"How's the world treating you? ..."

Oh, hi. You still here?

Sorry it's been so long. I was thinking I could make a bunch of excuses, like how I've been busy with doing laundry or organizing my CD's or updating Quicken or sitting on my ass watching the new TV. You want more excuses? I've got dozens.But truthfully, the reason I'm not updating regularly is that I'm still barely surfacing. Depression keeps tripping me up lately, always does that in the winter months. For 40 plus years, the gameplan has been "Fake It Until It Feels Better" ... so I guess that's what I'm trying to do.

------------

So yeah, I decided to throw a whole bunch of Christmas money at this guy who works at Tweeter, and then he helped Adam and Jimmy load a huge TV on the back of Jimmy's truck. Of course they had to go back and get another one, because I changed my mind about the one I wanted on the way home from the store. But really all that matters is ... now I can sit out at my mailbox and watch TV. No kidding. This thing is humongous. Bad part is, I'm used to it already ... and the TV in my bedroom (29-inch screen) seems too tiny to watch. (Spoiled, I think they call it.)Jimmy shopped around for a home theater system to go with the new TV, and bought this supersonic Sony thing ... only decided he didn't like the way the DVD's and CD's load into it. So he'll be returning that for another one next time he's home. I haven't used the DVD player/stereo system part of it at all -- I'm stuck watching CMT ... MTV ... All My Children ... Driven: Jessica Simpson ... The Bachelorette -- you name it, I'm watching it. And now I can actually read football and basketball scores. :-)

-----------

Adam's truck died. We think it'll be raised from the dead for the right price though. Meanwhile, he's tooling around Clemson in my car. I told you having a one-day-a-week job made sense. Heh.

----------

Supposed to be a rainy, cold weekend around here. At least we're above zero. I'm feeling for all those Northeasterners. 8 below in Boston tonight. Now that's cooler than being cool. ICE COLD! (Ahem.) Speaking of the weekend, Nick and Jessica will be hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend ... FYI. I watch way too much TV, I guess. Oh well, it's better than staring at my fingernails.

----------

I have just about finished putting all our CD's in notebooks. It feels great to get them all together in one place, and out of all the various racks in one room or another. Current count: just under 600. Including Milli Vanilli. Girl, you know it's true!

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The Voice Within

Young girl, don't cry

I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

Young girl, it's all right

Your tears will dry, you'll soon be free to fly

When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream

Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems

No one ever wants or bothers to explain

Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl, don't hide

You'll never change if you just run away

Young girl, just hold tight

And soon you're gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed

It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold

When you're lost outside look inside to your soul

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Yeah...Life is a journey

It can take you anywhere you choose to go

As long as you're learning

You'll find all you'll ever need to know

You'll make it

You'll make it

Just don't go forsaking yourself

No one can stop you

You know that I'm talking to you

When there's no one else

Look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend

Just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength

That will guide your way

If you will learn to begin

To trust the voice within

Young girl don't cry

I'll be right here when your world starts to fall

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Thought For Today:

"Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward."

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Outside My House Today:

High: 53

Low: 45

Sunny and windy

"Lately there's been too much of this ..."

Brr.

----------

Last night I talked to my friend Sharon. She's out of a job again. I could hardly believe my ears when she told me that she'd been "let go" by that freakin' B1g L0ts. Also, she told me that the manager had resigned, and they had fired about 20 people. So there. I don't feel as guilty for quitting that one. I really liked the manager ... hope he's found something else to do. Sharon hasn't. She's in bad shape. She might come over later to use the computer here to do some searching and applying online.

----------

"The Real World - San Diego" started last night (don't smirk at me, YES I watch too much TV) and I was surprised to see a pretty young priss from Anderson, SC is one of the seven roomies. She's a student at Tri-County Technical College, where my very own firstborn was enrolled for one semester several years ago. Anyhoo, I was totally getting into the whole drama of their first few days in the (as usual) gorgeous house on the water. A few of them drank themselves silly on the first night ... anyway, I was dismayed to hear our hometown girl (Cameryn, or something like that) go into detail about she "doesn't like YANKEES". And she ain't talking about the baseball team. Later on in the show, I said "Whoo hoooo!" when she appeared wearing a Clemson t-shirt ... and then I yelled "nooooooo!" when she bluntly tells everyone that she brought her vibrator with her to the house. Oh yeah! Make your Mama proud, girl.

-----------

Speaking of Clemson, I don't believe I have given mention of the Tigers' BRILLIANT performance in the Peach Bowl on January 2nd. It was soooo fun to watch as they won 27 - 14 over Tennessee. And if the refs had been doing their job, they never would have called back one of Clemson's touchdowns, and the score would have been even higher! It was a perfect ending to an incredible season ... and I can't wait until August!

----------

Hope the first day of classes went smoothly for my kids ... I was thinking about you today!

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Thought For Today:"The good, the bad, hardship, joy, tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one indescribable whole that one calls life. You cannot separate the good from the bad, and perhaps there is no need to do so." (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis)

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Outside My House Today:
High: 39
Low: 19
Partly cloudy

2003 in Q&A

1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?

Passed a state board exam; quit 3 different jobs; got highlights in my hair; came ->this close<- to giving up or having a nervous breakdown, whatever you want to call it.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

The only resolution I made last year was about money. I wanted to be in less debt at the end of the year. And no thanks to me, I think we are. Yeah, I've made some more for this year ... they're at the bottom of this entry.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. But the death of a co-worker's daughter hit my husband and me like a ton of bricks.

5. What countries did you visit?

Give me a break, I haven't left the southeast.

6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?

More money; serenity; weight loss.

7. What date(s) from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I can't think of any.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not many achievements for me lately, so I'll just say it was making it through that silly CNA course I took. I had so little confidence in myself ... just the fact that I stayed with it until the end was a miracle.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Realizing that I was probably never going to work as a CNA, and that I had wasted all the money spent on that course was 2003's big failure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No injury, and only one bout with the fever/sore throat bug last January and one bladder infection in November. Not bad!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I didn't actually buy it ... my mother paid for it. But we have a new dining room table with 6 chairs. Nice. Maybe the best thing I bought was Jane Iredale mineral face powder. It costs a fortune, but it doesn't irritate my rosacea.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Well it certainly wasn't MINE.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My husband's. He is unable (unwilling?) to understand Emilie's illness, and my depression confounds him as well. My mother's quickness to criticize others was pretty appalling too.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Most of our money goes to the "Kids" category, since we're paying rent and most living expenses for them. The next big chunk goes to our house payment. We also were able to put a sizable amount into savings this year. Yay, us.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My trip to visit Laura and Melody last January was a high spot, and tailgating always makes me smile.

16. What song will always remind you of 2003?

Probably the Outkast song "Hey Ya", since it never failed to make me smile when I heard it.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Sadder

ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter

iii. richer or poorer? Richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercising.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worrying.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

At home with the kids and Jimmy, Brandy, my mother and Kay, Josh and Beth.

22. Did you fall in love in 2003?

Oh no.

23. How many one-night stands?

Ha!

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Survivor, always Survivor

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No, I don't have much hate in me anymore.

26. What was the best book you read?

I didn't read anything memorable in 2003.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Can't think of any ... oh wait, maybe my huge crush on Justin Timberlake will count for this question. "I don't know what I'm thinkin' 'bout, leavin' here wit chu ..."

28. What did you want and get?

A dining room table? (weird question)

29. What did you want and not get?

Hardwood floors; new living room furniture; new bed? (same weirdness)

30. What was your favorite film of 2003?

I didn't see many, but I loved "Mona Lisa Smile"(that's probably considered a 2004 film) and "The Life of David Gale".

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

44 years old. And I don't remember my birthday very well at all.

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Losing 100 pounds

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?

Comfort. Period. I don't own enough pajamas.

34. What kept you sane?My kids.35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I have to choose? Justin Timberlake ... Jessica and Nick ... Dave Matthews ... Josh Groban ... Rupert ... !

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The war.

37. Who did you miss?

Adam and Emilie.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Sharon ... she teaches me about perseverance through difficult times.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003.

I can bear a lot more than I thought. And the support and encouragement I give to my daughter plays a huge role in her ability to cope with her illness.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"It's hanging on when your heart has had enoughIt's giving more when you feel like giving upI've seen the lightIt's in my daughter's eyes"(Martina McBride sings this beautiful song.)

My New Year Resolutions:

Spend some time outside every day. Read every day. Continue shrinking the credit card debt. Take a walk 3 or 4 times a week. Keep my house in order.

**********

Outside My House Today:

High: 48

Low: 34

Partly cloudy and windy

"We'll drink a cup of kindness ..."

"Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past." (Henry Ward Beecher)

"Deck us all with Boston Charlie ..."

Hey! Remember me?

Three weeks since I updated here. Hardly even checked my e-mail, so much was going on. There's probably no way I can give a decent recap, so I won't even try. I'll just pick up from here and move on. Fresh starts and all that.

I will tell you this: The last month was THE most stressful month in my almost-45 years. It was impossible to pretend that things were alright, so you have to feel sorry for my holiday houseguests. My Christmas wish was that things would never be that bad ever again.

It was so very good to see my family, but at the same time I was worried about how they must be feeling so uncomfortable with all the stress in the house.

My Christmas gifts (in no particular order):
*down comforter and duvet from my mom
*Nautica cologne, "About Schmidt" dvd, and "Adaptation" dvd from Laura and Melody
*Cup o' drug rep pens, a pretty candle, and a candle holder from Kay
*A framed senior picture of Beth from Beth and Kay
*3 pretty wineglasses (for the 3 Sisters!) and a small winerack from Josh
*Pretty candle holder with good-smelling tealights from Beth*Elton John cd (all his hits!), a dvd set with 3 classic musicals: "Gigi", "An American In Paris" and "My Fair Lady", and pretty coasters from Adam and Brandy
*Blue drinking glasses, a sweet card, and a beautiful framed picture of herself from Emilie
*A big ole box o' money from Jimmy (I have no idea what to spend it on ... leave your suggestion in the "Comments", if you please.)

----------

Today is my 25th wedding anniversary. That's right. 25 years ago this afternoon ... I was skinny. Waaaaaa!

There will be no celebration ... Jimmy is in Puerto Rico.

However, I will be spending an hour or so this afternoon at a family counseling session. Emilie has been getting some intensive therapy through a "partial hospitalization" over her Christmas break. And today is the day that I get to go in and try really hard not to sob loudly and embarrass the hell out of her.

How I pray that she will find some help and some healing through this program she's in.

----------

So that's about it. I'm extremely happy to see 2003 out the back door. What a bitch she was.

If you go out tonight, be so very careful of the drunk people careening down the roads, will you?

Happy New Year to you and yours. God bless us, everyone.

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Outside My House Today:
High: 58
Low: 28
Sunny

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch ..."

Short hello for this drippy, cold Thursday ...

Today was my yearly check-up ... the doctor very wisely pronounced me "just fine". So there.

Mother and I shopped all afternoon ... 'twas freezing out there but it added to the Christmas feeling.

Also, in case you were wondering ... the job on Tuesday went well! The lady is from New England, and quite the character. I drove her to her lawyer's office so that she could cut her son out of her will (ha!), she treated me to lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we visited the mall, and she did a bit of grocery shopping, and at 5:30 PM I dropped her off at her home. She talked almost constantly, so there was little for me to do except drive the car and listen. I'll go back on Tuesday ... I think she has a salon appointment for a perm. Whoo hoo!

Sleepy already. Please take good care of yourselves. :-)

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Outside My House Today:

High: 35

Low: 31

Icy, rainy, and quite miserably cold!

"You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel ..."

Trip on, trip off. Trip on, trip off. (sigh)

Emilie and I were lured into looking forward to a trip to Puerto Rico after Christmas, and then the Off And On Game began. Jimmy's boss encouraged everyone to have their families join them for part of the holidays, since they will be working so hard they will only be home for a few days. So the planning began. Only flights are hard to come by at this time of year, and timing is everything. I thought that he had given up, and decided we'd just do a trip somewhere fun at a later time ... but tonight he tells me that he's still trying to get us down there for a week.Trip off, trip on!I had already decided that, if the trip was off, Emilie and I would take off on a road trip to Charleston ... maybe Savannah ... and surrounding areas and do some exploring together. Might be even more fun to do that.

----------

(The dash key is working again.)

----------

The heater repair guy came to see us today, since the heater blower got noticeably louder yesterday. He videotaped what he found in the basement ... MOLD ... all over the outside of the unit, plus almost totally clogging the air duct thing. It was horrible. $500 horrible for him to clean the damn thing. And that's only a temporary fix. We'll have to get a new heat pump/air conditioner in the spring ... as well as put down a total moisture barrier in the basement. To the tune of $7,000. Merry Christmas!

Oh, and after all that, the blower is still louder. He said the mold growth probably warped the fan blade, and that's why it sounds louder now. Yeah.

----------

I went out shopping today ... alone! Yay!

----------

Cooked a nice dinner for Mother and me tonight ... only she feels a little "blah". (sigh, again) I'll be working most of the day tomorrow, so her mood might even be "blah-er" by tomorrow night. Have a holly jolly Christmas!

----------

And she needs a hearing aid. :-(

----------

Outside My House Today:
High: 58
Low: 42
Rain, rain, rain

"You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch ..."

Another day of running around town for me and my Mom. We ate lunch out at Fuddruckers, and accomplished quite a lot. Yay, us.

Next project is figuring out how to install the printer on a working computer so that I can print out my little Christmas letter to include with the cards I'm sending. Wish me luck.

Praying that Amazon.com will actually come through for me and send everything before Christmas Eve. I ordered it all on November 30th, and I swear I can't understand why they can't get it all here within a couple of weeks. Grrr.

I hope everybody is doing alright ... and that Clemson exams are going well! :)

(My "dash" key has stopped working!)

Outside My House Today:
High: 56
Low: 27
Sunny

"You really are a heel ..."

We are officially decorated for Christmas at the castle. Today Mother and I pulled out the rest of the boxes of Christmas crap and threw it around everywhere, we hung the wreath, and put the icicle lights out on the deck. We still have a good deal of mess laying around ... hopefully we'll find a place for everything before Christmas day.

I did a lot of wrapping yesterday ... no bows yet, but wrapped. I'm still waiting on several orders to arrive.

Brandy's coming by later to watch the Clemson/USC basketball game with us ... I'm thinking that dinner will be pizza delivery. Easy.

The candles I bought at Pier One smell WONDERFUL!

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Outside My House Today:
High: 45
Low: 31
Sunny and windy

"I'm just bein' honest ..."

OK, that's the last reference I'll make to the ever-popular "Hey Ya" song. Sadly, it's getting old to me.

----------

Dayummmm, I was gone a long time! And nobody even missed me. Oh well.Let's see ... when we last visited, the Clemson - USC game was about to be played. Happy ...no, THRILLED!... to report that Clemson ate gamecock for dinner that Saturday night. Clemson - 63USC - 17Oh yeah. That's SIXTY three points. I'm figgering it was a disgruntled gamecock fan that STOLE my tiger paw mailbox flag after the game. Grrr. Anyway, Clemson is headed to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on January 2nd. And I think that's GREAT!

----------

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. Ours was ... small. We had good food, and we all took a nap in the afternoon though. (Well, everybody except my Mom.)We were among the insane who went shopping on the day after. Wasn't too bad. I got my last paycheck from the closeout place. And spent half of it in there. Heh.

----------

Speaking of jobs, I'm "working" again. I got a call today from C0mf0rt K33pers ... they offered me a client who wants someone to drive her to do errands and out to lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'll start tomorrow, so hopefully things will go well.

----------

Thanks to the kids, the tree is up already. Mother and I have decided to wait until the weekend to finish the house decorations. We shopped today, and combined with what I did online yesterday, I'm well on my way to being finished. Of course, Amazon's delivery may screw up everything. I figure we have the next 2 weeks to shop, then Emilie will be home and having her wisdom teeth removed. (Awww!) That 3rd week of December, we'll stay close to home and get the baking and candy-making done. Ta-dah! Sounds like a plan.

----------

Well, that's all I've got, considering I'm so far behind in updating here ... I'll be back soon, I promise.

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Outside My House Today:
High: 69
Low: 36
Sunny

"Swing swing swing from the tangles of my heart ..."

Oh my God! They killed Rupert! You bastards!

I miss him already. At first, I loved him because he reminded me of Hagrid, or Bluto ... "Arrr!" Later on, I loved his incredible ego trip. He was simply the most entertaining Survivor ever. But I was disappointed by his self-pitying final words. I was hoping he would go out with dignity; or if not, that he would crush Jon's head between his beefy, pirate hands after his torch was snuffed. Hopefully he'll reappear on the next Survivor with the rest of the "all stars".

Speaking of Jon ... oh, how I long to smack his crooked teeth right out of his smirking mouth. I hate his stupid wrestling sayings and his lazy, sneaky ways. The sight of his idiot smile when Rupert was voted out caused steam from my ears. Gahhhh! I can't stand him.

AND ... that snake and lizard scene went on FAR too long. It almost made me cry. I was fully expecting to dream about it last night. *shiver*

-----------

So I didn't dream about the snake eating the still-alive lizard. Instead I tossed and turned while visions of Michael Jackson's mugshot danced in my head. Nooooooooo!

-----------

Friday Five

1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.
1. Have a warm family Christmas with everyone feeling contented and happy to be together
2. Lose 20 pounds (chuh-right)
3. Organize the home videos
4. Stress-free Christmas shopping
5. Strip and re-paint the front door (before the Christmas decorations go up!)

2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.
1. Leslie White (Adams) (We're "semi" in touch, but I wish it could be like it used to be.)
2. Sheridan Foreman
3. Marie Cope
4. Trina Smith
5. Linda Fehl

3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.
1. Knit
2. Quilt
3. Play the piano
4. Lay tile
5. Swim

4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).
1. Pay off all the bills and student loans
2. Build an incredible lakefront house on a huge piece of land
3. Build houses on the same land for the whole family (to live in full-time or to use as vacation places ... their choice)
4. Start a computer/drum/counseling/animal rescue/washer repair business, so that my husband and kids could do what they want to all day long
5. Hire a maid! ;-)

5. List five things you do that help you relax.
1. Watch TV
2. Read
3. Listen to Pachelbel's Canon in D or Josh Groban or Sarah McLachlan or Andrea Bocelli or Allison Kraus or Natalie Merchant or Diana Krall or or or
4. Take a shower
5. Call one of my sisters

-----------

Heading off in the morning, destination: Atlanta, to meet Laura and Melody. They are bringing my Mother with them, and I'll bring her home with me for the holidays. :-) She keeps me motivated.

-----------

The 101st game between Clemson and the University of South Carolina Damncocks happens in Columbia tomorrow night; 7:00 PM; ESPN2. Be there, or be left out entirely. GO TIGERS!

-----------

Oh yeah, I'm no longer an overworked, underpaid B1g L0ts employee. I guess you never really thought that one would last either, did you?

Please do not use me as your role model for "work ethic", OK? Thanks.

-----------

Enjoy your weekend ... and if you're in the neighborhood Saturday night, come cheer for the Tigers with me and my Mama!

-----------

A die-hard USC fan and a die-hard Clemson fan are waiting to be executed. The executioner asks the Gamecock fan for his last request.

"Hmmm", he says, then requests to hear the USC fight song one more time.

"OK", says the executioner and turns to the Clemson fan and asks the same question: "What is your last request?"

Without hesitation the Clemson fan says, "Shoot me first!"

----------

Outside My House Today:
High: 72
Low: 42
Sunny

-----------

Thought For Today:
"I cheer for TWO teams : Clemson ... & whoever's playin' USC."

-----------

Had to come back here this afternoon and add the joke Adam sent me in e-mail today! ...

Four football fans go rock climbing one afternoon, a Clemson fan, a South Carolina fan, a Tennessee fan and a Georgia fan.
They had been arguing all the way up the mountain about who among them was the most "die hard" fan.

Upon reaching the top of the mountain, the Tennessee fan proclaimed to the other three "This is for the Volunteers!" and promptly threw himself off the mountain as a form of sacrifice screaming "Rocky Top" as he fell to his death.

Not to be out done by the Tennessee fan, the Georgia fan jumped up and shouted "This is for the DAWGS" and threw himself off the mountain barking "Woof...woof, woof, woof, woof!" as he crashed on the rocks below.

Refusing to be out done by the Tennessee and Georgia fans, the Clemson fan rose to his feet and yelled at the top of his lungs "This is for the CLEMSON TIGERS!" and without any hesitation, pushed the South Carolina fan off the mountain shouting "Fly now, Gamecock!"

Ha!

I just got back from the grocery store. I bought Corona Light and limes for tomorrow evening's bratwurst dinner. Planned to buy the DVD about the rivalry between Clemson and USC, but it was sold out at that particular store. Wondering now whether it might be worth checking out a few more stores.

First I have to make "Clemson Caviar" so it can sit in the fridge overnight before we eat it with our Fritos tomorrow. ;-)

Bye!

"It's my life, don't you forget ..."

Well. I worked today with a sore arm and numb fingers. They called us all together at lunchtime to make a "We're In The Home Stretch" speech. We were told that, starting tomorrow, we would be working 12-hour shifts ... including Saturday, possibly Sunday. Anyone who has a problem with the schedule should "hit the door". Cashier training will be Monday and Tuesday of next week, for 8 hours a day. Then we're expected to put in 4 hours at the new store. Grand Opening is set for the day before Thanksgiving.

I have to say that "discouraged" is putting it mildly. I know how I feel after 10 hours on my feet, and it makes me cry like a baby to imagine 12 hours. All afternoon, my head was full of all kinds of thoughts and ideas. And I honestly don't know what the hell. :-(

I'm so damn tired of dealing with the inability to make money AND keep a semi-happy mindset at the same time. There must be something wrong with me.

Of course, most of the people I work with are thrilled at the idea of 12-hour-days ... they work to pay their rent and buy cigarettes. At $6.50 an hour, it just feels like insanity to me. Why am I knocking myself out for a chance to work for this crappy company?

Maybe the company I worked with before B1g L0ts will find me another old person to take care of. They still consider me an employee ... I told them I was unavailable to work through the holidays. Don't know why I did that ... I guess just in case this job sucked really bad. Anyway, all it would take is a phone call and they'd put me back active. I can't even tell you how much I hate all of this.

Ahhh ... cry me a river, right?

-----------

Q: Why do USC alumni keep their diplomas on their dash boards?
A: So they can park in the handicapped spaces.

Q: How do you keep a a Gamecock busy?
A: Write 'Please turn over' on both sides of a piece of paper.

A drunk stood on a table at a noisy bar.
"Listen up, y'all," he shouted. "I want to tell a Carolina joke." Immediately, a man -- a big man, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound man -- got to his feet.
"Buddy, let me warn you", he told the drunk. "I played football at Carolina."
"No problem", said the drunk. "I plan to tell it real slow."

-----------

Outside My House Today:
High: 69
Low: 57
Rainy and windy

------------

Thought For Today:
"You might be a Gamecock if:
Your elective foreign language in college was English."

"So why you, why you, why you, why you, why you ..."

As completely exhausted as I am tonight ... and I am, completely exhausted ... I can't help but perk up a bit when I hear that "Hey Ya" song, which I love so much that I ... must ... shake it like a Polaroid pic-cha! SHAKE IT! SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE IT! Ahem.

Oh Lord, my kids are both rolling their eyes as they read that. Heh.

-----------

I hurt myself at work today ... my elbow bent the wrong way when I was trying to lift something far too heavy, far too high. Duh. Nobody cared much. But it made me cry ... more out of being too tired than anything else. And I was really trying hard NOT to cry at work. I stayed an hour and a half longer than I said I was. Duh again. THAT won't be happening tomorrow. 8 hours, maybe 8-and-a-half ... then I'm out of there.

I'm thinking that if the cashier training doesn't happen soon, I won't be able to hang in there. This physical crap is killing me. :-(

----------

Already getting fired up for this weekend's game between Clemson and University of South Carolina. In preparation, I think I'll share a few jokes that Adam sent to me in e-mail.

Q: What do you have if three Gamecocks are buried up to their necks in cement?
A: Not enough cement.

Q: What does an average Gamecock football player get on his SATs?
A: Drool.

Q. What do you call a Gamecock in a 3 piece suit?
A. The defendant.

Q: How many USC freshmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: None - it's a sophomore course.

Haha ... more tomorrow. :-)

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Outside My House Today:
High: 73
Low: 56
Cloudy

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Thought For Today:
"You might be a Gamecock if:
Your Gamecock vanity plates were made by your ex-roommate."

"Where are you going, with your long face pulling down? ..."

I was on my feet for 10 hours today. I can't even express how glad I will be when the store finally opens. The gave us the option of leaving after 10 hours, or staying for 12 hours ... you know I was out the door lickety split.

My friend, the banker lady, was offered a promotion today. I was really happy for her. She'll be a "Customer Service Specialist", and hopefully she'll get a raise too. But that means that we won't be working together anymore until after the store opens. :-(

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Jimmy is safe and sound in Puerto Rico, after a very fast pitstop at home this weekend.

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Lawd, I'm tired. Hope you're all doing well ... keep in touch!

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Outside My House Today:
High: 68
Low: 60
Gray and misty

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Thought For Today:
"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." (Sir Winston Churchill)

"Let's rewrite an ending that fits ..."

7 AM - Woke up,in spite of intentions to "sleep in"

9 AM - Called my mother, made plans to bring her here for Thanksgiving ... probably will drive down to get her a week from today

11 AM - Called Kay, griped at her about not letting me know they weren't coming here for Thanksgiving ... will miss her and the kids very much

Noonish - Started cleaning bathrooms

1 PM - Listened to the Clemson/Duke game on the radio ... final score: Clemson - 40, Duke - 7 ...oh yeah

3 PM - The cleaning goes on and on ... clean sheets, clean floors, clean toilets

5 PM - Talked to Laura on the phone ... crossing my fingers she gets her promotion next week

6 PM - Surprise visit by Emilie and Judd ... they were in town shopping, and caught me in all my cleaning crud ...didn't care because I was so happy to see her :-)

Now it's time for a quick shower before picking Jimmy up from the airport at 8. He's heading out tomorrow afternoon for Puerto Rico.

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Outside My House Today:
High: 60
Low: 43
Cloudy

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Thought For Today:
"Indecision is my only flaw, I think ..."

"What would you say? ..."

Ahhhh ... Two days ahead of me to recover from The Week That Was. And to prepare for The Week To Come. They warned us today to plan on at least 10-hour-days next week.

I think one of the things I will "do for myself" with my paycheck is to have a manicure after the store finally opens. My nails have never looked so bad.

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Friday Five

1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space. Quiet

2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer. Reasonable, Funny

3. Using three adjectives, describe your favorite hobby/pasttime. Relaxing, Lazy, Stress-reducing

4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day. Achey, Dirty, Busy, Underpaid

5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life. Fulfilled, Happy, Healthy, Funny, Long

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"Survivor" ... I hope Rupert can continue to win immunity since they're already gunning for him. And shame on Darrah and Tijuana for voting against Ryan.

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Clemson plays Duke tomorrow in Death Valley ... as far as I can tell, there is no TV coverage. Another afternoon in front of the radio for me. Adam and Brandy are going to the game, haven't heard if Emilie plans to or not.

Go Tigers!

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Time to start the relaxing ... I'll check in tomorrow to let you know how it's going. :-)

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Outside My House Today:
High: 59
Low: 37 ("Freeze Warning", my butt)
Sunny

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Thought For Today:
"TGIF!"

"Mine is not the first heart broken, my eyes are not the first to cry ..."

Better today, thanks.

I think I tried really hard to pace myself so that I wouldn't be out of steam by 1 PM. And being encouraged by my daughter didn't hurt either. :-) (Thanks, Emilie.)

There was still plenty of moving things around ... today it was millions of glittery Christmas ornaments. The managers just couldn't make up their little minds where they wanted them. Grrr.

Oh yeah, tomorrow's Friday. That always helps.

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Adam came by for a quick moment this evening to pick up his bongos, on his way to a friend's house to rehearse with the same friend's band. He couldn't help but comment on the mountain of leaves one must plow through to get to our front door. It's pretty funny. If I leave them until Jimmy gets home again, they'll be waist-deep.

Anyway, was nice to hug my kid. As always. :-)

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How 'bout this weather? I think our neighbor's tree was blown down today ... when I came home from work, it was lying across the road. I'm assuming they didn't cut it down and let it fall that way. Just glad it wasn't one of ours.

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"Survivor" tonight ... hoping it's Jon the Weasel's night to go. Sad to think that, sooner or later, we'll be watching Rupert's torch go out.

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I think that's about all I've got for today. Sleep tight.

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Outside My House Today:
High: 68 (around 4 AM)
Low: 45 (right now)
B-b-b-blustery! ... with a freeze warning for tonight

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Thought For Today:
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."

"She works hard for the money ..."

You came to the right place if you're in the mood to listen to some complaining.

I'm tired. No, really ... so very tired. The heavy shelves, the boxes that eat my cuticles, the rugs that weigh more than I do ... oh, and I almost forgot the walking. The never-ending walking. We put things on the shelves, only to be told an hour later that the shelves are 3 inches too high and everything needs to be redone. We unload trucks and price every single piece of merchandise at breakneck speed, only to be told that we need to be faster. We're told we can go home "when the work is done". It's all completely demoralizing.

It seems that everyone there is feeling quite discouraged and worked to death. I feel so sorry for the tiny lady that hangs out with me ... her 53rd birthday is Friday, and due to a divorce and some crazy bad luck, she is working at B1g L0ts after spending 18 years as an assistant bank manager. She says she couldn't find work in any Greenville bank! Today we both admitted to each other that we go home and cry every day after work. At least I'm not alone.

I keep telling myself that it will all be over soon ... the store is supposed to open on Nov. 24th. Although I overheard the district manager today saying he doubted that we'd be ready. If they'd hire some people who KNOW how to set a store up, I bet it'd be done a whole lot faster.

I just don't know how many more days of this I have in me.

As Laura likes to say, "Call 1-800-WaaWaaWaa-WaaWaaWaaWaa."

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Love you guys. :-)

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Outside My House Today:
High: 71
Low: 39
Sunny and breezy

"If I could turn back time ..."

Yes, it was the best weekend I've had in a long while. Sunday wasn't so hot, but Saturday more than made up for it.

Friday improved when we were able to leave work just before 2PM. I shopped for tailgating supplies, helped Brandy get her car from the shop, and baked some brownies. Laura arrived about 10PM, and we opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate seeing each other again. I probably talked her left ear off before we went to bed.

Saturday morning, we got moving and actually left for Clemson a little ahead of schedule. We were able to visit with Emilie and her roommates for about an hour ... very enjoyable. Loved seeing the pictures from Em's 21st birthday party!

We were on campus just before noon ... with nothing ahead but lots of yakking, cocktails, snacks, and people-watching for several hours. Brandy and Adam were fun companions, as usual. We pondered the wisdom of buying a couple of $45 tickets, but decided that since there was NO CHANCE of Clemson beating Florida State, we'd rather just sit under the night sky and listen to the game on the radio. It'd give us more time together, too. We're so smart!

The kids all left for the game by 6:30, and by 8:30 Laura and I were wondering whether we had made a bad decision by letting those tickets go. After all, Clemson had already scored 2 field goals! By half-time it was obvious that the Tigers were dominating the game, and it was also just as obvious that Laura and Dawn were dumbasses for not buying those tickets. D'oh!

Long story short ... a miracle occurred on Saturday night in Clemson, SC. Ranked 3rd in the nation, the Florida State Seminoles lost to the Clemson Tigers!

Clemson - 26
Florida St. - 10

*huge smile* So very exciting, and so very wonderful! It made for a late night, but was worth every minute of it.

Laura left just after noon on Sunday, and I watched Lifetime movies all afternoon. Zzzz.

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Two truckloads were unloaded, priced, and shelved at work today. Most of us were sent home early (2:30 instead of 4:30), and you know that was alright with me.

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And now the laundry awaits. Y'all have a good night tonight, and a beautiful Tuesday, will you?

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Outside My House Today:
High: 57
Low: 37
Sunny

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Thought For Today:
"Love is or it ain't. Thin love ain't no love at all" (Toni Morrison)

"Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe me somethin' ..."

So tired. Feet hurt.

Hair looks like crap. Hands look like crap. The weather is crap. Managers are crap.

At least it's time for "Survivor".

And tomorrow's FRIDAY! :-)

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Outside My House Today:
High: 81
Low: 69
Pouring rain on the way to work, then cloudy

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Thought For Today:
"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands." (Richard Bach)