Feels Like Home

We spent last Saturday afternoon in Times Square and Central Park. We drove in to Manhattan late Saturday morning and hooked up with ma chère's cousin, his wife and a couple friend of theirs on 57th & Madison. We bruised our way through the crowds down to Hard Rock and after lunch we walked passed the M&M Store for dessert and then up to Central Park to let the Ts blow off some much pent up steam. They had a blast on the huge rocks in the park and one of the many play areas. Then we walked back up to the van on the Upper East Side. You cannot believe the crowds on Madison Avenue and Time Square. It was an incredible sea of people.

We spent the rest of Memorial Day weekend mostly around the house. It has been a long time where we just hung out together. We got down to the beach on Sunday. The Ts braved the water while ma cherè and I laid out on a rock close to shore. Ma chère chatted with a woman whose vacation home is just down the street from our house.

It is not quite "home", yet. But, we are working on it. We all miss the connectedness of being in Milwaukee.

Title by: Randy Newman (Performed by Bonnie Raitt)

The Statue Got Me High

This one is for the long-time "forward, not straight" crowd. It rates right up there with "It's better to be pissed off than pissed on...Just ask Chuck."

Why Fire Engines are Red...
Fire engines are red because fire engines have four wheels and eight men.
4+8=12
There are 12 inches in a foot.
A foot is a ruler.
A famous ruler was Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen Elizabeth was once the largest ship to sail the seven seas.
Seas have fish.
Fish have fins.
The Fins fought the Russians.
The Russians are red.
Fire engines are always rushing.
And THAT is why fire engines are red!

Title by: They Might Be Giants

I Will Possess Your Heart

The timing on my heart gets a little messed up once in a while. It starts with an uncomfortable feeling in my chest and then what can only be described as a flopping around the inside of my chest. It takes my breath away; and, I do not mean that in a "WOW, would you look at that view" kind of way. One episode usually lasts a few seconds. The after-effects (shortness of breath, a dull ache in my chest and a general feeling of fatigue) last 15 or 20 minutes. The problem comes when I get recurring episodes before I recover from the previous one.

To my horror and humiliation, this happened at work this morning. The flutters started during my commute. I was shaking off the first round during the dog walk when the next round started. By 8:00 AM, cold sweats and a blood pressure drop made it hard to stand on my feet. And sure as Bob's Your Uncle, I found myself being escorted to the South Hampton emergency room by my principals. This was, as they say, highly irregular. Seated in the back of a beautiful luxury sedan while my boss is seated in what is normally my seat when we are together in a car.

The condition is technically called Arrhythmia. This is not necessarily a new condition for me. I was looked at a few years ago for the same problem. In my case, it is likely stress induced. The good news is my blood work and EKG came back positive.

Title by: Death Cab For Cutie

Artists

I have to admit, I do not have every song I post in my collection. However, I, generally, have at least one song from each of the artists. Picking the title usually turns into a big project. Sometimes, I am looking for a spark from the title of the song. Other times, there is something in the lyrics or even the melody that fits the mood of the post.

Here is the list of all the artists' songs I have used. There are some that are dubiously credited, just deal with it, ok? I will try to keep this list updated going forward. I might even get ambitious and add links.

Merle Haggard
Christopher Cross
The Police
Goo Goo Dolls
Loretta Lynn
Paul Pena
The Roaches
Ben Folds
Robert Palmer
Daniel Powter
Cat Stevens
James Taylor
Hall & Oats
School House Rock
John Denver
Soul Train Gang
Jaime Cullum
Celestial Navigations
Rolling Stones
Annie Lennox
Ice Cube
Proclaimers
Willie Nelson
Jack's Mannequin
Frank Sinatra
Rufus Wainwright
Third Eye Blind
Three Dog Night
Led Zeppelin
Beauty and the Beast
K.T. Tunstal
Dave Matthews Band
The Beatles
Phil Collins
Billy Joel
Johnny Cash
The Violent Femmes
Nirvana
U2
Big Daddy Kane
Supertramp
John Stewart
Lerner & Loewe
R.E.M.
The Beatles
Norah Jones
Dido
Robert Palmer
Bruce Springsteen
Leonard Cohen
Charlie Pride
Don Henley
Greg Lake
Corinne Bailey Rae
Yes
Lilo & Stitch
Brad Paisley
Jethro Tull
Proclaimers
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Peaches & Herb
Burl Ives
Alanis Morissette
Radiohead
Simon & Garfunkel
The Sweet
Sugarland
Peter Gabriel
Sugarland
The Cure
Lily Allen
EMF
Everything But The Girl
Death Cab For Cutie
They Might Be Giants
Bonnie Raitt
Grammar Rock

Apron Strings

When washing aprons, make sure to tie-off the string ends. A nice figure-eight knot at the end should do.

Two words...SPIN CYCLE. yeesh, what a nightmare.

Title by: Everything But The Girl

Just Might (Make You Believe)

My friend, Cat, started a new blog not too long ago.

http://aswebecomeourselves.blogspot.com

She and her husband are working on adopting a foster child. Check out her stuff and give her some much deserved props.

Title by Sugarland

This is the Picture

Here is a little trick that, usually, keeps me out of trouble.

Before we touch any surface or space in the environment, I take digital pictures. I stand in the middle of the room and take shots of the 4 walls and 4 corners; front shots, top-down shots, under/over, etc.

I print them all and keep copies on my iPhone. (Yes, a business perk, I have an iPhone.)

Then, I let the housekeepers loose. Let them dust, clean, wipe, steam, whatever.

When they are all finished, we put it all back the way we found it. Tada!

The Spring Blitz taught me that there is no such thing as too many pictures. I thought I took a ton of them. When it came to putting things back together, I still found myself having to figure out where things went because of where they were NOT in a picture.

Title by: Peter Gabriel

Little Things

The Ts are taking to Long Island life well. T1 went out for the Lacrosse team. He also went on a 4 day trip to Quebec City, Quebec with the French Club. T2 is starting to make friends. He has been frustrated because it is taking a bit longer to make connections than he expected. T3 is grooving along well enough. He shares his other brothers' frustration in making friends.

Four things about me that you may or may not have known in no particular order.

1. 4 jobs I have had in my life:
Water Ski Instructor - Deer Park Lodge, Package Truck Pre-loader - United Parcel Service, Usher/Doorman - UA Theaters at Northridge, On Air Personality - WXPR Rhinelander
2. 4 movies I've watched more than once:
Ground Hog Day, Star Wars (A New Hope), Steel Magnolias, Hudson Hawk
3. 4 places I have lived in my life:
Fort Campbell, KY, Winthrop Harbor, IL, Deerfield, IL, Saint Germain, WI
4. 4 TV Shows I watch:
Heroes, Myth Busters, Monk, CBS Morning Show
5. 4 places I have been:
Pearl Harbor, HI, USA; Bruges, Belgium; St. Peter's Cathedral, London, UK; Helen Keller's Tomb, National Cathedral, Washington D.C., USA
6. 4 people who e-mail me regularly:
Amy, Bill, Tirzah, Joe
7. 4 of my favorite foods:
Gumbo, Pho, Pod Thai, Yorkshire Pudding
8. 4 places I would rather be right now:
On the golf course, On a warm beach, On a deck at sunset, On John's boat in the middle of Alma with Alt Nation cranked to 11
9. 4 people I think will respond:
You guys hardly ever respond. To be fair, though, it took me 3 months to get around to it.
10. 4 things I am looking forward to this year:
Selling my townhouse, Turkey Shoot back in Milwaukee, Summer sunsets on the front porch, The WOP's graduation party

Someone did reply to my customer support issues at Symantec. I posted their response in the comments, if you are interested.

Title by: Lily Allen

One Hundred Years

Happy Anniversary, Blog!!

12 months later, the only thing left unchanged is our townhouse. Why can't we sell the dang thing!!

My previous entry created a bit of a stir at Symantec. I was contacted by someone that is apparently going to look into my questions. I'll let you know how that works out.

Title by: The Cure