird with yellow feathers also. I took a pic of that but did not like the lines from the journal in it. I will probably crop that part out of the photo and use it in a collage.
The Pot Holes of My Life
I was hoping to have a terrific Tuesday post or one where I tooted my own horn but...
And to think this all started with a quote...
I know this one sounds sort of depressing, but I have to go over potholes daily on my drive to work.
Mondays are the potholes in the road of life.
-Tom Wilson, actor, writer
Some days like today, Tuesday are potholes too.
~theRAV~
My friend Bob replied:
How about this one: The potholes of life are unavoidable, but they do teach us to appreciate the smooth part of the ride! Love ya, Bob
Bob, thanks so much for what you said. It was so optomistic & just what I needed. I have had another bad morning. I forgot there was a staff meeting not that it was important or pertained to me. We tend to call them "Dog & Pony Shows". This one was the Illy Nilly or Black Widow Spider (BWS) show. Because certified peace officers are supposed to get a raise, she thinks she is supposed to get one too. She makes more than the rest of us ladies in the office. The Warden refused her request to work a 4 day wk which would have meant she would have been here longer hrs & we so look forward to when she leaves. So she was ticked she wasn't getting her way is trying to cause a stink about it. We knew it was not going to be pleasant today.
Friday Illy Nilly had wanted to start something w/ me about a report I had rec'd which she would not have even known about if she had not opened the mail. I wasn't doing it fast enough for her I guess, but she just needed something to pick about & I was the lucky one. She left early & did not know I couldn't finish it because the deputy warden had not signed it when we left early. Because we got of early for the holiday and she had a dr's appointment thus leaving earlier than us, she now things she is supposed to get off earlier next Friday. She wouldn't let the old secretary do it so why should she she be able to do this? Accounting would not accept the order w/out his signature. I couldn't finish it Monday either because 2 ladies were out.
Yesterday it was just me & her t
here, but she wasn't too bad except for the fact that she stayed out in her car for 20 mins at the time! When she went to lunch, I thought she was going out to her car for another 20. I only saw her keys in her hand. Not her purse. She was gone over 30 but had gone to Burger King. I left her still talking as the big steel door slammed on my way out to lunch & didn't feel the least be sorry about it. She is on her medication again which makes her talk more than I do!
Now 2 other ladies were off yesterday as I said. I had to do some of one of the lady's work. Illy had some talk radio show where all they do is complain blaring loudly so I had Michael Bubble' playing repeatedly to cover it up so I could work. She left at her normal time & I got what I needed to have done of the other girl's work with 15 mins to spare. I have to let my work go to the sidelines which meant the report still had not been completed.
Today I am doing what I couldn't do Thursday & yesterday. I was putting orders in the system the warden told me to put in. I am working diligently minding my own business. Although I heard Illy get ugly on the phone with another lady officer who told her Illy didn't have to get a nasty attitude about it. Of course Illy says she has no attitude. Yeah..., right. Illy has been on the phone with personnel about the 4 day week too.
It is the beginning of our new fiscal year. We can now order supplies. I just have not had time to fix my list to fax yet, but I am waiting to the very last minute on purpose now. I guess someone came up asking for a pen or something so she starts in on that. I made the mistake of saying I have not had time. Then it was like a running list of "Have you done this....? Have you done that...? Is it in the mail? " One she misspoke on because I don't do that task & corrected her on it. Well, one wasn't in the mail slot yet, but I knew would be by before the end of the day so I didn't tell a lie. Anyway I don't like to be asked such like I am a child or the old lady secretary who had alzheimers whom she treated like a dog. I am an adult here who does my job without being supervised. I know what I have to do and I get it done. So I answered her thru my teeth with "YES!" which is what I do when you have pushed me to my limit. She asked me how long it would take me to finish what the warden told me to do. Remember last time she & I clashed, she stressed to me that the warden came first. I should have reminded her of that. Well, I don't know how long it will take me to do something what with the phone ringing, people interrupting me, etc. so I said "When I get thru." which she didn't like at all. She said she didn't ask for sarcasm. Well, she came to the wrong person then.
Then she came out to my desk and threw up everything I ever did wrong in my face. Her's was one I did not want to see. By now I am so mad and couldn't even come back with "At least I don't spend 20 mins at a time in my car!" which would have probably made it even worse. When she finally went away, I went into the dep. warden's office and asked him, "Are you hearing this?" He had his radio on so he did not. She knew I went in there so she is going to start again. Because he wasn't backing me up, I just loudly said, "I am going to the bathroom." I didn't want to go outside and appear as if I were running away from her. I stayed in there awhile until I could calm down. Praying for calmness which thankfully I received.
I have not been this upset since after my accident where my car radiator exploded on me. I had just gone back to work & couldn't not tell my boss at Gayfer's hair salon if I could work the next day without talking to my dr 1st. She too upset em so badly that it sent me to the bathroom only I was in tears then. (I was proud of myself for not crying this bout." I put paper towels down on the floor and sat there for about 15 mins. until I could calm down at Gayfer's.
I have not been this upset in a long while. I was literally shaking because I had so much hate towards her. I took my time in the john. Then I saw my reflection in the mirror and was horrified at my expression. How could I let her get to me like this, make me look like I do? I didn't recognize myself. I am so obvious with my expressions that she knows when she gets my goat. I wish I were one of those people who could mask my feelings like a card player.
I took my S-L-O-W, sweet time about doing all my tasks. Luckily I'd eaten some crackers because I certainly had no appetite. I finished the warden's stuff at 1. I went to lunch even though I still wasn't hungry, but needed to get out of the office for a few. On the way back, I hear this loud bang. I thought I'd blow a tire, but the car wasn't acting like one had blown. I called one of my good male officer friends to come help me because I'd seen a wire hanging under the car. He asked another good male officer & friend to come look too. I'd run over some sort of thick wire, but they were afraid it was tangled around my drive shaft. Luckily it wasn't. Pete listened to the way it sounded to make sure it was ok to drive. I was so thankful for these two guys who are real friends.I guess this was payback for wishing her ill.
The dep warden pulled in as they were working on my car. He joked saying, he "thought Don was trying to tell me something." I said it wasn't Don, but he knew who I meant & laughed. He told me while I was in the restroom, he asked her what was her problem, but that is all he told me. It made me feel somewhat better. Maybe that was why she was humanistic later.
Of course my fries were cold by the time I got back inside from the heat. I am certainly not doing that deodorant commerical where you hold your arms up either! And she acts as if nothing transpired. I hate the fact that I have to answer her, but at least I am not showing her she has gotten to me even though it nearly kills me and I have a dull headache. Better go do my office supply order before she fires me! Maybe I should purposely leave her prongs off the list! LOL
Hee! Hee! The dep. warden decided to hold off on the order to see if anyone else needs anything. I told him I could dance a jig because if she asks me if I placed the order, I can tell her NO! If she even starts, she will have to take it up with him. I love it!!! It doesn't take much to make me happy. I am good now. I have taken some Alleve and my headache is starting to fade.
And to think this all started with a quote...
I know this one sounds sort of depressing, but I have to go over potholes daily on my drive to work.
Mondays are the potholes in the road of life.
-Tom Wilson, actor, writer
Some days like today, Tuesday are potholes too.
~theRAV~
My friend Bob replied:
How about this one: The potholes of life are unavoidable, but they do teach us to appreciate the smooth part of the ride! Love ya, Bob
Bob, thanks so much for what you said. It was so optomistic & just what I needed. I have had another bad morning. I forgot there was a staff meeting not that it was important or pertained to me. We tend to call them "Dog & Pony Shows". This one was the Illy Nilly or Black Widow Spider (BWS) show. Because certified peace officers are supposed to get a raise, she thinks she is supposed to get one too. She makes more than the rest of us ladies in the office. The Warden refused her request to work a 4 day wk which would have meant she would have been here longer hrs & we so look forward to when she leaves. So she was ticked she wasn't getting her way is trying to cause a stink about it. We knew it was not going to be pleasant today.
Friday Illy Nilly had wanted to start something w/ me about a report I had rec'd which she would not have even known about if she had not opened the mail. I wasn't doing it fast enough for her I guess, but she just needed something to pick about & I was the lucky one. She left early & did not know I couldn't finish it because the deputy warden had not signed it when we left early. Because we got of early for the holiday and she had a dr's appointment thus leaving earlier than us, she now things she is supposed to get off earlier next Friday. She wouldn't let the old secretary do it so why should she she be able to do this? Accounting would not accept the order w/out his signature. I couldn't finish it Monday either because 2 ladies were out.
Yesterday it was just me & her t
here, but she wasn't too bad except for the fact that she stayed out in her car for 20 mins at the time! When she went to lunch, I thought she was going out to her car for another 20. I only saw her keys in her hand. Not her purse. She was gone over 30 but had gone to Burger King. I left her still talking as the big steel door slammed on my way out to lunch & didn't feel the least be sorry about it. She is on her medication again which makes her talk more than I do!
Now 2 other ladies were off yesterday as I said. I had to do some of one of the lady's work. Illy had some talk radio show where all they do is complain blaring loudly so I had Michael Bubble' playing repeatedly to cover it up so I could work. She left at her normal time & I got what I needed to have done of the other girl's work with 15 mins to spare. I have to let my work go to the sidelines which meant the report still had not been completed.
Today I am doing what I couldn't do Thursday & yesterday. I was putting orders in the system the warden told me to put in. I am working diligently minding my own business. Although I heard Illy get ugly on the phone with another lady officer who told her Illy didn't have to get a nasty attitude about it. Of course Illy says she has no attitude. Yeah..., right. Illy has been on the phone with personnel about the 4 day week too.
It is the beginning of our new fiscal year. We can now order supplies. I just have not had time to fix my list to fax yet, but I am waiting to the very last minute on purpose now. I guess someone came up asking for a pen or something so she starts in on that. I made the mistake of saying I have not had time. Then it was like a running list of "Have you done this....? Have you done that...? Is it in the mail? " One she misspoke on because I don't do that task & corrected her on it. Well, one wasn't in the mail slot yet, but I knew would be by before the end of the day so I didn't tell a lie. Anyway I don't like to be asked such like I am a child or the old lady secretary who had alzheimers whom she treated like a dog. I am an adult here who does my job without being supervised. I know what I have to do and I get it done. So I answered her thru my teeth with "YES!" which is what I do when you have pushed me to my limit. She asked me how long it would take me to finish what the warden told me to do. Remember last time she & I clashed, she stressed to me that the warden came first. I should have reminded her of that. Well, I don't know how long it will take me to do something what with the phone ringing, people interrupting me, etc. so I said "When I get thru." which she didn't like at all. She said she didn't ask for sarcasm. Well, she came to the wrong person then.
Then she came out to my desk and threw up everything I ever did wrong in my face. Her's was one I did not want to see. By now I am so mad and couldn't even come back with "At least I don't spend 20 mins at a time in my car!" which would have probably made it even worse. When she finally went away, I went into the dep. warden's office and asked him, "Are you hearing this?" He had his radio on so he did not. She knew I went in there so she is going to start again. Because he wasn't backing me up, I just loudly said, "I am going to the bathroom." I didn't want to go outside and appear as if I were running away from her. I stayed in there awhile until I could calm down. Praying for calmness which thankfully I received.
I have not been this upset since after my accident where my car radiator exploded on me. I had just gone back to work & couldn't not tell my boss at Gayfer's hair salon if I could work the next day without talking to my dr 1st. She too upset em so badly that it sent me to the bathroom only I was in tears then. (I was proud of myself for not crying this bout." I put paper towels down on the floor and sat there for about 15 mins. until I could calm down at Gayfer's.
I have not been this upset in a long while. I was literally shaking because I had so much hate towards her. I took my time in the john. Then I saw my reflection in the mirror and was horrified at my expression. How could I let her get to me like this, make me look like I do? I didn't recognize myself. I am so obvious with my expressions that she knows when she gets my goat. I wish I were one of those people who could mask my feelings like a card player.
I took my S-L-O-W, sweet time about doing all my tasks. Luckily I'd eaten some crackers because I certainly had no appetite. I finished the warden's stuff at 1. I went to lunch even though I still wasn't hungry, but needed to get out of the office for a few. On the way back, I hear this loud bang. I thought I'd blow a tire, but the car wasn't acting like one had blown. I called one of my good male officer friends to come help me because I'd seen a wire hanging under the car. He asked another good male officer & friend to come look too. I'd run over some sort of thick wire, but they were afraid it was tangled around my drive shaft. Luckily it wasn't. Pete listened to the way it sounded to make sure it was ok to drive. I was so thankful for these two guys who are real friends.I guess this was payback for wishing her ill.
The dep warden pulled in as they were working on my car. He joked saying, he "thought Don was trying to tell me something." I said it wasn't Don, but he knew who I meant & laughed. He told me while I was in the restroom, he asked her what was her problem, but that is all he told me. It made me feel somewhat better. Maybe that was why she was humanistic later.
Of course my fries were cold by the time I got back inside from the heat. I am certainly not doing that deodorant commerical where you hold your arms up either! And she acts as if nothing transpired. I hate the fact that I have to answer her, but at least I am not showing her she has gotten to me even though it nearly kills me and I have a dull headache. Better go do my office supply order before she fires me! Maybe I should purposely leave her prongs off the list! LOL
Hee! Hee! The dep. warden decided to hold off on the order to see if anyone else needs anything. I told him I could dance a jig because if she asks me if I placed the order, I can tell her NO! If she even starts, she will have to take it up with him. I love it!!! It doesn't take much to make me happy. I am good now. I have taken some Alleve and my headache is starting to fade.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Robbery Dream
On the night of July 3rd, mom's birthday, maybe I ate a bad shrimp at Red Lobster (LOL) into the morning of the 4th, I dreamed we were robbed for the 3rd time. We had a lot of people in the house, but I can't give a specific number. They "felt" like friends and family, but I cannot describe them because they remain faceless as most people do in my dreams unless they are the main characters starring in
them.
The robber was a short, dark haired man w/ sort of longish hair. It was past his ears. He was wearing a baseball with a logo, but don't know what it was, a t-shirt w/ words on it, but don't remember what it said, long blue jean shorts, socks & tennis shoes. He must have had a gun. He was gathering up our belonings, clothes included. As he was doing this, I was wondering what our friends and family were
thinking of at that moment. I got the "feeling" that my Uncle R. F. was there for some reason. (This could have been because our preacher put up a 4th of July Liberty board which has names of a lot of my relatives such as my Granddaddy Bristow, Daddy, Uncle Bert, Uncle Frank and Uncle R. F. to name a few. I'd taken a photo to show Daddy on the night of Mom's birthday.)
Don & I would keep looking at each other as if waiting for some sort of signal so we could make a move to do something to stop this. I felt rather brave like I was supposed to be the one to act. Like I was supposed to be the hero. I always seem to have more power in my dreams. We were able to move around freely. On the pretext of getting something to drink, I planned to get one of my pairing knives out of the drainer in the sink in the kitchen, but the robber was coming by with an armload full of our stuff. Don was taking some sort of weird looking cart w/ even more things behind him, but hating it he was forced to do this.
I ran into the living room & told everyone to get their cell phones and call 911 which they did. Another robber was coming in so I told them to "never mind". I hung up on our phone. This robber was young, in his 20's, well dressed in a country blue colored shirt w/ tiny white pin stripes in it and jeans. He had beautiful highlighted blonde hair. At that moment I absolutely hated highlighted hair!
As he was walking out the back kitchen door, there were shelves that were on the wall that were not normally there in reality. There was only one thing remaining on the shelf. It was an ugly cookie jar w/ black flowers on it. Realizing they had taken all my what-nots, I got very mad and called them a "SOB", but used the whole word! At the same time Don and I saw my cosmetic suitcase which Mamma gave to
me. (It was the luggage set Daddy gave her as an anniversary present the 1st Christmas they were married. It is the very hard type and now considered antiques. Penny & Genie know what I am referring to because they have seen it on our many trips. In reality the robbers must have stolen one of the smallest suitcases because we cannot find it. At least I still have the cosmetic one and the BIG one.) The
cosmetic suit case was open in my dream (I know that means something like I am an open book. LOL)We both knew I had another smaller cosmetic bag filled w/ jewelry in it inside that hard case. At this point, I KNEW I'd fight them over this to the end.
Then I woke up feeling as if I had been robbed. I wrote this down in my journal immediately then read it to Don who just killed himself laughing at me as he always does when I tell him what I dreamed.
I painted my nails & toe nails red, white and blue literally in that manner. One red, one white, one blue and repeated.
On a brighter note, I heard of a new art idea so Rhett & I tried that in a journal Genie gave me for my birthday. We dropped one droplet of paint on the page. I probably did this differently than was instructed as I always do because I'd shut the book then open it after each droplet to see what was forming. I soon realized we had the wings of butterfly on each side. Nail polish even worked because I tried one drop of my "Frankly Scarlett" nail polish. It looked more fuschia than the red that it is inside the bottle. Before the paint could dry, I could envision the body of a butterfly. When the paint dried, I began drawing the body. Of course the face is split in half by the journal. She is a rather chubby thing, but still cute with a smiley face to make you happy when you gaze upon her. I used a Liberty blue paint because it was the 4th for clouds to fill in some of the background rather than coloring the entire sky baby blue with a colored pencil. This was too blue gray for me spoiling her smile so I used a white colored pencil to lighten the dark clouds up a bit. So I was satisfied with it. I will send you the photos later...
We went to Thunder on the Hooch yesterday evening. I sweated enough off my back to shed several inches. LOL We ran into Rhett's church friend, Alex, who rode the rides with him @ 6 Flags so they seemed to have a good time. He has gotten braver about riding rides. Don saw folks he knew but I didn't see anyone except for Savannah, who was Little Miss Phenix City. Later they had a bad Elvis impersonator, but I really enjoyed the songs he sang even if he didn't sound like him. It is hard to take pics of the fireworks w/ a digital as I mentioned in the previous post.
I am not the only weird one... I saw man taking a pic of a Dr. Pepper can on the the brick railing on the PC side of the river and told Don this. Later this guy would sing at the amipitheatre so I guess he is multi-artistic.
All in all it was a good 4th for us. Hope your's was good too.
them.
The robber was a short, dark haired man w/ sort of longish hair. It was past his ears. He was wearing a baseball with a logo, but don't know what it was, a t-shirt w/ words on it, but don't remember what it said, long blue jean shorts, socks & tennis shoes. He must have had a gun. He was gathering up our belonings, clothes included. As he was doing this, I was wondering what our friends and family were
thinking of at that moment. I got the "feeling" that my Uncle R. F. was there for some reason. (This could have been because our preacher put up a 4th of July Liberty board which has names of a lot of my relatives such as my Granddaddy Bristow, Daddy, Uncle Bert, Uncle Frank and Uncle R. F. to name a few. I'd taken a photo to show Daddy on the night of Mom's birthday.)
Don & I would keep looking at each other as if waiting for some sort of signal so we could make a move to do something to stop this. I felt rather brave like I was supposed to be the one to act. Like I was supposed to be the hero. I always seem to have more power in my dreams. We were able to move around freely. On the pretext of getting something to drink, I planned to get one of my pairing knives out of the drainer in the sink in the kitchen, but the robber was coming by with an armload full of our stuff. Don was taking some sort of weird looking cart w/ even more things behind him, but hating it he was forced to do this.
I ran into the living room & told everyone to get their cell phones and call 911 which they did. Another robber was coming in so I told them to "never mind". I hung up on our phone. This robber was young, in his 20's, well dressed in a country blue colored shirt w/ tiny white pin stripes in it and jeans. He had beautiful highlighted blonde hair. At that moment I absolutely hated highlighted hair!
As he was walking out the back kitchen door, there were shelves that were on the wall that were not normally there in reality. There was only one thing remaining on the shelf. It was an ugly cookie jar w/ black flowers on it. Realizing they had taken all my what-nots, I got very mad and called them a "SOB", but used the whole word! At the same time Don and I saw my cosmetic suitcase which Mamma gave to
me. (It was the luggage set Daddy gave her as an anniversary present the 1st Christmas they were married. It is the very hard type and now considered antiques. Penny & Genie know what I am referring to because they have seen it on our many trips. In reality the robbers must have stolen one of the smallest suitcases because we cannot find it. At least I still have the cosmetic one and the BIG one.) The
cosmetic suit case was open in my dream (I know that means something like I am an open book. LOL)We both knew I had another smaller cosmetic bag filled w/ jewelry in it inside that hard case. At this point, I KNEW I'd fight them over this to the end.
Then I woke up feeling as if I had been robbed. I wrote this down in my journal immediately then read it to Don who just killed himself laughing at me as he always does when I tell him what I dreamed.
I painted my nails & toe nails red, white and blue literally in that manner. One red, one white, one blue and repeated.
On a brighter note, I heard of a new art idea so Rhett & I tried that in a journal Genie gave me for my birthday. We dropped one droplet of paint on the page. I probably did this differently than was instructed as I always do because I'd shut the book then open it after each droplet to see what was forming. I soon realized we had the wings of butterfly on each side. Nail polish even worked because I tried one drop of my "Frankly Scarlett" nail polish. It looked more fuschia than the red that it is inside the bottle. Before the paint could dry, I could envision the body of a butterfly. When the paint dried, I began drawing the body. Of course the face is split in half by the journal. She is a rather chubby thing, but still cute with a smiley face to make you happy when you gaze upon her. I used a Liberty blue paint because it was the 4th for clouds to fill in some of the background rather than coloring the entire sky baby blue with a colored pencil. This was too blue gray for me spoiling her smile so I used a white colored pencil to lighten the dark clouds up a bit. So I was satisfied with it. I will send you the photos later...
We went to Thunder on the Hooch yesterday evening. I sweated enough off my back to shed several inches. LOL We ran into Rhett's church friend, Alex, who rode the rides with him @ 6 Flags so they seemed to have a good time. He has gotten braver about riding rides. Don saw folks he knew but I didn't see anyone except for Savannah, who was Little Miss Phenix City. Later they had a bad Elvis impersonator, but I really enjoyed the songs he sang even if he didn't sound like him. It is hard to take pics of the fireworks w/ a digital as I mentioned in the previous post.
I am not the only weird one... I saw man taking a pic of a Dr. Pepper can on the the brick railing on the PC side of the river and told Don this. Later this guy would sing at the amipitheatre so I guess he is multi-artistic.
All in all it was a good 4th for us. Hope your's was good too.
Odd Shot Monday 7/7/08
I found it very difficult to take firework photos with my digital camera during Thunder on the Hooch on the 4th of July. I had the camera aimed, but this is what I got. I thought it was neat and odd so I knew it would be my Odd Shot for today. It is funny... what I would normally delete, I now save for this activity. Thus making me a packrat where my photos are concerned and not just inside my house. Hope you all had a great holiday as did we.
If you would like to participate in Odd Shot Monday, please go to the following...
http://katneyskaboodle.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Thankful Thursday & Happy 4th
First of all I am so thankful Rhett and I returned safely from 6 Flags Over GA last Friday as I have already mentioned in the previous posts. I did not have a good feeling about this trip as I did our 1st one last year. I couldn't get excited about it for some reason. In fact, I was sort of dreading it. All the walking and all the heat. But us moms will do most anything for our child. Plus Don was off, but not wanting to go which made me mad at him. He'd hurt his back at work picking up heavy metal so I forgave him. Luckily the robbers did not take Don's insulated camo bag we carried bottled water inside so I was thankful for that.
I was thankful we were there the day we went and not the next day when the young boy got beheaded by the Batman ride. I don't think we would have ever gotten over that if we had actually seen it happen. It was bad enough just hearing about it. I think they even heard about it in Ireland. It is weird and surreal because as we were passing by one of the rides near where we parked, there were hats aplenty lying all around. It really made you think.
This 4th of July I have a lot to be thankful for... Our freedom to do as we please within reason of course. A holiday to be off work and spend time with family. Freedom to celebrate. Freedom of religion without molestation.
Our preacher came up with an idea about a freedom board at church. He asked for names of family members and it turned out I had a lot of names to contribute. Don was the only one in his family. On the freedom board are my grandfather on my Daddy's side, my Daddy, Uncle Bert, my Uncle Frank, my Uncle R. F., my Uncle Butch, my Uncle Lucky and my cousin Lance. I realized I left a few more out as I typed this list and will give those to our preacher since he plans to leave the board up for a long while. Probably until it fades. I took the photos last night as well as THE most beautiful golden orange sunset the good Lord blessed me with outside the church doors. So I was thankful for that too. I guess I am thankful for little things like that. I printed the photos at Walmart today to show to my Daddy tonight as we celebrate my mom's birthday at Red Lobster. I need to get copies for my Aunt Pearl since Uncle Bert's name is on there. uncle Bert passed away back in April and was a real Army man. I need to make copies for my Uncle Frank as well. Uncle Frank got some bad news this week. His cancer meds were so expensive he told them to just put them back on the shelf; that he would go be with God and his son. We are looking into getting him some help. I am thankful for all these male relatives of mine who served our country. I am so thankful for my family especially my mom since it is her birthday today. She was almost a firecracker! LOL
I hope you have a great 4th of July!
If you would like to participate in Thankful Thursday, please go to the following...
http://www.eph2810.com/
I was thankful we were there the day we went and not the next day when the young boy got beheaded by the Batman ride. I don't think we would have ever gotten over that if we had actually seen it happen. It was bad enough just hearing about it. I think they even heard about it in Ireland. It is weird and surreal because as we were passing by one of the rides near where we parked, there were hats aplenty lying all around. It really made you think.
This 4th of July I have a lot to be thankful for... Our freedom to do as we please within reason of course. A holiday to be off work and spend time with family. Freedom to celebrate. Freedom of religion without molestation.
Our preacher came up with an idea about a freedom board at church. He asked for names of family members and it turned out I had a lot of names to contribute. Don was the only one in his family. On the freedom board are my grandfather on my Daddy's side, my Daddy, Uncle Bert, my Uncle Frank, my Uncle R. F., my Uncle Butch, my Uncle Lucky and my cousin Lance. I realized I left a few more out as I typed this list and will give those to our preacher since he plans to leave the board up for a long while. Probably until it fades. I took the photos last night as well as THE most beautiful golden orange sunset the good Lord blessed me with outside the church doors. So I was thankful for that too. I guess I am thankful for little things like that. I printed the photos at Walmart today to show to my Daddy tonight as we celebrate my mom's birthday at Red Lobster. I need to get copies for my Aunt Pearl since Uncle Bert's name is on there. uncle Bert passed away back in April and was a real Army man. I need to make copies for my Uncle Frank as well. Uncle Frank got some bad news this week. His cancer meds were so expensive he told them to just put them back on the shelf; that he would go be with God and his son. We are looking into getting him some help. I am thankful for all these male relatives of mine who served our country. I am so thankful for my family especially my mom since it is her birthday today. She was almost a firecracker! LOL
I hope you have a great 4th of July!
If you would like to participate in Thankful Thursday, please go to the following...
http://www.eph2810.com/
Sky Watch Over 6 Flags
Well, I am sure you knew these were coming, didn't you? The first one has a story behind it... We were with a different group this year than last year. There were two single moms and a single dad. Rhett wanted to be with his friend Alex so we all were hanging out instead of with the group we stayed with last year. Believe it or not, it had just rained before I took this one. I loved the fact that it had the water at the bottom and the sky at the top of it. I told Alex's dad, I wanted to take this picture and I would catch up with them. BIG mistake. I'd heard the boys talking about bumper cars. Well, I learned my lesson the hard way... never, ever leave your group. I was a lost parent. I wasn't so worried about Rhett because I knew he was with good people. I did pretty good though. I didn't panick. I didn't cry and carry on. I went to places I thought they'd be, but they were not there. I spotted our preacher about to get on the Scream Machine. His cell did not pick up very well underneath the shelter. Then I came across some more of our group. I saw one of the lady's sons and asked him to call his mom. They said they were at Skull Island, but they had not arrived yet. They were just then walking over to it. I was very relieved to see my son. I asked him if he missed me. Angie said he was wondering where I was. I did not take any photos for a long while after that happened.
This first one reminds me of something David or John would take.
After spending about two hours at Skull Island in the shade with the water blowing is cool spray on us, we rode Thunder River. I thought I was going to get seasick. I had my cell phone and my digital camera in the depth of my side pocket, but wouldn't you know that one pocket would be the side to get the wettest! It did not harm either one - thank goodness, but I was still wet when even when we got home. Rhett's bathing trunks and towel sort of soured in his Rugrats backpack.
I took this last sky shot while were waiting for our group to arrive as we were about to depart after I'd taken the Batman and Joker photos I posted earlier. Hope you go back and look at them as well as my Bat poem. I loved the sun's rays in this one. Who knew I'd get such great Sky Watch pictures at 6 Flags?
If you would like to participate in Sky Watch Friday, please go to the following...
http://womtig.blogspot.com/
Hope you have a Happy 4th of July!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
X is for...
The only word I could come up with for X is for... words for ABC Wednesday were the above ones.
XTRA! EXTRA!
I was going to use a newspaper type article but what to say? That Rhett and I made if safely back from our 6 Flags trip. The calves of my legs were stiff and sore from all the walking and hill climbing we did. My lips were sunburned because I forgot to pack anything for them, but luckily a friend had some Carmex along with her so I was thankful for Carol for having it. I shuffled around like Tim Conway did on the "Carol Burnett Show" as the old man the next couple of days.
The XTRA! XTRA! story came in the form of a teenager being decapitated on a ride at 6 Flags the day after we left! I was thankful this did not happen while we were there. Rhett would have had nightmares for sure. I have heard differing stories about this tragedy such as he went back for his hat and was hit in the head by someone's legs with a force so strong it knocked his head off. Then I heard he was trying to grab onto someone ass the ride began. I did not watch the news this weekend nor read the paper so I cannot offer a link. Sorry. Just please when you go to places such as this amusement park, be XTRA careful.
I remembered we have this printing place called Xpress Printing so Rhett and I stopped yesterday evening so I could take this photo. I have never used them. I started to buy a pack of Extra gum and photograph it, but figured this would suffice and I didn't want to go to the extremes as I usually do.
May you have an X-tra special, xtraoridinary day today. Be sure to read my previous post entitled "A Bat's Tale". If you would like to participate in ABC Wednesday X is for..., please go to the following...
http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
"A Bat Tale" by ~theRAV~
This morning on the way to work, I noticed a church fountain glowing in the sunlight. At work, an old friend gave me a good quote which reminded me I was not what the quote said because I forgot to double bolt the door! I began praying no one would break in again.
Then I thought about how I have not written any poetry lately so I went to e-muse once again. As I was filling in the blanks with descriptive words and revising them for the fourth time, I finally came up with this poem below knowing I would use my Batman and Joker photos taken at 6 Flags last week. I’d sent the Batman close-up out as an email yesterday stating he could make me his Bat woman any time! LOL There is just something about a masked man.... sigh. He reminded me of Ralph of the group
Anthem. I was a groupie a lifetime ago. Maybe because of his long facial structure. I forgot to mention that tidbit to Penny. Wonder if she saw the same thing? Then there is the zoom in shot of the Joker’s face.... it made me want to draw him. I can just picture it in my mind... but I am not revealing my total idea here.
At first Rhett thought the Joker was too scarey to have his photo taken with him last
Friday. The other kids had their picture taken with him so Rhett saw the character would not bother him. Coincidentally, a guy handed the Joker a joker playing card which he held up in other photos I took. Just not in this one. Who knew a photo could lead to an unexpected post as well as inspire a poem?
I may not have created any art this week, but I am tooting my own horn about these
photos and my new poem today. Can’t wait to email to my friend Mike who his a BIG
Batman fan.
“A Bat Tale”
The green black waters in the wishing well
overflows with an evil so intense
It smells like death warmed over thrice.
There are inky black skies over Gotham’s only church fountain
with a hazy green glow on the clouds outer edges.
Yet there is Gotham’s one ray of hope...
A bright beam in the blackness waiting until needed.
Then the Joker arrives all smiles
as if he could stop himself
joking about how well lit he is
in his neon pea green suit and shoes,
glowing peridot underneath his grassy green hair.
The only really putrid part
is the inky midnight green waters bubbling like hot, thick oil
dripping over the wishing well
All wishes gone now.
Overwhelming the unsuspecting Joker.
What is this on his green hued shoe?
The joke is on him
As the Penguin silently awaits in the India inky shadows.
The blackness overflows and runs throughout Gotham’s streets
The entire town becoming the Penguin’s pig sty
The Joker is glued tight to the spot where he stands
Stuck in the muck
Only Batman can clean up.
© ~Becky Bristow Voyles aka theRAV~
7/1/08
This guy should be in the next Batman movie in my book!
Quote of the day:
Be ever vigilant and smart. ~Carolyn Tidd~
Always remember to double bolt your doors. ~Becky Bristow Voyles~
Today I used a shopping cart at lunch that was totally possessed! It kept wanting to go to the right of it's own accord like a very strong willed naughty child.
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