The Vulture Stalk

When I arrived at the aquarium this morning I had to do the "vulture stalk" to find a parking place. You know the vulture stalk....that's where you creep along in your car following pedestrains who you HOPE are getting in their car to leave and not just dropping off packages. I hate doing that but it was either vulture stalk or park on the other side of Broadway.
I have been behind getting contracts out and all those other mundane necessary tasks but by the time I left this evening everything was current. It's amazing how much work you can actually complete when the phone isn't constantly ringing. I brought my portable DVD player in with me, put on the headphones and watched/listened to old movies while I cranked out the paperwork. The earphones also deter people from stopping by to chat. :-) The two family reunions we had today could not have gone any smoother. Everyone arrived ALMOST on time, enjoyed each others company and were very complimentary. Today helped makeup for last nights debacle.
Tom and I were leaving at the same time this evening and decided to stop and get a bite to eat at Isle of Morada on the way home. Good food, good company, good time. After dinner we called Kim and see if she was up for a waterway party. Tressa and Cameron had gone to NASCAR Park with their Daddy so we caught her at a good time. The humidity and temperature are way down and with the breeze made it a very pleasant evening. Lots of boat traffic this evening and a few catfish fishermen. That's all she wrote! Nitey nite all.

Family Reunions or WHY I'M GLAD I'M AN ONLY CHILD

It must be July...family reunions are booming at the aquarium. The one for this evening was especially delightful. It was scheduled to begin at 6 PM and the first guest finally arrived at 7:30 PM but I have come up with a great idea. Anytime I book a family reunion I am going to increase the price enough to cover the cost of a GIANT wrist watch for each family member. I wish I could say being late is not the norm for family groups but unfortunately it is not unusual. Chef Steve was ready to throw the food in the dumpster and scream, "NO CHICKEN FOR YOU!" To make it even better they happened to be one of the "messy" groups. Lord, Lord, Lord....even with three wait staff cleaning as fast as they could go it looked like food fight night at the frat house. We have two more reunions tomorrow but nothing scheduled for Sunday...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Today was a ton of fun!

Ever had a nerve receptor test? Well neither had I until today. Can't say it hurts, maybe a bit uncomfortable but very entertaining. The technician attaches electrodes to your hands and arms (or whatever body parts they are testing) and then turns the little dial until your hand flies up and smacks you in the face or in the case of my left hand....just lays there with an occasional twitch. Oh yeah, just a laugh a minute. The next fun activity planned for me is a muscle receptor test and this one sounds like a real barrel of laughs. Here is the way it was explained. OK...the Doctor will INSERT a LONG needle into various muscles and test their reaction with varying degrees of electrical current. Hmmm, how varying and who gets to decide when enough is enough? My guess is that person will not be the one wearing the ever so attractive gown that ties in the back. Well, boy howdy....does that sound like a good time or WHAT?? Guess that will not be a good day to wear my aluminum foil underwear.

Wednesday or...THE DAY DEBI TRIED TO KILL ME

I do not know what the exact temperature was today but it was hotter than hells door knob. So do we stay in our nice cool office...NOOOOOOO, we do a sales road trip! We are in and out of the car about 37 times and each time we get back in the car it is even hotter. I think she was trying to kill me so I would quit telling people how she abandoned me during my time of need yesterday. My shoulder hurt, my neck hurt and more importantly I had sweat running down my back and my makeup was a puddle on my chest. I also think I have a rash. NEW RULE: All outside sales calls will be made during the month of January.

Far out Dude, is it 1968....again?

Today was the next step in trying to figure out why my neck and shoulder have decided to suddenly disintegrate after 57 years of faithful service. The first person to YELL because you are OLD will be smacked. I have to say of all the fun things I have been doing these past few weeks today was the absolute BEST! As you know,I had already discovered that a closed MRI is not my cup of tea, however. the type of test I needed required a closed unit. Dr. Jordan said I could have a light sedation, would that be all right? Well...DUH, heck yes it will be all right! If I had known that sedation was an option I would have had the closed MRI on the first stop. Geez, helllllo people??? You are talking to a child of the 60's here!
You all know how much I LOVE asking for help but the MRI center insisted that I would need a driver and someone to be in the waiting room while I am La La Land or as my family & friends call it... Janny Land. My friend Debi said, "DO NOT worry, I WILL BE there!" "You KNOW you can count on me to be there with you!" "I willl NOT let you down!" Ummm, I think she even said it more than once, gave me a hug and hummed a chorus of a song by The Jackson Five, I'LL BE THERE. Soooooo, I get to work this morning and I see Debi packing up sales materials with car keys in hand. She looks me right in the eye and says, "OH...was that today?" Well.....let's just say thank goodness my REAL friend Libby stepped up to the plate and stayed by my side during my time of need. Oh all right that's not EXACTLY the way it happened but I do plan to work Debi's guilt real gooood.
Lib and I arrived at the Long Bay MRI center in plenty of time to do the mountain of paperwork and then came the little magic cup for my trip to Janny Land. As I am getting settled for my test the tech came in with a sheet, put my arms to my sides and proceeded to wrap me (very tightly) mummy style from shoulder to ankle. I bunny hopped over to the table praying there wouldn't be a fire because there is no possible way I could remove myself from this getup in time to save myself. Thank goodness I was entering the city limits of Janny Land or I am afraid this whole "wrapped up like a mummy and trapped in a clanging tube" would have gotten very ugly very quickly. Even with the sedation the test didn't end anytime too soon.
Lib and I grabbed a bite to eat at Salsaritas on the way home and I planned to nap and maybe watch a movie. Well, I turned on the TV (I know this because when I eventually woke up the TV was on) pulled up the afghan and awakened 5 hrs later. My cell phone was laying next to my cordless phone and one of them was ringing. I remember thinking, "Hmm, wonder which one of them is ringing?" Apparently that question didn't interest me enough to actually pick one of them up and say something brilliant like, oh maybe....hello? Me thinks I took the nap of all naps this afternoon.
My next appointment with Dr. Jordan is on the 19th and I hope to have some answers. Other than being wrapped mummy style in a sheet and bunny hopping in front of perfect strangers...today was not so bad. Except for being dumped by Debi, that hurt.

Morty becomes a man.

Poor Morty, the date has been set for the removal of his hoohaws and I feel like I should be planning a Bar Mitzvah or maybe a Bris. Morty now weighs a whooping 4 lbs 8 oz and received the last of his kitten shots this morning. The poor little guy was sound asleep in his favorite chair when I came flying through the door like my pants were on fire...running late, as usual. I grabbed the carrier out of the closet, threw in a baby blanket, scooped Morty up in the other hand and zipped him in the carrier. I don't think he really woke up until he was on the examination table with some stranger poking at his "nether regions". I guess the moral to this story is if you are sleeping in your favorite chair and I come flying in the front door...grab your hoohaws and run in the other direction.

Fits and Starts

This has been one of my fits and starts days. I start doing something like dusting or laundry and then I stop and start something else. The only problem with days like this are very few projects are actually completed. So far the only things I have managed to complete are reading the Sunday paper, a Diet Cherry Coke and 5 chapters in the book I'm trying to finish. I had already started this book (see I told you it was a fit and start day) and then got side tracked by Water For Elephants. I tried to convince myself that I NEEDED to read Water For Elephants because it's this months book club selection. Truth be told Water For Elephants is a much better book but I have trouble giving up on a author I like so I will keep plugging away and hopefully the plot on Salem will pickup speed. Jodi Picoult hasn't let me down yet so I am betting this book will be good too.
Polly and family arrived safely in Seattle last night. Katy and Naomi will meet them on Monday...wonder if Linda will be with them. I haven't talked to Eddie since Friday so I don't know what they were up to this weekend but if they had the same rainy weather we did I am betting it was something inside. It is so nice to see everything so green again. You can water all you want to but it's not the same as a good rain.
Ginglebelle is a juvenile delinquent. Every single time the front door opens she makes a run for freedom. I would like to remind her that until the Byrd's rescued her she was living under the porch of a house where a man was threatening to shoot her. The irony here is he was threatening to shoot her for trying to come in the house and I may shoot her for trying to get out! No wonder she is confused.