5/26 Pictures of Eric's party

I posted lots of pictures from Eric's party. I want to go back in and edit all the ones with me and a niece or nephew, and put their names on the photos. And I wish I had some of me playing FourSquare, because I played nearly all the time.

Still haven't posted the ones from the Relay for Life, but I hope to do that tonight.

In the meantime, here are two from my last Rec League match at CSz. (Thanks, Michele, for taking them.) We were playing a game called Double Blind Freeze.

5/25 Music helps

Lots going on at work. To stop being distracted I usually just close my door. But that looks so antisocial. So now my door is open, and I have my iPod going strong. When someone stops by my office I just take out the earbuds and I'm available.

The Avon Breast Cancer Walk is getting so close. I'm very excited about it. Besides all the hard work, it's fun spending the weekend with my sisters. However we only see each other on the fly during the Walk itself. We're all doing our own thing. I'll see Jan in our tent (Jane is sharing with her friend, Debbie). And sometimes I'll see them at dinner if I'm not involved in an incident at the time.

We don't have to be there until Friday of next week, so we're meeting on Thursday afternoon at our brother's house in Aurora. My sisters want to hit the new Outlet Mall near Jim and Karen's house. I'd love to do that but two things will stop me: No money, and I have a teleconference until 2:30 that day. So I'll hit the Chicago traffic and it'll take me longer than usual to get there. Probably 5 or 5:30.

That's okay, though. I won't have to feel bad that I can't buy anything at the Outlet Mall.

And we always have a fun time at Jim and Karen's, so that will be neat. Friday we'll take off in the morning because we'll need to be at "Event Eve" by 2 PM. More later on that.

5/24 More Snippets

Snippet: My 13 yo niece Sarah has always been one of my favorite people. Here's an example of why. We talked about the fact that her best friend is a boy. I told her I have many close male friends. She nodded and said, "I know. And you have some gay friends. I think that is so cool."

Snippet: At the Relay for Life there were several big sheets hung up, one for each year. Each was full of handprints and each handprint was placed there by a cancer survivor. The person also signed their handprints and put how long they've survived cancer. They ranged from more than 50 years to one day. That brought tears to my eyes.

As we walked by, reading the names, my sisters pointed out the people who were gone. Such a poignancy to that moment. Someone signing their handprint with hope toward a cancer-free future.

Snippet: Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Al were moved by the Relay for Life. They sat in the stands while we walked, but there was always someone sitting with them. I think each one of us sibs were just cherishing them and all that they mean to us, and have meant to us over the years.

Snippet: My sisters and I were there until about 10:30 PM. Joe and Cindy stayed longer. My sister-in-law, Paulette, worked until 11:30 and then came over and walked the track alone. I thought that was beautiful.

Jan and Jane grossed over $600 and after expenses should have about $500 or so to donate. It was time well spent.

Snippet: We were interviewed by a reporter from the Quincy Herald-Whig, and I was quoted in the final article. I'll see if I can scan it.

Snippet: My nephew, Cody, rode his unicycle around the track. He's another one of my favorite people. Ever since he was born I felt there was something special about him.

Snippet: My brothers, Joe, Jay and Jeff joined in the FourSquare playing on Saturday, with Joe playing with us the longest. I feel so blessed with our health situation. The ability to still PLAY is a gift I don't take lightly.

Snippet: While preparing food in her kitchen Jan turned to me and said, "You know, the likelihood is strong that one of us will get it." No need to specify what the "it" was--or who she meant by "us."

Snippet: Regarding our volunteer work--is it fear that drives us? Is it compassion? Probably a combination.

Snippet: On the plane from Quincy to St. Louis I met a fascinating guy. He and his partner are from Quincy but live in Hong Kong and have an export business. The keep a condo in Quincy because they kept the US base in our town. We discussed the wonders and the trials of flying frequently.

Snippet: Jane gave me lots of clothes. She's shrinking out of hers as I'm shrinking out of mine. I'm glad I'm still bigger than she is because I get the spoils of the dieting war.

Snippet: At Eric's party I ate Chocolate Lasagna. Omigod!

Snippet: One of my nieces broke up with her boyfriend. I hate seeing her so sad. I'm not her confidante, but I saw her cry on Jane's shoulder. I'm so glad she has someone to comfort her.

Snippet: Rolls from Underbrink's Bakery. The bakery is across the street from St. Francis Church and katty corner from St. Francis School. So it is obviously a favored place. We all have such memories of it. Many years ago a boy in John's class bought it and continues the tradition. Nut cups and nut rolls are the family favorites. Jane always buys them when someone comes to town. Bless her heart! Makes me love her; makes me hate her. I devoured more calories this weekend than I did the whole rest of the week.

I loved it.

Snippet: Aunt Jenny and Uncle Herb are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in June. Wish I could attend the party but I'll be in Detroit on business.

Snippet: I don't have many aunts and uncles left--Bonnie, Al, Herb, Jenny, Millie, Betty, Gene, Lolla, Angie, Alice, and Francis (Fran).

Guess I have more than I thought. Most are in their 80s. Another reason to want to be closer to home...or to have lots of frequent flyer miles accrued.

Snippet: There's a family reunion (on Mom's side) in July. These are with aunts, uncles and cousins. We have one a year on each side of the family. I love 'em. We grew up really close to many of our cousins--both geographically and emotionally. The ones who lived out of town said they were always jealous of the "Quincy cousins," because we had such fun together.

What they didn't know was that I was jealous of them too. Even then I wanted to travel and see everything. And even South Bend, Indiana sounded exciting in those days.

Un-Snippet: I took so many notes over the weekend, but there's no way I can capture how I feel about my family.

5/23 Catch-up

Lots of catching up to do at work, but today I mean catching up on my weekend activities. So much happened that I just wrote in "snippets," trying to encapsulate moments that either moved me, made me laugh, or both.

Snippet: So many thoughts, so much activity, so many people, so much love and laughter. Few disagreements as long as we steer clear of politics and religion.

Mostly I hung out with the kids, playing Guerilla FourSquare.

Snippet: Jane and Pete have been married for 20 years now. For their anniversary Jane designed a ring for Pete to give her (we Bozarth women are rather assertive). It's very beautiful--a big diamond in the middle and on either side is the birthstone of each of her children.

Jan agreed it was gorgeous but said she would rather have a tree.

We sat on Jan's brand new wraparound porch of their newly-built home and looked at the beauty surrounding us on their acreage.

Jane smiled, looked at the trees and held up her hand with the ring on it and said, "I can come to your house, enjoy your trees, while wearing my ring."

Don't know if it's funny reading it, but it was hilarious in person.

Snippet: Two nieces are pregnant. On with her second boy and one with her third. Both are so beautiful.

Snippet: During most of the party tons of people were playing FourSquare. From my age (57) all the way down to a five year old. Such fun, and everyone was nice to the little ones. Not so much to the old ones. But when the "big boys" of high school and college age wanted to play rougher, they said no kids or girls allowed (except Aunt Jer). I felt like I'd been crowned homecoming queen.

After a few rounds I said I thought Sarah should be allowed to play. She's my 13 y.o. niece. I said, "She can play rough and she's not a whiner." The boys said okay. Then a few minutes later I got a 12 y.o. girl in the game. They allowed her in "on probation," but she did fine. Others didn't want to play rough so they just watched or found something else to do.

Oh, how I loved it...my old, fat body actually moved where and when I wanted.

Snippet: I tried to get a self-portrait style picture with every niece and nephew there. You know--the dorky kind of picture you take by holding the camera yourself and as far out as possible.

I only skipped a few of the kids. Riley Jo didn't want me to hold her, neither did Blake. But I got a picture of Blake with me, with his dad Matt holding him. It was fine because Matt's my nephew and Blake is my great-nephew. Brandon left before I got to him. I think I was playing boy games at the time.

Some nieces/nephews of the clan weren't there--Jenna (her boyfriend Josh was having his graduation party); Adam (in NYC with his art class); Suzie and Liza (only nieces who seldom attend family functions); Rob, Jill, Kayla and Hunter (my kids and grandkids who live far away); and Craig (lives in Columbus OH). There were 13 there and 9 not there, with two more on the way.

Snippet: Eric is the nephew who was the recipient of the party. One of his good friends is the son of a college chum. I looked up and saw Tim and his wife, Amy. (I did have to ask what her name was...I'm old, what can I say? Thanks to Cindy for commenting on this entry.)

I finished my first two years at Quincy University (then it was Quincy College), which was about 1 1/2 blocks from my home. Beef (his nickname) was one of my best friends. At this late date I can confess I had such a crush on him. Beef and Ex were friends. His name was really Ed, but he said he came to Quincy on an exodus from New Jersey, so Ex it was. And my best female friend was Gerri Flynn. We were known as the Gerris or Jeris, depending on which one of us was spelling it. The four of us hung out a lot. Gerri was from New Jersey too.

Anyway it was good to see Tim (and Amy, and to meet Brian). They said next time I'm in town I should give them a call and we could do something. That would be great. Also Ex comes to town every five years and I'd love to see him too. Even though I ended up graduating from another school, I have such great memories of QC.

Tim is chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at the local community college and I asked him about working there when I retire. But as homesick as I'm getting, perhaps it will be sooner. There's also a job at QU that seems made for me, Director of Alumni Relations.

Too bad I love CPI so much. That would make the choice easy.

More snippets later. Back to work for now.

5/22 Home

I just got home and am on my way out again to the Rec League at CSz. I have so much to blog about...spent a lot of time on the airplane writing in my journal. Will return tonight.

Right now I just want to say I'm smiling. It was a great weekend.

5/21 Too tired to post

Today was so much fun, but I played FourSquare most of the afternoon and evening. My opponents were by and large college boys or recent high school graduates...and mostly nephews of mine. What a day! Will write more after I get home tomorrow night. Yawn.

5/20 Relay for Life

Wow. What a day. I got up at 4 AM in order to get to the airport in time. Got to Quincy at 10:15 and Jane picked me up. We went to Jan's house for lunch. Niece Jessi was there, so that was an added treat.

At the Relay for Life tonight, it was an unbelievable experience. We all wore T-shirts that said Aunt Bonnie's Bunch and we wore a pin with her picture. She and Uncle Al drove in from Springfield and she wasn't able to walk a lap with us, but she sat and watched as we walked laps in her honor.

The most tearful part for us was when we lit the luminaria. Picture thousands of them around a high school track. One by one loved ones lit them in honor of or in memory of others. We had them for Grandma and Grandpa Bozarth, and sis-in-law Cindy had them for her parents. I took some grand photos of the whole experience.

My sisters and I (and our brother Joe) sold plants and various other items to raise money for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk which is coming up in two weeks in Chicago. Another moving weekend.

I'm way too tired to type more tonight. Tomorrow morning we're meeting Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Al for breakfast, then at 3 is nephew Eric's high school graduation party. Should be a good day.

5/19 Are you tired...

Are you tired of me saying how much I love my job? Sorry. If so, skip to the last paragraph.

Today I'm editing a journal (the one where I have an article and so does Laura and Desmond), writing and sending three press releases, gathering articles for a newsletter, and listening to the Band sing The Weight--one of my favorite songs. It's all great fun for me. And at 2 I'm meeting with the CEO to discuss an idea I had. I'm kind of excited about that, and think the meeting will have a positive result.

And at 6:50 AM tomorrow my plane leaves for Quincy.(I'm so excited to go home.)

5/18 Listening to Bangles

So much fun listening to music from the 80s.

Of course it's a busy busy day, but you know that makes me smile. I hate boredom. Passionately.

Have lots to do before I go to Quincy Friday morning. Won't be able to work a shift at CSz this weekend, and I'll miss that, but I will fly back in time for our Rec League match Sunday evening.

This picture was from last week when we were playing Da Doo Run Run--one game at which I showed a modicum of skill. So I guess I really like the game.

5/17 I still love my job

It's odd. But every now and then I sit in my office and think about how incredibly lucky I am.

Sure I've worked hard to get where I am, to have this super job; but other people work hard too and don't get the privilege of doing what they love. I'm still glad as hell that I have my social work degrees and license. But writing and editing is what I was born to do--with acting on the side. :)

When I retire I'd love to do some freelance editing/writing, but also want to teach at the community college back home. Before I do that however, I really think I'm going to do the six months volunteer work with Doctors Without Borders. That keeps calling to me.

Ah, well, the hot salsa in my lunch must be going to my head...I'm just rambling.

5/16 Friends

Had lunch with Tony today, a friend who works at the Medical College. We met at CSz, but he only went through the first two levels, I think. But we stayed friends because we have similar jobs and also a love of writing. For a time we were in a critique group with another friend, but my move to the UK put an end to that. We just haven't started up again.

But lunch was great. Tony is in a writing frenzy on his manuscript and I felt inspired after our conversation.

Now back to work, and the writing that I do to pay my bills.

5/15 Rec League

We tailgated prior to the Rec League matches at CSz today. It was really fun. The matches were fun too. My team didn't win, so we're 2-1. But that's no big deal. In ComedySportz you just want the audience to be the big winners. We got good notes (feedback) from Dave and Tim, and I made the same mistake I always do...I used questions every now and then.

It was a good day.

5/14 Trading Spaces!

Yep, some people from CSz are going to be Trading Spaces with some other people from CSz. I can't wait to see how this pans out. They are all wonderful characters, so it will be a helluva show. They're filming in early June and that show will probably air about 8 weeks after. This will be fun.

Worked today, and enjoyed it. Just three more months until the World Championship in LA. That will be awesome!

5/13 Fun news--for me, anyway

I'm feeling pretty good. Have two COA site visits set up. One in June outside of Detroit and one in September in Brooklyn. I'm thrilled about the latter and will get together with my NY friends while there. They're the writers I was with in Las Vegas and I miss them already, so it will be nice to get a "fix" in September. We'll gather again next Spring--this time in Nashville.

And the one outside of Detroit doesn't sound like anything to get excited about. EXCEPT it's with one of my favorite people. Joyce and I did a site visit together in Vancouver BC a few years ago; it was a great surprise to see that she's the team leader again.

5/12 Stuff

Lots of stuff going on. Last night we had a staff meeting at CSz. Today at work there's a special project that came up that caused me to set other things aside. Tonight I work in the box office at CSz, and Saturday matinee also. Then Sunday is the FUN Rec League.

One of our managers is visiting our Japanese office right now, and another is leaving this weekend for our UK and Ireland offices. I'm insane with jealously.

5/11 Horoscopes suck

'Nuff said about that.

Today I received some emails that just made me smile and almost giggle. Friends are awesome. I just need to figure out a way to get them all to move to Milwaukee and then be willing to transfer to Quincy with me when I retire.

I'm sure it's doable.

5/10 Made my goal!

Thanks to a generous donation from the company I work for, I made my fundraising goal for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. I'm thrilled!

As a crew member I don't have to raise a lot of money, but set a goal for $1000. As of today I'm at $1000. Am filled with a real sense of gratitude.


Changing the subject--accidentally read my horoscope today and this is supposed to be an awesome day for me. Financial--5 stars (fulfilled by evidence of the donation above); Work--4 stars; Romance--5 stars. So in the romance department I thought I'd just go outside and wait. Since nothing's going on in that realm, it makes sense that I let the universe know I'm available. When I told my friend Penny this, we decided to go to lunch and see if anything happens for me.

Nada.

But the food was good.

5/9 More

Omigod, I just realized that a year ago today I was in Paris. I think I'm going to cry.

5/9 No extra charge for more Blogging

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Yankee

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I've lived in so many places, from Hawaii to Georgia, but mostly in the mid-west, and still travel a lot, so my results don't surprise me. Post your results in a Comment, please. I'd love to compare. Jer

5/9 Back to work, but smiling

Yesterday was a good day.

This is really hard for me to believe. But yesterday was the 50th anniversary of my First Communion. Wow. May 8th, 1955. I was seven years old, all decked out in white, wearing what I considered the most beautiful dress in the world. In those days all the girls wore white veils too. Like little brides, I guess. Or vestal virgins. Or whatever. Doesn't matter the reason. We were delighted to be all dolled up for the biggest day of our lives up to that point. We studied Latin responses, we practiced sticking out our tongue to receive the Host. (No touching the wafer in those days. No siree. No chewing it either. That was the hardest part.)

The boys wore long cassocks of white with a red and gold sash and matching stole or something or other that fastened around their shoulders. We girls knew that we looked the best.

I remember that day so clearly. And the big party afterwards in the back yard, with all the relatives coming. I got so many presents--but the one I remember the most was a statue of Mary from my godfather, Uncle Bob.


When I spoke to 5 year-old grand-daughter, Kayla, yesterday, I told her I finally finished unpacking from my trip. She asked if I found my surprise. I said, "Oh, you're the one who put the sucker in my suitcase. I couldn't imagine how that got in there." She laughed and said that I was always giving her presents so she wanted to give me a surprise too. Then she made me promise to let her know how I liked it and what it tasted like. What a sweetie. I wrote her an email letting her know all the details. I'm a lucky bug.

CSz Rec League was so much fun last night. I'm so glad I'm involved. But the scoring was a little different this time, so the only two teams whose averages didn't go down were the two teams that had a bye week. Funny. No big deal, but I just think it's funny.

5/8 Happy Mothers' Day

I was on the phone a while ago with my friend, Debbie, from California and I heard a noise. Didn't realize until it was too late that it was Call Waiting. When Deb and I finished I listened to my phone message. It was Rob from Japan telling me how much he loves me and how happy he is that I'm his Mom. He also said that he was going to bed. It was nearly 2 AM there, so I couldn't call him back.

I'm sad about that.

But thrilled about the message. And I know Jill will call later today too. I'm such a lucky bug to have such wonderful kids.

Once, a guy I dated went with me to LA to visit Jill when Rob was there too. My friend said he couldn't believe the relationship I had with my kids...that we were so free and easy with each other, like friends. I told him that the best reward for being a parent is to have kids that grow into adults that you'd want as friends. Both my kids fill that bill for me. I enjoy their company so much.

---

I enjoyed working at CSz last night. Stayed later than usual because James, the manager of the LA company, was visiting his Mom in Milwaukee for Mothers' Day. It was nice to chat--remembering the fun of last year's World Championship, and looking forward to the next one in Los Angeles at the end of August. It's cool too that my friend Joanne and her boyfriend Lynn are both celebrating their 60th birthdays that week, so I'll be able to go to their party in Orange County.

Sometimes I think I should just move out there as Jill asks...it would cost me less in travel money. Except then I'd have to fly to Quincy to see my sibs. Guess the real answer is to win the lottery so I'm independently wealthy.

Too bad I don't play.

5/7 Saturday is a good day

After receiving the flowers late last night, I was already in a good mood. I slept until 9 which is unheard of, but it felt wonderful. At 10 I went to breakfast at Family Table, a restaurant about 1/2 block from me. Then I walked for 3 miles with the music from my iPod reverberating in my ears.

Well, maybe I should say "ear." My left ear is still pretty blocked, but not quite as bad as it was. I've not skipped a dose of the antibiotic, so it should be getting better soon.

Now I'm finishing my laundry, playing online Scrabble, and will work from 5-11 tonight at ComedySportz.

5/7 Surprise flowers

What a wonderful surprise. I received flowers tonight from Rob and Beata. So lovely to know they're thinking of me even though they're a million miles away. Beata said the flowers weren't supposed to arrive this early, but I'm glad they did, so I can enjoy them at home all weekend.




I put the flowers by a picture of Rob and Beatka...

5/6 My soup got cold so I ate ice cream

That makes total sense to me. I heated some tofu onion soup. Smelled wonderful. Got called into the Exec. Director's office to assist with a reporter. Back to my office where the soup was warm, but I didn't get to taste it because I got called back into the same office for the same reason. Then my soup was cold and tasted horrible. I knew it wouldn't taste good even if re-heated. So I went to the freezer in the lunchroom and saw we had lots of ice cream left from various birthdays. Nice lunch.

Got this from the blog of my friend Bron in the UK, who stole it from her mother's blog (Mum lives in Wisconsin, about an hour and a half from me). After reading my answers, they are so very weak. I'm either boring or deranged. Or maybe a bit of both.

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet / Street you live on) Queenie Park Plaza

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favorite snack food / Grandfather's first name) Popcorn Gail

3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left / Favorite restaurant) Comedy Lotus of Siam

4. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favorite Spice / Last Foreign Vacation Spot) Pepper Conwy

5. SOCIALITE ALIAS: (Silliest Childhood Nickname / Town Where You First Partied) Bozo Quincy

6."FLY Boy/Girl" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial/First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name) J Du

7. ICON ALIAS: (Something Sweet Within Sight / Any Liquid in Your Kitchen) Banana Soy Sauce

8. DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favorite Baby Animal / Where You Went to High School) Puppy Notre Dame

9. BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate / Your Favorite Alcoholic Drink) Ice Cream Beer

10. SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name / Street Where You First Lived) Clare Lind or Clare Fifth. I suddenly can't remember whether my parents lived with her folks or his folks when I was born.

11. ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favorite Candy / Last Name Of Favorite Musician) Snickers McCartney

5/5 Am I still sick? You betcha!

A friend asked me today about which kind of writing feeds my soul (paraphrased)--the technical writing I do for work or the creative writing I do on my own.

Here's what I said, with very few edits:

I've been published LOTS, but in non-fiction and that's just not my love. Like you I enjoy taking things out of the air, wrapping my brain around it, and writing something that others will enjoy. In my case, it's usually comedic, but we're all different.

Writing for my stand-up act is different still--the performing arts versus the written. Yet, it has to be written before it can be performed (unless it's improv), so it still counts as creative writing.

When I worked with the prisoners in the Writers' Club and we wrote that play, it was such an awesome experience. And since we were just in the very beginning of the Club, I did most--actually all--of the final writing. They wrote snippets, gave me ideas, and applauded the completed work (oh, and told me when I made a mistake and left the prison reality for my own).
On and on and on I go... I'm tired out. Worked so hard today and forgot I was sick most of the time. But now I know it...I'm just beat. Today we had an urgent matter with an interview with a major newspaper, so my other work got put on hold. But not really, ya know? Just temporarily, the newspaper went to the head of the line. Now I'm still overwhelmed with other "stuff." Oops, I forgot to write my blog. Maybe this entry will suffice, with a few edits.

Thanks for making me think. Jer

PS--No complaints about so much to do. I LOVE MY JOB!

5/4 BLAH!!!!

I'm working from home today. Still so much to do, I filled my backpack, plus another bag.

Doc said I had a sinus infection, and put me on antibiotics, but said something like I might feel worse before I feel better. My ears are driving me up the wall.

Maybe ice cream will help.

To cheer me--here's a picture of a tea party I attended with a five year old in LA.

5/3 Under a pile of work on my desk

I'm hiding under the mounds of work. No time to blog, so I'll post a few more pictures of my grandkids. They're wearing frog sunglasses given to them by my friend, Joanne.

Kayla has the "movie star pose" down pat. Look at the stars in her eyes.

5/2 Rec League and Kayla's birthday

Had a great time at our first Rec League match. We won the match, but in ComedySportz that doesn't really mean a lot. The whole point is to entertain the audience and to have fun. So the win/lose thing is basically no big deal. But did that stop us from being competitive? No way.

We did have fun, and I hope the audience was entertained. I have some friends coming next week so I hope we'll get some cheers and more audience votes.

It was funny, during one game we had to try to jump up in front of the group to tell a joke. And it got a lot a little physical. One guy apologized afterward for pushing me. He said, "For a moment there I thought I was _______." He mentioned another player's name. Made me laugh out loud.

We have bright yellow, almost gold T-shirts with the ComedySportz logo embroidered on the front. On the back we have the name of our team--On Parole. And our individual names. We hoped the bright color would make us stand out. At least the rest of my team hoped that. I just wanted a color that brought out the color of my eyes. I don't think that's too vain--you?

Kayla and Hunter looking like a couple of Motown dancers, but actually they're doing a bit from Dora the Explorer. Today is Kayla's 5th birthday.

5/1 It's May...where's SPRING?

After being in LV and LA for 8 days, it seems really really cold here in Wisconsin. Is it just because it's 40 degrees? Or maybe because I left a lot of hugging and kissing?

Being with such close friends, who aren't afraid to be physically close as well, makes the opposite situation even more difficult. And leaving my beautiful daughter and grandchildren at the airport reminded me just how much I miss them.

So now I'm sitting in front of the computer trying to give myself a hug. Not very successfully.

(I know this is just the "after visit blahs." This will go away soon.)

Today is my team's first match in the CSz Rec League. I'm psyched. But one of our players can't make it today... he got called into work at the last minute.

We'll have fun anyway. And our shirts are cool. They're gold (NOT my favorite color) and have the CSz logo on the front, with our team name and individual name on the back. I'll post later about how it goes.

4/30 Home again, home again

How hard was it to leave my grandkids? Can't even describe it. A woman standing at the airport curb said it even made her cry.

The trip home was long, but the layover in Dallas went quickly because I spoke to Deb most of the time. That was fun.

Want to hear about good customer service? Tomorrow I have a Rec League match at CSz. The shirts were supposed to have been delivered to my office. Found out they would be delivered today. My office isn't open on Saturday. The person who made the shirts contacted the post office, and a guy from the p.o. took my package home with him and let me pick it up there when I got in from LA. I'm going to write a letter to his supervisor. What service!

I'm tired. G'night.

4/29 Tired, crabby, sick, and happy

The noises in my ears are so loud now that they drown out everything but my thoughts. Sometimes I can even hear teh Hallelujah Chorus. Out of tune.

I'll probably see my doctor right away when I get home.

The kids are taking a nap and Jill is taking the dog for a walk. I'm going to lie down myself as soon as I'm finished.

Today we went to Walmart where I let the kids pick out their own birthday cards. That was a first, and it was really fun. Spoke to Debbie while there. She was driving from LV to LA, and said that last night's dinner was a rousing success. Among other things, they toasted me. That made me smile doubly wide. There's talk of doing this every two years and that's a great idea (although sooner is always better for someone like me with poor impulse control). I think I read on the forum that Debbie, Lou and Monk have volunteered to host the shindig next time. Great idea.

I hope Joanne is able to go home and get some much-needed rest. She worked so hard to put everything together. And everyone really really appreciated her efforts.

Oh, I really went off on a tangent, when all I wanted to say was that after Walmart we went to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. I love it there. The cacophony that is Chuck is quite different than that of a Vegas casino. But the noises still bounced around inside my ears.

Back to the tangent which is fun... There were a few HWs who didn't want to attend but succumbed to our whining. I hope they are pleased that they did make it. Every single one of us contributed to the fabric of the week. The colors and textures would have been so different without any one of us.

I sent some pics to Myrna, but forgot to send them to someone to post for me. (There's no decent photo editor on this machine so I couldn't do any cropping or red-eye removal.)

I go home tomorrow--my voice mail is full of to-dos, and my inbox is full as well. Hope this ear thing finishes so I can get back to my usual energy level at work.

4/28 Sad/happy/sad/happy/sad/happy ad infinitum

Happy of course because I'm with my beloved daughter and grandchildren.

Sad because I left so many fascinating and loving and FUN friends.

Okay, let's get the boring stuff finished first--my absolute obsessive reporting of my sleep. In four nights, I had 10 hours total. Is that the reason I can't hear and can barely talk? Bruce thinks it's a big part of it. Is that the reason I keep listing to the right when I walk? I do think it's because I can't hear out of my left ear. Well, the listing only occurs when someone cute is walking on my right side. That's not wrong, is it?

Yesterday was fun in so many many ways. I didn't take notes because I was having too much fun. Writers should always have a paper and writing utensil handy. All I had handly was the next bunch of money to bet. DF was a superb teacher and I came out well ahead.

Joanne has become one of my favorite people in the world. She made everything so easy for the rest of us. Public props being issued. More about her later (or in the future because I keep dozing off as I type...)

We ate lunch at Lotus again yesterday. I rode with Dave, Jim and Nancie and we met Deb, Suzanne and omigod do I have read Nancie's blog to remember who the 7th person was? Got it, without cheating... it was Hutch, how could I forget? Food there is unbelievable and I would have eaten there daily if I'd had the time and the money. Oh, wait--I do have the money. Thanks again, DF.

Bruce and I went to the venue at 5 for sound check and to meet the staff. Nice place--in an office building--but the auditorium was great. The bad thing was they didn't do a sound check for me and Bruce and I took care of it. We decided I should do my act in front of the mikes, etc. because there were so many wires and "stuff" where Bruce and Jerome would play. It would have been dangerous for me to try to walk back and forth, trying to connect with the audience. The unfortunate thing was that no one else was there to tell us that if I worked closer to the audience I would not be in the lights anymore. Effectively making me the Unknown Comic, 2005 version. But the audience seemed entertained.

When it was Bruce's turn, he absolutely burned down the building he was so hot. Extreme talent, coupled with witty patter, caused us to give him a standing ovation. All right, he had us at Howdy. But we would have given him a standing O anyway.

And I'm now a professional comedian. I got paid. Cool. Thanks for everything, Bruce.

Afterward I went out gambling (what else) with Joanne, Bruce, Dave, Suzanne, and Steph. Fun fun fun. At 4 AM DF wanted to call it a night, so we left Caesar's with six folks in a five seater. What fun that was! And Joanne, Bruce and I started gambling again at Bally's. It was more a social thing, and an unwillingness to go to sleep. We stayed there until a little before five a.m.

I got up at 8:15 and went down to breakfast because I wanted to be able to say good-bye to people. This was the day hardly anyone woke up early. I did visit with Glo and Lynt, which was nice.

Then back up to the suite to pack. Glo joined us. And so did lots of others. I can't express how happy I was to see so many pals in the suite to say good-bye. I'm a lucky, lucky bug.

(Suzanne, Joanne and I were separated at birth. I don't know if anyone else noticed that.)

I got upgraded to first class, and a Barenaked Lady sat in front of me. Wait... I mean a member of the group, Barenaked Ladies, sat in front of me. That sounds better. Forgot his name. Dark hair, with black glasses. I love their music and I kept my composure. I didn't even say, "Which one are you?"

Also saw the American Idol contestant that laughs like Fran Drescher. The 16 going on 80 year old. More tomorrow. I need sleep.

4/27 Can't wait for more fun

Re-posting some of my note from our bb, then I'll add on:

Last night I slept about 4 1/2 hours and I feel like a new woman. Okay, an old woman who's not had enough sleep. It's hard to sleep when the noise in your ears is louder than anything else you've heard for days. When I did sleep, I slept SOUNDLY. My snoring woke me up once, but I'll attribute that to the fact I can't breathe. The show will go on tonight. My voice will be fine. Can't tell you how many people said, "I love it that you can't talk." They didn't mean the obvious. Or maybe they did. But most told me it's because I'm funny when I can't talk. I guess the mime work at ComedySportz is helping. Last nght, with all of us in the living room eating Myrna's "Better Than Sex" cake, I looked around and thought that this is an amazing accomplishment. Putting all this together is part of it--and thanks to Joanne for being aces in that regard. But also it's an amazing experience because here we are with all our foibles, warts, idiosyncracies, and faults. But what we're focusing on is our beauty, our gifts, our love and our talents. What a group!

OKAY--NEW STUFF:

Today DF is taking us back to Lotus of Siam. I will get extra spicy and the clearing of my sinuses will be a done deal. :) Also I'm going to gamble more. Yesterday I followed Dave around like a puppy dog, and it was well worth it. Besides having fun, I learned a lot. Can't wait to see if I can replicate yesterday's success.

Lynt got back from seeing the Grand Canyon. I'm so happy she was able to make the bus after all, and that it was the exciting adventure she envisioned.

Now I'm going to shower and get dressed. And drink copious amounts of hot tea while I wait for the others in Club 22.

I think I'll refuse to leave tomorrow. What'll they do? Send the goon squad after me?

4/27 YAY! Another day with my friends.

Joanne wrote on our bb last night:

Far too much to report tonight - Jer's been blogging - I haven't been there to check it out yet. Monet was inspiring, uplifting, fed my soul - and I ended up going alone. Actually, it turned out just fine because I really took my time (hardly any one else there) and was thrilled for the experience. Beforehand, a bunch of us basked in the beauty of the Bellagio's atrium/solarium, where the butterfly exhibit is housed. The floral display was gorgeous - enormous snails made out of roses, huge banks of hyacinths (soooo wonderfully fragrant), daffodils that were showy but couldn't compare to Myrna and Gerry's display, paths to wander. Afterwards, the chocolate fountain, where we sat for a bit while feasting on various treats. I got a freshly made - before our eyes (a treat in itself, watching the zen-like actions of the crepe artist) - crepe souffle, with fresh raspberries, drizzled with melted chocolate and topped with fresh whipped cream. But it was enormous, so I cut it into smaller portions and several of us savored it. giggle, giggle Myrna snapped me, I found out later, as I closed my eyes with a mouthful of it, after describing how exquisitely sensual it was.

After grazing in Club 22, it was Ka for most of us. So much to say about it, but I'm waaay too tired and others will be along at some point. It was incredble, amazing, thrilling, beautiful - a real treat.

Tonight, lots of frivolity in the suite, where we enjoyed Myrna's fabulous cake - decorated sooo beautifully, with frogs on top and all our names all around. Absolutely DELICIOUS !! Debbie and her mom joined us, and Deb gave me, for the group, a beautiful silver keepsake box filled with Godiva truffles. Yummy! Thanks, all! I hadn't gambled much today (a brief stop at a slot machine did result in a very nice win!), so Bruce and I went down to the casino after the last left the suite at .....hmmm....very late - 1:15 am-ish? - and won a bit more. (Do you think perhaps wearing the frog pin Lou gave each of us has helped???) I like playing in the middle of the night when there aren't many people around.

Oh - and we DID hit the dance floor - good band - so we danced a couple - great fun! Much planned for tomorrow, including a Gloria games session in the afternoon and Charlie reading her poetry, and Bruce and Jer performing tomorrow night. Now, to sleep, finally! (I like Jer's motto - I'll sleep when I'm dead. )

FROM JER: I stole Joanne's note because it was lovely and because I'm lazy.

4/26 So much to say

First of all, I've still only had 3 hours sleep and it's been 65 hours. Don't know what's wrong. I'm drinking some herbal tea right now and will sleep tonight.

But today I spent $60 and won $687. Dave taught me video poker and I am so very hooked. He's a doll.

We went to Ka tonight... And we all are raving about it. Cirque du Soleil definitely rocks. Omigod. It's freakin' amazing.

Then everybody to our suite. Right now it's a little quiet because a bunch of folks went down to the Bellagio to watch the dancing fountains. We can see them from our window and they are so cool... so they went down to watch.

Bruce is checking out our venue for tomorrow night. Yay. I'm so psyched to do the show.

Steph took a picture of me biting Bruce's leg on the monorail. And someone took one of me being a bird, trying to replicate Ka.

The reason I'm acting out so damn much? My voice is completely gone because of a cold I've picked up. Suz has me on complete voice rest. And I'm complying. But I'm acting instead of talking. Fun, and nuts.

I love these guys.

4/26 Oh yeah!

Put in $60, pulled out $687. Yep, I had a good day.

But unfortunately this cold or allergies or creeping crud has totally ruined my hearing. I can't hear people sitting by me and talking. How in the hell am I supposed to eavesdrop with symptoms like this. I'm going to take a nap before we go to Cirque du Soleil.

4/26 Sleep? What's That?

What a night. After a delightful get-together with friends in the suite, I got to bed after 2. Got up at 5. Don't know why I can't sleep. Well, I do know why. I can't breathe lying down. Either I caught the cold from my grandchildren (but I never get colds) or my allergy to smoke has gotten much worse.

Feel yucky. I hope a shower will make me feel better.

Yesterday was so much fun. I look forward to much more. But three hours sleep in 48 hours will probably take its toll. I've decided to be really stupid about this and continue to brag about no sleep until someone finally says SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lynt was supposed to be picked up by a bus at 6:15 AM for the Grand Canyon tour. But she misread her material and thought it said 7:15. She asked to be awakened at 6:30, and really had a bad morning trying to get where she was going. She finally got a cab and will try to catch up with the bus--or something. My ears are blocked so I kind of said uh-huh, but I'm not quite sure of all the details. I sure hope she makes it where she's going.

I need to work on my routine today because tomorrow night Bruce and I open in Vegas. Well, we close in Vegas tomorrow night too, but that's beside the point.

I'm meeting some of the group for breakfast at 9 and then David Bruce and I (and anyone else) are going to a casino that gives you $40 worth of gambling for $20. Dave knows bargains. Then at 1 many of us are going to the Bellagio for Monet and butterflies...and gambling. More later, when I'm not the only HW awake in Las Vegas... Okay, it just seems that way.

4/25 More in Vegas

The nap didn't happen. Phones and visitors stopped it. But I don't care. It's fun living in Grand Central Station. Really.

Part of the group is at Penn and Teller tonight. Gloria Rosenthal and I had dinner together and discussed the presentation I'll give in November at Mohonk on her Wonderful World of Words weekend. I'm very excited...and will write more about that later. We ate at Al Dente and the food was delicious.

We couldn't get into the suite upon our return and had to call security. We'll have to go to the registration desk later to get our key cards fixed. That means 20 other people have to do the same thing. Sigh.

DF is returning now from the airport with Jim and Hutch. Little by little we're trickling in. Tomorrow, Nancie arrives, and Debbie with her crew. Then we're all here. Twenty-odd (okay, we are pretty odd) folks here for fun, camaraderie and some writing talk. Not to mention Bruce's and my performance on Wednesday night at the Road Showcase.

I'm going to gamble tonight as soon as the P&T people return. Will report on that later as well.

The Housewife Writers will take Vegas by storm. Or Vegas will take us.

This group has been around almost 20 years. I've been with them for more than 10 years. What a group. Not many housewives, and several men. But all writers in one way or another. Some make their living at it. Others dabble. But the love of words binds us together.

4/25 To Las Vegas

I was definitely awake at 3:45 AM. That's because I didn't sleep. At all. Poor Hunter coughed all night. Around midnight I tried to give him cough medicine but he refused. I had to wake up Jill. But the meds hardly helped at all.

Finally he coughed so much that he threw up all over his bed. Jill and Tood changed the bed, and were up all night too. Dear sweet Kayla slept through it all.

At 4:55 the Super Shuttle arrived. A nice guy from Armenia. Went to Palmdale and picked up a mother/daughter combo going on vacation and then I did sleep about 20 minutes on the ride to the airport.

Upgraded to first class again on the 45 minute flight to Las Vegas. Someone asked me why I was going. I said I was getting together with a bunch of friends. Later I realized I should have said, I'm performing in Vegas. That's the truth...but I didn't think of it until later.

Joanne picked me up at the airport. So good to see her. Our suite is at least 1500 square feet. There's a tub in the middle of the bedroom. A bidet in a private closet, and tons of space in the bedroom for dressing rooms, reading spaces, etc. Cool. I'm sleeping in the living room on a single bed that we'll roll in. No problem.

Joanne has stocked the bar and refrigerator with every kind of food and drink imaginable. So far today I've seen Suzanne, Lou, David, Joanne, and Stephanie. Dave is at the airport right now (3:30 PM) picking up some more folks. There will be about 20-25 of us after everyone arrives.

Dave took us to his favorite restaurant in the world for lunch. Lotus of Siam. Omigod it's good. I love spicy food so that's how I had it. DF likes it too. The other three liked mild. One thing we all agreed on was dessert. Mangos, sticky rice, and frozen coconut something or other. It tasted like ice cream but was really frozen coconut milk. I can't wait to go back.

Now for a nap before anyone else arrives.

4/24 Fun and games with grandkids

Saturday I got up at 3:30 AM for what I thought was a 6:50 flight. I'd gotten to bed after 11:30 PM. Four hours sleep doesn't cut it, but I was excited so the adrenaline helped. I left home at 4:45 and got to the airport at 5:15 and to the AA counter by 5:22. I know the exact time because they were waiting for me with my luggage tags printed out already.

My flight left at 5:50. I had to take my big bag to the gate because regular luggage check-in was closed for the flight. Taking a 50 pound bag through security is not my idea of fun. But it was cool to have the TSA guy compliment me on how strong I was.

The trip from Milwaukee to DFW was uneventful. At the gate for the flight to California I sat next to the Tennessee Titans. At least I think that's who they were. If so, they win the award for the best looking team in the NFL.

I called Jill and talked to everyone but Hunter, he was busy eating. Kayla was so excited--"You mean it's today, Grandma. Omigod!"

Got upgraded to first class using my free upgrades for being a Gold flyer. Sometimes flying into LA, there'll be some famous people in 1st Class. Not yesterday.

Got lots of work done, so that was good.

On Sunday I was up at 6:30 AM. By the time I'd showered, the kids were awake. We went off for the day.

Jill and Todd went to Silver Creek for a big Sunday brunch. It was $12 for little kids so they were happy to not take them.

So the kids and I started at CoCo's for breakfast--one of our little rituals. Then to Walmart to buy one of Kayla's birthday gifts.

Afterward we went to Starbuck's because they have a huge play area in the plaza. Then to the mall where we rode the Carosel (spelling problems because I'm so tired), after which we had a fun visit to the Disney Store where Kayla and I picked out her second present--a Cinderella Barbie. She was ecstatic.

For lunch we had giant pretzels, then stopped for ice cream on the way home. What are grandmas for? The kids couldn't wait to tell Jill and Todd about the adventures we had.

Then we played a while before their naps. I made up a game where we sat in a circle on the floor and rolled a ball. Whoever had the ball told part of a story, then rolled the ball to someone else who continued it. K, H, and Grandma were on top of a mountain and rocks were falling on them and monsters came and Hunter used his superpowers (omigod, to see him act out his superpoweres, which he does all the time, is priceless). Hunter saved us, and then crocodiles came and he scared them away with his superpowers. K had them too, and she was a special princess who helped chase away the crocoldiles and broke up the rocks and then she and Hunter got married and lived happily ever after.

Boy, oh boy, they entertained me.

While they were napping, I did some work on an article that's due before vacation is over.

Jill and Todd made salad and spaghetti for dinner. Delicious! Then the kids went to bed. I went upstairs and watched Contender before I went to bed--early. I have to be up at 3:45 AM because the airport shuttle will pick me up at 4:48 AM. Yikes.

4/23 YAWN!

It's 9:30 PM PT, I'm in LA and have been awake since 1:30 AM PT. Have some stuff to post about but can barely see the keyboard much less the monitor. More tomorrow.

4/22 Last work day before vacation

I'm so psyched and want to go home and pack. :) But surprisingly, I'm getting a lot done at work. I've got my iPod going and have blocked out the world.

Lots lots lots lots lots to do. Plus I'll have to take some work with me. Sorry if some of you have read this lament elsewhere, but I have an online newsletter due May 1, plus have to have part of an article finished by Thursday (when I'll be in Vegas, basking in the adulation after my comedy act the night before). So my laptop has to go with me after all.

And I was only kidding about basking in adulation. Or maybe not.

4/21 Almost time

I got a haircut today in preparation for my trip. And after that, felt like crap. Must be like Samson.

Left work early, came home and vegged.

Am I a fascinating character or what?

4/20 Productive day

I'm really getting a lot done and feel good about it. Finished first drafts of a policy, a letter, and a press release. Yeah! And the day's only half done.

Last night my Rec League team got together at CSz. We went over many of the games, picked out our favorites to try and play for our first match. We spoke about our team T-shirts. I got outvoted on the color. Drat.

I know this sounds selfish, but I wanted a color that looks good on me. And everyone in my group has silver or blonde hair, so I thought they'd agree on the color. But no, and I think I'll end up with a color that makes me look like I have a moustache or something.

NO, I DON'T HAVE A MOUSTACHE! (And I looked up the word because sometimes I want to spell it mustache, and other times moustache. Turns out they're both right.)

I did talk them out of orange, I think. We're going to go with yellow or bright blue.

4/19 Benedict XVI

I'm happy we have a pope.

I'm sad at who it is.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from Germany is now Pope Benedict XVI. His reactionary policies will surely take us backward, ever backward, until Catholicism returns to the old days of "our way or the highway." And I'm not talking highway to heaven.

God, I hope I'm wrong.

4/18 I'm excited!

I'm leaving Saturday for LA. It will be awesome to see Kayla and Hunter...and of course Jill and Todd. But my grandkids are growing so quickly and I haven't seen them in person since December. Of course I see them frequently via webcam. What a blessing that is!

Got to work at 7 AM today. Taught a workshop at 9 and I wasn't as prepared as I usually am. But the workshp (co-taught by a colleague) went very well. Now I can concentrate on re-memorizing my stand-up material.

Last night was great. We had a practice for the ComedySportz Rec League. I'm much more excited about it now. It will be lots of fun. We're designing our shirts now.

4/17 Sunday practice

I worked at CSz yesterday from 12-5. I love working the Saturday matinees. The kids are so much fun.

This afternoon from 4-7 we have practice for the Rec Leagues. I finally got a full team together. The story is odd, and oddly entertaining, but unfortunately I can't post about it publicly.

Next week at this time I'll be in LA getting ready to go to LV the following day. I'm really looking forward to both trips. Actually, I can't wait.

Tomorrow I have to teach How to Give Bad News to some of my colleagues. When that's finished, I need to start re-memorizing my stand-up routine. My brain's a seive.

4/15 Taxes

'Nuff said about that--except OW!!!

My trip to LA/LV is coming up quickly. I can't wait to hug my grandkids. And Kayla will be five on May 2, so we'll celebrate while I'm there. That will be great. I'll do something special with just her. I love having individual time with both Kayla and Hunter. Hunter will be three in June, so I'll need to go out there again around that time.

And now I'm getting nervous about performing in Vegas. I'll be fine, I know. I just need to "re-memorize" my routine. That won't be too difficult because pieces of it are still floating around in my head. But I have to give a workshop next Tuesday and it's one I've never done before. So more memorization.

This old brain is tired just thinking about it.

4/14 I won!

Just found out that I won the Blog of the Week at mkeonline. I know my blog's not better than the others--but I do have some friends who voted who live in Oregon, California, Louisiana, Illinois, Utah, New York, Virginia, DC, Indiana, Washington, UK, and Ireland. Of course, I'm grateful for my huge family as well.

It's not talent, it's marketing. And I'm good at marketing.

On the website they spelled my name incorrectly the second time it was used (Defresne instead of Dufresne). My editorial skills (that I don't use on my blog) almost forced me to write an email to the writer. But I held back, and decided to write it here where she won't notice it.

What fun! Blog of the week, and performing in Vegas. I'm going to have to change the title of my blog. My life is becoming an adventure again.

4/13 Made it home

The week was long, with long days. But it was good.

The only bad thing is that I've got so much work to catch up on...I don't know if I'll ever get done.

Some good news though. I'm going to do my stand-up routine in Las Vegas. And not just in the hotel suite with my friends. At an actual venue. Bruce is going to be the headliner, with his music... and fantastic guitar playing. But he negotiated for me to be his opening act. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. What a great surprise to come home to.

4/11 Hotel stuff

Didn't get to the hotel until midnight, and I checked email, etc. before going to bed. Couldn't get much done because of 56 k speed, so today I (meaning my company) sprung for high speed internet access.

I had so many problems with getting it going. Spent over an hour with customer support of the wireless access, and about a half hour with our own IT guy. Turns out this system will not support exchange addresses, so I have to get my work email through yahoo or hotmail or some other web-based system.

Only good thing is that I asked for and received an extra day free of charge. Love to negotiate.

When I got to the conference center the woman running the show said things in direct contradiction to what they'd sent us. But I had all the material with me (thanks, Stacy). So I was able to show her the misleading and downright false information she'd sent. The conference goes until Wed night and our paper said I had to take down the booth Tuesday night. So I told Stacy to try to get 1/2 of our fee back. My plane leaves Wednesday morning.

But other than the organizer, I think this will be a good conference.

4/11 Virtuous

I feel so darn noble that I'm probably going to eat dessert. Just finished 40 minutes on the treadmill at the hotel. Yay.

Yesterday I woke up early and enjoyed drinking coffee and reading the Sunday paper with Jan on their porch that wraps around the house. She has four birdfeeders and two birdhouses in a huge pin oak tree, and she could spend hours just sitting there watching the birds. I found it hard to understand at first, but it's absolutely mesmerizing and very relaxing. Time flies by more quickly than the golden finches dart in and out of sight.

I saw three types of finches, a gorgeous (non-tufted) woodpecker with a scarlet head and black and white body, junkos (juncoes?) that are ground feeders, a tufted something-or-other, sparrows,, robins, a sapsucker (but not the yellow-bellied), blackbirds (not red-wing, and not crows), bluebirds (not blue jays, didn't see one of those), and others that I can't remember because I'm not normally into birds this much. But I think I could be.

Then we walked. Jan did 2 1/2 miles and I did 2. I'm not a fan of walking on gravel roads. Hard on the ankles and you have to keep looking down instead of at all the beautiful surroundings.

Jane, Pete, Jordan and Sarah came out for lunch. That was nice. After lunch Jane and Pete nearly fell asleep on the porch swing. After they left, we cleaned up and Jan and Tim took me to the airport. It was very convenient because the airport is on the way to our brother John's land and cabin. Everyone was going for a weiner roast. I thought it was strange that the party started just as my plane took off.

Thought they liked me.

4/10 I want to retire

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But being here in the country at my sister and b-i-l's house has me itchin' for this life. Beautiful acreage, lots of flowers blooming, lovely home they built themselves.

Yesterday was about perfect. In the low 70s, sunny. My two sisters, one niece and I walked three miles. I walk a bit slower than they do, so I had my iPod for when I lagged behind. Then fast music would get me walking faster. Once I caught up with them I took our my earplugs. Finally I hit upon a good solution. When I walked with them, I kept one earplug in. So I got to visit, but still have the "soundtrack to my life" going on in my head. Worked well for me and kept me walking faster.

Our brother John and sis-in-law Paulette came out for dinner and a few neighbors came over too. We laughed a lot, drank beer, enjoyed the evening.

After they left, Tim went to bed, so Jan and I got into the hot tub without our suits. Very comfortable experience. But I laugh just to think about it. Jan, although only 11 months younger than I am, has always been thin. And I...well, I haven't. Her breasts are still perky, which irritates the hell out of me. We always teased her about being flat-chested. Well, there's a definite advantage to that when you hit your 50s.

Today Jane and her family are coming out for lunch. I saw my brother Joe for a few minutes, but didn't see Jay or Jeff this trip. I see Jim more often since he lives just 2 hours from my home in Milwaukee.

The idyllic days I'm experiencing don't happen all the time. I see how hard Jan and Tim work. Plus Jan still works as a nurse. Tim is finishing up the house, Jan is landscaping the place. Always something to do. Guess there's no such thing as "retirement" for them. And guess I'm not really ready to quit my job just so I can work my butt off at home.

But it's great to have this place to visit. Yeah. All the benefits, with none of the labor.

4/8 More, only because I'm old and forgetful

If you read any of the Comments on this blog you know that it's one of the 10 blogs nominated for Blog of the Week on Milwaukee Online. It would be neat to win this thing, although I don't think I stand a chance. Some of the other blogs are well-thought-out, intelligent and creative. My blog contains the ramblings of a woman who has had many adventures in her life, but is currently in between adventures. Ho-hum. But perhaps you'll take pity and vote for me anyway.

4/8 Headlines R Us

I re-wrote all the headlines, and the graphic designer has the newsletter. Hope that I've got it right this time.

A dear friend asked me to speak at a weekend conference on Words. I'm thrilled. This is the 24th year of Wonderful World of Words and I've always wanted to go, but frankly couldn't afford the cost of the hotel room at Mohonk Mountain.

This is quite an honor. I'll be in exalted company as well.

Here I am raving about something that isn't going to occur until November. Gee, that gives me seven months to obsess. Yay.

4/7 Walking and talking at the same time

I think I'm losing something by being so enamored of my iPod. The walks I'm taking to prepare for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk are different than the walks I took last year.

As a kid (okay, even as an adult) I've often thought real life should have a soundtrack, just like the musicals. Now I'm be-bopping to the soundtrack of my life--but I'm the only one who can hear it. With all of us walking around with earplugs--it's like we're disconnected from the rest of the world.

Will I stop using my iPod? Nope. I love my own personal soundtrack. But I wish others could hear it.

And I wish I didn't sound so stupid singing along with it.

4/6 Put Exciting Headline Here!

I'm an editor by virtue of interest, talent, and history (my dad was a printer). But by education I'm a trauma social worker and trainer. So I have so much to learn about journalism. For example, I know who, what, where, when and why. So my articles are fine. (And well edited, I might add.) But I suck at writing headlines.

My boss was a journalism major and also has about 20 years experience in marketing. So this morning we went over a newsletter that's in progress and she gave me lessons in writing headlines. I really learned a lot.

Still a long way to go...

4/5 A special day

Today is birthday of my little sister Jill. She would have been 45, but died a few months before her second birthday. What a special gift she was to the entire family. She was my godchild so we had a special relationship. I still tear up when I think about our loss.

So there was no other name I could give my own dear daughter.

4/4 Spring has sprung!

Spring is here and I’m deliriously happy. Amazing how such a thing as weather influences our moods. I won’t try to understand it—I’ll just enjoy.

Found my Okinawa travelogue and will put it on my website. What a treat for me to relive the memories of that trip. I’ll put it here too, if anyone wants to read it. What I’ve found is that I’m an interesting writer when I’m traveling. Hmmm. Maybe I need to go somewhere—and fast.

4/3 Sunday Stuff

I slept late today, because I worked late last night. And I forgot that clocks changed during the night, so it's even later than I thought. Working was fun...first show was sold out, and second one nearly so. My money balanced, which is always great when it's crazy at the box office. I kind of wish we made everyone pre-pay. That would make my job a snap.

Next weekend I'll be in Quincy, on my way to a trade show in Kansas City. It will be fun. I miss my family.

Today I'm finally going to do my taxes. I don't know why I put it off so long.

4/1 April Fools' Day

And no one has played a trick on me. Where are my brothers when I need them?



I'm finding that my grief about the Pope dying/not dying/lingering surprises me. I'm so sad, yet I disagree with so much of what the man says. I'm such an acculturated Catholic, even though for the first real length of time in my life I'm not going to church every Sunday.

Found tears on my cheeks. Surprises me. Found myself praying for a renewal of my faith. But I'm not interested in the conservative, "my way or the highway" kind of faith. That's exclusive rather than inclusive.

I want the faith back that I had--the radical, left-wing Catholic--working for peace and justice. Miss that "me that was."

3/31 Okay, can I repeat that I hate Blogger sometimes?

I forgot and wrote my post directly into Blogger, and it all disappeared. For the first tme, the title was published but not the text. Crazy. And kind of pisses me off. I don't want to have to change providers, but will if this keeps up.

3/30 Sad news

After writing about how blessed I feel, now I’m very sad. Last night my sister Jane called to tell me that Aunt Bonnie’s breast cancer has returned. She was in remission for 12 years, and it’s back in two places.

Jane referred her to the best oncologist in Springfield. Jane refers all her breast cancer patients there, and all have survived. So we’re very hopeful. But of course Aunt Bon is scared.

This makes me even more determined to work for a cure. And I’m happy that my sisters and I are already heavily involved in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.

If you pray, please keep Aunt Bonnie in your prayers. She’s the last close link we have to our Dad’s family. If you don’t pray, please keep thinking positive thoughts.

3/29 Sometimes I hate Blogger

I wrote a really long piece for today and Blogger LOST it. I hate that. Really should write this stuff in Word and then copy/paste. That way I wouldn't lose my posts.Maybe it got posted even though the error message said no. We'll see.The good news is that I sent out emails yesterday asking for donations for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk and I already have $345. I feel so blessed.

3/28 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

I've started fundraising and have sent emails to some of my friends. If you're interested in finding out why my sisters and I do this event every year, you can go to my personal page at: My personal page. You can click a button right there to make a donation. What I just wrote there today:

3/28 I had to add this...as I wrote my donation letter to send to friends, I was flooded with memories. First, being present with my grandma as she died from breast cancer. Then the memories of the men and women who make these long walks to fundraise. Some of the women have no hair, a legacy of recent treatment. And there's always someone in a wheelchair, pushed the whole 40 miles by loved ones. Then you see the signs and T-shirts--memorials to lost loved ones. It's so moving, and it's so energizing...you can't help but want to do something, anything to make this horrible disease disappear.

Thanks for reading.

3/26 Busy weekend

Last night the arena wasn't full, although I did have 17 walk-ins. It was better than it looked when I just saw the reservations. And the audience was so much fun. Since I wasn't too busy (we'd canceled the 10:00 show--not too many people go out on Good Friday), I got to visit and joke with all the customers. That's my favorite part of the job.

Today I go in at 5 and work until 10:30 or 11. I'll sleep well tonight.

3/25 Hey, I walked!

I actually walked today. Since I'd forgotten to bring my lunch, I walked instead. Boy oh boy did I feel virtuous. Then I ate a few Easter cookies a colleague had made. A step forward, two steps back. But sometimes that's reversed. Those are the good days.

It sure doesn't feel like late March. Or rather, it does feel like late March--in Antarctica. I shouldn't complain though. I do love Wisconsin, and when summer comes I'd much rather be in this climate than in other places I've lived. Summers here are nearly perfect. They'd be downright perfect if we didn't have mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds.

I work at CSz tonight. So I'll be able to glance at the Wisconsin game on the big screen. It's a fair distance from the box office, but the screams will let me know who's winning.

The family is getting together for Easter. But I decided to stay in Milwaukee and work, and do my taxes Easter Sunday. I know it's weird. I'm going to Quincy in April, so felt no need to push myself to get down there for a short weekend. Jealousy will erupt though. I always wish I could be with them when they're having fun.

3/24 More of same

Robbie called from Okinawa. It was nice to talk to him. They still have no word on when they'll be moving to Chicago. It's been two years since he was told he'd be leaving there.

Jill IM'd. It's wonderful that I can speak to both of my kids when they are so far away. Of course Los Angeles seems almost close compared to where Rob lives. Everything's relative.

3/24 Home again

The site visit was informative and even fun. But we put in 10-12 hours every day, and so I'm quite tired. Luckily the agency folks were warm and welcoming, and my fellow peer reviewers were a riot. I really enjoyed their company.

Now it's back to the daily grind. I've got tons to do, plus am working three days at CSz this week. It will take quite a while to catch up on my relaxation time.

Regarding Terry Schiavo: it's a heartbreaking story, no matter which side you agree with. I have one comment about it. If the conservatives are so adamant about keeping Terry alive, to be consistent they need to change their opinion on the death penalty.

3/20 First day of site visit

Two of us began reading files at the facility. I'm tired, and I'm ready for dinner. The third person just flew in this afternoon so we'll meet her tonight. We're going to dinner at 6:30 so I'll just have to keep chugging water until then. My suite has a bag of popcorn I could put into the microwave, but I'm afraid I'll eat too much of it and then won't want dinner.

Guess I'll take a nap. Yeah....

3/19 In Michigan

We had six inches total of snow at my home, and it was really coming down when I left this morning. I love having 4-wheel drive. But when I went through Chicago there was no snow at all.

The drive here took about 3 1/2 hours--not too bad at all. For lunch I had a salad and a baked potato and felt pretty good about it, but now I'm chomping on chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. The desk clerk insisted I take more than one. Plus she put me in a mini-suite. I have a king sized bed, couch, coffee table, 5--count 'em 5--chairs and a mini kitchen.

She didn't give this to me because she liked me, although she's happy I'm not a complainer. But the room I was in had the "free broadband internet connection" broken. Since I'm here for four nights/five days, it was important I got to work on the computer at a high-speed connection. She remarked something about that I wasn't mad. I said when you travel a lot you get used to things happening. I said, "It's not like you were incompetent or something. The connection just didn't work." I told her I was pleased that she realized she needed to be nice to me to make up for the inconvenience.

So other than losing two hours of my life on the phone with SBC Yahoo tech support in India, I've not lost anything. In fact, I probably gained something-- weight. Mmmmm, cookies!

3/18 Friday at last

This week has been brutal. (Have I used that expression already? I'll have to check.) The earliest I've gone home this week is 6 PM, and the latest is 7 PM. Don't know how late I'll be here tonight. I'm taking a break to write this while I'm eating cake. Yep, cake.

Today we had so many fun things going on here. I took a short break to celebrate the imminent birth of a co-worker's first baby. We all gave him advice and it was hilarious. Had some cake there.

For lunch we celebrated a co-worker getting sworn in as a lawyer. The owner bought pizza, salad, and garlic bread. I grabbed lunch and high-tailed it back here to my office to work while I ate. (Any wonder I got indigestion right afterward.)

Then they just announced that there's a cake in the lunchroom for the same guy. I saw people from my department going, and I yelled through my closed door, "Are you guys going for more cake?" The three (thin) women all said Yes, so I went too. This is another night when I won't need to make dinner. Fine with me. I've got tons to do at home too.

I have to do my laundry, pack and straighten up my place. The cleaner is coming tomorrow so I have to put junk away so she has room to clean. I should have been doing a little each night, but I've been so drained by the time I get home, that I've just plopped.

Tomorrow morning I leave for that business trip to Michigan. Even though, on these site visits, you tend to work around 12 hours each day, it will still be a reduction in stress, because that's all I'm going to have to worry about.

That is--if I get other things done today. So back to work I go.

3/16 Another day like the one before...

...with one exception. Today is my dad's birthday. He'd be 80 today, but he died at 60. What a neat guy he was. He generally was kind, and loved each one of us so much. He's the one who taught me that gossipping was bad for the soul. Dad had something good to say about nearly everyone. And most of the time, if he didn't have anything good to say, he didn't say anything. I never got spanked, but my youngest brother did. But if I'd had my way, I would have spanked Jimmy too. What a spoiled little kid. Luckily he turned into a great adult.

As I said, I didn't get spanked but once when I was in college I said I was going out, and Dad said no (I'd been out every night that week.) I insisted, and so did he. Finally I said I'm going anyway. Dad was sitting at the dining room table eating french fries and had a plateful of ketchup. He lofted it up in the air in a perfect arc and it hit me right in the butt. My beautiful white shorts were a mess, and definitely not going to be worn that night.

In retrospect, the cool thing about it was that it didn't hurt at all. He tossed it in such a way that it caused no pain, but tons of embarrassment.

Did I go out? Well, after going to my room and bawling, he gave in and let me go.

Happy Birthday, Eddie! I still miss you, Dad.

3/15 Payday

Just thought I'd put that in the title, because I love payday.

It's been crazy inside my little office. Today I have to finish and submit an article I'm writing for a journal, begin gathering articles and editing a newsletter, and start reading a BOX FULL of manuals. That's besides the regular stuff that pops up during the day. It's no wonder the day goes by so quickly. I do love that part of it.

The box that contains a ton of manuals is here because I'm preparing to go to Michigan to do a site visit for an agency--for the Council on Accreditation (COA). I only do this twice a year at most, but it's quite enjoyable. Except of course for carving out the time to read all the manuals ahead of the visit. Yikes.

I've been adding more music to my iPod. I think I'm addicted. Okay--I know I'm addicted. But at least it's not candy. That reminds me--I haven't had a Snickers bar since December. I think it's time. Snickers or iPod--which addiction shall I choose?

Just a few minutes ago a new staff member asked me if I performed Sunday night at CSz. Turns out her cousin's husband was in my show also. And Olivia meant to come but forgot. :) I know how that is. I meant to not eat Snickers--but I forgot. Yay for selective memory on my part. (I believe that Olivia really forgot.) Anyway, I thought it was cool that we have this connection.

3/14 It was fun!!

The show went so well last night. I think it was the best I've ever done. Thanks to my friends who showed up. I appreciate it.

I'm probably going to take another stand-up class. And am thinking about the Rec League at CSz. I don't really have a team any more. So I'll need to either find an existing one to join, or start my own. I don't really have the energy to start one. Maybe that's just because I'm so swamped at work right now. I may feel differently by next month when the Rec League starts.

Am going to Michigan to do a COA site review. Will leave early Saturday morning, so I won't be able to work at CSz this weekend, but might be able to work Thursday night. I have about 10 binders worth of material to read for that visit, and I haven't even started yet. I feel like a pathetic loser. And a desperate one at that. How stupid to procrastinate on this arduous task! I've done several of these site visits and know how much work they are to prepare for.

Okay, I finished eating my Subway Vegetarian Delight, so must get back to work.

3/13 Tired

I worked from 5-11 and then went to an early St. Patrick's Day party. Got home at 2 AM. It was fun though. Luckily I was able to sleep in today.

Lots to do here at home. Then I need to be at CSz by 5:30 for our 7:00 show. Can't wait.

3/12 Getting ready for Avon Breast Cancer Walk

The website says 84 days until the walk. Even though I crew instead of walk, I'm on my feet all day long--from 4:30 AM until 10 PM or after. So I do have to train--and get my body used to not sitting in front of a computer. :) My Avon fundraising page is up but it's kind of empty. There are words there, but no donations yet. I have to send out my fundraising letter, and also put it on the home page of my website. My company is donating a nice amount again this year. I'm grateful.

I work at CSz from 5-11 PM tonight and then will go to a St. Patrick's Day party. Tomorrow night is our workshop performance. I'm psyched about that.

Guess it's time to be domestic and do my laundry, so I actually have clothes to wear tonight and tomorrow.

3/11 Fun in unexpected places

My boss moved into the office next to me. So she had to clean out 15 years of accumulated "stuff" from her old office. I felt ashamed of my messy office, so decided to clean it. Everyone thought I was moving too because I had things stacked everywhere. Had to get rid of a nice credenza to bring in two more file cabinets. Too bad.

Today I found something from 2001. Right before I moved back here I'd started a non-fiction book. Very unlike me, because I enjoy writing mysteries (not-so-good ones at that). The stuff I'd written brought my cleaning and organizing to a stand-still, as I sat on the floor reading.

Nostalgia flooded over me as I read. And somehow a sense of loss wiggled into my heart. Not loss for my old job, because I'm happy here. But I really feel the loss of the prison ministry that was such a huge part of my life in St. Louis. The Writers' Club, The Hamlet Project, REC, and more. I did so much volunteer work in maximum security that it was like I was finally eligible for parole. :)

But I really miss that. I made an impact on people's lives, they made one on mine as well. Now, my life consists of work and comedy, and sometimes trips to see my family. It's like a different me. Not bad, just different.

3/10 Okay I forgot

I normally always post during the week, and usually skip Saturday. But I didn't post yesterday, so am writing today about it.

For 3/10:

I'M BUSY!!

3/9 Some things don't change

I can't see out of my window--really.

My desk is piled so high with "stuff" and I'm short. Can't see a thing beyond my desk.

That depresses me. There's WAY too much to do. But I'm taking time to charge up my new iPod mini, and I'm listening to the Chieftens, so things are looking up.

Rehearsal was fun last night and I think we'll have a good show on Sunday. Saturday I work at CSz from 5-11, so I don't know if I'll be able to make the St. Paddy's Day party that I've been invited to.

We had a silly discussion about St. Patrick's nickname last night. Two guys insisted that it should be spelled St. Patty, and nothing R and I said would change their minds. It's so funny to me, because you see St. Paddy in print all the time. I wonder why they've never seen it. I said the real name is Padraic, so Paddy fits better.

But out of this funny, smart group of 12, more than half had never even SEEN asparagus, much less eaten it. Even now I can't believe adults don't know what asparagus looks like. They were trying to mime it for a game; that's how the subject came up.

3/8 Home again, home again

This morning, after breakfast, I'll take down the exhibit. I should leave for Milwaukee late morning. There are only 5 exhibitors. I'm kind of disappointed at how small the conference is. But it's their first one and will be sure to grow. The guy next to me, from Dallas TX, is married to a Samoan woman and I, of course, talked about my Samoan son. We had some great conversations as we waited for the participants to come by.

Tonight is the last practice for Tuesday's CSz show. I'm so psyched and ready for this. Will write more later if anything develops.

3/7 In a hotel in Illinois

I'm at the Hilton in Springfield IL--here for a trade show. They have a really neat business center and high speed access is free. I'm thrilled with that.

The visit with my family was so much fun. Saturday I did TaeBo with Jan and Jane, and Sunday I walked three miles with them. We're all working for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in June. We walked from my niece Kris's house out to the cemetary where we have our annual New Year's Day beer with our parents. I got tuckered out, because I haven't been walking.

Last night Jane went back to her own house and Jan and I watched Their Eyes Were Watching God. Halle Berry is absolutely gorgeous. I know that you know this, but every time I see her, I'm struck with that fact. I thought she did a good job. But I absolutely loved the book, and the language in it is a little more colorful than on the tv screen. But my oh my they had some good kissin' between Janey and Tea Cake.

I set up the exhibit and will be greeting folks after 5:30...hope it goes well. Then tomorrow morning again; then I'll drive back to Milwaukee.

Will go back to Quincy in April when I fly by for another trade show in Kansas City. Then I'm done with trade shows for the year.

3/6 It's SPRING in the country!

I'm having the best time with my family. We're from Quincy IL and most of the family still lives there. But sis--Jan--and b-i-l Tim--built a home right across in the Mississippi near Maywood MO. They're closer to Quincy than I am to my office, but it's just in another state. Their home is beautiful. Last night brother Jeff and s-i-l Deb, came over with 2 year old Riley Jo. Jan and Tim collaborated on a deliscious dinner, then we played games until about 11 or so. Then when others had gone home, Jan, Jane and I went into the hot tub. Tim took a few pics that I think are really decent. I'll post once I get back to Milwaukee. We ended up watching TV until about 1 AM, so I slept very well.

Today we're going to a craft show, and then run around town for a while. I don't have to be in Springfield until tomorrow. More later.

3/4 I have a good heart!

Literally. Well, maybe figuratively too, but I'm not talking about that. Had a cardiac stress test this morning, and everything looks wonderful. The radiologist has to look at the imaging they took after injecting me with radioactive stuff. (Now I'll never be able to have children.) But I don't anticipate there being any problems.

The GI doc just wanted to rule out any heart problems, so they'll know that everything I've experienced recently is from the NERD.

I'm thinking I have to incorporate NERD into my stand-up routine. I mean, hell--that's funny. It's a real diagnosis, but it's funny. Maybe I can come up with some other silly acronyms for made-up diseases. I'll have to think about it.

Tonight I do laundry and tomorrow I'm leaving fairly early for Quincy.

3/3 Lunchtime ramblings

Had a good time last night. The Minor League show was at 7:30 but I didn't want to stay in my office until then. So by 6 PM I was sitting at the CSz bar, drinking a club soda and doing a ton of reading. It was great. I got to see a lot of people and I also got my work-reading done. Felt productive.

Today is going well. I'm getting a lot done. Well, not a lot of things, but a lot of one thing. I interviewed someone on Tuesday and I'm transcribing it now. This digital stuff rocks. I love my new recorder. It downloads the wav files to my PC. Cool. The interview is taking a while to type, but it's still a lot easier than with the microcassettes I used to use.

Then I have four more interviews to type--I spoke to those people last Thursday and Friday and haven't had time to transcribe yet. Plus I just set up for a magazine to interview someone here (not CSz, but my full time job), and I can't be there to assist. It's tomorrow morning and I'm out of the office.

Have to have a stress test. A cardiac thing. There's nothing wrong, but the GI doc said with the symptoms I had and am having, we should rule out heart problems. It's fine, I'm sure. Well, it might be still broken, but other than that, it's cool.

3/2 I'm having fun

Last night's rehearsal was great. We ran through the whole show. Since there are 12 of us, we're in 4 teams of 3...so two groups will play the first half and two groups the second half. I'm in the second half, and am pleased. My teammates are Pogo and Lee--we'll work well together.

The whole group is going to practice next Tuesday together, even though it's not an official rehearsal. Then Sunday the 13th is the performance. This group of folks is fun to work with.

My team is playing Spelling Bee as a head-to-head game against the other team. It's so much more fun as a head-to-head rather than a team choice. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, attend a ComedySportz show and you'll understand.) Then our team choice is What? which cracks me up. After that we're playing Four Things as a head to head. Great game and I love gibberish. There are only two females in the 12 folks. And it turned out Maria and I were both the "guessers" for our teams. We got them all. Cool. Then finally the first half teams will come out and we'll close with Double Blind Freeze.

Then we'll drink.

3/1 It's MARCH!

Spring is in the air somewhere I'm sure. It was seven degrees here this morning, but we're going to have a high of 27 so I'm looking forward to that.

Having fun writing today--so much to do. Yesterday I was working, and happened to glance at the clock and noticed it was 6:30 PM. Wow--the day flew by. I'll work until 6 tonight probably--I have rehearsal at 7.

Spoke to Jill and the kids last night. It was wonderful hearing "I love you" so much. Can't wait to get back out there and visit. April seems so far away, but now I can say I'm going next month.

2/28 Whew!

I love days like this. So busy that time literally flies. The work I was doing was interesting (to me). Edited a lot of stuff, and got articles ready to be put on the member website tomorrow--so that's what I'll do first thing in the morning, add them to the website.

And I interviewed a guy via phone with my new digital recorder. Tres' cool.

Plus a nice surprise--a very short article I wrote was printed in the Journal of Emergency Nursing. I wrote this one under the President's name, but at least I know it's mine.

Tomorrow up at 6 AM to get a tooth filled and I'll be out until 10 PM. It's going to be a long day. Better eat my Wheaties!

2/26 It was GREAT!

It's really after midnight and technically Sunday morning, but I'm changing the time so it posts as Saturday. I worked 12 hours today at CSz and just got home.

Last night was awesome. I can't wait to see if the movie taken with my digital camera turns out. But I guess I actually can wait because I'm too tired to check it out tonight. Nine of the 10 friends showed up who said they would come, so that pleased me. And the place was packed! The only down side was it was a low ceiling and no ventilation and my head hurt all day today from the smoke from last night. Oh, there was another downside--everytime someone made gays the butt of the joke, I cringed. Three gay friends in the front row! They were probably fine; I was being over-sensitive I think.

But my headache was a small price to pay for the fun of it. I got laughs everywhere I was supposed to get them, so I have to feel good about that.

Everyone did really well. Yay!

2/25 Workshop is over

The three days were educational and fun. But my desk is piled high with undone stuff. And I'm working 12 hours tomorrow at CSz. Don't know whether to go to my office on Sunday or just stay home and relax. (Probably the latter will win.)

I have about 10 people going to my performance. So that's cool. And they're nice folks so I know I'll get a good response from the audience. I'm sure nervous though. I think it's because I'm not as prepared as I was last time.

It'll be fun. I'll report tomorrow.

2/24 Tired again (still)

Today we had competency-based testing on the physicals, so my body is being well-stretched. Tomorrow we have the competency-based testing on the physical controls. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great group of people, some of whom I've known for 20 years. (Did I write that already?)

I'm really tired. Not enough sleep. Having too much fun.

Tomorrow night is my performance at the comedy club (really a bar). I've got my stand-up routine memorized. A few pals will join me. I'm happy about that.

2/23 Another good day

Last night I had fun with Tony. He enjoyed our rehearsal and we had a beer with my classmates afterward.

Today was good too. There were 20 of us in the workshop and 15 are going to CSz with me tomorrow night. That'll be fun, I'm sure.

The class was good today. I learned a lot, but am tired. Didn't sleep enough last night, so I hope to do better tonight.

2/22 An overly busy but fun day

Today I picked up an Irish friend and gave him a tour of the office. And tonight my comedy group is rehearsing in an Irish pub, and Tony's going to join us. He's still on Dublin time and made fade early though. Thursday night I'm taking our International Advisory Board (including the aforementioned Tony) to CSz to watch a professional match. And Friday some of them may come to watch my stand-up performance.

And for my Las Vegas trip in April with my writer friends...I'm staying on the Murphy Bed in Joanne's suite, so now I actually will have a little money to play with in LV. I'm very excited about that.

2/21 I'm a NERD

Yep, it's true. You've probably suspected it for some time. Got a letter from the GI doc and he said I didn't have GERD, I have NERD--Non Erosive Reflux Disease. There is no damage to my esophagus. Hooray for that!

Today is about an 11 on a scale of 1-10 busy-ness. But I had to stop to eat lunch--my stomach told me so. So I take a bite, type a sentence, take a bite, type a sentence. Think that's why I'm a NERD? Could be. I don't tend to sit and eat period. I eat and type, or eat and read, or eat and watch TV, or eat and clean. Whatever.

I should probably think on this.

2/20 Yesterday was fun

I had a great time working at CSz. I love working Saturday matiness; the kids are adorable. A friend from work brought her husband and daughter. The daughter, Cassie, is about six or seven. We make up signs welcoming everyone who is celebrating a special day--birthday, anniversary, new job, etc. And it also goes up on the screen above the stage.

I made up a sign welcoming Cassie because she was my "bestest friend." I think she really enjoyed it. She said the show was 10 out of 10 and she can't wait to come back. Fun.

2/18 Things will settle down

Yesterday started out wonderfully, but then I couldn't get Blogger to post my blog for the day. (It's up now.) Then problem after problem at work, including a few misunderstandings. But today I cleared up everything and am doing okay.

Part of why I feel good today is that I worked at CSz last night and caught the end of the show when my work was completed. I laughed my ass off (wish that was literal). But it's amazing how belly laughs can cleanse the soul.

I'm working Saturday matinee too and I'm happy about that because a work friend is coming with her daughter.

2/17 Good news

Remember on 2/11 when I got congratulated by the owner? Well, this morning I found out why. I lead the all staff meeting every Thursday morning at 8:30... It's a stand-up meeting and usually about 60 of the 99 staff members are able to attend. Today I was floored when I was named Employee of the Month for January. I received a nice doo-dad for my desk, and my name is on a plaque in the main conference room.

All that is cool--but the big news is that I got to choose something from the cafeteria list. And I'm taking two round-trip air tickets anywhere in the continental US. I'll be able to visit my grandkids in LA twice, or perhaps can give my daughter the tickets so they can come see me.

I'm feeling pretty darn good.

Now back to the task at hand--WORK!

2/16 Too busy to blog

Today was too busy to even blog over lunchtime. Didn't take time from work to check my personal email either. One crisis after another, although some of them were good ones. But everything was urgent. Hope to write more tomorrow.

2/15 My sister Jill

It just hit me...today is the anniversary of the day my little sister Jill died. She was 22 months old and had pneumonia, but it was diagnosed as a cold. She was my godchild. In our family the older kids got to be godparents for the younger ones. I was not quite 13 when she was born. After all these years I still get teary-eyed thinking about the loss of that beautiful child. And, being a parent, I can't begin to imagine the heartbreak my parents endured.

When we all go out to have a beer with Mom and Dad at their gravesites on New Year's Day, we spend time remembering Jill too. And we smile instead of cry. What an adorable little girl she was!

The best compliment I could pay her was when I named my own much-loved daughter, Jill.

2/15 Planned obsolescence

You know how your car predictably starts breaking down after the warranty expires?

I think my warranty must have expired. Planned obsolescence is a concept that relates to humans as well as machinery.

The old GERD is a little better. Didn't even know I had anything wrong all day yesterday, until bedtime. Then I had to sit up for a few hours, until the discomfort went away (I hesitate to say pain, it sounds kind of melodramatic). Consequently I'm tired.

My doc's office called today and said they scheduled a stress test for me (at the recommendation of the GI doc). Yep, it sounds like it has something to do with being stressed--but no. I'll be on a treadmill and other contraptions and they're checking out my heart, etc. I'm not alarmed though, because I read somewhere (probably online), that when someone has severe acid reflux--and the concomitant extra crap--the doc needs to rule out heart problems. Luckily there aren't heart problems in my family, so I'm quite calm about this.

Went to the dentist this morning for my semi-annual cleaning. I've already given them 10% of last year's income. I expected him to say, "Nice job with flossing, Jer." He did say that, but added, "There's a crack in tooth #whatever, I'll put in a new filling next week." Aarrrgggghhh.

God has a biting sense of humor. Planned obsolescence indeed.