Since my pal jamiahsh mentioned my $8.00 putter, I guess now is a good time to tell how I happen to own said putter. I am not a golfer by any means. I’ve played maybe 2 games of golf in my lifetime. In both games, I did lousy. My drives were short, but straight, my short game was all over the place, and putting on a real green, forget about it. The one thing I do reasonably well with a golf ball is miniature golf, especially the par 2 Putt Putt courses. I’ve played on a few, and while I’m nowhere near to being a Putt Putt pro, I usually can break or make par on these courses after a round or two to get used to it. As with any sport, somedays you just don’t have it, so I don’t always make par.

Anyway, on to the story of my $8.00 putter. A few of years ago (was it really so long??, yes, it was during our magic show) a group of us were invited to have a day at the nearest Putt Putt / Go-Cart place. I got to the town a little early and we stopped at a local sporting goods store. I’m not sure now if I stopped with the thought of picking up a putter, or just saw it when I got there, and had the idea, but anyway C is a slightly competitive person, and his friends know this about him. Me, I’m never beyond trying to set someone up for a joke, so knowing about his nature, I wanted something to play games with his mind.

So I picked up the cheapest putter available at the sporting goods store. For 8 American dollars, I picked up a putter that was much better than the clubs at the local Putt Putt. And it gave me a wonderful joke to play on the rest of the gang. I arrive at the Putt Putt with putter in hand. Now everybody thought that I was a serious putter. I saw fear in their eyes. (not really but it sounds good doesn’t it?) I did have a really good game that day, having quite a few holes-in-one and ended up in first. I was lucky my putter worked. I may have looked a fool if I didn’t have a good game. After that I don’t think too many believed that I just picked the putter up that day. They can comment if they remember. But I think my youngest convinced them.

So now, I always have that putter with me during the summer months. My youngest and I frequent the putting places often, and I’ve grown used to my stick. Sometimes, like today, it brings out the fear in my opponents…. Ha ha ha (how do you write an evil laugh???))

Very often, the best way to help ease the tension of a rough few days is to do something fun with people whom you consider dear friends. This past week has been a doozy. I learned through a rather ill-timed phone call that my mentor, (one of) my greatest influences, and staunchest supporters (to put it mildly) is in her final days of her nearly year-and-a-half battle with leukemia. Then, I learned that one of my best friends, influences, and staunchest supporters is having medical problems of his own. I am constantly praying and hoping for both of them, but that was not at all what today was about.

Following my shortened shift at work today, friends gathered at the area miniature golf/go-cart racing park. It was a blast. I loved the thrill of traveling at breakneck speeds along the hairpin turns and steep banking of the quarter-mile track (more or less). Most times, I was accompanied by one of three darling girls (even when they are highly animated when faced by spiders/bees) who enjoyed it at least as much as their adult(?) counterparts. I am quite pleased to say that I do not believe that I finished anything less than 3rd place and came in 1st at least once that I recall. If only I had not kept tapping the brake at inappropriate times…

The group then decided to visit the batting cages at a nearby park in order to practice up for our 2nd annual funday/softball game coming up in a few weeks. Some of us did better than others but it was just another excellent diversion.

Following our early dinner (must have been early as some of the items on the menu were not available before 5), four of us returned to the Putt-Putt location and accepted the round offered by our resident miniature golf regular… who claims that he has made a hole-in-one on every hole but one on the course). Although I came in third, it was still fun and I thought I did well… a 58? Justj just happens to carry his $8.00 putter (that was the clearance price) wherever he goes.

Before we departed our other group of friends, I could tell that C was beginning to feel fatigued. I just hope that all goes well tomorrow and am certain that his tests come back with good results. And I know that Ma 2 is soon going to be in a much better, peaceful place and remembered by everyone whose lives she touched and will continue to touch. To paraphrase a quote from a classic curmudgeonly (guess that is a word) science-fiction physician: She really will not be gone as long as we remember her. (I refuse to use the “d” word).

So thanks, Chris, Lisa, Taylor, Sammie, Disney, Christopher, John, Megan, and Carol. You all are so important to me and I cherish every moment we spend together. I love each and everyone of you.

HELLO EVERY PEOPLE!!!  I a come a to you live from Hamilition, In diana in America country, yes?  On day of Sun, Obamalasa come to vist small town near home of strange person.  A person who a shop at market where strange person work say he a go see Obamalam and got photo with him.  He a eat food, take photography, shake a his hand, and kiss a baby.  Is a dis how people become new owner America country?  Man at markey he  say he could not get to water hole in Hamilition, In diana very easy, but they a get there somehow.  It’s a too bad for Morat… he a not get to Hamiliton, In diana fast enough to see Obamalad.  But he a keep going until he a see him again.  A Happy Day of Labor to a you all.  I a no understand… why you a celebrate work?  A very strange  custome

I was offline all of yesterday due to a cable problem.  I have located the problem- it seems the outside cable is worn through in a spot.  I have jury-rigged it to test it for now, and as you can see since I am writing a post that it is indeed the problem.  Unfortunately I can’t keep it up.  Obviously they have a record that I am accessing the internet now, but I can always tell the tech I was just testing the problem myself, and I was.  I will have to remove what I did though.  Unfortunately it means no internet for me for two more days since my appointment isn’t until Wednesday afternoon. 🙁

Hopefully I can get sub jobs for the next couple of days using the phone instead.  Of course that means no blogs until then either…

My husband and I are worried sick.  It started about a week ago, when he began experiencing a terrible stomach ache.  In the past week, we’ve been to the ER and several doctors, and they’ve run various tests, but we haven’t gotten any results back yet, in part because it’s a darn holiday weekend.  So meanwhile, we are both worried SICK, which is an understatement.  The internet is acting as both a blessing and a curse, with us obsessing over his symptoms and making ourselves crazy with thoughts of one horrible diagnosis (mainly involving colon cancer) after another.  So I’m writing this quick post as a way of hopefully using the internet as a blessing rather than a curse and putting out this call for prayer.  Please, please pray for our family that my husband’s illness is nothing serious, and that we will be able to find the cause and the cure in a timely fashion.  We have 4 little children, and it’s been really difficult to function as a family with one of us sick and both of us so worried and terrified.  It’s probably nothing, but I thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. 

Ah, yes, the weekend clean-up prior to the opening of a show at our community theatre. Those gathered were kept busy by doing various duties around the small space. Hanging vinyl LPs from the ceiling in the lobby (I realize that this may age me a bit; but I even remember 8-track tapes and Betamax), finishing up the molding for the doors on stage, and totally 80’s-afying the interior of the building. Carol and I spent the majority of our time drizzling paint in a pizza box that was in turn used to create a tiled effect on the stage floor. THIS TYPE OF PAINTING I CAN HANDLE… thank you very much.

Normally, the lobby of the theatre is used to showcase the artistic talents of a local artist. For our production of The Nerd, our director decided to use the space for a variety of pop culture items of extravagance. Record sleeves for Madonna’s True Blue album, authentic movie posters for Star Wars and E.T., and a Strawberry Shortcake tv tray were just a few of the items I saw waiting to be displayed. Totally tubular, Dude. So… for a blast from the past and a hilarious play… check us out September 5-7 and 11-14.

I recently came across an article containing information I have not previously known. It seems that one of my favorite characters in pop culture (most of my readers know who I am speaking of)was seemingly created in the wake of a mystery on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio. On Thursday June 2, 1932, Mitchell Siegel, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania was in a secondhand clothing store. Three men entered the store. One asked to see a suit and left the store without paying for it. In the commotion, Siegel collapsed and died. The police report stated that one gunshot was fired. However, the coroner’s report stated that the man died of an apparent heart attack. The robber fled the scene and was never caught.

Mitchell Siegel, age 60, was the father of Jerome Siegel one of the two teenagers who created Superman !!!

Comics writer Brad Meltzer has penned a fictional tale in the tradition of The Da Vinci Code that intriguingly connects this mystery with the fratricide of Kane and Abel: The Book of Lies.

As I said last post, I started working again this past week.  What I didn’t mention is my welcome back gift.  In the past, I have received books at one of the district’s workshops.   Well, this year I didn’t attend their workshop due to not planning on going back to subbing.  I found out later that I couldn’t have attended it anyway as this year they only allowed new subs.  I guess they got tired of paying returning subs who already had the information.  That’s right, they pay subs to attend the workshop, then also pay for their lunches, materials, and extras like the books I mentioned.  Another district workshop also pays subs to attend, but we have to work five days before receiving the pay for the workshop, and they don’t give away books or even pay for lunch.  Fine by me- I don’t have lunch provided throughout the year, so why at the workshop?  Anyway, you’re probably wondering what gift I received this year since I didn’t attend the one workshop?  Well, the gift I received was a most unwelcome one- a cold.  Colds any time of the year are depressing, but during allergy season when I’m already suffering it’s downright oppresive.  I kept waking up from the cold last night to a nose that would constantly run.  Yes, I took Nyquil before going to sleep, but apparently that only worked for a few hours at best.  Now I am a bit miserable which is why I can feel free to pass along some other misery in the form of a little rant about one of the districts.

Yesterday I mentioned problems signing up with this district.  They seem to want more information than other districts for people who want to sign up with them.  Fortunately, since I was already on file from a few years ago they didn’t need transcripts or a new letter of recommendation.  Why do they even want them in the first place?  It’s only subbing, not a permanent position, and as for the transcript that’s required by the state to get a sub certificate which is also required.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense that the district would want them too.  I still had to fill out new forms for taxes, background check, employment eligibility, retirement, etc.  I also had to fill out a new application.  Well, at least they don’t require a cover letter and résumé.  In any event, the paperwork isn’t even the main focus.  What has been keeping me so far from employment there as a sub is fingerprinting.  Fingerprinting is required by law for this sort of job.  That’s not the complaint.  It’s their execution of this requirement that making me wait.  It seems they only do fingerprinting for 30 minutes on any given day, maybe 45.  Say what?  That’s it??  No wonder they couldn’t fit me in to do it for a week after I call.  Then, when that day comes up, I get a call in the morning- sorry, we have to reschedule you as the people taking the prints are doing something else today.  we can reschedule you for a week from now…

So, I am still sitting here with the paper work.  I can only hope that I can start working right away after this is done, but they still probably have to wait for the results on that and the background checks.  Well, I survived last year on three districts (realistically since the other barely called me) so I can survive another couple of weeks waiting for this one.  I guess I can’t entirely blame them- I did sign up at the last minute.  For all I know they had a couple of full days a month ago for fingerprinting.  Oh, well.  I will just have to be patient.  With this cold as well as with work.  I hate colds…

I was just curious at a picture I saw on the web tonight. My question is why would anybody take a picture of the shoes that the candidates are wearing? I don’t think I can recall any other shoe pictures. I may be wrong, but I remember a lot of Pant Suits, Power Ties, body surfing, hunting, fishing, and of course hand shaking pictures of any other candidate in my lifetime, but not shoes. Was there really anything stunning about either pair of shoes? The red pair did remind me a bit of the ruby slippers, but that is because of the color. Just wondering?

And then of course during this I also found this picture:

Is this making a fashion, religious or political statement? I’m not really sure. Interesting effect though. I may want to try to get a few of those for me. Could they put that on my driver’s license? Should I use something like that on my blog? Should I use it for my pic on a dating site? (nah, too over the top for me…) Maybe I could just print up some ‘saint j’ cards.. I could give them out to all my friends…

Then again, if we can get that effect with lighting, and actual naked eye seeing, a red light in the background could set the tone of something in our haunted house. Or we could go with the dead guy in the corner. Yes, that is really a dead guy in the corner.

Oh well, I guess that’s all the good pictures I found. Unless I include some of my own. Just one uninvited guest at my daughter’s wedding last year.

Now he would be a good addition to the haunted house. A 6 foot gator on the prowl could get people a little jumpy.

Today at work, one of my fellow employees found the following grocery (?) list lying on the floor just begging to be found:

• soup base (beef)
• lettuce
• sE#- spouse only
• onion
• bananas
• applesauce
• tablet
• oil
• paper towels

Ok… I do not claim to be a genius, but I know for a fact that at least one of these items cannot be purchased in the store in which I am currently employed.  I’m not sure about the more modern, big city markets, but I’m not sure that you can purchase it anywhere in my little corner of the state (legally, anyway).  I’m not exactly sure if the customer was cooking up something special; but, it created quite a humorous afternoon (that I really appreciated today).  Even the boss had a good laugh when she came in.  Now WHO would do such a thing?  At least the customer had the foresight to include his spouse.