Jo's Jottings

Happy 4th of Ju-ly!

2009-07-03T16:22:00.003-04:00

That's how many pronounce July here in VA. Best wishes and happy picnicking!

It's almost Summer and the livin' is crazy

2009-06-20T08:29:00.002-04:00

I'm up before the rest of the house. It's nice and cool downstairs. Won't be long before the temps rise to about 95. I don't understand the heat index. It's 96 but will feel like 105??? No matter how they say it it's HOT!

Two days into summer vacation for the kids. One is grumpy and the other is spending her days/nites sleeping late and staying up late. Hey, it's expected.

Trying to ferret out some info on the huge federal health care situation. Fifteen years ago when Hillary was in charge we knew nothing about the plan and the costs were in the billions. Today we still don't know much and the costs could rise to 2 trillion. Yikes. Why does the federal government have to get into every aspect of our lives? Where's the freedom of choice gone? I don't hear the "right" standing up to the"left" very much.

What's up with ABC news doing essentially an Obama health care plan infomercial from the White House this coming week? I ain't gonna watch that crap. Of course it's going to be biased. Why can't three reporters from three channels do it?

Remember when President Truman took three reporters around the white house after the renovations? No, I wasn't there, I saw the program on TV. PBS I think.

Off to make Bill's ice cream Father's Day cake.

Keep cool.

$300,000 photos never to be seen

2009-05-06T16:33:00.002-04:00

I just heard the photos taken of Air Force One over NYC last week (scared the HELL out of NYers who saw the jet) will not be used. Lovely, peachy. Another waste of tax payer money!! Sure ticks me off. If "I'm Sorry" would pay the bills I'd accept as many as the Federal wanks give me.

FOXNews.com - Woman Accused of Using Liquid Soap Chaser Before Trying to Bite Flight Crew - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

2009-05-04T15:34:00.001-04:00

FOXNews.com - Woman Accused of Using Liquid Soap Chaser Before Trying to Bite Flight Crew - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

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a bike for losers.....

2009-04-26T13:58:00.002-04:00

If you think the Segway upright "mover" is freaky check out this bike...yea, I can see Schwinn ordering 10K of these...

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/07/sideways_bike.php

Shoes Glorious Shoes...

2009-04-20T11:15:00.002-04:00

Two pair of shoes in one day. I'm modeling the red sandals...may have to buy a new wardrobe just to show off these babies! The sneaks are a men's size 9.5. I thought the contest was for women's shoes. WRONG. So they're up for grabs. There's a teenager who works at the VLM who love shoes and maybe he will have the right size tootsie. Will send him a photo.

Rain, rain go away for today and tomorrow. Violet's rescheduled tennis match is today and it'll be rained out again. Drat.

Tweet tweet with the celebs

2009-04-18T08:02:00.004-04:00

I can't help thinking of tweety bird that cute yellow fowl when I visit Twitter. Did you catch Ashton Kutcher and the P.Puff Diddy "ringmaster" on Larry King Live last night? Geez does the LK look terrible. Anyway I started following Ashton to make sure CNN (can be biased news network) didn't win the race! I also am following Oprah and would encourage you to join the network. Ashton said something which I hadn't thought about. He said to some twitter is an ego site....think about it......anyone in the world with access can read your thoughts. You gotta keep it brief though.

The vegetable garden is in! Maybe we'll have tomatoes in late June. Yellow squash, zucchini and assorted herbs round out the selection. Will post a photo when things start to sprout.

Walt Willey aka Jackson Montgomery from All My Children soap will be at Cozzy's comedy club tonite. They must be cutting salaries at ABC/Disney if he's doing stand-up now. Or he's a closet comedian. You'd have to have a sense of humor to work all these years with the diva herself...Susan Lucci. Tough decision....$15 a ticket to see WW or stay home and watch the NASCAR race from Phoenix that begins at 8:30pm. Tough!

Off to exercise then to volunteer at the VLM.

If you've delved into ancestry.com to find leaves in your family tree let me know. I'm thinking of joining to see how far back I can go...there's supposed to be witches and warlocks in my mothers family. Tell you anything????

Woody Woodpecker is pecking on my house

2009-04-05T10:05:00.004-04:00

Bloody woodpeckers should know the wood is painted on my house! I can hear the rapid pecking as I write. Not too big a brain. Imagine baning your head on something rapidly. Must be mating season? What, all the trees are bug free? That reminds me. My backyard neighbor must have or suspect termites. An exterminator was out last week drilling holes into the concrete slab around the perimeter of his house. Yikes! Would have been nice if he told us they're coming our way. His home is about 8 years older than ours.

Need to clean up and go exercise. Drop V off to the VLM for her volunteer shift. NASCAR Texas race is on at 2pm! I'm hoping Jeff Gordon's winless streak continues today.

I got a 16g iPod - yellow. Also bought an iomega 360g external hard drive and have it plugged into my computer. Installed iTunes on it. Found out about this tip at amazon.com when I was shopping. The external drive is terrific. About $75.00.

In other news....Abbie Gillen and freshman reserve Violet Hahn won the decisive match as host Menchville gained its second 5-4 victory in two days, defeating Heritage.With the team score at 4-all and the Monarchs holding match point -- Heritage serving at 1-5, 30-40 in the final set -- the teams moved from Menchville's unlighted courts to nearby Denbigh's lighted courts. The Monarchs clinched the triumph a game later.

"That was a very, very pleasant surprise to pull that out," Menchville coach Marvin Hedgepeth said. "The most pleasant thing is to have a ninth-grader (Hahn) keep her composure. She kept tons of balls in play -- nothing spectacular but just really solid.

"We didn't go into the season with real high expectations, but look out if these girls start believing in themselves."

Menchville, with numerous district championships and second-place finishes, has an inexperienced team, but the Monarchs gained some confidence with Tuesday's 5-4 victory over Hampton and may be able to contend for a playoff berth.

Where's the Customer Service Gone?

2009-03-20T20:32:00.002-04:00

Last week was the epitome of poor customer service. We had trouble with three businesses. One jewelry store (recommended by a local silver store) had a necklace of mine since 1/10. They were to add silver beads and put on a new clasp. I picked it up March 14th, unfinished. Promised two weeks and two months later zip. Never will go back there and next time I go to the silver store will let them know the terrible service and not to recommend the jeweler/repair guy.

Next was the painting firm. I noticed a shutter corner had come undone from the shingle. The house was power-washed. The firm's lawn sign was still behind our fence too. I called twice without anyone calling me back. Third time I called I spoke to the "production" manager and he said he's look into it and call me Tuesday. I got home Tuesday nite and no call. I wrote a note to the owner to let him know I thought the customer service was crap. The shutter is now secure and the manager called to apologize. Big of him.

Third snafu is the Cox comm. digital phone. After two weeks of temporary phone we are back to our number. The guy we spoke with to set up this and digital cable was a complete incompetent. He promised stuff he couldn't deliver. We switched from one phone company and wanted the exact same features and tonight...when we finally got a dialtone...I find out that we don't have voice mail we will have to fork over $6.95 a month!! No savings at all. The guy said TIVO would work no problemo...I had the installer come back the next morning to take out the stupid digital box. Did I mention the sales guy said the box was free? Nope, we're paying $5.50 a month...It's the digital cable that's free.

Yikes, next week can only get better.

It's been a while

2009-03-14T07:58:00.004-04:00

Guess what? We survived another Friday 13th? The crazies have another month or so to regroup and de-stress! So much going on what with tennis, gymnastics (not me) work, laundry and it all I've not spent time at the old computer enjoying the peace and quiet. I did send a postcard to speaker of the house politely suggesting she give up the private government jets and use commercial like the rest of us peons! Rather than spend taxpayer $$ she could help tax paying airline employees but flying commercial. I know, security risks. The Speaker before her - the guy from TX did it but it's a new admin and I've yet to see any transparency. Don't get me started on the CHANGE is good crap...that's all I'll have left in my purse if BO has his way? What about all these unnecessary earmarks? Is earmark and politically correct word for PORK?????? Oy vey I need another cup of coffee.

Travel Channel Trip-A-Month Sweepstakes

2009-02-28T08:56:00.001-05:00

Another 13th and it's Friday

2009-02-13T11:14:00.003-05:00

Not a superstitutious person, I get impatient with others who cringe at one specific day. Sorry, it's true. Get over it or handle it with DRUGS! Or at least hypnosis to make you not think about it. If it's going to happen it'll happen regardless of the day, time, place or circumstances. Trust me, I know these things. Like the Continental flight last night. I flew last weekend without mishap and will do so again next month...It's cheaper to fly up to DC from Norfolk than to drive up, park overnight for $15 and drive back with mileage reimbursement. From door to hotel it should be 4.5 hours. A bit longer than driving up and a lot less stressful. Did I mention I detest driving near DC?
Until next time....Go Carla, Go Carla!

It's true...everything IS bigger in Texas

2009-02-08T11:17:00.005-05:00

Howdy Partner...I'm posting from TX this weekend...my hostess doesn't want her name mentioned so from now on I'll refer to her as Ms. Armadillo. We've just finished a delish bagel breakfast and now we're off to Dallas to see the Tut exhibit. I remember like it was yesterday when Carter and his crew found the boy king's tomb. It was scarab and mummy mania! More later..coconut cake, NY super fudge chunk...she who must not be named read my blog and indulged me in my favorites. I'm grateful for the Yellow Rose hospitality.

2009-01-18T18:42:00.003-05:00

When is a door not a door? When it's a jar!

Anyone else miffed that the Lincoln Memorial concert today was only available to HBO subscribers with digital cable? What happened to open and access for all? Geez, you can't pay you can't play and it's not even 1/20. Not even CSPAN was permitted to tape the really big concert. Boo-Hoo.

I've set the Tivo to tape from 10:30a - 2:30p on Tuesday. Like I'll find the time to watch 4 hours anyway! I do want to see the oath of office part especially.

BO will have the most pressure (ok, George Washington had lots of pressure too) and the highest expectations of any president to date. So many people are expecting so damn much from him...I wish him the best. I'll be counting the 100 days along with everyone else.

January 6, 2009 HNY!

2009-01-06T08:31:00.004-05:00

Where did the last 365 days go? I blinked and it's now 2009. Tomorrow I turn 53. I remember as a kid figuring out how old I'd be when America turned 200 (20yrs), then when the year 2000 arrived (44). My next milestone will be when I retire! I'm not predicting it just yet.

We had a marvelous few days in PA with longtime friends Sue & Fred. New Years Eve was lots of fun but COLD!!! We just aren't used to that kinda cold and wind. It reminded us how lucky we are down in the old dominion. A few photos will accompany this post.

I'm not one for resolutions. I believe that if you want to do it, set a goal and do it! So no promises will be posted here. Happy New Year...you've got about 355 days to plan and save for Christmas 2009 or any goal you may have. Start today.

Cold & Cheery 23rd

2008-12-23T10:58:00.004-05:00

It's a chilly 68 degrees at my desk and I dare not turn up the thermostat for fear the heat elves will complain it's too warm. Taking a half day anyway and will volunteer at the VLM with the girls this afternoon. Should be a slow day there too. My oldest hasn't finished her shopping (gifts for Dad & me). I shudder to think of the Target parking lot at 5pm tonite. It's partly my fault though she could have walked there.

Our hair dresser Linda has invited us to her Christmas Eve party so we're all going there to enjoy some holiday cheer. I'm bringing my award winning salsa. That reminds me..I have to get over to Trader Joe's too for their garlicy pita chips. They are delicious.

All the gifts are wrapped and ready to go under the tree. Since no one really BELIEVES in "he who must not be named" I'm starting a new tradition and putting gifts under the tree at 9pm the 24th.

May the New Year bring you all
Troubles that last only seconds
Giggles that last minutes
Chuckles that last hours
Laughs that last days
Smiles that last weeks
Happiness that last months
Friendships that last years
But most of all
LOVE that lasts a lifetime!

-- unknown

I'll be back soon.

2008-12-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Post Party Recap

2008-12-12T15:21:00.007-05:00

I'm still recuperating from all the fun and games at this year's office soiree. I think a good time was had by all especially Pat & Rennie in the photo below. I'm not using the copier for a long time! Where are the wipes???

There were a few folks invited who didn't show up. What's up with that? You get an invite, you RSVP yes - you gotta go! It looks like a the management team outdid themselves this year and each brought 3-5 dishes each. Shame most of it went into the trash. There's probably a few homeless vagrants who could have eaten that stuff!!! My favorite dish was the santa crackers....no it wasn't the girls who provided our afterlunch entertainment...I mean the cute rizt crackers with pepperoni and cheese and olives made to look like a pale santa claus. Darlin!

I can't wait for the New Years Eve bash. I'm hosting it this year at my Moose lodge.

The Proverbial Office Christmas Party

2008-12-12T08:54:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's finally arrived....the office Christmas Party. Except we aren't calling it such because we have gentiles and jews and a few agnostics attending. You'd never know by the wreaths & Christmas Tree adorning the conference room. The meager staff of seven is feeding the masses today between 11:30 an 1:00 or until the table is bare. Thank goodness we aren't doing a gift swap. That is always a fiasco. The super management team decided to invite past employees to share our repast. One woman who retired over 25 years ago may attend and promptly announce that it's the first time in 25 years she's been invited back! Oh, it's gonna be a festive event. My heart is beating fast in anticipation.

Just how much can seven people contribute to feed 15+ you might ask? Could be a miracle in the making today. If after all is cleared away and the is carpet swept I'll be anxious to see if the proverbial envelope is passed to help those who chose to do more, spend more for those including me who didn't to share in their burden..

My contribution to the really big party is a huge pumpkin pie and whipped cream to top it. If anyone gripes it's their own fault. On the food sign up sheet there was no $$ minimum or quantity. I thought I was feeding about eight people.

I'm on the clean-up crew and have my apron all set. If invitees begin the aluminum foil parade and take any and all leftovers home with them to feed the family it means less work for me.

Oh Bah Humbug!

Bill always loved pomegranates in this recipe

2008-11-25T19:57:00.001-05:00

Holiday Chilled Fruit Salad
(6 servings)

2 cups pomegranate seeds
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
4 bananas, peeled and sliced
3 cups peeled, cored, and chopped green apple
1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soft cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the pomegranate seeds, pineapple, bananas, apples and pecans. Stir in the mayonnaise and salad dressing until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight for best flavor.

Enjoy!

Snow Day

2008-11-21T09:37:00.004-05:00

Well, not really but I did see a few fleeting flakes of the white variety and no they weren't on my shoulders thank you! I didn't check the forecast before I told I colleague I'd walk to his place for am 11:30am meeting. My car is at the dealer for a check-up. I've got an umbrella and a warm coat and definitely could use the exercise.

It's about 37 degrees at 6:30am and daughter #1 is ready to walk out the door. I asked her where thenew warm coat (photo on left) was. She said "it's outside on the driveway with my books." Okay, I thought, she's being sensible, rare for a 14 yr. old. I just bought her that coat on Tuesday. So, I go back upstairs to get dressed and bring a few folded clothes into her room and viola....her coat is folded and laying on the floor beside the bed.....now this kid doesn't lie so I'm perplexed why she lied to me about something like this new coat. She had lots of compliments when she wore it the day before. Lies are not tolerated... I left her a voice mail message saying effective when she gets home this evening, she is grounded (except for volunteering at the VLM), no Sue(best friend), no cell phone, and no walking around the nighborhood. This better teach her to 1. wear her freakin' coat and 2. do not lie to me. Left the "boss" a message too alerting him to the grounding and expected attitude of daughter #1.

Oh the joys of parenthood.

15 minutes of fame or 12" of fame whatever...

2008-11-12T13:33:00.002-05:00

Dip into something fresh Newport News woman wins beer company's salsa recipe contest

Check out my 15 minutes of fame (minimal fortune too) at:
http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-life_salsawin_1112nov12,0,5655790.story

abc family scrapbook sweepstakes

2008-11-10T22:39:00.002-05:00

Check this out:
http://community.abcfamily.go.com/25-days-christmas/scrapbook-sweepstakes

Indecision 2008

2008-11-03T15:14:00.003-05:00

I'm an independent voter with conservative leanings who doesn't like anything about Obama and I'm miffed at McCain, Bush and the whole lot in Congress for getting us into Iraq and keeping us there so long. I believe that Iraq wasn't a danger to the USA. My parents were Republicans. The relatives are Republicans....some of the few still left in New York State! With that said I'm not sure who to vote for tomorrow. The decision is as personal as sharing my bank account balance or my weight...OK don't ask! If I knew which of the candidates is a NASCAR fan maybe I'd vote for that one.

Starbucks is giving free cups of coffee to anyone who comes in tomorrow and says they voted. I'll go get a tall cup of java. Yum.

As for US Senator...I'm gonna vote for Jim Gilmore. While Mark Warner talks a good game...he's still a Democrat. Regardless when a politician says they'll reach across the aisle, extend a hand, be bi-partisan it's all crap....the dems will stick together and the repubs will do likewise. I gaurantee it!

You'd think I would know better! Fryday

2008-10-27T16:11:00.004-04:00

OK, one surefire way to put a damper on any vacation is sunburn. I'm not blaming anyone but me for the crappy burn on my shoulders and back. I'm officially a REDNECK! I can't blame the cute Puerto Rican "boat guy" for starting happy hour at 10:30am, hence distracting me, or my better half for not slathering my back with enough SPF to block the rays. I think the stuff was diluted; so instead of 30, it was more like 3. Can sunscreen loose it's effectiveness? Well...long story short my back got lots of burn Fryday while we were catamaran"ing" across the caribbean sea to and from a lovely uninhabited island where we frolicked with the fish and snorkeled until our masked filled with salt water. Fun, fun time. The avergae age of the 30 people on board as 30. There were even about 20 people from the Outer Banks of NC who were celebrating their orgainzation's 30 anniversary...a few of the young ladies went to Menchville HS where Violet is now enrolled and one lady was born here in NN. The whole day was lots of fun...Barefoot Catamarans out of Fajardo, PR. I'll post a couple photos once I locate my camera.

Here's the wonderful resort we stayed at: El Conquistador Restort & Golf Club

FYI - Nextel does not have towers in PR so be forewarned....your phones won't work down there. We did find a sprint shop and switched for $20 total for two phones. Now we're locked in for two more years.