Finally got myself a new pair of running shoes. I am happy about it. :D
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Him has finally called, he's safe and sound at Mum and Dad's and got some sleep - jet lag is still kicking his ass

You live in hot land, why do you need snow treads? :p:

Wait, aren't you the one that's supposed to go home to mother. :haha:
Glad he made it safely.

Della and maybe the meds, but definitely Della.

Oh lord no! My mother drives me batshit crazy insane!

I was approached by a mental health patient today.
I'd sat on a wall to eat my treat for walking home (a small cheese twist.)
I saw the group across the road and knew they were from the local mental health place - where I was a few years back.

An Asian chap - late 30s? - crossed the road with no regard to the traffic, followed by an indignant carer/ supervisor/ nurse type person, who had to be more wary of cars.
He just wanted to say hello.
I smiled in the sunshine and we had a four to five sentence conversation.

I think he was in Tindal, which is a step up (down?) from Cornerstones where I was.
Would it be appallingly vain to I say I made him happy? Maybe.
But knowing something about why he was talking to me and that he was under supervision made me relaxed and friendly. And he walked away with a big grin.

The three professionals in the group smiled and did a modern version of tipping their hats to me.

Cost me nothing.

Nicely done, hon. Spread a little happy.

I am ridiculously happy this afternoon. Saw my 3rd son through a weekend full of graduation festivities (including a surprise party with out-of-town friends coming in), worked 2-6 am each night for the past several nights to finish a term paper and term project worth mucho %, and got them successfully uploaded at 2:30 this morning after chest pain-causing technical difficulties; and remained conscious through clinic and classes today. (Not to worry re clinic, I was wired and on top of everything. No issues re patient care.) I'm taking the evening off, reading brain-candy detective novels, drinking a wonderful Mollydooker wine that I found at the grocery store. Going to sleep for 14 hours. Then, on to exam week!

Okay, I'm just happy to still be breathing after this past weekend. I wasn't sure I could pull it all off. Just watch, now I'll get a let-down migraine.

Ya done good, lady, take a bow... and a nap.;)

Had a nice roan bull calf today. So after vaccinating him all day long we could not find this calf in the wooded pasture. We were sure he was stolen! Never had that happen but where that hell was he all day? :eyebrow: found him just before dark under the electric fence and he had no idea how to get to his Mom. [/stress]

I just had a call from the lady who ran into me a couple of weeks ago. She's agreed to pay me the full amount of the quote for my car repairs.

Those are shark's teeth. They're supposed to, umm....forgot what it's good for. :D The angle of the zig zag sole gives better cushion and traction.....something like that. :p: Anyways, the shoes are light weight, bendable, and has mesh lining so it's cooler. My nephew likes them so much he wanted to wear them, so I gave the shoes to him. He wore them to go hiking on a school field trip today. He said his feet feels better with these shoes than the other ones. Glad he appreciates it.

Isn't your nephew like 6 years old? And you wear the same size shoes?

I'm surprised it wasn't making more noise.

There you go, you're set.

I hope you got something in return, not money but a promise to help with something, or future favor.

Just found out that my stepson and his wife's new home purchase looks like it will go through. They currently live in Katy which is about an hour's drive, 50 mile or so away and the new home will be only 15 minutes away.

And the home is much bigger which is what they need with 5 kids. It's a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, full living room, dining room, family room, study, newly redone kitchen and new roof and AC units with a big 2 car garage and a swimming pool to boot... the home is around 4000 sq ft. And their price is $227,000! Not bad for all of that! Houston still has great deals on housing.

My wife and I spend a lot of time with them and their kids, we usually do Christmas and other holidays together and in the summer I usually keep the grand kids for a couple of weeks at our house since both parents work and I keep the sick ones when they are too sick for school. I figure this summer I will just go there a lot, nothing like a back yard private pool.

News Flash!

SKINNY DIPPING GRANDFATHER SHOCKS NEIGHBORS :lol2:

Chris, that's wonderful.
We spent so much time with my Mother's parents when I was younger (my Dad's were dead by then, so not so much time.) Whole weeks, and summers.

I many ways I envy families growing up in their birth town, which is also the birth town of their parents', knowing their cousins, going to the same schools and all that.
But despite all her efforts, Mum rarely got to see her grandchildren and unsupervised days with them were only on the occasion that they were ill. She didn't have a pool.

She sees her great-grandsons every week, but only for 1-2 hours.
I can't see her ever being left in charge of them.
It's nothing she's done, just the way that family runs.

I'm getting about $83 from my bank's rewards program. Nothing like unexpected money.

@MTP: for sure!

A very strange day - in my entire academic life I haven't had one to beat it ...

I spent the weekend of my 3rd son's grad finishing a term project (for a horrible course) and a term paper (for a great course) between 2 and 6 am each night. Totally stressed over both, as they were worth a lot. Got them submitted.

Today I got results back ... 100% on the project for the awful course, which means I have a shot at an A overall if I spank the final ... and a shot at a 4.0 GPA if other finals go well. And my health policy term paper came back with a grade of 100% - the prof said he's never given a perfect score before.

And ... I was offered a very competitive rotation of 2 months in DC this fall at OSHA headquarters, right beside the Capitol. The email came in at 5:30, a little before I left the office.

I'm so excited, really deliriously happy, because at the start of this semester I had chemo brain so bad that I couldn't figure out my spring schedule. I wrote everything on a big dry-erase wall calendar and I couldn't comprehend it, and I just cried. But my brain slowly reconnected the neuro pathways over the past several weeks. I could almost feel it happening. Today was confirmation that chemo didn't permanently damage my brain.

I am profoundly thankful and very, very happy. Also very excited to be spending the early fall in DC! Two of my sons will be there - I plan to really get to know our nation's capital!

Nice! :)

WOW ! I'm impressed.

Congratulations (100%) again and (100%) again and (OSHA) again.
DC OSHA doesn't know how good they're going to have it !

Thank you! I can't quite believe it's all true.

So excited about OSHA. :)

awesome news. :thumb:

Good stuff ortho. :). We all knew you'd be fine. ;)

Not bad for a Canadian. ;)
Seriously, I wish I were at a proper keyboard. Big hugs to you and your resilient brain cells.

That's wonderful, ortho! (Hey, remember when we all said something better than that crappy job that backed out on you would come along? It feels sooo good to tell you we told you so. :))

that's amazing news ortho

Soooo, you're really a bot, eh.:eyebrow:

A big congrats on everything, Ortho!

Way to go!

Thank you so much!!! Love you all! I want to hug you all and buy everyone a beer or glass of bubbly. :)

Tonight, things are positive and I am happy. That's all I need for this moment.
I appreciate all your good wishes so much.

And yeah, I'm a Canadian bot. A suspicious, cool, merely Canadian bot. :cool:

Go O! :D

Fantastic news, Ortho!

Nice!

Good for you ortho!

I talked to 2 recruiters yesterday. One is from my old company that placed me at my last job. There going to see about getting me placed back with that company or a new one if they can. The 2nd recruiter is going to try to get me a job making 17/hr which is better than the old pay I was getting and better than the pay I would get with my previous company. Only issue is that it is farther away and I might spend more just getting to and from work. We'll see, it may not be too bad if I get a shift avoiding rush hour. I meet with the 2nd recruiter tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I've been writing my lifestyle blog for ... going on 2.5-3 yrs now....

today I got my very first 'real' ping back/link/reference from a another blogger I don't even know, on a piece I wrote in response to another blog post debunking BBC article on "How to Eat £1 a Day" (both of us thought the original BBC piece was crap)

I've had the odd one or two comments from family members or friends, but this is the first 'real' - someone in the great wild world out there noticed.

It's a silly thing to be chuffed about ... but I am :)

No, a great thing to be chuffed about!
Well done you for having good writing recognised.

My happy also comes from the media.
Nothing written by me, just a salute to my good taste. Well, me as part of a triumvirate.
We stay at The Alamo when we have our pantomime GTG every year.
Lonely Planet magazine this month gave it a mention. We're so cool we didn't even know it.

thanks :)

I think any validation is a good thing, a validation of my little blatherings, a validation of your good taste :)

They keep trying to tell us that we don't NEED external validation of our own worth value goodness accomplishments .... but it sure as hell don't hurt non :)

With or without the happy ending?

I actually didn't ask. I didn't think it would be polite.

So. I got pulled over by a cop yesterday. Yes, I was speeding. 43 in a 25 is what he growled at me ... next to a school. He came up for the license and registration bit. Asked me if I knew why I got pulled over ... usual stuff. I fessed up. Went back to his cruiser with my ID while I sweated it out .... came back and told me to slow it down. Thank you nice officer. I will respect your generous warning!

The interview with the recruiter went very well today! I only missed one question on their assessment test and the recruiter told me that I presented myself very well. He had some great tips for my resume and for my future interviews with employers. I think he will be a great help to me getting placed in a good job.

Hurrah! 3 cheers for the Alamo!

Well done, MTP!
And yay for the Alamo!

Sent by thought transference

oh that does sound encouraging mtp :) it's great to have that kind of support and feedback

raspberries are making me happy today.... got 9 of em planted... along with 2 blackberries ... still want to get the 2 rhubarb and the 3 hardy cherries in this afternoon but day by day little bit by little bit, I'm getting there.... Still a buttload of work to do, but there's something deeply satisfying about getting dirty and sweaty and making things grow.... especially yummy things

Little Griff and her school mates doing Les Mis. Stripped down orchestra 4 pros +Lil' G really put the emphasis on the voices. It was wonderful.

;)

After Nirvana posted 'Fabulous O!' some time ago, I made that my work password for the next 90 days. It made me giggle to type it. ;)

Long convo with Ali.
Talked to her two older sons and a girlfriend (not Ali's)

It helped. Anytime I talk to Dwellars it helps.
I might even eat now. Or chew at least.

:). Go on, stuff yourself. Hehe

Spent yesterday going to IN for my future niece-in-law's (my oldest nephew's fiancee) graduation. she be a physician's asst. we all love her and are very proud. met her wonderful cat at her apt. went to dinner. it was a long day but very nice.

today is a big party for my youngest niece's 1st communion. more family! It will also be a good day.

as weird as it is i can already feel the relief of not having that sick to my stomach sunday night/monday morning torture. i find myself thinking of work that needs to be done, then remember it isn't my mess, or problem, anymore. that part is good.

You could be a professional relative. Gotta figure out a way to get paid for these gigs.

Wasn't there a movie with some old lady who would crash weddings or funerals or something and insinuate herself into the families? Everyone just assumed she was someone's aunt or grandmother.

i would be a great pro relative!

was it an old movie? can't place it.

I have a picture of Angela Lansbury in my head. It was in color and I think it was either the 90s or late 80s.

It might have also been a subplot to another film.

Harold and Maude? They both went to funerals, that's how they met.

I woulda beena great funeral pro back in the day.

I had the chutzpah to take plastic food-saver boxes to any catered event.
If it wasn't nailed down I'd ask if I could take it. Flowers included. I knew from my catering work that that they were usually composted before they'd even wilted.

And at events where free drinks were limited, I targeted drivers/ teetotallers for their drinks tickets. That was before I had a real problem with alchofrolics; it was just about getting maximum benefit from the evening.

I'd be rubbish now though. No food. No drink witout guilt. I'd still sing, but that was always for free anyway.

You can come to my fun-eral, Infi.
In fact you're all invited. I mean all Dwellars, not suggesting IM has multiple personalities.
Just wear pink. And bring your own drink.
And try to give the 'rents a lickle bit of cash - planting daughters is surprisingly expensive, it turns out.

In this country you're not allowed to cook and eat us.
I can't even find a country where you can.

Is that so? :eyebrow:

It was the subject of many complaints actually.

In the same way some men are vehemently homophobic, but secretly more gay than an Easter Parade, I think the complainers really wished they could really eat their rellies.

but I look truly hideous in pink

CITE!