I think I want a (forever) Valentine? I know this surprised me too!

Its not that I mind being single... but I'm starting to get tired of being the "single friend."


Recently I've been spending some time with a friend of mine whose wife just passed away in November. Talking with him has stirred something in me. He has a deep love for his young wife (who passed after a long bout with cancer) and is struggling with dating again. Listening to him talk about not wanting to be alone reminded me that I am alone. This was a choice at first, after my divorce (years ago) I was against relationships. Bitter was a nice way to put it. But now being single has just become the norm and it may even be a rut that I'm living in. I've never been a hopeless romantic but I want to have someone to share my life with. I also don't want to waste my time on just anyone... I want to find the one who I can't live without and who I want to be with forever. 

I've watched my friends all marry and have kids. I date but not enough... I'm not sure where to look for him.

I may have locked away my heart. I'm not sure why, people have asked me if I'm afraid of rejection.... I don't think so, Ive never really been rejected. I know I'm an excellent girlfriend, in fact most my ex's will tell you I'm the best girlfriend they ever had.

I'm not really going anywhere with this... I was just thinking about it.... and needed to put it out into the universe.

[Added later - I just remembered that when I was 21 and first getting married all the people I knew in Portland Oregon tried to encourage me to wait till I was in my early thirties. I was absolutely too young to get married at 21... and now might be the right time to think about it at 32.]

Checks and not so balanced...yet

After reviewing the first 5 days of driving Limo I noticed something. In order to start the job I had to pay $37 to pee in a cup (aced it... no pee on me). Then I had to get an Airport Licence for another $124 (required by Homeland Security). New black slacks and shoes added up to $50. Grand total $211. This was about what I was expecting... Now what I didn't factor in was losing my Ipod Touch ($400) and my GPS ($150) and misplacing $360 in cash.  Nor all the gas (and time) I was going to burn going into work only to find out they gave my run away...the run that they'd just assigned to me hours before.
Overall after the first 5 days I'm in-the-red about $560 bucks.
So the question is... can I make enough during Sundance to reimburse me for all my losses?

Seems like a total waste of my time.


(ADDED LATER- I re-read this post and thought I needed to add something. I'm not a ditsy person... and I NEVER loose things. I've been known to hold onto a Bic pen till it runs out of ink. I'm also very organized. This job just frazzled you. Also at times you have to change vehicles 4-5 times a day... in a hurry! So things get forgotten. But in my normal life... I don't loose things!)

Karma come quickly!!!

Never in my life have I seen Karma swing full circle as fast as it did today.

Scene: My first day driving Limo for the year. The only car left, out of the whole fleet for 50+ vehicles, was the company owner’s personal vehicle… his brand new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, his baby. I was given the o.k. to drive it but was specifically told to “take extra good care of her.”

After finishing my work for the night I was heading back to the shop.  Half way home another Escalade from our fleet (we only have 3) nearly side-swipes me while passing at 80mph on the highway.   I decided to stay close to him so I could chat with him when we got to the garage about his excessive speed. Less than 5 miles down the road he hits and kills a bull elk! This is the big one… bigger than a deer or a female elk, larger than a horse just a step down from a moose. It looks like he may have totaled his 65k car… I barely avoided getting into a collision with him as he swerved across the highway.

This is a photo of a smaller elk that did not get hit.

For those who worry, the driver was fine. But here’s the kicker, anytime you are in an accident you’re pulled from driving for a week. Sundance starts tomorrow, guess who’ll be getting all the work he was going to be doing? ME!


Of all this, the funniest thing to see was the police officer who thought he would drag the carcass off the road.  The elk had to weigh at least 1,200lbs. It reminded me of the scene in Princess Bride, when Wesley tries to lift/fight the Giant… and he doesn’t move an inch! He might as well have tried to lift the SUV outta the way!!!!

NatureMill Indoor Composter or rotting heap of food in my kitchen?

Years ago before I had a place to use it.... I purchased a NatureMill Indoor Composter, about 2 months ago I put it into use.

From the NatureMill website: "How it works: Deposit food waste any time, any day - up to 120 lbs (55kg) per month. For best results, cut items into small pieces. Items remain in the upper chamber under optimal composting conditions: mixing, air flow, heat, and moisture. The energy released destroys odors, pathogens, and seed germination. It is later transferred through a trap door to the lower cure tray , where it continues to compost while you add fresh items to the upper chamber. "


In theory this is the most wonderful product ever! Now lets get to the reality, first I need to disclaim that I should have read the directions. They clearly stated to place 2 cups of outside dirt into the chamber with some wood shavings and backing soda then allow it to sit for a week while it germinates "the good bacteria" (this is what brakes down the food scraps). As you can see in the photo above I started with a grapefruit and mushrooms... not real dirt.
After a few weeks of use the thing stunk! Every time you open it the stench wafted and filled the kitchen. It just smelled like rot and compost 'heat'. The smell overwhelming and not conquerable with any air freshener, in fact they seemed to make it worse!  I was also surprised to open the collection chamber (a the bottom) and see that it was full of water... stinky,smelly, moldy water. This was what prompted me to finally read the instructions.
Had I been mixing in the wood shavings the water would have been absorbed and would not have become an issue. Had I been using the baking soda the smell would have been diminished. Oh, and the starter dirt was an imperative thing for the bacteria. So I started over.
Now it only smells after I've had it open and I dry out my food scraps overnight before putting them into the composter to lessen the amount of water and wood chips inside. I still have not mastered the correct amount of shavings to add when I add 'wet greens' but I'm getting closer.
Today first batch of soil was done, it looks amazing, rich and dark! It's too bad that I cant use it inside on my plants because its to potent. I'm looking forward to using it in my garden this spring. Its just so fun to me that I'm using my old food scraps I would have sent to the dump to nourish and grow my new food.

Overall i've enjoyed the experience of learning about indoor composting. It takes a bit of effort but I feel its going to be well worth it when I grow my new garden.

Cookbooks are like bunnys

For over 10 years I've only owned one cook book. The moment I was given another as a gift they started to multiply like rabbits. Please don't misunderstand... I love them now, but i was a reluctant parent for them. Admittedly my favorites have a photo of every recipe... this way I know if I'm on the right track.

A job not a career... and Disneyland

No, its not perfect. It doesn't fill my criteria for a position that challenges me. Nor is it long term...but it will help cover my medical expenses while I look for a career that does fit the bill.

I start driving Limo again tomorrow.

This will be my 4th season driving limo and its a love/hate relationship. I love the people I meet and the parties I get to attend during Sundance, swag bags (full of expensive gifts), free food and ski passes. The "hate" comes with all the waiting and waiting... you rush to the airport just to sit and wait for 2-3 hours (note- wait time is not paid time). It's a game the dispatcher plays telling you the wrong time to make sure your there early... but then you have to guess how much time they buffered for you and go "late" but before the plane arrives. Meaning if they just told you the right time or flight number you could always be on time and not waste hours at the airport. 

Pros- full time work for 2-3 months. Paychecks. Leads for other careers through networking. The most beautiful view... being above the inversion.

Cons- hours are crazy.. its hard to have a social life. May negatively impact my health issue. Having to buy all new clothing because I gave all mine away when they didn't fit (now they would).

So now I'm planning a trip in late February early March to Disneyland. This will be the second time that my older sister and I have taken our "little girls" (AKA little sisters). They're getting to an age that they might not want to hang out with their waaaaaaaaay older sisters for too much longer.

Blood work -oops I cut myself - gross huh!

This bled FOREVER! So naturally I had to take photos!

Wish you could have seen my camera covered in blood... I was fumbling with my left hand after I had tried applying pressure to the wound... this did not work. I know its kinda sick... but strange.

Need to talk to my Dr. about my meds... they seem to be thinning out my blood.

This was the culprit.... a shard of glass was in the jar with the candy....glad it got me and not my girls!

Celing fixed - Week one 2011 - Project check!

Before- its been like this for a year.
Since the Flood of 2009 in the upstairs kitchen.

After - looks prety good.

Snowshoeing - just fun with friends

Ya, i'm sitting on the 6ft sign.

My Goal = Complete a project a week (or more)

Now that I have a new planner…Here’s my list of projects that I want to tackle (buckle down it’s a long one)

Remove rust and paint panel on my Jetta (old black car.. hope it matches)
     üFix lock on the driver side Jetta door (never lend your mother your car)
Kitchen –       Paint table - casters?
                        Make light for dining table
                        Walls
Quilt -             Finish binding quit 1
                       ü Sew quilt 2 (done 4/20/11)
Paint my new hutch
Decorate entry way
Rebuild scooter engine
Clean and organize my storage room
Replace windows in the Bug
     ü Paint old fan (done 01/26/2011)
     üRe- grout my shower (again, didn’t take last time)
     ü  Fix drill holes in my bedroom ceiling (done 01/02/11)
Hang scooter lamp, surf board and mirror
Frame art for living room
 ü  Sell elliptical (done 01/14/11)

So... you can expect to see future post of frustration and excuse about why I havn’t finish these projects yet. Peppered in will be a photo of a completed project. Now when I post these photos I will expect ooohhhhhs and aaahhhhs and accolades!