Paradise With Traffic

For those of you that thought me dead, I'm not. Some days I might wish I were, but along with being thin and winning the lottery, the death wish has been ignored. But of course if I had my choice of which to stop ignoring, it would be the lottery. And Florida is paradise with traffic from October thru mid May. Then the humidity spikes along with the tempature and you feel like you are trying to breathe soup. And of course today is the first day of hurricaine season and I swear there is some sort of a hurricaine union somewhere with a calendar because there is one forming as I type. On the first damned day!!!



The drive to work each day is a good one. Little traffic on that causeway and bridge which I don't understand. I go across at 70 miles an hour and they pass me like I was sitting in a side ditch! However, I drive aprox 12 miles over water each way and it is so pretty. I go 4 miles north, then 8 miles east and it is all over water. And the water smells so good in the morning. Some days it smells like fresh rainfall.

I find a true enjoyment in listening to the cry of the seagulls. However, as I watch them swoop down near me, shades of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" races thru my mind and I desperately look for a building to duck into.

My sister and her family are here visiting and that is good. My neice is 16 now and is she gorgeous. I'm sure her dad is ready for prozac and a good antiacid.

Did you know: What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common? They were all invented by women.

I will try to keep a better handle on blogging and you all have a good June.

Hollywood Square Wisdom: When asked if a pea can last as long as 5,000 years? George Gobel responded: Boy, the older I get, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Strawberry Festival Time!!!!!!!!!

The strawberries are calling my name. They are wonderful and oh so sweet. It is really strange to be in the middle of strawberry heaven in February and March. And the festivals abound.

More importantly, I have a job! Just completed my first week at Chase in Tampa. Pay isn't enough but you have to start somewhere. I am fortunate I don't have normal living expenses as I live with Dad right now, because I wouldn't be able to do it. I think I will like it fine and maybe something better within Chase will open that I can get permanently and maybe eventually transfer back to Indiana with them. This is a temporary job estimated to last thru November. We will see. But it is at least nice to have a small income right now. Well it will be nice, next week when I get my first check.

Just got done chatting with Dell. They have replaced my dvd burner twice in the last 3 weeks and they are trying to see if it is an operating system problem instead of a hardware problem. They sent an email saying all these tests to do. Put it in safe mode and yadda, yadda, yadda. I explained very politely, I am not a computer guru and am having trouble doing what they asked with out their help. They can take over my computer from where ever in hell they are and move my mouse around, opening all the things they need open and fixing it from across the ocean. It is great because I have a hard time speaking with them as they do not speak English very well. But typing in a chat box is without accents. It does appear to be a hardware issue. Thank God for extended warrenties!

Found a new author (new to me, not new in the market) and her books are absolutely riviting. Diana Gabaldon and she has what is called the Outlander series. Six in the series at this time, seventh to be released in the fall. Full of history, war, romance and just human study. You get started and you just want to do nothing else. The problem is the books are anywhere from 800 to 1000 pages. Disc are 39 hours to 58 hours. And Davina Porter is the best reader because she has such a wonderful Scottish accent when she reads the parts of the Scots. It starts out in 1945 and Claire Randall is visiting a stone circle in Scotland (like Stonehenge) and gets sucked into a vortex of somekind and pops out in 1745. The rest of it takes place in the 1700's in Scotland. It is not a science fiction. A really good read, try it. Her books are primiarly why I haven't taken time to blog for a month. They are like Lay's potato chips, no one can have just one. I am waiting for my 4th.

Weather is perfect right now. Low to mid 70's with blazing sun. Florida State Fair just closed. Can you imagine, the state fair in February? Strange indeed.

Spoke with three of my grandkids last night. I miss them terribly. In the shortime I have been in Florida, Corbin has just become quite the talker. He just went on and on. Of course, I only understood every third word but it was cute. Trinidy read me a story she wrote for school and Leland (19 months) said bye. I miss all 5 of them. I am experiencing grandbaby withdraw.

And as you slide down the bannister of life, remember: The difference between the Pope and your boss is, the Pope only expects you to kiss his ring!!!!!

Super Bowl Sunday Yulk!!!!!!

Well, it is Super Bowl Sunday, the unoffical holiday of football obsessed, face painted, food stuffing, beer guzzling lunatics!!! It is a day where winning isn't a matter of life and death, it is more important than that. At the cost of $2.7 million per 30 second commercial, just how many beers would have to be sold to just break even? How many to make the investment worth it? And we wonder why we have such a high percentage of alcoholics in the good ole USA. Whatever you do, don't run short on food or booze. That truly is the proverbial train wreck waiting to happen.

I tested with the Pinellas County Sheriff's department for a clerical position. Did pretty well. Then they tell you what they will need. Birth certificate and high school diploma. That is fine, I had the forsight to get those out of my storage unit in Indianapolis, before I came here. Then they lower the boom. They need my marriage license (that was 41 years ago) and a copy of my divorce decree (that was 22 years ago). What the hell!!!!! Why on earth would they need those things. I am not sure I even have my license. I do have my divorce decree. It is in one of about 200 boxes in my storage unit. That isn't all. They need every brush with the law you have ever had, including traffic violations. They want to know what and when. Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!! What is up with that? I have had 4 speeding tickets in the 43 years I have been driving, but I can only closely guess three. I can't remember anything about the fouth except I am pretty sure there were four. They then give you a lie detector and since you remember everything subconsciencously, it will show deceptive if you don't list it. What a bunch of hooey.

Weather has been absolutely beautiful. Temps in the low to mid seventies. And unbelievable sunshine. Makes you just want to sit out in it and enjoy. Too bad it can give you cancer.

Hollywood Squares Wisdom: When asked, During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet? Rose Marie answered, Unfortunately, I am always safe in the bedroom.

Enjoy the Super Bowl commericals, they are the best part.

It's Raining. Yipee!!!!!!!!!!

We got rain. In the last couple of days, it has rained over 2". We really need it. No tropical storms to speak of, Florida does not sport the green, green grass of home! It is strange how much you come to miss the daily sun. That beautiful, vitamin D filled sunshine. It has only been three days since it has peaked out of the clouds but it feels much longer. When in Indiana, this time of the year, it could be weeks without sun.

Still looking for work. And we read in the paper about one small business after another closing. I am just grateful I have a place to live. Although if you are going to be homeless, Florida is the place to do it. It is estimated there are 65,000 homeless people in Florida. Better weather you know. In Tampa, they call it "Tent City". Hundreds of pup tents for the homeless. Where they get tents, I have no idea. But last March, the Tampa police came into tent city and took knives and cut them up. Threw the people out and cut every tent to pieces. Why???? Good question and the police were reluctant to say. "Safer for the community" was what they said. Bullshit! is what I say. Within a few days, a local church gathered the support of other churches and new tents were being distributed. After that, the police left the homeless alone and "Tent City" was back.

The home next door is empty and a guy across the street is parking his vehicle there. The other day he was backing into the car port and, whala!!!, he back into one of the support columns of the awning. So you suppose liquor had any part in that incident? He replaced the column but has to paint it now. Why back in anyway?

Hollywood Squares wisdom: When asked "Why do Hell's Angels wear leather?", Paul Lynde responded, "Because chiffon wrinles too easily."