On my Neighborhood.......

Sometimes I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world when it comes to the neighborhood in which I live in. I'm on a street that's fairly quiet, with a few vacant homes or flats that I'm sure will soon be rented. There aren't as many families with children living on my block anymore but, the few that remain are pretty much well behaved. My neighbors are very friendly and (lucky for me) nosy. Well, atleast they're nosy enough to know if someone is snooping around my house that doesn't belong there. That makes me feel comfortable. Good neighbors are hard to come by now-a-days.

I have a neighbor who lives across the street from me named Joe. He's a retired man right around eighty years old. Joe is of Italian decent. His wife passed away a few years back so now, his daughter comes over to visit and check in on him several times a week. Joe is a rather stern, and stubborn man in his ripe old age. He still drives although his speed never goes beyond about 20 mph. He used to be and still is considered the "Block Captain" of our street. He still makes his rounds, driving around the block and through the alleyways, checking on the neighborhood and making sure that everything is the way it should be. (ie: no trash blocking the alley, stray animals running loose, lawn upkeep--can't have anybody growing forests around here--LOL, visible addresses on the backs of garages, etc....) All in all, he's a good neighbor.

A couple nextdoor to me, Cindy & Bill, have just become brand new grandparents to a beautiful baby girl named Kaylin. She's absolutely adorable with eyes as blue as the color font I'm typing with. Kaylin was born to their oldest daughter Elizabeth (Lizzy) prematurely. She only weighed not quite 2lbs. at birth. She's a little miracle indeed! Cindy & Bill have another daughter named Stacey who attends college full time. They've been wonderful neighbors to live by for many years. I hope they never move.

My neighbors on the opposite side are Bosnian. I've spoken of them before. They seem to be a very close knit family. The husband/father is named Mitsda and his wife Levita are very friendly. Mitsda doesn't speak english very well but his wife speaks it quite fluently. They have 3 children, all boys. Alan is the oldest, then Dennis, and the youngest is Chivall. Chivall is rather mischevious but he's only around 8 years old so it's to be expected. All of the children speak very fluent english. There is an older woman living there as well, I believe that she is Mitsda's mother. She speaks no english. I have never been more grateful to have neighbors like I have now ever in my entire life. Especially this family. These people are the nicest, most respectful, and cleanest neighbors I've ever had. Mitsda has a very bountiful garden in his backyard and so does Bill so, between the two of them, I have plenty of vegetables given to me. YUMMY!!

There is one thing that troubles me though. I feel that everyone has a right to live their life the way they want as long as they aren't breaking any laws. That's a part of one of our many freedoms we have in this beautiful country we live in. What upsets me are the people who want to dictate a way of life for others to live by. I can't stand that. My Bosnian neighbors have had the police called on them several times by some of the people who live on my street. This includes the other two families I've mentioned. I personally have no problem with them and I live right next door to them but some of the other people on the block seem to have many problems with them. Whether it's the loud music that they play--which isn't played at late hours of the night, only in the daytime and not everyday, or the fact they have a smokehouse that stands about as tall as an outhouse where they smoke their meats occasionally in the wintertime. Of course some of the neighbors on the block don't like the smell from the smokehouse so they claim that it bothers them and chokes them. I say that's a BUNCH OF HOGWASH!!!!! If that's the case, why doesn't the smoke bother them when I use my smoker or BBQ??? RACISM IS A MOT**RF**KER FOLKS!!! You all need to stop this sillyness and accept the fact that we are all human beings........Mitsda and his family are honest hardworking people trying to live the American Dream just like everyone else. THEY HAVE THAT RIGHT! I am so ashamed for the way in which they are treated by my neighbors. I hope things begin to change soon for the better because as it stands right now, I feel torn in the middle....I like all of my neighbors ya know what I mean?........Personally, I feel it is a gift to get the chance to learn about other people and their cultures that they bring with them but that's just me. A few days ago, I was feeling so guilty for the way they've been treated. I bought some T-bone steaks we had on sale at my store, ( six of them) and I gave them to Dennis on Mother's Day so they could have a nice steak dinner if they chose to do so. I told Dennis that I appreciated all the vegetables given to me by his parents and that I wanted to appologize for my fellow neighbors and their actions. He smiled and accepted the steaks and thanked me. I know this doesn't solve the problem but atleast it let's them know that they have friends on the block who appreciate being neighbors with them. Tonight, when I came home, Mitsda & Levita's son Dennis brought me a plate of pastry that his mother made. It smelled soooooooooo good and was still warm from the oven. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat any because I'd just eaten dinner but I wrapped it up in plastic wrap and intend on sinking my teeth in it tomorrow sometime. MMMMMMMMMM......can't wait for that!! Diet? What diet? LOL Oh well......

For the Inquiry Minds.....

Yes, it is I. I'm still walking this earth and trying to survive in the "scheme of things." I'm not trying to be a party pooper but I haven't had alot of time to really get on my site here and type away. I did notice the tag dabich, but I'm so late that I'll just pass on it. -- now don't you go pouting and stomping your feet. Smile....that's better. LOL I did enjoy reading your post. It was really nice!

I would however like to talk about one of my most favorite things: MUSIC

I can't help but love it, as you all know by now. Anyway, one day last week while I was at work, me and couple co-workers were listening to the radio, (K-SHE 95 - *94.7 on the tuner - REAL ROCK RADIO) and they normally play a wide variety of rock including: CLASSIC ROCK, HARD ROCK, METAL, & ALTERNATIVE ROCK, just to name a few styles. My fellow co-workers are a few years younger than me. I believe they're both 32 years old. I know for certain that one of them is very much in tune with music of many different eras and genres. The other person, I'm not so sure about. We did all agree with the music station that was on the radio. K-SHE95 has been a main source of rock in the St. Louis area for 38 years and still going strong! I have to admit that I really don't listen to K-SHE as much since the birth of satellite radio but it still has a place in my heart. The music in itself is great and the memories from my "teenage years" are often replayed in my mind whenever I listen to it. * Ahhhhh * ~ sigh ~

It always amazes me that no matter what age group, most times people can relate on many levels to CLASSIC ROCK. And that's a good thing. At the present time, I know a few people ranging in age from 15 - 20 somethings, who really dig listening to many of the various artists from the 60's and 70's. Even though this music was produced way before they were ever born and is still popular among many people in my age group and beyond, they (the younger listeners) have an interest in it. I think that's sooooooo cool!! Especially when they know alittle history along with their love for the songs. In other words, they aren't just listening to be hip or up on it with the crowd. They actually enjoy it for the artform. Anyway, as I was saying earlier, as the music was playing on the radio at work, a song came on from the late 80's - early 90's. I can't remember what song it was right now but when it started playing, one co-worker said to the other, " Now that's a good song! That's from ' our ' past when ' we ' grew up." -meaning the two of them- " Life was so much more simple back then." I just shook my head grinning, as I continued to work and watch them as they reminised. I really enjoy seeing how music can take anyone--regardless of their age, color, personality, beliefs or morals, and put them in a state of mind or take them to another place....if nothing else, for the length of time it takes for a single song to play. It's a beautiful thing.

Although I love music of all forms, I have a special love (undying actually) for the group: LED ZEPPELIN. - Please note the spelling on that - I can honestly say that I love their music so much that I would want a few of their songs played at my funeral....well, them and maybe some PINK FLOYD. Bet that made you choke on your coffee didn't it? But it's true. I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like I'm wiggin' out here but as weird as it may sound, I have often thought about things like that. I mean, being that I was born into music with my father being a musician and the way I feel about music in general, it would only be fitting that I have a musical send off. Only I know what songs mean the most to me so perhaps one day I'll sit down and arrange something like a "funeral arrangement" or something. HA-HA! Speaking of " THE GREAT ZEP ", every weekday on K-SHE95 at 5:00pm cst., they do something called: " THE DAILY DOSE ", and what that means is that they play 2 songs by LED ZEPPELIN every day at 5pm. ~aka~ (LED FOR THE HEAD!!!) It Rocks!

Today was alittle different at work. Normally, if music is played on the radio, there are only 2 radio stations of choice that typically are agreed on by everyone. -- or maybe I should say "tolerated." They are: KEZK - 102.5 (soft rock) which is along the lines of artists such as: PHIL COLLINS, ELTON JOHN, GLORIA ESTEFAN and the like. This station also throws in alittle country music once in a while. The other station played is : KLOU - 104.3 (oldies) which is in the 50's, 60's, and some 70's eras. So generally you'd hear music from artists like: ELVIS PRESLEY, THE SUPREMES, JAMES BROWN, THE TEMPTATIONS, and so on. But today, we listened to a country station......well, not all day but for a couple hours. It was : 93.7 - THE BULL. They play a wide range of country music by various artists including: TOBY KEITH, BROOKS & DUNN, SHANIA TWAIN, and FAITH HILL, to name a few. It was cool. Unfortunately, we're never allowed to listen to any R&B or RAP MUSIC STATIONS. No one likes that type of music except for me, and majority rules so, oh well. Thank goodness I enjoy all types of music 'cause it would suck if I didn't. Of all the music listed, I have to say that country is my least favorite but I do have some interest in it. For instance: right now, my favorite country song is " I BELIEVE " by BROOKS & DUNN. I really like the video also.

To me, music makes the day so much more pleasant. The time seems to go by much faster and the work seems to be more productive for everyone. It really sets a good mood and is truly a motivational tool. I hope that we are allowed to continue listening to the radio at work. It's a welcomed sound amidst the normal activity of the shop that we normally hear everyday like -- bandsaws, slicers, meat grinders, sausage stuffers, and wrapping machines. Yes, music is a very welcomed sound. The beat of the music goes well with the machinery noise if that makes any sense at all....LOL Also, I'm not sure about other places but in my area, most stores ( grocery, dept., discount outlets, etc...) have piped in music over the speakers for the customers to hear. It's good for business actually. It's a known fact that a company can sell more items to consumers if they're in a happy mood. That's a pretty smart selling technique--think about it. There's alot of thought put into it to. Certain styles of music are played at certain times of the day, depending on the customer flow. And certain genres are played depending on the community served. To me, that's very smart. I guess music really does make the world go 'round......

Mother's Day wishes

To all of the hard working moms out there, this is your day. A day of appreciation and love for all you do for your family and loved ones the whole year through. So enjoy the precious thoughts of GREAT LOVE and bask in the glow! You deserve it in so many more ways than we show. And for those of us who no longer have you here by our sides, we know that you're with us in spirit each day of our lives. For it shows in our ways and our moods, and as we grow old, we learn from your teachings and stories you told. After all, we are your reflection in a sense.....and we'll continue to make you proud of us. Thank God for Mothers -- God Bless!








This is a book I came across at a local bookstore a week or so ago that seems very appropriate for Mother's Day. I found it to be so beautifully written, that I bought a copy even though my mother has passed on. I bought it in memory of her. The book is small but holds so much thoughtfulness and meaning. Ms. Maya Angelou always finds the right words to say.....

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Yard play

I didn't get to do too much work on my rosebushes today because the grass was in need of mowing. But I did get to play with my yorkie and that's always fun! It was a blast...

On a lighter note.....

I've got some news on my rosebushes.....they're coming along nicely. I've just got to get out there and tend to them before the weeds and suckers overtake them. Perhaps I'll try to do that later this evening after work. As you can see, they are in need of some TLC.

Life sucks and then it sucks some more, then alittle more and thennnnnnn(and only then) is it finally over-The End

I guess I should just start out by saying that last week wasn't the best week for me and this one isn't looking any better. Frankly, I haven't been wandering around in the ever-so-pleasant blogesphere for the past week because my mind has been on so many other issues and my time has been pretty much absorbed by alot of misery and crucial bullcrap that has enveloped me with a great deal of stress and strain. Let's see......where to begin........


Okay, I'll start with Monday, the 24th. It was a very early start for me as it usually is on Mondays. I got up at 2:30am and started my work day at 5am. Believe it or not, that was the easy part. Since Monday's are the most challenging day of the week for me, I normally take a nap upon returning home but, not on this day. No sir. Instead, I had some important (extremely important) papers I had to fax to my mortgage company. -10 pages to be exact- so I did that. I had a few phone calls to make and they were less than enchanting. Thank goodness I know how to keep my cool, otherwise those calls could've become screaming matches and that would have been really bad. Did I mention that this day was also the day that I started screwing up a week's worth of healthy eating habits that I'd started on the Monday prior to this one. Yep......fell off the banana boat again.......

*JUST A NOTE FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW*

I'd decided to start what I called, " The Battle of the Bulge" the day after Easter by starting to eat good meal plans with less calories and all that good stuff you do when following any kind of weight reduction plan. My plan was to start walking and doing light excercise at the beginning of my second week BUT....I got sidetracked--as usual--and upset with the way some things seemed to be going in my life and for some of us, we turn to food as a comfort zone. Now, what little water weight I was beginning to lose has returned and I'm still upset and the problems are still there so.......the food did absolutely nothing to make things better for me. Now that I know this, the only direction for me to go is back to the beginning of starting once again with healthy eating. Hopefully since I vented my aggressions (through poor eating habits) I'll be able to move forward in the right direction again .....AND STAY THERE!!!

On Tuesday, the day went rather fast for me. I had plenty of work to do to make the time move right along which is always a good thing. The weather was nice and I got a chance to talk with a friend and to be honest, this was the best day of the week for me--UNTIL.......later that evening. I reached into my purse to get my cell pnone and it slipped out of my hand and fell hard on the kitchen floor. I figured, no biggie but as I picked it up from the floor, I noticed a crack on the top of it and when I flipped it open, a small piece of my phone came off and into my hands. I'm thinking, "That's not good." I could actually see a part of the connector on the inside of the phone and I don't think that would be a good idea to have that up against my ear but with alittle fiddling around, I finally got the piece back into it's rightful place. Although everytime I used the phone, I had to be careful not to press onto the reciever too much or else it would pop back out. Being that I only have 5 more months till my contract is up, I was going to try to stick it out. Of course now with the phone falling onto the floor, in my life that represents the first shoe falling......

Moving on to Wednesday, it seemed to start out as a pretty good day. I went to work at my part-time job and inside of say, one hour, I was completely pissed off!! I'll put it this way, I felt like a firefighter putting out small fires in my path with every step I took. GEEZ, I'm thinking, "Things can't possibly get any worse." You know what happens when you think that way? I'll tell you what happens. A little "devil bird" comes soaring and hovering around above your head and takes a gigantic sh*t on you. That's exactly what happens, at least it does to me. Between cranky customers who don't seem to be pleased or very friendly no matter how much you bend over backwards to try and give them good service to disorganized workers who don't know what it is to prepare and get things in order for business, Well.....it was enough to make me wanna crawl outta my skin. I said to myself, " Hell with it" and went and had a cigarette to calm down and start getting things in order the way they should have been done earlier before customers began coming into the store. Here, let me give you an example. This is just one thing among many others but it's extremely important. It's around noontime and we're knee deep in customers waiting to be served.( I'll say about 30 people waiting) Do any of these customers have numbers in their hands? NO! And why don't they have numbers you ask????? BECAUSE THERE ARE NO NUMBERS IN THE NUMBER BOX FOR THEM TO TAKE!!!!!! So, I call a number. I get no response, just blank stares from all of the hungry people. I call another number. Again, no response. I then ask a lady what number she has and she tells me that there are no numbers in the box. At this point, my chest hurts. I'm thinking, "Just take me now Lord!" I call to one of the little troglodites as I affectionately call the younger workers, to get a roll of numbers out of the meat managers desk and fill the number box. Now, here's my dillema: What do you do when you have 30 pissed off people who happen to be in a hurry and they're all those "Me First types" so, when you ask "May I help who was next", they all say " I was." It's like, "KEMOSABE, WHAT WE DO NOW??" I personally don't think the Lone Ranger could even fix this one......So as you can see, this day was a real blast--ALL DAY LONG....Atleast I had one bit of excitement, I got tagged by Constant and that was fun.

Thursday, I got home from work and took a look at my phone bill. My landline phone bill. I swear I was about to have a heartattack and a stroke when I saw it. Needless to say, I had to call them because there were many different charges on my bill for services that I'd never asked for. When I paid my bill last month, I called the phone company because of these same charges and had them taken off, or so I thought. The woman I spoke with said she was going to take them off but that little devil bird didn't. SHE LIED!!!! So now, I get this gigantic phone bill for a phone that I only use really just for my pc and fax and I go over it only to find all of the same charges still there. (here comes my nineteenth nervous breakdown) *Mick Jagger's singin' to me* Here's alittle excerpt from the wonderful conversation I had with the customer service representative. His name was Miguel:

Miguel: "You have a balance due of 45.00 from your old bill."

Me: "I beg your pardon?"

Miguel: "You owe 45.00 in addition to your new bill of 112.73."

Me: "What old bill are you referring to? I paid my bill last month 5 days ahead of the due date over the phone."

Miguel: "No, this is an old bill, ma'am."

Me: "I don't understand, how can I have an old bill if I paid last month's bill in full and had a balance of zero? I always pay my bill on time and in full so I don't know what old bill you're referring to. The reason I called is because I'm being charged for services I never asked for."

Miguel: "Well, you owe this money so, would you like to pay this bill now over the phone?"

Me: "I would like to first find out why I'm being charged fo"

Miguel: (interrupting) "I'm going to connect you with someone else because I don't take care of that."

And I waited, and waited, and waited. 25 minutes went by and no one ever came to the phone. I hung up. PISSED OFF AGAIN!!!! Where is the justice? It's in dreamland. I took a nap.

Friday rolls in with a bang as I wake up to someone blowing the f**k out of there car horn at that wonderful 3am hour. There's nothing like waking up to a loud car horn in the morning. (ain't it great?) And they don't just blow the horn a few times intermittently either. NOOOOOOOOO. They flat a*s lean on it continueously. Such a beautiful start to the day.....yea, right. Anyway, I get up and ready for work and remember that today(friday) marks the start of the "One day sale" where we have 2 items featured at ridiculously low prices for just that one day. Lemme tell ya, people love those one day sales.......I was so happy to see 2:00 that afternoon I didn't know what to do. When I got home, I decided to barbeque. That turned out nice. Of course, I didn't eat anything because by the time I was finished cooking, I was too tired. I threw some clothes in the laundry and laid down. I slept straight through the night too. I must've been beat.

So Saturday begins and I'm running late. I guess I had too much sleep. I just couldn't get going. It was a long slow day at work and the clock was barely moving. Normally the day after a one day sale is pretty slow since many customers stock up with the sale items on that day. So, before I leave work, I'm making a quick trip to the restroom and then, the other shoe falls. (remember the first shoe being my phone falling on the kichen floor) Now, I drop my cell phone on the hard concrete floor at work. The poor phone breaks in two. It's all over. Now I'm gonna have to go to the nearest verizon wireless store and get another phone. Damn! It's raining outside as I drive home from work so I can't do any yard work. Then I remember that I have an appointment with my beautician at 2:30pm. or as my co-workers so affectionately call it, "The mortician". --No respect. LOL I get to the salon at about 2:35 and I'm there until 6pm. which sucked but at least now I feel alittle bit better. After the salon visit, I make my way to Verizon wireless. To make a long story short, I end up having to buy a new phone.....AT FULL PRICE because I didn't have any insurance on my phone(dumba*s) but now I have a much better phone with more capabilities and I am now proud to say that I'm among those people who look like aliens with gadgetry in their ears. Yes, I now have bluetooth technology folks! Another learning process for me to explore. By the time I get home, It's late so I throw some clothes into the dryer and get my butt in the bed.

On Sunday, I get to sleep in until about 6am which is very nice for me. I normally wake up at 5 or 6 on Wednesdays and Sundays since I'm so used to getting up at 3am. I get on the computer and fiddle around a bit and then lay back down. I enjoy being able to do that. It almost feels like i'm off work or living.....whichever you want to call it. I'm just glad that I get some time like this because I know what waits lurking in the shadows for me later this day. You guessed it, those little "TROGLODITES", ALSO KNOWN AS "THE CHAOTIC KIDS". You gotta love 'em.....I can't wait till they grow up. God willing, if I'm still alive when they turn 30 or even 40 years old, and I hear them talking sh*t and b*tchin' and moanin' like I'm doing now....HAHAHAHAHA I can't wait!

And now, I'm at the start of a new week as Monday rolls in. It's another a*s kicker as usual. Thank goodness for the 5-1pm shift. Otherwise it would be a real disaster. So much preparation is involved with cases being pulled and cleaned and the old ad being taken off and the new ad being put on. Mondays are definitely not easy. And the customers expect "grand opening conditions" with everything ready for them to buy when they come into the store at an early hour too. Most consumers really have no idea about what it takes to make their shopping trip easy and convenient.

Which brings me FINALLY to today. I have to say that today seems to have gone pretty darn smooth. No b*tching today, sorry. LOL So......do I sound like a person who needs a freaking vacation or what? All I've got to say is 8 more weeks and counting.....

And that's what's been happening in my f**ked up little world. I hope all of you have had a better week than I have. If not, perhaps we should all check into the nearest mental facility LOL

Random Quotes:

Challenges QuotesMotivational quotes, inspirational quotes on challenges. Let these challenge quotes inspire and motivate you when you are facing challenges in your life.

"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands." Richard Bach

"Before you can consider a problem water under the bridge, you must first patiently work on removing the dam." Michelle C. Ustaszeski

"Perseverance is the ability to keep going in the face of continuous challenges. It is the ability to disregard distractions and to stay focused." Catherine Pulsifer, from PERSEVERANCE IS THE ABILITY

"A challenge is an opportunity to prove your ability to yourself, and others." Contributed by Joe Brown

"To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can't just accept the ones you like." Mike Gafka

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." African Proverb

"The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges." Martin Luther King Jr.