"At Least You Woke Up This Morning"

Beginning yesterday afternoon (Sunday), I dreaded going to work. Now, unlike a lot of people, 90% of the time, I love my job. But for some reason, I absolutely, positively did not want to go to work today, but I went! Turns out my premonition was right. My work day started off on the wrong foot...complaining, disgruntled employees, and even a few not so nice words from my boss. This is something most people call a normal day, but for me, this was the beginning of a bad day. As the day went on, things seemed to get worse, but I just kept telling myself, "only a few hours left." As I rounded the lunch corner and could see the light at the end of the tunnel, I get a phone call from Thersa. This is not an uncommon occurence, this happens 8-10 times a day, but this phone call seemed different. Mom was very cautious with her words when she told me she had just signed for a certified letter addressed to me from the Archdiocese of Mobile. Now, when I heard this I began to sweat due to my not so good girl lifestyle, but mom argued this was something much different than an invitation to the abbey..."Open it up" I demanded. Yadda, yadda, yadda...annulment papers from my exhusband...with NO WARNING!!! Needless to say, what transpired in the next few minutes will not be on the highlight reel of my life. But after several opinions from friends, I decided I would take the high road, which is usually not my style, but it IS the church and I will probably need it one day! In the midst of this crisis, Tommy the Terminix guy shows up, ready to spray for pierre and looking for $65 (get in line). As he's spraying the house, Tommy says, "Ms. Elias, I think you have a gas leak." Impossible I say, I don't smell anything. Well, Tommy was not going to give up until I reported this so called gas leak. I decided I would humor him and it's a good thing I did...GAS LEAK! Now, the gas has been turned off to the house which supplies the hot water for my shower. After a phone call from my brother, I find some not so nice things are being said about me by what are now some not so nice friends. Again, livid...but I soon calmed down when I sat down to talk to my mom about what turned out to be a very long day. During this conversation, I figured mom would give me some of her pearls of wisdom and everything would be ok. Much to my disbelief, mom tells me maybe it's time to move on...we both knew this wasn't going to be permanent...I think I'm ready to move out on my own. WTF??? One of the only stable things in my life is "moving on"? I explained to her this had been a very long day and that I didn't think I could have a deep conversation about where I would be hanging my hat right now. I told her I would entertain this subject later on in the week. To my surprise she agreed and said, "Amanda, I know it's been a long day, but at least you woke up this morning." And there it was, the little pearl I was hoping for.

Everyone Else Here Has Done It...Why Can't You?

This is the statement the Asian gift shop clerk said to me when I told him I would love to relocate to New York City. I have thought about this statement many times since I got home, and although I know he is absolutely right, it's hard to give up everything and go. My question is this...Why Can't I? I guess it's that I am more responsible than I give myself credit for, or it could be the unknown. To give up family, friends, employment, house, etc. does seem very scary, but the fact is, sometimes you have to let go of these things to experience life.
In the last 6 months, I have realized there is a lot more to this country than the Southeast. Now, being 33 years old, I have known this for quite sometime, but getting out and seeing different parts of the country has done nothing but peek my interest. I like the "small town" living...that's all I know: Pascagoula, MS, Hattiesburg, MS, and Mobile, AL. Am I the only one who wonders what it would be like to pick up and go? Surely not. There are millions of people who have done it and have succeeded...Why Can't I?

Detour...

Why is it that when everything in life seems to be going in the right direction...you hit a bump in the road?

Drunk on a Wednesday Night...

Work is going to suck tomorrow!

I Just Want to Smoke...

When I woke up late yesterday morning I knew it was going to be a long day. On top of snoozing for 40 minutes, it was dark outside...the first morning of daylight savings, blah! I manage to sprint through my morning ritual with enough time to buy some cigarettes and still be on time for work. As I usually do, I go into the Circle K ready to buy my smokes for the day, except this time I had a $5.00 bill, I never carry cash. Finally, it's my turn in line. I tell the clerk, "One box of Marlboro Ultra Lights please" she rings up my purchase and says "$6.00" to which I replied, "what? have you bumped your head?" She proceeds to tell me cigarettes have gone up due to some new tax hike and she points to the sign at the register. Of course, I am very irritated with this, and I didn't pay any attention to the sign. The rest of the day is spent texting and bitching to anyone that will listen about the outrageous price I have just paid for 20 cigarettes, of which I smoked every one that day, why save them!

This morning starts out quite the same way...late, dark, and foggy. Finally, I leave the house and decide to skip my normal stop at the Circle K and give the BP a try. Much to my dismay, the clerk rings up my cigarettes and says, "that will be $6.00" I look at the counter and there is that same sign that reads, Don't Blame Us....DAMNIT! Once I arrive at work, I ask the other smokers and their reply is the same, "yes, my cigarette brand has gone up too."

I guess now is as good a time as any to quit smoking, but my problem is, why wasn't I warned about this. No one I have talked to knew of this "Tax Hike." I think we as smokers should have been given fair warning that we were about to be bent over. I already can't smoke in some bars, and I'm ostracized to the back in most restaurants...couldn't I have been given the common courtesy to stock up?

Mardi Gras 2009

Mardi Gras 2009 has been over for several days, however, I am still feeling the effects of the two and a half week party. It was such a good time this year. My Mardi Gras started out with a very special guest...Olga The Traveling Bra. Although she was a few days late getting here, it was an honor to show her a good time for Mardi Gras. Being late meant Olga missed one of the biggest nights I had throughout the celebration, Osiris Ball. It was such a good time, I think we'll need a bus to transport everyone that wants to go next year!

GB and his 6 dates to Osiris 2009

Next up, Conde Explorers and Pharaoh's, the Saturday after Osiris. Even though it was a struggle, we are troopers and Mardi Gras does only happen once a year, (thank goodness)!

A week off proved to be just what I needed since the next Saturday turned out to be a fantastic day for Mardi Gras revelers! Four parades rolled through downtown Saturday, Mystics, Maids of Myrth, Butterfly Maidens, and Marry Mates. Of course our posse stayed for all four of the parades and then some...we've never been known as the group that goes home early!

GB is such the entertainer and poor Olga kept getting dragged around

Another few days of rest after the all day and night festivities of Saturday and it's time for The Mystic Stripers parade (one of my favorites). Our Thursday night celebration is a large time, even though there is work to be done early Friday morning...that's never stopped us before, so why stop now?

And still...there's Olga

After a pop up trip to Malbis, we finally made it home to get a nap and prepare for Friday night...Crewe of Columbus. We decide Friday will be an early night, watch the parade, wait out traffic, and then home, however, that's not quite how it went. After an unexpected visit from Captain Morgan himself, an impromtu dance off, and other surprise guests (the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny) what was supposed to be an early night turned out to be a night to remember.

We were supposed to be home...sleeping!

After the last 2 nights, Saturday was a struggle, but it was MOT Ball and I was not going to miss that. With GB as my date, we partied like rock stars, well rock stars that had aged a bit. Nonetheless, it was still a great time! We made it home at a reasonable time...only because Joe Cain Day was Sunday and we didn't want to miss that!

GB and I at MOT Ball

Sunday finally arrives, Joe Cain Day. I am so excited about this day because I have never gotten to participate in Joe Cain (due to my exhaustion rate at this point). The day starts out by going to Joe Cain's house where there is a huge party going on. Keep in mind it is early, 11:00am, but by the looks of this crowd it could be midnight. Joe Cain's widows arrive, and even though we could not see anything, it sounded like a good time was had by all!

Joe Cain 2009

As the day went on, so did the parades, the Joe Cain parade, Krewe de Bienville, and Les Fem Cassettes finished off a very long day. As the day went on, I started feeling a little under the weather, but I neglected my body and kept going...turns out I should have listened because Monday morning I was at the doctor diagnosed with bronchitis! Even though several of us ended up sick, probably due to overindulgence, Mardi Gras 2009 was a blast! I am already looking forward to 2010!

Ash Wednesday

I have been stuck in my house...either in my bed, on the couch, or in my favorite chair, since Sunday night...sicker than I've ever been (the doctor called it bronchitis). I've had an awful lot of time on my hands the last 3 days and I have actually learned a lot...not only about myself, but about the internet, my 2 dogs, and even daytime television.

I have made some useful and not so useful deductions the last few days:

1. Try as I might, I missed Ash Wednesday mass again this year. I really did make an effort, but hopefully not being able to get out of bed is excuse enough.
2. You can really start to smell yourself after 2 days of not showering. This issue has been fixed, just a little FYI.
3. I spend way too much time on the internet and I rely way too much on my cell phone, whose contract is up in less than 2 weeks...yay!!!
4. Thersa would have been a very good nurse, however, if she keeps shoving cough syrup down my throat every 6 hours, she may be wearing it the next time.
5. Even with over 200 channels on satellite, there really isn't anything worth watching on TV, except Ellen (3:00pm Central). That is the funniest show on TV. She has been added to my Tivo, just in case I ever do get to go back to work.
6. The mailman is very consitant, here by 11:30am all three days...impressive!
7. This list of newly found tidbits could go on, but I'll save that for another day.

Since my life normally revolves around the world wide web anyway, I've had a little extra time the last few days to dig deeper into this very stimulating world of knowledge. I have spent a lot of time on Facebook and Myspace. Anyone that does not manage one or both of these definitely needs to reevaluate their life...hhmm, you know who you are. I've also spent a lot of time on CNN, one of my all-time favorite sites. I can spend hours reading through the articles. And, last but not least, TMZ. Where else can yo go to read about whether or not Jennifer Anniston has decided she's still in love with Brad Pitt? Or see what Rhianna's face really looks like after Chris Brown beat her like Ike beat Tina...and my all time favorite (at least over the last 3 days) is anything dealing with the crazy woman who is now the proud mother of 8 new children, which brings her total to 14!

I've also run across some other sites that I used to visit quite frequently, but have forgotten all about these jewels. The Onion, this really is one of the funniest websites around, in my opinion. They bill themselves as, America's Finest News Source, to which I agree! Another oldy but goody, is Hulu. You can go to this site and watch anything from television commercials, entire television series, and even movies. You just have to be able to put up with their 30 second, very irritating commercials. I guess it has to pay for itself somehow. And, since I am really a huge geek in cool clothes, one of my all time favorite websites is...LiveATC...ta-da! This is really a fantastic website where you can listen to air traffic controllers from all over the world, whether it's approach, departure, or even ground. However, I can't take credit for this find, a friend of mine introduced it to me years ago!

I have also run across some new websites that I have found very interesting. Flixter is a new one (at least for me). It is a lot like Hulu, but it seems to have more shows and movies to choose from. WeatherBonk...this is a site you will have to look at yourself. It's pretty neat, if you're interested in weather. You can pick a city or town, and it will give all the forecast information, current weather info, and even pictures! I ran across hundreds of new pages I have never seen before, but, these were just 2 that I could remember. Let's not forget, I'm on a lot of medication, hence all this free time!

Some other websites that I think deserve honorable mentions: Amazon, Pandora, Ebay, Twitter, Lonely Planet, and the CIA's website (it has a plethora of knowledge).

So I was able to tear myself away from my laptop for a small amount of time while confined to my house. My 2 dogs, Bailey and Gracie, are very funny. I guess I have always been aware of this, but I don't think I've ever witnessed this daily schedule they are on...the ritual they live by (as with most humans and animals). They both sleep with me, but in the mornings, around 7ish (I'm usually at work by 6:30) they go outside and handle their business. Bailey, the older of the 2, is ready to come back inside 10 minutes later, however, Gracie prefers to stay outside. Periodically, she will bark (scream) at some random thing...squirrels, leaves, neighbors, etc. About 30 minutes into this ceremony, she barks at the door, signifying she is ready to come inside. So, in she comes, which means Thersa has now gotten up three times...once to let them out, a second time to let Bailey in, and now a third time to let Gracie back inside (and it's not even 8am). Moments later, after Gracie has figured out there is nothing going on in the house that pleases her, she's ready to go back outside...that's four! This in and out goes on until about 9:30am, all the while mother is giving in to their every command. For the most part of the day, they are outside, especially since the weather has been so nice, except, I have thrown this routine off. They are still trying to figure out why in the world I am home and hardly paying them any attention. They are funny in their own way...the looks they have given me and the sounds they have made let me know they are not pleased with me at all...but that seems to change when it's time to eat!

While I'm not on the internet and making fun of my 2 dogs (that I honestly do adore) I have caught up on daytime television. Now, when I say daytime TV, I mean The Today Show and The View, I have Tivo for all my soaps (God bless Tivo!). I have seen some really interesting stories on both of these shows the last few mornings. For example, Matt and Meredith tried to play a joke on each other, but Ellen Degeneres foiled the plan...ELLEN??? She's on in the afternoon, you just have to have seen it. Ann Curry won mother of the year, but Kathie Lee Gifford stood in for her because Ann was hanging out with George Clooney...WHAT? Hoda Kotb apparently can't score a date to save her life (I hear ya sister). There is one very disturbing fact I learned this morning...More Evidence Links Alcohol, Cancer in Women...this ain't good! I also learned that everyone hated Whoopi's dress she wore to the Oscars, Elisabeth was naked in the Pittsburgh airport yesterday afternoon, and Sherri Shepherd threw her brassiere at Tom Jones last night. And I always thought daytime television was a bore...boy was I wrong!

Of course today everyone on the internet and on TV is talking about President Obama's speech last night, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But the talk of the town seems to be Governor Jindal's Republican rebuttal. Now, I am by no means a political junky. I like to think I keep up with it enough to hold intelligent conversation, but I usually steer clear of political and religious discussions. But while I was channel surfing this morning, I ran across the topic of Jindal. Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News compared his speech to watching a cross between Bonanza and Leave It To Beaver. When the Governor started using phrases such as, "a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland" I knew I had not made a mistake when I voted Democrat in November. CNN is calling for his entire staff to be fired. If this is the best the Republicans have to offer, good Lord! Now, I realize having to follow up Obama's speech could not have been an easy task, however, at least write a speech that makes some since. No wonder most of the country thinks the South is nothing but a bunch of morons! The most intelligent thing I heard come out of his mouth through the entire 12 1/2 minute speech was, "Good Evening and Happy Mardi Gras." I could not agree with him more!