Week 28 - Sis

I've always thought my love of potatoes, any kind, was one sided. Apparently not!

Week 28 - Lisa

I'm in the middle of a three week run of Kaizen events @ work.  I love Kaizen!  It's a ton of hard work but the discovery, the opportunities, the teamwork and results are always worth it ten-fold.  I love the process and mind-set of continuous learning.  So while it can cause late nights with mental and physical fatigue along the way, I always feel rejuvenated afterwards.  Right now on day 7 of 12, not so much.  But major celebration come day 13.  LOL

Week 27 - Sis

Well it seems a week has slipped by without a post from me. I know, you were probably moaning and suffering horribly from the withdrawals that I have caused. So let's see what I'm itching to bring you about the other thing that "bugs" me here. See this luscious, juicy, colorful watermelon? I have come to believe that this is what I look like to the insects in Georgia, round, sweet and delectable. Okay the round part is not a mistake, the sweet and delectable our a matter of opinion and NO, I do not need to hear them. I swear the little critters are on 12 hour shifts because no matter what time I go out, and having a dog it's usually at least three times a day, they immediately go to work. Any exposed part of my body is a target but the ankes and arms seems to be the prime cuts for them. From what I have learned the main culprits in the area are: mosquitos, biting gnats and the, WTH, "no-see-ums." I am not kidding, bugs you can't see but bite just like the big guys. I have to buy some OFF spray very soon or get a transfusion, geez. Figure I will soon have a degree in bugology from the state of Georgia and scars to prove it.

Week 27 - Lisa

To counter or not to counter?!  This week was our version of Shakespeare's infamous "To be or not to be."  Well, after three years for me and two for my mama we finally found, agreed upon and made an offer on a home.  We had probably drove by, pondered and viewed on line more than two hundred homes in our quest to find our little slice of JoJah.  So if all goes well we will begin the process of revamping our new digs in the middle of August, hopefully moving in some time in September.  It took several back and forths between buyer and seller to land on an agreeable price but the deed, no pun intended, is done!

Week 26 - Lisa

Charlotte came over for coffee this week!

Week 26 - Sis

1. A week of nosing around the complex and what I found.

2. White cap mushrooms or toadstools growing all over. Where's Alice?

3. Emergency escape route, maybe a problem for larger and taller residents.

4. Can't tell if this was caused by no brakes or no brains?  I think the later.

5. Sun was fighting hard not to go down on this very warm evening.  Lost in a magnificent way!

Week 25 - Sis

On week 18 I bought this "Topsy Turvy " tomato planter because I love fresh tasty tomatoes, the smell alone sends me down memory lane. At the time I didn't realize the seedling does not come with this bargain or the soil. Okay, so for under $20 it was something that didn't take up much space and I see many of them hanging throughout the complex we live in, good sign of success ahead. When I purchased the seedling, which actually was a little bigger than a seedling, there were two plants in the container, so I threw one in an empty planter I had with a bit of soil and placed it on the Topsy Turvy box. So here it is seven weeks later and after now buying a plant stand, bigger planter and more soil, the extra seedling is far outgrowing the "easy to grow" seedling. 

Oh let me mention, in order to water my planter, my daughter purchased a 3 step ladder for me to reach the opening to pour the water in. Sigh, and in order for me, the vertical challenged gardener, I have to stand on the top step to do this watering. Thankfully for the summer storms the watering times have been shortened, along with the multiple trips, in and out of the apartment to get the water with the two watering containers I have. Of course the benefit is my calf and quad muscles are improving because I must climb the step stool three times to water it properly. Oh, you can multiply that climb by three since I also have two flower planters to maintain. It's now has cost over $100 for my small tomato farm. In addition to my aching muscles, gallons of extra water appearing on the water bill for a crop that hasn't made an appearance yet, I will have to make another trip to the store to buy stakes to hold up that extra plant. That's it, I'm applying for a farm subsidy! Oh the basil is producing a bumper crop. ;-

Week 25 - Lisa

Fireworks IN the grocery store?  Never in my entire 48 years have I seen this in California.

Wonder why the picture below?  This bar has been a form of contention in our apartment complex since I moved here.  Until this pictured metal bar was inserted about two weeks ago they had always used wood.  You'd drive up on any given day and find it broken, splintered, half the board down the lane.  People would blow through lacking patience for it to lift.  This was cause for constant conversation between my mom and I about the idiots who break it. I noticed that the bar is taking a really long time to come down  as the cars ahead of me pass through.  So the other day, a small sedan of some sort goes zooming through in front of me, thinking I had plenty of time, I went through too.  All of a sudden that evil possessed metal monster comes flying down.  We hear this loud thump!  I just know this thing karate chopped the roof of my 4Runner in half.  Then I hear it again.  Oh crud, it hit so hard it bounced up and came back down again.  As I look back in my rear view mirrow I see that the metal bar is now bent at the spot it hit the corner of the roof.  Uh oh.  I wonder if there are video cameras?  Will I be in trouble?  We park and I look for damage, nothing any more scratched then the rest of my beat up truck.  Fast forward a couple days and we drive up and I notice the bar is a lot shorter.  I tell my mom, "Well I wonder what idiot broke the bar this time?"

Week 24 - Lisa

I know not everyone is a pet lover but the longest I've ever gone without having an animal in my house was the 1.5 years I spent in a hotel before my move to ATL.  I was going crazy.  Now that we have a cat and dog the entertainment is endless again.  sunii is the pushed out of shape Diva kitty and oneeya is the happy go lucky doggie that never ever barks.  They have worked out their issues and now cohabitate peaceful.  sunii was here first and she tries to dominate, oneeya is a part corgi so she's a herder; this makes for Comedy Central most nights.  sunii being with my mom all day long for one full year has grown very attached, so oneeya coming into the picture has created quite the competition for my mom's attention.  As you can see in the picture below. No matter what trick or play time activity my mom tries to teach oneeya, sunii is never far away performing whatever my mom is saying.  "Look grandma, hey, hey, I'm over here, I already got it.  Stupid dog!"

Week 24 - Sis

I mean how are you suppose to react? " You know if you're going to get skin cancer this is the best one." HUH? Is a trophy given for this? Yep, went to see a dermatologist a few weeks back because I had a growth on my face, the size of maybe a pencil eraser, and a biopsy was done. Two weeks later the growth was removed and I was told again, the basal cell cancer is the best kind because it doesn't get into your blood system and spread. Okay, I had to sport this attractive dressing for two days. Not bad although it was pretty bulky and so tight, pushing my left nostril closer to the right one. I could only inhale properly through the right nostril! Two days later I was able to remove the dressing, breathe normally and get the stitches wet. Now it looks like I went a few rounds with Manny Paquiao. I am hoping this doesn't affect my close-ups after I have the stitches removed. :-/ To those in my family and friends I didn't tell about this-SURPRISE!!!! I wasn't going to bother anyone with the news since it's the best kind of cancer you could have and wouldn't want to make anyone envious.;- So please remember the sunscreen everyone and if you don't want to show every flaw in your skin do not take a picture with a Canon Powershot. LOL.

Week 23 - Lisa

Everything is in full bloom!  Gorgeous to drive around and see all the pretty flowers. Course a co-worker decided that the huge beautiful magnolias outside our office door would look pretty in a jar near my desk.  I'm pretty sure this was an act of cruelty but I can't prove it.  I instantly had a nose that made me look like Jimmy Durante.  Below are two favorites I took on my drive home from work.

Week 23 - Sis

I'm pretty sure the real purpose of me living in this state is to keep the bug population thriving. There are days I feel like the bug buffet specialty menu. Can hear them as they circle, "I'll take a few bites of the forearm, oh look elbows tonight and ankles, oh I do so love ankles!" I mean, I get that I'm aged and well marbled but more bumps and lumps on my body are not needed. I'm beginning to think the sunblock, that's suppose to protect my skin, is actually tenderizing it!

Week 22- Sis

Lisa's blog has touched on the sad housing losses of many and I'm sure all can emphasize with her thoughts. In the past two years I have seen this once complete enclosure end up looking like a picket fence or maybe I should say, "pick it" fence. So where are these fence planks? Were they taken to build a smaller, cost free, one? Did they fuel a fire to warm a home? Someone build a raft to float down the filled rivers? I am totally perplexed by this mystery and also wonder where the handicap sign went that use to be attached to this post. Is it being used to ensure a mooring slot for the missing plank raft now owned by someone with a pegleg? 

Week 22 - Lisa

After much contemplation we decided to start house hunting again.  I will not go into the reasons why but we plan to stay in ATL for a spell.  One thing for sure is apartment living is wearing thin.  Just adding a dog has somehow made the place shrink a bit.  And we keep adding things to our household that are sitting in storage - aggravating.

In the 1.5 years after we stopped searching much about the market has changed.  Homes we looked at in the 200k's are now in the 100k's.  That "should" make me feel happy but I feel sadness and frustration.  My sadness is for the people who have lost these homes.  We drive up and see basketball hoops with cobwebs, old toys, broken fences, empty hot tubs, unattended gardens and you cannot help but wonder about the lives that abandoned these once lovely homes.  You think about whether their life situations are now better, the same or worse?  Then there's the folks selling their homes. The stress and agony we went through trying to walk away with a decent profit; after pouring our heart, souls and cash into improving our property and not get what you want is heartbreaking and I so feel for those in the same situation.  Especially when you walk through homes where you can see the efforts they made to upgrade or just the care they took in maintaining it.

My frustration is that even though the prices have dropped and we were blessed to make a profit on our house sale in California, the reality is I could be unemployed and living here so we have to be able to  afford it even then.  We are looking in neighborhoods that are older, more established; haven't been bitten too badly by foreclosures and look like they might spring back to life when we are ready to move on.  It is exhausting!  Yet still the homes here are unbelievably priced compared to anything we'd find in California.  

So while we most likely will with time find a home to our satisfaction (the market is just too full for it not to happen), it's going to take a lot of sage burning and pray to make me feel ok about how I netted a home here when I lay my head down to sleep at night.  I know I've done nothing wrong but I cannot help feel that I'm benefiting due to the unfortunate circumstances of others.  It's definitely a strange trip we are on.  <sigh>

Week 21 - Lisa

What do I despise more than a root canal?  Or plucking eyebrows?  Or grocery shopping?  Or frying an egg?  SHOE SHOPPING!!  Yep, revoke my female card.  I realized something while walking the aisles of Shoe Carnival this past weekend.  I have more in common with Mickey Mouse than just Walt and Disneyland.  We have the same FEET!

After watching my mom try on shoes left and right (no pun intended), I just grabbed the same old New Balance tennis shoes (aka waffle stompers) and Ked's low profile tennis shoes boxes and head for the checkout line.  After picking out her sneakers (not an easy task for her considering her own foot issues) my mom just walks over to the sandals and grabs whatever cute pair she wants.  Me?  I gave up after sticking my foot in one sandal after the other trying to squeeze my Cinderella evil step-sister foot into another psychologically damaging glass slipper.

Why is this such a traumatic experience you ask?  I have been blessed with a high instep.  Like a super duper high instep.

So I cannot wear the super cute thin band sandals with do-hickeys, beads, multiple strap type. No Cleopatra up the ankle tie jobbers for me.  No, I get to wear the following styles:

Don't those just SCREAM sexy-mama?  Or even half-way nice looking lady with cute shoes?  <sigh>  So, I just keep ordering my Nike flip flops in multiple colors and calling it a day.  Happy Summer ya'll!

Week 21 - Sis

After the weather being in the high 80's and 90's we can look forward to those same high 90's for the next week. Yes,we get one thunder/lightning storm, just like last week, with no lowering of that temperature. So Saturday we started out to get Lisa's truck washed with my road dog oneeya. Now oneeya has never been in a car wash, as far as I know, so new experience for all of us. This car wash is the one where you drive-in and sit in the car while it's being cleaned. My dog was impressed, so it seems, as she sat a bit apprehensively watching that machine work. As we drove around we saw a house for sale and being curious we stopped so I could get a flyer. When I turned back to get in the truck I felt something odd. My feet got very warm, started to itch and burn and I was instantly doing the fire ant dance! I have seen commercials for ridding a lawn of them but have never encountered them in my life. WOW! I looked like I was doing the hand jive on my feet. Have to say the air was a bit blue as I yelled out some choice words. So try to neglect the blue veins and notice those red spots on my foot, with a white head on one. I'd say that color combo went well with the patriotic weekend theme. When we went grocery shopping and with the weather being a factor, there was a display with everything for ice cream sundae making and cones. Ah, a nice cone sounded good and picked up a box of 24 as I headed for the ice cream freezer section. Have you seen the price of ice cream! Dang. My favorite flavor is strawberry but of course there was none in the brands I liked, so I looked at the market's "premium" house brand container and thought, "why not?". Last night as I got ready to fix me a nice cone I actually looked at the carton and discovered I bought strawberry yogurt. Sigh, okay well that's probably better for me and then I opened the carton with the cones. Put the scooper away and get a teaspoon! When did they downsize ice cream cones?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Message from Dos Dames #9 ~

Our relocated Cali girl, Megan McGlover is back with another ATL weather report.  LOL  We so relate.  We also want to send our prayers and thoughts to the people in Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and other states hit hard by the recent tornadoes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9lkycLVYvk&feature=uploademail

Week 20 - Lisa

I went home to California this past weekend for a Tribal Council meeting.  I flew into San Francisco on Friday morning.  I stepped out onto the platform to catch the "AirRide" to the rental car parking lot and had my breathe taken away.  Yowza, it was freezing.  I had left 90 degree weather in the ATL and stepped out into SFO's 50something degrees.  Instantly my bronchitis cough erupted.  Yes, I was home.  Woohoo!  I tried not to get teary-eyed as I admired the hills of San Bruno, Oakland and the Bay while riding the "AirRide" train.  I'm a "Emerald Club" member with a certain car rental company so I can pick whatever cars are parked in the so called "Emerald" area.  I chose a 2012 Mazda5.  Why?  I have no clue.  It didn't look to big or too small and it was a pretty green color.  LOL  I zipped on down to Salinas to stay the night with my godparents with a quick stop at the Gilroy Target.  Had a nice dinner and visit with my cousins and godparents, made sure I got to bed at a reasonable time of 11pm (2am est).  I was pretty tired after a HELLacious week at work.  I was up and out the door at 8:15am for our 9:00am meeting in Gilroy. 

Here's where my troubles start...

As we broke for lunch I was going to drive to wherever we were eating but discovered it was right across the street and could be walked.  I went to put my keys back in the room but was distracted and ended up carrying them with me.  I know I had them because I was annoyed to be carrying them.  I had no pant pockets to stuff them into.  My fellow Council Members and I ordered lunch and sat at a couple outside tables. Let me say the new, well new to me, Mexican chain Mi Pueblo Food Center is awesome!  They were a fine tuned machine behind the super Cocina Mexicana.  I believe it was while cleaning up our bags and containers that one of us accidentially threw my keys in the garbage.  Of course I did not discover this until 5:45pm when the 8.5 hour meeting was over.

I was beyond the point of crying when I called the "Emerald" hotline to report that my sorry ass lost the keys to my car.  I'm anal, I'm organized, I don't do these type of things, well guess what, I do.  <sigh>  "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you retrace your steps?"  "Yes."  "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you go back to the restaurant?"  "Yes."  "Ms. Cxxxxxr, did you look on the floor of the vehicle?"  "YES!"  This was going no where fast.  I finally said, "Look, they are gone, so what are you going to do to help me?"  "Ms. Cxxxxxr, are you in a safe place?"  "Um, well as long as it's daylight yes."  The woman replied, "Ok, so we can dispatch for a truck to come out and unlock the door to the vehicle so you can take out all your belongings."  "Then you will have to call us back and we will dispatch a truck to tow away the vehicle, return to the rental station, pick up a new car and tow it back?"  "Huh?"  "Are you kidding me?"  "No, Ms. Cxxxxxr, that is our policy, one thing at a time."  I said, "well how long will this take?"  "To dispatch to unlock one hour, to dispatch to pick up vehicle and bring you a new vehicle three hours."  "OMG!"  "Well, Ms. Cxxxxxr you did lose the keys to your vehicle."  <slow simmer> "Yes, I am aware of that fact, thank you."  Thankfully, two of my cousins had stayed with me.  They were busy in the background trying to call locksmiths to come make me a key but as we suspected due to these new fandango type of cars and keys, no can do.  So I was stuck with "Emerald's" plan of attack.  So I called back with a weak tired voice and said, "Ok, dispatch the round one please."

Meanwhile I was texting with my sister because the week leading into my trip we came up with the grand plan to invite my aunts and female cousins to come to her house for pizza after my meeting.  So they would all be waiting for me.  Waiting and waiting and waiting apparently.  I told her to cancel.  One aunt and two girl cousins stuck to the plan and were either on their way or had already arrived.  "Enjoy the pizza family.  Wah!"

At 7:00pm, the tow truck pulled in, this was a huge flatbed that could easily haul two vehicles.  The driver unlocks the Mazda, we unload my things and I asked him, "Hey do you think you could take me and the vehicle back to the San Jose Airport if I call and they agree?"  He said sure so I made the call.  It took the rental car agency 30 minutes to make up their minds.  Yes, he could haul the car and me back so I'm thinking small victory, yay!  Then I start feeling a tiny bit nervous about driving the hour back to San Jose with a complete stranger.  I'm not a sissy-lala by any means but still things run through your mind.  So I jokingly told the guy with my eyebrow on high arched alert, "So I'm not going to end up in Mexico working in slave labor while Nancy Grace pleads for my life on Fox month after month right?"  "I just want you to know if you try to kill me or you know do other things, you will get hurt in the process."  "I will go down with a fight and you will suffer SOMETHING for it."  "Trust me on this!" Thankfully, Bobby as I would come to know him over the next two hours, had a sense of humor but clearly got the message.  ;>

So off we went up the 101 (with 'do you know the way to San Jose' fighting for a spot in my head against 'Me and Bobby McGee' - busted flat in a Church parking lot, waitin' for a tow truck) bouncing roughly in the big ass truck and slowly creeping through the traffic.  Bobby McSanchez and I talked about our families, being from the Bay Area, living in the South, and my Tribe.  About half way, I get a phone call from "Emerald" telling me that the car lot is in Santa Clara and here's the address.  The customer care person said I would have to wait at this lot while Bobby went and loaded a new vehicle and brought it back to me.  WTH?!  Bobby had a GPS so we figured out it wasn't really that far from the airport but still thanks for the detailed instructions an hour ago.  I had told him I could call a cab once there, I wasn't goint to make him go through all that.  We find the lot at 8:15pm.  Lots of crashed and broke down cars, one night attendant in a pitch black lot.  I'm not sure if Bobby felt the slow panic rising in me or the guy just had good old fashion manners and common sense, I think probably a combo of all three but he said to me, "Wait in the truck, I'm going to unload the car and take you straight to the rental car place, no way in hell I'm leaving you out here."  If he hadn't been 5' 1", married with grandkids and seriously needing a shower, he might, just might, have been my knight in shining armor.  Instead he was my hero tow truck driver!  <insert Enrique Iglesias - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5m5aEtC0Hw>
It was now 8:45pm.

If you've been to the new San Jose Airport set-up with the six story rental car parking lot and new terminals then you know just what kind of driver Bobby McTowTruckDriverHero was to pull that rig into there.  That was no small feat to deliver me right smack in front of the sliding glass doors to the rental car station.  I was majorly impressed. I slid out, grabbed my gear, thanked him over and over, gave him a grateful tip and headed inside.  I can only imagine the sight I must have been.  Wrinkled clothes, hair a mess, three target bags of souveniors, two Smokey the Bear hats, my luggage and a tote.  It was now 9:05pm.

After having to tell the entire story over to the clueless staff at the station I was directed to go to the sixth floor via elevator.  The doors open and Rico Sauve greets me.  He's clueless and I have to re-explain everything to him.  He finds me a car, I load all my stuff inside, slide into the driver's seat, text my sister and exhale from exhaustion and relief. 

I pull around to the booth that checks your rental agreement, lifts the bar and sets you free.  Unfortunately, she had no clue about my swap of vehicles and after what felt like another hour of phone calls and arguing with the downstairs guys wishes me a "blessed night" and let's me free.  It's now 9:40pm.

I rolled down the drivers side window, crank up the stereo to the Saturday night 70's and 80's soul station and find my way to Livermore.  I pull into my sister's drive way at 10:10pm.  Yes, I flew and I cannot remember the drive at all.  But dang if that pizza and cold Heinekin didn't taste SO good.  And yes, it was great to see my family.  My night ended that morning at 1:00am after spending the last three hours laughing and talking with my family.

Thankfully, the rest of the weekend was pleasant and uneventful.  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about the senior citizens that sat next to me on the plane, ripped my blouse and spilled water on my head.  I should have sensed it was going to be a strange adventure then!