I am chagrinned that i did not recognize my Nana when we went to Hamilton to visit her in the hospital yesterday. She didn't look that different... more frail, yes, but not different. (E:Uncutsaniflush) recognized her...

She is doing ok. She is no longer hallucinating. No more wirey black or white cats under the bed. No more rain indoors. But she can't walk more than a few steps and never without her walker. She is happy to take a break from her usual routine of tv watching in her room at the old age home. She likes the food at the hospital... makes me wonder how bad it was at the old age home!

Growing older, the body failing here and there, is just a horrible way for the end stages of life to be. Why can't we all grow old with grace and dignity? Leave the planet partying... however we want that party to be. That would be nice.

Yesterday was one of those days for me that could almost be magical. So many little things happened that would make a normally ok kinda day pleasant. But having all those little things happen all on the same day was very cool.

First thing in the morning, completely unshowered and dishevelled, i was more or less offered a job. I had just finished chatting with this person, about the fact that i will probably be writing the GED soon and that i can't lie on a resume and since i don't have a high school diploma, not very many people would hire me. And she told me to consider working "here". After talking about some details, she asked me to bring her a resume on Monday... "nothing fancy, just something i can give to my boss". Cool. A part time job within walking distance of home... let's hope it pans out!

After that, i showered and we went to the zoo. Yesterday was one of the last times we would be able to go into the Lorikeet Landing and feed the birds... at least on a less busy weekday. After this weekend, it will be weekends only and weather permitting only. And the birds were hungry and friendly. They aren't always... sometimes, i guess they are feeling less social. I couldn't keep them off me, with or without food. They were even all over (e:Uncutsaniflush) and he didn't have any food. Seeing the birds always makes my day brighter and yesterday was no different.




Then, we went to lunch and i had the most amazing Thai Yellow Curry with tofu at the Saigon Bangkok (on the Boulevard). Best i have had in this country (coupla places in Toronto have everywhere else beat!) and the lunch special even came with a vegetarian fresh roll. Yuuuummmm...

Then, we decided to go to an estate sale. Same guy was running it that did the one on Lafayette we got our dinning room set from last fall. We go to his sales a lot. We weren't planning on going to this one, since it didn't look like there was anything we might find interesting when (e:Uncutsaniflush) looked at the pictures online. But, since we were driving by, we thought we would stop in. And we left a few hundred dollars poorer. We got the most beautiful bedroom set. It will be delivered today. Looking forward to having a headboard again!! Today, we will have to do some bedroom rearranging to make room for everything.

And, if those things weren't enough, last night while i was out with Kirsten walking with her and her adorable pugs, Ava and Noland on Elmwood, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i got an email from some dear friends in Tennessee. Yay! A wedding to go to! I am thrilled to bits that our friends Chris and Kim will be getting married. I jumped for joy when i heard!!

Happy Birthday, (e:Mike) !!!

Happy Birthday, (e:Terry) !!

I don't know why i haven't posted in a couple of weeks.

Last night, (e:Paul) was mentioning that it can be difficult to convince (e:lurkers) to post... and since i haven't in a bit, i thought i would.

We had house guests for a while; my sis-in-law, neice, nephew and foster nephew were here, followed immediately by my mom. Poor (e:Uncutsaniflush) .. all those outlaws.

Had fun with my family... my sis-in-law and i have had our differences... and i am still slightly pissed that she brought food with her. She meant well, but i think we can handle feeding our guests. They don't need to bring their own mustard!

My mom had fun at one of her favorite places, the Lorikeet Landing at the Buffalo Zoo. (e:Uncutsaniflush) got some good pics...





I love this one he got of a cute Dusty Lorikeet.



Last night's party was fun. Once again, (e:Paul) , (e:Matthew) and (e:Terry) , your house is beautiful.

Sorry my guacamole was better than yours, (e:Terry) . Next year, for your birthday, i will let you have a better dip.

Your room looks sharp, (e:Theecarey) ... all you need is a canvas with some skeletons and you'll be set.

I took a coupla snaps. Looks like i didn't get my fat ass off the porch based on the pictures, but i did wander in and around the house. There could be a hundred people in that house, scattered about, and it would seem like a small party...

Looking forward to seeing your pics, (e:Metalpeter)



Nice shirt, (e:Mike) .. good contrast with the colour of the drink!



Only (e:Southernyankee) got this kind of greeting... damn it.



(e:Thesimeon) and his port...



This looks like gossip...? But i think it was just plans for the ViscoDisco once they buy the church next door...

I do not know what i am eating that is making me sick. I felt better yesterday after a week of stomach cramps and digestive issues. And today, they are back again. I guess it is time to go back to the mostly carb diet, with no dairy or vegetables, while i sip on mint tea, hoping it will go away. What a way to ruin what looks like a beautiful day outside. Blah blah blah...

This is the way i imagine it.

The conversation may have gone something like this:

Mom, "Move that damn car!"

Teenage Son, "Yeah, OK, whatever. I will, Mom, i will."

Mom, "I've told you a million times, if you don't move that car, you will regret it!"

Teenage Son, "Oh, geeze, Mom, i told you that i would. Last week's pay didn't give me enough, but i worked 4 extra hours this week, so i will have enough to fix it this weekend. I swear, Ma, don't do antyhing to my car!"

And then the son went away for the weekend wihtout spending any of the extra money he earned on his car... and Mom got around to doing that horrible thing she promised she would.

This is what he came home to:

Been feeling a bit blah lately. Spent too much time crying yesterday. My body and spirit feel downtrodden.

I either had/have a flu bug, or the heat was making me sick and i'm not getting better as soon as the heat goes away.

I wish people would say what they mean and mean what they say.

I feel like there is much i want to do but no energy to do it.

Positively, our tomatoes are doing very well. We picked our first one... but haven't eaten it. We picked it ceremoniously and thought we would eat it the same way, but my stomach wasn't ready for a tomato yesterday. Hopefully today...

Yep, everyone knows it's hot right now. My turn to complain about it.

Often, i think to myself that i am fortunate that i now live in Buffalo and not Knoxville anymore, where the heat is worse. But it's not too bad, Knoxvegas ain't the "deep south", where i am sure i would be seen on the news on a roof with a gun. Even this heat up here makes me feel like i'm gonna snap.

Yesterday, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i went to a mall in Mississauga. So we could be in a/c... and see something and be somewhere we haven't been before. Went to dinner with my parents.

Today, it was a local mall.. and swimming with Kirsten.

Oh, please, how i hope the weather critters are right and it will be cooler tomorrow....!!!!

I have returned from my grand road trip (e:LeeTee,206) to Franklin Furnace, Ohio

I missed (e:Uncutsaniflush,242) . It's the first time since we have been together that we have spent the night apart. I told Kirsten to not mind me if i cuddled up to her in the night. But i was surrounded by puppy (and my teddy bear, Petey), so i didn't get a chance... lucky her.

We laughed a lot on the way there. I feel so comfortable with Kirsten... not as uptight as i can be with other people. We got really punchy near the end, though. And i got me some serious cases of the giggles. As did she. Particularly when i mentioned her glasses. She wears contacts, and i have never seen her with her glasses on. Now i know why. Damn, thems some glasses she has. Bent arm on one side, wobbly frame and no arm on the other side. I think it took us 15 minutes of recovery to stop that giggle fest. I think the dogs stopped playing to look at us in wonderment at some point...

I confirm that (e:Uncutsaniflush) would have found the trip to be torture. It was so all about the pugs.

As expected, i took pictures. Should i start calling them pugtures? I was saddened to see a lot of them were blurry. I need to experiment more with our camera when i'm in less of a hurry to see how i can get more from it. It's a good, but suffering thing, with me.

I don't know what the lil guy is called yet. We were searching for a name, but none have "clicked" with Kirsten yet. I thought she settled on Sebastian, but then a neighbour with a pug named Cosmo suggested Milo... and now, he's just the "lil man" again.

But here he is...



And here is this cool action shot of the lil guy and Ava, playing on the bed in the Days Inn in Wheelersburg, Ohio

On another, completely different note, i am glad for myself that i didn't burn my bridges with neighbour and Her Sailorness, Deb. (e:LeeTee,204) and (e:LeeTee,205) I felt then, as i do now, that i handled things the way i was meant to, like a grown up... despite the times i wanted to push her off the sailboat. But i digress...

Deb works for the state. I never knew in what capacity. When Kirsten and i were loading up the car, Deb was on her way to work and stopped to chat for a moment. She asked me if i was working. When i said no, she asked what i did or wanted to do, and would i be interested in helping people, in particular, the developmentally delayed. When i told her i would, she said she thought i would be great at it and could get me a job "in 24 hours" and to let her know when i am ready to go to work. I thanked her and told her i would talk with her more about it when i got home.

Kirsten let me in on what she thinks the job would be (Kirsten also works for the government -- as a therapist at ECMC) and where and what Deb does. We don't think she would be my direct supervisor... we think she is more in the administrative side of the organization.

Now, i would love love love to have a job as an aide working with developementally delayed adults. Working for the state would just be an added bonus. The more i think about it, the more excited i get... Trying not to keep my hopes up. I need to talk to Deb more about all of this before i go and get too much more excited.