make like a tree

 Wham! This week went by fast, although I can't put my finger on anything in particular that made it so. Oh well, here we are, Saturday. Not complaining.

The semester is winding down at the college. Less than one month to go, and one of those weeks is fall break. I've had a few tutees jump ship from their math classes already, realizing they can't pass even if they pull wizardry on their finals. I'm a little mad at the advisors who allowed them to sign up for classes they clearly weren't ready for, but sink-or-swim seems to be the strategy.

We survived the first week back to standard time. It is now dark on my bicycle commute home, and I'm decked out with lights and reflectors again. There are three busy roads I must cross to get to and from the college, and I found a route that uses the lesser of the evils for all three crossings without being too much of a detour. 

A little photo dump from the week:

• One of my fellow paint-n-sippers shared some pics she took of our get together a couple of weeks ago. Here's a group photo:

Our artistic leader is 4th from the left, next to me, in case it's not obvious from her Best-In-Show painting.

• I came across a few deer during one of my early morning jog arounds this week

There were about five of them hanging around together, but the others went and hid in the trees as I got my phone out. These two seemingly couldn't care less. 

It's gotten chillier, and we've definitely had our first freeze, but still no snow for the season. Any day now. I avoid politics on the blog, but I gotta say, this government shut down is getting old. 

Rant over. 

 

mid-week mash up

• I mentioned a while back that a childhood friend of mine was (surprisingly and strangely) running for mayor of our hometown. I didn't think he had any chance at all, and the polls returned that prediction in staggering fashion.

I took a peek at his facebook campaign page, to which I never accepted the "friend" request, and he's been profanely ranting ever since - not surprisingly.

I honestly wonder about his mental state. 

He and I have been in and out of touch over the years, mostly out. A few years ago, he'd sent a request to connect on Linkedin. His Linkedin profile was very odd, and I wondered if it was a joke or if he's off his rocker. Could go either way. I never accepted that request either.

• The assistant boss hunt is proceeding. All applicants are in, and we're poring over resume's. First round interviews likely won't happen until after Thanksgiving because of... Thanksgiving.

We have two fellow part-timers who had expressed interest in the position. One has sort of developed a reputation as a slacker, while the other has been performing really well. I haven't worked much with either of them as they are very part-time at our campus, but the others have shared their thoughts with me.

SO, turns out "the slacker" applied for the position, but the "the star" did not. I don't know if Star just changed her mind or what, but the deadline has past, and she's not in the running. I shared this quietly with both Party Girl and Sarge, both were quite disappointed.

I think I'm doing well with keeping myself unbiased despite all this chatter. Slacker is not a shoe-in, as a few other candidates look well qualified.

• Screaching tires UPDATE: recall the ongoing screaching tires Magnum and I heard on Saturday night? We did a bit of investigating during a coffee & bagel mission.

Walking across the nearby high school parking lot revealed that our assumption of someone(s) spinning lots and lots of donuts was most likely true.

I can only imagine the heat and smells that were generated. 

And if it was some kid shredding their parents' tires? Consequences?

hype, plumpies, doodles

A little weekend reflection...

Random happenings:

• In this week's excitement, we got a new fridge. His name is Coolio.
  
  
• The general area seems to be on a collective hangover following last night's college football match-up between Colorado and Colorado State. The two state rivals meet annually for the "Rocky Mountain Showdown", and both teams have been pretty bad the last few years.

This year, there's the whole hype train surrounding CU football, and the showdown was expected to be a blowout.  CSU apparently got tired of hearing about it, and they actually showed up for the show down, eventually taking a loss, but making CU play double overtime to get the win. I didn't watch any of it, but it's difficult to escape the hype around here. I'm exhausted just thinking about playing 2 football overtimes.

• A childhood friend of mine invited me to friend his running-for-mayor-of-hometown facebook page. He's changed both his first and last names, and he's always been a bit goofy. At first, I wondered if it was a joke page, but it seems he's legit running. 

Honestly, I've often wondered if he's undiagnosed bipolar. Not that running for mayor of a small town is too far out there, but I think it's a bit out of his league. But hey, who knows?

 A news story that caught my attention:

Fernando Botero, the Columbian artist, died last week at the age of 91. He was known for "plump, inflated forms" like this...

He was a prolific painter, apparently painting every day, all day.

I have no idea why he focused on the plump, but it made him lots of moulah.

A Triumph of the week:

• I joined that gym I did a trial at last week. I typically go to the gym and try to get strong a couple of times a week - or at least go through the motions. This new gym is a step up from where I'd been going.

A Challenge of the week:

• My Father-in-law and his wife were planning a visit in a couple of weeks, but FIL sprained/ strained a hip, so he's resting and had to cancel the trip. FIL has always been quite fit for his age, and he's now 89.

Looking ahead:

Speaking of art and challenges, the prompt list for Inktober '23 has been released. I plan to participate once again. Highly doubtful to get all 31 prompts, but we'll see where I end up. Seems all I do is doodle during downtime, so we'll see what happens this Inktober

thinking thoughts

Tuesday, time to reflect I guess.

Random thoughts/ moments:

• We got together for a nice time with all the guys for Father's Day. It included another good restaurant discovery (featuring no adjacent table drama). My blackened chicken sammich was so good, but I didn't finish it. I actually woke up later in the middle of the night thinking, "Damn, shoulda got the to-go box!"
• My 19-year-old friend/former coworker CC had her baby. Everyone seems happy, lovey, and healthy in the filter that is facebook.
• Had a P.E.O. meeting last weekend. Our convention delegate came back with various prizes for us. I got the "Crunch" award, for coming through in a crunch, a.k.a. agreeing to be the next chapter Prez. I figured my award would have to do with that

News that caught my attention:

• Our local indoor mall is staging for a total redo that will essentially get rid of the indoor mall. It all makes good sense to me, but where are the old folks going to walk?
• I have no desire to go on any sort of "submersible tour" of the Titanic or otherwise be in a submarine. Certainly not to a depth of 13,000 feet. Especially not after such stories of the ongoing search operations.
• I read an article written by a local MD who is also a registered dietician. The article addresses why/ what to eat before running. I usually run in the morning and don't eat beforehand, but the article says, 

"Men and women's bodies function differently when it comes to burning fuel and things that have worked well for some men (i.e. fasted running) are dangerous and counterproductive to women."

So that caught my attention, which is mainly why I read the article. But I never found what was "dangerous and counterproductive to women". Anyone?

Triumphs:

• Is it a triumph that I thought about eating a graham cracker, like the good doctor's article suggests, before heading out for a run this morning? But then I said, "Nah", went for an enjoyable jaunt and survived?

Challenges:

• We've got landscaping ideas for the front yard. I actually like working in the yard, but it's time consuming. Do we just throw money at it and let some pros do the main bits, then happily maintain it afterward? Or keep chipping away and have a never-ending-WIP?

One thing learned from triumph or challenge:

• As mentioned, sprucing up the yard on our formerly-a-rental-enjoying-a-mere-modicum-of-lawncare house, I'm learning, is a good sized project.

where in the world

January 2022 is nearly in the rear view mirror, meaning we're that much closer to spring.  We got more snow and ice this week, but nothing like what the northeast got, so I'm not complaining!

I got these bug-eyed goggles to keep my face warm for bicycle riding during cold weather.  I've tried other solutions, including just freezing my face off, and finally gave in to the bug eyes.  They work. 

I think they're mainly meant for night skiing, but plenty of winter bicycle commuters sung their praises, so here we are... not that I've worn them for actual bicycling because there's currently too much snow and ice around for my taste.

But I do appreciate the tips and discussions from the commuter group I follow on facebook.  I know others like me who have facebook accounts they rarely update, but they keep them around for the groups.  And Marketplace.

So while I don't update my own facebook page, I do "check in" somewhat regularly.

On Friday, I learned via facebook that the oldest son of a friend of mine is missing.  Apparently, he "ran away".  Click [HERE] in the off chance it helps to find him.  

This is surprising to me since I've known the family to be very close, no issues with either of their two sons.  Jack is the oldest, and I met his mom through volunteering at the elementary school.  We had a couple of years of overlapping volunteer momming there as Jack is four years younger than Meego, our youngest.

The family also lived just around the corner from us when we lived in Colorado Springs.  Although I didn't know Jack much in recent years, when he was younger, he always struck me as a "good kid" - mature for his age, thoughtful, and responsible.  

I have no idea what precipitated his leaving and it's difficult to even fathom.  There've been no updates, although many shares on facebook.  I'm hoping he just needed some alone time to stew and will be in touch soon.  Or maybe social media will come through and lead to a reconciliation.

I might bash social media sometimes - the narcissism and false celebrity side of it.  But it's not all bad.

getting clean

We've been watching Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu.  You watchin'?  Good escapist TV, comes in handy these days.

I happened to catch the first episode, and it really drew me in.  I think the casting is super well done.  It deals with people at a wellness retreat - to become "better".  There are drugs involved, both as addictions to escape from and as to use for wellness treatment.  

So... what's the difference?

A friend recently told me that she's addicted to smoking weed.  She's determined to stop, not to get over her dependence, but because she knows the smoking is bad for her lungs.  She's developed a noticeable phlegmy cough.  

She says the pot helps to calm her thoughts.  She smokes before going on walks with her dog, and the smoking-walking routine is rather therapeutic.  She's tried edibles and infusions, but apparently she's developed such a high tolerance from the smoking that no other form works for her.  If something other than smoking did the trick, she'd switch in a heartbeat.  

I'll note that she is about my age, has a stable marriage, lives comfortably in a suburban home, has a good relationship with step-kids in their 20's, is productive at her profession, is very sociable and well-liked... 

She told me she's considering hypnosis to kick her habit.  She doesn't want to go to rehab because of the stigma of, "I went to rehab".

When she said that, admittedly, I did think, "Wow, rehab?  It's that bad?"

So I'm watching Nine Perfect Strangers and wondering what that would be like.  Would I cope okay for ten days?  With no connection to the outside world - no news, no internet, no contact with friends or family... no alcohol, no caffeine?

Sure, I could do ten days.   

I think?

caught between the moon and New York city

My first knowledge of Arthur's Rock was sad.  A local news story told of a despondent man who laid in wait and stabbed his ex-girlfriend multiple times before jumping to his death off of Arthur's Rock.  Heartbreaking, yeah?  The woman - an elementary school teacher - had a long recovery, but thankfully survived.

The story left many questions, one of which for me was, "what/where is Arthur's rock?" as many locals  seemed to know the place quite well.

I learned it was a prominent feature in nearby Lory State Park and very popular hike.  Morbid story aside, I wanted to do the hike.  

When I started my new job in June, I knew the schedule would allow some time to get out to some local hikes I've yet to explore, Arthur's Rock being tops on  my list.  But I'd kinda forgotten about it until one of my previous coworkers from the Old Folks Home hit me up for some hiking and suggestions.  

We went this morning, and it was a beaut!  Another coworker buddy joined us for some good time nature fun.

A little break before scaling the "summit"

Summit selfie instead of looking down

It was a rather hazy overcast morning, and we were loving it after many days of full-on sun and high temperatures.  The haze hindered the views a bit, but they were still pretty glorious.  The total hike - out and back - is under 4 miles, so not too taxing or time consuming.  I learned why it is so popular!

It was nice catching up with these two also.  Continuing on the morbid theme, I asked them which residents had passed away since I'd left.  No big surprises, but a couple of small ones.  I miss my coworkers, but I don't miss watching people decline and die.  And of course, we're still mourning Malcolm.

But not to end on that note, it was a nice morning well spent.  I later learned that Arthur of Arthur's Rock is Arthur Howard, the man who sold the land to the state of Colorado.  

We'd speculated it was that aardvark cartoon kid, but were wrong... not surprisingly. 

Thanks, Arthur

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt:

1. Write about something you want(ed) to do before summer ends

I see the sunrise, just like the other day

We started out as coworkers, and eventually I was sort of his boss.  Malcolm was one of the young "pups" of which I found myself the den mother.  

When I  think of Malcolm, I think of how patient he was with the elderly residents in his care, kindly coaxing them out of their confusion or loudly but gently asking them to "PUT IN YOUR HEARING AIDS".  Like the rest of us, he tired of wearing the gowns, the N95 masks, etc. but he did it without complaint, looking forward to when the residents could come out of their rooms and socialize.

And mostly, he was just a sweet kid.

In the  kitchen, he was known for his "legendary" breakfasts.  Working the day shift, we could order anything for our breaks, and the cooks gladly obliged while we all marveled at Malcolm's metabolism.  They loved his huge orders, and he was also their "go to" whenever they needed a taste tester for new recipes.

He once casually asked me what my favorite lunch special was, and I voted for chicken saltimbocca.  The next time the cooks prepared that dish, Malcolm took it upon himself to stash a serving away for me.

I can honestly say that, although he was so young and I'm old enough (and then some) to be his mom, I'm a better person for having known Malcolm.  He found a new job about a month ago and left our care facility after deciding he didn't want to get the COVID vaccine just yet.  I told him he'd be greatly missed, but it was a good new opportunity for him.

He tragically died last weekend.  He was just 19 years old, taking the year off before starting college because of the pandemic.

From what we've been able to gather without being too pushy, he smoked some weed that was - unbeknownst to him - laced with fentanyl.  

Dammit, Malcolm.  Damn world.

This whole work week, we've shuffled along like zombies, trying to remain cheerful if only in appearance.  A couple of residents have picked up on it, and I confessed that I'd unexpectedly lost a good friend.

They offer sweet words of comfort and encouragement since, heaven knows, they know grief, having lived as long as they have.  I still couldn't bring myself to tell any of them that it was Malcolm we'd lost.  

Rest In Peace, sweet Malcolm. 

 

I still hear you and believe I see signs of you letting me know that you're still here with us, but just out of reach.  All these little coincidences...

I'm grateful to have known you.  

I'll never forget you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: light

one of the good ones

I didn't really know Jackie that well until we were in high school.  She was from a large family, and I knew her sister, Laverne, better as she and I were in the same grade.  Jackie was a year older.  My boyfriend and Jackie's boyfriend, Andrew, were good friends with each other, though, so the four of us would sometimes hang out.  

She was sweet and sort of quiet back then.  She doted on her boyfriend, and never seemed to have anything bad to say about anyone.  She was mature and responsible for her age.  I think growing up in a large family often does that.

We grew up and moved on, left those boyfriends behind.  Jackie and I reconnected several years ago through facebook, and I was impressed by her travel adventures and her good looking, successful family.  I always knew she'd be a good wife, mom, aunt, grandma... such a large family!  She earned accolades through her many years of government work as well.

There are several friends from high school I've no qualms about losing touch with.  But I was glad to still be friends with Jackie and Laverne, even if just through facebook.  Jackie had remained her sweet self, but added some sassy!

So I was a bit frightened when Laverne shared that she and her husband had tested positive for COVID a few weeks ago.  Thankfully, they both weathered it, and she was so grateful.  Whew.

Then... a few days ago, Laverne shared that Jackie was sick with COVID.  She was in the ICU on a ventilator.  

Jackie passed away yesterday. 

RIP, sweet Jackie.  You will be greatly missed by so many.

P.S. I know you let Andrew win at Atari.

nothing disgusting

Today's inktober prompt is "disgusting", and I decided to give myself a break from the inking since (1) a break sounded good, and (2) I couldn't think of anything "disgusting" that I'd want to be engaged with for an hour or so.

I did manage to get through the first 10 prompts in time, so adding to last week's inktober update...

Number 10, "Hope" is a pregnancy test stick of unknown outcome.  I figure "Hope" applies to either result, depending on the testee.

But speaking of "disgusting", there was a time when same sex marriage was considered disgusting.  There are many with that view still today.  But too bad for those people, because it's totally legal in all 50 states.

A longtime good friend of mine got hitched yesterday for the first time at the ripe age of 58.  I'd originally planned to be at the wedding, but COVID threw a small wrench in those plans.  

Undeterred, he married his partner while many of their friends tuned in online.

I'm so happy for them both.  *SNIFF*  Nothing disgusting here.

another good-bye, salt withdrawals, and more ink

Another week in the books.  Inktober has me slacking on blogging a bit, but I'm never truly gone from here... 😇

My P.E.O. chapter lost another sister this week.  This was somewhat expected, so unlike when Tiffany died, not as traumatic.  Jeanie was 90 years old and had been in failing health for about the last month or so. 

Although physically frail, she was a total hoot and sharp as a whip.  When she'd had to go to the hospital when the problems began, the security guard informed her that he had to check the contents of her purse.

She told him, "Okay, but it's full of dope!"

Dude had no sense of humor.

She was ready, though.  After she was able to go home from the hospital, another friend told Jeanie, "I'm praying for you", and Jeanie replied, "Well, thanks.  But please don't pray for me to get better.  I wanna go!"




And she did.  She'll be greatly missed.  Rest In Peace, Jeanie. 











We spent time with Magnum's mom and stepdad today.  They live in a senior living community nearby, so we went for brunch in their dining facility.  It's a nice place, really, with a plentiful variety of food.  Gotta say, though, I was having sodium withdrawals.  Everything was so devoid of salt, and I fear I may be a salt-aholic.  The pumpkin spice pancakes were good, though - my first pumpkin spice anything of the season. 

And thank you to everyone for the tooth hole/ sinus sympathies.  I'm feeling almost normal now.  A few more days and I should be cleared to blow my nose, and I'm so looking forward to that!

Inktober continues, and me with my head still above water...

bear bells and Tiffany

It is with sore back muscles that I sit here typing, working at getting the best angle to view the computer screen with my transition bifocals.  Yeesh, when did I get so old?

But my new bicycle arrived last Wednesday, and we managed to get out to play over the weekend - old folks or not.  The weather and trails were nicely accommodating.

her name is Lily

It's been fun and a reminder of what a noob I am at mountain biking.  When I justified the acquisition of a new bicycle to Magnum, he was so sold on the idea that he got one too.  So there we were in the woods, working on our skills.  As expected, mountain biking is like math.  You don't learn it by watching someone else do it.

Now to shift to some sobering news, a friend of mine had a bad reaction to some medication.  Long story short, she's been in a coma for over a week.

Tiffany is about 40 years old and energetic, smart, charitable, and adventurous.  She's a science teacher at a local high school.  It was Tiffany who talked me into being a (mostly... sometimes...) vegetarian.  She recently hiked many miles over several days to some ancient ruins - "NOT Machu Picchu.  You can ride a BUS to Machu Picchu!" - in Peru.

It's hard for me to picture her in her current state as she is typically smiling and bustling with energy and ideas.

But she does seem to be making slow progress, so there's that.

besides, it's not like I can cook

The house feels huge and quiet and strangely clean now that it's just Magnum and me.  I suppose we'll get used to it eventually. 

It's always felt a bit this way when school starts up again, but this is a little more permanent with no one coming home at the end of the day.  But yes, school is back in session in our neck of the woods.  I don't feel that connection anymore, though, now that we don't have any kids in the school system.  Plus...

I'm no longer a lunch lady.  Can't say that I miss it that much.

Last semester, I took a job with the school lunch provider in our district with the end goal of working in the front office.  A few positions were open to me at the end of my "front line" stint, but I made the decision over the summer to hang up the chef coat.  With online tutoring becoming more mainstream and us *finally* getting high speed internet, I decided to focus my efforts there.  So far, so good.  In fact, this is a busy time with HS seniors hoping to rock their college entrance exams.

Besides, it's not like lunch ladies will ever go away.  Will they?  The bosses told me I can go back whenever I want.

It's not like I don't have fond memories.  I miss my fellow lunch ladies - Gayle, Rita, Young Mitch -  and their shenanigans.  I recently dreamed I was back in the kitchen with all of them.  I felt strangely nostalgic when I woke up.

Maybe I'll stop in for a surprise visit.  I'll go around Halloween, disguised as a health inspector.

...because that happens.

that moment when you realize it's you

I was scrolling around in instagram a couple of days ago.  I got an instagram account a while ago because it's the platform of choice for geocaching pics, but I soon learned that I don't really want to post geocaching pics  *YAWN*

But I admit that it's kind of fun to find interesting things to follow.  I don't really follow my "friends" much, but I've found some fun artists and such to inspire me.  And I follow some gear companies and groups, because really, I like looking at happy pictures. 

So I was boringly perusing my instagram feed when I came across a familiar looking photo.  Then I realized it was familiar because I had just been living it!  My PEO chapter was adorning the screen.

Yeah, we had another party.  Yeah, we had to take the Von-Trapp-Family-on-the-staircase photo - complete with a coupla pooches.

Thanks to the Veep who has a great house for parties and then took some pics and then posted them to the PEO instagram.  You go, girls.  What did we do before the internet?

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Linking up with MamaKat for the prompt:
3. Share a recent photo or video you  somebody added to Instagram and give us the back story.

What Happened?!

It's almost time to change the calendars.  I'm tired of hearing the people on the radio talk about all the famous people who died in 2016.  Yes, it's sad.  I get it.  Do we need to go through the list every day leading up the 2017? I think not.

Instead, I went through the archives to pick out some of my highlights.  Gotta love them archives:

Our 2016 started with a fun trip to Estes Park.

Dad's time on earth ended in February.  Not necessarily a highlight for me, but I'm hoping it was one for him.  He'd emphasized that he was ready, that he'd had a good life for nearly 92 years.

I miss him and Mom every day.

 I'm glad Meego enjoys extracurricularing in the high school band program.  If nothing else, it keeps him from wearing the same clothes all the time.

This year, I learned that I shouldn't donate blood, because it might kill somebody.  Oh well, I can take a hint.

Chaco graduated and has become a productive member of society (and he's off the parental dole, yay!)










Had a rip-roarin' good time at P.E.O. convention.  Looking forward to the next!

Third round of driving lessons...

Donald Trump made Wolfgang a news celebrity

A blog friend came to visit in real life!!

Followed by another one!!

We enjoyed a lovely morning of bloonz backdropped by the Peak











And I finally got around to climbing the Peak with Chaco.

A good marching band season...

...many more geocaches in the log...

                ...and grad program completion.
(no commencement ceremony for me, clipart it is)

Okay, 2017.  Bring It!

.

Rock II

I think of her as my first real blog friend.  She was actually the second person to comment on my infant blog, way back when.

The first person to comment vanished not long after she appeared, but "Allie" and I became good friends.  She's just one of those blog friends I feel quite certain I could be good friends with in real life too.

At that time, she had one son who was just a little older than Meego.  I found her very unpretentious, very what-you-see-is-what-you-get.  As a stay-at-home-mom, she provided a warm loving home for her family.

As with many from that "era", she doesn't blog anymore, but we've since connected on facebook and I enjoy hearing from her.  It was kind of weird to see recent high school senior photos she posted of her son.  Is he really that old?!

Like me, she doesn't post often, but last week, she announced that her man gave her an engagement ring for Christmas and popped the question.  Not surprisingly, she said, "Yes!!!!"

This man is her son's father, and they've been together all under one roof for as long as I've known Allie.  I never asked why they weren't married, and they seemed happy and loving enough that the legal document wasn't necessary.

So, it was kind of fun to see her flashing a photo of her engagement ringed finger and all those exclamation points after her "Yes".

As sometimes  happens, the prompt at Illustration Friday is going into a second week.  It's still "Rock", and darned if I was gonna draw another toad.  So, thanks to Tony and Allie for the inspiration.

.

Silver Liningness Sunday

Like many in the rest of the country, we're in a deep snowy freeze.  I can't complain much, though.  It's nice to not have anywhere I need to go.  I've organized my pantry, bookshelf, and desk.  Now what?

It is silver liningness day, but I must say that this week has been a rather dark one.  First, there's the coming out of flu fog (flog?), but early in the week, a friend's husband died.  Two days after that, another friend's son died.  Totally unrelated incidents in separate parts of the country.  So yes, darkness.



But we push ever onward. With that, I think I'll go shovel...

Okay, intermission over.

So Meego was supposed to have a winter percussion competition yesterday, but it got cancelled because of the snow.  At least the concert band concert went off without a hitch in typical fine fashion on Wednesday night.  Meego on the euphonium.  I sorta know what that is now.

Anyone going to watch the Oscar's tonight? I actually haven't seen many of the contenders.  In fact, it seems like the latest movies Magnum and I have watched have been unmemorable at best.

Anyway, I'm almost feeling like myself again and looking forward to a new week and melting snow. We're almost done with February! That's something, right?  Now, I think I'll go organize my sock drawer.

.

new beginnings

Even though it was my choice to leave, I've missed my ex over the years.  We had many good times together, laughing, celebrating, working toward common goals.  Oh, it was work, but it was all very fulfilling and worthwhile.  But, then it just seemed it was time to go.  So I went.

We've kept in touch, my ex and I, over the years.  But after a while, the cards, letters, facebook updates, etc. just weren't enough.  I was ready to put myself out there again.

So I started dating, playing the field.  I was going out nearly every week.  I met some really great people, and I also admit that there were some nights when I realized I would be enjoying myself better at home.

Eventually, I got tired of the whole dating scene.  So exhausting, really.  Okay, so it was kind of fun watching them all fight over me, but enough already.  It came time to make my intentions known, so I did that, hoping I wasn't being too cryptic.

Then I just let it float out there, gave them all some space to think it over and hash it out, whatever they had to do.  And then this arrived:











Yep, they've popped the question.

surgery for my imaginary friend

My friend, "Bunny", is having surgery today.  Actually, she's probably already had it and is in recovery mode.  She's having surgery on her hands.  Both hands.  Left and right.

No use of her hands for a couple of weeks.  Either hand.  Think about all of the things routinely done with hands.  Now think about not being able to do them.  And having to have someone else do them.

"We'll find out how much my husband loves me now!", she quipped.

Chyaaah!

A few years ago, a friend of mine's 13-year-old son fell from a swingset.  To break his fall, he fractured both wrists.  My friend had to help him dress, undress, bathe, etc.  He was able to eventually do some things while still in the casts - motivated, I'm sure, by pride.

In Bunny's case, she's got severe carpal tunnel syndrome.  Typically, surgery would be done on one hand at a time to limit the limitation.  I don't know much about the timing of surgical intervention for carpal tunnel, but apparently there is "need" to do both of her hands now.

So I mentioned this to Magnum, and we pondered being in such a position - one of us having to be the other's hands for a couple of weeks.  Okay, it could and would be done... but...

I don't know the cause of Bunny's CTS.  Magnum assumed that maybe she used a computer too much, but I said I really didn't think she did.  She told me she's dealt with this for a while, and she overdid it while doing  recent renovations to their townhome.

"Maybe she still should cut back on the blogging", he added.

"I don't even think that she has a blog", I said.

He looked at me rather perplexed.  "Oh, I thought she was a blog friend".

"No", I replied, "I do have one or three real-life friends that you don't know, y'know".

I don't think he believes Bunny is real now.
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leaves

It was a beautiful sunny morning.  We met at one house, then the four of us piled into one car and headed towards the mountains.

It was a pretty drive in all it's fall color glory.  Music streamed through the car stereo with us switching out the cassettes in the tape deck occasionally for a nice variety of tunes.  Two girls, two guys.

One of the boys, Derwin, was just a good friend of mine, as was the other girl Lana.  The other boy, Ringo was new to our circle and had been dating Lana for a couple of weeks.

We reached our destination and got out of the car for a fall hike.  It was a perfect day for it.

As I got to know him, I found I didn't really like Ringo.  He was nice looking, but arrogant and too worried about messing up his designer clothes.  Seriously?  We're hiking.  Lana could do better.

Lana must have realized it on that trip too.  She and Ringo began to bicker with each other about every little thing.  Derwin and I tried to just ignore them and enjoy our time in nature, but I think Derwin was having a hard time relaxing.  He was the one who'd set Ringo  and Lana up.

Still, we managed a nice enough hike thanks to the beautiful weather and fall colors that day.  We made it back to the trailhead and found another friend, Munchie, from town was there.  He was by himself in his car and we went over to hang out for a while.  Pretty soon, he broke out a baggie of pot.

Ringo seemed ecstatic at the sight of the weed.  Lana was uncomfortable.  Derwin seemed to feel it an intrusion.  Yet, pretty soon a joint was rolled and lit.  Lana refused to smoke, already having inwardly broken things off with and acting very cool towards Ringo.  The guys happily partook of the doobie, and when they passed it to me, I thought, what the hell.  Maybe it would make Ringo less obnoxious.

Things did lighten up after that.

Munchie took off in his car and the four of us hung back a while.  Ringo wanted to talk with Lana alone.  He must've sensed he was losing her and wanted a last chance to adorn her with his charms.  They went off into the woods.

Derwin and I hung back at the trailhead, talking about whatever.  We'd been good friends since kindergarten.  He was like a cousin to me.

As we hung out in our fogged state, just talking about nothing, waiting for Ringo and Lana to work out their issues, Derwin told me he wanted to kiss me.  WTF?

I just laughed because... well, pot?

He laughed too, then said, "No, really".

Sh*t

Next thing, we're smooching.  He wasn't too shabby, but still... we'd been friends for too long, plus something just wasn't doing it for me.  I looked at him to convey, "Okay, there.  Can we be done now?"

Ringo and Lana soon returned.  Lana as fed up as ever, Ringo as annoying as ever.  Derwin never kissed me again.  We never spoke of it, and remained good friends.

Like me, Derwin is now happily married to a lovely man.

An annoying guy, a bickering couple, unwanted drugs, kisses from a gay boy.


For today's NaBloPoMo prompt:
Maybe not the Worst but... "Tell us about the worst trip you ever took."
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