Month: December 2012

Rockin’ & Rollin’

We are out west at March Mountain, celebrating the end of the old year and start of 2013.

What is interesting is that my friend, Juls, has her son and his band, Capture the Crown, also staying here. I think it’s neat, even though I am a little old for Tyler and his Aussie band mates, they are great guys. It truly is a change- hanging out with a screaming band!

It’s good to be together with friends, and to share special times…laughter is great!

I’m blessed!

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Woosh…

This morning, I would say the winds here are blowing a minimum of 25 miles per hour.
Minimum….
25 mph….

**sigh**

The girls and I will go out lunch time to see our friends, but I think we are going to stay in and stay cozy. This is not necessarily the way I wanted to leave 2012 in Undisclosed, but I KNOW 2013 will rock.

Happy old year memories and a happy new year full of promise to you all!

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Another Saturday night..

…and after Mass, Jim and I were invited to our neighbor Jerry’s house for gulasz myśliwski, or hunter’s stew. Jerry is a native of Poland, and with my Polish background as well as Jim’s, well, let’s just say the meal was wonderful, and on a damp dreary night as it is now, well, you can safely assume that it hit the spot. It is always good to have good food and good conversation and laughs. It is true what they say laughter is the best medicine!
I have come back to have the girls out and get comfortable for the night. My nephew Greg informed me that we had snow in the city, and down here we were only rained on. We are going to relax for the rest of the weekend, traveling to our friends Juls and Tim for News Years’ eve.
Here’s hoping that if you have to go out on the roads, you are safe. Stay warm and snuggle!

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Ugh, ugh, ugh….

Just got off the phone with a resident.

We are told how to answer the phone.
Hell, anyone in an office for the amount of years I have been in KNOWS how to professionally answer a phone.

This person said, “Oh, is that your name?”
I had answered the phone with our department name.
I said,” No, and repeated the greeting.”

**pregnant pause**

They said,” Interesting….”

……. is it time to go home yet? My head can’t take too much more….

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Friday Five

It’s been a while since I did my thankful Friday five, but at year’s end seemed appropriate, so….

I have never been so happy to see a year-end, and that my immediate family and friends got through relatively unscathed. I am hoping that 2013 picks us all up and finds us well.Thanks God we got almost all the way through it.

Did I mention Jim? aka Shingleman? How blessed am I to have him in my life. We have been getting through things together for over ten years, and I can think of no finer guy to have in my life. He is my love and my rock.

I’ve had a few significant people pass out of my life this year, who were suffering with illness for a while. I am sad that they are gone, but they are, I am sure, in their heavenly reward. My life had been enriched from knowing them.

They always say friends are family that you pick yourself.You KNOW who you are-I am thankful you are in my life. 🙂

Finally,I am thankful to you, my reader. Hope you have a happy and healthy 2013.

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We’re all getting there…

….especially, my Zush.

We had a few scary instances of Zush’s legs giving out on her the past few days. It was especially scary when Jim would be upstairs, I would be in the kitchen and I’d hear her paws sliding on the floor and then hear a ‘thunk”- meaning she’d fallen.

Mercifully my Vet had 6:30 am hours for this morning so Jim and I got up early and got Zush to the vet.
Diagnosis? Arthritis.
**sigh**

Evidently, no I have to put her on puppy Celebrex and hopefully this will ease her inflammation.

I don’t think they do titanium replacements for pups, yet, or else we’d be the first 2-legged mother and 4-legged daughter to match!

Hold a good thought for the Zush- she sure can use it!

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Apprehension

I am dreading today and am glad to be working .

Yes, it is Christmas Eve, but being of Polish descent, it’s when we ” did” the holiday .

So this is life after Mom’s death.

No Christmas pin can make it right. No Mom= loss. My heart is in my gut thinking of past Christmases.Dad was gone and now so is she.

It’s going to be a long day.
Hold a good thought, ok?
I need it.

Thanks.
Merry Christmas!

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The morning after

So day number 2 of my 53rd year has started.

We are out to breakfast at a spot called the Erma deli,a spot around five minutes from the house. I got a gift certificate, so we figured why not? The food here, allegedly, is good.

We ordered the two egg platter, and I got pork roll with mine and also rye toast. Jim ordered a two egg sandwich.

We’ll be back.
Good eats!

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Happy Birthday to my Mac.

Jim gave me my Power Macbook for my birthday last year.

It has brought me nothing but joy.

Having worked with computers for a long time, you haven’t lived until you never have to deal with a blue screen, a Norton anti-virus, windows error messages, and so on and so on…if you are a windows user, you KNOW what I am talking about.

I’m converted- I’m a believer!

Apple rocks!

So really…

I try to be a nice person.

Really….I do, albeit sometimes TRY is the operative word.

We have returned to the working world after our GI/upper respiratory interlude and I am back on phones talking to people, trying to assist them. I must really be a good salesman. I take the calls and try to troubleshoot them in the most time-efficient way, and try to keep the caller updated on progress.

I got off the phone just now and damn, I wondered while hanging up the phone…..WAS THAT ME?

It must be time for me to retire because I sounded cheery, helpful and the caller thanked me profusely and wished me a happy holiday.

Oh.

I get it.

First time back on the phones since Friday……lol

 

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On the 19th of December

Today is day number four.

Jim and I have been fighting a bug for a few days. Headache , GI issues,and I went to an upper respiratory issue.

Yes we are juicing: well, we were until we caught the bug. We hope to go right back to it, but for now, we have been working to get back on our feet. Personally, this hacking makes me nuts.

The girls have been good during this, but hey, we are trying to work to get us going.

I’m hoping to get us back on our feet soon!

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Greg

Today is my nephew Gregory’s birthday.

Talk about change and hard work. Greg always was a good student, but while attending Temple University, I have seen him apply himself and watched him mature to a 23 year old man who knows exactly what he wants in life.

Greg often would come down to the house and leave with me for work. We’d people watch on the train, and more times than not, he’d accompany me to the office. He’d talk to my co-workers and leave them laughing.

Happiest of birthdays, my Greg. We are all so proud of the fine young man you have become.

Sto lat!

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Happy birthday in Heaven

It’s been a year, Mom.
A year since I got to sing Happy Birthday to you.
A year since I gave you some chocolates, fuzzy socks you always liked, and sang Sto Lat.

Well, you didn’t make one hundred . You hit eighty- nine. I was blessed to have you for fifty-two of them. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss you. I miss those blue eyes, that soft touch, that smile.

Happy birthday in Heaven, Mom. I know Dad made the pound cake for you , not our favorite 1-2-3-4 cake. I’m glad Dad is with you to get you your first heavenly birthday card.

Our December birthdays won’t be the same without you.

Love,
Marisha

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Quiet Sunday

It’s a quiet Sunday.

I have been up and down, as Jim has fallen prey to the GI big going around. The girls and I are good, so we have. Been providing him with nursing care. Ginger ale, pretzel rods, jello and chicken soup are the menu of the day.

We went to a work Christmas party for Jim last night at his friend Box Bagwell’s house. I enjoyed it as much as he did: it was a great party.

Here’s hoping for a good week for us all.

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On the guest list

That’s what it feels like this weekend.

We have two social invitations and, bowing to the season, we have opted to honor them.

I can hardly wait for next weekend, to have the weekend to kick back and relax, and finish the odds and ends associated with the holiday season.

Here’s hoping your weekend is a good one, and you finish whatever needs to get done in order to enjoy the holiday!

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Getting a bit close..

…to my Mom’s birthday.

She would be 90 this Tuesday and it is rough.

We were mother and daughter and occasionally we were partners in crime back in the early days, but this month was the one bond we both had in common-DECEMBER. You see her birthday was the 18th, my nephew Gregory turns 23 on the 19th and I round it up on the 22nd.

I remember how I was watching Mom during one of last year’s hurricane threats and it had turned out that there was actually a tornado watch in the area. What was I going to do? Stay in a closet and watch Mom and her hospital bed get sucked out the window? I made up my mind, and despite whatever the level of the threat was, I sat on the kitchen chair that we kept by her bed and held her hand and talked to her in Polish. I remember thinking to myself that if I were to be hit by lightning or something else happening, it was appropriate, as I was holding the hand of the woman who brought me into this world. How fitting would it be if we left this world together. In short, I was as calm as could be because I was with Mom and knew whatever would happen, we were together.

I know how people always will tell you the first year is the hardest, and I can vouch for a fact that it is. If I can get through the birthday week, however, I’d like to think it’ll be ok. I know she’s with Dad and they are having the 1234 cake that she used to make, and it’ll be a good, heavenly birthday for her.

I just wish it didn’t hurt so much.

**sigh**

 

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Well, well…

Juicing is working its mojo.

I got blood test results back and called Shingleman.

My blood sugar is 95. All my other numbers have taken a little dive, and I feel pretty darn good.

I am not going to lie to you and say I am not hankering for a steak or other red meat, but I seem to be getting through ok and that is what matters. I know Jim’s support of me in this  has been vital and I think we are both feeling better for the effort. It was a little rough there, as we were a bit hungry. but learned that adding the walnuts, flax-seed and shelled unsalted sunflower seeds got us over that hump.

Today is day 31 of juicing.It’ll be interesting to see how far this can go.

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The longest week

In my attempt to enjoy time away from the office, and psych myself up for changes in the new year, I’d been spending leave times on every Friday, in order to bask in peace and quiet.

There’s only one problem with this: eventually time runs out, and I have to figure out quiet time for Shingleman and myself. Fortunately, there’s no jockeying time this week. The flip side is this is the first full week I’ve worked in a while.

No worries- next weekend is birthday weekend.

😀

Melancholia

I have given it a shot.

The Encore movie channel is running the Thorn Birds miniseries over the following three nights, in addition to tonight.

I have read the book that it was adapted from, my good pal Duch named her oldest daughter after Meghann, the heroine. I have only seen the miniseries a ton….tonight, I couldn’t do it.

Life is real- happy, sad, trying times…whatever. I just couldn’t handle the underlying sadness tonite.

What have I opted for?…..

ESPN and the Houston-New England football game. With any luck, I’ll be sleeping soon… Lol

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Good morning

So I am sitting here in my neighborhood Dunkin’Donuts, having taken public transit up to a doctor’s appointment. Having been blessed enough to get through three cancers, I don’t,as a rule, let my health slide. Mom took priority, but as she is gone eleven months now,well, time to play catch up.

Sitting in DD, I am a table away from some locals discussing current events. A livelier crew I have not come across in a while. Due to the Duchess of Cambridge’s current extreme morning sickness, well, these folks are dissecting the situation to the nth degree. I can imagine the staff here. It would be worth the price of working here to get the floor show.

Now that I am full of current events, I guess it’s time for the doctors.

Have a wonderful day.

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Juicing,continued

So the end of this week brings almost a month since we’ve been juicing.

We have been running the gamut; from oranges, apples, strawberries and blackberries to lemon, ginger, spinach, pepper, celery, parsley,and kale, with a few things in between.

We have been feeling better and actually have a little spring in our step.

Change is good!

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Ron Burgundy

It’s been that type of day.

So now, after helping Shingleman prep our dinner, what would I find on HBO but Anchorman, starring Will Farrell. This movie is so funny, and it actually transforms me back to that era. I also laugh when how I see how many stars “started” out with some sort of role in the movie; be it supporting or guest star.

We’re having lemon, ginger, strawberry, orange, cucumber, kale, parsley, apple and carrot juice for dinner . We’ll enjoy it while watching the rest of the movie.

You stay classy, Sam Diego!

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American Idol alums

We are at our neighbor’s and he has Palladia on… It had Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood on and for a second I was transformed in time back to watching American Idol.

It was funny, because I am remembering how they were when they first got on tv. Young & innocent and slightly apprehensive as they approached the mike. Now they are polished and show people who really have come a long way: their accomplishment has been tremendous .

Usually, I’d say it makes me feel older , but hey, the show was just on yesterday , right?**wink**

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