Define your own Thanksgiving

I have to admit, I'm a little confused about my feelings this year about many, many things. I'm living in new and uncharted territory in my life, but I thought maybe I would save that list for another day.

I want to tell you all that I am thinking of you today. No matter where you are in the world, I hope you feel a wave of blessings come upon you. Know you are loved and cared about. I wish you well.

Thanksgiving for our family is like 25 people and lots of cooking, and don't ask me how, but I ended having to make just two spinach quiches! Weird. Maybe I'm supposed to bring a dessert? I can't remember, but I have learned by now, there are always plenty of desserts.

I don't cook turkey any more. Nope. No matter how I cook them, what brand I buy, what secret ritual I try to perform, they are dry, and, to me, tasteless. I don't even eat turkey any more. So, if I had my way, I'd pardon all the birds. I am done with turkey.

But Thanksgiving is not the turkey. I guess what it turns out to be, is what we decide to make it.

So, I'll make it about Payback --

Because I am in debt --

So this is my Thanksgiving.

I will be showing my family and friends love and support unconditionally, as they have shown me in my times of need. I'll make it about being there when my family and friends need me, listening to those who need an ear or a shoulder. I doubt I will ever reach the amount I owe, but I will make this effort my passion.

I will love and support those in my life, blindly. I will love first, ask questions later, if I ask at all. I will remember that you get out what you put in, so I will put in only good stuff.

I will tell my inner child that everything's alright, we can love like the big people do now. We are okay.

I will forgive without being asked. I will save my anger for things that it can be useful for.

I will take care of myself as best I can, so I can be here for those who need me.

I will be relentless in trying to learn what is right and what is true. I will not judge, if I do not have, too. And if I have too, let mercy be my guide.

And, I will always, always be kind.

I wish for each of you a wonderful day. Please take a second to feel the love that is out there for you. Breathe it in, breathe it back out into the world. Yeah, you are loved. I wish for you to know that.

My best wishes to you
on this third Thursday
in the month of November,

Roxie

Some Mark Twain wisdom

" Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream."

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first."

"It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them."

"Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

~~Mark Twain

Floating days

On the days one awakes and doesn't know what to do, one must still move about with common chores. Those things that we consider so mundane and boring, turn out to be things that can steady us and bring us through our darker more confused times.

Today, I am grateful for my daily tasks. The big picture is for me today, foggy and glazed over by blurred thoughts that cannot link themselves to decisions and actions. And that's okay. It's all okay. The clouds always part. The river comes to places where the water runs clear. The animals of nature sometimes allow you to come close to them before they run away. Things always happen in graphic patterns of ups and downs, but we must never forget that sideways may be a way to balance all that is upon us. Even in places the river runs low, the water is still nourishing the growth around it.

It's all a process, that part I know.

And if one cannot find their inner peace, one must keep looking.

May your day be peaceful and you find what you are looking for.

Don't Over Think It.

Over Thinking

The biggest disease of the mind is over thinking, especially too much thinking about others. Thinking too much is like eating too much. The heaviness makes it impossible to remain light and flexible. ~~
from Thought for the Day

Wow. This is so true. I had this happen to me this past weekend. Just became overwhelmed with the thoughts and worries of other people. What a weight that was! I am physically sick and I feel like my body is on fire!

It was as if my higher self said, "You know what? I'm taking some time off. If you want to stress about all those things, have at it, you are on your own with your Pain Body"

And, I am here, as a witness, to tell you, it was awful!~! I really don't want to ever do that again.

This is what it felt like ... ARRRRGGGGHHH

Aging

Aging
Aging is not for the faint at heart
it's getting over being
embarrassed when you fart
Too much makeup
and you look like a tart
and lose the cleavage
if you should need to
Aging
Aging is for the brave
and the bold
You really don't have to do
what you are told
Just do what is right
and not because you are old
but because you want to
Aging
If you want to still drive your car
It's important to be able to remember
always
where you are
Go out everyday
just maybe not to far
Explore
It's invigorating
Aging
It's important to know
If you can see and
And be honest if you can't
do things that you used to be
able to do
when you were not
as you are now
which is
Aging
Go ahead
Light up a room
with your smile
Tell a young person
you like their style
Keep things around
that make you happy
Laugh at people who say,
"Make it snappy"
Think of those things
you wanted to do
and maybe
do them
a time or two
Aging
it's not over
it's just
Aging

~written by Miss Roxie
A Semi-professional Ager*
*Footing more there than here

Huh? What? Where am I?

I really need to snap out of it. I am wondering if I should give myself a deadline. This lingering melancholy mood is needing a new drum beat. Boom Chalka-laka-boom-blah.

I did read a couple of good books in an effort to rudely interrupt this weird feeling that is settling around me. Engulfing me like a cloud of haziness of non-understanding of what.the.hell.is.going.on. in this world. I cannot figure it out. My tiny brain has gone all fluff and Pooh Bear.

I thought I should make a self-diagnosis, as doesn't everyone who has a search engine do that? --

Perhaps I am suffering from :

1. Cabin Fever.
2. Boredom
3.. Old Age
4. Chi gone askew (I don't think that means I shorted out my flat iron, as I do not own a flat iron)

1. According to Wikipedia regarding the problems being Cabin Fever -- "Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow or dark".

I shall examine -- Irritability with everyday objects? Like lamps and pots, maybe? "I love lamp." ....or dining room chairs? I can't think of any material object I am irritable with at the present time

And, I do have an urge to go outside. It's just that the weather is not conducive to walking for leisure or working in the yard, at all. The mosquitoes will carry you away and the heat will slay you like a dragon in a fairy tale. Okay so, maybe I don't have Cabin Fever. Scratch that theory.

2. I read something about boredom, as I feel that kind of thing, too. The article said that if you are bored, than maybe you are at a Crossroads in your life and it is time for Change. I remember growing up hearing: if you are bored, you are boring. Both could be true. I feel at a Crossroads (the one that is closer to death than life) and I feel boring several times a day. Possible check Yes on that one.

3. Theories that revolve around aging. Yikes, well, it's happening.

A vague one is: you get older and you change (oh wow, did a Rhodes Scholar do their dissertation on that?). Maybe I am stuck in the Changing Lane at the Crossroads? I also read that the later years are the Yearning Years. Which I can only translate into meaning there are feelings reflecting some kind of regrets for what you did or didn't do. I refuse to comply. I'd rather just paint everything a bold and brilliant color and move on.

4. So, then there's my Chi - (Qi?) My energy flow could be blocked? Ah, so, grasshopper. I think so maybe and perhaps. That makes sense. I have no energy. So why is it blocked? Is it blocked from dealing with other people's judgments and ideas on how life is or should be - for me - and my kids and husband -- at this point in time because I don't want to listen?

Blocked from listening to the crazies in the world blathering on about a person can't be 'a way' or not 'a way' because that is not 'the way' that 'they are'? Not every path in the same. We are not robots although we are programed to receive.

Maybe I have built a wall in that area and it's blocking my oxygen and light and not allowing me to see the good faith in humanity. Maybe my Chi suffers. Nothing worse than a sad Chi. Imagine a river that is blocked from flowing it's natural course and the fields around it begin to dry up when once they were full of beautiful wildflowers and butterflies. Interesting...

So to sum up:

"Who are YOU?" asked the caterpillar...*

and Alice replied ".... I -- I hardly know, sir, just at present -- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."*

I am Alice.

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle! "*

The older I get, the more I realize that I am just a rambling state of consciousness that someone began to program in the early years. As the years went on, I tried to adjust the prewiring, and then there were years of constant static, and then began a network that aligned with brief moments of clear thought I want to tune into that.

So, what do we have here? An Aging Alice who is a bit bored and has a kinky Chi?

In the now and in the end, we are all looking at the same moon. Whoever you are, and whoever I am, we are looking at the same moon, and you can't do one thing about that and neither can I, nor do I care to. I hope we would all find some peace in that. Perhaps when we can't think of anything else to do, we could look up at the moon and think of 'the all' in the world that needs peace in their life and send up a prayer.

Tomorrow is another day. I hope to do well in it. To do something good in it. Even if it's just to smile at someone. How much effort could that take? I should have the energy for that. My Chi will just have to deal.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see? "*

I do.

~Miss Roxie

*all quotes are from Alice in Wonderland

Remember these 10 things

I loved this article. 10 Tricks for Improving Your Memory. It's in Woman's Day, but I saw it on Yahoo this morning.

Some of the things on the list are nothing new and most are practical. But, what I find in my life now is, I need a good reminder once in a good while. And I also find my memory just ain't what it used to be. I read this article and thought I would share a couple of things.

Number one on their list -- Talk With Your Hands. I used to do this. And, I used to have a better memory than I do now. Are the two related as far as my problem is concerned? I do not know. But, I know the reason I don't talk with my hands to much any more is a couple -- I fell out of the habit when I had my kids and began carrying them around. I remember I was always moving when I was talking while I was holding a child. My neck would gesture and my body would fidget and sway. Probably working to break an unknown habit of talking with my hands.

Then, as the kids got bigger, I began to notice my hands; I mean, what they looked like as I aged and cleaning products ground them into leather, and I didn't recognize them. My finger joint are all swollen with arthritis, and I began to spend more time trying to hide my hands if I could. Vanity? Well, "Vanity, Vanity, all is vanity."

Also, I remember a neighbor's child I used to babysit. She was so very bright. When she started kindergarten and I would help her with her spelling homework, she would spell the words while, what appeared to me to be absent mindedly, counting the letters in the word on her fingers. I noticed she was very good at spelling.

Anyway, over to Number Two on their list -- Take a Chill Pill -- I know our society is so Pill-Oriented that I'm sure that is an attention getter, but if you read the article, it means -- Relax. Calm yourself. Reduce the Stress in your life. And Good luck!! Reducing Stress seems to be the ultimate thing to be able to do to conquer anything that you need to do that you can't do!

I am of the opinion that -- it's more important to get stress Out Of Your Mind - your Home Base - to conquer anything well. Therein lies the first step in seeing through all your life clearly, if that obstacle , of Stress,can be removed, you are a winner. And may become a better speller and never lose your keys again!

That Mind Stress gets in there, deeply, and rattles all the cages of all the fear you have stored up, maybe carefully placed in boxes and chambers -- Man, that's annoying to have that *stuff* jumping around like hailstones on hot asphalt!

I'll have to spend more time on this later. My stress is building just thinking about some annoying stuff and my jaw is starting to clench -- must have opened some of those hot boxes while writing this -- so think I'll go work it off doing some gardening - something I love. And take a few deep breathes while I'm at it....

I recommend reading the article and trying the things on the list. There are some fun things on there.

The one I didn't know about was sniffing Rosemary. That is new to me -- but I'm going to buy some and give it a chance. Got nothing to lose. Just like peace - if it's in my soul, then maybe I can get it to the world. Hope there's a chance.

Why can't the US declare war on this?

Childhood Autism Epidemic Firmly Linked to the Environment

Who knew?

Half my life ago, I was a hysterical female and my world didn't make sense. I finally stopped spinning, realizing I was creating my own chaos, I began shifting the gears in the motion I needed to let off all that old steam that had been building from things that were clogging me with an emotional blindness.

I'm calm now. God is my Zen Master. And now, the world, itself, doesn't make any sense.

So, I cut my hair.

(oh, and by the way -- nobody really noticed.)

Self Examination -- from Not A Doctor

Here is a quote from the Thought for Today ~~

If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self pity, these adverse situations that look like they could bury us, have within them the very real potential to make us unshakeable.

Panic will do you in right away. It stops your thinking process. The best thing to do, the very best thing to do, is, as the quote alludes to -- Face whatever problem or situation is giving you the feeling of panic -- it is the only way to stop the process that is going on in your brain.

This morning I found this site - PanicEnd.com. Just reading this entry explains so many things about Feelings of Panic. They do come from somewhere. The brain has hosted them for you at your request and will keep them hostage and keep feeding that inlet of entry to the brain unless we make a conscious effort to stop it.

Your brain is always trying to help you. And, if you think you need to be fearful, your brain will try to keep that feeling going for you. In the end, it is us who is causing all that we feel. Your thoughts make your body react as it does.

Take the time to control your thoughts. Ask yourself questions. --

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates --

That is such a powerful statement. That is self analysis. We all need that. Reflection on our actions, where they come from and the whys; don't be afraid to look at that ! Embrace it. Take a few minutes everyday to reflect. It won't hurt you one little bit.

Learn to know yourself. If you have to Reinvent Yourself - do it.

One of the real sources of a lot of Fear in our lives? -- Change. It is my opinion, that Fear of Change is one of the biggest things to face. People are afraid of the unknown. But every phase of life is unknown!! And Change, in my opinion, Change is gonna come, without a doubt, it's always, always something you can count on. Don't fear it. Live it.

You never experience something until you have gone through it the first time, anyway. You have already been through the unknown if you survived your childhood! It's amazing to me that I fell out of really high trees (I mean I knocked the breath out of myself and couldn't walk!), got hit by a car (Seriously, my bike flew up in the air and so did I!), and never told my parents (at 7 years old!); I faced many dangers that my parents are totally unaware of even at this time in my old age.

It's not that I didn't trust my parents, but I was just so afraid of losing my bike. Now, isn't that just childhood logic? My bike was my freedom, as I saw it then, and I would keep silent to keep my freedom. And I developed that habit of secrecy as I got older.

I keep bad happenings quietly inside for fear of losing something I loved. I fed this without even knowing I was doing it. As I got older, these things I had keep quieted were all connected to fear, making a steady path in my brain. It would probably take a novel to link all those fears to different things in my life that they influenced. I know now, I can just stop them. I won't lose my bike.

I think a lot of our original fears come from childhood...before we were aware that we were aware of our very existence, we were having to deal with things and store them in our brains. *We* store them. The brain just reacts to them as we program it too. *We* can let them go. Release them. They are nothing but electrons and neurons.

It's all a head trip. The rest is just what is going on around you. Don't let it get you down.

~~Miss Roxie is not a doctor of any kind. She doesn't even play one on TV. The above entry is just the way she explains what she figures out as she seeks to live on this planet. Which she finds a very weird place. But that is another entry.

One change

Things can look like normal things in a day.
Then, another sun can rise, and another day brings things that causes people nervousness.
Tomorrow is that day. We will see what happens.
And try to pay attention to how much effect the change will cause to the world....our world.

Right, Wrong ~ Sometimes a Pirate

1. I was reading an article in a magazine today about Email Etiquette. There were 5 rules, and I did badly regarding two of them.

One should answer an email with 48 hours. I ponder to long and do not do this. I angst over the fact that the person might be busy, so I wait ...and all this time I'm flunking etiquette.

Second one is that my messages are to long. Emails are supposed to be short. I can write auto-biopic novellas. I try to avoid moans and whines, but, ahhh, sometimes, they slip in. That wasn't a rule, but, it probably should be.

2. I do obey the speed limit.

Except when I drive and my husband is a passenger. According to him, there are not hardly any things I do right while driving. It's a game of constant (over)correction. At least he begins every sentence with "Honey". And the reason I don't drive the speed limit is that all the frustration in me at that time goes directly to my right foot! It must be a subconscious thing!

Now, however if the facts be known clearly, anytime there is a child in the car with me, my car goes only the speed limit. No faster. Ever. It's just a thing with me.

If you should ever want to find out exactly how long it takes to get from point A to point B driving the exact speed limit, just put my granddaughter in the car with me and you shall find out. Or, I could tell you the time is how many times it takes to sing "The Wheels on the Bus."

3. Left overs do well on baked potatoes. Just heat and serve. Add cheese and sour cream.

And steamed broccoli. I do mine just perfectly if I just pay a little attention to it.

Here's the broccoli tip: I put about an inch of water in the pan, a head of chopped broccoli, sprinkle with garlic powder, nature's seasoning, olive oil or sesame seed oil (very important) and if your palates can handle it, seasoned pepper (we love it).

Let the water boil, then turn the burner off. Cover with a tight lid. Here's the tricky part, don't let it over cook/steam. It will get to mushy (I mean if you like mushy, fine). Check it after about a full 2 minutes. And then decide from there when the perfect mark hits for you. You have to be independent and know what you like to cook well. And claim it!

Shout out words like, "Voila!" "Perfecto" "Finit!" "Whoa!" These are just suggestions, run with what moves you.

We happen to like our broccoli seasoned and looking really green. The fork goes through easily, but it is not mushy.

So take the left overs, like I mentioned, let's see, I had a chicken dish and some taco meat and was asking my husband, that man who anointed himself the driver corrector, which he would like and he said, 'Hey, let's mix it up! Heat it all up! Let's party!" So we did.

We served all that on the baked potatoes (which turned out to be great because I baked them in the oven) topped with cheese and sour cream if one should choose (and we all chose), and the beautiful green broccoli on the side ~ excellent. A meal fitting for a pirate who drives the speed limit and breaks the email rules and lives to tell about it.

Cats in the morning

I don't want to hate cats in the morning. I don't want to hate cats at 4 AM. But one of our cats is waking me up at 4 AM. I can't imagine he has an appointment. What is his deal?

He hides in our closet. We don't think of him when we go to bed. We close our bedroom door when we retire to our chamber. And,

at 4 AM, he decides he wants to leave.

He's a dark cat. I can hear him, but I can't see him. I look for him, but I can't find him. I want to fulfill his wish and let him out of the room so I can get back to sleep. And I feel like I hate that cat. He probably eludes me because he picks up my groggy negative vibes. A million questions in my head about why is that cat doing this? And knowing the answer means nothing.

I can type with my eyes closed. But that cat is sleeping now. It's after 10 AM. I am groggy and tired and have to work today. And that cat is sleeping. My head fills full of cotton candy and styrofoam and space.

Grrrrrr.

No cable service...

We canceled our cable service sometime last year. We did it for financial reasons, and my husband was thinking, too, that maybe he was addicted to it...addicted to the mindless place it put you, flipping mindlessly around with the remote, changing the channels constantly looking for something, anything that might interest you, stimulate you, ease your unrest, make you smarter and when he realized this was going on with him, he decided to just cancel it. That took awhile.

We attempted canceling three times before we finally did, and each time we were greeted with a cheery person who always called us back with the 'greatest cable offer in the world!'. And three times we accepted that offer, as the cable bill was getting cheaper and cheaper.

Finally, one day last year, my husband came out of the room with no intro into what he might be addressing in conversation and said, "I'm thinking of just canceling." I said, "fine." And that was it.

Phone call was made and it's been about a year, I guess. We don't know how the savings has affected us financially because we are still trying to spend less to make it every month, but mentally, not having that thing hooked up in my house has been wonderful.

I mean, there are times we want to be visually entertained and there is a lot available on the internet, as I'm sure most of the world knows, and movies from the library and friends are always offering to share what they have, so it's not like you are without if you wish not to be. It funny that saying about getting rid of something and having something else come in and take it's place ...it's true.

Anyway, I happened to visit three places in the past weekend that involved full cable service. I was free to use the remote as I wished, and guess what? There was nothing on. Hundreds of channels - and, for me, there was nothing on.

I'll take my mind over having one pumped into my house. Like the song says, 'you don't know what you got till it's gone."

Make peace with what's on your mind

The older you get,
the more you want to say the things that are on your mind,
and then along with that,
you begin to realize, there is a way it should be said.
And even then, it may not be taken as you meant it.
And so what do you do?
You think about the monk on the mountain top,
and you wish you were there?
You remember to be kind?
But, yet you wonder
Is anyone really listening?
They only will when it's their time to hear.

Miss Roxie's Thought for the Day

Think about unconditional love.

The heart of a mother is a mighty heart. Deeper than any ocean, wider than the sky, and perhaps like the wind, sometimes unseen. But, it's span of forgiveness and depth of caring about their children is immeasurable -- and more importantly, unconditional.

God's love is bigger. I thank God that I have been able to experience that love, that love that is in the heart of a mother. He gave me that love so that I could give it to my children while they are here with me, and I think, this kind of love reaches even beyond this world.

My prayer is that my children can know, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that this love is theirs. God's love. And my love.

Sherlock Holmes - the movie

I read that Sherlock Holmes was second to Avatar at the Box Office ~ And, I heard from those who didn't expect to enjoy it, that Avatar was very good.

My family opted for Sherlock Holmes. And truthfully, it is because we are Robert Downey, Jr fans. I mean, obviously, you cannot look for the real Sherlock and Watson in a Guy Ritchie film, right? (If, indeed, dear Holmes had been like a tiny dose of Downey, the books would not manage to be found anywhere in the world, as people would love and hoard them, so.)

We did enjoy the film, and knew half the way through that we were watching Part 1 ~ lol ~ not that your mystery won't be solved, so to speak, but much is left for more fun later.

And being the Sherlock Holmes in this movie takes a lot of energy! It appears to be a very exhausting part! When people criticize these parts, I think, 'good grief, you try it!' (I feel that way when people say they are annoyed with Brad Pitt's character in Inglorious Basterds - yeah, right - you try to talk like that for a whole paragraph! Tough assignment, that!)

Anyway,
I did enjoy the movie on the big screen, but more I enjoyed my family going out together and laughing together and poking each other, and hearing the whispers of ' I knew it! ' -- So, if you miss the big screen, enjoy the rental.

But I was surprised at my feeling toward Jude Law, whom I do not care for as an actor - he was brilliant with Downey - His Watson to Downey's Sherlock....They were the coolest representation of the one not having what the other one has, and needing it to survive. One can tell easily that Holmes is terribly dependent on Watson, and Watson most forgiving to everything about Holmes.

I think Rachael McAdams was too young for the part, but oh well, hotties rule.

It was fun. A no-lose, IMO, regardless of where you see it or with whom.

A List of (very bad) Movies

1. The Ugly Truth -- How ugly is the ugly truth? It's so ugly, that poor truth is lying in a ditch somewhere crying bitterly because it's name was teamed up with ugly in this terribly, horrible, no good, very bad movie,

good grief, this is so close to the most awful movie ever made, it's on the edge, if not falling over the cliff of bad.

Jumping off a cliff is better than watching this movie.

2. I Hate Valentine's Day - This movie will make you hate yourself if you watch it all, let alone feel some disdain for Valentine's day. I just had to turn it off; I have much life left to live.

Actually, poor Valentine's Day suffers needlessly, as this movie makes you suffer more each second it's on. Valentine's Day is innocent. Clean your refrigerator. Slice a tomato. Do not watch this movie. Buy a pound of your favorite candy and gorge yourself. You will suffer less.

3. Four Christmases -- Why did they make this movie? One more sad movie about Christmas and people who are from a dysfunctional family. One review said, 'only watch this movie if you are stranded on an overseas flight' -- No. He shall stand corrected -- the advice should be: Don't even watch it then. Sleep.

What we have here is just a sad display of talent (actually, I'm not even sure, now, that these people are talented or just super egotist) cast together in a really bad movie, maybe they had a contract to honor or something ... Take a walk around the block, several times, until you talk yourself out of watching this movie.

There was one thing interesting about this movie. And, since I'm telling you the possibly one thing, you don't have to watch it. Consider me a friend because I am sparing you. Tom Petty sings a song at the end about Christmas (it's good, of course, because it's Tom Petty), and I think (maybe) two kids he's related to were in this movie, as there were two children in the movie named Diamond and Destiny Petty, and since Petty is not a common name to me, I am just guessing ...

Why did I watch all the way to end to see the credits? I do not know. I was tired? I had some wine? It's raining out? Long day? No, it's because I was hopeful. But, trust me -- that said and I have no other excuse. The fool did not listen to herself.

But, I did watch it all so consider it done for you - and don't do it.

Tom Petty is cool regardless. Dwight Yoakam was in the film, but he was also in Sling Blade, so watch that instead (but not with your children.)

4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -- Matthew McConaghey was in it. Enough said. (Billy Bob was probably busy)

5. The Accidental Husband -- Uma Thurmond. Darlin', darlin', darlin' Uma--

Message to Uma: You go girl and get yourself a decent movie. Call Quentin - you know you still love the Kill Bill thing because you mentioned it in this terra-bad of a movie. That's right. It's so bad it now has a new word of it's own for good-grief-awful.

Best I can do. Now you are on your own. The choice is yours, grasshopper.

You didn't have to...

I was in the grocery store line. My weekly fuel of sale items was already placed on the belt and the lady in front of me was being checked out. She was a store employee, who was just getting off work, and the cashier was asking about her ride today. The lady said she didn't have one.

She seemed tired from her shift. She was purchasing about 10 bottles of soda for a Fourth of July get together, and the cashier commented about the walking home, with all that, was going to be tough. "It's okay," she said.

So, me, I pipe up and say, "Where do you live?" -- Like an idiot. Like I was qualifying my decision to help her with a condition! Anyway, she answered, and I had not one clue where that was.

But, I said, "I'd be happy to give you a ride."

The lady kind of smiled and said it wasn't necessary, but I thought to myself, geesh, I wouldn't want to be lugging all that soda even to my car even in the parking lot.

So, I just kind of babbled, like a bubble machine, and said, it wasn't a problem, I'd be happy to do it, and it looked like rain, that's what I would be worried about..blah, blah, blah. This prompted a concerned response from her, when I mentioned the rain, and she said, "Well, if it's no trouble then..."

Of course, it's no problem (I'm thinking that). Why would anyone let someone walk any distance in the possible chance of rain carrying all that stuff ?-- I'd be happy to do this.

So, I gave the nice lady a ride home. She said I could drop her off a couple of blocks from her house, but I took her to her door. It really was no trouble. She thanked me for the ride and we said nice good-bye greetings to each other and wished each other a Happy Fourth.

The last thing she said was, "You didn't have to, you know."

I know. I do. Should that make a difference?

Cats run on empty, too

This is our cat Shaddus.
He loves to sleep in all sorts of cozy places, just like most cats, and especially if the place is new.
This afternoon I decided to move my albums into a plastic box and finding that they didn't fit, I abandoned the project. Only to come back later and find Shaddus very comfortable.

I couldn't help by notice the titles of the albums. Maybe told a little story.