Another Adventure For The Aunty

Well, this should be interesting.

I am off in the prospect of finding a new nail shop;

I am one of those women who have their bi-monthly ritual.

I get the mani-pedi.

I have done so for over thirty years.

Other than the shop closing or my relocating to another part of town , it takes a lot for me to change shops.

Top of the list is inflicted pain.

I had that experience at the shop I am leaving during my last visit.

For the most part, I have no problem going to a Vietnamese owned shop.

You can't hardly find any other kind down here.

My only beef is that I do wish that any foreign born business made sure that their staff spoke enough English to be able to converse with ease to their clients, I don't think that is too much to ask and I am sure that if I were in another country , I would be required to be at some level of proficiency in their language..I'd think at the very least it would be considered good manners..but then what do I know .

I applaud anyone who is a small business owner trying to run their business,keep a staff, pay taxes and so on.

I draw the line at an employee who comes over and not only inflicts pain upon me but then to make matters worse is not reprimanded by the owner.

And yes, that happened.

Jere Lee said that her gal has a new shop so I made an appt for today at 3 pm.

It's only about 15 minutes or less from he house...bonus so off we went.

They were busy..ok..but I had an appt.

Then I realized that it was just her and her husband so I said being nice and all...I can come back at 5 .

We shall see.

I need to get work done on the paws and claws but an not committed to this shop.

I hate the search but it is what it is .

I will let all y'all know..lol..yeah it is all about me.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Oh yeah, my boy in a Tux !

Happy Friday to one and all. Thus far it's been a pretty easy day, ie dead. I think a lot of this is due to the fact that schools start down here in a few weeks and so everyone is taking advantage of the opportunity to scamper out of here early to go out and about as my father used to say.

So far the great pumpkin 'speriment is going okay. Last night started out fairly insanely tho, even for a Thursday.

Lil Miss Super Pooper managed to turn back a corner of the plastic the night before( Wednesday) where the third box is and left her gift to her mommy and Daddy....on the carpet ...again. She has a habit of trying to bury her dinner plate when she is done or right off the bat when i put it down if it is not to her elevated standards. So I know that she knows how to scratch at something to turn a corner back, I 'm forever after her to " That's nice sweetie , but Mommy doesn't need the help....so QUIT IT !" Because it is canned food, when she does that to not only hers but everyone elses, she manages to get the place mat in the food so I end up washing them more often that say in the usual case of " Oh goodie..who just yodeled their food back up ?"...I know...too much information.

We didn't have time to grab the carpet cleaner before leaving for work so yo can well imagine my reaction to coming home to NO FRIGGAN POWER ...AGAIN !

To say that I was a happy gurl would have been a hell of a stretch. Thankfully it was only for an hour this time so the Daddy did his thang and I broke out the pumpkin. They all loved it and I have some left but Sistah is going to send me some down from the big Paloose since our stores don't seen to carry it this time of year and it is not interchangeable with punkin pie filling for the kittys.

And the gals next door are having some issues. They have usually worked different hours so that was a boon. You h ave to understand that they are the female version of Felix and Oscar. Things will work out once Jere Lee has a permanent jobbie and I have told her that she can always hang out at our house since she knows that I am not at all shy about running the A/C - hello...South Texas in summer...sheesh. Their power bill wasn't that bad but as predicted Cindy freaked the F out and then they also had some interior A/C unit issues and blah blah fishcakes....it will all work out....I hope to Bast.

Other than that, not much is planned . I have to stop at TarJay because I have just noticed that the lavender tee shirt that I have on has an ink pen bit on it and I can't place too much faith that shout will in fact get it out and I need this particular tee shirt to go with the cardigan that I am wearing..so there ya are. I can also pick up some kitty food and a couple of those off blue thingymabobs for the ice house for the skeeters....I will pick up a couple extra for Jere Lee and the Gazebo since I know that she has family in from Thibidoux this weekend.

OH and this part will be fun. I get to send an e mail from the house to a former co-worker who is now at BP..hey ..not her fault so lets not all go there...anyhoo...Fluffy of all people used my gal pals name liberally in her cover letter/application.

LMAO...I told gal pal that Fluffy was bat shit crazy ( a direct quote ) and that I would e mail her from my house to her house to further enlighten her.

My parents did not raise a stupid child.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Oh Sistah ~ ~ ~ !

From King Arthur's Baker's Banter Blog

2 large cans ( 1 lb. 15 oz.) sliced peaches , drained.

1/4 cup ( 1 1/2 oz) pie filling enhancer to thicken the filling ( optional)

3 to 5 slices white bread, cut into cubes ( approx 4 cups cubes or 5 oz)

2/3 cups ( 5 oz) brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbl. (1 oz) King Arthur all purpose flour

1 large egg

1/2 cup ( 1 stick , 4 oz) butter , melted.

1/4 tsp. nutmeg or sprinkling of cinnamon ( optional)


Grease 9 " square or 8 " round pan.

Combine peaches with pie filling enhancer if you are using it.

Layer the peaches into the pan and top with the cubed bread.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, flour , egg and the melted butter.

Pour this batter over the bread cubes.

Sprinkle with the nutmeg or cinnamon if you are using it.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until golden brown .

Serve hot or cold with vanilla ice cream , whipped cream or heavy cream if serving hot.

Serves 8.


Oh hell yeah we are gonna be making this when I am there...I'm ordering the pie filling enhancer right now .


Ciao,

Aunty Pol who is now officially starvin Marvin.

Recognizing Simple Kindness Where I Can.

You see this beautiful bracelet ?

The one I bought recently ?

See those ittsy bittsy red stones ?

I wore this gorgeous thing for the first time today and happened to notice that 2 or 3 of those stones are missing. I have no idea what happened so I contacted Miss Michelle to find out how to go about sending it back to her for repair. I will happily pay for the repairs but bless her , she offered to fix it for me and then add a few replacement stones just in case.

It's not about whether its fine jewelry or not.

That is never an issue with me.

If I love it , I buy it ..thus making it all " Fine " jewelry in my book...because yes..it is still for the most part all about me ~ wink !


It is such a delight to have wonderful one on one conversation with the artist/shop owners on Etsy . They pay attention and they care.

The other day, Miss Jere Lee was telling me that she walked out of our local J.C. Penny's after a fruitless 30 minute wait to get one of 3 clerks to at least acknowledge the fact that she was there with a sample show in her hand , wanting to make a purchase. Miss Jere Lee is a lot nicer than I am because I wouldn't have waited that long and I would have found a manager by GAWD to tell him or her that the 3 clerks that were less than 20 feet away from me couldn't be bothered to at least acknowledge a customer was there !


This seems to be the typical level of customer service these days and before I continue I must in all fairness own up to the fact that I did that sort of thing...selling retail, waitressing , managing a restaurant and that I am front line customer service ie..the main receptionist for a large law firm in Houston. I know the drill having done it for 28 years here....so I know my shit so to speak.


I do try on a daily basis and I know that there are some days that I fall sadly short but I have not and would not completely ignore a client/customer/victim..I know better and that sort of crap is the sort of thing that can and should cost the perp his or her job....on the spot.

No excuses .


Because I am one of those in the trenches so to speak and therefore even more sensitized to the nuances of customer service, when I see an example of the good ones, or am lucky to have been the recipient of such a pleasure, I do tend to publicly acknowledge the giver and the experience.


I love shopping on Etsy, and should there come a day when I have a not so good experience with a shop and or owner of same, it will be addressed there through the proper channels .

I will do my best to refrain from blasting someone here unless it is just one of those " OMG WTF ?" moments because I realize that for the most part , these artist/shop owners are women and I don't want my experience to have too large an effect on their livelihoods.


On the other hand, I assure you that when I have first hand experience or verifiable experience of bad service at one of the large ass 900 lb gorilla bricks and mortar..you bettcha I am going to rip them one here.


They don't care 99 % of the time so I feel no moral obligation to play nicely.

If you shop on Etsy...go check out Miss Michelle's shop..

http://www.etsy.com/

Her shop is malves1009...or Handmade Jewelry By Michele

On the right hand side of the page, click the drop down box to where it says Sellers...click that and enter malves1009..it will take you right to her shop....I just double checked it to be sure .

It's free to join and lemme tell ya..they got some pretty cool stuff Maynard.


Remember..tomorrow is Friday..

Carry On.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Leapin Lizards !

Look what a local area man found in his back yard of all places !

Holy %^&*

He says that he was nearly attacked and my first thought was " Dude..even if it was nearly....you were too freakin close."

I guess it's a good thing that Sgt. Andy Panda Pants and Miss Gracie Marie are inside today.

Actually..this is a bit down the road from us so unless there is a Mrs. Big Ass Monitor and a six pack o babys yelling for Big Daddy , all should be cool.

And thus the weirdness begins.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

OH HELL NO !

I will say right here and now that my opinion , Yoko cannot and has never been able to sing.

Do I fault her for it ?

Oh hell no.

At least she was honest about it.

I almost fell out of my chair to read that Mark David Chapman is up for parole AGAIN on August 4, 2010.

Jeebus H..it's been that long ?

I hope that man dies in jail.

Period.

Carry On.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Perfect Pala

Miss Pala Fox is a genius !

This lovely lady re-made the bracelet for me for only a smidge and it is perfect !

The picture below is of a pair of earrings that I also found on Etsy that I think are a pretty damn good match for the bracelet. I had originally thought that I could wear a plain pair of rose gold hoops that I have with the bracelet but then I found those little beauties and knew it was meant for me. The earrings aren't as large as some of the others that I have recently purchased which in this case is preferred because it's all about the proportion. If they were too large , it all becomes too much. As much as I love Art Nouveau andSteampunk...yes...Steampunk has it's origins in Art Nouveau , I rarely like to wear a matched set of earrings and necklace. It's a little too Boca for me and not very interesting . Come tho think of it, I can't remember the last time I wore any sort of a set...it reminds me too much of my late mother.....she of the " Gotta Match ( Insert Gene Kelly's Gotta Dance voice here ) " and that just makes me bat shit crazy. Like her I am gifted with the ability to match color but unlike her I am not bound by that rule.

I am sooo excited to have set in motion the gears for the long weekend mid Rocktober to zoom due west to see the sister of my heart and Double O Mullet. It's only a long 4 day weekend or so and it will have to suffice for Moi for 2010's vacation. The other 2 ladies that I have to work with have managed between the two of them to call dibs on damn near every long weekend or holiday through the end of the year....the way we have to work it has to be carefully planned to ensure proper coverage for our function at the firm and moreover...that's just how they are.

It's been a very hard year for Hisself and I and I think part of the reason that this last cold has sooo completely kicked my ample ass is that I am simply put spent....too beat to boogie....worn out....T I R E D ! I usually bounce back after dah cold but it's been a bit over a week and I am still draggin wagon.

Then it really hit me.

I am just mentally and emotionally worn out with everything that has gone on .

I need to go where I can just veg or not , hang with people I trust above all others ( other than you Dingbat so don't get all offended and that crap...goober)...knowing that there is no effort in the simple pleasure that we take in being in each other's company. I may give Double O Mullet the gigantic raft of crap....and he dishes it back quite nicely but we've done that for damn near 35 years and like any other family, we can do that to each other with immunity...God help any outsider that tries to do the same. DOM and I both delight in playing with our prey and we know that Sistah is there to back us up or chime in as the voice of reason....known in our younger days as " Oh shit....cops."

LMAO !

I'm still hating this Windows 8 shit that I have at the office...a truer example of a POS I have never seen.

Have a great rest of the week....we're half way through.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Self Explanitory

Ciao,'

Aunty Pol

Am I The Only One Who Sees The Irony Here ?

I've been pondering something all afternoon that gets funnier and funnier the more I think about it .

I am on Facebook.

I am on Facebook to keep in contact with people I don't get to see every day like the great niece or gaming buds, ( CE,BT,Bent) or to play the damn games.

I am very careful of the information that is out there regarding me. That being said, I know that privacy is an illusion ( My personal favorite bit of irony EVER ).


I have noticed more and more lately that former co-workers have some rather unusual friends on some of their pages. I know this because of the continual revelations that person(s) a used to make about person(s) b, c and/or d....that they basically couldn't stand the other person,.....yada yada yada...fishcakes.


The level of loathing fluctuated more or less on the day and latest incident of being/getting pissed off/pissed on so to speak.


Some of these folks were so constant in their rants that I usually found that I could tune them out, mentally buffing my nails and humming a few or 63 bars of the late great Freddy Fender's " Wasted Days and Wasted Nights."....it's a Texas thing .


It is one thing to suffer the interactions of the workplace when the combatants have to deal with each other..one hopes a modest level of civility is maintained and failing that ...there is the dream that one or both will either find another position in a galaxy far , far away or that they will get their sorry asses fired thus giving new life to the annual holiday Christmas party fodder.


And yet, in more than one instance , I see the pages of Facebook littered with the inclusion of the hated and the haters...common ground can exist it seems.

Huh Friggan Zah !

It does not lend itself to ones credibility when this is observed.

If you loathed the person in question , then why the fuck are they on your friends list thingy ?

If someone has done me ill or harm, or shown themselves to be the false , two faced lying mo fo's that I know they are...I move on.

I don't speak to them, I don't "friend" or "invite " them to be a part of my Facebook page.

I delete them.

I delete them fron my contacts list, Christmas card list, birthday reminder list, rolodex, speed dial , e mail, hot mail and any other list they may have ever been on.

And I move on.

I wish them no harm, I think no evil thoughts about them, I don't waste my breathe plotting revenge. I don't gossip about them, talk to others or post on any social network about them.

They have no place in my life..not now or ever.

In this I do not and will not waver.


So yeah..when I see that the dreaded "foe" that you maligned so joyfully to one and all is on your page...it makes me wonder.


Just how honest are you ?


I'd say think about it but this is probably a bit complicated for you as it is.


Carry on.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

If It's Monday ~ It's John Barrowman Time ~!

Well dammit....I for the record hate the windows 8 CRAP that they have installed on the office .

Yes TALL , DARK AND LOVELY..that is for you by the way.

I can't c/p anything into the blog.

DAMMIT !

Anyhoo...it has been confirmed that there WILL be a Season 4 for our beloved show, and yes..even tho they killed off my Ianto , I am still looking forward to seeing how exactly Captain Jack handles the issue of day care for Gwen and whassits baby..sorry dude...your name escapes me at the moment. For more info , just google Torchwood Season 4.

You're welcome.


In other news..( Insert 1940's sound effect here ) ...I am back amongst the living...LOl. I have to say that this latest cold was amongst the worst in recent memory. Jere Lee ( ok...the NG's , neighbor gals , know that they are in the blog so I see no reason to not use their real names...) told me that he said that when he came home the other night that he had to jostle my shoulder because I was so sound asleep that he thought I was dead ....as in big dirt nap. Sorry dear...Defcon 4 level cough syrup will tend to do that. Let me put it like this...I was so sick I cancelled/reset my nail /pedicure appt ....yeah...I was SICK !

The house is not so bad as you would think, he will he at the Cajuns tonight to play cards so I can do a bit of laundry as I watch/record the Closer....I need a life it seems.

I am still pretty tired at this point so postings may be brief unless I find more really cool shit to throw at ya.

Have a great week .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Hot Diggity Damn !

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/burn-notice-prequel-movie-announced.html

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/burn-notice-prequel-movie-announced.html

I know , I know, the premise sounds a bit lame..but who cares...MORE BRUCE !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol who is ..you know the rest..achoo !

TRON !

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/mwop/moviefile/2010/07/tron-legacy-the-seven-best-thi.php

12/17/10 baby !

The original movie was the FIRST dvd I ever bought , along with Excaliber.

I'm gooing even if I have to go by myself.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol who is still sick as a dog..woof !

Oh Dark Thirty

Oh , I wish.

It's 1:45 am, and I am still up.

I have been home going into the second day with the head cold from hell and because I slept all damn day, sleep eludes me now.

I have caught up on all my blogs I follow, played Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook, done all of the crap that I need to do in Farmville, Frontierville, Mafia Wars and Vampire Wars...yes...I am one of those people...

I could go out and check out the bits on the DVR that I have qued up...and I doubt hisself would hear it as he sleeps like the dead even when he is ill...but I'm gonna be home tomorrow because I refuse to spread this bug all over the office..

Niquil wires my ass out and Dayquil puts me to sleep...but we are out of that.

This is what happens when I am so sick that I sleep all day. It's the reason that I can't go to bed even when I am sick before 8:30...I'd be up at 2 am...which is just about now come to think of it.

I wonder whats in the fridge..

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Memo To The Husband

Thanks for the head cold dear.

I am SOOOO going to kill you .

Me

Creamsicles For Young and Old

I love Creamsicles..in all shapes and formats.

Souffle Bombay had this recipe for Creamsicle Cupcakes on her blog and I have to try this one out...then....me being me , I found an adult beverage version of the same.

Enjoy !

Creamsicle Cupcakes By Maria Galan, Winner from the Bucks County Courrier Times Newspaper.

1 Box Vanilla Cake Mix ( I use Duncan Hines)

1 3oz. Box Orange Flavored Jello

1 tsp. orange flavor extract

1 1/4 cup Minute Maid Orange Aid ( not Orange juice)

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl, combine the orange jello powder, orange extract and orange aid, add the cake mix and blend until well combined .Add the oil and eggs and blend .

Pour into prepared cupcake pan....I assume liners are used tho it is not mentioned .

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ice with vanilla icing when completely cooled.

Note: I did see that either one of the big 3 cake mix makers has also come out with a buttercream icing in the white buckety thing which might be nice, and I am perplexed about the specification about using orange aid and not orange juice so once I can source the orange aid I'm giving this bad boy a shot .

Now for the good stuff :

Creamsicles for the Grownups

Fill a mixing cup halfway with ice cubes.

Add :

1/2 oz. vodka or orange flavored vodka ( I use Gordons orange flavored vodka)

1/2 oz. triple sec

1 oz. orange juice

1 oz .cream

Mix/shake all ingredients together and strain into a class .

Note: if you use vanilla ice cream in place of the ice cubes and 1 oz. cream ~ Voila

A Dreamsicle.

Hey..it's a serving of fruit ( juice ) either way.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

It's Sooooo Close ~!

It's up to $28,000 ...

Just sayin...

I donated again...but that's a secret..M'kay ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

When The Day Is Shot To Hell

First The Recipe;

Knorr's Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the following :

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach that is thawed and squeezed as dry as possible.

1 pkg. ( 8 oz ) cream cheese , softened.

3/4 cup mayo ( NOT MIRACLE WHIP)

1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese ( I prefer the Monterrey Jack)

1 pkg. Knorr vegetable recipe mix ( should have this recipe there on the pkg.)

1 jar ( 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.

1 can ( 8 oz ) water chestnuts, drained and chopped.

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.

Combine all of the above saving 1.2 cup of the shredded cheese. Spoon into a 2 qt. dish and top with the reserved 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

Bake for 35 minutes till bubbly.

Lose your mind.

Variation:

Omit the artichokes and add lump crab meat.

I like to serve this using the round Kings Hawaiian Bread as a bread bowl....YUM !

Beyond the usual..there is a story behind this.

This weekend , specifically yesterday was a disaster on the scale of an Irwin Allen movie.

Hisself got the carrot cake made and schlepped it off to the Ice House..fine and dandy. Jere Lee and I had decided that we would go just us gals to dinner for her birthday..again...fine and dandy.

And then the rain began.

Our original plan was to go about 6: 30 -ish...eearly enough to avoid a wait but later than the " I'll be damn'd if I (we) are going to the 4:30 version of the senior special at Denny's .

F DAT !

And it began to rain sideways .

We delayed an hour and then off we went.

Fabulous dinner at Pappa's....I am in love with their hot spinach dip, especially if you add lump crab meat.

Don't go nuts on me here...it was her birthday and my treat.

And withoug even trying I managed to walk out of there with a guys phone number and facebook info....that story will be saved for another time...bwahahaha

Anyhoo...

He was home before we were and I had already suspected that he was in the initial throes of his annual head cold...wheeeeee.

Yesterday it rained a bit and we piddled around the house.

I had a plan.

I got the bacon done for the breakfast taco's that I make at home for myself every workday and then....................

I was going to make the cupcakes for the birthday girl and pimp them out with all of the uber cute Wilton stuff that I either already had or had picked up at Tarjay.

Then I was going to get the house picked up....shower and then get the stuff started for the tacos so that the three of us could have a nice and leisurely dinner.

And..the MF power went out for almost 5 hours.

At one point it came back on for all of a second..then it went again.

GRRRR..

We foraged...I stuffed Sudafed down his gullet and we crashed.

And the power went out again at 2:15 this morning.

Happy days !

He won't be playing cards tonight as is his custom at the cajuns because I an not confident that he will actually make it through the whole day.

I'll feed him zoup with his tabasco....he only eats zoup when he feels puny and make a batch of hotdish for his lunch this week.

Taco's can wait.

Jere will get her cupcakes because after all, it's not a birthday, it's a birth week.

On the upside..we got Lola back, HUZZAH !

On the other hand, there is a leak in the ceiling in the guest room that has to be traced down...and it's gonna rain more this week.

Sigh.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

I don't know why this is one of my favorites but it is.

Burn Notice Alert For Miss Lisa ~ Girl..next week is the episode with Burt Reynolds.

It's been an interesting morning ~ SNERK

The doors that are fubared are still such and as is my custom, I have taken both joy and zeal in my silent mockery of the looks on the co-workers faces as they continue to encounter something that is simply not going to acquiesce to their passive aggressive needs.

But alas, this has to end as all good things do . Someone had to place something over the sensor so that it is deactivated , allowing the doors to open. And the village idiots that make some pretense of servicing the security key pad have been called forth to scratch their asses and ponder the problem.

Sigh.

On the other hand, I have introduced the sistah to one of my favorite Etsy shops and she let it slip that she really liked one jewelry set.

Since these are one of a kind , I told her that I had already emailed the artist/creator with some questions and once I get the answers that I need..it's " Christmas In July".

Why wait ?

Other than that...it's going to be one of those busy weekends again so I am going to cheat. I'm going to make beef tacos Sunday night for dinners and lunches ..the meat will keep and I'd finally find the recipe from the " Good Eats " episode that was on the other night. Here's the thing tho,,if you use the Food Network site a lot and archive recipes..don't try to use the name of the recipe from a show or the hosts name, their search engine has a mind of it's own. If you can remember the day that the show in question was aired...search via the calender..down here , I can usually catch " Good Eats " at 10 or 10: 30 pm so that's how I found the mix recipe for the taco seasoning. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Shame Less Shake Down Part Deux

Update:

For whateveer reason...GRRRR...the link below says " Blog does not exist when you hit Mr. Linkey...when that comes up..hit the link that is showing and it will take you to the page...or just google The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee...should get you there.




www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/keep-your-eye-on-the-prize

Yes..another shameless shakedown.

I had to donate a second time because at first glance I thought the bebe kitteh was holding a light saber.

" May The Floof Be With You ".

Donate if you want to or are able to, all y'all are good people either way.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Yes Michelle, I Am The One Who Bought It !

I have been looking at this in my Etsy favorites all day long when I realized that I had the perfect earrings to match...a long brass key with a black bead covered on lace and a small red bead accent..

Had to do it.

Can't wait for it..

Now what shoes will go best ?

Yes...this is the way my mind works.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

NARF ~ !

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38267856/ns/local_news-houston_tx/


Oye.

We had no idea that his happened after work. Hisself had not heard a traffic report so we had no idea that the access to the 59 HOV was the only way on 59 North and that they were diverting ALL evening commuter traffic to the HOV.

The usual 24 minute ride home..hey...Everyone in the HOV does 80 mph as a rule..don't freak out on me here...took an HOUR !


And of course we had to stop at Tarjay after that before we hit the Casa...another hour.


Thankfully Miss Lisa I am dvr'g the Burn Notice Ep ...LMAO.


But..


There is a huge batch of Bread Pudding to be done tonight...in one of those industrial size throw down pans..then a large carrot cake to be made for something he has going on this Saturday and I have Red Velvet cuppy cakes to make and decorate for Miss Jere Lee's birthday also on Saturday...wheee.

The decorations are too cool by the way..every one deserves to be a Princess ( dammit) once in their lives..

But..on the up side..tomorrow is Friday..I get the hair done and so ..yup...simple things.

Bonus today..watching the co-worker freak their assess off as the card/key pad for one side of the lobby decided to quit at 5.

Of course walking just a bit down the hall to get in the other way was just too hard for their widdle selves to cope with ..hee hee.

Extra Bonus points for me watching all of this , silently mocking them all.


Have a great Friday.

Aunty Pol

The Simple Things..

Lady Lisa had the right of it.

You're right sweetie, it is indeed the simple things in life that we need to hang on too.


Today ended all right at the office , once I reminded myself that the idiots will always be idiots,...and I will remain fabulous .


Having Miss Jere Lee for a neighbor is almost as having the sister of my heart as a neighbor...almost.

They have a lot of the same mannerisms .

When we came home today, hisself had already made a mini run to Kroger for stuff so I didn't have to wait in the car..anyone who knows me knows that I abhor stores..especially the grocery variety...hot flashes, screaming toddlers and cell yapping spandex wearers make me just..yeah ..you know.


When we got home ,I saw that Mr. Trejo had done the yard and had weeded the flower beds so the other neighbor..the recent widder had been able to catch up with him.

Huzzah !

I am not willing to put myself through all of that when I can hire it done and frankly , after all the rain we had for the past week and a half...sold.


Miss Jere Lee had left a note in the dining room for us letting us know that Gracie Marie REALLY wanted out so she let her out. With a heat index of 105 degrees right now we are very careful about that but since it was four-ish, MIss Jere Lee knew it was kewl.


She had also left us a goodies in the fridge....chocolate yummy goodness that she had baked as a thank you for letting her use the square headed lover in her job search.

To recap:

Tidy flower beds, mowed grass, clean patio and chocolate cake.

OUT FRIGGAN STANDING !


Have a great tomorrow and..Lady L ......


NEW BRUCE CAMPBELL !!!

Wheee !


Ciao,

Aunty Pol who can actually hear the siren call of the cocoa beans !

Matching Earrings For The Win !

The earrings to match the bracelet shown above .

The bracelet that is being redone by the original wonderful Palafox because it is a bit too big.

DAYUM I'm good !

Ciao ,

Aunty Pol

For CT - Love Ya !

It's been an interesting day here at work..I refuse to spoil my warm and fuzzies for the adorableness of my holiday so I may save the rant for tomorrow.

I will leave you with a hint tho..

" You better bet your ass that I have docuemented every single mother loving notification that I send you. Do not try another amateur attempt at being passive agressive and claiming I have not. "

I have been here longer , know where the bodies are and to quote Kathy Bates: " I have more insurance than you girls."

Some of you ladies make Danielle Staub look like a fucking Nobel prize winner !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

OK....Danielle Staub is on " Real Housewives of New Jersey"...yeah..busted.

Bastille Day

For more information , check out the link :

www.bastille-day.com/history/French-Revolution.

Yes, it's one of my favorite holidays and one that my family celebrates.

The other is September 19'th aka " Talk Like a Pirate Day "

www.talklikeapirate.com



Enjoy either or both .


Carry On.


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Has It Really Been 25 Years ?

Live Aid - 1985.

The top photo is the very first public appearance of Teddy Pendergrass after his accident where he appeared with the duo Ashford and Simpson.

We all know who the second one is.

Twenty five years ago , I remember that the office was still open on Saturdays for a half day and the PTB's were gone..so we cranked this mutha up !

First Live Aid, then Farm Aid..

Now is seems so quaint and sweet...there is so much more wrong with the world...among other things day 85 in the gulf, and year 9 if the war.

We may never see another concert where we actually think that we can make a difference and that our voices count.

Yes, we've done concerts for 9/11, the military, Jamaica, Haiti, Katrina, Rita, Ike and on and on and on until they no longer register for the cause or the plight.

There are still caring people out there , and I like to think that I am one...but looking at the photo's of that first concert...I am struck by a sense of lost innocence in some way.

Thoughts anyone ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Happy Friday !

Yes..this is the stink face you get from me when there is no new episode of "Burn Notice "on last night...I could only console myself with the knowledge that Sharon Gless is up for an Emmy. The episode where she gets the lat and long of Michaels location from the hostage in their garage should clinch it IMHO.

Other than that, life here is pretty much the same, the rain has finally let up for a few hours this wek..yes...a few hours this week. It's rained every day for the past week or more..between Alex and Bonnie, other than the skeeters, I am a happy woman when I don't have to drag either the watering can to the patio or the hoses around the yard. It's not the chore...it's the friggan water bill. I refuse to give up my Hydrangeas in the front flower bed daggnabbit !

We have a new 'speriment at the Casa.

And of course it is all about Xeni Gabbini aka Super Pooper.

At first we thought that it was the issue of her not actually being able to make it to their bathroom.

Ok.

It cleared up for a while.

FOR A WHILE !

Then ...we realized that for whatever reason, the area behind the front door...yes.....carpeted front hallway is where it was occurring again.

It's not that far from her bathroom...really.

She has staked that area out.

He ( the frustrated Daddy Unit) wanted to cover it all with plastic.

He didn't have enough to do that . I am grateful for that because I just know that she won't want to walk on plastic...none of them will....and so we will have to locate her new territory .

Besides...can you imagine the sound of 24 lil paws on plastic ?

Plus claws..plus chewing ..

Sigh.

Then I hit on it.

Previously, we had completely replaced the litter boxes in their bathroom. Unfortunately, we could only find one over sized and had to settle for a smaller one to go with it.

SHAZZAM !

Frustrated Daddy Unit finally found another over sized one...which means...we had an unused one in the garage.

PUT THE MOTHER LOVING BOX IN THE HALL WHERE SHE'S BEEN POOPING.

And the Angels sang, the Clouds parted...there were rainbows and unicorns in my back yard.

SHE USED IT ~!

I almost wept.

Now, this means that there is a third box to clean and deal with...fine.

No one really comes to the front door, and if they do....I can move it.

I can move the carpet cleaner and the Dyson out of the closet in that hallway if need be.

I can put a beach towel under the box.

I can light the candles and trim wicks on a regular basis.

I can deal with this.

You see...the other night when he was ranting and raving about this , and he knows that the Vet has no idea, and she is not getting people food , and she is eating ..and the diarrhea will clear up ..he still fussed.

And I said..

" OK..you have a choice. Either take her to the Vet for the nasty shot and big dirt nap or decide that we will deal with this. Maybe it's a behavior issue we didn't see at first with her and Gracie Marie. Gracie can be a bully and we all know it. Andy does not use a box so it's not like he is irritating her or taking her turf. I am tired of this rant..shut it or get in the car with the PTU ."

In all fairness, he's had to listen to me rant about it too but I am kinda past that.

I check the hallway before I even change clothes and know that when the poop bomb is there...it's gonna get cleaned.

I am hopeful it will resolve itself...either way it will be handled and cleaned up ,. and there will be no VET trip because one of us is simply frustrated or irritated or has had a bad day.

Yep...Your Aunty Pol's still talking some shit..ain't she ?

Had to go there.

Have a great weekend .

We all deserve it.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A True WTF Moment

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38134494/ns/technology_and_science-games/

This just about blew my mind.

I cannot in any fashion imagine that Blizzard is this stupid.

Read the above...I'll wait.

Okay.

Granted that I have been playing RPG's in a PBP ( Role Playing Games in a Play By Play or email format ) with the same group for 10 years or more and that we are a smaller group now...the idea that WOW ( Blizzard) can monitor their chat rooms/forums using players real names to reduce flaming is just plain .." What the fuck " thinking.

No other way to put it.

Any GM ( game master ) worth his or her salt would set up clearly defined codes of behavior and enforce them.

One of the biggest rules is that a player much note whether they are responding to a post or responding in a chat room in character or out of character..IC or OOC.

Usually IC posts are given a pretty wide berth ....the players know from the actions posted on the boards that arguments or open warfare or stealing someones melange silos or killing their high ranked Mentat ( snerk) will provoke a pretty amazing reaction.

I have seen players ( Liam and Rael ) come to mind that go off the deep end OOC , and in one particular case , one of the above was literally forced to publicly apologize to another player because he had gone off the deep end at her on the board.

To my dying day I will cherish the fact that I am the only one he's ever had to publicly apologize to...thankyouverymuch.

Blizzard's scorched earth policy will hurt them where it counts...in their profits.

Because I play in closed to the public unless a referral is given, I know all of my friends real lives and they know mine.

If I have a bone to pick, I'm as apt to pick up the phone and sort it all out..regardless of the country the other party lives in..that's just my way.

If I ever had a notion of playing WOW..this killed it.

Morons.

Let's see how long the game lives on, shall we ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Hello Little One !

Happy Happy Joy Joy .....Happy Happy Joy !

Lord Roger and Lady Rae welcomed their new daughter yesterday and I am just thrilled beyond words.

And so incredibly touched that they gave her my name as a middle name...that is beyond what I can describe..words fail.

No one can jack my happy place today..don't even try !

Ciao,

A very Humble and Happy Aunty Pol

Sigh..

Yes Roger, I should be writing right about now.

I have the idea of the physical attributes, and you know I can't write without a sense of the character..

SIGH !

I have the ideas all down and we went all over the numbers.....

For the the readers:

I am about to embark upon yet another RPG PBP...Role playing game, play by post and the irony is that right now I am finishing a book by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro....yes my sister...a St. Germain about the Huns attempt to overtake the last of the Roman Empire and Constantinople.

Perfect.

I am now dreaming about the Khan and the riders and the nomads..lol.

But.

I need as always to get an idea mentally of the character..I need to see her as the Shaman character..then I can get a sense of her actions and interactions with the other characters.

And thus far..this week sux.

My saving grace is that my GM is either preoccupied with the impending birth of their first child or as my luck would have it..he in his very British was is chomping at the bit to begin but is just too polite to say so.

I love you anyway CT.

LMAO.

And it's still raining.

Now down here , we don't usually complain too much about rain this time of year, but a few years ago we had a tropical storm that just trained over us for 4 days as I recall it.

We are for the most part at or below sea level , and a lot of the area has a heavy clay content to the soils so with the heat, it hard packs.

If we get this much rain, when it soaks in , since the sea level is what it is ...we flood.

The Gulf is very warm right now.

We are usually very blase until late August...then we watch.

Where SU and I live...65 miles from the Gulf just got smacked with IKE .

So of course the population after Rita, Katrina and Ike are all a bit twitterpated.

And Andy went out tonight of his own free will...Gracie Marie was out but is smart enough to go to the girls garage or gazebo.

And Xena's having super pooper episodes on the front hallway carpet...

And hisself was all mouthy about it.

And I cleaned it.

And hoovered.

We'd discussed the need with 2 long haired cats, hairballs and such the need to hoover more than once a week.

I last hit it Saturday when I cleaned the carpets.

Today is Tuesday.

No dear..." iT'S NOT EVERY F.G NIGHT".

Gah.

I need 24 hours..a case of Red Bull and the pc.

I need a day off without a death, car issues or cat shit on the carpet.

Oh well...

ON the upside IBKC is killing the fund raiser...

It all balances out.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Todays Happy Place

My late father was a super fan of " Peanuts"....well that and for the over 50 .."Pogo" .

There are blogs that I read daily, first and for most both " The Adventures of Space Paws" and " The IttyBittyKittyCommitee..both are dot blogspot.com.

http://megstrueadventures.blogspot.com/2010/07/peanuts-gang-life-on-top-of-doghouse.html

I love this new blog.

Meg is a first time foster Mommy and the parent of two kittys ....so me being me......I'm giving her a shout out .Go visit her blog and give her the support she deserves.

Rather than have a day where I focus on the whiny ass people that I work with who aren't smart enough to take an extra day off and would rather share their snipping about having to go back to work.........people , you have jobs.....shut it !

I'd rather find the happy in a day to offset their badass attitude and the reckoning that Karma surely will visit upon their sorry asses.

We all have choices people..choose happy.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Typical Saturday here at Casa de Swamp.

No, the dealership that SU planned on taking LOLA to, Parkway KIA does NOT have a body shop.

Really ?

I find that a tad odd, but then what the hell do I know about this crap..yep...nada.

The dealership that we originally bought her from does but they are not open on Saturday.

Convenient much..not.

Nor do they have any sort of courtesy vehicle to drop your ass home when your car is in the shop.

I am beginning to wonder about these cats.

Anyhoo..new plan.

Hisself is going to meet his sister over at DeMontrond and then they are going to go over to their fathers to help him got through some stuff, I suspect that there will be a lot of that sort of thing this year.

So..here I am at the house ...alone more or less...yes..you guys all count so Mommy is not really alone...learn to use the Hoover and we will talk allowance..m'kay ?

I have a ton of stuff to do...please do not look at the carpets..I will be cleaning them.

Where am I ?

In the Den, blogging.

LMAO..ROTF !

Oh , like you all are surprised.

Have a great Saturday.

Ciao,

Your Domestic Goddess

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

No, I didn't fall off the planet.

There's just been a lot of stuffz going on ...

Aw Hells Bells..I've spent way the hell too much time om Facebook playing Farmville, Frontierville , Vampire Wars and Mafia Wars...

Yup.

Anyhoo..

The missing croc thank you Jeebus has been located . It had floated under the CatHouse.

You heard me.

The CatHouse.

SU actually built Andy a fort which was immediately dubbed the " CatHouse ". It is painted the same gray that the hardiplank is and he even carpeted the whole interior. It has a front ledge aka porch and is raised up off the patio to prevent damage.

I always forget that it is raised so after he read Sgt. Andy's report, SU promptly went out , and Voila !

And it's raining here.

Yes, we needed the rain and I am profoundly grateful that it wasn't another IKE, but jeeze Louise ...we do not need all of the rain at once. A few years ago we had Tropical Storm Allison and it sat over us for about 4 or 5 days as I recall...and rained...and rained...and rained. Parts of Houston that NEVER flood did just that.

On the upside, I won't have the ginormous water bill at this rate, but...there is an area in the front bed where the water pours off the roof and it has blasted the new mulch off of one corner. I think I'm going to have to take some of the river rock that I have on the back patio in a bucket and just lay it down on that corner to prevent more erosion...aren't I the clever girl.

Andy is twitterpated because he hates the rain and is loathe to go outskie boutskie. No...he won't use the box..we've given up but save that fact , he would be the perfect indoor kitty and we pay close attention to the time and his needs....yes ...they really do run the house .

I am quite pleased with my Etsy loot. Most of it has come in and I love it all. One darling woman who made me that bracelet is so nice. I told her that unfortunately , it was too big and she was kind enough to remake it for me in a smaller size for a nominal price. Off it will go in the post next week..this week was occupied with other mundane things..response letter to the IRS with the data we neglected to furnish with our return. No big deal , save that I am mortified....I do work for TAX attorneys after all.

Back to the loot.

I used to be a world class shopper.

USED TO.

Since the advent of cell phones and I hate to say it but for the most part women who feel it is a Gaia given right to yap their asses off in the store ( pick one..it's much the same ) while shopping and end up damn near every time either blocking the aisle/product I need with their buggy ( we live in the South, they aren't carts , they are buggys, thankyouverymuch)...throw in crying, screaming, out of control children and no. SU does the majority of the Kroger/Sams/Target/Petsmart runs...my motto is " I buy, you fly." Add to that the fact that even after a complete hysterectomy at the tender age of 31 in 1986.. yes...I am 55 , people..the math ain't that hard y'all.....I am prone to hot flashes. They never go away...you just have to treat them like power surges...but ...after a long, tense day at the office....I am not your new best friend Missy with the phone/child/buggy thing going on..." MOVE YOUR ASS NOW !"

Etsy therefore was a revelation.

The artists that I buy from, and they are just that are genuinely nice. I have had immediate thank yous for my purchases from them, and they are sincerely committed to ..wait for it....wait...wait...." Customer Satisfaction."

They all take a great deal of pride in their talents without being the " Obnoxious Artiste" types and you can't beat the prices.

I love rose gold and copper and there is some great stuff out there..especially if you love lampwork beads as much as I do. It's all unique and fun. They all take PayPal which really is safe and secure....so...

Check it out..free to sign up....scads of cool stuff....and great time wastage for your inner shopper.

Have a great and safe holiday...I'll be posting more...oh and before I forget...donate to IBKC if you can..here's the linky.

http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.blogspot.com/.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol