NaBloPoMo

Today being the last day of October means that tomorrow some folks will be doing the NaBloPoMo thing. Will I count myself among them? Oh hell no! But I will do my best to support & encourage those who do choose to self inflict.

All Hallows' Eve

Well, it is done for another year. Hallowe'en in the suburbs came and went rather quietly this year. Oh, there were still fire crackers & teenagers haunting the streets, but overall, quieter than usual. Only 33 kids this year, which is considerably down from years past. Maybe it is a dying tradition.

Things at the house were a little lower key this year too. I am just not motivated to go all out, and so there were decorations, but less.

Highlites of the night included;

- A wee vampire who hollered "Tricker Treat" at my door in lieu of knocking on it. Good thing he was loud!
- The lady who commented on the more elaborate display from year, which let me know that the effort had been appreciated, even if it took a year to find out.
- The tiny skeleton who sauntered up to the door, pop can in one had and the other outstretched, reaching for whatever I might be giving out. I could imagine his teenaged self sauntering about the streets with a beer can in one hand and the other...well, you get the idea.
- The group of good natured teenagers who I called "big trick or treaters" and who humourously corrected me by saying they were not big, just experienced. :)
- And lastly, a boy wearing an Afro wig who informed me that he was Michael Jackson, and did proceed to enthusiastically bust a move when I asked him to dance for me. Said he never could get the hang of that moon walking!

I Think I Have Lost It

Either I have already lost it or I am about to. I just do not have anger these days. It is gone. Replaced by...? Well, I am not really sure. I just know I do not have it in me to rage about the road. Passionless about it, really.

Might have to start posting about everyday life in here. Gah! The drivel that might flow if I just let my fingers go. And, now I am rhyming. Lovely.

Special Things

I recently dug out an old box of memories. I originally went looking for my high school annuals, but I found so much more.

My Mom saved some hair from my first haircut and put it in an envelope for me. My Dad did the same with the first tooth I lost. I found both of those envelopes in the box of special things.

I also found quite a few handwritten letters. These go back some 20+ years, before we used electronic means to communicate. I love that I still have them. They are indeed special things and important to save. Seeing these letters made me want to write. Something I have not done for quite some time, actually. I used to do it a lot. Mostly letters to people, but also sometime just letting the thoughts flood out of my head and onto the paper, for no one to see but me. Those letters, the last ones, contain only the truest of content. If after writing one of those you give it to someone to read you will know what it is to truly bare your soul. Powerful stuff.

In the box of special things I also found several books from my childhood; nursery rhymes & favourite stories. A joy to discover, really.

It has been an odd year and I find myself looking backward more so than forward.

Someone recently reminded me to dream. That it is what we are supposed to do. Somewhere along the way I forgot that. It was an important reminder, and I am glad to have been given it.

100 Things

1. I like to put my thoughts in writing
2. I do not do it enough
3. Mosquitoes love me
4. It is not reciprocal
5. I am an only child
6. I very often feel the need to fix other people’s problems
7. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Veterinarian
8. I love listening to music
9. I have NO talent for making it
10. I am accident prone
11. I was raised to believe I can do anything
12. I read voraciously as a kid
13. I should get back to doing that
14. I am a procrastinator
15. I love staring into the campfire
16. I am generally not a social drinker
17. I drink to get drunk, but I only do this a few time a year
18. I like the sound of Chad Krouger’s singing voice and I love the sound of Tyler Connolly's singing voice.
19. I learned to drive in a 1968 Ford pick-up
20. I knew how to drive stick by age 11
21. I am a sentimentalist
22. My friends confide in me…sometimes so do perfect strangers
23. I securely hold a lot of people’s secrets
24. I give good advice
25. I could play with puppies all damn day
26. I am not superstitious
27. I am a very good judge of character
28. I love to travel
29. I am not squeamish about blood
30. I am intelligent
31. I watch too much TV
32. I love the smell of tomatoes on the vine
33. I am big on details
34. I talk very, very fast
35. My brain is going even faster behind the scenes
36. I giggle like Betty Rubble
37. I am slow to forgive
38. I appreciate a quick whit
39. I have completed the 60k Weekend to End Breast Cancer
40. I am a firm believer in Karma
41. I am good in a crisis
42. I like cold coffee drinks but will not drink hot coffee
43. I cannot read in a moving vehicle without feeling ill
44. My appendix tried to kill me in 2004
45. It damn near succeeded
46. Morphine makes me hallucinate like a son-of-a-bitch
47. I could never become a drug addict
48. I usually have a pretty clear idea of how I want things done
49. I am a keen observer
50. The only bone I have ever broken is my toe
51. I broke the toe two weeks before my 60k walk
52. I stepped on a nail the same day
53. See # 10
54. I do not know what I want to be when I grow up
55. I am prone to road rage, but have it better under control now
56. No really, I do
57. I am strangely captivated by Jacob Hoggard
58. I like to sleep in
59. I learn by doing
60. I like to play crib, my Mom taught me when I was small
61. I have good instincts
62. I am picky about grammar
63. I am the go-to person at my workplace
64. I tend to need to know the reasons why
65. I have one dimple
66. I am not meek
67. I have been in negotiations for two union contracts and also spent 9 weeks on a picket line
68. I wear my Great Grandmother’s ring
69. Change scares me, just a little
70. I have long eyelashes
71. If I am wrong I will admit it
72. I am rarely out of control (see # 17)
73. If I do not know how to do something I will figure it out, or ask – it will get done
74. I manage money for a lot of different groups
75. The smell of Lilies of the Valley reminds me of my childhood
76. I am in awe of the power of the ocean
77. I think petunias are pretty
78. I have philanthropic tendencies
79. I think big pick-up trucks are sexy
80. I love a starry night
81. I very often catch the time 12:34 on the clock, and it is not intentional, it just happens
82. I feel zero guilt that my blog is long neglected
83. I love powerful thunder & lightning storms
84. I had my last cigarette on Jan 1, 2000
85. I like having my toenails painted
86. Currently they are blindingly pink with dainty little white flowers
87. I want to go to Egypt, and Scotland, and Australia…I have a lot of wants
88. I enjoy what I do for work
89. I’ve been doing it for way…too...long
90. Proper spelling is important to me
91. I like to reminisce
92. My longest friendship spans 34 years and is ongoing
93. I don’t trust easily
94. I am a planner
95. I really like old Craftsman style houses, like 100 + years old
96. I can be bossy
97. I could drink bellinis all day long
98. One day I will
99. I can curse a blue streak, and sometimes actually do
100. I am long past due for a sunny beach vacation

Observations

Father's Day is coming up soon and I was in the card aisle perusing the cards. Now, I know that there are ALL kinds of Father's Day cards out there; Dad, Father, Father-In-Law, Step-Father, Father figure, To Dad from Both, Funny Dad cards, religious Dad cards, To Dad from Daughter / Son...and then I saw it. I couldn't believe my eyes. "To Mom on Father's Day". What the fuck? She just had her own damn day last month. Whose the genius who came up with this one? Must be the dumbass who forgot their Mom on Mother's Day and needs to find a suitable suck-up card a month later. Whatever.

Second observation; why the hell can't people just walk on the right side of the aisle in the store? Why must I keep ending up face to face with the idiots who don't follow this common practice? These must be the same assholes who drive sideways across the parking and not up and down the lanes like the rest of us. Sheesh!

Killer Cat

Just about had a heart attack this morning. If not for a very quick brake foot the title of this post would be Cat Killer, instead. Foolish feline decided to run across the road right in front of me while I was on my way to work this morning. Blur. Brake. Scream. Next thing I know my purse is on the floor and I'm sitting there wondering if there's a squished cat under my tire.

Not a great start to my day but better than if I'd actually hit the little fucker.

Alligators

Alligators...I'm up to my ass in them. Seriously, I don't think I'm going to come up for air again until the Easter long weekend. I've got plenty to say, don't think I don't, but I just have no freaking time to write the shit down. Oy!

Random thought of the day; I need a hair cut.

I'm A Good Mom

I'm a good Mom. I've always believed I was but recently someone told me, and it felt really great to hear. I'm not your typical Mom and my beloved is not your typical offspring. My baby is a black Labrador Retriever, named Coal. He was gifted to me by Barney as a wedding present. He is beautiful, and smart, and funny, and sly. He is special to me in every way, and he is especially different in one way. He has eilepsy. I do for him what any Mom does and I fight for him in every way and make sure he has the best of what he needs and wants. The irony is that allegedy there was concern that I would end up being epileptic, but instead it is my sweet boy dog who is afflicted, and not I. The universe is funny that way.

I Got A Passing Grade. How About You?

You paid attention during 80% of high school!

68-84% Pretty good, you know that there are libraries and newspapers, and you remember what you've read. You were a child that wasn't left behind!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?