Happy New Year!

Today is the day when the differences between introverts and extroverts are most prominent.

Grand Rapids is having a big party downtown, with a ball dropping, live music, etc. The news is making a big fuss over it ... "yeah! free party! woo hoo!"

I can put myself in the shoes of someone who's extroverted and vivacious ... my step-brothers and their wives, several of my friends, my sister-in-law and one (or maybe both) of my nieces ... they would hear this and think, "wow! fun!".

Me? I would pay NOT to go! My favorite New Year's Eve memories involve small get-togethers to play games and visit. There was a group of us who met in college who gathered every New Year's for a few years after graduation, and it was always one of the highlights of the holidays.

But when I hear "FREE PARTY DOWNTOWN" ... all I can think of is looking for a parking place in the cold and dark ... fighting crowds ... noise ... freezing ... more noise ... then a long, cold walk back to my car in the dark, and a longer, colder drive home.

Think I'll just enjoy making jewelry tonight, and declare "midnight" some time around 10:30.

The extroverts reading this are thinking "pathetic" and the introverts are thinking, "perfect"!

a conversation from the Alamo desk at the Orlando Airport

When I went away a couple weeks ago, I got into Orlando about 9:00 p.m. I'm a morning person, so my brain doesn't fire on all cylinders at night.

I went to the Alamo counter to pick up a car ...

Alamo guy: "Where is your destination?"

Me: "Paisley, Florida"

Alamo guy: "and what part of Florida is that in?"

Me: "I don't know."

Alamo guy: "do you know what major city it's near?"

Me: "Nope."

Alamo guy ... obviously frustrated: "Ma'am ... how do you intend to GET there?"

At the time I was picking up the van, I wasn't particularly thinking about its use as a vehicle ... I was just looking forward to using it for a nap until my brother & his family's flight got in about midnight.

I had a GPS in my suitcase, and was counting on that to get me to my dad's house ... so I hadn't even looked at a map to see where I was going.

However, I realized that it must have sounded a bit odd to poor Alamo-guy ... I'm renting this car, and have absolutely no idea where I'm taking it. :)

the ultimate hard-to-clean-up mess

I've found it.

In trying to straighten a bent tube of unopened superglue, I discovered the bend had made a hole in the tube.

Fortunately I had a second-thought before I tried to clean up the drops on my buffet. I'd rather have clear, hard drops, than a smeared mess, if I MUST have superglue on my furniture forever!

Groan.

On the up-side ... I temporarily have no fingerprints on my left hand ... should I wish to rob a bank or some-such.

Life is so full of little surprises!

Here's some inspiration for you!

This is short clips from a bunch of movies (most of which I've never seen). It makes you feel all excited to tackle ... well ... to tackle SOMETHING anyway!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you were blessed today with thoughts of Him whose birth it celebrates!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the time at Disney with my nieces, brother, sister-in-law, dad, step-mom and her mother.



This is adorable niece #2 showing me the penny she found on the carousel. Oddly enough, on both outings I've had with her recently, she's found cash. I think they might do well to take her for walks regularly. :)

the weekend

I just returned from a lovely weekend in Florida. I met my brother, sister-in-law, and the adorable nieces down there, and we had some time with my dad, step mother, and her mother, at their place near Orlando.

We were able to watch the girls enjoy Disney on Sunday ... which was so neat. I can't imagine wanting to go to Disney as an adult ... but it was very enjoyable when you could watch little ones having a wonderful time!

I thought I'd post a picture of the girls enjoying the Florida sunshine (on Saturday), and one of what I came home to today. (Note the bobcat in the background clearing the snow out of the parking lot, so the plows would have room to work.) :)

I did have the pleasant and unique experience of being bumped up to first class for the flight home. I could become very accustomed to life up at the front! They had real meals, on real plates and silverware. The seats were comfy. It was quite nice!

Florida update

Well, my 2:30 flight is now scheduled to leave at 4:45. But I'm encouraged that it's still supposed to LEAVE!

I just tried to move my car to a non-awkward spot in the parking lot, since I'm leaving it over the weekend. It's buried. Totally buried. I left the keys in the center of my desk, and asked if someone would please move it once the parking lot is plowed. :)

I was planning to drive myself to the airport, but I'm getting a ride now from my boss, who has a big 4 wheel drive pickup. I've become recently very fond of the idea of four wheel drive.

Warm weather, here I come!

looks like a good day to go to Florida

This is the view out the church's front door right now. Schools and businesses are closed ...

And I'm heading to Florida for a long weekend.

Yep. Feeling real sorry for myself. Yes, I am.

wanna see an eyeball?

I went in for my eye doctor appointment today, and they had the coolest new test. It took a picture of the back of a person's eyeballs. I thought it was so nifty, I asked if I could have my eyeballs on my flash drive to take home with me. :)

I'll just post one since, really, they look basically the same.

I was encouraged to hear that I'm a good candidate for lasik. I'm seriously considering it. The doc said if he had my prescription, he would have jumped at it, and would have done so years ago.

Behold, the eyeball!

so adorable

Adorable niece #1 called and read me a story today. I found the plot a trifle hard to follow, but the "at" and "ad" sounds featured prominently.

Beginning in January, I'll be changing my office hours, to work four ten-hour days. We're bringing on a book-keeper (which I believe I rejoiced about several posts ago), and we're going to try having her work Mondays, and I'll work Tuesday-Friday.

Three-day weekends ... woo hoo!

did my third noggin transplant last night

I was working on doing a video for the funeral home last night, and one of the pictures the family gave me to work with had a man's head cut out from another picture, and glued onto a body in the picture I was working on.

Unfortunately, it wasn't done particularly well, and was slightly too large.

So ... I did my best to try and make it look natural. I haven't had as much education in photo-shop as I wish I had! Head transplants are a little above my education level.

But it made me remember that I've actually performed two previous similar operations.

One of our missionaries had asked me to do a prayer card for them. They wanted a family picture printed out, with all their names on the picture. They have 8 children, so it's nice to have them identified.

Well ... in the best picture, one of their boys wasn't smiling. So I tried to take his head from another picture, and insert it into the good one.

I worked really hard at this. If I remember correctly, I think I was using Microsoft Paint, or something equally basic ... plus I had no experience or training in such matters.

But I worked and worked, and finally got it to look pretty good.

Showed it to them ...

and then discovered I had made one very crucial error early in the process ...

I chose the wrong boy's head to paste in. :)

That's right. They had two of the same son in the picture, and one boy missing altogether.

Oops.

Fortunately, I had gleaned enough experience that it went MUCH smoother the second time, when I put the RIGHT boy's head in the picture.

So ... three head transplants, and I don't even have a medical degree (or ... unfortunately, any training in Photoshop, though I would like to pursue some!)

one of those fun forward things

Copy the list, and bold-face the ones you've done.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. (this was a really bad idea ... as all who have heard me sing can attest!)
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. ummm ... yeah ... a lot of "no fun"
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. it was a mental-health kid of thing!
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. (a teeny tiny organizer business)
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. (they can never FIND blood in me when I have to get it drawn, so I've never dared attempt it voluntarily! :)
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy Fred-Shep ... still stuffed in my closet somewhere. :)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt. during my junior high "I'm going to be a home-maker" phase :)
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. NOT a fun day ... I still find myself wishing I could get in touch with them and correct the misunderstanding ... you know that "permanent record" they warned you about in elementary school? I feel like there's this enormous blotch on mine! :)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. I'm not sure it was speeding ... but it sure felt like it ... wonderful!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. well ... helped OTHER people publish them anyway!
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible. Straight through?
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

the time has come

I believe my unfiled-pile has reached critical mass, and must-needs be addressed!

(note ... this is at home, NOT at work ... k? Just wanted to be sure that was out there! I'm MUCH more responsible at work.) :)

those catalogues

I made the mistake of ordering a shampoo rack for my shower.

"Why is this a mistake?" you may ask.

It has gotten me on the mailing list for a collection of catalogues that seem to be targeted at those over age 90.

They are full of long-handled gadgets promising to protect me from every having to bend over, or reach up, for anything again. There are special brushes and contraptions to clean anything and everything. They promise to "protect" me, and everything I own ... special bags to store magazines to "protect" them (from what? I don't know) ... special socks to put over the legs of chairs to "protect" the floor. (Though what happens when said chair slides away from the person sitting on it, I'm not sure. The floor's fine, but the broken legs? Not so much.

Then there are all the things to increase my "comfort" ... in areas where I never knew I was uncomfortable ... magic pads to sit on, sleep on, stand on ... things to inhale and swallow and wear ...

The catalogues have a kind of horrible fascination ... there's the thought that people out there, somewhere, are actually wasting their pensions on special brushes to get the lint out of their dryer vents, and tomato-shaped containers to hold their tomatoes.

But then there is the most repulsive-sounding consumer item I've ever seen ...

Terry-cloth toilet seat covers.

I am not kidding.

The very thought of it just makes me feel ill.

Merry Christmas

A friend and I put up my tree last night, and I thought I'd share it. :)

I bought a tree-topper (never had one before), and there's obviously a structural issue I had failed to anticipate. It's heavy enough that if I put it on, it slowly leans, leans, leans until it falls off. Very pretty thing ... just can't figure out how to apply it!

the work Christmas party by which all other work Christmas parties will be judged

The funeral home for which I work part time had their Christmas party last night.

I have not found company Christmas parties particularly enjoyable in the past, but I decided to go ... though I went alone so as not to subject anyone else in case it was awful.

But it was SO not awful!

Positive #1 -
No alcohol. I have no objection to moderate drinking, but as a non-drinker myself, I feel uncomfortable when people have drunk enough to be "not themselves". Company Christmas parties seem to be prime situations for this. Then I have to try and forget what I saw when I run into them at work later.

Positive #2 -
It was done open-house style ... you came when you wanted to, left when you wanted to, and felt no time-pressure.

Positive #3 -
It started at 5:00! woo hoo! It happened during the time of day when I was still AWAKE! :) Whenever something starts at 7:00 ... I'm already ready to be curled up at home with a good book when I first get there!

Positive #4 -
Delicious meal, nice gift-cards handed out as I walked in ...

Positive #5 -
The buffet was there by the door, and you went straight in, got a name tag, and sat down with your dinner ... no trying to look comfortable and "at home" during the awkward "punchbowl" time.

The perfect party for the solitary, conservative and socially awkward! Loved it!! :) If I ever get married, I've just seen how my reception will be handled. :)

the township has a new strategy this winter ...

If the current conditions in my neighborhood are any indication, it appears the township doesn't plan to salt the roads this winter.

They scraped all the snow off ... then left the ice there to entertain us.

It's a thrilling drive to work, but not in a good way!

I visited one of my neighbor's yards up close & personal, though by the tire tracks, I was neither the first nor the worst offender.

OK ... little hint to the road guys ... if you're not going to get rid of the ice, then don't peel off the snow!

one more picture of the nieces

I thought this one was adorable. :)