Wow, I was gone a couple of days and everything has fallen apart!
1. Greg’s pulley is shot
2. His evidently recurring nightmare of not making All-state (twice mentioned on here) is kicking in again.
3. Dianne is tiring out on running up the hills
4. Tom is a pawn in the corporate shuffle
5. Kirby died (thought that was a vaccuum cleaner…but, caught the real message quickly)

Nothing too bad happened over here. Well, I had to do the sermon sunday – this is always a humiliating experience but, I’ve grown to embrace the shame.

Tonight I went to an “artist showcase” (gag). Someone in our church is an artist wannabe and they showcase their rare gifts to humanity by sending out press releases, inviting “industry” people and other movers and shakers to their free performance. Then, they serve cheese and grapes and sparkling water…turn up the sound system and scream. No one from the industry shows up…just family and friends so that the room won’t be empty. The artist get’s the proverbial “15 minutes of fame” (depending on how long the spent eating cheese)…a few musicians got a check for backing up the artist, the facility got paid by the artist, and I got a head ache. I love the music business….

I need a air conditioner compressor for my van with the large dent that goes from the front to the back of the car.

The title has stamped all over it “S A L V A G E”

It is valued at $500.00.

And the compressor will cost…with labor…almost a thousand.

All I need is the PULLY that helps keep the belt on.

“Sorry, sir. We don’t have just a pully, that won’t work anyhow. You need a new air conditioning unit. $1000.00, please”

I gotta find a used air conditioner, or I will be hot, and then I will NEED it!

Anyone want a beat up van that is very hot, but starts all the time? It just might blow up in a week.

At least that won’t be boring….

The SWU tour ends tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting home.

Hi, Cy.

I liked Kirby.

Puckett for the unwashed heathens among you. He was 45. Had a stroke last weekend and never recovered.

He was the little fat thing who smiled all the time, spent 99% of his life being a great guy, and the other 1% beating the Braves in the 7th game of the world series.

Even had a billboard put up for him that said, “Nice guys finish in the hall of fame.”

He did that, actually. 2nd youngest player (behind Lou Gherig) to be inducted.

Now he’s dead.

Guess I shouldn’t bitch too much about the reformation of AT&T. 😉

So what does that mean? Monday is over. Actually it wasn’t a bad Monday as Monday’s go. Matt was thrilled with our inventory results. (Maybe inventory on a weekend isn’t such a bad idea, eh you management weenies? Shoulda listened to me months ago.) What other things happened on Monday…..

A check of the bank balances shows enough right now for closing. Forget the bills this month,,,that money is STAYING there till the 30th.

Homeowner’s insurance thru USAA is quite reasonable. Think we’ll have them cover us.

I ran 3.8 miles and found the nastiest hill in this town! I ALMOST had to walk it. Still, I averaged less than 10 minutes a mile. Bring on them flat roads in Easley

We had cube steak for dinner last night. With corn and fries and carrots.

I got a voicemail on my cel phone from an old Army buddy. He sang Happy Birthday. Evidently he called my home number back in February, but had written down the wrong number for me and didn’t feel comfortable singing to a total stranger. Better late than never, I guess.

Thomas was sick, Bill was tired, and Dianne was pooped. Everyone (even the dog) went to bed by 8:30

Tonight I start packing up kitchen stuff….oh wait that’s not Monday is it?

Okay, I guess Monday wasn’t too exciting was it? Today’s March 7th. 23 days and counting.

JEEEEZ!!!!

Remember about a week ago when I was all relieved and my blood pressure was returning to normal after I revealed in my own personal blog that my company’s president had declared that BEI (BellSouth Entertainment) IT people were exempt from the current round of firings?

This after I was pretty much certain that I couldn’t dodge the bullet again?

Well, now AT&T has bought BellSouth. Seriously. We’ve been taken over. http://finance.myway.com/ht/nw/bus/20060306/hlm_bus-n05197609.html

I’m TIRED of this. Now I’ve got another year AT LEAST of wondering when the axe is going to fall.

ARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!

Hey, Mom & Dad – can I just move back in with you? I’ll give you $100 a month for rent.

This sucks.

Thank you. I feel better now.

When I teach a band class, I frequently use foreign terms like “allegro” or “vivace”. But Cy’s post made me remember I use French, too.

Say, toot!

I am on tour with the fabulous Southern Wesleyan University jazz Ensemble. Tonight we played for almost 50 people at a little church in Birmingham. They thought we were great.

They had a pot luck dinner. That was GREAT!

Tomorrow we play at 2 Chirstian schools in Birmingham,a nd then drive to macon for the evening before heading on to St.Petersburg on Tuesday where will base our operations for 6 more performances before Thursday.

On Friday, we have SC All-State Band. Wesley will play in his second.

I never made All-State.

Wesley’s Jazz Band received a Superior rating at the SC State Jazz Festival. Great job, bud.

My car is now in the shop. The air coditioning went out. Not a big deal, I don’t ever use it….but….
There is only one belt in the the motor.
It goes around the pully on …the…air conditioner.

Regardless of the fact I don’t use the air conditioner, the car needs the pully….

The pully only comes on….

an air conditioner….

I am looking for a second opinion. Until then, we will cram into a little 5 seat Honda..and leave someone home.

Ta ta from Birmingham, home of the….uh….(what is here?))))

GD

My car runs, too. It’s really dirty, but it runs.

I ran it to the grocery store today. Actually, I ran it to TWO grocery stores.

And back.

I’m making lasagna tonight. With scallops and shrimp. AND I’m going to watch a movie. AND I”ll probably drink some wine.

Atlanta’s really fun.

With all the car news showing up on this family-friendly blog, I thought I’d let you all know that my car is running. It’s due for service pretty soon, and the back wiper clears only a small part of the actual window, but it IS running, so I thank you all for reminding me to be thankful for little gifts.

It’s snowing here. Again. After no snow in December or January, we got 9 inches last weekend (that’s February’s total) and have had about 6 inches today (March is coming in like the proverbial lion). The wood stove has been working its small miracle of heating half of the house, and the cat on my lap is the heating element during the evening hours.

Dianne, my hat is off to you for surviving and thriving in the midst of family trauma. Thankfully, I never faced any of the kinds of issues you’re facing with Thomas, and I’m hoping that your story (Thomas’ story, really) will have a good ending.

It would appear that life in Vermont really is as slow as they say. Nothing much to report. On Monday I take up the Town Moderator’s gavel and run our Town Meeting. In the Addison Independent this week, there was a picture of me running last year’s meeting. In the photo I am peering over my reading glasses and laughing at something, while lined up beside me are three very glum-looking selectmen. Evidently, they didn’t think that anything was very funny, but I did. This is the difference between being the boss at Town Meeting, and being answerable to the voters at Town Meeting. I choose to remain in the “boss” position. Of course, I do have to get elected ….

Finally, regarding field trips … I think it’s time that there was one to Vermont. We’re a regular hotbed of historic sites, literary lessons can be lovely at Robert Frost’s cabin (we KNOW whose woods these are…), fossils galore on the fabulous inland sea now known as Lake Champlain. And hey, I know the governor. C’mon! Field trip! Field trip!

C’est tout.

Yesterday Marilyn and the boys went on a field trip. It is really only note-worthy because they went to visit a newspaper. Adam, and to a lesser degree Samuel, both know that Grandpa Day ran a newspaper. So, when they went and visited the Nasvhille Tennessean, with it’s web press that wraps around a two story, 8,000 square foot room…they became quite impressed with Grandpa.

Basically, Marilyn said they were pretty bored until they got into the press room…they liked that part.

I went on the field trip before this one – it was the Nashville Children’s Theater (ranked as the top of its kind in the country) production of Dr Sues’s “Horton Hears a Who”. It was great! (But, hey, I don’t get out much).

Okay, we know that Tad is a hero, and cars kaput after warranty. You want some REAL excitement? Try living my life for the past few months.

How many of you have gotten the opportunity to post “Missing Child” posters all over town? I have. If you ever want to try it, trust me,,,,it’s NOT fun. Thomas decided in early December he’d had enough of our horrible parenting (we made him clean his room AND do homework in the same month!) and disappeared. He was found safe, but that was the beggining of what they refer to at the Citadel as “hellweek” only it JUST ended.

We went through another runaway episode, two, count them TWO robberies of our mobile home, I’ve lost count on the school suspensions, and it will be a miracle, given his grades and attendence if Thomas makes it thru grade eight. A host of doctor visits, and counseling sessions woke my husband up to the fact that we had a drug addict on our hands which was a miracle in itself. We were both ready to call the marriage a failure until Bill came around. There’s not enough room in any blog (I doubt there are enough trees to manufacture enough paper to print out the details of our recent experiences) so I won’t go for more detail. The GOOD news is that Thomas is now drug free and not a horrible person to live with. (He’s still smoking cigarettes in his room after being told that is NOT acceptable, but we are just working on baby steps at this point) He tested negative for drugs a couple of weeks ago and just last week also tested negative for HIV and Hepititus (they shared drug needles) We are anxiously awaiting the closing on the house in Easley to get him away from the people he hangs with. Yes, I know,,,,if he wants to go back to drugs he will find a way, but I’m hoping and praying (and feel free to join me) that he won’t make that decision!

Then there’s Zack…….he just signed up for next year’s classes, is holding his 3.7GPA making him and honor student, and is ranked #40 academically of the 242 sophomores at Camden High School. He’s ready to move into the new home and paint a HUGE Saturn logo (Thomas if you ever ticked off your nephew, it was when you got rid of your Saturn) on his wall.

The IDIOT who filled out our loan application checked the “NO” box on both Bill and I to the question “Are you a U.S. Citizen?” yesterday. Duh! I worked for 2 1/2 hours this morning doing inventory in our department. How much simpler it is to count parts when machines aren’t running! I’ve suggested for MONTHS that we inventory on a Saturday,,,,this is the first time we ever did. I wonder who’ll take credit for the idea.

MY car has over 157,000 miles on it now and one day a few weeks ago, it died. Wouldn’t shift. At all. I called Bill to come and get me as I was on my way home after work when it happened. Course I had to flag down a passerby with a cel phone case I never take my phone to work. It’s only a mile and a half from home to the plant, and I could have just worked, but that was the day we had an appointment to look at a house 15 minutes away and 15 minutes after my car quit. It was also the day (Bill was waiting for the cops when I called him) that the second robbery occurred and the day that Thomas recieved his most recent suspension (for hauling a kids pants down during gym class!)

They said, “Cheer up, things could be worse.” So I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse. I also have heard that God doesn’t give anyone more than they can handle. At one of our lowest points recently, Bill said to me, “I think he got us mixed up with someone else!” But things ARE getting better. We were just about debt free. Now we’re gonna owe for 30 years on a house. Wait…that’s BETTER?