C-C-C-Changes.

I used to get the morning news by reading the Yahoo home page.   They recently "improved it" so you can't find anything.  They used to have a section for national news, one for local, one for entertainment- you know... LOGICAL!  Now it looks like someone took the "supermarket" approach to things and has jumbled it up so you have to look at everything to find what you want.  It's a complete waste of time.  You know that's how they organize the supermarket, right?  It's purposely confusing so you will impulse buy stuff. I HATE going into my local Vons sometimes.  There isn't a single aisle the doesn't have at least two free standing racks of crap blocking the shelves.  Sometimes, I have to move the darn things to get to the thing I came in for.  That's how the new Yahoo makes me feel.

I wonder sometimes if programmers get bored and that's what happens when they "fix" things that aren't broken.  I remember when they "upgraded" the main job creation program I use.  It was easy to use and did the job, but some genius felt the need to add graphics.  Sigh.  "Don't you LIKE the graphics?" They asked me.  I thought it was condescending, as if as a woman I needed pretty pictures to do my job.  "NO." I said  It could look like DOS, as long as it worked. This doesn't WORK"  Same goes for Google mail.  They had the NERVE to change the file storage program in the middle of the workday- WHILE I WAS WORKING ON A DEADLINE!   Yep.  I had a mini-meltdown in my cube as I tried to relearn how to store my files and get the work done before the end of my workday.  WHY they would change it at four in the afternoon is beyond me!  Thankfully, my Officemate speaks "geek" and was able to walk me through it.

I am not adverse to change, when it is warranted, but sometimes they throw out the baby with the bathwater, simple because they can.

Academy Awards and the Grammy Museum

I used to look forward to the Oscars, well a little bit. Sometimes the ceremony seed to drag on and on. I love the fashions and I remember sitting on the couch with my Fashionista daughter, talking about the clothes and the hair.  It was fun.  I forgot that now they play the show in Real Time, not Prime Time.  By the time I might have tuned in, the thing I loved best, the opening monologue, was over.  I don't know Seth McFarlane, but judging by the preliminary reaction BEFORE he began, I didn't expect him to be, oh...  say ...BILLY CRYSTAL or Robin Williams.  I expected him to be at least mildly funny.  I stared in slack mouthed horror at the travesty.  It was like a train wreck  I didn't know where to look.  Someone told me I need to "lighten up"  Someone else pointed out that McFarlane is the creator of "Family Guy" and this was his sense of humor.   Uh... Family Guy is sometimes mildly amusing.  THIS was not.  What in the name of  Cecil B. DaMille was that song about "we saw your boobs" doing there?  The look on Charlize Theron's face said it all.  Sock Puppets?    The whole routine was so Junior High.  Fans of McFarlane will probably accuse me of  not being sophisticated enough to "get" the humor.  Maybe so, or maybe the Emperor  is just naked.    The only thing I liked about it is , who knew Charlize Theron could dance like that?  I need to go on You-tube to see some of the bits people are talking about, like the ending song.  You have to wonder if  McFarlane is a frustrated "Song and Dance" man.  He had a nice voice, he was just not funny.  I never did get total insult humor.  Don Rickles, for instance almost never made me laugh.  Now, I am as sarcastic as the next person, but...

I went to the Grammy Museum yesterday. I have always wanted to go but the price seemed a little steep, so when a friend said she had an extra ticket, I thought it would be fun.  The Museum is a nice mix of static displays and interactive exhibits.  I LOVED "Playing" the drum kits and the congas.  This only went to PROVE I  have no rhythm, but it was fun, nonetheless.  Currently up is a "Heavy Metal" exhibit, with a lot of stuff on the "hair Metal" bands of the 80s and how MTV "created" that genre; which was more about the look and less about the music.  "Video Killed the Radio Star" , anyone?

Random thoughts on recent news and other ramblings.

There's a song lyric from somewhere "I don't believe what I read in the paper, they're just out to capture my dime"  at least I THINK it's a song lyric, it may be a mondegreen.   In any case, I have been thinking about things in the news, in random order.

That sprinter in South Africa who shot his girlfriend.  It seems the legal system in SA is different than our but not much.  Already the facts of the case are beign debated in the court of public opinion AND the investigating officer is being investigated himself.  It did not help that there seemed to be a rush to judgement, to use a popular phrase and the evidence presented in the pretrial hearings is conflicting at best.  Whatever the outcome, a woman is dead and he admits to having pulled the trigger.  Tragic accident or "roid rage?  Time may or may not tell.  I read a SA comic strip online called "Madam and Eve" and they are skewering the whole thing by having OJ give the guy advice from jail.  It is shaping up to be an OJ-like media circus, beloved athlete kills mate.  The media sharks are circling.

Christopher Dorner.  People are talking about how he won and his case is being reopened.  Excuse me, but when you are dead, having killed several innocent people to prove your point, you aren't going to get much sympathy from me.  A lot of people are wringing their hands over his mistreatment by LAPD.  It very well may be that the wrong decision was made in his case, but somehow that justifies what he did?  Uh, sure.  You want to get media attention, so you KILL a few people to prove your point?  That makes no sense whatsoever and only serves to show that the PD may have had a point in firing the guy.  The reasoning behind this escapes me.  You get fired, you move forward and try to clear your name, not participate in Wild West justice and go down in a hail of gunfire.

Election materials.  It's getting nasty as the Mayoral race heats up.  Frankly, if I had had any intention of voting for Jan Perry, it has been tossed out the window by all the negative  attack ads I have been receiving in my mailbox.  Really Jan?  I want to know what YOU have done and what your plan for the City is.  I really loathe that- "my opponent is a ( fill in the blank) so you should vote for me because they are terrible" type of campaigning.  I also got a mailer for Prop A , which detailed what would happen if it didn't pass but didn't say what the measure IS.  HUH?  I had to look at the ballot to see just what A is.  It's an increase in local sales tax, which I think we need.  Cities always put more taxes on homeowners, adding to the sales tax will even the playing field. 

I am still unsure who I am voting for, although my Union has endorsed Garcetti.  I need to look at the candidates statements for myself and will vote how I choose.  It depends on the view of pension "reform" and other plans as it relates to my job.  I went to a retirement seminar.  At best, I have a five-year plan, but if things get hairy I may NEVER be able to retire.  I currently pay 11% toward retirement, the City kicks in about 33% and the REST OF IT comes from investments made by the Administrator of the plan. THIS information REALLY needs to get out there.  The City is NOT funding EVERYTHING the employees are not.  That is the public perception about it.  I am also paying 5% of the cost of my medical plan, but that is another story altogether.

Jerry Buss.  The man who brought us "Showtime" has died.  He really made the Lakers what they were in the 80s, didn't he?  I also remember he had a thing for women young enough to be his daughter, but they were all adults and if each got something out of it, more power to them.  Smart businessman but he seemed a little creepy to me.

It's COLD here in Tujunga.  Yesterday there was snow on the hills above the house.  Today I am wearing my fuzzy boots to work. I was FREEZING yesterday!   We went to dinner last night at Acapulco in Sun Valley. I have been a customer for more than 35 years.  They keep changing the menu.  They didn't have what I wanted, so I ordered the "crispy fish tacos"  BAD move.  The fish was a frozen fillet in heavy batter.  It looked like a glorified fish-stick AND it was still FROZEN in the middle.  It takes rare talent to deep fry something and still have it be frozen in the middle.  The manager comped us out meals .I did not eat mine and I have a rule about ordering something else when I send back a plate, I JUST don't do it. I am afraid what the kitchen might do to my meal. The server was apologetic, but it really was not his fault.  We left him a nice tip.  I honestly don't know if or when we will go back there.  The kitchen had disappointed us more and more these days.  It used to be wonderful.  Now? Not so much.

Books

I read.  A lot.  Recently I got back into the Jim Butcher series The Dresden Files.  Imagine Harry Potter, all grown up and living in Chicago as imagined by Raymond Chandler or Sara Paretsky.  The one I just finished is "Turncoat"  and while the series requires a whole bushel basket of "willing suspension of disbelief" the books are fun and totally worth  a look.  Harry Dresden is a wizard who skirts the laws of magic and the laws of Chicago as he runs his detective business.  Harry is charmingly sarcastic in the interior monologue AND in his actions with others.I am also beginning "Oscar Wilde and the Vampire Murders" by Gyles Brandreth.  Apparently, it too is a series, but I plucked it off the shelf at Central as something to read on the subway.  So far, it's pretty good.

There is so much I have NOT read that I want to.  I am going to have to make a list.  I never read Jules Verne, believe it or not.  Don't know why and maybe I should have a go at one of his books.  I am playing a game on Facebook, based on "Around the World in 80 Days"  I wonder if I should start there?  I need to read some Arthur Conan Doyle ( who is a character in the Oscar Wilde book I am reading)

As the saying goes "So many books. So little time"

Death and... life

This morning I heard about the death of a former co-worker.  He was only 51 years old.  When someone younger than you dies, it's an odd feeling.  You become aware of your mortality more keenly.  As I spoke with a co-worker who was struggling not to cry as she bravely answered my questions, I said to her "I know how you feel"  and I do.  I have been thinking all week of a former co-worker and very close friend who died thirty- two years ago on Monday.  I still miss her.  I remember being at work when we got the call about Laura.  She was twenty two, as was I, and so full of the joy of life that it was overwhelming to think that Death would have the audacity to take her from us.  She had lupus.  I think there are two kinds and one is fatal,.  We buried her, appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day. The church was filled to overflowing, the procession was so large they ran out of the sticker that they give you so you can get through the traffic lights.  Her parents were so calm, comforting us instead of the other way around.  I don't think I would have had the good grace that they had that day.  She was a wonderful person and the world is a less bright place because she is not in it.  I gave my daughter her middle name, Elizabeth, as a middle name; a memory of someone I dearly loved and who would have loved my daughter.

When you lose someone, you want to rail at God or the heavens and scream "WHY"  The heavens rarely answer.  The thing that resonates most with me comes from a poem "Elegy for J.FK."  by W. H. Auden  "What he was, he was.   What he is fated to become depends on us.  Remembering his death, how we choose to live will decide it's meaning"  I know that grief must be obeyed, that certain rituals are comforting and we must observe them in order to regain balance.  Truly living and enjoying life honors those who have passed on.

Food and transport in Las Vegas.

We spent what amounted to two days in Las Vegas.  We play a game on Facebook called My Vegas, where  you can earn "Loyalty Points" with which you can buy  things like meals and shows.  So  we "bought" all the meals ahead of time.  A run-down of the food venues

First Night
Rock and Rita's in Circus Circus.

The food is supposed to be down-home BBQ, but they had these little weird things like chili served in a toilet bowl with the toilet tank filled with margarita.  I think my funny bone was not getting the joke, it just seemed... icky.  I got a PO-boy sandwich.  Lightly fried catfish.  The sauce had an unpleasant aftertaste.  The fries were shoestring and not worth the effort.  I left most of them on the plate.  Chris said the burger was pretty good, someone else had told him to get the burger.  They did NOT have any kind of dessert I could eat- the only thing that looked interesting was the deep fried Twinkie and since there are no more Twinkies, that was out.  The waiter wasn't interested in answering a question about nuts in the brownie cake.  His tip was less than it would have been.  Please NOTE, although we were comped for all the meals we did tip the waitstaff at each location according to what we would have paid had there been a cash transaction taking place.

Breakfast
Day Two

We had two comps to the Mirage "Cravings" buffet.  We got there just as breakfast was ending and lunch was beginning.  This BTW means that the breakfast stuff has been out a while and CAN be dicey.  I had what tasted like a nuclear fried ( aka microwaved) Belgian Waffle.  Thick and unpleasantly chewy I didn't even finish it.  The guy at  the carving station looked at two of us and gestured to the remainder of the ham-bone as if to say"There isn't anything to carve"  and shrugged.  I found enough to eat that was ok, nothing to write home about.  They opened up a sushi station at noon.  That was ok, not much better than some of the prepackaged sushi I can get downtown however.  The desserts were ok  They had "cherries jubilee" which tasted like pie filling.  I need to look up a recipe and make it for myself!  They had these mini eclairs which were the best thing in the buffet.  The waitress was attentive and irreverent and she was suddenly supposed to take care of half the rapidly filling restaurant .  "The manager thinks I'm 'Wonder Waitress"  she said, laughing.  I asked her if they had issued her roller skates.  It made her laugh.

Dinner Day Two
Circus Circus Buffet

Everything you hear about crummy buffets is a reality when it comes to the Circus Circus Buffet.  Bland food, tough meat ( I can hear my dad's old joke  about seeing the marks where the jockey was beating it) The server lost half the turkey as he slid it out of the oven and onto the counter.  This did not bode well for how overcooked it must have been and I didn't even ask for any.  A lot like a Hometown Buffet.  It was the least expensive of the comps, but if I had been paying I would NOT have been pleased.The NICE thing was they had a variety of drink options, so I got a few cappuccinos.  The server was very sweet.  

Lunch Day Three
Bellagio

Oh YUM!  The Bellagio has the BEST buffet.  I am glad we had time to go and eat.  We got there just as the lunch service was beginning, so there were still some breakfast options as well as the lunch food.  I had ribs and shrimp.  The cheese blintz was only so -so  but the rest of the food was VERY good.

Here's the thing about not having your own car in Vegas.  You either walk, take the bus system or take a cab.  Chris wasn't feeling all that great and truth to tell neither was I , so we took cabs.  A lot.  We did a lot of walking. Next time we probably won't take the bus and it will be easier to get from Point A to Point B without too much hassle.  The cab rides were fine, but a bit on the pricy side.   We were too far from the tram and the bus stops were too far from where we wanted to go.  Taking the Megabus was an adventure but after about three hours I had had enough.  The potty situation was what pushed me over the edge.  One toilet that was a glorified Andy Gump.  Uh, yuck.  I hope they get the train running to Vegas in the near future   THAT would be fun!

Buses, cabs and freebies

We have been seeing ads for the Megabus and when the planets lined up and we needed to get out of town for a few days we thought "why not?""  The bus goes to Las Vegas  and to Oakland, the Vegas run would be a good indication of whether the Oakland run would be feasible.  The bus was clean and relatively comfortable, after a while, like anything else the seats got hard to sit in.  But for 16 bucks round trip for TWO it was not that bad. Chris and I decided bus travel was not for us.  I was hoping for a nap, but these two women , who met on the bus and then realized they knew people in common kept up a running CACKLING conversation for the bulk of the trip.  Even my headphones and music could not drown them out.

We took a city bus to the hotel, which my non-public transit taking husband was leery of.  The City bus that runs on the strip is BIG  and comfortable, but the fare is steep!  six bucks for a two hour pass.  The way to go is the 24 hour pass for eight if you are planning on taking more than one bus ride.

Having no car is interesting and we have been walking or taking cabs to the various casinos.  The cabs are clean and the cabbies are nice.  So far we met one guy who had lived in Glendale, one who was a native Las Vegan   and one who came from Ethiopia about twelve years ago.  We were telling the one from here how we got free rooms and free meals for the whole trip , mostly playing "MY Vegas" games on Facebook.  He kept saying NO WAY  and took notes.  Want to bet he shares that with a lot of passengers this week?  We got a free dinner at Rock and Rita's at Circus Circus and a free buffet there as well.  Free buffet at the Mirage. Free lunch at the Bellagio.  Covered the meals.  I will talk about the food more in detail when we get home.

The room is nice, also comped via the Total Rewards games we play when we are here and in Reno.  Nice room with a Jacuzzi tub and a comfy bed.  The coffee in the room is twelve bucks and the WiFi costs, but hey  the room is free.

Heading home today.  I need to get a good book for the ride home and hope one of the hotel shops has paperbacks.  If not, it's gonna be a long bus ride.  I finished the Jim Butcher book I was reading.  More about that series in a future post.

Wedesday Morning

I woke up early, despite being on vacation.  My brain had "turned on" and there was no quieting it back to sleep, although I was warm and cozy in bed.    I kept thinking, of all things, about Richard the Third.  I cracked up at the meme crowning him the  "Hide and Seek Champion of all time"  Well done, man!  What I know about him, or thought I knew, came from Shakespeare "Now is the Winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York."  Turns out, it appears he was the victim of a vicious smear campaign by the Tudors, who sought to demonize him to legitimize their claim to the throne.  The claim that he killed his wife and his nephews, for instance is now cast in doubt.  I have a degree in Lit, but my minor is in History.  I always remind myself that the winners write the history books, and that I should look at things with an eye to that truth.  Richard set up a number of things to benefit his people, including a court where the poor could have their grievances heard.  He also lifted a ban on  printing books.  I wonder how much we look at him with a modern day eye and cannot fathom what the society was like back then.  Rules were certainly different and there seemed to be a lot of "off with her head" behavior going on.  I have seen news reports about a "State Funeral" for his remains.  Over the top?  Perhaps.  You have to wonder how his remains stayed hidden all those years. He was buried hastily after the battle, probably to hide him.  That worked out well, didn't it?


Thirty years ago today, I started working FULL TIME for the City of LA, at Rent Stabilization. I was a clerk.  It was a good job and I learned a lot about the City family there.  I had been working for the Library Department, but I had a supervisor who did not like me- at ALL - and she would not help me to get promoted.  I think she did me a favor in a round-about way.  If I had stayed, my plan was to go to Library School and become a Librarian.  Working with her changed my mind about trying to do that.  My career path became different.  I became a Management Analyst and came back to the Library to work as a Facilities Manager.  The job is well suited to my personality and even though it sometimes drives me crazy, it is satisfying in a lot of way professionally.  I can actually see the results of the work I am doing.  I get to work with nice people.  I get to help keep the doors open ( sometimes literally!)  Thirty is a magic number, because in theory, I could retire this Summer, when I hit the other magic number , fifty-five. I don't think THAT is going to happen for a variety of reasons.  It IS nice to know that it IS possible though.

I am looking forward to the adventure Chris and I have planned for today. I had better get moving if it's going to happen.

Stuff

Getting ready for a few days off work, planning a sweet little adventure which I will talk about AFTER I get back.  Whatever happens, I will be spending time with Chris which is still my favorite thing to do no matter what we do.  It's nice.

I went back to the doctor yesterday.  Life's ironies never cease to amaze me.  I have been diagnosed and treated for asthma for about ten years.  Taking the steroids.  The whole nine yards.  The NEVER did the breathing test that really diagnoses it. They finally did ( you know where this is leading, right?)  I DON'T have asthma.  Not sure what the problem IS, but it's NOT asthma.  Weird, huh?  I am on a new course of meds to see if that helps the breathing problems I am STILL having.   At this point I am so sick of not breathing and being tired I will try anything.  I FINALLY found a doctor I trust and can talk to and guess what??? She's going on maternity leave.  Figures.  I hope they don't assign me to another doctor like the last one I had.  He never listened to me, just rolled a pill at me and sent me on my way.  He made me feel invisible.  It makes me think about this.  At a certain age, women become invisible.  I was walking down the street the other day, heading for the stairs at the subway station and this twenty-something  kid just walked across my path as if I weren't there. He was headed for the burrito shop. He SAW me, He LOOKED at me and just walked in front of me anyway.  "Excuse me" I called out to him.  Sarcasm is lost on people like that.   Sigh.  If I had been more agile I might have tried to trip him.  Not.  It's just a wicked thought that crossed my mind from time to time.  I want to be an old lady like my grandmother.  When she was in her 90's she was headed for the bank and these two fifteen year olds tried to rob her.  She was about  4' 11" maybe and she walked with a cane.  She LOOKED like an easy mark.  They picked the wrong old lady.  She BEAT them with that cane and held them for the cops.  I can imagine how THAT jailhouse conversation went down "How'd you get the bruises, kid?"   "Tried to mug a 90 year old Irish woman" 

That cheery thought will carry me through today.

Super bowl and other weekend thoughts

I love football.  Congrats to the Baltimore Ravens for a game well played.  The Niners have nothing to be ashamed of either.  I haven't been watching it all that much in the last few years, but I do love a good game.  Yesterday's Super Bowl WAS a good game.  Despite all the Monday morning Quarterbacking that is going on, both teams were IN the game until the very end.  I hate when the score becomes so one sided the game becomes a joke.  I remember years ago, actually ROOTING for Denver to score ( even though I do not like John Elway)  I was embarrassed for him.  Nothing worse than a dull Super Bowl.

I love watching the commercials.  That Go- Daddy Commercial however crossed the lines of good taste of humor.  If they were going for "funny" they missed the mark.  It was just creepy.  I thought she was going to eat him. If she had morphed into Predator, THEN it would have been funny.  It was just too "Soft porn" for me, the visual AND the sound effects made a combined YUCK for me.  The Calvin Klein Commercial with that well sculpted guy prancing around in seamless chonies was tacky but not nausea inducing.  I LOVED the Budweiser spot, with the man and the horse. Sweet , and advertising the "brand" without ever showing the product.  The Clydesdales are so identified with Budweiser, aren't they?  The commercials weren't all that good this year.  The Oreo commercial was silly, but the premise was bad.  We would have tossed their butts out for eating in the Library.  It could have never gotten that far. ;)  Best spontaneous moment?  One of the Ravens players lying on his back on the field that was covered in confetti, making a "snow angel" in the debris.  TOO funny. 

My mom used to love the halftime shows.  She would NOT have liked this one.  Bleh.  I wanted to see if Destiny's Child would really "reunite" as the rumor mill had it.  They did, sort of.  It was all a big  nothing for me, as the sound was terrible  and the "dancing" if you could call it that was just seeing how fast they could make the fringe on the bottom of the backsides of their outfits  fly around.  I wouldn't call anything the dancers and singers were wearing a dress, more like a bathing suit with aspirations.  In my opinion, Beyonce was lip syncing.  She was never winded and she did not falter at all.  She would have to be in phenomenal shape to do that.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I was bored anyway; that "Big eye" thing she does all the time, and when one of the other girls was singing the camera just focused on her.  Bleh.

On Saturday, my husband and I went to the wedding of two dear friends, Chiyo and Barbara.  It was a sweet day.  The couple and their families were glowing with happiness. It was a beautiful day.  Best little moments for me (I managed NOT to burst int tears of joy, just a little happy tears moistening my eyes and NOT screwing up my makeup)  The couples three dogs, dressed in doggy wedding finery escorting the groom and bearing the rings.  The "girls" were rockin' their "dresses"  Bruno, not so much as he ditched the cap early in the proceedings.  The bride's mother, when the couple gave everyone a change to make a speech, calling out "Grandchildren!"  It still makes me smile.

Gonna be another busy day for me.  Better scoot, so I can make the train.

Weddings

Up early this morning, doing something to my hair as we get ready to celebrate the marriage of our two friends, Chiyo and Barbara.  I am so happy to be going.  Weddings put a little "happiness bubble" in the middle of my stomach and I could really use the happiness bubble these days  ( who can't?)  It is beautiful to see people who are so in love make vows to one another.  I love the glow in the room, not just the bride and the groom, but all the guests when there is so much love in the air.  I love weddings. I ALWAYS cry at weddings, is anyone surprised about that?    It got me thinking about weddings in general and marriage.

I have been married twice.  I like to say about my first marriage; it was not a mistake to GET married, it would have been a mistake to STAY.  After all, my first marriage brought me my beautiful daughter.  It was good and then it wasn't. I am thankful it put me on the path tho my marriage to Chris.  This marriage is what my heart was searching for.  I have a contentment I never thought possible and a happiness that I can't believe I deserve.  Maybe that's too intimate a detail, but I feel so lucky, so blessed and I can't believe my good fortune. 

A lot of young girls these days plan the wedding to the Nth degree.  I read about that woman who kept a binder for TEN YEARS, with every detail of her dream wedding in it.  TEN YEARS?   Now that she is married, what does she do?  Sometimes I want to remind girls "It's NOT about the wedding, it's about the marriage"  Case in point Kim Kardashian.  gees, the over the top details of her faux marriage were just nausea inducing.  The lavishness of the whole event was mind blowing.  They were so involved in getting her married, for whatever reason, that the two of them forgot to fall in love. A lot of people mistake attraction for love.  You should be attracted to your partner, but not just the way they look. It's true you should marry someone you can talk to.  It's an important component in any marriage.

So, Congratulations and much love to our friends today as they "Tie the Knot"  This one will hold fast.

Friday musings

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with just a snippet of a song on a loop in your head?   It happens to me all the time.  The current "ear worm"is the closing guitar solo of Journey's "Who's crying now"  I LOVE Journey- well STEVE PERRY Journey anyway, but this has got to go!  I mnever quite figured out how to get rid of a song that is stuck in my head.  Putting another song in it's place is temporary relief, then you have to get rid of THAT song.

Glad it's Friday.  It's been a crazy week.  Still having breathing issues and I don't relish yet another trip to the doctor.  They have me on one medication and off another to see if that helps.  Well, yes and no.  I need to email my doc in a bit and make an appointment.  Hopefully she can see me soon.

I cannot believe it's already February.  Where did January go?  Time really does speed up as you get older.  Maybe because our days are so filled with things that we HAVE to do, unlike when we were kids and there were things we wanted to do, but needed to wait.  Tom Petty was right "the waiting is the hardest part"  When you are waiting, time seems to draw out slowly, doesn't it?  I wonder if time isn't an artificial concept, created by humans; that it doesn't really exist.  That we needed to organize our lives and time is just something we agreed on.  True, the sun rises and sets  or really the world spins at a measured pace, but  is the pace real or artificial?   Complex thoughts before my second cup of java this morning.