Well, geez...

It's all been said on the other blogs.
I did my mushy post on Christmas.

What else is there to say?

Oh, yeah...

What moron scheduled four major holidays
to fall within six freakin' short weeks???

No wonder people are keeling over from stress.
Let's try to fix that for next year, ok?

Anyway... Happy New Year! Bring it on, 2008!


adding a serious note: watch the video Mick
posted on his blog. Learn to say 'thank you'.

Delivery Boy...

Can we be friends?

I don't know. Can we?

Can we just have sex?

No. You weren't that good.


(far be it from me to ruin a man's wet dream, but... )

post-holiday blah-post...

I'm bored.

I need jokes.
Short, very funny jokes.

blog-comment-bot-jerk-alert...

The variety of asshats in the world is, apparently, endless.

Our dear Erica has a post that all of our blogger friends
need to read. Follow her links and read the comments
in the post, too.

So far, I've had to delete two comments here.
I have no idea if I have been impersonated on
anyone else's blog. I hope not.

I will be sending a complaint to abuse at level3 dot com.

Ho Ho Haiku...

You have until midnight tonight to submit
your haiku entry at Sparrow's place.
Then, everyone gets to vote for their favorite
out of the ten finalists. THEN... there is a prize
for the winner. Oh, yes there is.

Sparrow will send a Deluxe Care Package to
anyone currently serving in our military.
The haiku winner gets to pick the recipient.

You can submit as many haikus as you like.

This week's topic is: Christmas.

my entry...

Not all gifts are found
wrapped pretty under your tree.
Best are in your heart.

Get yourself over to All Atwitter. Now! please.

UPDATE: You have until 9 a.m. Friday to vote for the winner!

Merry Christmas, etc. ...

it should not
matter if you
embrace a holiday.
it does matter
that you embrace
every day.


OK, I'm done being a Scrooge for this season.
All of you and your holiday joy and good wishes
just make it impossible... and I thank you for that.

Joining this blog community has been one of the
best things I've ever done.
Every one of you are in my heart today and every day.
Thank you for making a place for me in your lives.

May the joy, comfort, wisdom and friendship you
have extended to me come back to you a hundred fold.
And, the humor... let's not forget the humor.

I'll be spending the day with some friends, not alone.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

3-in-1...

First...please click on over to Red Hill Kudzu
and wish Larry a Happy Birthday!
He's one of my dearest blogger friends and a
Veteran and deserves tons of good wishes.

Next, I got tagged by Erica of the Brooklyn persuasion
to do a meme revealing 8 Random Facts about me...

I'll try to make this as painless as possible, so to start
off (1) I love antiques... (2) I have a dozen antique quilts
and over (3) 200 books on quilting and quilt history.
I own (4) four sewing machines. One is an antique White (tm)
treadle, one is a portable Singer from the 1920's, one is a Singer
that my husband bought his mother in the late 1960's and the
fourth is another White (tm) I bought about twelve years ago.
I intend to, someday, make quilts and teddy bears again.
(5) I have more than fifty cast iron Amish figurines, made and
sold by the Amish. I keep them in (6) a glass-front bookcase
hand-made in Ohio in the mid-1800's. Another (7) 3-door,
glass-front bookcase was made in the 1920's. I used to collect
(8) old Florida souvenir plates... somewhere around 3 dozen.
I'll add another random fact just for shits and grins...
(9) nearly 300 movies on DVD. I figure, when I'm really old
and really poor, they'll be cheap entertainment and my memory
will be shot so they will all seem new. heh.

The next is a Christmas meme for Grumpy Unk, just because
he is a sweetie I hope to get to meet the next time he's in Florida...

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Either.
2. Real or artificial tree? I haven't had a tree in years, but I love
the smell of real ones.
3. When do you put up the tree? See #2.
4. When do you take the tree down? See #2.
5. Do you like eggnog? *gag*
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Even though I was never into
dolls much, my mom took a peck fruit basket and covered it with
mint green voile fabric to make it a doll bed and put a new baby
doll in it. I loved the basket more than the doll.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No.
8. Worst Christmas gift received? I can't imagine such a thing.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both, when I send them at all.
10. Favorite Christmas movie? 'The Bishop's Wife'.
11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I used to keep
my eyes open all year for unique, on-sale stuff. Lately, I'm doing
more gift cards and catalogs.
12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My very own Hungarian
stuffed cabbage, bread and potato salad. Cookies, of course.
13. Clear lights or colored? Both.
14. Favorite Christmas song? 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'...and,
it brings me to tears every time.
15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Almost always at home.
16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.
17. Angel or star on top of your tree? See #2, again.
18. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? When I get them.
19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Disgusting
commercialism starts too soon... it's only one day, ferpete'ssake.
20. What do you leave for Santa? The old guy's on his own.
21. Least favorite holiday song? The Grandma/reindeer piece of crap.
22. Do you decorate your tree with any specific theme or color?
Go back to #2...again!
23. Favorite ornament? Good grief...
24. Tag 7 other bloggers. Consider this an open tag for anyone.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

This time, procrastination is ok...

I was going to do two memes for Erica and Unk, but
they, I'm sure, will be gracious enough to wait another
day or so when they see what I found through
HB's blog, Fat In Indiana.

Please read PhlegmFatale's most touching story about
children knowing more than a lot of adults when it comes
to giving at Christmas. Tissue alert.

I'll be home for Christmas...

if only in my dreams.


dear god,
if there is one
if you're there,
keep them safe
and healthy.
oh, and peace.
peace on our planet,
please.
if you're not there,
it means I'm
talking to myself
again.
amen, I guess.

Notes on Haiku...

You have until midnight tonight to add
your creativity to the contest.
Sparrow's topic for this week: Music.

Go on, now. Knock her socks off!

rules of engagement...

how ironic
when someone
loves you, but
they can't.
how sad
when you
love someone, but
you can't.
within reach
but not.

Ideal...

It isn't
the color
of the eyes,
it's what's
in them.
There's always
a heart, but
is it warm?
Standing tall
because of
confidence
or
arrogance?
Pretty is nice,
the honest soul
is beautiful.

go do Haiku...

It's almost too late! The deadline is midnight.

Sparrow's topic this week is... Time.

My entry:

It matters, it does.
Don't waste what you have, young fool.
It does not come back.

Horoscope...

Once in a while, as I read the Sunday paper,
I'll see what someone has forecasted for me.
This week it said...

Pisces (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20)
Either through choice or a set of circumstances,
a new ambition might be aroused in you at this
time. Personal gratification can be garnered in
ways you'll welcome.

either... might...can...

Not tooooooooo vague, is it?
Still, between conditions at work (which are not
improving) and some discussion with a friend
about ideas for a book... oh, pshaw.
Don't mind me. I'm tired and bored.

Life moves...

where I was,
you are now.
where I am,
so you shall be.

Daydreaming...

sitting quiet,
someone paused
and asked, why
am I smiling so?
I answered, blushing,
it is this
man I know.
You take my
breath away,
he said to me,
I've never been
so weak.

Trial and error...

If I
had my way,
if it were
up to me,
I'd know
what to say
and how
to say it.
I'd know
what to feel
and when
to feel it.

Penetration without lubrication...

Not pleasant.

The company I work for had its own version of
Black Friday yesterday. There was a lay-off.

Thirteen of my welder colleagues and nine of the
office staff lost their jobs. The chance to be re-called,
slim at best.

Business projection for the first half of 2008 is dismal.
We're busy now, as we always are at the end of the year,
trying to finish orders before we close for the holiday.
Those of us still employed are being told to work as much
overtime as possible to get the work done since we are now
short-handed. Dickheads.

What was the point of letting people go now? I'll tell you...
We shut down every year from Christmas Eve through
New Year's Day. We get paid for those days. This year it
is seven paid days. The twenty-two people who lost their
jobs will not get paid for that time.
For those who participate in the 401k plan, they must be
employed on December 31 in order to receive the company
once a year match contribution. More money saved for the
big guys.

The remaining employees are being encouraged to cancel any
vacation time they have scheduled for this month so they can
be here to work overtime. The company will allow those vacation
days to roll over to next year, as long as they are used in the first
quarter. When we will not have much work available.

One lady who got the ax was the only source of income and health
insurance in her household. Her husband is dying of cancer.
One of the men... his wife is expecting their first child.
Before Christmas.
Several others are attending college, using the company's tuition
reimbursement program.
Several of the laid-off office staff have fifteen to twenty-five years
of seniority. All of the laid-off office staff got a severance package.
The welders got their accrued vacation time. Not quite two weeks.

The maximum unemployment payment in Florida is $275 per week.
Before taxes.

Our annual raise is paid in the beginning of February.
Another lay-off before then would not be a surprise.
I have a little more than twelve years seniority with this company.
There are only eleven people bellow me.

But, I survived for over three years being third from the bottom.

Still, I think I'll wait a while before I start looking for a new(er) car.
I have no car payment now.

Tears were shed as we said good-bye to our colleagues Friday.
Sad for them. More than a little fear for ourselves.