Thanks, Barry

Yesterday, I drove to Massachusetts. It was an uneventful drive with minimal traffic. I had a great ride thanks to my good friend, Barry. We had been much closer in the 1970's and 1980's. We drifted apart as our lifestyles changed. When we reunited, it was as if no time had passed. We laughed, cried and sang out loud, as we eased on down the road. Without him, the ride would have seemed forever. Having another voice in the car was wonderful. I was flooded with memories of the past as I drove up I95. Thanks again, Barry for understanding that even though we had been estranged for over 20 years, an old friend is still a good friend.  I will forever be a Fan-i-low of Barry Manilow.

Today Is The Day

If you have read my previous blogs you will know that I have written about "Passing The Exit". Today, in about 1 hour, I will get on the same road that I take to work, but this time I will actually pass the exit. I am heading to Massachusetts to see my children. It is a retreat for me. After many stressful months, I am leaving home for a few days. I will go to a place where the people are kind and caring. A place where there will be no demands on me. A place where my happiness and well being are a priority. I will have time to unwind and get back to a calmer state of being. I am lucky to have such a place to run to. The long ride, alone, is out of my comfort zone, but sometimes in order to move on in life, we must break through the ceiling of that zone. I am ready to move on, and have my hammer in my hand.

I See The Light

The seasons are beginning to change, all too quickly. The one thing I dread most about this has already happened. Getting up in the dark. For the last six months I have gotten spoiled. When I awoke at 6:15am, it was light out. The sunshine streaming through my blinds. I felt energized and ready to jump out of bed and start a new day. That is no longer the case. Now when my alarm goes off, it is dark out. I feel like a night worker. How can it be time to get up when it looks like the middle of the night. I drag myself out of bed and get ready for work in slow motion. It is amazing that even though I am sleeping the same amount of hours, I get up feeling different. Even when they change the clocks, it will not help much. I guess that is why religious people feel joyous when they "see the light".

Helpline

I am not a computer expert. I have a working knowledge of the basics. Somehow, in work, I have become the "go to gal". The person that everyone goes to when the computers have problems. Yesterday, we lost the network connection. It just disappeared. Went on hiatus. As usual, I was called in. I did as much as my expertise would allow and soon realized that I needed to call for reinforcements. I called Verizon, and was connected to "Jeremy". I told him what my problem was and he seemed stumped. After a lull in the conversation, I said, let's try looking in Network Places. He agreed. I slowly stepped him through the process and together we solved the problem. I knew 85% of what I was doing, he knew 15%. Without him, I would still be off line, but without me, he would have had no idea how to even try to solve the issue. Even when you call in the "experts" it still takes a team to get things up and running.

Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day. The day, in 1492,  that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Actually, he was lost when he arrived here. In 2011, we are still in America and we are still lost. This country has no idea where it is going. Protesters on Wall Street, are heading into their third week. I agree with them, but do not know what they think they will change. They are costing the city millions of dollars in police overtime. If they are protesting wild government spending, why are they making the government spend wildly? It seems to me, to be more like a Woodstock atmosphere. A group endeavor that will become a documentary and possibly a Hollywood movie. Who will play the lead activist? Maybe Charlie Sheen. He has a lot of spare time, lately. Five hundred and nineteen years later, we still have not really discovered America.

Bye, Bye, Birdies

My birds have flown the coop. It took a while, but they finally have strong enough wings to fly away. When they bought their own home, we never realized how much work had to be done to get it up to their standards. Not my standards, their standards. In hindsight, their standards were better. The house is now beautiful, and they can move in without having to live in a mess. They took title in May and we all thought that they would be in by July. July turned into August. August turned into September. September turned into October. It became a sore subject when people asked me "when are they moving in". I started to answer "never". It was a stupid question and people knew it was a rhetorical one, but they still asked. Now I no longer have to fend that question. I wish them health and happiness in their new home. I am now an empty nester.

One Hand

I have no idea how 2 people in the same office can have totally different information. Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? Just today, my sister called me to let me know that maintenance was due on our oil burners. She was told that the servicemen were all booked up and the next availability was in four weeks. She asked why so long and she was told that due to the hurricane, a few months back, they were still swamped with cleanups. She booked the appointment for the next month. She called me to let me know that I needed to call asap as my contract was running out. I called. I was asked when I want the appointment. I said how soon was the next availability. Next week. Any day and time of my choice. I booked for next week and called my sister. She will be calling them back to see why someone told her wrong information. These two operators work in the same office, probably three feet away. How could their information be miles apart.