Death and destruction everywhere. Fucking Katrina. I can't watch the news. I can't listen to NPR. I can't look at the internet. It is all so overwhelming. If I take a breath I will cry. And I don't feel like crying right now.
The good news is that the NFL season is starting soon. I dig pro football but I have to admit I'm most excited about the season starting because that means the SuperBowl will be here soon and that means the road construction will be done soon. Awesome.
I can't believe that's the only light at the end of the tunnel that I see. I'm going to bed now.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
bugs and stuff
Last night I thought we had a mouse problem. There were mouse poops in the bathroom. Then I tried to clean them up and they moved. Totally freaky. They were bugs that looked like mouse poop. I think I'd rather have a bug that looks like mouse poop problem than a mouse problem.
The Detroit Tigers are playing the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. It is mullet night and fireworks at U.S. Cellular Field and I really want to go. I would even get a mullet. But Jesse and I are trying to save money and he says that "it's mullet chasing and related distractions that can get us in trouble." I'm not sure what that means. He also said, "I don't think I want to wake up next to a mullet." Does that mean I would have to wake up first? Or that I would have to sleep in the other room? I guess we aren't going to go. I was really excited about it for a minute. I agree that we don't need to mullet chase. And we are going up north this weekend so it would have been very out of the way. But damn. What fun!
Since we are trying to save money we have been cooking at home this week. Last weekend we planned a menu and grocery shopped. Strange. I know. Tonight I realized that we don't cook at home because when we do that we don't eat until almost 8PM. I hate that.
Mullets and baseball. Life couldn't have been more perfect. *sigh*
Blueberries and friends will just have to do!!
The Detroit Tigers are playing the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. It is mullet night and fireworks at U.S. Cellular Field and I really want to go. I would even get a mullet. But Jesse and I are trying to save money and he says that "it's mullet chasing and related distractions that can get us in trouble." I'm not sure what that means. He also said, "I don't think I want to wake up next to a mullet." Does that mean I would have to wake up first? Or that I would have to sleep in the other room? I guess we aren't going to go. I was really excited about it for a minute. I agree that we don't need to mullet chase. And we are going up north this weekend so it would have been very out of the way. But damn. What fun!
Since we are trying to save money we have been cooking at home this week. Last weekend we planned a menu and grocery shopped. Strange. I know. Tonight I realized that we don't cook at home because when we do that we don't eat until almost 8PM. I hate that.
Mullets and baseball. Life couldn't have been more perfect. *sigh*
Blueberries and friends will just have to do!!
Monday, August 29, 2005
no information meeting.
Today I got to leave work early to attend an MSW information meeting at Wayne State University. What a waste of time! I knew it was bad when I was sitting in the meeting thinking, "I'd rather be at work." The guy that ran the meeting was filling in for someone and even though he seemed to be friendly and nice, he didn't really have that much information for the information meeting. He was able to quote from the brochure. Unfortunately he answered most of the questions from the meeting attendees with, "Ummmm..I'm not really sure about that. If you would like to follow me back to my office after the meeting I have that information there." At first I figured his office is a library of MSW program application information. But now I suspect he just wanted to get a bunch of women in his office and this was the only way he could do it. I didn't go to his office after the meeting so I will never know. The other strange thing about this meeting is that people were there were two people there with their moms. It reminded me of kindergarten round up or something. Is that the thing where kids get signed up for kindergarten? I just remember hearing someone say something about that once. I thought it was funny. Anyway, a long time ago I posted about some chick's mom attending class for her when she was sick. Now it all makes sense.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
itchy scratchy. ugh.
Getting sick on Friday night sucked. I also got about 15 mosquito bites on my left leg, ankle, foot and toes. They itch and I'm going crazy!!! I think I'll go to CVS now to get some Ritalin and some anti-itch something.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
twilight zone.
Yesterday was the agency picnic. Jesse was kind enough to take the day off work to accompany me to the picnic. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We spent most of the time sitting in the shade of a tree away from the pavilion where the rest of my coworkers were. After the picnic we went shopping for a new stove. I think we found one we want. It's very nice and if we ever sell this house I'm sure the new owners will enjoy using it. I'd like to say I will cook more if we get a new stove. But I'm pretty sure it would be a big fat lie.
We went to pick up my car from Belle Tire. It doesn't make strange sounds anymore! Then we went to dinner at the Mack Ave. Diner. I was starting to get a migraine but I took a couple Excedrin Migraine pills and felt a little better. We went to Brighton to meet Joel, Amanda, Kristin and Julie for one last hurrah before Julie moves. My head started to hurt again so I took a couple more Excedrin. I washed them down with a big Bell's Oberon. I think that might have been a bad idea. We ended up leaving early and on the way home my head started to hurt so bad I thought I might die. Or at least puke. By the time we got home it was painful to walk and I was pretty sick. I was finally able to go to sleep. At some point in the night I woke up and realized I was alone in the bed. I just figured Jesse was in the bathroom. This morning Jesse asked me why he was sleeping in the other bedroom. He said he woke up and was in the other room and doesn't remember why. It's kind of funny. And kind of strange.
Now I'm watching the Tigers vs. Red Sox game. Dmitri Young had a grand slam in the 4th inning. Awesome.
We went to pick up my car from Belle Tire. It doesn't make strange sounds anymore! Then we went to dinner at the Mack Ave. Diner. I was starting to get a migraine but I took a couple Excedrin Migraine pills and felt a little better. We went to Brighton to meet Joel, Amanda, Kristin and Julie for one last hurrah before Julie moves. My head started to hurt again so I took a couple more Excedrin. I washed them down with a big Bell's Oberon. I think that might have been a bad idea. We ended up leaving early and on the way home my head started to hurt so bad I thought I might die. Or at least puke. By the time we got home it was painful to walk and I was pretty sick. I was finally able to go to sleep. At some point in the night I woke up and realized I was alone in the bed. I just figured Jesse was in the bathroom. This morning Jesse asked me why he was sleeping in the other bedroom. He said he woke up and was in the other room and doesn't remember why. It's kind of funny. And kind of strange.
Now I'm watching the Tigers vs. Red Sox game. Dmitri Young had a grand slam in the 4th inning. Awesome.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
helmet
Last night we had a last supper with Julie. After the last supper we went to see the Hard Lessons play at the Magic Stick. Julie is moving to Massachusetts and I am very sad. As a matter of fact, I was in major denial until it was time to say goodbye at the end of the night. Julie said she would be leaving on Friday. But maybe Saturday. I just got an email from her saying she is leaving Sunday. I will miss her very much if she ever leaves. Tee hee!!
Unfortunately it was a 'school night' for Jesse and I. I didn't drink very much beer but am not used to staying out until 1AM in the middle of the week. I knew it was going to be a hard day when I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair this morning. Luckily I realized right after I turned the water off so it was easy to turn it back on and rinse. I had about a bzillion things to do at work today. Usually I can count on at least 2 people standing me up but everyone showed up today. Tomorrow is our work picnic. Oh what fun. Yuck.
My car doesn't seem to be doing so well. Yesterday I emailed Jesse and told him something was wrong with it and I should probably get it checked out. He did not realize the extent of the problem and suggested I get myself a helmet and drive the car until it died. I took great offense at this suggestion because I was pretty sure that it would be me that died if I continued to drive the car. Every time I hit a bump it felt like something major was going to fall off the car. Like the front tires. Or the engine. And a helmet wouldn't have helped. So Jesse drove my car today and I drove his. I felt bad because he agreed that a helmet wouldn't have helped and said it shouldn't be driven. Ooops. It wasn't nice of me to send him out there in my death trap on wheels. His oh-so-kind boss followed him to the Belle Tire after work and then dropped him off at home.
On my way home from work I was thinking about helmets. Which made me think of short buses. Which made me think of my friend in high school that crashed into a short bus on the first day she got her driver's license. And then I thought of the short bus our agency bought to drive around homeless kids to and from the day care center and after school programs. Maybe someday they will let me drive the short bus. If they find out I don't stop at bumps and continue to drive my car when something is very wrong with it they probably won't let me take the short bus out for a spin. Hopefully nobody will tell them.
It's almost 9PM and I really have to go to sleep now.
Unfortunately it was a 'school night' for Jesse and I. I didn't drink very much beer but am not used to staying out until 1AM in the middle of the week. I knew it was going to be a hard day when I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair this morning. Luckily I realized right after I turned the water off so it was easy to turn it back on and rinse. I had about a bzillion things to do at work today. Usually I can count on at least 2 people standing me up but everyone showed up today. Tomorrow is our work picnic. Oh what fun. Yuck.
My car doesn't seem to be doing so well. Yesterday I emailed Jesse and told him something was wrong with it and I should probably get it checked out. He did not realize the extent of the problem and suggested I get myself a helmet and drive the car until it died. I took great offense at this suggestion because I was pretty sure that it would be me that died if I continued to drive the car. Every time I hit a bump it felt like something major was going to fall off the car. Like the front tires. Or the engine. And a helmet wouldn't have helped. So Jesse drove my car today and I drove his. I felt bad because he agreed that a helmet wouldn't have helped and said it shouldn't be driven. Ooops. It wasn't nice of me to send him out there in my death trap on wheels. His oh-so-kind boss followed him to the Belle Tire after work and then dropped him off at home.
On my way home from work I was thinking about helmets. Which made me think of short buses. Which made me think of my friend in high school that crashed into a short bus on the first day she got her driver's license. And then I thought of the short bus our agency bought to drive around homeless kids to and from the day care center and after school programs. Maybe someday they will let me drive the short bus. If they find out I don't stop at bumps and continue to drive my car when something is very wrong with it they probably won't let me take the short bus out for a spin. Hopefully nobody will tell them.
It's almost 9PM and I really have to go to sleep now.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
mini golf
This is the hole I made for mini golf on Sunday. As you can see, it is a girl tiger. I thought the hole would be big enough to make this an easy hole but it really wasn't. It kind of got squished into a strange shape. That doesn't sound right! It's too bad that I spent weeks making this stupid thing and now I have absolutely no use for it. Oh well. I hope it will fit in the garbage can!!
apple biker gang
The latest news in the village:
"Last evening around 7:30, M*** who lives on Parker was riding his bike near Parker and Agnes. A group of six kids on bikes chased him and pelted him with apples. He wasn't hurt, just really shaken up."
I've seen these kids. One night they hit my car with a crab apple. I looked at them and laughed and they rode away. They obviously aren't very nice kids. Throwing apples at a man on a bike is an asshole thing to do. But people in the village have convinced me the kids are the devil. Read some of the responses...
"I personally witnessed these kids (boys AND girls) on nine bikes last evening while I was cutting the lawn. Apparently someone did call the police because shortly afterward a patrol car began cruising up and down the block. The car left, and the kids returned. Lesson: they are very good at going, in technical Police jargon I learned from my ride-along during the Academy class last year, "poof." If you spot them, keep a close eye on their location, direction moving, and where they disappear to, in order to assist. Thanks.
P.S. They are incredibly wild, even when they are not throwing apples or rocks. And, the seeming-leader of the cohort has a habit of using a choice word starting with N every other sentence, sometimes more."
"Now that I have a minute, I'll tell you the rest of her description. She saw red and white jackets (gang? Maybe). All had backpacks which she thought unusual. When I have seen them, they haven't much cared that I am watching. All of you are right---we need to stop the behavior before it escalates. I don't have a picture phone, but any of you that do should try to get a picture. Maybe this could help the police."
"Two thoughts - they could be more than vandals. Two of our break in's where at least aided by a kid no more than 9 - 11 years old. They came in a singles pane window no bigger than 12x12. Second... the last few weeks at Waldorf my son (and other students) where harrashed over the fence daily while on the playground, they were threatened using profanity to make the point. After 4 years at Waldorf that was the first time I heard of such a thing. It went on after that for 2-3 times per week until the end of the school year."
and now for my favorite!!
"I believe these boys have also broken two windows in our carriage house, one last night. N** believes he saw them from down the block. I found an apple in the carriage house this morning. The family behind us has an untended apple tree that is dropping apples into the alley right now.
These kids have been belligerent to other neighbors as well. One neighbor told me he was mooned by them.
When I first noticed the boys they were all wearing white or red Tshirts. Are they still doing this? Is this the precursor to gang activity?
So I called 311 (very long wait) to report the broken window.
They suggested Community Relations at the 7th.
The advice I was given BY THE POLICE is that we should call 911 when these boys enter our neighborhood. We should say we feel threatened. So let’s all get on our phones.
P.S. Maybe we could also trap them in an alley—close both ends with minivans and then call the police. They’d have to leave their bikes to hop our fences. We could give the bikes to the police and let the kids claim them there…. (an only semi serious suggestion)."
Of course my suggestion would be to have a parade. And I'm sure the police will appreciate people calling and saying they are threatened by kids on bikes with crab apples. It just seems like there are so many more important things to worry about than kids with backpacks on bikes throwing crab apples who might be in a pre-gang but might not be and who might use profanity a lot.
"Last evening around 7:30, M*** who lives on Parker was riding his bike near Parker and Agnes. A group of six kids on bikes chased him and pelted him with apples. He wasn't hurt, just really shaken up."
I've seen these kids. One night they hit my car with a crab apple. I looked at them and laughed and they rode away. They obviously aren't very nice kids. Throwing apples at a man on a bike is an asshole thing to do. But people in the village have convinced me the kids are the devil. Read some of the responses...
"I personally witnessed these kids (boys AND girls) on nine bikes last evening while I was cutting the lawn. Apparently someone did call the police because shortly afterward a patrol car began cruising up and down the block. The car left, and the kids returned. Lesson: they are very good at going, in technical Police jargon I learned from my ride-along during the Academy class last year, "poof." If you spot them, keep a close eye on their location, direction moving, and where they disappear to, in order to assist. Thanks.
P.S. They are incredibly wild, even when they are not throwing apples or rocks. And, the seeming-leader of the cohort has a habit of using a choice word starting with N every other sentence, sometimes more."
"Now that I have a minute, I'll tell you the rest of her description. She saw red and white jackets (gang? Maybe). All had backpacks which she thought unusual. When I have seen them, they haven't much cared that I am watching. All of you are right---we need to stop the behavior before it escalates. I don't have a picture phone, but any of you that do should try to get a picture. Maybe this could help the police."
"Two thoughts - they could be more than vandals. Two of our break in's where at least aided by a kid no more than 9 - 11 years old. They came in a singles pane window no bigger than 12x12. Second... the last few weeks at Waldorf my son (and other students) where harrashed over the fence daily while on the playground, they were threatened using profanity to make the point. After 4 years at Waldorf that was the first time I heard of such a thing. It went on after that for 2-3 times per week until the end of the school year."
and now for my favorite!!
"I believe these boys have also broken two windows in our carriage house, one last night. N** believes he saw them from down the block. I found an apple in the carriage house this morning. The family behind us has an untended apple tree that is dropping apples into the alley right now.
These kids have been belligerent to other neighbors as well. One neighbor told me he was mooned by them.
When I first noticed the boys they were all wearing white or red Tshirts. Are they still doing this? Is this the precursor to gang activity?
So I called 311 (very long wait) to report the broken window.
They suggested Community Relations at the 7th.
The advice I was given BY THE POLICE is that we should call 911 when these boys enter our neighborhood. We should say we feel threatened. So let’s all get on our phones.
P.S. Maybe we could also trap them in an alley—close both ends with minivans and then call the police. They’d have to leave their bikes to hop our fences. We could give the bikes to the police and let the kids claim them there…. (an only semi serious suggestion)."
Of course my suggestion would be to have a parade. And I'm sure the police will appreciate people calling and saying they are threatened by kids on bikes with crab apples. It just seems like there are so many more important things to worry about than kids with backpacks on bikes throwing crab apples who might be in a pre-gang but might not be and who might use profanity a lot.
Monday, August 22, 2005
The past few days have been crazy busy! I think it's one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. Started out on Friday with cleaning our nasty dirty house. It looked so nice! Jesse went grocery shopping so we could have food in the house. He even bought bacon for our houseguests!
Cousin Seth came over late Friday afternoon. Right after I left to pick up Cousins Cori, Adam and Aaron from the airport, Uncle Larry, Aunt Nancy and Cousin Joe stopped by to see the house and get their tickets to the Tigers game. Picking people up from the airport is usually a pain in the ass but this time it was so easy and everything worked out so well! We met everyone at Comerica and watched a kickass game full of huge Tiger homeruns. After the game we all headed over to the Comet Bar for karaoke fun. A man named Mike fell in love with Jesse and Seth. Jesse fell in love with Seth. We all fell in love with Adam's rendition of Livin' On A Prayer. After consuming copious amounts of alcohol we headed over to the Greektown Casino. Seemed like a great idea. I played $2 and won $22 so it wasn't too bad. After about 5 minutes we wanted to go get some food. Adam, Chrissy and Seth wanted to stay and play craps and blackjack. Since Seth couldn't find his car that he had parked earlier in the evening I was a little worried he'd be sleeping on the street corner instead of at my house. But I never worry about Seth for long because he always figures something out. That, and I was drunk and hungry. We went to Niki's for snacks and ended up having to wait almost an hour for a cheese pizza. So we didn't get home until after 3AM. It was so fun to have so many people staying at our house! At 3:30AM Seth called to tell me that they just left the casino and he found his car. He said he was heading back to the casino and asked me to leave the door to the screened-in porch unlocked (that's where his bed was. He's allergic to cats.) I guess he got in at 5:30AM.
Around 8:30 or 9 I took cousin Cori to her friend's car and she left for Ann Arbor. We were sooooo tired! We were all supposed to be at the family reunion at my sister's house at noon. She lives about an hour away. As people got up at my house I offered to make them breakfast and told them we even had bacon. Nobody wanted bacon. Now we have two packages of bacon that nobody will eat. Great. Seth was there in the morning and he won a buttload of money. Whew!! Anyway, we finally left for the reunion around 11:30AM. Or was it noon? I don't remember. Family reunion was fun. I ended up spending most of my time with the people from the pre-family reunion the night before. Uncle Larry ended up spending Saturday night at our house. It was nice to have him there. He's super cool and smart and funny.
Sunday was another mini golf game at Julie's. I don't really have photos to post because I am a jackass and forgot to put the memory card back in my digital camera after dumping the photos from Friday night onto my computer. I took a few polaroids and will scan those. Golfing was fun and I was super tired from all the sun and fresh air. Oh. And from not sleeping much the 2 nights before. Jesse and I came home and watched the last Six Feet Under. I can't believe how much I will miss that show. Stupid. I know.
Tonight the West MI Whitecaps are playing a game at Comerica. I want to go. But since a bunch of people stayed at our house this weekend it's messy already. Yeah. Who the hell am I kidding. If I don't go to the game it's not like I will stay home and clean.
Cousin Seth came over late Friday afternoon. Right after I left to pick up Cousins Cori, Adam and Aaron from the airport, Uncle Larry, Aunt Nancy and Cousin Joe stopped by to see the house and get their tickets to the Tigers game. Picking people up from the airport is usually a pain in the ass but this time it was so easy and everything worked out so well! We met everyone at Comerica and watched a kickass game full of huge Tiger homeruns. After the game we all headed over to the Comet Bar for karaoke fun. A man named Mike fell in love with Jesse and Seth. Jesse fell in love with Seth. We all fell in love with Adam's rendition of Livin' On A Prayer. After consuming copious amounts of alcohol we headed over to the Greektown Casino. Seemed like a great idea. I played $2 and won $22 so it wasn't too bad. After about 5 minutes we wanted to go get some food. Adam, Chrissy and Seth wanted to stay and play craps and blackjack. Since Seth couldn't find his car that he had parked earlier in the evening I was a little worried he'd be sleeping on the street corner instead of at my house. But I never worry about Seth for long because he always figures something out. That, and I was drunk and hungry. We went to Niki's for snacks and ended up having to wait almost an hour for a cheese pizza. So we didn't get home until after 3AM. It was so fun to have so many people staying at our house! At 3:30AM Seth called to tell me that they just left the casino and he found his car. He said he was heading back to the casino and asked me to leave the door to the screened-in porch unlocked (that's where his bed was. He's allergic to cats.) I guess he got in at 5:30AM.
Around 8:30 or 9 I took cousin Cori to her friend's car and she left for Ann Arbor. We were sooooo tired! We were all supposed to be at the family reunion at my sister's house at noon. She lives about an hour away. As people got up at my house I offered to make them breakfast and told them we even had bacon. Nobody wanted bacon. Now we have two packages of bacon that nobody will eat. Great. Seth was there in the morning and he won a buttload of money. Whew!! Anyway, we finally left for the reunion around 11:30AM. Or was it noon? I don't remember. Family reunion was fun. I ended up spending most of my time with the people from the pre-family reunion the night before. Uncle Larry ended up spending Saturday night at our house. It was nice to have him there. He's super cool and smart and funny.
Sunday was another mini golf game at Julie's. I don't really have photos to post because I am a jackass and forgot to put the memory card back in my digital camera after dumping the photos from Friday night onto my computer. I took a few polaroids and will scan those. Golfing was fun and I was super tired from all the sun and fresh air. Oh. And from not sleeping much the 2 nights before. Jesse and I came home and watched the last Six Feet Under. I can't believe how much I will miss that show. Stupid. I know.
Tonight the West MI Whitecaps are playing a game at Comerica. I want to go. But since a bunch of people stayed at our house this weekend it's messy already. Yeah. Who the hell am I kidding. If I don't go to the game it's not like I will stay home and clean.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
oh lordy
It's a good thing I'm not coming to work tomorrow because I feel a fight coming on! I've been "working" with a family for the past three months. And by "working," I mean, trying to get the mom to do something besides pretend she is sick and walk around in her pajamas drinking coffee. She has found time to do some other things, such as smoke marijuana since she continues to test positive. I guess she explained the positive tests when she said, "Oh my doctor prescribed narcotics for my back pain." That's funny. She didn't test positive for those. She must have smoked a doobie and forgotten to take her pain pills. Anyway, for the past four weeks her favorite past time has been calling the program director to complain about how rude I am. Usually I get pissed because the program director pretty much always takes the complainer's side. But now even the program director is sick of this woman calling her. We've had several meetings with the woman and she doesn't stop complaining! She was supposed to leave on August 11. I was kind and agreed to let her stay until August 17. Then I was kind and agreed she could stay until today. I'm not feeling kind anymore and she needs to get out of my face! She got pissed at me today when I caught her in one of her lies and actually called her out on it. Usually I catch her and just smile on the inside because it's pathetic and sad and a little funny. She stormed out of here and I think she is probably at the administration office waiting for the program director to return to her office. Hmm...I wonder if she changed out of her pajamas before she went up there.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
auctions.
I enjoy a good online auction. Goodwill is fun because the proceeds go to a good cause and there's lots of fun junk. Joanna finds stuff on there that she thinks is funny. She emails the link to me. And I end up thinking it's funny. And I end up bidding on it because I have to have it. My latest purchase was a gift for Jesse. It's a bronzed baby shoe ashtray. It came in the mail today and is as beautiful as I thought it would be. My timing sucks. Jesse hasn't had a cigarette since Friday. That's a long time for him. So what do I do? I go and buy him an ashtray. Nice. Not really. I told him he can re-gift it. Hopefully Seth will use it when he visits this weekend!
it's been a good day.
The strange part is that it's been a good day at work! This morning I received news that one of the families I work with was accepted into a housing program. Yay!! Then I went to court with another family whose former landlord was trying to get more money out of them, even though she already took them to court for eviction and won. After waiting for two hours, the magistrate looked at the case and said the landlord had 56 days to amend her petition and since it has been more than 56 days, the motion was denied. Another yay!! Even though I worked in child welfare for about a year and had to testify in court at least once a week, I still hate going to court and speaking in front of the judge. Maybe it's because I worked in child welfare that I still feel this way. Hmmm... Anyway, then I was supposed to meet with my supervisor for our weekly supervision but she called and cancelled. That was probably the best part of my day!
Tonight I have to go to Michael's to pick up some clay stuff to add to my golf hole. I will post photos when it is done but I want to wait until after the golf outing just in case someone that will be there is reading this. Yeah. I doubt it too. But just in case...I want it to be a surprise.
Tonight I have to go to Michael's to pick up some clay stuff to add to my golf hole. I will post photos when it is done but I want to wait until after the golf outing just in case someone that will be there is reading this. Yeah. I doubt it too. But just in case...I want it to be a surprise.
Monday, August 15, 2005
it's all good.
I think if I actually read this shitty blog I would find that I seem pretty unhappy and mean and crabby. So I'm going to try to be happy and nice and not-crabby.
I had three appointments scheduled for today. Even though two cancelled and one didn't show up I didn't let it ruin my day. I got lots of paperwork done and that's always good.
Now I'm home watching the Tigers play the Red Sox. I decided to not score the game because when I do that I am glued to the tv and tonight I need to work on painting the mini golf hole.
I'm looking forward to seeing my family this weekend for the baseball game on Friday and then the reunion on Saturday.
See, I can be good.
I had three appointments scheduled for today. Even though two cancelled and one didn't show up I didn't let it ruin my day. I got lots of paperwork done and that's always good.
Now I'm home watching the Tigers play the Red Sox. I decided to not score the game because when I do that I am glued to the tv and tonight I need to work on painting the mini golf hole.
I'm looking forward to seeing my family this weekend for the baseball game on Friday and then the reunion on Saturday.
See, I can be good.
fix the d
We all know my supervisor is a little strange. She just called to ask me about something and we were chatting about our weekend. Her daughter's family lives in Detroit and this weekend her grandson had a football game. I think her grandson is 7 years old. My supervisor went to the game.
Me: How was the game?
Supervisor: It was sad.
Me: Really? What was sad about it?
S: Well I don't know. It was a bunch of little boys running around. And I don't know. Detroit is kind of strange. It just made me sad.
Me: *silence*
S: If someone would just take the empty lots and clean them up. They could even do it a street at a time. It would be better. And the street corners. Someone needs to clean those up too. It could be so much better. I don't know. Detroit is just strange.
Me: Hmm.
S: Well okay I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning.
I'm trying to think of a kind way to ask if she really thinks cleaning up some trash a street at a time will make Detroit that much better.
This morning on my way to work I was driving down the street and had to pull over because 4 fire trucks were turning onto the street I was driving down. I was annoyed because they were driving very slowly and I had to sit through a green light. They were driving slowly because they didn't know where the hell they were going. I know this because all 4 fire trucks did U-turns after they went by me. Then I had to wait again as they passed me again. If 4 trucks were responding it probably wasn't a kitten stuck in a tree, it was probably a fire. Why didn't any of the drivers know where they were going? I was going to tell my supervisor about this but decided that I didn't want to hear any more of her ridiculous suggestions to fix the city.
Me: How was the game?
Supervisor: It was sad.
Me: Really? What was sad about it?
S: Well I don't know. It was a bunch of little boys running around. And I don't know. Detroit is kind of strange. It just made me sad.
Me: *silence*
S: If someone would just take the empty lots and clean them up. They could even do it a street at a time. It would be better. And the street corners. Someone needs to clean those up too. It could be so much better. I don't know. Detroit is just strange.
Me: Hmm.
S: Well okay I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning.
I'm trying to think of a kind way to ask if she really thinks cleaning up some trash a street at a time will make Detroit that much better.
This morning on my way to work I was driving down the street and had to pull over because 4 fire trucks were turning onto the street I was driving down. I was annoyed because they were driving very slowly and I had to sit through a green light. They were driving slowly because they didn't know where the hell they were going. I know this because all 4 fire trucks did U-turns after they went by me. Then I had to wait again as they passed me again. If 4 trucks were responding it probably wasn't a kitten stuck in a tree, it was probably a fire. Why didn't any of the drivers know where they were going? I was going to tell my supervisor about this but decided that I didn't want to hear any more of her ridiculous suggestions to fix the city.
Friday, August 12, 2005
weekend!
I am soooooo glad it is Friday! And I am celebrating by sitting at home watching the Detroit Lions preseason game vs. the Jets. I'll probably watch this until the Tigers play Kansas City Royals. The Royals have a 13 game losing streak. Why do I have the feeling that it will end tonight? The Tigs have been playing like shit. Well, I assume they have been playing like shit. I haven't actually watched since Tuesday night. They've been losing games. That's shitty enough.
Tomorrow we are going to the west side of the state for some church conference action. I am going to be social and see people from camp and beg people to come to camp with me next summer. Jesse is going to hang out with me and meet all the people I talk about! We get to stay with Joanna and I am so excited!
Tomorrow we are going to the west side of the state for some church conference action. I am going to be social and see people from camp and beg people to come to camp with me next summer. Jesse is going to hang out with me and meet all the people I talk about! We get to stay with Joanna and I am so excited!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
breaking news.
All of the village talk today is about how some asshole journalist from the Detroit News reported on a dude that died in a carjacking and wrote that the car was dumped in the village. The first email was this:
"Can someone tell the Detroit Police Department (see Detroit News Article about Ronald Weaver murder today) that Iroquois and Medbury is not in Indian Village? They need to have the newspaper run a correction. We have enough happening without folks making up stuff."
and then there was:
"The journalist who wrote the story, "Anti-crime activist dies in carjacking", is Joel Kurth. I called his direct line and left a message in his voicemail requesting that a correction be printed in the Thursday edition of The Detroit News. In addition, I also asked him to call me directly to confirm."
People. Come on now. A man was murdered. Is the misprint really that important? Sometimes I wish I had the time to worry about this shit. No. I don't. I hope someone suggests a parade to protest the misprint! I might take part in that one!! Where's my violin??
"Can someone tell the Detroit Police Department (see Detroit News Article about Ronald Weaver murder today) that Iroquois and Medbury is not in Indian Village? They need to have the newspaper run a correction. We have enough happening without folks making up stuff."
and then there was:
"The journalist who wrote the story, "Anti-crime activist dies in carjacking", is Joel Kurth. I called his direct line and left a message in his voicemail requesting that a correction be printed in the Thursday edition of The Detroit News. In addition, I also asked him to call me directly to confirm."
People. Come on now. A man was murdered. Is the misprint really that important? Sometimes I wish I had the time to worry about this shit. No. I don't. I hope someone suggests a parade to protest the misprint! I might take part in that one!! Where's my violin??
it's dark in here.
Last night at around 8PM the power went out on Parker St. It kind of sucked because it was really hot yesterday and I was watching the Tigers play the Blue Jays on the television that requires power. And I had actually taken work home and was working on it. But once the air conditioner went off (it also requires power) I was hot and far too crabby to work on work. Couldn't check my email or read funny things on the internet. The neighbor's house alarm started to go off shortly after the power went out. It has a very long back up battery and because our houses are about 4 feet away from each other it was very loud and very annoying. Hmmm. There was only one thing I could think of to do in that situation. So I tried to eat the pint of Ben & Jerry's before it melted. We lit candles on the back porch and sat there and enjoyed one another's company. I thought it would be a good idea to call my parents. So I did. I talked to them for a long time. I think we went to bed around 10:30. Maybe? It was really hot and by that time two house alarms were going off. On Sunday I purchased some noise cancelling headphones so I decided to try them out. They worked very very well. Luckily the power came back around 11:15PM. Ah sweet air conditioning.
This morning when I left for work the sun was shining in the D. By the time I got out of the city it had started to rain quite hard. I couldn't believe how dark the sky had gotten in that short amount of time. It was really dark. Then I realized I still had my sunglasses on.
This morning when I left for work the sun was shining in the D. By the time I got out of the city it had started to rain quite hard. I couldn't believe how dark the sky had gotten in that short amount of time. It was really dark. Then I realized I still had my sunglasses on.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
i've lost all control.
This morning I made eggs and toast for breakfast. After making breakfast I walked through the dining room and noticed how cute Willie Horton was all curled up and fast asleep...on the freaking dining room table!! Yeah. They aren't supposed to be on the kitchen countertops or the dining room table. Of course we know they are up there because we find cat hair. But I've never seen her actually sleeping soundly on the table. I think I just ruined her day by waking her up quite rudely. And then I chased her around the house with a newspaper. Damn cats.
good weekend.
The Tigers got their asses kicked by the Cleveland Indians Friday night. The sixth inning was absolutely awful. I think Cleveland got 14 hits and 9 runs or something ridiculous like that. It was so bad that I almost had to sharpen the Hello Kitty pencil I was scoring the game with after the top of the sixth inning. Hello Kitty.
I got lots done today. Went to Kohl's and bought some exercise type clothes...mainly shorts. I needed shorts to run in. I've been running on the treadmill in my underwear. It's so comfortable! The problem is that when it starts to get dark in the morning people will be able to see in the window and they really don't want to see me in my underwear. Really. Then I cleaned the kitchen. I love having a great big kitchen that I don't cook in. The problem is the nice big island in the middle of the kitchen is a great place to dump a bunch of shit. Junk mail. Limes. More junk mail. 4 dollar bills, 4 quarters and one-thin-dime (don't be a glutton get your Captain Marvel button!). An engineer doll and his saw. An apple. Receipts. Junk mail. July 4 New Yorker that I thought never came. We also seem to have a large black ant problem. The ants are large and the problem is large. I bought traps last week and the ants went away but they have returned in the past couple days. Yuck! Let's see...then I put another layer of papier mache on my golf hole.
We went to see Wedding Crashers tonight. I love that movie! A must-see for all. It reminded me of my own little wedding crasher story...
Several years ago I was having problems with a dude I was dating. We had gotten in a huge fight and I was upset and called my good friend Juli who lived in Sault Ste. Marie. She invited me to visit her for the weekend to get away and clear my head. She said she was going to be in a wedding and that I could go to the wedding and nobody would know. It was going to be a huge Catholic wedding with about 400 guests. I thought it was a little strange but really wanted to get out of town so I agreed to go. She was right, it was a big wedding. I even went to the ceremony. I sat in the back pew with Juli's friend's mom. I read a People magazine while her friend's mom read a Danielle Steele novel. Catholic weddings are loooooong! The reception was amazing. It was in a gymnasium that was decorated with crepe paper and balloons. I noticed tons of empty half-gallon and gallon milk jugs on the tables. Yeah. The beer trailer pulled up and the milk jugs were filled with Busch Light from the beer trailer. There were 400 people there that dressed up in their nice jeans for the wedding. It was awesome. So Juli swore nobody would even know I was there. Let's just say they found out because I took the best man home. And by "home" I mean Juli's apartment. She didn't mind because she had another groomsman with her. It really sounds like a sleazy one-night stand but it really wasn't because the best man lived in Seattle and I went to visit him a couple times. And he came to visit me a couple times. So it was long distance booty calling instead of a sleazy one-night stand. Much better. Oh, and the dude I had gotten in a fight with was immediately kicked to the curb.
Tomorrow is Jesse's Second City class show. I can't wait to see it. He and his friends have worked so hard. I'm so proud of him!!
I got lots done today. Went to Kohl's and bought some exercise type clothes...mainly shorts. I needed shorts to run in. I've been running on the treadmill in my underwear. It's so comfortable! The problem is that when it starts to get dark in the morning people will be able to see in the window and they really don't want to see me in my underwear. Really. Then I cleaned the kitchen. I love having a great big kitchen that I don't cook in. The problem is the nice big island in the middle of the kitchen is a great place to dump a bunch of shit. Junk mail. Limes. More junk mail. 4 dollar bills, 4 quarters and one-thin-dime (don't be a glutton get your Captain Marvel button!). An engineer doll and his saw. An apple. Receipts. Junk mail. July 4 New Yorker that I thought never came. We also seem to have a large black ant problem. The ants are large and the problem is large. I bought traps last week and the ants went away but they have returned in the past couple days. Yuck! Let's see...then I put another layer of papier mache on my golf hole.
We went to see Wedding Crashers tonight. I love that movie! A must-see for all. It reminded me of my own little wedding crasher story...
Several years ago I was having problems with a dude I was dating. We had gotten in a huge fight and I was upset and called my good friend Juli who lived in Sault Ste. Marie. She invited me to visit her for the weekend to get away and clear my head. She said she was going to be in a wedding and that I could go to the wedding and nobody would know. It was going to be a huge Catholic wedding with about 400 guests. I thought it was a little strange but really wanted to get out of town so I agreed to go. She was right, it was a big wedding. I even went to the ceremony. I sat in the back pew with Juli's friend's mom. I read a People magazine while her friend's mom read a Danielle Steele novel. Catholic weddings are loooooong! The reception was amazing. It was in a gymnasium that was decorated with crepe paper and balloons. I noticed tons of empty half-gallon and gallon milk jugs on the tables. Yeah. The beer trailer pulled up and the milk jugs were filled with Busch Light from the beer trailer. There were 400 people there that dressed up in their nice jeans for the wedding. It was awesome. So Juli swore nobody would even know I was there. Let's just say they found out because I took the best man home. And by "home" I mean Juli's apartment. She didn't mind because she had another groomsman with her. It really sounds like a sleazy one-night stand but it really wasn't because the best man lived in Seattle and I went to visit him a couple times. And he came to visit me a couple times. So it was long distance booty calling instead of a sleazy one-night stand. Much better. Oh, and the dude I had gotten in a fight with was immediately kicked to the curb.
Tomorrow is Jesse's Second City class show. I can't wait to see it. He and his friends have worked so hard. I'm so proud of him!!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
summer time
We all know that crime rates rise in the summer. The village and the City of Detroit are no different. Last week a family was held up at gunpoint when they arrived home from their vacation. Luckily nobody was hurt. Everyone is scared and the list has been hopping with emails on what to do about the latest increase in crime. I feel a little bit bad for posting these but they made me laugh a little so I thought I'd share them anyway.
Here's the first one that made me roll my eyes and giggle...it's in response to an email someone posted suggesting you make copies of important documents you carry with you. That way, if someone robs you it will be easier to get them replaced...
"Pardon ME... where is the outrage? I am not too concerned about my wallet contents - but the loss of human life. It sounds like these guys were very serious and would have harmed D*** or his young son and wife had he not complied. I really think we all need to pick a night - get off the couch, the phone, the computer, the lawnmower, etc. and march en mass down the middle of Mack to the 7th and all the way downtown if we have to demanding a response. Everyone! Get wagons, wheel chairs, bikes, scooters and what ever it takes to get every man, woman, child and pet in the middle of the street to cause a commotion! These guys are bold we have to be equally bold! Last night would have been good, during the primary, but lets just pick a day and DO IT and DO IT soon. I was driven out of my home after 18 years in the neighborhood - I am still in despair over this. Don't let this happen toyou! I will print flyers but they need to say we will bang on every door until someone comes out to join us! (I could really get threatening and have my son play the violin until the door opens) Bring your noise makers, old instruments, pots and pans - this has got to end. I am sick of damage control. Are you?"
Is having a parade really a reasonable response to increased crime in this city? I had never really thought of that before. I mean, sometimes I thought about the importance of lowering the unemployment rate and boosting the economy of this impoverished city. But I had never even considered having a parade. Brilliant! And the son with a violin, what a perfect touch. Why am I picturing her son getting the shit beat out of him with his very own violin? By me?
Okay and here is another email that made me laugh...
"This is ridiculous! No wonder people question our commitment to living in the city. At this point, we are questioning it ourselves.
Last night after dark my husband saw four young men strolling (he said lurking) down the middle of the street behind a young female jogger who had reached the front of our house. My husband had to tell her about them. She ran ahead and away from them, then he realized he needed to hurry in the house as well so he wasn’t robbed or shot. First of all, I constantly see two or more suspicious characters, with free reign, just slowly walking down our streets at night seemingly waiting for opportunities. Secondly, the jogger didn’t even notice them likely because the streets are so extremely dark. And lastly, we feel like we can’t even go outside of our own house in the evening for fear of being approached with a gun.
We don’t seem to have any control of our neighborhood and it seems inevitable that at some point, someone will get shot. I thought our robbery last summer was more of an isolated incident, but apparently it’s becoming status quo. I know this seems to be more of a seasonal thing, but this is the season where the kids are outside, we are out later, and we have more visitors. We shouldn’t have to be on lockdown every summer. I want a home and neighborhood I can enjoy from the outside as well, in the evening if I so choose. Do I really have to move to get this? Can we please rally together and find a solution?!!"
She must have missed the previous parade suggestion. I guess a parade could be considered a "rally". Which makes me think of "rally caps" which are so fun. Anyway, I think my favorite part of this email is that she assumes her husband was going to get robbed or shot. Also, she is confused in thinking she lives in a gated community. As far as I knew, it is not illegal to walk down a city street. She wrote that the "suspicious people" have "free reign" to just walk down the street. Unfortunately she did not have the balls to write that the "poor black people" are walking on her street and she believes the hype and is scared of them. I'm kind of hoping she stays in lockdown this summer. And next summer. That way I won't see her on the street and punch her. Do you think she is afraid of Asian American women? If she's not, she should be! I have no idea who this person is or what she looks like or where she lives. So don't worry, I won't be punching her.
I hope I never get robbed or shot. I understand that I moved to a city where the likelihood of that happening is probably higher than when I lived in Ann Arbor. If I ever live my life in fear of someone that hasn't done anything besides have less than me and walk in front of my house I just might shoot myself. Except I don't have a gun. Oh I have a gun that shoots little plastic pigs. I have to be careful though because I've already lost a couple of the pigs and I don't want to run out.
Peace.
Here's the first one that made me roll my eyes and giggle...it's in response to an email someone posted suggesting you make copies of important documents you carry with you. That way, if someone robs you it will be easier to get them replaced...
"Pardon ME... where is the outrage? I am not too concerned about my wallet contents - but the loss of human life. It sounds like these guys were very serious and would have harmed D*** or his young son and wife had he not complied. I really think we all need to pick a night - get off the couch, the phone, the computer, the lawnmower, etc. and march en mass down the middle of Mack to the 7th and all the way downtown if we have to demanding a response. Everyone! Get wagons, wheel chairs, bikes, scooters and what ever it takes to get every man, woman, child and pet in the middle of the street to cause a commotion! These guys are bold we have to be equally bold! Last night would have been good, during the primary, but lets just pick a day and DO IT and DO IT soon. I was driven out of my home after 18 years in the neighborhood - I am still in despair over this. Don't let this happen toyou! I will print flyers but they need to say we will bang on every door until someone comes out to join us! (I could really get threatening and have my son play the violin until the door opens) Bring your noise makers, old instruments, pots and pans - this has got to end. I am sick of damage control. Are you?"
Is having a parade really a reasonable response to increased crime in this city? I had never really thought of that before. I mean, sometimes I thought about the importance of lowering the unemployment rate and boosting the economy of this impoverished city. But I had never even considered having a parade. Brilliant! And the son with a violin, what a perfect touch. Why am I picturing her son getting the shit beat out of him with his very own violin? By me?
Okay and here is another email that made me laugh...
"This is ridiculous! No wonder people question our commitment to living in the city. At this point, we are questioning it ourselves.
Last night after dark my husband saw four young men strolling (he said lurking) down the middle of the street behind a young female jogger who had reached the front of our house. My husband had to tell her about them. She ran ahead and away from them, then he realized he needed to hurry in the house as well so he wasn’t robbed or shot. First of all, I constantly see two or more suspicious characters, with free reign, just slowly walking down our streets at night seemingly waiting for opportunities. Secondly, the jogger didn’t even notice them likely because the streets are so extremely dark. And lastly, we feel like we can’t even go outside of our own house in the evening for fear of being approached with a gun.
We don’t seem to have any control of our neighborhood and it seems inevitable that at some point, someone will get shot. I thought our robbery last summer was more of an isolated incident, but apparently it’s becoming status quo. I know this seems to be more of a seasonal thing, but this is the season where the kids are outside, we are out later, and we have more visitors. We shouldn’t have to be on lockdown every summer. I want a home and neighborhood I can enjoy from the outside as well, in the evening if I so choose. Do I really have to move to get this? Can we please rally together and find a solution?!!"
She must have missed the previous parade suggestion. I guess a parade could be considered a "rally". Which makes me think of "rally caps" which are so fun. Anyway, I think my favorite part of this email is that she assumes her husband was going to get robbed or shot. Also, she is confused in thinking she lives in a gated community. As far as I knew, it is not illegal to walk down a city street. She wrote that the "suspicious people" have "free reign" to just walk down the street. Unfortunately she did not have the balls to write that the "poor black people" are walking on her street and she believes the hype and is scared of them. I'm kind of hoping she stays in lockdown this summer. And next summer. That way I won't see her on the street and punch her. Do you think she is afraid of Asian American women? If she's not, she should be! I have no idea who this person is or what she looks like or where she lives. So don't worry, I won't be punching her.
I hope I never get robbed or shot. I understand that I moved to a city where the likelihood of that happening is probably higher than when I lived in Ann Arbor. If I ever live my life in fear of someone that hasn't done anything besides have less than me and walk in front of my house I just might shoot myself. Except I don't have a gun. Oh I have a gun that shoots little plastic pigs. I have to be careful though because I've already lost a couple of the pigs and I don't want to run out.
Peace.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
things i want to do.
Learn how to crochet.
Make a mini-golf hole out of popsicle sticks.
Frame the flaming cock artwork.
Sleep for 8 hours in a row.
Tell my supervisor to go away.
Take cake decorating class.
Exercise more than once a month.
Say "hi Wiki" to Wiki Gonzalez. I love his name.
All these things to do. And what am I doing tonight, for the second night in a row?? I'm sitting in front of the tv watching the Tigers play the Mariners with my little scorebook. The good thing is I am getting much better at scoring. Jesse hasn't been around to help me and I think that has actually been more helpful since I have to figure it out myself.
Today I decided to increase the dose of Ritalin I take. I made an appointment to see my doctor next week but decided to not wait to see her. I've just been feeling so out of it lately. The other night I realized the medication isn't working anymore when I had decided it would be a good idea to leave. Just move to a new city and start over all by myself. That was the old way I did things. Dump the boyfriend and take off. But I don't want to do that anymore. I love Jesse. I like my life, even though all I do is bitch, bitch, bitch. Maybe if I can focus on my list of things to do then I won't be so pissy all the time.
Yeah. We'll see how long this lasts.
Make a mini-golf hole out of popsicle sticks.
Frame the flaming cock artwork.
Sleep for 8 hours in a row.
Tell my supervisor to go away.
Take cake decorating class.
Exercise more than once a month.
Say "hi Wiki" to Wiki Gonzalez. I love his name.
All these things to do. And what am I doing tonight, for the second night in a row?? I'm sitting in front of the tv watching the Tigers play the Mariners with my little scorebook. The good thing is I am getting much better at scoring. Jesse hasn't been around to help me and I think that has actually been more helpful since I have to figure it out myself.
Today I decided to increase the dose of Ritalin I take. I made an appointment to see my doctor next week but decided to not wait to see her. I've just been feeling so out of it lately. The other night I realized the medication isn't working anymore when I had decided it would be a good idea to leave. Just move to a new city and start over all by myself. That was the old way I did things. Dump the boyfriend and take off. But I don't want to do that anymore. I love Jesse. I like my life, even though all I do is bitch, bitch, bitch. Maybe if I can focus on my list of things to do then I won't be so pissy all the time.
Yeah. We'll see how long this lasts.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
rabies
There is a raccoon that lives in a tree at work. My coworkers have all decided that since it is up and around sometimes during the day it must be sick and therefore it must have rabies and we need to warn everyone to stay away. I did a little research and found that in 2004, 2 cases were reported in Washtenaw County. Both involved bats. No cases in the state of Michigan were reported on raccoon's. Because of the way this agency does things, I'm a little concerned that the maintenance guy will be sitting out there with a shotgun trying to kill the stupid thing. If the raccoon was trying to get into the buildings or chasing kids or smoking crack I would definitely say kill it. But it's just living in the tree. Sometimes it takes a walk and leaves the tree. That's all. And telling people it has rabies is just silly.
Speaking of smoking crack, when I stopped at the Jehovah's Witness gas station this morning to fill up my tank, I noticed a little plastic bag that is normally crack rock packaging on the ground. Maybe the JW's need to stop bugging me and start talking to the people who leave their crack packages on the ground.
Speaking of smoking crack, when I stopped at the Jehovah's Witness gas station this morning to fill up my tank, I noticed a little plastic bag that is normally crack rock packaging on the ground. Maybe the JW's need to stop bugging me and start talking to the people who leave their crack packages on the ground.
Monday, August 01, 2005
awful
Today sucked. I had to go to the third part of a training for work. It wasn't so bad until my supervisor stopped the trainer and said, "I can't speak for everyone in this room but I know most of us aren't ready for the stuff you are talking about. Can we just go back and review the stuff from the first two trainings instead?" I almost fell on the floor. Luckily there were only 5 of us in the entire training and we were all from the same agency. The trainer realized that I was the only one who actually knew what I was doing so she gave me the info I needed and let me work on stuff while she basically presented the first two trainings all over again.
It's hot and I'm so freaking crabby I can hardly stand it.
It's hot and I'm so freaking crabby I can hardly stand it.
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