new to the 'hood

I have new neighbors.
Can you guess what nationality they are?

That is not a stereotype -- simply an observation.

floating away

The new work is slow starting. Apparently, the fact that I only requested work for Tuesday through Friday has created a problem for them. I don't know how much of a problem, but I do know there were no files on the ftp when I got up this morning and it's now 4pm on Tuesday afternoon and there still are no files. I would like it to work out as I think it will be interesting work. It's med/legal stuff for worker's comp claims outta California. If you know anything about worker's comp in CA, and all the phony bullshit that people claim, it's clear to see, it should be pretty secure and abundant work -- once I get rolling.

In the meantime, as I wait it out the anger festers. I have found myself falling back into the head-banging anger modes again. Yeh, time to start up with the fucking meds again, I guess. So, hello meds, good bye scotch ... maybe.

The malemate and I did manage to get an 8 mile float in yesterday. It was perfect weather and I really enjoyed the time out there. The banks of the Elk are privately owned, so some of the houses are right up to the waterfront. I think I need to make friends with some of those people. I rather like the thought of happy hour whilst sitting on the riverfront deck.
Would you like an umbrella and a skewered lemon in that scotch & soda?
Yes, yes I think I would.

weekend with the okies

The malemate and I took a weekend off before I start the new work. We were invited to the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, OK. We arrived in OK on Thursday and headed to the festival on Friday. We made it as far as the Lou's Rocky Road Tavern, found a roost in the beer garden, and that was the only place I needed to be. It was "open mic" there and many artists played during the 7 hour stay. I had a great view of the stage and the waitress was ever prompt with the brew.

I wish I could remember the name of the band in the photo -- they were the most unique. I don't know if you can tell it in the photo, but the drum is a suitcase and his cymbal is a ceiling vent -- the other, as you can see, is a trash can. The singer sounded like Satchmo. veryVeryVERY entertaining.

Then there was a young gal name Amanda Joy. She played two sets. I could've listened to much more of her. She was oh-so yummy on the ears.

Arlo Guthrie did make an appearance at the tavern whilst I was there, but he didn't sing. I only know of "Alice's Restaurant" - and would've liked to hear that from him. But, it was not to be.

Many musicians passed before my eyes as I filled my person with the OK 3.2 beer. Yeh, what a pisser huh? That's one positive for the show-me-state of MO, at least they have high point beer. But, on the other hand, with the candy-ass alcohol content of OK beer, I was able to stay sober longer to savor the sounds of the artists.

I even got flirted on by a handsome-hardbodied-single-blue-eyed-cowboy ... named Kenny ...5 years my junior. Yeh, I felt fine that night.

wanna dance?

The malemate and I had our first Argentine tango lesson last night. I think we'll need a few more than 5 lessons to accomplish what the tango dancers on youtube can do.

wash it down with a brew

Caption for the photo: Globe//Gary Crow ... Flooding on Steve Owens Boulevard made it appear that Miami, Okla., was awash in beer Wednesday, July 4, 2007, rather than water from the Neosho River.

While some parts of the country are sweltering in the "dry" heat, this neck of the woods has been seeing torrential rains. The photo above, of one of those huge billboards, was 'borrowed' from a local paper. It was taken on July 4. It is an excellent infusion of humor after viewing the slide show of the devastation.

I've been submitting resumes, getting responses and doing testing. I'm really out of my comfort zone here. The testing is tricky since I've not had the schooling for MT, which not only includes terminology, but the general accepted formats for the various reports. I've been made one offer, but the pay is so low I'm thinking it might be more fun just to do the CastingWords thing of typing podcasts. It's a bitch out there and I've been a bitch in here.

The good news is, the neighbors left on vacation this morning and left me in charge of their garden. The tomatoes are starting to turn. Needless to say, there will be BLTS with real Ts by the end of next week.

And now it's time for alcohol.

bang zoom crack pow kaboom sparkle

Here it is the 4th of July already.

I do love fireworks displays. When I was growing up in Iowa, fireworks were not allowed. However, we lived about 2 miles from the South Dakota state line and just on the other side of the bridge, one of those fireworks stands always popped up around mid June. Needless to say, it was the hotspot for the youngins that time of year.

When I lived in the desert out in Southern California, we were outlawed from shooting off fireworks. Hence, you would never see a fireworks stand. The droughts were persistent and in the 10 years I lived there, I think there were only 2 years that the city I lived in put on a display in one of the local parks.

Well, now that I live in the show-me-state of misery, fireworks are prevalent. About mid June the temporary tent firework stands starting emerging all over. One day there would be nothing on that vacant lot and then overnight one of those tents would be there. They pop up like mushrooms around here and it seems they are on almost every street corner.

I took a stroll through one of the larger ones the other day. WoWoW!

It's one of those times of year that I wish I was filthy rich so I could go blow a few thousand on fireworks displays. But, I settled for just a few (since I'm still not working), and hope that the neighbors all have jobs and lotsa bux to blow on the displays ... for my pleasure, of course.

life just gets worse

Friday, at the very end of the day, I received an email that said the company was assigning the entire account to another 'team'. It stated that there had been too many unacceptable errors lately.
I don't know how many people type for this institution as I only have 9 docs and the other gal that I know, only types 5. The surgery center has about 100 surgeons. I looked back on my files - as all my stuff goes through a proofer. There were no corrections other than the doc neglecting to name which knee, or the procedure or the pre- or postop diag.
The message also said to call on Monday for more detail. Yeh, the chicken shit sent the message as he was walking out the door right before the weekend.
I was out of town Monday and couldn't call.
So today I called and left a message with the receptionist at about 8:00 am.
No callback by 4:00pm so I sent him an email and asked 'when would be a good time?'
No response as of yet.

Saturday the malemate and I grabbed a bite to eat at a new place. I took a pain pill right before we left, as my fucking back went out earlier in the day due to thinking about the work situation. We had beer with the sandwich.
I felt good.
On the way home we started to have a chat. He started to be hypocritical about someone -- and I lost it. I started bawling and asked him how he can judge someone else's actions based on his bullshit? I took it a little further and then further and then I finally told him how much I hated this life with him and how ashamed I am to be with him and that I have things in position now, such that ... should anything out of the ordinary happen to me, all his fucking shenanigans will be made known to anyone that gives a shit about him - including his kids.
I'm sick and tired of being thought of as the bitchywitch of the Midwest.

What a difference one year can make in a lifetime.
I don't remember the last time I hated myself this much.

the new yahtzee score to beat

My latest high score: 618
manOman does that fluster the malemate -- he hatesHatesHATES it when I beat him at anything.
yeh, it feels good -- it feels real good
although I guess it's obvious that I have nothing better to do than play with a stupid handheld game all day.

a note from the inside

I received a handwritten note from Mag the other day. She's still in jail out in CA. She never volunteered any information regarding her case. She only wrote of the conditions and how disappointed she is in the public defender. I was hoping for more.
I just don't want to be lied to by friends -- I get enough of that bullshit from the malemate. Perhaps when she gets out, she'll tell me the truth. I really would like to know where the money is though, because one of her concerns right now is ... how will she get back to OK after she is released. The airfare would only cost around $600 at the most, and she supposedly stole $350,000? and they don't have much in the way of material things and they are not gamblers ...

I've been keeping up with her doings by reading the court record online. She initially was charged with 3 counts of felony embezzlement. I guess some kind of deal was made and the judge dropped one count and she plead guilty to the remaining two. I would imagine that one count being dropped had to do with the 3 strikes law in CA -- a third strike felony is a given that the guilty will be incarcerated any where from 25 years to life. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 27.
It must feel like an eternity for her.

so much todo about nothing

manOman! the increased work has been great! Of course it's easy to say that when there is an ulterior motive. Now, if I could just get the ambition to get a bunch of 'junque' sold off. I dread doing eBay anymore, but it seems like the only reasonable place to move stuff and make a few bux.
I'll work on that.

About a month ago, we lost track of the TT, the granddaughter ... again
There was no trace of the mother. I was in a panic. What happened to her and her 4 kids?
TT's f_a_t_h_e_r (used loosely) is the malemate's son. Enuf said about that for now. I try to make sure that the granddaughter has and is acknowledged as I know she feels abandoned by the whole clan -- and why wouldn't she? Her mother, Delma, had 4 kids by 4 different dads before the age of 21. Sad, I know. But, I will give her this, I think she is an excellent mother to those kids. On the other hand, never having the guts to be a mother myself, what the hell would I know? :)
Finally, a couple days ago, and thanks to my friend's help in CA, she was able to locate one of the other grandparents and find out where she and the kids are. They are all safe and I now have contact information for Delma's sisters and some other information on her people in case this should ever happen again. Which, I have a an aching suspicion that it will.

I bought a new vacuum. A Dyson. I've been an electrolux person all my adult life, but dragging the tank around has simply become a pain in the ass -- not to mention storing it. So, an upright Dyson it is. I like it, and it's pr'E.

I've been reading a true story about a husband that poisons his wife with arsenic. A red flag went up on my brain after reading the symptoms that this woman suffered with chronic poisoning. Ya know, the doctors cannot seem to pinpoint what is wrong with Cap'n Max. He has been suffering for years now and does not get any better and they say his prostate cancer is and has been in remission. Yet, they have no idea what is causing his other problems.
My friend (and his wife) Shar is an absolute control freak and has to feel needed. She handles all intake to his body, which of course, is his food, liquids, medications, cigarettes, etc.
Oh, that is just ridiculous to think that she would do something like that. Isn't it?

I've been seeing the backcracker once a week. She is an interesting ,wacko kind of gal. She is into psychic stuff and homeopathy and acupuncture, and I could be wrong, but there is something else. Something like witchcraft perhaps??? I'll continue to see her. She has done wonders to my back problem. But then, I started smoking AGAIN, about the same time the back problem subsided. Personally, I think the back problem was a nicotine withdrawal symptom.

I need a different desk and I need a new project. I take pleasure in refinishing furniture and have done many pieces over the years. I was having a problem finding an old wood desk that was in good condition and a price range I was willing to pay and that had all the things I wanted. Finally, I posted the request to the local freecycle.com, and last night I got a response from a gal. She said she had one that will get thrown out if I don't come get it and the only problem is that it has one cracked drawer -- that could be easily repaired, she said. So, this morning I'll be taking a trip to check it out.

On an educating note, the OK! cousin has been looking for a part for a Chevy pickup that he is restoring. This has taken him to various 'car heavens'. He made an interesting observation: There are about 4 to 5 times more Fords in the car heavens than there are Chevys.
Draw your own conclusions.

And a little note to you textual voyeurs -- thank you so much for stopping by! I'm guilty of not responding to comments, but please know that I do read and enjoy them tremendously.
I have to ask a favor though. Please, if possible, don't link this site.
There are several people from my 'spaces' days that I simply cannot 'bloggingly' face after that idiotic and life changing act that the malemate did. Occasionally, I need a place to vent about him and the situation -- and what better place than a public forum --- incognito, of course! haha
yeah, right.

TIA :)