Before the madness..

Hello all, this will be the last sane piece from me...my home and all other parts of my life will no longer belong to me after I leave work today! Quite frankly I think it started yesterday...

So Monday I arrived at work to get a few things done before heading to wrapping booth...no phone no internet...plow truck had taken all the wires down to the building. NOW you can not just call Verizon and ask them to put them back, your phone and internet people have to come here see that there are wires down and call verizon and tell them, That takes three days by the time each call is made! That was just a wee bit on the frustrating side!

Tuesday night was the first Bay School/Sedgwick basket ball game of the season, always a true rivalry. We do not have nearly the team they have this year and although Tyler was having a great game we were behind by 14 in the 4th then all of a sudden he caught us up and it was a two pointer. We lost by two but Ty scored 37 points, 16/21 from the foul line. It was amazing!

Wednesday was Carolines flight into Portland, what was supposed to be flurries eventually developed into a coastal storm so once again, I was driving in snow and darkness, I have been doing that alot lately. She put on a new cd I had and sang and we just got into a groove and moved along. Made it! Probably not the best weather to have driven it but it was good to get her home. Thursday ended up being a snow day for Ty and he had his buddies over and they took over the house...the beginning of the end of my control!!!

Today, Friday Alex arrives, and well, the kids will all settle into vacation routine, and then family will arrive and it will be utter chaos. NOthing is wrapped, and my list is growing not shrinking, I still do not have the final count for Christmas dinner, and I am not even sure I have the final menu! So the house is clean..right now, and I know whats for dinner tonight and after that....its flying by the seat of my pants....I dont like not having everything done, and in order but there is no two ways around it, the older these kids get the more disorganized and not ready for it all I get! There is just always much much more to do!

So let the madness begin....Happy holidays to you and yours Gretchen

Slap on the hand!

Apparently I have made Ginny's bad blogger list TWO.. that's "2" weeks in a row! Imagine that.
So what has ARC girl been doing since Nov. 30??? Working for ARC!!! So first week of December there was a monster snow storm and I did not have snow tires on my car yet and there was NO WAY I was driving in..we got 14 inches in Hancock County. But EMA knew where I was and if they wanted me they could send the trucks for me!! Then I had meetings, and deployments and fires! None of which were pleasant or easy. I was extremely agitated by Friday the 7th with the service center. I was upset about a bad fire and young couple left with nothing, and went to bed with alot of stuff still up in the air. Fortunately my email showed in the morning that some people apparently do work the graveyard shift and some issues were cleared up by Saturday morning. Then by Sunday I was back in a mess again by getting my password locked out of JP Morgan Bank. Now we only have to have 8-10 passwords in this organization several of which expire on a monthly basis and several which will not let you reuse passwords!!!
It is a royal pain.

I have also volunteered at the wrapping booth, which is fun, and made a trip to Augusta yesterday to find out just how poorly we are all doing client case work if we are audited! So thats work for ARC Girl and if that is not enough..the social schedule is full.

Parties since Saturday the first...including my own birthday mixed in there..shopping and decorating for Christmas, Tylers Basketball games and concerts etc have made my life hectic at best! So that's my best excuses for the list!!

In other news Sib #3 who had her achilles operated on had to have it redone on Tuesday!
Not a good thing. Caroline flies home next Wed. Boyfriend comes on Friday! My tree is huge..not sure where that thing is going to go...its very shall we say...wide! There is going to be some major rearranging this weekend to get that thing to fit where it won't take over the house!
So that is life in the fast lane..
ARC Girl

Finnally Friday...

For some reason this has been a strange week...but its winding down. Monday this office had a class in it with 10 people from the new Lowes so it was a tad bit crowded and impossible to get any work done..unfortunately I had an Armed Forces Emergency Call to deal with too! Tuesday night was the big announcement from national that we no longer had a President for the ARC.
That made for interesting Wednesday, as well as some "irritable" shall we say people at the service center, who thought my lunch needed to be cut short. Thursday was meeting and appointment day and came home to Ty not being in a very happy mood. Don was also over night at a meeting...So Finnally Friday!!!!!!

Had hoped to have a few people for dinner on Saturday, that didn't work out, but then one of the guests, turned the table and we are going there...Jill's birthday is Saturday and she decided to throw herself a dinner. Which means Paul and I get to "spar" a little. He called the other night and when I said I had alot to tell him it had been awhile, he said then have me over, for a drink, right now (this guy needs a real job! grammy award winning musician for all of you who don't know him)...I said Paul, the guys arent even home yet from Basketball..they haven't had dinner...Henry his son is off to Milton Academy this year..
he of course said...Gretch do you ever wonder why Don does all these things outside of the home?? Ha Ha...He is convinced his wife and I are evil twins seperated at birth, ready to devour poor, innocent men! I told him I had a new friend who remarked about my "persistent whining" Me?
I mean really!!...Paul said "Gotta meet him...compare notes! That sounds like a fun evening.

Caroline called last night. Had taken in her first performance at the Kennedy center. She was in the stratosphere somewhere. It was basically a one woman show, an actress from London who is also in alot of the Harry Potter movies. The day before, her advisor and Chair of GW's theatre Dept got to do a TV interview from a small theater at the Kennedy and the students from GW got to attend. Caroline tried to get tickets to the show at Leslies reccomendation but was unable. The tickets were pretty steep, so she decided not to go when one of her friends mother, bought two seats for her daughter and a friend as a birthday gift. Caroline said it was so inspiring after seeing the interview with the actress. She was filled with renewed excitement at being a theater student.

So trying to stay off Ginnys list.. trying to avoid shelter surveys, but look like I'm still working.
Suzan and Pat are cutting out paper for Canadian tourists and Hillary is listening to Muzak at the mall and stealing wireless from Ruby Tuesdays, and Ginny and Lynn are Christmas shopping...lot of work going on today at ARC...Have a good one.

ARC girl...unhappy with ARC boy!

If you have been living under a rock and didn't hear the news last evening..as Brian Williams so eloquently put it "the embattled American Red Cross" took another hit yesterday when it's president of 6months..yep SIX months got caught with another red crosser! Charming!
Or as my friend and owner of the local news and radio station emailed me..quote.."ouch!"
What unfortunately Joe Q public does not know is that "we" little guys send money to those "big guys" in DC and we get NO money from them to serve our public...no matter how many families we take care of..unless it becomes a disaster of certain proportions. One of the other qualities one must have to work for this organization is thick skin! Our dirty laundry is always public.

In other news, Thanksgiving was a whirlwind of travel and family. But alot of fun. Caroline was home for a short but intense time and I think she enjoyed herself as she got to see so many people.

Phone call yesterday from my "cancer free" little sister in law!!!!!!! YIPEEEE! of course this means five years of ct scans, and then you can really say that. But we will take anything at this point!!!!

And in the making a mark on the world category..Tyler sat down with Don B. principal of Sedgwick School and asked if he could do a large mural on a hallway wall for his eighth grade project. He showed Don his sketches and they were approved!! Now he has to do a scale drawing with the art teacher, figure out types of paints and he may have to go before the school board. He is thrilled.

So back to work for the worlds largest charitible organization...ARC Girl

It was Fantastik!

You knew you would all have to hear about it!! I had a wonderful trip to DC this weekend, I am exhausted! (coffee by IV would be nice) but I am so glad I went down. The part was a perfect Caroline part. Louisa was a young girl in love, a little ditzy, well maybe a lot ditzy! Actually "touched" would be a better description! And so her timing and lines were just perfect. The vocal portion was an extremely challenging part. She had numerous songs as well as just vocalizations during songs, it was almost exhausting. I saw the play both Friday and Saturday at 7pm but they also did a 10 pm show..so by Sat night I am not sure what her voice was like for the last show. A very talented cast, they all seemed to enjoy the piece. I couldnt believe how many kids relatives came in for the show. It was really nice.
These students are from all over the country and Thanksgiving is this week..so it was quite something.

Caroline and I spent the day together Saturday, went to Georgetown for Brunch..she didnt get in until 3am or so..and we had to call the front desk to get someone to turn off a tv that had been left on in another room! So after letting her sleep in a little we headed out. Wandered the shops afterwards, then took her to Trader Joes so she could get some grocerys on her mother! Went back to the dorm, where she g0t ready for another show. Boyfriend Alex went to both of the Saturday night shows, as well as her roomates. So most of the weekend was centered around the play, but it was just so good.

Lectured her about getting to the airport EARLY on Wednesday! It is going to be crazy. Luckily she has a direct flight. So hopefully no issues. She is going to take a cab and avoid the metro too. When I arrived at Union Station from the Baltimore Airport...AmTrak was a complete zoo. People were jammed everywhere trying to get to trains, I almost had to backtrack through all the lines when some amtrack person got the bright idea to close one of the corridors! I said I'm not trying to get in I'm trying to get out! My flights were both full and I had to go through Manchester, as the flights through Portland were too high, as it was close to the Holiday. So I am tired from all the driving. "planes trains and automobiles"
It was so worth it though!

Well I should attempt some work today...Happy Monday..short week! Yippee! Happy Turkey Day...maybe I will find appetizer recipes on line! (Of course my boss is reading this!)

The Girls

Vamps really! My daughter (on right) and her roomates, Halloween! Thats who I am hanging with this weekend!! Caroline has the lead in the Fantastiks and I am leaving for DC on Friday.

Its really close to her Thanksgiving break but I am not going to miss her in a leading role!

Lets see what else is going on...looks like the roof is done. The flat roof/ and leaky door too. Only thing left is the clean up and the relining of the chimney. Considering the gas and oil prices that needs to happen soon. I am being very careful about turning up the heat.

One week until Thanksgiving..spending that in Portland after we pick up Caroline at the airport.

We will bring her home on Friday for a couple of nights with friends. Then back to Portland on Sunday. She is home again for Christmas on the 19th. /a new beau will be joining us at some point for the holidays. Never a dull moment and never a Christmas with out a cast of thousands! I have been toying with taking out only half of my decorations this year going with the 'subdued look'. We shall see.

Back to work.

Under construction...continued.

The Saga continues....the Mainly vinyl people come over with my husband to reinspect flat roof.
The one with new high tech roofing material (not the one with the fancy shingles mind you!) Now they say they have to tear out the glass doors and put the new material under the door frame!!! So my chimney is not working...have to special order new liner because liner did not work that they tried on MOnday...Staging is up for shingles and we are tearing out a door!
Its NOVEMBER!!!!! If I ignore this it might all go away...you know click my heels.......theres no place like home..there's no place like home....its not working......

In other news, Red Cross hero's breakfast was this morning. Always awe inspiring to hear the stories. And Suzan makes us feel good about working for this organization. Other than Micky 0bsessing over flower vases it was very nice. Got in early so I am going home early today too.
Not much else going on...ARC girl.

Under construction..

My house that is...that's what it feels like right now. There is staging up against the back side where Don is shingling the roof. The chimney for the wood stove is being relined because the tiles are cracked from some "incident" and the flat roof off the computer room has been reroofed but is leaking..terribly! I'm thinking how did we get here??? Well, we have this old house 1870's colonial which has "character". We try to do at least one maintenance project and one
"new" project a year. By new I mean something that shows...you know like new cabinets, remodels, stuff like that.

So the Flat roof which is off the computer room has sliders out to it all it needs is a deck. This would finish off the look of the back of the house! (my definition of new project) but the roofing material needed to be replaced. So Mainly vinyl came over stripped off the tar and whatever was flecking off on to the deck below and put this high tech stuff on so we could perhaps put a deck up there...It now leaks ...no pours into the kitchen! I came home yesterday to two inches in a bucket!

In the mean time the chimney cleaner came and said the chimney had some kind of thermal incident the tiles were severly cracked and the whole thing needed to be relined!!! Has anyone priced oil this year?? Has anyone thought of going without an alternative heat source?? Do you know how much it costs to have a chimney relined? Oh and by the way they came the other day to do it and they now have to use an alternative method because the tiles can not be removed.

At some point during all this my husband gets the grand idea that he needs to reshingle the roof.
Yep, 50 year old man who's main job in life is "driving a LMD....Large mahogany desk...is going to reshingle the roof of a 3 story colonial. HMhhhmm. Tyler calls the guys "old men roofers".
Now one night at dinner I whined (an art I have perfected) about the fact that all our house money this year is going to maintence instead of asthetics. When he said well, (now that he is the general manager of this high end building co.) I ordered top of the line shingles. These are the kind that go on million dollar homes! "They have a layered feathered look".
Now my roof is three stories up there...I can't see those shingles!!!! What I can see is staging, roofing paper blowing thru my rose bushes and....no new carpeting for my staircase.

Unfortunately all that time spent on the ladders and staging and he has decided to order cedar shingles (pre stained...yippee!) for the back side of the house. There goes my second floor deck and the small bluestone patio I had hoped for next summers projects........

You are all probably wondering why does she own this place....its location location location! I have so many dreams for the place, and I can always see beyond the current mess to the view,
it doesnt have closets, at least for people who have actual wardrobes, and the bathrooms are the size for when people bathed on Sundays, but "she has beautiful bones" and one heck of a view.
Its home.

Hey I did it.

Papelbon..a la Tyler O'Grady! For my sister who missed it all while in Italy! He even danced for people when he went Trick or treating! And its his sister who has the theater scholarship!

So we all survived hurricane Noel...I got out of it really good. Everyone around me lost power and apparently is still out! There were trucks everywhere when I went to work today (two days post storm!) Rockland office has an entire "very needy" group of people who are out of an apartment building due to flooding. They kept calling here wondering where their lunch was!

Hmmmm.

My LB called yesterday from the airport wondering where "the mother was" and did I have her itinerary. I t old him if she got out of JFK on Sat night she was due in Bangor at 2:30. She apparently gave him her departure time as her arrival time. He was headed back to the bar.

Well other than cleaning the office today, and answering everyone elses phones I have not much else to report. (I did paint a bathroom and part of the computer area this weekend. So I have accomplished something.) Also moved a cabinet around in here to give myself some more space for "stuff"...anything to avoid the inevitable shelter work that I will eventually get back to.

Happy Monday all.

Highlights of the past few days...

Tyler asking me for a Papelbon t-shirt then coming downstairs in said shirt, black compression shorts over plaid red sox pjs, Green red sox hat on backwards, red goggles on top of that, and a cigar...ala Jonathan and his jig outfit...Drop Kick Murphys playing in the background

Don "heading" in the ball for a goal against the kids in the parent/kids soccer game yesterday!!!

Tyler and I made up as ghouls for the haunted house at the barn castle complete with fake blood, black eyes and white faces, having our picture taken in a couple of nooses! A mother and son moment!

Moi...in warm ups, the new Target Red cross T-shirt, ("YOU Can SAVE A LIFE") and my running shoes taking on my sons team in soccer...my thighs are killing me!

Ty's pumpkin...for the doorstoop....an incredible carving of the Boston "B"!!

Paul Sullivan..(grammy award winning pianist) coming to haunted house, seeing Ty getting "cut up" by evil doctor and yelling for Nurse Gretchen...not knowing I was lying on the floor nearby as the mummy!!

Emailing the office that I didnt wear anything for Halloween!

Happy Halloween..Trick or Treat...ARC Girl

We raised 'em right!

They really are Red Sox fans....my kids that is. I always wondered if it was just a fad for them or something to do, until last night 12:something am just as the Sox won the world series and were running onto the field the phone rang...we told Tyler to go answer it. I really thought it would be one of Don's siblings including one who was actually there..but no it was Caroline from Washington DC and I heard Tyler say "I almost threw up, I was so nervous..." "I didn't think he would catch that ball at the wall".

Yes they have the hats..not the traditional one their dad wears, faded blue with red, but Yellow for her, Green with a red shamrock on the back for him. She was in Love with Johnny the bad boy Damon with his long hair. When we were on college tours in Boston in 2004, we were at the gates one night as they all got out of their cars for their evening match up with the Yankees and they all waved and acknowledged their fans..Caroline was about 5 feet from Johnny Damon! He of course broke her heart by moving on to the evil empire. Her brother as a little one, wore a redsox baseball jacket everysingle day!! To the point when it was Halloween I said now what are you going to wear and he said "this" I am going to be a base ball player...

But neither had gone through the decades of heartbreaking losses and frustrating endings to seasons that make you a "true Boston fan" and you always go back for more in the spring no matter how stupid or bad they were the season before! I really didn't believe they knew what it meant until this weekend. Tyler would watch the game with the computer on IM'ing his friends or listening to music and Caroline seemed to be interested in just upsetting her Yankee fan friends...but Saturday night I called home and Tyler already had the game on...without us....hmmmmm.
Sunday he text messaged his sister "Big game Care go sox! " And when the final two innings came he moved from his perch upstairs to sit with us downstairs hat on backwards and hands in prayer position. (He told me actually did say one!) Then came her phone call...watching the game in her dorm room!

To them the Red Sox mean a totally different thing, a classy organization, with top notch owners, players and a winning attitude and way! Two world series championships in their short lifetimes, they don't understand the agony and the curse and all that...For them This is what they will tell their kids about the 'great Boston teams of the decade' . Its a new era and
for those of us who lived in the old one....those are the" olden days!"

So to sweet Caroline and Her Brother Ty "Tessie is the royal rooters rally cry...." Love Mom

I go to Machias they go to Italy....

So super sib #2 and mommie dearest are off to Italy today...hope sib 2 survives 10-12 days with the mother!!! I say WINE WINE WINE...I went to Ireland with her and my answer was BEER BEER BEER Guinness to be exact!! No don't get me wrong I love my mother...in short segments please! I basically gave her the scoop on 2007 air travel last weekend...you know ziplock bag with 2oz containers of liquids, take your shoes off in line..pack everything else...Deedee has alot of patience..she will take good care of her. She did call last night and ask if she could put her curling iron in her carryon and I said " I don't know why not" ( should have just said yes) and she said well have you...and I said no...but why not? and she says I don't know...why? So I said its not a weapon Mom its a curling Iron and she said well it could be!
Well for that matter a pencil could be!!!!!! Ughhh!

My brother was taking her to the airport in Bangor this am I had a parent teacher conference.
Speaking of Bangor....you know those fly out of Bangor ads??? If I could I would write them a letter....we cant get our volunteers out because the flights are so expensive and the service area won't approve the fares. NOt that this is surprising. But if I could invoke the Red Cross's name in a letter I would write a scathing one! When you read letters to the BDN that its 700.00 less out of Portland something is very wrong. While I was in yes you guessed it Machias yesterday, one of our volunteers was waiting out the second day of not getting out of Maine to the San Diego fires due to the travel issues.

So the sox are up by two and off to the Rockies..Ty is getting straight A's, (parent teacher conf.)
Daughter is teching a play this weekend. I have to work a haunted house on Sunday.
Ciao!

Out of the frying pan...

So my job is one item only the past two days.....fires in CA. Trying to get volunteers out there.
The numbers are staggering, evacuations, # of fires, # of people in shelters etc. Our travel agency just gives people a busy signal right now so I have to wait to give them their staff cards and get them out. Phone has been unreal today.
Imagine that! Managed to get everyones health status ;up to date yesterday as this assignment has some health issues...Heavy smoke! I can't go on this one at least not on the first round due to air quality.

Ty has been gone for two days on an eighth grade trip, its been a little quiet at home...comes home tonight. That should lighten things up! Tommorow is a trip downeast. Machias. After hopefully getting one volunteer out of here, with his staff card! Hopefully he gets through to the travel agency.

Not much else to say...except that old Red Cross line .. BE Prepared for Emergencies.

Tessie

Tessie is the Royal Rooters Rally Cry
Tessie is the tune they always sung
Tessie echoed April through October nights...

Up the road from third base to Huntington
The boys will always sing and sway

Two! Three! Four!

..Boston you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Red Sox you are the only only only...

Lyrics Drop Kick Murphy

GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What day is it?

I have been so busy for days and out of the office for most of them that I am not sure what day it is....for the sake of this post its Thursday and I have done a weekend institute, a trip to Augusta, a day in Bangor including dealing with the car dealership and repairs and an evening annual meeting, I am so tired at night its unreal. My husband and I talk on the phone!
Tommorow the United States Marine Band will be in Ellsworth and of course yours truly is involved with that one....music boosters at the high school... this of course involves a total shut down of the building by 3pm, bomb sniffing dogs and lockdowns of certain exits and then security security security! Now two years ago we had the navy band but they are not the Presidents official band so I guess thats what the hullaballo is about.. Almost couldnt get my favorite store...Walmart to donate a few cases of water..can you believe it? Walmart the red white and blue store turning down water for the Presidents USMC band. I am sure that corporate HQ would have loved that one...fortunately someone came to their senses and I was given a gift card this morning for 25.00. The marine band only comes to Maine every 3 years and rarely plays in a small venue such as Ellsworth, ussually Maine Center for the Arts but they are closed this season for renovations. I was hoping that maybe I could call corporate and get the music boosters a big "we're so sorry donation" from Walmart if the water didn't come through. (of course someone would probably have been fired for that and I wouldnt have wanted that...its their own corporate policies that make these employee make these senseless decisions in the first place. The poor guy was following the rules..he had no more donated supply money for the month!)

The weekend was full of thrills and chills...lots of fun with my ARC colleagues from around the state at a mini institute held by our chapter so we did the teaching...but it is still nice to see everyone. Sunday was interesting though..I had a large group of African Americans in a client case work class who were there for political reasons rather than the class and ended up walking out en mass during the class .... upset with ARC policies? FEMA? I am not sure they sure had alot to argue about and finally just left. It was a little disturbing...ok alot disturbing to have 10 blacks get up and walk out (on cue..I think) all at once. Unfortunately I work for a very public agency and not without controversy so it was my first experience with what can happen. I have been taught well though and I did what I have been taught and stayed on course as best I could ( thankyou Pat , Ginny Lynn and Suzan for those skills).

Tuesday was a conference in Augusta that I quite frankly was not looking forward to as it was supposed to be a disaster mental health workshop and they have all been "the same" but this was excellent!!!! The speaker was actually ( for the first time) from the Red Cross, and worked at 9/11 and Katrina among other disasters and really gave a good workshop on supervision for
alot of areas not just mental health.

Wednesday my car finnally went in, Don has been on my case and quite frankly it has been acting up....so 200plus dollars later and a transmission fluids replacement and some other work and I have to admit it is running alot better. This meant the day in Bangor, did not bother going back to Ellsworth, by the time the car was ready, the annual meeting was at 5pm. So worked up there, helped with programs, etc. Pat was moaning about having to be a warm body at the meeting when Suzan presented him with a dozen roses and his 15 yr pin..that was pretty good.

So that gets me to today...which is Thursday...hmmm....functioning level not quite there today...
piles of stuff from the weekend and week around me and I cant think of what to do with it all.
This will be the first night home at a reasonable hour in days...so maybe tommorow I can accomplish something. Like find my desk!

If Sib #2 is reading this she better change the picture of that cat on her blog...or I am deleting her from my favorites list. Sib #3 needs entertainment the least you can do is provide!!
As for the sox....what a bunch ... no can pitch beyond the 4th inning and no one except 3 can hit...
PAAAAAthetic. Message for Sib #3 EHS beat MDI at MDI the last game of the season....
cant you just hear...go grEEEENeee. Double overtime win over JB have to play Caribou Friday.
And thats the sports report...

Until next time...

East of podunk and then some....

Oh my word...I have been to the far reaches of Hancock county, for those of you who don't know where that is its about 30 some odd miles north east of Ellsworth to a little town called Aurora, near Amherst, after going thru Osborne! Yep. I never thought I would get there yesterday. They want to have a shelter, a red cross certified shelter, and no wonder they are out in the middle of nowhere. When I finnally got there I told them.."anything you want"..they laughed.
Seriously, the road there just kept going and going, I started to think I had missed something and called them, and they told me" just keep going." I finnally came to the end of 179, crossed the infamous "airline" to Calais and Canada, and onto Great Pond road. The airline community school serves several small, very small communities and is a K-8 school with just 40 kids. They were wonderful though. I went into the kitchen where they were preparing food that looked like it was for a Christmas fair or something...chocolate fudge, turtles, krispy bars with chocolate, all on fancy trays, cookies etc. They said they were having an X-Country meet and that they were known for their concessions. I should say! They were also cooking up chili, burgers etc. Busses started to arrive from all over Hancock county at that point and I saw several people I knew. It really was a beautiful drive, on the way back I crested a hill where you could see Camden Hills, Blue hill etc.

Quite different than my most recent excursion....DC! The daughter was great. Play was excellent. Actually it was a series of one acts, she was in one of them, all student written but you would swear they were professional. There was a theater reception friday night and several of her professors talked to us. Went to an Edward Hopper exihibit at the National Gallery on Sat. and then Georgetown and out to dinner with the new boyfriend Alex who is quite nice. Flew back Sunday. It was High 80's to 90 all weekend. She said there has been no fall weather there yet. Her next play is the musical the Fantastiks and she has the female lead. I hope to go down to see that in November.

Heading to the Queen City for the weekend, to teach for the ARC! Another Mini institute only this time a little closer to home. I am teaching the entire weekend with no breaks though so it will be tiring.

Life is busy, Gretchen

I know you are all wondering...

I was hoping to be real smart and put a nice picture of Oktoberfest on my website but ... well work got in the way. I did bring the pictures on Monday to disaster staff meeting..but couldn't seem to get beyond that. In any case...the weather was perfect, the food was great, people were everywhere including under the tent in the evening eating....the weather was that good!!
Keg was emptied, bonfire ended the evening and I was exhausted. By Sunday afternoon the backyard looked like nothing had ever happened. It really was a great day...lots of people in costume, warm weather and what more could you ask for?

Short week for me, I leave Friday for DC, Caroline is in her mainstage production Friday night.
There is a faculty, department and cast reception afterwards that we are invited to. So should be exciting and fun. Just bought her the broadway cd of the Fantastiks per her request. She has alot of music to learn for that show. But the part is right up her alley. In anycase I can't wait to see her..

Lots of Ty's soccer still going on, really leading that team. Doesn't seem to bored with school. Mrs Arendt has him doing a project...putting together a soundtrack for scenes from Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. ( he picks 8 or 10 scenes and then picks the music to accompany them and explain why he chose that piece) If that isn't an interesting use of his time I don't know what is. He has had to use only musical pieces too, nothing with lyrics in it...so he's had to go through the entire music collection at home. Basically pulling off straight a's otherwise. Taking Algebra I this year so he'll be ahead in High school.

Going to my neigbors book reading tonight. A year ago, my colleagues will remember, I was going to the hospital to take care of her and her husband after they were in a terrible car accident. She was married to the famous photographer Walker Evans at one time and has written a memoir on that time period which is just coming out.

So now that you are all caught up with my ever exciting (yeah right) life..you can all get on with yours...by the way...why hasn't Dominick Deirdre Dunne filled us in on Britneys mother of the year awards? Go Sox!! Yeah Barboza baseball rocks!!!

Big games, big planes, big news, big plans...

Thats right everthing is BIG! Remember that Red sox game my hubbie went to the other night? Tickets courtesy of Marvin Windows or something...he called Tyler and I to say he was sitting in the second row thats row TWO, between Home plate and the Red sox dugout! Ummm I think those are the king of Saudi Arabia's seats or Ben Afflecks or something. John Henry...Red sox owner...3 seats away! I mean really!! Needless to say we had a great time watching Don watching the Red Sox.

Of course I didn't think I could really top that but I did call him from under the belly of a KC135 R refueling plane yesterday AFTER I sat in the pilots seat, AND sat in the boom controllers berth where he refuels the F16 fighters etc and saw the navigators desk (like where his father sat on his missions). The ARC had an inservice on the air base in Bangor yesterday and for a special treat we got this tour!

The big news came on the way to Bangor when my cell phone said I had a text message..could only be from the text message queen...Caroline who said "thought you might want to know I just got cast as the lead in the Fantastiks!" WHoooHOoo! We are going next weekend to see her in a production on the Mainstage for the dept. But I will definitely be going to this one too!

Big plans...well that would be the weekend! Oktoberfest..tommorow...and of course I do not feel ready for the desecending masses for revelers but its going to happen whether I am or not..picking up the big tent and sausage after work....Proust!!!

Zee Spaten has landed....

For all of you who really don't care...my german beer arrived in the warehouse and is going to be in the place of honor for the 6th annual Oktoberfest. Its a pretty tough thing to have an Oktoberfest without the beer! Now I have to get the glasses down from the attic and all the other paraphanilia and get moving. Won't be able to put up the tent Friday night I think its going to rain, but there are enough people around Saturday to get it up. I have to pick up stuff after work tommorow in Bangor and then the tent and sausage on Friday. Still have my costume to adjust too. Yep last minute as always on that. Everyone wants to borrow stuff so I keep doing that instead of fixing my own outfit. Yes, people get dressed up for this shindig!! In lederhosen and dirndls and all other matter of Alpine and German attire. We have had several years of cross dressers too! couples where the guy is in the dirndl and the girl is in the lederhosen! Its all part of the fun. Then there was the year I had to wear the 40 lb polish dress that someone brought with them from California and insisted on me wearing because she could no longer fit into it! Well the dress and I were not always in the same room at the same time!
It was huge and Heavy!! Someone else got that dress this year! Besides I can't hostess in that thing!

So thats where my heads at this week....Don went to Boston today..Fenway to be exact. Something about business and the Redsox...yeah whatever! Marvin Window guy took him or something. First to some catered affair at the park then a 5pm game! That means I will get more done tonight at home though!! Sox are ahead again and definitely in the playoffs there goes and semblence of a calm october!

Fun and Games..

So I read the sports page today after being a little oblivious since this past weekend, seems the Bosox have lost like 4 in a row so now the lead is 1 1/2 games...pathetic...but so predictable. Honestly, all those people who sat there and said oh we have nothing to worry about...my god people..this is the Red Sox we are talking about! History is not on our side....EVER! To the announcer's and pundits who had them in the series in JULY for god's sake...its the Red Sox have you not learned anything in 87plus years! So.... there's my rave for the day!

In other fun and games, Ty is pulling out all the stops Soccer wise,. scored the only goal Tuesday night against the Bay School, aside from being told by the coach (after they were ahead 3-1 I might add) that his height was intimidating his little players!!! Puleeeeeeeeese! They(Bay school) won 5-1 because those "little" players are not afraid of anyone "except" Tyler on the field and have no problem running directly through a Sedgwick player. Last night Sedgwick beat Blue HIll for the first time, Tyler scored two of the 4 goals. Plus one that was taken away! A direct kick that was supposed to be an indirect kick. More soccer this weekend at MMA.

Had his 14 y/o check up, still 95-100 percentile for height, he was hoping for 6 feet, although not quite there yet. 5/11!!

Oktoberfest is coming up in a week..and my beer distributor called to say the Spaten had not showed up in the ware house yet..as a matter a fact it was "missing" this is not good..not good.
I usually have anywheres from 40-60 people. The sausage comes in next week from New York, and I have a new (to me) outfit that I have to take in a little..definitely have some work to do..
I keep putting this whole event out of my mind and forgetting we moved it up a week...denial on this one folks....wait til next week then panic will set in.

Okay back to work...its too nice out but back to work anyways....ARC girl

Since I've accomplished nothing so far today...

I might as well make an attempt to stay off the bad blogger list Ginny has. I am certainly not getting alot of work done. I am not sure why but I can't stay on task for anything today. Perhaps because the plans for the day were totally scrapped and I had to start all over. Not a good thing. This kept me shuffling papers and phone calls and dates all morning..then it was lunch time..now not wanting to continue shuffling I find alternatives to work..not a good thing.

Soooo lets see whats up. I had a rotten cold all weekend thanks to my son. This definitely kept productivity down, but I did scrap book a few pages after cleaning out that closet the weekend before. Caroline will be happy. Then Ty wanted to see the MDI Ellsworth soccer game, which was somewhat wet and cold. And they ended in a tie. Kim and Kyle went with us and this obnoxious woman kept yelling go GrrEEEEEnn (emphasis on the "E") next to us. Kim wanted to ask her what she yelled at home games...go whIIIIIte! Worst thing about it was she looked familiar and we searched the MDI roster to figure out who she might be but couldn't come up with anyone. I still think we probably know her. Unfortunately!
Then Kim wanted us to go with her and Mom to dinner...You owe me Kimmie! Not too painful, the Red Sox were on and everyone paid attention to the game.
Caroline in her infinite blonde wisdom called her father at 11:30 Sat night to tell him they had won...she of course had just found out. Her father was sound asleep! Game started at 4!

Don't remember much else from Sat/Sun my head was basically fogged up all weekend. Ty didn't go with me to the installation of the new Priest...said he would rather commune with his skateboard. Someone asked me to go home and ask him what the sermon was about! I did and he actually didnt miss a beat and said "ollies". Smarta..!

Lots of soccer this week, two games and then a tourney on Sat. at Maine Maritime Academy.
Hope it stays sunny and at least somewhat warm! Go bluuuuuuuuuue!

Since I

Down Memory lane...

Doing shelter surveys...really! They were all at my old schools! Yesterday I went over to MDI and visited 3 schools starting with the High School and redid the shelter surveys. I saw several people I did not expect to and saw alot of changed buildings! The high school looked the same as the last time I saw it....I spent a fortnight there one weekend when Caroline directed the one acts for Ellsworth and I chaperoned. Although they redid the ceiling and windows , floors etc in the gym this summer and have not exactly reopened it yet...it looked huge..only because they took out that low ceiling. Funniest thing though was running into a guy who I grew up with and is on the maintenance staff...his brother is head maintenance. Butch and Richard Bracy. When I was a wimpy little girl..Richard terrorized me! I was petrified of him and I told him so yesterday..he just hung his head and told me my brother Chris told him the same thing. His brother Butch was disgusted!! Told me he would slap him up side the head later!

Then off to Bar Harbor and the Emerson school where the Maintence guy was one of our hero's last year at Hero's Breakfast for pullling a guy out of a burning car. I went to High school with him and his brother. We went into the gym and the gym teacher was sitting lecturing the kids and I asked if he knew the size of the space and he said of course...I realized (and had forgotten he taught here) that it was my neigbor growing up..Dave Renault. I almost asked the kids if they all knew CPR ...he probably taught all their parents!!
That school had changed alot and is well prepared if we need it.

Then I played tourist bought a sandwich and sat at the Harbor for lunch. This is the "older people tourist season" which can be amusing. I watched one guy take pictures with his digital camera which was on an extension cord strapped to his belt. Interesting. Of course they were all bundled up like it was 25 degrees out or something. It was about 68 by the water and sunny.

Then off to Northeast Harbor, where we had already done a survey but on the old form so I needed more info. Well this building was my old elementary school. It is only reconizable from the outside!!! It has been completely redone inside except the gym. Unfortunately they took out alot of showers. Down to one in each locker room.
So MDI is just about covered. Pemetic is the only one left. I hopefully will get my volunteer John to do that one.

This weekend is already too busy, Ty wants to go to a soccer game, then the company picnic was moved to Sunday which is the installation of the new priest at St Francis. Same time. Hmmm
maybe I clone Don...I am reading the Time Travelers Wife..maybe he could become the time traveler...only that guy shows up naked everywhere! Good book though.
Have a good weekend.

Yearly reflections

Knowing how much you all love a good laugh click on Good Deeds on my list of friendly blogger friends and check out my Sib#2 and her latest obsession with celeb gossip and the queen of means dog "Trouble", the picture is worth the extra minute of your time! Oh to have 12 million to just leave my cat!! Just think Lynn you wouldn't have to get up to nurse those kittens, the
"wet nurse could do it"!! "Only the little people work and pay taxes according to Leona..

I, myself, will just have to be satisfied with "doing good for the American Public," we don't really get paid for doing good for the American public, but then every career I have ever taken up has not paid alot until I basically left it. Nursing became much more lucrative, at least hospital nursing, after I decided I needed to be a "shopgirl". Shop girl paid nothing....this job pays next to nothing, but I don't have to think about it 24/7 at least not all the time anyways. So I have been working for the ARC a ;year and of course as you can tell by this blog evaluating whether I should be here or not. But as I told Don the other night I could be doing something sooooo boring for alot more money and that would kill me. My work is gratifying and exciting for the most part. I love the greater mission and organization as a whole. The people I work with are wonderful and dedicated or they wouldn't be here either. As always I wish I could fix everything and I can't.
So I guess I am in the right place.

That being said I should go back to work and do some shelter surveys, make some phone calls and write a few fire dept letters. Oh life is busy when you have a world to save....
ARC girl

Seriously!!

I just saw a blog named "couture cupcakes" on the sign in page for blogger! Seriously! Makes you almost want to go to it and find out what exactly that person is writing about!! Certainly not the mundane things I have to say. Like the fact that I basically have one eye today thanks to some allergic reaction to some unknown entity last night that not only made my eye itch and swell and water it basically shut it right up. It hasnt looked this bad since I was a little kid. I took two benadryl with almost no relief, tried to sew, tried to read a magazine, all were fruitless, so I finnally went to sleep thanks to the benadryl and woke up thinking it might look better...NOT. Spent the morning trying to reduce the swelling so I could come to work. No one better come in this office today, I am not that presentable.

In other serious topics, my sib #2 who is always obsessed with some cause celeb has selected the Queen of Mean Leona Helmsleys will, which left 12 Milllion to her "dog" to be kept in the lap of luxury for the rest of its life...well todays paper said the guardian, apparently a relative didn't want anything to do with the dog..so poor fido and its 12 mil. will have to be looked after by foster parents or something....all of this was so her nasty grandchildren couldnt have the money I guess. Now who gets the money when the dog dies I wonder??

These important topics are things you ponder when you have shelter surveys to enter into the computer, and tommorow you have to find MEMA in Augusta for a meeting. Anything to put off the obvious and pressing. Seriously!!

September Beginnings and Goodbyes..

Its that time of year..I woke up this morning and everyone was gone! Tyler was the last to leave the house at 7am for the first day of eighth grade. His best friend Henry Sullivan leaves today for Prep School at Milton Academy. They have known each other since daycare when Tyler could hardly talk but Henry was his idol and buddy from day one. Henry became an eagle scout this weekend, a huge achievement for a 14 yearold and then had a goodbye barbeque at Wooden Boat. Ty went with Aunt Kathie who was watching him while we were in DC. Henry showed up at the house this morning before Ty caught the bus, to say a final goodbye at 6:45!!
Dad's Paul and Don, stayed in the other room and I of course did not even hear the conversation but it was a heartbreaker for sure!

Thursday we drove off with Caroline to DC, stopping in Hartford for an overnight, to break up the drive. She was smiling the entire way!! We stayed in a town house on Capital Hill for the weekend that belonged to some friends who are in Maine for three weeks. It was a great location and since everyone is out of DC on the weekend it was easy to get around with our own vehicle. Friday night we walked up a block and ate at an outdoor German cafe. Saturday morning we moved her in. The dorm is an old apartment building with efficiency units that they are making into quads!! The girls have their own bath and kitchen and then basically one big room, sort of divided into two but its really just one. Three of them are on lofts or upper bunks, it will be "close" for the year!! Took us all day to get them settled. Seemed like they needed more than when it was just a single...went to a Target in Arlington along with every other college student and parent within 20 miles..GW, George Mason, VT, Georgetown, AU etc...there wasnt a single hangar or toilet bowl brush in the place!!

Caroline is extremely happy to be back in the city, even though its not the dorm of her dreams.
She starts rehearsals immediately for a Main Stage production she is in the first and second weekend of October. She had a great summer in Maine though, lots of friends and new friends,
and good times. We will miss her.

So we shall see what the new school year brings always an exciting time...now its back to work for me.

Time off, time yet??????????????????????????

Hmmm, I am not sure I can wait. The ARC and its bureaucracy is bugging me a little more than usual today. I have had a volunteer who was assigned to leave yesterday and she has spent most of the night and part of this morning on the phone with the venerable ARC travel agency. I use all of those terms lightly!! She actually sat on the phone here for 50 minutes to find out if they had her confirmed and no one picked up...when someone finally did they said they had been sitting at their desk for a half an hour with no phone calls.....Huh?? What are we going to do if we have to deploy hundreds of people not just two or three? All 3 that are going to Minnesota have had nothing but issues. Last deployment was no different. People had such an issue but they blamed it on the 4th of July..well what is the problem now?

Meanwhile I keep doing busy work like shelter surveys,...and thats another bureaucracy, but its getting done...s-l-o-w-l-y. Health status reports are basically done except people the "system" archived or lost or whatever!! You see, I have to wonder if the right hand of the ARC knows what the left hand is doing sometimes. I think if it wasn't for the individuals and the small chapters the real work would not get done. So there's my soap box for the day.

Caroline missed an appointment that she had for two months...I kept reminding her for days to call and check on it...GRRRRRRR. She needed that appointment before returning to school. I had to beg for another time for next week. NOt at great start to my day either.

So is there anything else I can complain about...nope I guess thats it. Still have a headache. I thi nk the low pressure system is doing that...not giving blood like I thought. So you can see I do need some time off, I am cranky. Just found out my volunteer is approved to go..Hello.. its 2pm and her flight is at 5:30!!!! She is a little P--sed off at the whole system..can't blame her there!
I would be frantic by now. Airlines in some citys expect ;you to be there an hour and 1/2 ahead.
Honestly what does the Red Cross think??

Only one more hour here....I can make it!! ON call though...having dinner at a friends tonight have to take the beeper. Well enough of my rambling..ARC soon to be on VAcation GIrl signing off.

The phone....ANSWER the phone!!!!!

What is wrong with this picture...I go to work, I give a pint of O+, come home deal with dinner etc and decide to go to bed around 9 to read and sleep. I shut my bedroom door because we have a tv room with computer upstairs that the kids use as well as tv downstairs. Ten o clock I am just about asleep and the phone rings...there is one in the TV/computer room, one downstairs and one in our bedroom. Does anyone who is supposedly concious answer it??? NOOOOOOOOOO! I get out of bed and answer the one in my room as the answering machine kicks in...its some guy from NY that wants to talk to Caroline (the next boyfriend probably).
I have to leave my room and go tell her the phone is for her...now the household is all still up..two tvs are on three people are floating through this lovely, all lit up home...I mean really!!! So I hand her the phone from my room and she happily goes off to talk to "mr. next boyfriend."

Story is not over...she does not put phone back in my room. She keeps it in her room. At 1:00am I awake to the answering machine going off in my bedroom telling someone that we are not available. I fly out of bed..I am on call this week for ARC..and run downstairs because I cant find a phone, check my beeper and call the answering service. It was not them. Now if someone calls in the middle of the night something is usually wrong. Well I go back up stairs and tell Don who by now is somewhat awake, and he says oh you can check caller ID on the phone in the TV/Computer room...so I go to get that phone...when diva daughter comes down the hall holding my bedroom phone...She says "it was in my room" apparently even when a phone rings in her own bedroom she can't answer it!!!!!!!!!! After that my husband takes the portable and figures out that someone "private name private number" called us. Greaaaat. I lay there awakened for the second time on one night..wondering how do these people I live with do this?

So I have a little headache today...now its either lack of sleep or the fact that I had wine after giving blood..or both...take your pick I really don't care. I just want it to go away.
My little ERV is not back..I hope it comes soon, I want to know just what they think they need to do to make it road worthy.

Other than that things are just peachy. Weather is nice a little too cool for me. Not ready for summer to end yet. A few hot days yet would be nice. I have had a sweater everyday this week. Have some days off next week YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not really vacation but earned time. At least some of it, probably some without pay I have to add up what I have. So thats all from where I sit..disaster queen signing off.

He stood me up...!

Yep spent the day at home on Saturday waiting to get called to go to the office to deploy people to Hurricane central...no calls no emails no nothing. Well. I was not impressed..checked my email from office..nothing...Hillary said she did the same...guess they just didn't need PineTree assistance. So Sunday Caroline and I went off to Bangor..to heck with Dean I was done waiting around for him!

Friday night I went over to Center Harbor had dinner with some summer people then went to the Yacht club where the annual square dance was happening...that was a sweaty good time..had all I could do to keep my sandals on my feet and follow the directions. Told Don he should not miss that one next year..even for his family. I guess they played golf so I didnt miss anything. Ty saw Olivia....whatever a 14 yr old date is..at Starbucks.

Caroline who had hoped I would be gone had some friends over Saturday night ..I went upstairs and watched a movie..they stayed down stairs and and I heard the blender going, as well as the counter covered with beer..No surprise there. I wasn't going to spoil the evening and everyone was from the neigborhood except Lucy. They are all leaving soon..Caroline is one of the last ones to go. She can not wait to get back to DC..I remember how that felt at the end of the summer..I don't blame her.

Quiet week so far..lots of paperwork getting done though. Tommorow I will sweet talk the Legion into a shelter agreement. Hopefully. That will take care of Ellsworth in a small crisis if we get that squared away. John took the little ERV to get the thing looked at for tires and other
necessities to get it road worthy..they are keeping it overnight..and he will return it in the am.
They did a double take on it..it has "mongrel" tires (tires that have to be special ordered they don't make that size any more!) and who knows what else. John said its old enough to carry antique car plates. Ha Ha. Oh well at least he knows someone in the business and we may get a nice deal out of this.
ARC girl going home.

New Man in my life

Hurricane Dean...thats right. He is in our service area believe it or not...the Northeast covers the US virgin Islands and Puerto Rico because you can't give them to the southern States they have enough to worry about! So he is swirling around the Caribbean and we have to have people ready to go so I am cancelling a trip to Portland this weekend, much to my daughters dismay,.,she was hoping for the house to her self and probably 20 of her closest friends!! Don and Ty will go to a family gathering in Portland.

Finished up Grant writing last night with an oral presentation and the Prof had emailed my final paper back to me before the class started..A-! I guess that was ok. Three down one to go.

I don't know whats wrong with this blog site but the other day I blogged and you have to hit my library of blogs to get it it doesnt automatically come up. Weird. Hope this one posts.

So I really don't have much else to report..hopefully everyone has a good weekend my plans are in the wind...get it?? Ha ha. ARC girl

The sliiiiide into home....

That's what August feels like right now. Or how to cram the rest of summer into the next 3 weeks. I am not sure I have had much of a summer with this grant writing class, painting and fixing up the apartment, and work. Have to take Caroline back starting on the 30th so maybe a few days off that week. The rest of course will be spent driving. The "labor day weekend" of college parents!

Saturday I finished getting the apartment ready for Sharon, then we took 3 teenage boys minature golfing and to dinner in Bar Harbor. Caroline met us over there. Tyler Henry and Ian have known each other soo long its comical. They were sitting in the car and Henry said remember when we all went up to Ty's camp in this van? "Those were the good ole days" I cracked up...it was two summers ago and they are only 14 and 15! Ian said to me...Gretchen, you talk like it was yesterday! Good God!

My class ends this week but I have to get my final proposal done..its almost there. I am definitely not taking one next semester...I am so sick of writing. I want to do something fun..like sew or knit this fall..no papers.

Sunday was spent in Rockland at the Maine Boats Homes and Harbors show. It was warm but fun. Lots of old Hinckley people there..a 40 and a 29 for picnic boats. Brooklin boat was a no show for some reason...they were supposed to have the new 50 daysailer. Walked to the end of the docks there was an old OC ocean cruising by Hank Hinckley...basically a B-40 without the talaria on the transom. It was for sale, in great shape hull number one. (1979) If only I had more money than time...or whatever the saying is, because she was a steal. Not too many sailboats on my wish list but she would do just fine. The Homes part of the show was well done, and the exhibitors were of high quality. Getting the booth down and out of there was the hard part.

So back to work, or at least holding down this fort...ARC Girl

Attitude adjustment day...

I would say I definitely need one. The week of relatives is over and that is probably a good thing. My mother certainly made a mess of it all. Why she insisted on having two sets of guests at the same time...my sister and her family and her aunt(whom she has competed with all her life) and daughter I will never know. All it did is create chaos. I spent no quality time with anyone, especially my sister and her family. Oh well, mommie dearest definitely knows how to create a "fire" out of a small breeze. Soooooo.....onto a nice weekend I hope.

Ty turns 14 tommorow. He looks 16 at times...6feet tall blonde and quite cute..but still Mom's boy. We will probably take him and a friend minature golfing and dinner on the Island. His best friend Henry is going to Milton Academy this year so this may be their last outing.

Sunday is our day at the Maine Boats Harbors and Homes show. Hewes Co. has a booth and we..Don..has a 4hour shift. He set up the booth yesterday and then said something about going back down today to check on it. Its their first time and I think they feel a little under prepared.
When he called to get a spot in the show he ended up getting John Hanson the owner/editor on the phone who said..O'Grady...why do I know you?? Don said Hinckley? Brooklin Boat? John said no..You're Gretchen's husband..Gretchen that owned the Sedgwick Store!! Not bad when the ex VP of Finance for Hinckley Yachts is remembered for His wifes business in the boating world!!
Yah!!!! Guess we know who rocks!

Had dinner with the "Hams" last night. The ham radio club put up an antenna on the ARC building and had a picnic on the front lawn and their monthly meeting in the office last night.
They are over all a pretty nice bunch. Everett, my fave. was not there, he and I have quite the relationship now that Evan and Caroline are both going to be at GW together. He loves to come in and harass me. He said those guys need to do some work with out him "holdin their hands all the time" so he was going north where he would have one foot in Aroostook county one in Washington county and he could see across to Canada. I am SURE he will be in the minute he gets back to check out what they did.

Have a good weekend all..I plan to. Adjustments will be made!!

Relativity

No such thing in my family! But they are all here. The past two evenings 14 and 13 people respectively have eaten dinner at my house. Now I have not cooked the food per se...but I have set up, cleaned up, and generally been the hostess with the mostess. I was even told that on Tuesday evening when I got home from a day of 1. taking child to Castine (opposite direction of work) for trombone, 2. Work. 3. Grad. class in grant writing, that I would come home to everything all done...yeah right! My husband decided not to come home early because no one had made it back from Bar Harbor so when I arrived...nothing! Had been set up. 13 people for dinner! The ribs and salads were done, mostly but I guess he thinks that everything else happens automatically, further someone has to clean up the mess!! So tonight the dinner is not at my house..yeah!! BUT I can't go...because its Lobster! I can not be around an enclosed space where it is cooked, and I of course can not eat it or touch it. So the one night I don't have to do the entertaining....I can't go. Its all RELATIVE!!!

I won't even get into the fact that my mother and her "same age" aunt..Her fathers sister, Mix like oil and water and try to play each other..its been more than interesting to watch. But certainly doesn't help my stress level. Meanwhile my husband keeps doing a disappearing act with my brother in law! Being antisocial right now is not what I need him to do!!!! So thats my home life right now....rather not be there thank you!!

On the other hand...for some reason the store real estate seems to be heating up in a big way. Some one came and looked Monday and indicated a very serious interest in a business/live above arrangement. He hopes to come back with a proposal in a week. Meanwhile the next day, a couple from DC who also happen to work at GWU, and looked at the property last year were back yesterday taking pictures and scheduled a formal look "again" for Friday at 1pm.
WE could definitely use some change in direction on that front!!!

So I am enjoying the peace and quiet of the ARC office, no relatives, husband children or dishes other than what I dirty!!! I may just stay here! ARC girl.

Better rename that last one..

Freaky Friday. Thought it was going to be an easy day. Left the office with Ty to take the car up to Darlings to have the oil changed and some noise that D on thought was transmission looked at. My sister picked us up as Tyler was staying with Kyle for the weekend and so I had something to do while waiting for the car. They said the car would be done by after lunch so I told Kimmie I would take her out to lunch. We dropped the boys off and decided to hit Mardens. They had a huge shipment of soccer stuff come in and Kim wanted to get something for Ty's birthday. So we played around in there and when we got back in her car I realized my cell dropped out of my bag. We headed back in and she shut the car door then came an "unsavory" word, and I realized we were locked out of her car! We hung out in the "lovely lobby" of Mardens while we waited in the 95 degree heat for the tow truck. I thought we should start doing a survey to pass the time..she was not amused. Too hot.

Finnally got out of there and went to Applebees for salad, just as we were finishing up my phone rings..apparently they were monitoring a tornado in the county at the Bangor office. Joyce was in her basement with her mother..Ok..so I finish up and head to the office. We watch the radar for the rest of the afternoon and when it finnally seems to slow down Pat and I close the doors and head home. I'm driving down a packed route 1A there is bumper to bumper traffic and the Emergency alert system keeps going off warning of more and more storms now heading back into Maine...all of a sudden this moving truck pulls out of a side street and tries to cross traffic in front of the van that is in front of me. I am laying on my horn. The van is literally on two wheels
curving out around this idiot. I really don't know how there was not a multi car collision there.
The van pulls off to the side of the road and the driver starts running back toward the moving truck...Probably to rip his head off.

About 10pm the storms finnally hit the coast...I don't think I have seen that much lightening in a very long time. One hit right by the store..I honestly thought it hit it. Don watched as it moved off to Deer Isle. I just tried to go to sleep. It was quite the show.

The rest of the weekend was fairly quiet. Caroline and I drove to Northeast Harbor Saturday to look around, check out the old homestead. We had a good time.

Lots of family coming up this week..could be a long one. My mother is right on ten! Need to stay out of the kitchen! Or there will be a disaster. ARC girl

Freelance Friday

Friday, Friday...just love that day... wish I could actually sing...Concert last night was good. It was wonderful to see the college kids, especially, come back and perform. Some had changed so much, some were just the same only older! They were mostly of my daughters era so I know their personal quirks and they were there! Shane particularly did not disappoint as he talked to himself, and the audience on stage, charming us with his total lack of togetherness, utter brillance and yet still can't remember the words to a song if he has a solo! Caroline's voice is amazingly big now, and she has such a great presence. She came out for her second number and said "I think I am going to get comfortable" and kicked her shoes off, so then her accompanist kicked "her" shoes off and played the piano barefoot. We made around 800.00 I was hoping for 1000.00 but it was good for the first time. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

This weekend is the ERR Eggemoggin Reach Regatta..first time in awhile Don has not sailed in at least one leg of it. Don't know if we will see it from the water this year or not.
Lots of family coming up next week..
My mother is all a tither...not exactly a good thing. I basically lose all control over my life, or
just "go with the flow" as they say. Wine usually works when she gets that way ... that and selective hearing...I'm pretty good at that with her! So if you don't hear from me its because any thoughts I have can't be put in print form!

C'est La vie, Gretchen
P.S. My son almost died when he saw what I drove from Bangor this week!

N-ERV-ous driver ahead!!

So did anyone see that cute little ARC vehicle driving down route 1a today from Bangor to Ellsworth going about 40-45 max?? With a nervous blonde at the wheel?? That was the mini-ERV as they call it..although I think it may just be advertising and storage for Ellsworth..I am not sure it is inspectable after driving it. The steering mechanism leaves a little to be desired.
I think its about 1960's vintage it has those "fly" windows my mother used to love in her station wagons. It wouldn't open though! I didn't have to use the AAA card so things could have been a lot worse and I stack it up to one more ARC adventure. Another notch to my belt!! Now if we could only straighten out the equipment in and out of here as easily!!

I've done two radio spots for the concert on Thursday..I wasn't really planning on all this public
publicity with my name attached but if we fill the bank account with scholarship money I will be happy. I went to rehearsal last night and heard some of the kids who have come back to sing and they sound so good. Caroline has so much volume now..she was not even near a mike at one point and she was just "filling" the auditorium with her voice. My voice on the other hand still sounds scratchy and miserable..at least what I heard on the radio!

So thats my excitement for the day..oh except for a morning hurricane conference where we learned how to "prepare" ...we are the Red Cross for heavens sake, we wrote the book!!
Aurevoir..ARC girl

Dog Days..

I am not a dog person so I can certainly see why they call these "dog days"! Now I do like the warm weather but its not conducive to work. I do not have AC and I work in an airplane hanger. The occasional breeze does float thru and there is a fan but you can't turn it on yourself or all your papers go flying so what is the point? I did finish a couple of things today so I can feel somewhat accomplished. I hate it when I get nothing done. Last night I even wrote most of my grant concept paper that is due on Tuesday so I will stay and type that later and email it off. Get it out of my hair..one more paper and that class is done. The prof. wrote me an email the other day to point out I had spelled his name wrong in an email in which I sent an assignment.
Now I might add his name is Christos Gianopoulos. I got one letter wrong I added a u onto the o at the end. Gianopoulous. Well he pointed out that in "Grant writing" that would be a big no no.
So probably 10 points off that paper! Ugh.

Have to go down to the radio station and record something about the Scholarship concert. That should be interesting. I told the station guy to write it up what he wants..hopefully I don't sound foolish. I plan on going to rehearsal tonight to see if anything else needs to be done before Thursdays concert. Caroline and Matt are rehearsing tonight.

So lets see what else..oh yeah on Saturday when it was really foggy I cut out some curtains, valances from some Laura Ashley chintz that I have had for 2 years and intending to use and by Sunday I had them all done! Bought some sheers at Wally world (my favorite store, not) for 4.88 a piece and now I have designer windows. Bought the chintz at a yard sale so these windows cost me next to nothing. In the meantime I spotted some great fabric in Mardens that was a little higher than usual (price) but I took a sample home and then bought some today to cover the foot stool and pillows in living room..a great coral and yell0w plaid that will go with all the other furniture. Seems like I am always tweaking that house...I love fabric, so I cant help it and then its an old house so something always has to be done anyways.

Well stay cool everyone..have an ice tea in the shade for me. ARC girl

There ARE no red hot dogs on rte one!!

ok so I drive to Rockland to meet with Disaster Mental Health people like a good litttle Emergency services nurse! one word..Disaster! Keynote speaker..no show. Of coourse somehow I know he is not coming but head of meeting does not.. she is P_ssed. But first I arrive at ARC office and she is supposed to show up any minute to pick up her stuff. Never shows so I leave for meeting and when I pull into parking lot she tries to send me back to office I just left for HER stuff. Luckily Susan said she would bring at 11:00. Meeting is starting in ten minutes. I won't go into the gory details here. Also had to give "someone" in the bangor office my minute by minute location incase there was in imminent disaster that had to be dealt with as he was the only one in the office.

So left Rockland around 12 to head back to get Ty off to sailing camp out. Stopped at Market Basket to get half a sandwich and remembered exactly why I am no longer the proprietor of a gourmet food business in Maine in the summer. There were 100 people all wanting something on bread that was not made that day! Got back in the car and called Don to tell him that story and he said he was sitting on some gorgeous stone patio on Isleford..Little Cranberry Island, at a house they are going to redo (the company is going to redo..not him)..then he was "boating over to Isle au Haut and Stonington to check on other Hewes Co. projects..tough day. About that time I hit a wall of traffic. Route one last friday in July!

Now I still had not picked up the delicacys for the sailing overnight including the pop tarts and the red hot dogs. I kept driving and trying to call my kids to get them to do it. Unfortunatley they were behind schedule and Carolines phone was either off or out of range..so I did not get them in time to stop at store. So I decided my best bet was a small store along the way quick in and out instead of a grocery store that would require lines aisles and waiting...little did I know that no one would have hot dogs let alone red ones!! I tried Searsport Irving...now Maritime farms..nope..Then two stores in Bucksport all these places have the word "market" or grocery, on their sign and they have beer and chips. I finnally pulled off at the Orland Market and hit the
jackpot..guy says yeah we have hot dogs..how many...wow I can even buy singles...like this place. Are they red? No way...I don't sell what I don't eat...so I buy 3 regular color hot dogs and hope he can trade for them.

Get home throw stuff in car and fly to yacht club..a couple of parents look at me and say you look stressed about this trip or something..I say no I just got off Rte I. for the second day in a row..they took me sailing..in my skirt and sandals! I threw those off and just climbed in the boat. What the heck! It was a TownClass..always wanted to sail one of those...sort of like Herreshoff 12 1/2 They are an old class out of Marble head. Well I know I don't want one..too tippy, no keel just a centerboard and really a little finicky. But it definitely blew the road dust out of my head! WE watched the kids take off in three beetle cats for Hog Island for the night.

Woke up this morning and it was completely fogged in, thought they might all get towed back by the whalers they took out. But Ty said they all sailed back..He had one of the boats the whole way back and said it was a great sail. All of them no worse for the wear..traded a hot dog for a red one too! He also had a sausage in his bag. Guess they didn't sleep much but that is the fun of it all.

So I cut up some fabric for curtains today..I am sort of working on them..we"ll see.
By the way we did NOT have red hot dogs for dinner last night! Have a good weekend all. G.

Stop complaining people....

Ok I drove to Machias this afternoon..its hot today 90 something..almost a two hour drive plus the State -O- Maine in its infinite wisdom is using some of those road dollars we vote on every year to improve the roads...route 1 in the middle of July...brilliant!! I say we have a referendum on the dates for road improvements. The wait was exactly 1/2 a cd and several pages of the
Ellsworth American Newspaper! Kid you not. ONe lane. So I go to the meeting...no meeting.
No one can come...no one can inform anyone either...nice.

So I go back to the office to finish a Prospect list for grant writing class..don't ask. It took forever and I really thought "why am I doing this"??? I don't need this...my office does not have air conditioning but it does have several or should I say airplane hangar size wall windows. Toasty!

I come home and have to get Ty ready for a sailing overnight with the yacht club after soccer camp tommorow. So I call a parent whose kid went last year to ask about food and she is out..so I call another parent who is a nutrition nut...and she says..pack everything you would never give them at home! Soda chips hotdogs..hmmm (never? at home?) So I ask her about breakfast and she says more soda...
eewww..and something like glazed donut holes! OK ...So I say" do I put this in a cooler"...and she says "no! a cooler is definitely not cool" Huh?? "Paper bag" she says...I say "but how do they keep it all dry...she says "they don't care."..I say "my Diddy, (her nickname is Diddy) aren't we a little negative tonight...she says no "just realistic".. Ty told me to get pop-tarts and red hotdogs he should fit in just fine.
We are definitely not going to make Yacht club digest for most extravagant "kid cruise".

Tommorow is a trip in the other direction..Rockland for the morning. Disaster Mental Health people ..now that's an oxymoron..yep its hot and I am tired.
Hope they didn't find any projects for those big orange sleeper trucks (DOT) on the southern end of rte 1. I am not up for that tommorow. See ya..

Ps. Don says we are having red hot dogs for dinner tommorow just so we can say Tyler actually ate food that he gets at home on the trip...I don't do red hot dogs.

Wait its summer....

Its Hot!! I am not complaining mind you and you can all thank Tyler for this weather as he has Bootin Eagles soccer camp 4 1/2 hours a day of soccer in Ellsworth..thats why its Hot! I don't mind I can actually wear sleeveless dresses and sandals to work instead of sweaters. That is what summer is supposed to be not this endless fog and rain and fiftys we have had. Hope it continues.

So work and life got in the way of blogging imagine that?! I actually wrote one the other day and lost it in the shuffle of the office. Kiddo's actually traveled by themselves to Portland and took in a rock concert and their mom did not have a coronary! I went sailing instead. That usually calms me down from just about anything! Don would kill to have a boat..me I like OPB's other peoples boats...he did not grow up with that yearly spring/fall load unload/ scrape varnish/engine problems/sail repairs/bad weather cant go out/yard bills/etc etc. Mr. Accountant who worries incessantly about money and has worked at not one but TWO big boat companies and he still wants one! go figure! Howard had the right idea with the "Drambuini"
inflate and deflate!!

So concert next week August 2 7pm EHS auditorium Caroline will be singing..I tried to put the picture that was in the paper in this blog but couldn't so go to Ellsworth American and click on Arts and Leisure to article about Ellsworth Alums give back. She and Matt are reprising Audrey and Seymour...REEEEAALLLY SEYMOUR!

All the disaster people left the state so if you are reading this and you are in my chapter and in Maine...well good luck to you..I am the czarina for a few days. Didn't leave here until after 4 yesterday and my day ends usually at 3 although I came in late...AFES and fire volunteers and Me and Pat handlling all the calls. Rains it pours. No one called last night so thats a good thing.
Machias for a meeting today and Rockland tommorow. Stay cool everyone. ARC girl

Stay very cool sib #2 who decided to go with Mumsy to Italy this fall!! She is ecstatic and its probably a very good thing you are going! You will have fun..mostly...just drink heavily! My friend Chris is great..the trip will be way above par!

"down back of Reny's"

Its pouring...what else is new this summer?..and I went out to get the office mail, some flyer was jammed in the box so I pulled at it..I was not into standing out there too long, it was raining buckets...and when I pulled the hide-a-key flew out of the mailbox, opening up and landing in the grass below the deck! Nice! So I went back in to get on my rain coat and back out to search the lawn for the keys, and the two pieces to the hide a key box! So much for staying dry. I had thrown the mail on a table, not bothering to look at it. Well after drying out and making some calls and other business I found the mail, still wet and there was a letter addressed to American Red Cross "down back of Renys" Ellsworth Maine! Some guy from Deer Isle mind you! Inside was a self addressed stamped envelope back to him! Huh?? kept digging..found a cpr card with a note "wrong card..need first aid" short sweet and to the point! So in case you need to find me
you all now know where to look!!

It has not been a good week in the Ellsworth and Rockland offices..we have had nothing but "trouble" over the phone etc. I am not sure any of us have accomplished much. I know I have not. But I will keep trying!! Constant interruptions have been the issue here. Either phone or people coming in...yesterday afternoon one of the ham radio guys had to come in and vent.
That of course is always a treat! He is mad at the group because they have not gotten the tower up and hoped that the evening they planned now to do it would fit into "my schedule" and would not be too late a night for me because they knew I had to drive 30 miles! He was very worried about accomodating me! It was pretty cute! They are characters and I don't understand a thing they do..but I am sure when we really need them in a crisis I will be glad they are here.

So when is the sun going to shine again? My husband said he heard we can expect a nice weekend? I will believe it when I sees it! This is just making me crazy..60 degrees is not my idea of summer. Tommorow is the ST. Francis summer fair and for some reason neither Don or I are working at it. Probably should call someone to see what we can do..but then again maybe it would just be fun to attend. Don will have to deal with the money afterwards anyways.
Kiddo's are driving to Portland on Sunday for a rock concert..another reason to worry this weekend..yippee.

Well if the weather keeps up Ms. Barboza could make millions on her new raingear! I remember the summer I was going to make "Maine Bikinis" out of polar fleece and sell them in the store.
I'm feeling a little like that summer....wheres global warming when you need it??

Thats it from here.."down back Renys" ARC girl..have a good one!

Helllooo Federal....

or is that FEMA that I actually need... or is it just a good stiff drink! ? So you wonder where Ive been huh? Well diva daughter had to go to NYC this weekend.. remember the 6:30 am flight. Yes well she was supposed to come back Monday night and she MISSED the plane. Thats right missed it. They paged her and paged the flight but she, who says she was "near" the gate did not hear that! But was listening for it. I might add this was the last flight out of Laguadia for the night to Maine. Alone in New York. Yep. I was a happy mom. Dad was happy too. She made it home yesterday, after a delay and we drove back up the coast. I had decided at the last minute to take yesterday off...good thing but was going to be back for my class..that did not happen.

I was hoping for a good day today in the office..NOT. Computer was unhappy this morning, some woman was extremely unhappy this morning, needed assistance "yesterday" ie: April, but forgot to ask for it" yesterday"!! Then basically non productive, confusing and just plain
"one of those days" you know 36 of something when someone needs 37...

I am going home..perhaps tommorow will be better.

Happy faces..

oooh I went home last night and the clouds had all but dissipated. Yeah! I stopped at Walmart, not my fav store by any means regardless of what Ginny and Lynn will tell you..especially the one in Ellsworth..and bought Ty a red shag rug and some pillows for his newly arranged and cleaned up room. He, with the expert help of his sister, whom he adores, had sorted thru alot of his stuff and only put back things he used or cared about at this point in his life. He is thrilled with how much more room he has and the fact that things are not on top of him. Tyler is like me in that he can only take so much clutter in his life and then it overwhelms him and I really think it was adding to his emotional state, of feeling out of control. Ok so mom feels better.

Caroline spent her 19th birthday with friends Wednesday night in Bar Harbor at Geddys pub.
Oh does that bring back memories of my summers past. Judging from some photos they all had a good time and she is really back with some friends she had neglected when she was going out with Brandon. Her friends kind of got lost in the shuffle of their relationship for whatever reason. I am taking her to Portland tonight where we will meet up with "other daughter" Aisha for dinner and then Care flies to NYC for the weekend to meet some friends from college. Her plane is at some god awful time in the am like 5:50 or 6am or something Ugh. I plan on just rolling out of bed and driving over to the airport...then coming back to Kathi's house and starting my morning.

So that is my weekend ahead..of course I will have to drive back to Portland Monday night after work and pick her up and drive home Tuesday morning. I am not sure what I get out of this.
I think I need to borrow that new Italian leather bag she brought back from Venice...Hmmmm
Either that or she needs to get me a real nice knock off from a street vendor in NYC what do you all think??????
ARC MOM!

The opposite side of the fence...

There's the girl..the one who turned 19 yesterday and then there's the boy..the one who will turn 14 next month. For those who can't add that is a 13 yearold! Who is 6 feet tall, very intelligent, very sensitive and on a hormone seige! I think there is a permanent thunder cloud over his head lately. Last night it poured! Don't let anyone tell you boys are easy... that is only because they never talk! Eventually it all has to boil over. Unfortunately they don't understand that its ok to feel bad sometimes, to cry or be angry or hurt. NO matter what kind of parent you are.

Trying to make his world a little better, after he left for soccer today I tore apart his room, he has the smallest in the house and set to rearranging it for more space. Of course I decided to do this two hours before coming to work..you should have seen me moving all that furniture in that space..it was comical. I did it though and came up with a good arrangement and took some pieces out and substituted some shelving from elsewhere so I think he will be pleased. Then I called Care at work to have her help him re put things on shelves etc. And maybe not put so much back in there. I will go to Walmart after class to day to see if there isnt anything to add to the mix. When I called home to see if he liked it he said yeah but he had had a bad day at soccer...can't win for losing I guess. I hope its a stage because he sure is not a happy camper right now and he even admits he doesn't really know why.

Well no one said being a mom was easy..although I suppose being a 13 year old right now isn't too easy either.

Happy Birthday Caroline

19 years ago today, after 5 years of infertility, two surgeries, one miscarriage, and 2 and 1/2 days of on and off labor a beautiful little girl came into the world with a blank slate! Her name had years before been picked out..Caroline Erin. She started to fill that blank slate from day one..jaundice! Then there was colic, then as she got older severe asthma, not a healthy little one. But a spit fire. She never stopped, she talked, she danced, she sang and she laughed. She had a million and one ear infections and probably ended up with some of her language learning issues from that as well as dyslexia! But still she strove on. Nothing stopped her. If someone told her she couldn't do it, well then she did! She worked hard to learn to read and write, and struggled with math, but could she sing and entertain. Soon she grew older, and started to really perform on real stages, her voice soaring with each new instructor, or director. She strived for perfection in her studies working to maintain grade point averages that we really never thought were possible considering her early difficulties. She would not let anything stop her..the slate started to fill with accomplishments and honors, and before we knew it she was off to college. A school had recognized her gifts and said "come study here...that slate is now fillling with new and exciting accomplishments and adventures..it is only 19 years full, not anywhere near my 47 or Don's 50 but those 19 years have given me more joy than I could ever imagine and I can not wait to see what she does with the rest of that empty slate. Happy Birthday Care. Love Mom

Summer where are you???

Come on...Its 61 and raining again....it has rained at least once a day since July 4th and the high has not gotten above 68 or 70 for days and days. I need heat. I need sunshine, I need to wear my shorts and sandals. No wonder I can't stop coughing and wheezing. My sis wants to cheer me up with Pina coladas but who wants them when its cool enough for hot tea!!
The internet says most of the country is dying from a heat wave send it on up I say!!! And soon!! We went to a porch party on Saturday night..It was freezing..the wind off the water..ugh!
Came home and watched a mundane movie and ate pizza with the kids.

So for those of you who don't visit ms. barboza's blog she has a link to what your body is worth, monetary wise, dead! i.e: body parts, cadaver,.. just click on my link to her blog and check out her latest entry where you will find the link...answer the questions and you will find out what you are worth dead! Now I came out at 4140.00 but she and Susan Simmons came out at more...age is definitely a factor! I could have tweaked a few questions but I think the age thing is really the kicker on that one.

Trying to clean up some loose ends, did my review for Ginny today. Office is fairly quiet.

Care has the day off. Ty and I went to Bangor yesterday so he could get soccer cleats for todays soccer camp. Naturally the only ones they had in his size were the ones that cost more. I can not keep him in shoes. A pair of cleats a year, several pairs of skate shoes,(these are the every day shoe as well as for skate boarding) then at least two pairs of basketball shoes, he ususually grows out of a pair during the season! a pair of cross trainers for running and tennis, and dress shoes. Oh I forgot then there's boots and snow board boots. This is the minimal amount for a year. And they are all huge..he wears a 12 now. The boxes are huge. The prices are huge.
Olympia sometimes has a two for one deal..that helps. Now they even have a rewards card..I should do pretty well on that thing.

Caroline of course has hundreds of shoes..all of which she buys herself. She finds them all over, and enjoys wearing the highest of heels and the funkiest or fanciest or boldest color or what ever, but she has been the same size for a decade and she can find designer shoes that may have cost over a hundred at Mardens for $3.oo ! She will change with each outfit, or on a whim all day long. Tyler wears one pair a day, at most two, if he has a specific sport that day, and he still costs more!

So not much going on as you can see when I start rambling on about shoes..I need some summer fun..Ginny needs sunshine and a nice day on Saturday..Come on..Summer already!!!!

Sat-errr-day

What happened to summer? I think its 55 today! No wait its 75...no wait back to 55 and cloudy!
Give me a break, maybe I should get deployed by ARC to the floods for awhile in Texas or Oklahoma at least the weather is consistent. I still have my cold/allergies whatever so I am accomplishing zip today. nada! OH well. Could it at least stay warm out?

Tried to go to Tradewinds our illustrious version of Hannaford in swanky Blue Hill by the Bay..every single parking space...every single one even the ones on the side near Rite aid that no one parks in were taken. Now if I did not have to go to the Pharmacy I would have immediately blew out of there but instead I took two turns around and got a spot..well they had Dons Rx but mine was denied by insurance...Excuse me was not today Lucky Sevens day?? PULEEESE!

So I have been searching the web for 1960's historical fiction for Ty..and thought I might as well let anyone who is actually reading this stuff aware of my misery today. Going to a cocktail Party this afternoon "porch party"; I guess I could use a little liquid attitude adjustment! Nothing else seems to be working today. MY daughter informed me she made 100.00 yesterday..in one day
she's 19! or almost! What did I do wrong? Don't answer that anyone...I already know the answer to that one...and it was my choice! Course if I would finish my self review and hand it to my boss instead of leave it in my bag collecting dust..again my faux pas.

Well all, I hear when we go back to work on Monday its going to warm up, yippee so keep your selfs warm..Have a good weekend and I will try to "lighten up".

The complaint dept. is open...

Hello, my name is Gretchen, what can I "not" help you with today because I am either incapable of entering that website (don't really have access to that), my fax and printer is down and I really wasn't prepared to teach you "first aid" when I came in today! Or would you like career and job advice because yours is crappy right now? Or you can't make up your mind whether to send your employees here for class or have a class at your establishment?

Yes I have been here for three hours and have accomplished all of the above! And of course given Ginny many phone calls to complain about the complaints and tell her I have done nothing of my own job..of course she has done nothing of hers either so we are in cahoots on that one. So that leaves us the wedding..her daughters which is NEXT week to talk about! Speaking of daughters....I am hoping to live thru the summer without an ulcer.

Now she has always been a great trustworthy kid..but at 19 (on the 11th) and of course without a beau, she is out more at night. In a car..her car...get the picture...
Now when she was in High school she went out with her friends but it was the Mall or movies or dinner, and they did not drink. College students drink. I do not have a problem with it unless it involves driving. When she is in DC I don't worry half as much, A. Because she is a responsible drinker, and B. She is either on foot, or on the Metro. Not so in rural Maine. We discuss incessantly believe me...and she assures me...but you know how that goes. Then of course there is the "little issue" that as a 19 year old in the good old US of A you can not drink legally. Now of course she just got back from Europe where every country is 18..many of her friends around here were abroad, or on the Maine Maritime cruise or whatever...its ridiculous what we make these young adults go through. Yes you can ...no you can't. Mothers against Drunk Drivers a worthy organization, got it all wrong on this one though. It has promoted instead a culture of binge drinking and poor alcohol awareness and use on campus. Kids have to hide and drink before they go to the pubs or clubs, so they overindulge..instead of being able to drink responsibly and perhaps with food and more slowly out in the open. And has it prevented teen deaths on the roadways? Not hardly..speed and teenage driving is still the #1 cause of teenage deaths on the highways. So there..my soap box for the day.

So yes, without the boyfriend, means more time "out" circulating and that means a car..so mom is worrying more this summer than ever! She is going to NYC next weekend and I am less worried about that then some night out in Blue Hill! We never stop worrying the causes just change!!

So I saw the doctor today..take more allergy meds, take some prilosec type med incase its gastric, apparenty there is some "mottling on my vocal chords" by the way that was a pleasant exam..not! And it may be my inhaler which has worked so well all these years...ugh! OK OK..
To be continued.

Have to go to class..Prof. is good this time around...project though..just what I don't need.

Complaint Dept is closed for the Day..ARC Girl.