The Joni Blog

12 of 12 - January 2011

2011-01-12T20:11:00.013-05:00

Can't believe it is already the 12th again. Time for the 12 of 12. Check out Chad Darnell's blog for the index and links to other 12 of 12er's around the globe.

We've been snowed/iced in here in Atlanta since Sunday, and I've spent the last few days trapped in the house, so today was my first full day back at work (I made it in for a half-day yesterday just because I was going stir-crazy stuck here at home but I was pretty much the only one there.) So it is a good thing that I was able to get out and back into civilization today, because otherwise my 12 of 12 would have just been self-portraits of me rocking back and forth in a corner muttering to myself with the accompanying commentary, "All work and no play makes Joni a dull girl," typed over and over ala Jack Torrence from The Shining.

8:25 a.m. - Heading out to work. I've got on 115 layers of clothing including thermals under my fat jeans. So glad that I hadn't thrown out the fat jeans yet, as they made layering a lot easier and also reminded me how far I've come with my weight loss (down 77 pounds since April). Of course, while I had on all the layers to keep me warm, I had absolutely no appropriate shoes for the snow. I know I have some boots somewhere, but wasn't able to find them. They will probably turn up in June when I'm looking for my flip-flops.

8:29 a.m. - Managed to get my short driveway shoveled off yesterday, so that made it a little easier this morning. My driveway, along with the community alleyway to the street, is on the north side of the house and stays shaded though most of the day, so it may be next month before the ice is all gone off the alley and my back deck which has about 8 inches of show, topped by 2 more inches of solid ice.

8:35 a.m. - A sad little one-eyed snowman at the end of my neighborhood. I can't tell if those red things on the front are deformed arms or really saggy and lopsided boobs.

8:40 a.m. - Accidental self-portrait I took on my way in from the parking lot.

1:14 p.m. - Our Director ordered pizza for the team today so we wouldn't have to go out in the ice to get our lunches. I know it is such a simple thing for her to do, but I seriously work for some of the nicest people.

1:15 p.m.- Should I have hot cocoa, or be good and go with the green tea? I went with the tea, but only because hot cocoa should be made with real milk, not water.

5:20 p.m. - On the way home. The parking lot is still iced over in a lot of places and plenty of snow still on the ground.

5:21 p.m. - Loved the look of the clouds over the parking lot and the airport in the distance.

5:23 p.m. - Oops, hit the wiper control as I started to pull out of my parking spot and it immediately froze. And of course, if I don't have the proper shoes for ice and snow, you can imagine that I don't have an ice scraper in my car either. (My Dad was so looking down on me, shaking his head and saying, "I've given you 100 of those things over the years - why was one of them not in your car young lady??") I ended up using the hard piece of plastic in the bottom of one of my reusable grocery bags to scrape it off - at least I'm industrious, if not prepared.)

5:30 p.m. - Liked the look of our fence widgets against the ice in this one.

5:32 p.m. - and the ominous nature of this one. My office is directly under the TA in Delta.

5:40 p.m. - Finally got some mail. That bit about "Through rain, sleet and gloom of night" on the side of the post office in New York is a big ole joke -the post office hasn't delivered any mail to my neighborhood all week. Although to be fair, I wasn't going out to the mailbox anyway. This also serves as my monthly bonus shot, which is the recreation of a photo from an earlier 12 of 12. I had a picking up the mail shot in my very first 12 of 12 back in December 2007.

5:47 p.m. - I've been craving cheese toast for 3 days, but I didn't have any cheese and the grocery store is too far to risk going with so much ice on the ground. Thankfully, my next-door neighbor Katie came to my rescue as she had cheese stocked in her fridge. I traipsed over in the snow to get it, shivering from the cold and shaking like an addict and she passed it off to me in a little plastic baggie. It had the feel of a drug deal going down.

And finally, one last bonus photo. This is not in fact my photo, nor was it taken on the 12th, but I thought it was kind of funny. My boss sent this to me today from when she went grocery shopping over the weekend before the snow hit. You see, in the south, for some strange reason, every time there are predictions of snow, everyone runs to the grocery store to buy milk and bread. It's like the whole world is coming to an end and the only thing that will save us all from certain doom is milk and bread. Why milk and bread? I have no idea. I guess bread in order to make sandwiches if the power goes out? But the milk would go bad if that happened. So I'm not sure why, but we do it. As evident by this photo of the Publix bread aisle on Sunday morning.

So there you have it, another 12 of 12 in the books. Now I'm off to enjoy my cheese toast and some hot chocolate made with milk, not water.

Hey, wait a minute. Now I think that I understand the whole bread and milk thing.

Joni & Santa: A Pictorial Retrospective

2010-12-23T15:35:00.004-05:00

I actually wrote and posted a similar entry on my blog about two years ago, but I felt it needed some updating to honor my real Santa Claus - my Daddy - who I lost earlier this year.

For nine years, my Mom dutifully dressed me in my finest Christmas wear and took me to see Santa Claus at the Rich's at Greenbriar Mall (and once at the Downtown Rich's when my kindergarten choir performed on the Bridge at the lighting of the Great Tree). Here is the chronicle of those visits.

1963 - So, this is where it all began. My first visit as a 3 month old in 1963. I'm clearly making a lot of noise and irritating Santa, while my brother Steve is a picture perfect boy scout. This picture pretty much sums up my family dynamic from that point on.

1964 - Still making noise and being irritating....

1965 - although, admit it - you'd cry too if Santa was letting everyone see your underpants?

1966 - I can haz a Christmas Tree Candy??? (See? Before Candy = No Happys. After Candy - Happys!)

1967 - Dude! He gave me candy again, and I wasn't even good this year!

1968 - Hey, if my brother can dress up like a boy scout, I can be an angelic little choir girl. (This one is the only departure from the Greenbriar tradition - this one was taken at the Downtown Rich's. Man, Santa really got around.)

1969 - I think that I'm slowly starting to notice that the beard is a fake. But I'm totally digging that crocheted vest over my blouse and the plaid pleated skirt.

1970 - Now this Santa sort of creeps me out. I think he's sort of sketchy looking, don't you? But, on a happier note, my aunt Charlsie made that top/dress for me. It was one of my favorites.

1971 - And this Santa just isn't even trying - I mean, his mustache is below his top lip and his belly is pushed up above his belt like man boobs. Come on dude, this isn't a tough gig - just sit in the chair and make sure your fake hair and stomach stays in place. I'm thinking this guy had thrown back a few too many before shift down at the Happy Hermans mid-mall.

Just after this one, my stupid, mean classmate Ronnie Powell ruined Christmas forever when he told us all the truth about Santa. I hated that kid. Of course, in relaying this story to my childhood best friend Karen, I found out that I promptly came home from school that day and told her what Ronnie Powell had done, thereby ruining Santa Claus for her. Damn me and my gossiping. Sorry Karen :-(

2009 - So here I am last Christmas with the real (and very best) Santa that there ever was. I love you Daddy, and I appreciate all you did to make each Christmas special for our family. It won't be the same without you this year.

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane with Santa, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

12 of 12 - December 2010

2010-12-12T21:30:00.001-05:00

After missing last month (where it was the 15th before I realized that the 12th was long gone), I'm back with a 12 of 12 for December. My day was a little colder than it was for 12 of 12 creator Chad Darnell. Chad ran the Honolulu Marathon today as part of a group that raised over $600,000 for Aids Project Los Angeles. Way to go Chad! Love you and am so proud of you. :-)

So, now on to my 12....

12:30 a.m. - Speaking of men I love - Paul McCartney and Seth Meyers on Weekend Update. This two parts of my dream threesome. LOL.

12:57 a.m. - Love it when he sings Get Back, cause I like to pretend I'm the Jojo he is singing about.

12:20 p.m. - Woke up to a dusting of snow this morning. Just a little on the front porch...

12:22 p.m. - and a little more out back on the north side of the house where it is shadier.

1:15 p.m. - My poor orchid has seen better days. I'm like the kiss of death to any plant.

4:17 p.m. - Went shopping at Pier One for an ornament for our office Christmas lunch ornament exchange. I always like their airplane ornaments, but I went in a different direction for the gift ornament.

4:20 p.m. - and the Pink Pigs were cute. They reminded me of the Rich's Pink Pig from when I was a kid. I should have bought one for myself, but decided to wait. Hopefully, they will still have plenty after Christmas when they are 75% off.

4:23 p.m. - Got some Jingle Bells so that next time I say I'll be somewhere "with bells on" I can really do it.

4:45 p.m. - This is what poinsettias look like before I buy them and take them home and kill them with my kiss of death.

6:11 p.m. - Up to the attic to get down some of my Christmas stuff. One of my friends is supposed to come over and help me with my tree tomorrow. I didn't have one last year because I was so sick, and I'm hoping that putting one up this year will help with the depression over losing Daddy.

6:15 p.m. - Speaking of Daddy, since we had a shared love of aviation, most of my ornaments are airplanes and a lot of them came from him. I have about 30-35 different airplanes for my tree, along with all of the Delta ornaments designed by Christopher Radko.

6:16 p.m. - I also have a lot of red cardinals for the tree, which you can see among the ornaments in this photo. Dad's mother (Nanny Bug) use to have red cardinal ornaments that clipped on to her tree and I found some like them a few years ago in a retro shop and I bought them all. I figure that the fly like airplanes do, so they still work with my theme. Also, the little red airplane in the middle is one of my favorites from Dad because it reminds me of the Red Baron airplane (Yes, it has stars instead of the crosses, but we both got the same Red Baron vibe from it.) It was a great call back to my youth when Daddy gave me my very first 45 record - The Royal Guardsman's Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - along with my first record player, when I was about 4 years old. I bet I played that song 1,000 times and Daddy never complained. He'd even dance with me during the instrumental bridge. Damn I miss him.

So, there we go. If I ever get the tree up and finished, I'll try to follow up with some photos of the finished product. Hope you all enjoyed, and Merry Christmas (and happy 12th) to you all.

12 of 12 - October 2010

2010-10-12T21:08:00.009-04:00

For October's 12 of 12, I thought I'd try something a little different. Having been recently accused of having an addiction to my iPhone (it's not an addiction, I can quit any time I want to, I just don't want to, please don't take my phone from me, I will die.....) I decided to do a 12 of 12 made up completely of screen-cap photos of my iPhone.

1:15 a.m. - Great thing about the screencaps is that I'm not having to guesstimate the time of the photos. This was taken in the middle of the night when I woke up for no reason. I always wake up or look at the clock at 1:15. It's like my version of the Amityville Horror where the guy would wake up every night at 3:15 a.m. which coincided with the murders. I'm not being haunted by a murder, but I'm definitely being haunted by something.

6:00 a.m. - There goes the freaking alarm, only about 2 hours after I finally fell back to sleep.

6:09 a.m. - I could have pretty much taken this same photo every 9 minutes for the next 45 minutes, because once the alarm goes off, I can sleep like the dead.

8:01 a.m. - Checking Facebook. Look - a fellow 12 of 12er (and Words with Friends friend) likes my Status update.

10:27 a.m. - I guess technically it is Mom Home now, but I can't bear to take Dad off of the phone. Plus I love looking at the photo of the two of them when it rings. At least Mom waiting until after our daily 9:30 meeting today to call me about whatever calamity has occurred or thing I forgot to do for her. Usually, she calls me about 5 minutes into the meeting and when I don't pick up, she keeps calling. I love that she use to fuss about my Dad doing the same thing and swore she would never do it. She did have good reason today, so I'm giving her a break.

1:01 p.m. - Responding to an email. I thought about explaining the perfectly clean, nice and polite suggestion that a friend made which led to this response from me, but I figured it would be more fun to just let everyone come up with their own image/idea of what it was all about. So enjoy. (Muwahahahaha/Bom-Chika-Bom-Bom)

4:07 p.m. - Making a move in a Words with Friends game. My Georgia friends won't like it, but my Florida friends will.

6:02 p.m. - Call from BFF Tony. We mourned the end of the Braves season.

6:36 p.m. - Call from the doctor's office with some results we've been waiting on (no I'm not pregnant, yes I'm sure.)

8:21 p.m. - Back to Words with Friends. Win some.....

9:26 - Lose some.

9:54 p.m. - Trying to figure out the name of a song I heard on the way home earlier - I for sure thought it was an old 80s song, but it was a Killers song from only like 3 years ago. I guess it just felt 80s cause it was smushed between a Police song and a Simple Minds song on the radio.

11:17 p.m. - Downloaded a bunch of horror classics this month on an e-book app. Currently rereading one of my faves - Bram Stoker's Dracula. Will probably read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein next. (Maybe starting to figure out why I can't sleep at night.)

So, that's my day with my addiction, I mean my phone. Hope you enjoyed.

12 of 12 - September 2010

2010-09-13T20:09:00.001-04:00

Sorry all - I needed to take down my September 12 of 12 post. Not sure if I'll be reposting anything in it's place or not.

12 of 12 - August 2010

2010-08-12T22:35:00.002-04:00

Happy 12 of 12. Check at Chad Darnell's blog for the master 12 of 12 list with links to all the other 12 of 12ers. And remember Chad's name, cause he's gonna be an Academy Award winning screenwriter one day soon. :-)

My 12th was spent once again at the doctor's. I've got to stop letting them schedule me on the 12th, cause I have way too many photos of the hospital, x-ray machines, blood, needles, etc. in 12 of 12s past. I don't want to see them anymore, and I'm sure no one else does either. But unfortunately, this month, that's most of what I got.

So let's begin.

6:55 a.m. - View from my bed. Looks like the sun is creeping up on me again. I rarely sleep anymore, but I try. Of course, most of my good sleep comes about 15 minutes before the alarm goes off. Trying to get in a little early today since I'm only working a half day and have tons of stuff that has to be finished before I go.

7:15 a.m. - Getting prepped for the doctor. They can never get a good vein when they take my blood, and I'm already squeamish about it to begin with. I've even passed out a time or two (or 7) when they've stuck me, so I've learned all kinds of tricks to try and make it go easier for me. Trick #1 is to start drinking lots of water 24 hours ahead of the appointment. (This has the added benefit of also helping if you have to give another type of sample as well.) So, here are a couple of bottles to get me started (plus 2 more I left in the fridge at work.)

7:17 a.m.- Trick #2 is to take something to focus on that makes me happy so that I won't focus on them sticking me. I've used a lot of things over the years, but this is one that has helped me the last few times. It is a photo from a friend that has special meaning to me. I had it made into a wallet size so that I can whip it out whenever they start tying the little rubber thing around my arm.

7:17 a.m. - Trick #3 - Previous lab results. I get copies every time I have blood work done, because if it has only been a few weeks, some of my doctors will take this in lieu of doing it over again. This works once in a while. It didn't work today.

12:48 p.m. - Piedmont Fayette Hospital, oh how I hate you. It's a nice hospital and all, I just hate being there since that's where Daddy was through most of his final illness. But all of my doctors are in this building, so what can I do?

12:55 p.m. - Kind of a weird reflection thing going on between the two sets of windows on either side of the glass doors going into the doctor's office.

1:12 p.m. - Trick #4 - Have them use a butterfly on you instead of what the smart-ass technician referred to as a "grown-up" needle. The butterflies are a little easier for them to fish with when my vein inevitably runs and hides. Looks like they found one on the first try.......

1:30 p.m. - Yep - just looked like it. That one blew out before the first tube filled up. Ended up with two sticks in my arm...

1:37 p.m. - before they ended up going to my hand, which still hurts hours later. Seems that none of my tricks worked today. And it just got worse after that. I'll just say that blood was not all they wanted from me today, and the next set of photos would have involved longer needles, my hip and me weeping uncontrollably. Needless to say, the camera got put away and I need to have my photo from Trick #2 reprinted cause it got crumpled pretty badly.

4:00 p.m. - Finally getting ready to flee from the torture. View of the hospital parking lot from the 4th floor. Can you spot my car/truck? You know, from this distance, you can't even tell that it needs to be washed.

4:10 p.m. - Passed the lake on the way home and stopped for a few minutes to get out and kind of meditate on it all. Of course, the heat, combined with my light-headedness, was not a good combination so it didn't last long. So I went home and took a nap.

9:00 p.m. - Woke up and went upstairs to try and finish cleaning out the guestroom closet. This baby was completely full 2 weeks ago. But I've lost 50 pounds in the last few months (which made me happy, but not my doctor for some strange reason) and so I went in and tried on just about everything up there in the last few weeks. Ended up donating about 100 items. Now all that remains are all my winter coats, my concert t-shirts from the 80s and 90s, a few other keep sake clothing items and my Dad's flight jacket. Now I can actually have a guest stay with me and have room to hang their clothes. And for the record, that little black spot on the wall of the closet? It isn't really there. I went back up there and the wall is completely white. I cleaned my lens and took the photo again, and it was still in the photo. Too strange.

So, guess that's it. See you next month, if not sooner.

12 of 12 - July 2010

2010-07-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

Here we are with July's 12 of 12, and pardon me, but this as been the most f....ed up day. It was sunny, it rained, it was sunny again, then it rained again. It was even sunny and raining at the same time. And as the weather went, so did my mood - up and down, up and down. I woke up happy and by the evening I was curled up in my childhood bed in the guestroom bawling my eyes out. As soon as I post this baby, I'm taking a Xanax and calling it a day.

So, for those new to the 12 of 12, it is the brainchild of Chad Darnell. Check out his blog and the links to other 12 of 12er's around the world.

4:05 a.m. - I never sleep more than a couple of hours, so I was up at 4:00 in the morning watching videos on YouTube. Close up screen shot from a video I'd sent to a friend earlier in the night.

6:50 a.m. - Grabbing my water for work. I hate the new thin plastic bottles that Aquafina uses now. Yes, they are supposed to be better for the environment, but the problem is that when you grasp the bottle to twist the cap off, the weak plastic collapses in your hand and the water comes spewing up out of the top as the cap loosens and half the water ends up on you.

12:45 p.m. - Lunch time trip to the post office. I went to the post office last 12 of 12 too, but it was the 24 hour post office down the road from this one. It occurred to me that technically, the 24 hour post office is called that because they are open 24 hours a day, every day, but really the service is so slow there that it kind of feels like you've been there for 24 hours when you finally get finished, so that could also be the reason. .

12:57 p.m. - So you know how the part of the post office with the boxes always sounds so echo-ey? Well, last week my friend in TX was telling me that he was all alone in the empty post office on a Sunday and it was echo-ey so he started singing a Christmas carol (Do you Hear What I Hear?) to enjoy it. So, as I was leaving the post office and got to the part with the boxes and I remembered that story, so I started singing the same song. Only, I wasn't alone. There was a guy ahead of me and a lady coming in the door. They both looked at me like I was a nut, and the guy kind of hurried out the door (to get away from the crazy lady) but the lady started laughing with me and commented that someone just breaking out in song was sort of like an episode of Glee. :-)

12:58 p.m. - Outside the post office, snapped this close up of the tree in front of my car. See how pretty the sky is behind it?

4:16 p.m. - Yeah, well, that didn't last. Started raining, thundering and lightning over my skylight. Got a little bit scary, it was coming down so hard. And of course, that was right about the time I was getting ready to leave for an appointment with my physical therapist downtown.

4:35 p.m. - Stopped in the hangar on the way out and got a unique perspective of the nose gear on the Spirit of Delta 767 from underneath. Liked the way the overhead light made everything red.
4:55 p.m. - On I-85N heading into Atlanta, just south of the capitol building. Weird thing about this photo is that while the sun is shining, it was actually still raining. (My windshield wiper had just cleared the rain from my windshield.) I always get a little creeped out when it is both sunny and rainy at the same time. It feels wrong.

4:58 p.m. - Almost at my exit and the rain is about gone again. Got the Georgia Pacific Building, the Peachtree Plaza Hotel, SunTrust Plaza and the AT&T building among others in that shot.

6:37 p.m. - and an hour and a half later, we are back raining again. Some of the same buildings in this shot. As I took this photo, "In the Air Tonight" came on the radio. Now that song, especially when the sky is all black and ominous, scares the crap outta me.

6:39 p.m. - No idea what I was trying to capture in this photo, as I tend to just snap without looking when I drive and hope for the best. But I liked the Coca-Cola sign as a little logo in the lower half of the shot of my rain soaked window.

7:47 p.m. - I was already really upset over a couple of things that had happened earlier in the day, and then got a bit shaken up by almost getting hit by a tanker truck right before my exit on the way home, so I went upstairs to my guestroom, crawled into my childhood bed and under the quilt that my great-aunt made for me and cried for about 45 minutes. When I finally settled down, it was sunny again.

9:05 p.m. - and finally my bonus photo - a recreation from last month's 12 of 12. The hat from the photo of the photo that my friend in TX (yes, him again) sent me to make me laugh. Well this month, he sent me the actual hat. So here it is again, covering my wet head.

Guess that's all for today. Hopefully I'll be taking a Xanax nap within the hour. See you next month.

12 of 12 - June 2010

2010-06-12T23:56:00.002-04:00

A sad 12 of 12 for me today, as I lost my father last week on the 3rd. To say that the last week has been difficult would, of course, be an understatement. It just seems unreal that it has been over a week since I've seen him or talked to him. I keep thinking he is just on a trip and will be home soon. I know I have a lot of rough days ahead of me as it all becomes real.

I appreciate the many kind words and displays of sympathy from so many friends and family members, especially those who have already lost a parent and where therefore able to give me some insight and perspective into what was going on. I'm also thankful to those closest to me who have managed to give me constant love and support while also giving me the space I need to try and grieve in my own way. It is a delicate balance, but you (and you each know who you are) have given me just what I've needed as I've needed it.

Sleeping has been the hardest part - I just hate to go to bed because if my brain gets too silent, I end up getting really sad and so I end up climbing back up out of bed and roaming the house working on random projects...

2:15 a.m. - ...like an astrological reading for a friend (Pisces with a Capricorn ascendant). My aunt Charlsie was a world-renowned astrologer with thousands of clients around the globe. She taught me how to plot a chart and do a reading when I was a preteen. She did many readings for me over the years, advising me on boyfriends (this one is a double Leo - he loves himself more than he will ever love you) and career moves (your true destiny won't open up to you until you are almost 50, so just make sure you learn all you can and enjoy what you are doing in the meantime). She always did the math herself and plotted each chart by hand with a ruler and colored pencils. I always feel like a cheat when I run a chart from a computer program.

11:30 a.m. - Had about 2 hours of sleep, then piddled around the house until a little before noon and than headed down to Mom's to write thank you notes. I just snapped the clouds, but when I loaded the photos, I thought it looked like a dinosaur or dragon's head about to bite something.

12:15 p.m. - While at Mom's, we went through a few of Dad's clothes, picking some to donate and some to keep. This is a keeper - his flight jacket from his dear friend Gabe at Boeing.

12:16 p.m. - it even has his nickname sewn into the lining.

2:10 p.m. - So, this is a joke that got out of hand. Way out of hand. I was having my hair cut and colored Thursday evening, and I got a text from my friend JD suggesting I color it pink (it was occasionally pink back when we knew each other in the 80s.) I got my friend and stylist Brooke to pull out the pink hair color so I could take a photograph and send it as a joke. Somewhere along the line, the joke became a reality as Brooke convinced me that a pink streak would be fun. So, here you go - Retro Joni. (By the way, no, that is not an overexposed photo. I really am that white.) Thank God he didn't make a joke about me getting a tattoo or an additional piercing, cause sometimes I will do anything to make a friend laugh.

2:17 p.m. - Went next door to see Katie and stumbled across her cat Bob. Hi Bob. (Drink!)

2:27 p.m. - Puzzle that Katie and Brian (mostly Brian) were working on. I stared for about 10 minutes and finally found two pieces that fit together. Least I think they were supposed to be together. Brian might have pretended they did just so I would be satisfied that I contributed and finally leave and not mess with his puzzle any more.

2:40 p.m. - and on to the real reason I went to see Katie - sonogram photos. They found out that they are having a boy, and here is his little foot. I would have shown the photo that determined he was a boy, but that seemed a little bit too sketchy of a thing to do to the poor kid. I mean, would you like the neighbor lady showing your stuff on her blog before you ever knew what a blog was?? Did I mention that after my fall down the stairs last month, Katie has decided that maybe she won't be calling on me for babysitting duty after all. Although, thanks to me and my clumsiness, she does now know the direct route to one of the local ERs in case she ever needs to know.

3:55 p.m. - Went over to Lowes with my neighbor David to get some soil to plant the beautiful hydrangea plants that several of my friends sent for Dad's services. While we were there, we checked out some of the other flowers and plants.

4:12 p.m. - and I ended up with 2 more hydrangea to fill out the area where we are going to plant them tomorrow after church.

8:10 p.m. - After an attempt at a nap (I slept 45 whole minutes!), I ran by work to pick up something I left on Friday. This is my bonus shot - a recreation of a shot of the windows from the outside of the hanger in my February 2010 12 of 12 entry. The photo above was taken of the same windows from inside the hangar.

9:05 p.m. - and then I stopped by the 24 hour post office to mail a package. There is always about 20-30 people in line at that post office no matter what time I go. Of course, there is also only 1 agent working while the other 6 windows are always closed, so it takes for ever to get through the line. But I'm getting closer - only 3 more folks ahead of me.

10:05 p.m. - Back home finally, and here is my final photo. It is really just a photo of a photo that my friend in Texas sent me from his shopping expedition today. I would say it related to an inside joke, but I'm sure most of you already have an idea of what that inside joke is in reference to. What can I say? Sometimes we both still have the sense of humor of two 12 year olds. But it made me laugh, and I need to laugh, so good job on that one.

Guess that is it. Hope you enjoyed.

D-Day

2010-06-06T11:12:00.018-04:00

My father passed away this past week. I've pretty much been on auto-pilot ever since. I want to write more about the last few days, but it is all still very raw and painful. So instead of focusing on his death, I'd like to focus some more about his life and the things he left me with. I know my entries of late have already been a bit on the emotional side, but I hope you will bear with me as writing helps me both heal and honor him as best I can.

Today is the 66th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Now, my father was a very patriotic man, but he never served in the military. Dad was in the ROTC in high school, and he and his classmates proudly stood honor guard in East Point, GA as the train carrying the body of President Franklin Roosevelt returned to Washington, DC from Warm Springs, GA following his death in 1945.

He planned on enlisting after high school and follow in the footsteps of several of his uncles and older cousins, but was turned down because of a broken arm (football injury) that never healed correctly and impacted his ability to hold and fire a rifle properly. So instead, he went on to college at Georgia State. Shortly after that, his own father passed away suddenly and Dad left school to go to work in order to help his mother take care of his younger brother and baby sister. But he was so very proud when his younger brother Paul grew up and joined the Navy during the Korean War.

As I was growing up, Dad always wanted to make sure that I was aware of the sacrifices that others made so that we could live free. Every year a few days before the school year started, Dad would call me out into the backyard where we would sit on the steps, and he would give me "The Speech." The Speech was the talk he gave me to explain how lucky we were in our country be provided with the opportunity to go to school and receive a good education. He would explain how children in some parts of the world didn't have that chance, and how in some countries, little girls were not afforded an opportunity to go to school at all. Then, he would explain to me that while I would pay nothing for my education, many who came before me had paid the ultimate price. Therefore, my only job as a child was to study hard, do my school work and ensure that I got all I could out of my education so that those men did not die in vain.

Me & my brother Steve at Pearl Harbor on the anchor of the USS Arizona

Through the years, our many vacations would take us to locations where he would reinforce the story of military sacrifice. I was 7 years old when our family went to Honolulu on vacation and visited Pearl Harbor.

Dad, Me & Steve on the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial

As the boat took us across the water to the memorial over the USS Arizona, Dad pointed to the oil still seeping up from the ship almost 30 years after it was sunk. He said they were the Tears of the Arizona, and he told me what he remembered as a 12 year old boy on that December day in 1942 when we were attacked. (Years later, as the events of 9-11 occurred, I understood some of what he must have felt that day.)

Wall of casualties at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor

When we reached the big white memorial, with the names of almost 1,200 who were lost that day etched in the the marble wall, he reminded me that these were some of the men who paid for my education. It made quiet an impression on this 7 year old.

Some years later, as a 19 year old college student, I went with Mom and Dad on a European vacation. During the trip, we rode a hovercraft over the English Channel from the White Cliffs of Dover to the Beaches near Normandy.

Omaha Beach as seen from the Normandy American Cemetery

As we reached the coast of France, the hovercraft took a slight detour from the direct route and took us out towards Omaha Beach where you could see where part of the D-Day landing occurred. It was overcast that day and there was a foggy mist in the air, and I felt a cold shiver as we made the approach. I wondered how those young infantry men who were probably about my age at the time must have felt that early morning almost 40 years earlier as they waited on the order for the assault to begin. Everything seemed to go quite around me, the sound of the hovercraft, the voices of the other passenger. It was surreal silence that was probably only occurring in my head. And as I looked over to my Dad sitting next to me, I could see the tears in his eyes.

Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer

I saw those same tears, and matched them with my own, a few hours later when we visited the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer where the bodies of over 9,000 American servicemen who paid for my education were laid to rest.

Now I wasn't always a straight A student, and I'm not going to pretend I came home from this trip and suddenly made Dean's List every quarter. But I've always tried my best, and I've always remembered my Daddy's lessons and the sacrifice of those young men.

I'll end this with a quote from the movie Saving Private Ryan. "I've tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me."

The Lord's Prayer

2010-05-30T18:15:00.003-04:00

We have a tradition in my family. Of course, I guess every family has a family tradition or two, otherwise why would Hank Williams, Jr. have bothered to write a song about them? But the tradition I hold most dear to my heart is one that my Dad started long before I was born: The saying of the Lord's Prayer as we head out on any long journey.

Steve, me and Dad on one of my first trips - Daytona Beach, FL - 1964

Dad worked for Delta Air Lines for over 40 years, and one of the wonderful perks (and one of the reasons that I to went to work for them too) is the generous travel benefits. In his years at Delta and in retirement, Dad has managed to hit 48 of the 50 states (he's missing the Dakotas) and every continent except for Australia (he's even been to Antarctica.) That's pretty good for a poor kid from East Point, GA who was born during the Depression.

Me & Dad at the Petrified Forrest, Navajo, AZ - 1971

When traveling on an airline employee pass, you typically are traveling standby/space available. So, to give ourselves the best chance to get on a flight, we always tried for the first flight of the day. That usually meant getting up at 3:30 a.m. and leaving for the airport at 4:00 a.m. to try and catch a 6:00 a.m. flight. So many an early morn, well before dawn, we would load up in the car, back out of the driveway onto 1st Avenue, and then, as Dad put the car in drive, he would say, "Let's say our prayer." And as one, we would all begin:

Our Father who art in heaven,; hallowed be thy name.; Thy kingdom come.; Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.; Give us this day our daily bread,; and forgive us our trespasses,; as we forgive those who trespass against us,; and lead us not into temptation,; but deliver us from evil.; For thine is the kingdom,; and the power, and the glory,; for ever and ever.; Amen.

Me, Dad & Steve - Disneyland, Anaheim, CA - 1976

We lived so close to the airport, that by the time we were finished with our prayer, we were pretty much pulling into the parking lot. Around the time I was 7 or 8, I remember wondering how Dad managed to drive all that way with his eyes closed. I was probably about 11 before I worked up the nerve to sneak a peek during the prayer and see if his eyes were indeed closed. For the record, they were open. Good thing I learned that before I became the one who did most of the driving to the airport.

Dad & me in Squaw Valley, CA - July 1980

It wasn't just airplane trips that brought out the prayer - we did it on road trips, heading to hospitals for surgeries, basically any time we were going to need some strength and protection from above. My brother told me that just before Dad took Mom to the hospital for my birth, the three of them said the prayer together.

Me & Dad at the Rhine River in Lorch, Germany - September 1983

Today I sat with Daddy at the hospital for a few hours and watched him as he slept. He goes through bouts of confusion, the doctors say because of all the mediation they've had him on, but there is some thought that he may have also had a minor stroke in the last few days as well. So, when I can, I try to let him sleep. But he woke up for a few moments and said, "How you doing, Tune?" (Tune is one of his silly nicknames for me, short for Petunia. Not sure if Petunia came from the flower or the Looney Tunes pig, but I've always hoped it was from the flower.) Then he asked me if I was ready to say our prayer.

Me and Dad in front of the Houses of Parliament, London - September 1984

I held his hand, we closed our eyes and we began to recite as we have so many times before. I held back a little, wanting to see if he could remember the words on his own, and he did. Although his voice was weak, he spoke every single word correctly. Then when we finished, with his eyes still closed, he said "I'm ready for the trip."

Mom & Dad on the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper, Alberta, Canada - October 1999

I pretty much lost it at that moment, thinking he was speaking of that last, metaphorical trip, if you understand what I mean. As the tears began welling up in my eyes, and I was trying so hard not to make a noise or let the dam break in front of him, without even opening his eyes he quietly said, "We'll make it to Australia like we planned, Tune. I promise you."

I really pray we do.

Dad kicking back in BusinessElite on the way to Buenos Aries, Argentina - February 2008

12 of 12 - May 2010

2010-05-12T14:06:00.033-04:00

Aaahhh - another 12 of 12. Not nearly as eventful as last month's, as all the eventful stuff this month happened to me on the 10th when I ran home from work at lunch to pick up a package to mail and ended up falling down my stairs and hurting myself. Unable to get up off the floor and trapped in a locked house - every single woman's dream.

So you know, I had to make that "I've fallen and I can't get up" call to my neighbor Katie. (I really thought I'd be at least past 50 before I ever had to make that call.) God love Katie, she just dropped it all, left work and came home to save me. And in true Joni/Katie form, she walked in and found me crumpled in the floor, she ascertained that I was still alive, went to the freezer and got me an ice pack and then completely laughed her ass off at me. And then I told her that her outfit was cute. Cause it was. Afterward, we moved on to the other, less important topics like should we call 911 or our neighbor Kirk. We went with Kirk. We figured Kirk is a computer genius, Katie is an engineer, and I myself am an analyst - between us we could figure out how to get me up without doing any further damage to my hip and knee (although my pride and dignity may have been damaged beyond repair.)

One trip to the ER later, we find that thankfully nothing was broken, just sprained and contused. So, today I'm still trapped in my house, can't get around too well, and am doped up to the gills. Should be a pretty lame 12 of 12, just like me.

12:07 a.m. - I was doped up on pain killers and the like on Tuesday, so I slept most of the day. So of course, midnight/Wednesday morning comes and I'm wide awake. Over the weekend, I saw my best friend and she sent me home with her stash of prom photos from 1981 and 82 to scan and post on Facebook, so figured I could get that done for her. I'm the one in the upper left-hand corner, and BFF Traci is in the shot next to me and below me (2 different proms). Dang I wish I was that skinny again.

12:10 a.m. - Knowing that my 12th is probably not going to expand too far from my desk, couch and bed, I figured I should load up on random photos of items in the house. Here is a little plastic airplane on my desk. I got this on our first trip on the L-1011 Tri-star back when I was 9. I also got one of my trip back and I've saved them both for all these years - the other one is in my desk at Delta. And see - I managed to squeeze a Delta thing in there even though I'm not at work.

12:20 a.m. - Wanted to point out the issue with my stairs that led to my fall (lest you all think I'm dumber than I really am.) This is a shot of the stairs from the ground level. See how the last step before you get to the floor is not carpeted?

12:22 a.m. - and see how that step just disappears when you look at it coming down the stairs? The white post on the right is where the last step is. The floor is about 10 inches below that. So, instead of going down two steps, I went down three and just went straight over and flat out onto the floor. My left hip and knee took the brunt of the fall, but I also got the wind knocked out of me, cut my hand on my ring (which got bent up and smashed while still on my finger) and have about a dozen bruises on my arms, legs, hip, and ribcage. So now I'm doing the Tim Conway/old man shuffle as I move through the house with my knee brace and cane.

10:52 a.m. - Time to wake up and make my moves in my various Words with Friends matches. Wow - I'm bed ridden, doped up and playing in the dark on a cracked iPhone. How am I not winning more of these matches?

11:15 a.m. - One of my most favorite gifts ever. I love to get the dyed daises every spring because it makes the water in the little vases turn colors after a couple of days.

11:45 a.m. - Damn TiFaux did not record my Glee for me last night, so I'm forced to watch in on my computer. But - plus side is they trotted out some Rick Springfield which melded nicely with my desire to listen to Aussies from the 80s over the last few days. I've rocked out to the entire INXS catalog, Crowded House, the Church, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and AC/DC. If you are gonna be in pain, you might as well have good tunes.

12:30p.m. - I recently found a a large envelope with my other BFF Tony's name on the front, and figured now was as good a time as any to see what it contained. Turned out it was a cache of letters, cards, jokes and Top Ten Lists received from him from way back in the early 90s when we had just started becoming friends and were bonding over our shared love of baseball. I was laughing so hard it hurt by the time I got to the end of the stack. The item on top is from a Baseball Trivia calendar I gave him which made mention of the little known 4th Alou brother, Boog, who quit baseball to become a record producer. It was the April 1st entry, and is still one of my favorite stupid jokes.

12:37 p.m. - Also found a card announcing a 1995 art show for Tony's other best friend Scott (aka Lamar Smith). This is one of Scott's paintings from that show. I always loved the dreamy quality of his work in this set of paintings. I'm fortunate to have some of Scott's paintings in my home. I love having something done by an artist I really know - it means so much more than just having a random painting by some dead artist.

4:26 p.m. - Took a drug-induced nap and then woke up to face several more hours of boredom. But there in my in-box was a message from my old friend JD - a link to the movie Animal Crackers - Classic! JD always comes through when I need him to entertain me (and not just because he feels guilty because I fell retrieving a package I was mailing to him. ;-)) Love you babe, and thanks for helping to keep me sane over the last couple of days. Your friendship is a gift from "Gos."

5:40 p.m. - Took a little break from the movie and hobbled out to the front porch to sit for a spell so I could get some fresh air (i.e. pollen and jet fuel). This is my bonus photo because it is sort of a recreation of one I had in the January 2008 12 of 12 taken from about 15 feet further back on my front porch.

7:12 p.m. - Back inside and trying to find something new to photograph. Extreme close-up on the fake hydrangea in the powder room...

7:15 p.m. - and weird angle on a candelabra with a Cloisonne butterfly I got on a trip to visit my aunt up in the North Georgia mountains.

And so, if my counting ability is still working through the haze, that's 12 plus a bonus. Hope next month's 12 of 12 will take me far, far away from this house, these couple of rooms and all this pain. See you then.

Bart and Biff: The Sequel

2010-04-20T23:01:00.009-04:00

I love sequels. Not just a sequel for the sake of making one mind you, but when a book or TV series really draws me in with rich and vivid characters who I really connect to, I just can’t help coming to the end of the story and thinking to myself, “OK – So then what happened??”

I still long to know if Angel, Spike and Gunn made it out alive, or if Buffy, Willow and Xander are Facebook friends who send each other video clips of Bif Naked "The Lucky Ones" and The Sundays "Wild Horses" and talk about how it reminds them of when they stopped that Apocalypse those 7 times.

As I've moved through each chapter of my life, I've had to close the book on some friendships and characters (and trust me, some of them were definitely characters) who I really loved or connected with deeply. While I believe in life-long friendships (I've had a relationship with my two closest friends for 35 and 20 years respectively), I also believe that some people come into your life for an expressed purpose and once that purpose is fulfilled, the story ends and you both move on. The book goes back on the shelf.

Still, for some of those short lived, yet intense, relationships, I've often found myself wanting to know - "So then what happened?"

This past week, I had the good fortune of unexpectedly running into two old friends, both of whom I hadn’t seen for any significant amount of time in years, but who 25 years ago, both meant the world to me.

First there was Bart. Bart was the younger brother of a high school friend, but he often seemed like my own little brother in those days.

Little Brother Bart
CPHS Homecoming
1982 - College Park, GA

During my senior year of high school, Bart and our friend Ronnie were my two main accomplices in a series of yard rollings the likes of which that CPHS had never seen, as I went about exacting revenge on those that had rolled my yard after a football game that Fall. Bart was a tennis player, but he had the yard rolling arm of Phil Niekro. Where Phil had the knuckle-ball, Bart had some crazy twisted pitch that could hit the highest tree limb, then spiral down perfectly through the branches, then break off and drop the remaining TP to the ground so you could re-pitch what was left and not have any go to waste (we were Green before being Green was cool.) Of course, what Bart and Ronnie didn't know was that I knew the two of them had been in on the original rolling of my yard, so when we finished to last house on my "revenge list" I used the remaining toilet paper they had purchased and went back and rolled their yards as well. (Sorry Dude :-))

Joni and Bart
(He still has that Miami Vice shirt, I'm told)
1985 in Mexico Beach, FL and 2010 at Turner Field, Atlanta, GA

About the time Bart graduated high school, he fell madly in love (as only an 18 year old can) with a sweet girl from our church. There was a little bit of an age difference, and her parents did not want her dating until she turned 16 and even then didn't want her dating an older boy in college. I remember at the time thinking is all seemed so horribly Draconian of the parents - although now, looking at it from the perspective of having a cute blond 15 year old niece who has every Austin, Dustin and Justin in the greater Newnan area chasing after her, I'm total in agreement. (My niece has already been advised that she can't start dating until after she finishes college and gets her degree. Her PhD.)

Bart & Traci
Relaxing on the pier
1984 - Mexico Beach, FL

With Bart in Love Limbo for the next few years, waiting on Stephanie to finally be old enough to date who she wanted, my best friend Traci and I pretty much adopted Bart as our little brother and tried to keep him occupied and entertained. We listened to his tales of woe and tried to make him feel better as much as we could. And we stood guard for Stephanie, so that some slutty college girl wouldn't get her hands on our sweet Bart and take advantage of his depression at not getting to be with the girl he loved.

Joni, Brother Bart and Traci
1985 - Gatlinburg, TN

We took him with us on skiing trips to Gatlinburg in the winter, and to Mexico beach in the spring and summer. He'd take his truck - he called it "Junnin" - so he could blast his Hank Williams, Jr. while Traci and I would follow in the Shelby so we could listen to our New Wave music and Brit Pop (we never could get Bart turned into a club boy.) To this day, I still think of Bart anytime I hear the HWJr song "A Country Boy Can Survive" on a country oldies station. He was the ultimate country boy, just trying to survive until he could be with his true love.

ZZ Top or Tommy, Mark, & Bart
Joni & Traci in front of Junnin
1985 - Mexico Beach, FL

I remember aching for Bart in those days. He was the nicest of guys, a loyal friend, and I just wanted him to be happy. I worried Stephanie might not be as into him as he was to her, or that when they could finally be together, they might find they had nothing much in common. I prayed that when it was all over, that it would have been worth the wait for him.

When Stephanie turned 18, she and Bart took very little time in getting together and getting married. Didn't see too much of him after that. But it was OK, as it seemed like the purpose had been fulfilled. I tried to be a good friend and help keep him occupied when he needed it, and he taught me a life lesson about being patient with grace. My book on Bart was closed.

Then there was Biff. We met at church in the fall of 1984. I still remember when I first spotted him across the sanctuary, and I jotted a note to Traci on an offering envelope that said, "DON'T LOOK, but there is a cute new boy at 10:00." (She probably looked. She ALWAYS looked.)

Now Biff is not really his name. One of my friends was always harassing Traci & I by bestowing unwanted and derogatory nicknames on the guys we dated behind their backs, so he christened him Biff. One of the guys before him had been dubbed Lumpy Rutherford, so really, he got off pretty lightly. And actually, Biff completely suited him. He had that whole 80s yuppie vibe with the perfect Brooks Brothers suits, the accounting firm job at the cool building downtown. Think Michael J. Fox in Bright Lights, Big City, Christian Bale in American Psycho (before the killing spree was evident) or Don Draper from Mad Men had it been set in 1984 instead of 1964.

Church Boy Biff
Sunday School Class Skiing Trip
1985 -Gatlinburg, TN
(Cropped version our church friends saw after the trip)

I think I was going for a nice, straight-laced church boy to cleanse the pallet after getting my heart broken by a rough and tumble, rock 'n roll, rebel type. But little did I know what I was getting myself into. I'm pretty sure that if you Google the phrase "looks can be deceiving" it takes you to a picture of Biff (seriously, though, don't try it cause it takes you to some pretty disturbing stuff), because while he certainly dressed the part of a deacon's son, he was anything but what I was expecting. And in truth, what I was expecting was the last thing I wanted anyway.

The Real Biff
(Uncropped version of Sunday School trip photo above that our church friends never saw)

Biff was all about the aesthetics - the clothes, the accessories, the hair, the music, the food and drink. And the bantering - Lots of witty, sarcastic, cocktail fueled bantering. We were like Nick and Nora for the 80s (just not solving crimes). His outings were well planned and executed. The perfect movie with the perfect theme song, dinner somewhere you'd never been, and the right mix of music on the drive to and from. Except this one time when he took me to see Purple Rain at Westgate which was at the time the worst theater in the sketchiest part of town - which, really dude? What were you thinking?

Abercrombie & Biff
1984 - College Park, GA

His clothing choices were well thought out, right down to the accidental missed belt loop or collar-pop at just the right angle. If he had a hole in his shirt or jeans, you can bet that hole was not an accident of fate, but a very well thought out and strategically placed hole. He would call me before church on Sunday morning to see what I was wearing, so he could coordinate his tie. All this is not to say that he was superficial, because he certainly didn't lack in substance, but he was the classic Leo who liked to look good and liked for you to enjoy looking at him looking good.

I myself was trying on lots of looks in those days - from New Wave, to Preppy, to Punk, and he accepted my edge. But he also got me to understand about dressing appropriately for the occasion (like taking out 3 of your 5 ear piercings when we go to meet Grand-mother for Sunday lunch) and introduced the whole concept of dressing for the position you want instead of the one you have. He helped me pick out a suit for my very first "real" job interview, and he got me started on a respectable work wardrobe once I got the position.

Biff dressing for the position of Indiana Jones
1985 - Dillard, GA

I've had relationships that have lasted a lot longer and have been way more serious, but Biff had an undeniable influence on my world. He gave me a lot of great things that I still have today. And not just material items, although I do still wear the Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses he gave me for my 21st birthday - leave it to Biff to procure an accessory that had such classic style and durable construction that one could retain and use them for 25 years. He introduced me to classic movies from the 40s and 50s, reminded me that Paul McCartney had another band before Wings, and taught me how to mix a cocktail. If my life were a movie, Biff would be credited as the costume designer, musical director, and in charge of craft services.

It's 6 AM, do you know where you are?
1985 - probably Gatlinburg, TN

It was fun for a while, but when it finally ended, it ended badly. I'll not document the sordid details of the final demise of it all other than to say we were young. The fall out from it (for me anyway) could be felt for years, and while he isn't responsible for the walls I've put up in other relationships, he certainly had a hand in helping me secure the construction permits. At this point, Biff's book wasn't merely closed, it was slammed shut and thrown across the room for good measure.

So, then what happened?

Flash-forward to 2010. At a sneak preview party for the new Delta 360 Sky Lounge at Turner Field, as I'm headed to the bar, I hear someone call my name from behind. I turn, and I see Brother Bart. And there, right by his side, was his Stephanie.

Bart & Stephanie
2010 - Atlanta, GA

Their story had the potential to go all kinds of wrong - marrying young, disapproving parents - but it all worked out fine. They have two beautiful teen-aged daughters (I'm betting Bart is understanding his father-in-law a whole lot better these days) and you could just see the love they continue to have for each other in their eyes. It was like Romeo and Juliet had they actually lived - a beautiful end to the story.

And then, same week, while dining at a local pizzeria with a friend, I hear a familiar voice in conversation behind me. And before I ever turned around, I knew it was going to be Biff. Now there was a time when I would have realized it was him, quietly gotten up and tiptoed out of the place as quickly and inconspicuously as possible (and in fact, I have at least twice before that I can recall) but at this point, I was actually happy to see him. And truthfully, even in my anger at him from all those years ago, I have always had a place for him in my heart and hoped he would find something that made him happy and grounded.

Biff & his youngest son
2010 - EP, GA

I've heard enough from mutual friends over the years to know that he's had some highs and he's had some lows, but then a few years ago, he finally settled down and married a girl he knew from high school. It's sort of like he married the cool chick next-door (which is such a Biff thing to do.) They have two adorable sons - the elder of which looks like they just cloned Biff cell for cell. I saw him playing across the way with his little khaki pants and a chambray shirt with that old familiar collar-pop on the one side. The 6 year old little girls of EP better watch out.

It was nice seeing him surrounded by a family he obviously dotes on, and seeing the delight in his eyes as he looked down at his youngest son while introducing us. I've seen him fake and I've seen him real, and this was real. My Biff had found his happy ending.

One of my favorite TV series finales ever was that of Six Feet Under. Through a beautifully done flash-forward in the closing moments of the series, they showed us some key events and final moments in the future of each main character. There were some bitter (Keith being gunned down in a robbery) and some sweet (Claire glancing up across the cemetery during her mother's funeral and seeing her old boyfriend and future husband Ted had come) but when it was over, I knew all I needed to know about what happened next and I was satisfied that in some way they each had found a happy ending.

And for a few moments this past week, I got to flash-forward on two tall, skinny boys from the 1980s and see that each of them found a love and a life that made them happy and fulfilled. And it was a completely satisfying ending.

12 of 12 - April 2010

2010-04-12T23:23:00.013-04:00

It's the 12th again, so here we go with April's 12 of 12 entry. Check out Chad Darnell's blog for the index of 12 of 12ers around the world.

I'm loaded up on allergy meds (you'll understand why when you see the photos) and also a bit of red wine, so I'll probably have to come back tomorrow and edit out all the typos, incomplete thoughts and incoherent ramblings.

8:20 a.m. - Arrival at work. This is the tree I park under most days This is why I have to take a couple of children's Benadryl every morning before I leave for work in the springtime. (If I took the adult brand, I'd be asleep under my desk by 9:30 a.m. ala George in The Nap episode of Seinfeld.)

1:20 p.m. - Lunch. When I was a kid, I was so jealous of my classmates who got to bring their lunches in their cool Bobby Sherman or H.R Puffenstuff lunch boxes. They always had a can of Snack Pack pudding, meanwhile the rest of us were eating bland lime jello out of those pleated paper cups. I swore that when I grew up, I was gonna have Snack Pack for lunch every single day if I wanted it. At least one of my childhood dreams came true.

5:45 p.m.- Home from work and checking out the yard. I have about 2 dozen azaleas in my yard. So far, this is the only one that has chosen to bloom.

5:46 p.m. - Creeping Phlox. (accompanied by Weeping Eyes - Where's my Benadryl?)

5:47 p.m.- Tiptoeing through the tulips......

5:48 p.m. - and finally, the mystery plant. No one can decide exactly what this is. A couple of my neighbors think it is a Hydrangea, some call it a Snowball bush, and my mom says it is a Viburnum (my mom is probably right - she knows her flora.) I call it the Bee Condo because about 40,000 bees live there. Everyone is all concerned that the bees are disappearing. No they aren't. They are all just hanging out in my back yard. Seriously, it is like freaking Spring Break out there - constant cruising back and forth from the bushes to my favorite lounge chair, where they hover too close for comfort, make loud noise, drill holes in the railing on rails on my deck and leave a mess of beer cans (sawdust) in their wake.

6:45 p.m. - After wandering the yard for 5 minutes (it's so expansive), I headed over to see my friend and coworker Sandra. She recently moved a few blocks from my house into a building with a roof top observation deck which is right across from the airport runways. Photo Op!

6:52 p.m. - When I was a kid, my grandmother's house was right about where those white trucks and trailers are in the lower right-hand side of the photo. She had the last house on the street before you got to the runways and we would sometimes climb the fence and play in the mud next to the runways. (Pre-9/11 Security) That was fun until I the time that I stepped on some glass and cut my foot open and had to be rushed to South Fulton ER for my first ever stitches. Nevertheless, I am a total airplane geek and would have probably stayed up there all night had we not gotten hungry.

7:10 p.m. - Afterward, I took Sandra on a drive through CP and EP to show her all of the fine culinary options in the area. She ended up picking Oz Pizza so we could dine outside on the patio. Of course, we didn't realize to begin with that it was a fund raising night for a local charter elementary school, so a couple a dozen parents and their little kids were all in attendance. It could have been disastrous, but really, the kids weren't too bad. Other than lots of running and tree climbing, most were pretty well behaved to be so young. And I'm not just saying that because I ran into several folks I know (Hi CA!) who might possibly read this...

7:20 p.m. - including an old friend who I dated in college, who was there with his family. (Look Traci - another one of my old boyfriends who still has all his hair and wasn't wearing old man shorts and black socks. ;-)) This is him with his youngest son. The son played shy at first, then he talked to me sweetly for a while, then he got bored with me and left to go play with another kid. About the time I had forgotten about him, he showed up at my table, gave me a sweet smile and a little eye twinkle. Of course, once he knew that he had regained my attention, he left again and never returned, so now I probably won't see him again for about 20 more years. (Insert something about apple not falling far from tree here.)

8:10 p.m.- Finished with dinner, Sandra and I headed back to her place and up to the observation deck again so I could get the Fly Delta Jets sign all lit up. Cause what would my 12 of 12 be without some more Delta for you all? (My Dad worked in that hangar under the Fly Delta Jets sign from when it was built in the 60s until he retired in 95 - for the 10 years before that, he worked in the same building that I'm in now.)

9:45 p.m. - And of course you need wine to fully appreciate the experience. My doctors recently discovered that my body will not absorb enough iron, B-12, Vitamin D and a couple of other vitamins and nutrients through normal channels (food or oral supplements), so I have to have a lot of shots and IVs to help combat the low levels and the problems they create. But alcohol absorption? Not a problem. Goes straight to where ever it is supposed to go, soaks in and stays for a while. I'm trying to come up with a good iron and B-12 cocktail, but not sure which alcohol mixes with that. Maybe vodka??

Well, I guess that's 12. Hope you enjoyed (and Traci, hope you'll forgive me for the jab. At least the one you ended up with the one who still has all his hair :-))

12 of 12 - March 2010

2010-03-12T22:55:00.012-05:00

March brings a dreary, rainy work day for this month's 12 of 12. Head on over to Chad's blog for the 12 of 12 index and check out the entries from other 12 of 12ers worldwide.

8:10 a.m. - So, the city workers came around yesterday and trimmed the limbs of a lot of trees and shrubs along the sidewalk curbs and islands in our neighborhood. They butchered the beautiful crepe myrtle in front of my next door neighbor's house, and then they took all of the branches and piled them up on top of my mailbox and front steps. Thanks Dudes.

8:15 a.m. - Stopped by and picked up breakfast at the Woolman Cafe on the way into work. This is coming out the side door, looking across to where the old hangar and my building are.

9:36 a.m. - Bonus Photo: This year each month we are adding a bonus photo which is a repeat or recreation of a previous 12 of 12 photo. This one is a recreation of a photo from last month's 12 of 12 where I took a photo of my skylight as the snow fell. This time I took it cause it was hailing. Then I thought better of sitting under a skylight with hail raining down, so I fled to another part of the office until it passed.

12:47 p.m. - Slipping out to pick up lunch at Willie's with Cheryl. Steak Burrito in a bowl with extra rice and black beans - same thing I get every time. I'm way too predicable.

1:03 p.m. - Back at my desk, accidental photo of crap on my desk.

2:45 - Fire Ho.

2:46 p.m. - Cutting through the Delta Heritage Museum to get a Diet Coke from the break-room. Look - we have a totem pole! (It's in the Western Airlines section of the museum. They merged with us in 1986.)

2:48 p.m. - Still in the museum, this is the Monroe Cafe. It is a full-scale replica of the facade of Delta's former headquarters office in Monroe, Louisiana, which served as Delta's headquarters from 1934 to 1941 when we moved the company to Atlanta. We eat lunch there some days and have company celebrations there sometimes.

6:22 p.m. - Finally heading out for the day, and only an hour late. When your commute is 1/4 mile, after 3 years of 12 of 12ing, I've sort of been there, photographed that more times than you could imagine. So tonight, I drove out the back gate today and took the long way around so I could get some different shots on the way home.

6:25 p.m. - Air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

6:26 p.m. - A couple of our planes at one of the maintenance hangars.

6:28 p.m. - Small plane taking off from the northern most runway. Oops - it almost flew out of the frame. :-)

10:59 p.m. - Sock Monkey Slippers are sad that we didn't win the Mega-Millions yet again. :-(

99

2010-03-05T20:51:00.014-05:00

My grandmother Cleo would have been 99 years old today.

She had this fabulous way of pronouncing the word 'nine' where she drew the word out very long and exact way with a slight hint of Jersey in the accent (it works for 'five' also) and so I've spent half the day saying "Nohnty Nohn" to myself and then cracking myself up. Then I got home from work and called my Mom and now she's doing it too. Sometimes it takes so little to entertain us.

She was born in the North Georgia mountains, the second oldest of nine children. The story goes that when her mother was pregnant with her and trying to come up with a name, the neighbors had a 5 year old twins, a girl named Cleo and a boy named Clifford. My great-grandmother Ezzie told the kids if it was a girl, she's name her after Cleo and if a boy, he'd be named Clifford. When it was a girl, Clifford cried for days and Ezzie felt so bad for him that she named my grandmother after both children. My grandmother would end this story by saying that when she grew up and heard this story of her naming, she promptly "went next door and beat Clifford's ass!"

Baby Cleo Clifford Thomas - 1911

Cleo and her older sister Bonnie were only about a year apart in age, and they were incredibly close. Bonnie was stricken with polio as a child, so Cleo and their younger brothers Julian and J.W. would carry Bonnie around so that she could play outside with them. One time when they were playing in the field, a bull got loose and came after them. The 3 younger siblings could have ran and made it to the fence, but they couldn't leave their big sister, so their only choice was to push Bonnie up into a tree then climb up behind her. Their Papa found them about an hour later, still in the tree with the bull laying at the foot of the tree asleep.

Bonnie and Cleo - 1920s

Another great story involved the same four siblings finding the location of their Papa's still up in the hills and deciding to all take a taste of the moonshine (they were between the ages of 4 and 9 at the time). Again, Papa found them a few hours later, staggering across the field, giggling like fools and drunk as heck. (I seem to recall a similar story involving myself and my cousin Bonnie (named for the original Bonnie) that involved drinking and giggling like fools, but that was in Athens in 1991, and we were both of legal age at the time. :-))

Cleo and a drinkin' buddy - 1920s

Cleo eloped with my grandfather Ed on Halloween in 1932. He had been married previously, and so it was sort of scandalous that she had taken up with a divorced man. So, to get around her disapproving parents, she and her younger sister Lucille told them that they were off to a Halloween Costume Party dressed as a bride and bridesmaid. Of course, there was no Halloween Costume Party. Their first child, my aunt Charlsie, was born the following year, with my mother Maxine arriving close behind.

Ed, Charlsie, Maxine & Cleo - 1935

While my grandfather worked in the copper mines across the border in Copperhill, TN, Cleo got a job at the Bell Bomber Plant in Marietta, GA building B-29 Bombers. Since the plant was so far from home, she would sometimes leave my aunt and my mom with her mother for several days while she worked and stayed in Marietta. While she missed her children, her parents lived on a farm and her mother Ezzie was going deaf, so there was plenty for her girls to learn and many opportunities for them to help out. I really believe that this period of helping and learning from a grandmother they both so loved and admired led my aunt and mom to be the kind, compassionate and giving women they grew to become.

Siblings Bonnie, J.W, Lucille, Elizabeth, Julian & Cleo
Mama Ezzie, Papa Laurence & Toby

With her brothers off fighting in WWII, Cleo and Ed moved the family up to Rockaway, NJ where Cleo got a job working at the Picatinny Arsenal where they made bombs and artillery shells for the War. She was proud to be contributing to the war effort and helping to supporting her family.

Charlsie, Cleo & Maxine - 1940s

While they stayed in New Jersey for a few years, her home was in the South, so the family returned to Georgia after the War.

Cleo with her father Laurence and his mother Mattie
Dahlonega, GA - 1946

Shortly after returning to Georgia, the family settled in Hapeville, a small town in the Atlanta area. Ed went to work for Atlantic Steel Co. and Cleo began working at National Biscuit (Nabisco) where she would stay until she retired. After moving to Atlanta, they opened their home over and over to relatives and friends who wanted to move from their small home town in North Georgia to Atlanta, but needed a place to stay until they could find a job and place to live and be able to afford to bring with own family down to join them. They weren't rich by any means, but they would never turn down a family member in need.

My brother Steve with his grandparents Ed & Cleo

My grandfather died suddenly of a brain tumor in 1968, and Cleo was left on her own. But, she had always been a strong woman who could take care of herself, she had gone into the work force before it was common for women to do so, and she knew how to get things done on her own. She encouraged me to be strong and to always put myself in a position of being able to take care of myself without the help of anyone. (She also taught me my first curse word, but I think I'll save that story for another time.) I remember her being so impressed when her niece Sandy, at the time an unmarried woman in her 20s, purchased her first home on her own. For months she bragged about how "Sandy had gone out and bought herself a house without a man or anything!"

Bonnie, Cleo and Cleo's youngest grandchild Bonnie
Copperhill, TN - 1971

Cleo's father (we all called him Papa) came to live with her after Ed passed away, and she would care for him until he passed away in 1976. (Mama Ezzie had died in 1960.) I feel those years were such a blessing because I had the privilege of really knowing my great-grandfather and hearing his stories first hand.

Joni, Crazy Cat, Papa and Cleo - 1972

Cleo was a night owl - she would stay awake until 3:00 a.m. watching her beloved Atlanta Braves, reading books, doing word search puzzles, talking long distance one night a week to her sister Bonnie still in North Georgia. My brother would sometimes stop in and visit her at 1:00 a.m. on the way home from a college party or night out with his friends and would bring a Chick-fil-a from the Dwarf house to share with her. They were similar in nature and they could spend hours talking or hours in silence just enjoying being together. She always told me that Steve brought no drama, no hidden agendas when he visited. He just wanted to be with her and she loved that about him.

My sister-in-law Carrina, Cleo and Steve - 1990

Cleo also loved my Dad, her son-in-law, as much as if he were her own kid. He worked close to her house and would come visit her at lunch some days and bring her a Chick-fil-a. (I'm realizing as I write this that the way to her heart may have had something to do with who brought her the most Chick-fil-a sandwiches.) When Mom would get irritated with Dad over something, instead of taking her own daughter's side, she would simply say, "Now Maxine - Bullet is a good man!" and give her a look that said, "Nip It!"

Maxine, Cleo, Bullet & Joni
Christmas - 1991

Cleo got really sick in 1992 and spent most of that summer in the hospital. My mom and aunt would trade off staying with her each night, even though it was a hardship for them both. In early September, the evening before my birthday, the doctor came in and said that they didn't expect her to make it through the night. She had been unconscious for a few days and probably would never wake up, so the family all gathered to wait. As midnight came and it was finally my actual birthday, all I could selfishly think to myself was "Please don't die, Please don't die, Please don't die but if you have to, then please don't die on my birthday." She lingered on through my birthday, and the following day, she actually woke up. She was weak and couldn't talk much that first day awake. I stopped by on my way home from work to relieve my Mom and Charlsie so they could get a bite to eat, but she was back asleep by the time I got there. I sat quietly with her and got lost in my thoughts. And then I heard her voice through the quiet say, "Don't worry honey - I wasn't gonna die on your birthday." I actually thought I was imagining it, but no, she was awake again and opened one eye to look at me and smiled. Then she asked me how the Braves were doing.

She rallied for about a week after that, and then finally passed away in her sleep in the early morning hours of the 16th with my mother dozing by her side.

I was fortunate to recognize what a special woman she was while I had her, and so I have no regrets in how I treated her or how I expressed my love to her each time I was with her. I really only have one regret, and that is that she missed a special milestone in my life - when I bought my first house "without a man or anything!"

Love you Cleo - Happy "Nohnty Nohn"

12 of 12 - February 2010

2010-02-12T17:30:00.009-05:00

It's the 12th, so I'm back blogging for the 12 of 12. We had snow today, so Yay!! Something better than pictures of all the papers on my desk to share with you, which was what this would have ended up being without the snow.

8:21 a.m. - This year we are supposed to add a bonus picture to our 12 that is a recreation of a picture we took in a previous 12 of 12. This is my homage to one from March 2009. Last year, I was peeking out of my front door window cause I thought I heard someone scream. Today I did it because I wanted to see if it snowed during the night. No snow yet. :-(

8:25 a.m. - Even if it doesn't snow, it is still going to be cold as heck, so I broke out the thermal underwear. By the time I got finished with all the layers, I looked like the Michelin Tire Man and I was still cold anyway. Dang anemia.

8:49 a.m. - Still no snow, but it's a'coming.

8:50 a.m.- Looks like my best friend Traci, the kindergarten teacher, is off today. Maybe I should have gone into teaching too. Nah - I probably would have strangled a snarky teenager who thinks History is stupid by now.

9:07 a.m. - Cutting through the hangar on the way in, and realized that the Winter Olympics start tonight, so thought I'd get a shot of one of the models of the Spirit of Delta with the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games livery. We also had a special one painted for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter games, but they didn't have it out on display.

12:37 p.m. - Heading out to lunch and took this one of the windows along the top of the old hangar. Really love that building.

2:07 p.m. - The flurries started about the time we got back from lunch and now 15 minutes later my skylight is almost covered.

3:15 p.m. - Since it was starting to get bad out on the roads, they told us we could leave early. My coworker Victor is ready to brave the cold in his furry little Cossack hat. It it even remotely looks like a costume, Victor is game for it. :-)

3:17 p.m. - The back parking lot. Trying not to slip and bust my butt. Just beyond that row of trees at the end of the lot is the runways of the Atlanta Airport. You can usually see the air traffic control tower and the terminals. Not today. Doesn't look like much will be taking off with that poor visibility.

3:30 p.m. - I get home and realize I left my purse at work, so back I go. Fortunately, it is not far. Here's my house as I head back out.

3:35 p.m. - Back at the DAL and it is really starting to come down heavy now.

3:56 p.m. - Back home again. This one is from my back porch.

3:57 p.m. - and a close up of the same snow covered tree. Loved how the falling snowflakes lit up under the flash.

Finishing up early so I can go get warm, make some hot chocolate and watch the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, even though it is in Canada, so you know they'll have Celine Dion screeching it up and chest pounding at some point in there. Guess that means I know when I can schedule my bathroom break.

See you next month.

12 of 12 - January 2010

2010-01-12T19:27:00.013-05:00

Happy 2010 to all. Yeah, I'm a little late with it - guess that means my resolution to be on time and to not procrastonate so much isn't going too well. But at least my 12 of 12 is going out on time, so maybe there is hope.

By now, those (few) who follow me know the drill - the 12 of 12 is where you take 12 photos of your day on the 12th and share them on your blog. The 12 of 12 is Chad Darnell's creation, go to his blog and enjoy the entries from all other bloggers and photographers world wide. There are some great snow photos this time around from people who got real snow where they live.

This will be the last year that Chad will host the 12 of 12 on his blog, and as a bonus photo each moth this year, he suggested that those of us that have done 12 of 12 for a while to go back and recreate an old photo from the same date and time. I didn't see that before starting my day, but coincidentally enough, I almost managed to do it anyway.

Here is my Bonus recreation photo that I accidentally took. I had a photo from last January's 12 of 12 taken from about 20 yards to the left. This was taken during my random daily drive-by of the house and neighborhood. We've had a number of break-ins lately, and so now when I leave to go anywhere, I circle and come back by the house. Also, fortunately, 2 of my closest neighbors work from home, and 3 others work odd hours, so we've been watching out for each other as much as possible. But, if my house does get broken into, they will surely be disappointed, since I'm apparently the only person on earth that does not yet have a big flat screen plasma TV or any other expensive electronic stuff.

3:40 p.m. - Saving you all the boring shots from work today and skipping over the work hours. Here is a shot as I leave work to head to the chiropractor. I was aiming for the flags and hit snap as I rolled over the speed bump and sort of missed the shot I wanted, but liked the picture anyway.

3:42 p.m. - The sky was really pretty today, so I seem to have a lot of these. This was as I was passing the airport. You can barely see an airplane in the clouds in the lower half of the picture.

3:43 p.m. - Same plane, a little further along. Do you see it?

4:47 p.m. - Stopped by to visit Mom and Dad on the way home from the doctor. This is from their driveway - again, loving the sky today.

4:49 p.m. - Mom and Dad. Both of them are looking a lot better now than they did this time last month.

5:52p.m. - It has been almost a week since it snowed, and it will still not melt off the back side of our houses.

5:53 p.m. - I also have the added bonus of a big patch of ice right where I pull out of the garage from where the snow has melted off the room and dripped down on the shady side of the house and frozen solid. I'm afraid I'm gonna break my neck on it if it doesn't melt soon. But, on the bright-side, maybe if someone tries to break in and steal my 15 year old 29' TV, maybe they will fall on the ice and bleed on my driveway and provide us with some DNA evidence.

6:00 p.m. - Also stopped and picked up a couple of groceries since I had been trapped in the house all weekend. So proud that I remembered to take my green bags with me.

6:02 p.m. - One of my New Years resolutions is to put stuff up with I get finished with it and to not waste money. Here is evidence of both - I hung up my coat and scarves when I came in, and instead of going out and buying a scarf this year, I went up into my keepsake box in the attic and found the scarves I wore back in college. The yellow and black one was from when I dated a guy that went to Ga. Tech, and the red and black one was from when I dated a guy that went to UGA. And the third one was a gift from another guy I dated. I know 3 different guys seems like a lot of boyfriends to have, but to be fair, I spent 11 years working on my BA, so that averages only 1 every 4 years.

6:20 p.m. - Heard something going on outside and went out to see the street lined with police cars. It's not really a good shot, but I didn't want to turn on the flash and draw the attention of the police. Not really sure what happened, looks like they were in front of the neighbor's house who had her car stolen yesterday. She did the ole "left the car running to warm up and went back in the house for just a few minutes" thing and came back out to no car. I hope they didn't come back and try to use her house key or something.

7:14 p.m. - Photo collage that my friend Dale made for me a few years back from the day we retired The Spirit of Delta aircraft. Dad and I were both selected to be part of the final retirement of the aircraft and moving it into the Delta Heritage Museum in the old Delta hangar. Trying to figure out where I can hang it, but for now it is propped up on my desk behind the computer.

7:22 p.m. - I'm really tired and feel pretty icky, and I need one more picture so I can go to bed. So this was the closest thing to photograph. :-)

Thanks for visiting, see you next month.

12 of 12 - November 2009

2009-11-12T23:58:00.010-05:00

Oops - sort of forgot last months 12 of 12. Been so busy at work, I sort of woke up one day and wondered why I had extra cash in my checking account and then realized payday (the 15th) had already passed, and of course along with it, the 12th. Such is the life of someone who does forecasting analysis for a living. I'm always working a couple of weeks or months ahead.

Anyway, here we go for November.

8:45 a.m. - Time to make the donuts.

8:46 a.m. - For some reason, I must always write my name with my finger when I find a fogged up window or shower door. Yes, I'm still 12.

8:47 a.m. - Not sure if you can see this, but squirrels have apparently gnawed through the cedar shingles on the front of my house above the porch to the left of that tree. Got a guy coming to fix it while I'm at work. In the Small World game of life, my brother was his coach in high school 20 years ago. I think I got a good deal on the price because of that. Thank God all my brother's former students love him so.

8:47 a.m. - and here we go on the long commute to work.

8:48 a.m. - Love when the leaves are red.

8:49 a.m. - Dangit - caught the red light. Now my commute time has doubled.

9:50 a.m. - Diet Coke - the Breakfast of Champions. And that's only cause they don't sell little chocolate donuts and cigarettes at the Woolman Cafe here at work.

9:56 a.m. - More red leaves as I head back to our building.

12:15 p.m. - all the other 12 of 12er's who I follow always have these wonderful, healthy looking meals. Here is my lunch. No wonder I always feel like I'm dying.

6:07 p.m. - Everything you ever wanted to know about the Delta Widget/Logo but were afraid to ask.

6:10 p.m. - Finally headed out for the day.

6:11 p.m. - and caught the red light again. Won't make it home until 6:12 now. :-(

So, that is it. I've been sick for several weeks, and was wiped out by the time I got home, so I immediately crashed and slept for 6 hours and just woke up. Of course, now I'm awake and can't sleep again. Still, I'm gonna try.

Good night all and see you next month on the 12th.

12 of 12 - September 2009

2009-09-12T20:36:00.008-04:00

Already the 12th again? Where does time go? It is already time for Chad Darnell's 12 of 12.

So, this month's 12 of 12 is an "All Flu, All Inside" all day version. AKA The Chronicles of NyQuil.

2:49 a.m. - Obviously. Came home from work early on Friday afternoon, drank half a bottle of NyQuil and slept until, well, 2:49 a.m.

2:55 a.m. - so I might as well hit the Tivo and watch Joel McHale on The Soup.

3:07 a.m. - IT'S REALITY SHOW CLIP TIME!!!!!

4:16 a.m. - I need to get well and go grocery shopping, cause my choices are severely limited right now. But for the moment, I'm going back to sleep.

12:15 p.m. - OK - I'm awake again. And it is daylight.

12:22 p.m. - Aaahhh - NyQuil. We meet again.

2:11 p.m. - Looking through some of my Mom's old photo albums, contemplating scanning some photos for her, but not really wanting to get out of my chair.

3:03 p.m. - If I can't go outside, at least maybe I can enjoy some outdoors from my window. But alas, my rustling of the curtains has apparently disrupted my neighbor's cat Gracie's nap.

3:04 p.m. - So she comes to see what the heck I'm looking at. You Gracie, I'm looking at YOU.

6:17 p.m. - Trying to read a little, but I keep dozing off on the couch.

7:00 p.m. - and I wake up to find that it is almost dark out. So I go nap in my bed for a while.

10:20 p.m. - and now I'm up one more time. Trying to multi-task by scanning old photos, uploading 12 of 12, posting some class reunion shots on FB and trying to think of something witty to accompany my photos. Unfortunately, I have a NyQuil hangover, so I'm not even sure that I'm really doing this or if it is all a really boring dream. Either way, hope you found something of value in my day.

XXX OOO to all.

12 of 12 - August 2009

2009-08-12T21:41:00.009-04:00

Wow - is it the 12th already? Guess so, since I'm actually blogging.

Well, welcome to my August 12 of 12. And not some cheap imitation the 12 of 12 - this is the real, honest to goodness, original recipe 12 of 12, endorsed by the creator of 12 of 12 himself, the incomparable Chad Darnell. Check out his blog for the rules (which are basically, take 12 photos on the 12th of each month depicting your day and post them on your blog, linking back to the master list at Chad's blog.) It's a world wide phenomenon. I promise.

8:45 a.m. - Starting my day by Eating Mor Chikin. And it is Free Chikin - today they had an offer of a free Chicken Biscuit when you bought a drink and hashbrown. Couldn't pass that up - way better than the hard boiled egg in the fridge.

9:03 a.m. - Yeah - it is a brick wall. It is our historic hanger next to where I park. I just liked the texture and colors.
11:25 a.m. - Love my Skylight, especially on overcast days when I don't bake in the sun.

4:05 p.m. - Headed back from a meeting in the 'good' conference room (it is above ground and has windows!) and saw the photos in the hall. Let's see, I've been there, and there and there and not there and there and not there and there and there.

5:40 p.m. - Spirit of Delta, just outside our office door. Love passing it every day - Never gets old. Makes me feel close to my Dad and reminds me of my aunt Charlsie too. It is nice starting and ending my work day feeling close to two people that I love and admire more than you can imagine.
5:50 p.m. - Woohoo - got a new IKEA catalog in the mail. Can't wait to see this season's Flurn and Barnsligs.

6:20 p.m. - Had to run over to downtown Hapeville (all of a block from my house) to finish up on a photo project I was doing for the Downtown Hapeville Facebook page. Our city has an assortment of Butterfly installations around the city and I've been trying to get photos of them all for the page. Local high school students and citizens painted them, sort of like the Cow Parade that they had in several cities a decade back, and they are really nice. Didn't realize before that this one was done by one of my neighbors.

6:22 p.m. - more Butterflies

6:37 p.m. - and the Star Spangled Butterfly and the Star Spangled Banner in front of our city hall.
6:45 p.m. - and two more butterflies honoring two of our city's oldest establishments - Chapman Drugs and the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf House. Love the crepe myrtles behind them.

6:47 p.m. - I've been driving past that old sign my whole life and until today, I don't think would have ever been able to tell you what it said.

6:55 p.m. - Starting on next project which is the benches around downtown that were painted by the elementary school kids. We like to let kids paint in my town. Apparently.

So, there you go. Hope you enjoyed - See you next month.

12 of 12 - July 2009

2009-07-12T22:03:00.014-04:00

Thinking about renaming this The Joni 12 of 12 Blog since that seems to be the only thing I've posted this year. Guess I'm in an introspective place where I'm doing more thinking and dwelling on stuff rather than writing about it. (See Chad Darnell's Blog for details about the 12 of 12)

So, this month's 12 of 12, subtitled Leaving Las Vegas, is all about me trying to get back from a quick weekend vacation to Vegas with my parents. They had a longer trip planned, but I tagged along for two days just to get away and get some rest. All that rest was pretty much undone on the trip home, but such is the life of a standby traveler.

Anyway, since I was losing 3 hours on the travel back east, I decided to start my 12th at 12:00 a.m. eastern time, so it was 9:00 p.m. in Vegas as I got started.

12:05 am (et) - The Bellagio Fountains - Stopped to watch the water show one more time before leaving the hotel to head to the airport for my flight home. Always love it when we get a room on the side where you can watch the show.

12:10 a.m. - Mom taking a peak out at the activity on the Strip.

12:33 a.m. - Waiting on the the train to the terminal and fiddling with my camera, I manage to finally find an angle where it doesn't look like I have 14 chins.

12:36 a.m. - On the train to the D Terminal at LAS. After the flash went off when I snapped this one, all these people turned to give me a dirty look. Trying to figure out a way to unobtrusively photograph random people without giving them the creeps or having them give me dirty looks. I tried after this to turn off the flash as I snapped, but the quality sucks when I do. Any advise from you 12 of 12ers that are more experienced photographers??

1:19 a.m. - from the terminal window - See you later Vegas!

2:50 a.m. .... and by later, I guess I mean in an hour and a half. While getting ready to push back, they found a problem with the a/c, so we were delayed a couple of hours waiting on the fix. They initially said we could stay on board or deplane as we preferred, but after the on board temp went above 90, they had us all deplane. So, back at the gate, waiting on the all clear and looking for some photo ops

2:58 a.m. - as opposed to throwing away any more money.

9:22 a.m. - Yay - back home in ATL. This train is leaving the station, please hang on.

9:26a.m - Welcome to Atlanta

10:23 a.m. - Took a little while to get my bag from baggage claim (had to gate check it at the last minute as I was the last one cleared onto the flight) and then had to wait on the shuttle over to the office, so finally making it home and picking up my mail. Wow - Michael Jackson died. I had not heard that.

11: 02 a.m. - Not really sure what I did, but my knee and ankle are both very sore and very swollen, so I had to drag out 4 different ice packs to try and get some relief. Finally took a pain pill and crashed for the rest of the day...

until a storm woke me up well after dark. Not really sure what time this was as the power had gone out and I was still sort of groggy from the jet lag and pain pill.

So, there you go. Thanks for visiting. See you next month, if not sooner.

12 of 12 - June 2009

2009-06-12T21:05:00.015-04:00

Hello and welcome to this month's 12 of 12. To see the rules and play along, go here to Chad Darnell's blog. My childhood BFF Karen played along last month, and I hope she does it again this time around too.

I've had the best week - Started out with a vacation in Vegas with my most wonderful Mom. We stayed at Caesar's Palace for free, saw Bette Midler (it was, in the words of one Barnabas Stinson - "Legend.....wait for it......Ary") and we both even came home with a little extra cash. Georgia Power will be so happy. After returning home, my boss took our whole work team out to the afternoon Braves game yesterday and even sprung for hotdogs and Cracker Jack.

So, after all the fun and games and about a million great photo ops, 12 of 12 would come on the one most intensely boring, need to catch up on 4 missed days of work, OMG I have 272 unread emails in my inbox day of the week. Nonetheless, here we go.....

8:41 a.m. - Arriving at work after the 2 minute commute. Looks like they are setting up something on the lawn - probably some type of celebration in connection with Delta's 80th anniversary which is next week. Hopefully, there will be free stuff.

12:10 p.m. - The first part of the day has flown by and it is already time for lunch. Ran out to pick up something at Which Wich.

12:40 p.m. - Back at work and it turns out the thing on the lawn is a celebration thrown by Coca-Cola in recognition of their long term relationship with Delta (since 1940) and our 80th anniversary. And there is Free Stuff - Woohoo!! Coke Floats for everyone and assorted prizes. Here, my coworker Laura gives me her best "hurry up and take the picture so I can eat my damn float" smile.

12:45 p.m. -Of course, my Dad can smell free food from several miles away, so he was in attendance. But what I'm really loving is all the goings on behind us - they were having a Twist contest and some people were really getting in to it.

12:52 p.m. - and of course, the Electric Slide. Can't have a party without that. What I like about this photo is that I had the camera at my side, walking through the crowd and I accidentally hit the button to take a picture and it ended up better and clearer than some of the photos I took on purpose. I love that the one woman on the right is still actively eating her float as she dances.

12:57 p.m. - and the Coke Polar Bear was even there. God, I would have hated being in that costume on such a hot day.

1:00 p.m. - OK - back to work. Headed back to my building and wanted to point out the LTA in Delta sign here....

...is the same LTA above the skylight over my desk in our new office space. Having your own personal skylight is wonderful for about 75% of the day. But on a sunny day between about 12:00 and 2:00 - it can be miserable. During that time, I'm finding lots of out of office things to do.

6:57 p.m. - As I was getting ready to leave, I discovered the accidental photo of the ladies doing the Slide and was explaining to Cheryl how I had snapped it as I was walking, and ended up doing it again. Now normally, this would have been an immediate move to the delete file for all kinds of obvious reasons, but I caught sight of Cheryl's face amidst the blur and figured this was the one chance to post a shot of her from the front to which she hopefully wouldn't object.

7:05 p.m. - Close up of the engine blades on the Spirit of Delta 767 in the hangar next to our office, as I finally head for home. All 272 emails opened and at the very least read.

7:10 p.m. - So, I walk across the parking lot to get in to my car and it is sunny skies. I drive to the main gate, and there is a strike of lightning. I drive one block and the sky goes black and by the time I reach the corner at the end of the second block and turn into the driveway, the bottom drops out. I know that the state announced that the long Georgia drought is officially over earlier this week, but this is a little much.

7:18 p.m. - Don't know why the blurry shot seems to be the theme of the day, but again, I liked this one. I'm not sure why it is so blurry - is it the camera, or me developing a nervous twitch. Or maybe lightning cracked again as I snapped it and I flinched, or it could have just been that the rain was just moving so fast that the blur was inevitable. I was trying to get a shot of how the wind was blowing the rain sideways but had to take cover after that the wind shifted and suddenly I was soaking wet as I stood on my completely covered front porch.

So, there you go. Hope you enjoyed. And if you get a chance, head over to Chad's blog and check out the links to other 12 of 12ers worldwide. It is a great chance to see what daily life is like all over the world and to enjoys some really wonderful photography.

12 of 12 - May 2009

2009-05-12T21:08:00.008-04:00

The Joni Blog has been on hiatus -but we are back today with a new episode/entry. It is time for 12 of 12. New to 12 of 12? Go here for the rules and background.

After accidentally taking April's 12 of 12 off (and pretty much taking off blogging in any regard as well), I was really geared up to come back with a vengeance for May's 12 of 12. Unfortunately, today was one of those days that was better off forgotten and not documented in pictures. Still, I wanted to try and crawl out of my uncreative hole and do something.

Basically, spent the day going to and from the doctor's office/hospital twice, with 6 hours of fast and furious work squeezed in the middle. Not a lot of photo ops, but I tried.

7:40 am - On the road to the doctor's office. Left early since they are working on the road....

8:05 am - but still managed to arrive a little late. Got to see the emergency helicopter land though.

9:25 am - Through with Dr. visit #1 and headed back to work. Tried to just hold the camera up and snap as I drove. Ended up with a lot of photos of blurry greenery, blurry construction barrels and the barns above.

5:10 pm -No time to take any pictures while at work and the traffic was too crazy headed back down to the hospital for my x-rays and blood work. But, I did get one shot while waiting on the technician to come back (aww - x-ray machine looks like it has a puppy face.) I think I spent another 12 of 12 in this room. In fact, I think I've spent several 12 of 12s in this building. It has been a sucky couple of years health wise.

6:20 pm - Almost back home again. This is the bridge that connects two of the buildings at the big D.

6:30 pm - So, I get home and realize I have 7 more photos to go, and I'm not planning on doing anything for the rest of the evening except laundry & dishes. So, here is a quick review of some of the new things I've done around the house. Moved the couch yet again in the living room. (now facing the fireplace.)

6:31 pm - Made a Family Tree (with the help of a do-it-yourself kit given to me by my friend Kristie.) Still have some more to add to some of the branches, but figured I could at least hang it while it was in progress.

6:32 pm - Topped that with photos of my parents and grandparents.

6:33 pm - Hung a huge print (4' x 5') of the Atlanta Airport circa 1940 with the help of my very talented friend Dale.

6:35 pm - and accompanied them with some other old airline related prints from the archives.

6:40 pm - and finally finished the dining room. My piano bench was previously covered with that green & gold vinyl stuff from 1970. Thankfully, my neighbor Katie was able to recover the bench so it would match the room (and so I wouldn't stick to it in the summer anymore)

6:42 pm - and she also made curtains for the dining room and tea stained my old white table cloth to match. So, now I'm finally ready for my first dinner party in the new house - well, as soon as I learn to cook or find the name of a great caterer. Or maybe I'll just order pizza and buy lots of good beer and hope no one notices.

12 of 12 - March 2009

2009-03-13T01:12:00.013-04:00

12 of 12 on an average Joni day? Boring.

12 of 12 on a work day? Boring x 2.

12 of 12 on a really busy work day? Boring x 10.

12 of 12 on a really busy work day and you have an allergy headache that has prevented you from sleeping for the last 2 days? Boring x infinity.

Still - here we go.

Just after midnight - wishing my dear friend Ali Happy Birthday on the Facebook. I liked how the photo sort of has that gauzy effect, like all the aging female celebs seem to have when filming their close-ups. Not that Ali is aging and needs special effects - she is still young and lovely.

Sometime before dawn - Playing airport shuttle for some friends. I live so close to the airport I can usually get them there and be back home in bed in under 15 minutes. It would have been a great photo op had I thought about 12 of 12 before I pulled away from dropping them off. Still, I tried to grab a shot of the airport as I passed, but it is hard to drive, focus and click all at the same time. Still, liked this one anyway.

6:50 am - Was able to slow down enough at one point to get the Fly Delta Jets sign off in the distance.

6:52 am - and home again.

6:53 am - The full moon over my house.

8:50 am - Arriving at work, watching the planes go by. Just to the lower left of the trees on the right you can see the airport control tower in the distance. I can also see it from my front porch at home.

5:10 pm - My arch nemesis and the creator of my raging allergy headache.

5:15 pm - The headache and lack of sleep was killing me, so I ended up heading home a little early and was greeted by my neighbor's dog Jackson. I had no treats, so he lost interest in me quickly.

5:30 pm - Lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, but I'm so sleepy that I can't fall asleep. Hoping the Benedryl will help......

5:31 pm - until then I'll roll over and stare at the ceiling fan.

6:25 pm - OK - I finally fall asleep and then I swear I just heard someone scream. Whatever it was, it woke me up and so I went to eek out the front door window, but nothing seems amiss. OMG - I think I have officially leaped over my mother and turned into my Grandmother.

6:30 pm, 8:14 pm, 9:27 pm, etc. - This was my view for the next several hours while I dozed and woke up about half a dozen times through the evening. Still have a headache, which I anticipate should last until about October.

12 of 12 - February 2009

2009-02-12T21:48:00.010-05:00

Hello and welcome to this month's 12 of 12. New to 12 of 12? Go check out Chad's blog for the details. However, beware - Chad has had a rough few months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and his photos of late can be a little squirm inducing - especially for the guys. I think his documentation of his journey has been at times heartbreaking, other times funny, and always inspiring. But, it ain't for everyone, so just wanted to put that out there.

So, away we go.....

12:01 am - After having a horrible bout with leg cramps earlier in the evening (and I know Mom - "Eat a banana") I'm still trying to get through Wednesday's episode of Lost on the TiFaux. Here we have Jack, Ben (not Henry) and Sun arriving to meet with a mystery woman.....

12:02 am - when out of the darkness comes ......... Desmond!! Love me some Desmond!!!

12:10 am - Finally thru with Lost, I decide to check emails and Facebook one last time before I'm off to bed and dangit! I see that my friend Laura's husband has beat by High Score on that major time-sucker, Bejeweled Blitz - how can I sleep now knowing that I no longer have the high score???

8:40 am - Had to get into my "Decor Drawer" to pull some extra paint samples to take to my new friend Susan after work this evening. She has bought and older home a few blocks over and is renovating it while living in it. God bless her heart. (Left hand side is my bedroom paint & soon to be drapes. Right side is my dining room paint and soon to be drapes.)

11:02 am - Finally arriving at work after taking a few hours of personal time. The lobby is decorated for Valentine's Day. I really need to see about bidding on the job where you put up balloons and posters around the building every time there is a celebration - I bet it pays more than mine does.

11:12 am - Checking some weather forecasts before finalizing some additional off day slots for the upcoming holiday. As long as the green isn't over Atlanta or New York, it should be OK.

5:55 pm - Getting ready to leave work, I realize that I have been far too busy to take any photos during my short day, so I tried to find something in my office that you haven't seen before. These are sort of new - I won them in a trivia contest we had at work. The topic was "Things about Minnesota" and the prizes were items from a huge "Minnesota" basket sent to our building from our new coworkers in Minneapolis. These are photos of pink & white lady's slippers (What is the State Flower of Minnesota, Alex?)

6:20 pm - Here, I am just turning on to the street that has given me a life long phobia. When I was growing up, my mom and grandmother use to jokingly call one of the local streets "Bad Luck Street" because of all the terrible and tragic things that either happened on the street or to people they knew that lived on the street. The one time I ever remember being on the street in my 20s, something bad happened to one of the people I was with. After that, I wouldn't go down that street for anything. Even after I moved into the community and met people who lived on the street, I would make excuses to not attend their parties because I was irrationally afraid of the damn street. Finally, about two years ago (and after a lot of therapy), I started making small attempts to at least go as far as the first driveway, and then turn around and get the heck out of there. Since then, I even managed to go to a party at one of the houses, although it was tough to stay very long. If I hadn't had Katie with me, I probably wouldn't have made it more than 15 minutes. Anyway, all this long story to say -

6:21 pm - guess where Susan lives????

It turned out that she was stuck in traffic, so all I had to do was drop the paint chips off in her mailbox and then make a break for it. But I hope that she has only good luck in her new home, because she seems like a seriously awesome person - an not just because she has the same Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mythology-heavy TV obsession that I do.

6:23 pm - Made it safely to the end of "Bad Luck Street" in one piece. And there is my office on the other side of the tracks.

7:25 pm - Watching last night's episode of Law & Order while I prepare dinner. Is it just me, or when they post this at the beginning of an episode does said episode almost always seem to mirror something that was in the news about 6-8 weeks ago???

10:20 pm - About to start on the 12 of 12 blog and notice my BF Traci's photo albums that I still haven't finished scanning (Sorry Tray! Will finish this weekend, I promise!)

So, thanks for playing and I'm off to bed.

12 of 12 - January 2009

2009-01-13T21:48:00.008-05:00

Sorry - I'm a little bit late on this month's 12 of 12. What is 12 of 12 you ask? It is a photo assignment created by the wonderful Chad (who needs your good thoughts and prayers right now) where you post 12 photos from your day on the 12th. Mine are usually pretty mundane and lame. Want to see some better ones? Go here and see Helen's. Her photos are awesome (although, I think that living in England gives her an unfair advantage in finding better subject matter.)

I didn't really think about it being the 12th until I was already at work, so I forgot my camera and had to use the camera in my new phone. Since I can barely make a call with the dang thing, it took some time to get the hang of the camera, so this month's 12 of 12 my be a little shaky.

So, away we go.

8:40 am -I still don't have a 2009 calendar, and as I mentioned, it took me a while to realize that it was the 12th and not the 15th. I was starting to get a little upset that my paycheck wasn't direct deposited yet.

8:41 am - Two calendars in my office, and neither one of them is right.

12:45 pm - I wasn't really able to get everything done over the weekend, so when my boss called in sick and our afternoon meeting was cancelled, I asked if I could take a half-day. It was actually sort of sunny and warm when I left. Above are the new townhomes they are building a block down from my building. They look pretty nice, I just hope they sell as we have a few too many empty condos in the area.

1:35 pm - I stopped by my neighbor Lauren's to pick up a workbook for a program we are doing at church. She was kind enough to pick one up for me when I missed church on Sunday because I was feeling sick. Had a nice little visit with her, and then back on my way to do some errands.

1:40 p.m. - Stopped by Chapman's Drug store to pick up some prescriptions. Girl needs her Prozac, you know? Chapman's has been a Hapeville establishment for over 80 years, and they have a neat collection of old medication bottles and other memorabilia.

2:00 pm - After Chapman's, I drove through and picked up a Diet Coke at the Original Chick-fil-a Dwarf House, and other Hapeville landmark.

2:20 pm - then down to Costco (woohoo) for some gas.

2:30 pm - then to Barnes & Noble to check out the leftover calendar selection.

2:35 pm - which can be sort of random. But, they were also 75% off, so beggars can't be choosers. I ended up with a calendar of National Park WPA posters from the 1930s & 40s. They were actually very pretty and I think after the year is over, I may frame one for my home office area as the colors would work great in a couple of my rooms.

3:20 pm - On my way back home, passed the Hapeville First Baptist Church. Seems like I often have a church in my 12 of 12.

3:25 pm - and then finally making it home. I was so tired when I got home that I ended up taking a nap that lasted until after midnight. It was quite a nap.

So, there you have it - another exciting day in the life of Joni.

Happy Birthday Nanny Bug

2008-12-30T20:13:00.003-05:00

Today would have been my grandmother's 100th birthday.

Annie Ruth was born December 30, 1908 in Atlanta , GA. She was the 15th of her father's 17 children, and the 10th of 12 that her mother had had with him. While it would seem easy to get lost in a crowd that size, my grandmother nevertheless managed to stand out.

Like when she modeled in the catalogues for the local ladies clothing store J.P. Allen's while still in her teens.
She married my grandfather Reid in 1929, and my Dad followed a year later. According to the back of this photo, this is my dad, but I think it looks more like my aunt Nancy. Although, I can still see a lot of Dad in that face as well. So who really knows.

While her first name was Annie, she went by her middle name Ruth. She was not fond of her first name, and when a state employee mistyped it as Anna on her driver's license one year, she did not correct them. I think Anna gave her the air of sophistication she desired. Of course, a few years after this photo, she became a grandmother and thanks to my brother, the first grandchild, she was dubbed Nanny Bug and it stuck. By the time I came along - the youngest of all of the grandchildren - I didn't even realize that she had a real name other than Nanny Bug. After we lost her in 1990, the grand kids all chipped in and had Nanny Bug added to her tombstone. (Forgive us - We are all kind of crazy that way.)

Nanny Bug and my other grandmother Cleo were as different as night and day - Nanny Bug was a city girl, while Cleo was from the country. Nanny Bug never left her room without full make-up, high heels and hair spray, and Cleo could not have cared less about that stuff. But in spite of their differences, they were each other's biggest fans. Here they are together at a family event.

I'm so thankful to have had both of my grandmothers as long as I did, but part of me wishes that they were still here today to celebrate this milestone. Nanny Bug would been perfectly coiffed, as usual, and would obviously have had on a pair of expensive high heels, even if she needed a walker to get around in them.

Love you Nanny Bug. Have a Happy Birthday.

Joni & Santa: A Retrospective

2008-12-24T15:20:00.001-05:00

For nine years, my Mom dutifully dressed me in my finest Christmas wear and took me to see Santa at the Rich's at Greenbriar Mall.

1963 - So, this is where it all began. My first visit as a 3 month old in 1963. I'm clearly making noise and irritating Santa, while my brother Steve is a picture perfect boy scout. This picture pretty much sums up my family dynamic.

1964 - Still making noise and being irritating....

1965 - although, admit it - you'd cry too if Santa was letting everyone see your underpants.

1966 - I can haz a Christmas Tree Candy???

1967 - Dude! He gave me candy again, and I wasn't even good this year!

1968 - Hey, if my brother can dress up like a boy scout, I can be an angelic little choir girl. (The only departure from the Greenbriar tradition - this one was taken at the Downtown Rich's.)

1969 - I think that I'm slowly starting to notice that the beard is a fake.

1970 - Now this Santa sort of creeps me out. I think he's sort of sketchy looking, don't you? But, on a happier note, my aunt Charlsie made that top/dress for me. It was one of my favorites.

1971 - And this Santa just isn't even trying - I mean, his mustache is below his top lip and his belly is pushed up above his belt like man boobs. Come on dude, this isn't a tough gig - just sit in the chair and make sure your fake hair and stomach stays in place.

Just after this one, my stupid, mean classmate Ronnie Powell ruined Christmas forever when he told us all the truth about Santa. I hated that kid.

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane with Santa, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

December 12 of 12

2008-12-13T18:18:00.011-05:00

As you can probably tell from my complete lack of blogging since last month's 12 of 12, I've been a little bit indisposed as of late. Between putting in several 12 hour days at work, trying to learn all the new aspects of my job that I inherited after the last round of retirements, praying that I don't get cut from my job in the merger fallout, being a bit out of whack due to having a bit of the flu over Thanksgiving, still dealing with the unexplained stroke-like symptoms (and yet more medical tests), and being introduced to the crack that is Facebook - well, not a lot of time for blogging.

I was prepared to at least get in my monthly 12 of 12, but then I forgot my camera as I left for work at 7:00 am and then I didn't get home until after midnight on the 13th. So therefore, no photographic evidence of my December 12th exists, unless some satellite got a shot of me as I got out of the car going into or out of work. But still, I hate to completely bail on the exercise, so I figured I could just try to recreate my 12th for your viewing pleasure with the assist of some old photos. Just pretend you are watching one of those shows on a basic cable channel that reenacts some lady snapping and killing her husband or somesuch.

7:30 a.m. ish - heading the two blocks to work. Just imagine this shot with fewer green leaves on the trees.

7:32 a.m. - The place where I spent most of the day.

7:37 a.m. - yeah - my desk still looks like it did last month - just that all these papers are now covered with 30 additional days worth of papers.

7:50 a.m. - My Outlook task manager telling me that I'm about 5 days overdue on everything except for the one project we have spent the last week completely devoted to non-stop.

8:00 a.m. - Checking the flights for the trip I'm taking with my niece on week after next. While I owe the poor kid a Christmas trip to London (her brother went two years back, her trip last year was postponed due to my knee surgery) it is just too unaffordable right now for me to take her this Christmas. So, instead, we are going to Vegas. Mom is joining us, as she gets comped rooms and food at the Flamingo (hey - I can afford free), and I'm taking Liana to see the Cirque du Soleil show Love at the Mirage. Beatles is as close to London as we are getting this year, but she is thrilled nonetheless.

9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. - spent the day with these two again, except that none of us were really smiling about it.

8:00 p.m. - Finally left work. Not completely finished, but will head back on Sunday to finalize the rest of it so we will be ready first thing Monday.

8:10 p.m. - Neighbor Katie's evil cat Gracie hanging out in the alleyway, probably wondering if she can sharpen her claws on my leg again.

8:15 p.m. - Out with Katie for a belated birthday drink and dessert. I didn't look half this put together, but then I rarely do.

12:00 a.m. - Pulling into the garage after a long evening.

12:01 a.m. - Thank goodness the timer on the light is still off track, because otherwise I would have been walking into a pitch dark house.

12:02 a.m. - Christmas presents I showed you last month, still sitting in the exact same location and still not wrapped. Need to get on that soon.

That is about as close I as can get for this month. Promise to be back in regular form in January.

And on a final note - Chad, the guy who came up with the 12 of 12 concept and always graciously hosts the links for all that participate, found out this past week that he has testicular cancer. He is an Atlanta guy living in LA, in his 30s and always seemed to be in the greatest physical condition - long distance biking, running, hell - he even posed nude (strategically placed leg covering his guy parts) in Advocate magazine a few months back for a story on body image. I ask you all to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

12 of 12 - November 2008

2008-11-12T19:17:00.004-05:00

Welcome to my November 12 of 12 entry. This is where you post 12 photos from your day on the 12th of each month. New to 12 of 12? Check out Chad's blog for the details.

Physically, this was a pretty rough 12th. After being heavily drugged to avoid another major MRI meltdown on Monday, I slept for about 15 hours straight. I guess after that, my body decided staying awake for the next two days would balance that out. So, while lying in bed last night, staring at the ceiling, praying for sleep to come - my computer in the den came on all by itself. The Window's music startled me, so I got up to see what was up and to turn it back off. I assume that it was a power surge or something - no biggy.

Until about an hour later when it happened again. And this time, after the Windows music, the computer opened my playlist and started playing a David Bowie/Queen song. So, I guess I have a ghost. On the bright side, at least we enjoy the same 80s music.

3:25 a.m. - Gargoyle keeping watch over possessed computer.

8:50 a.m. - Didn't sleep the rest of the night, although I sort of dozed for about 10 minutes in the middle of putting on my socks while getting dressed for work. Here I am arriving at work, trying to dodge the union shills wanting us to sign their "informational" cards so they can take over our non-union company. Let's see - come January 1st, us already higher paid non-union employees will get a 3% raise, while union employees get a 1% raise as determined by their contract (less, of course, the 2% of their yearly salary that goes for union dues.) Yeah, I think I'm good.

9:10 a.m. - I think my papers multiplied during the night.

9:45 a.m. - Them's the numbers I'm a crunchin'.

3:45 p.m. - Late afternoon pudding break.

4:05 p.m. - This time of year, when it is dark by the time I leave work, I try to at least get to a window to see some daylight. This is the view of Hapeville from the back of our building. (Really, it is technically the front of the building, but the front gate is permanently locked, so we all enter from the back, so now we consider that the front and this the back.)

4:40 p.m. - Coworkers H & C working on C's part of tomorrow's PowerPoint presentation. Can't believe I managed to sneak a shot with their faces, as of my coworkers are not usually receptive to being the subject of a blog post.....

4:42 p.m. - ...such as Christine, partially seen here.

6:20 p.m. - Finally calling it a day and headed home. But first, stopped and pondered where my niece and I might go for our special trip in December. I am contemplating a location on this part of the map. Any guesses?

6:35 p.m. - Clothing I haven't worn in at least a year. Still can't break down and get rid of it, but at least it is getting closer to the door. Maybe a few episodes of Clean House on the TiVo will be the inspiration (guilt trip) that I need.

6:40 p.m. - Christmas shopping almost done. Even bought a little present for myself.

7:10 p.m. - Look My Cousin Bonnie - I got some head shots for you to check out. I think my 'type' is brainy. :-)

Don't know why the MRI lab always gives me a personal copy of the DVD with my scans, but I can't stop myself from taking a look. Of course, I have no idea what any of it shows - although my eyeballs up at the top are a bit creepy. Last time, there was one slice that looked like a racoon's face and yet another that looked like the Mutant Enemy "Grrr Argh" monster at the end of Buffy. This time around, I'm feeling more of a Predator vibe with some of the slices.

So, that is it for this month. Hope you enjoyed, and hope you will check out the link to Chad's blog at the top and go see some of the great stuff from other 12 of 12ers worldwide.

Pet Peeves of the Week

2008-11-03T20:57:00.004-05:00

1. I have compiled a list of all of you political candidates who have left multiple recorded voice mail messages requesting my vote, and swear that I will vote against you all just out of spite. Especially you, Lawrence A. Cooper, who has called me so many times (and many so early that I was still asleep) that I have lost count. I only wish that I was a dead Democrat, because then I could vote against you multiple times.

2. After a certain age, getting drunk and acting like an ass at every single gathering you attend is not very becoming. Face it - college was over 20 years ago - so it is about time to grow the hell up.

3.

4. If you must continue your cell phone conversation in the stall in a public restroom, please do not get irritated with those of us that disrupt your conversation when we flush.

5. When you get a large cash or unrestricted stock bonus from your company, quit your complaining about how "the company" was unfair to take out taxes. The company does not tax you - the government does. And if you are that unhappy with the 'only $5,000' you got - I will be happy to relieve you of the burden.

Man, do I sound grouchy, or what? I think I've just been pushed to the limit in the last week or two. Hopefully, this venting will help.

12 of 12 - October 2008

2008-10-12T01:31:00.017-04:00

Finally posting my 12 of 12. It has been a long exhausting couple of days. I went to Vegas (kudos to Laura/Zin for guessing correctly) with my parents and a couple of Dad's friends.

Unfortunately, after the first day, the trip ended up abruptly coming to an end, as my Dad got really sick. He was already coming off of knee replacement surgery 6 weeks ago and pushing himself to go on the trip to prove that he was recovered. But the first night there, he couldn't sleep and said he felt like he was drowning. Helping him with his shoes in the morning, I noticed that his feet and legs were swollen, and so the decision was made to come home immediately. He is now in the hospital and it looks like he was going into congestive heart failure. They have treated him with some diuretics and other meds and he is already looking better, but his cardiologist wants to hold him for a few more days to be safe. But thank God he is improving.

So anyway, here are my pics before the trip took a turn. Leaving the times off, since once I leave on vacation, I have no concept of what time it is anywhere.

Me and Dad at the airport awaiting our flight.

High above the Mississippi River.

Mom on a plane.

In Vegas, next to the tram that takes you from the D terminal to the main terminal. They have murals done by local kids of various destinations. This one is obviously Berlin.

And a little shout out to my Dallas friends.

I wanted to head down the strip and take photos at Paris and New York to play up the angle of multiple destinations, but when I walked out to take the photo of ancient Rome/Caesar's Palace, it was like 40 degrees and windy, so this ....

and this (The Mirage) is all I got.

I hate when they put up Christmas before we've even had Halloween. But, since it is a Flamingo tree, I will give them a small break.

We went down to get Mom (Maxine) signed in for her tournament, and we ran into the other Maxine - an event coordinator for the Flamingo. She is one of many friends that Mom and Dad have made at the hotel over the years.

I went back up to the room to slip in a little nap, and I spotted a wedding taking place down in the hotel gardens out back. You can see the bride coming up the pathway, about to make her walk down the aisle.

They really don't like for you to take random photos in the casino area, so I sort of snapped this one with the camera down by my side as I walked through on the way to meet Dad and his friends. I have turned this photo every which way, but I'm still not sure which way was up.

Here is Dad and his friends Fred and Buck. We really enjoyed having them along, and they were a huge help when we determined that Dad was starting to get sick and needed to get back home. Dad really does have some of the best friends, and they can really be counted on in times of need. I'm sure once word gets out that he is in the hospital, there will be a revolving door of his buddies coming in and out visiting and lightening his mood.

Farewell to a Favorite Uncle

2008-10-11T20:56:00.007-04:00

My great uncle, J W "Chubby" Thomas, passed away today. He was 93 years old. He had battled and beat cancer a number of times over the years, but blessedly, he appears to have died peacefully at home, sitting in his favorite chair.

Chubby was my grandmother Cleo's younger brother and the fourth of nine children. Apparently, he was pretty fat as a baby, hence the nickname "Chubby". And in spite of the fact that he ended up a pretty skinny guy, the nickname stuck. His actual name was J.W. - that's it - just the initials. I have no idea why. Maybe if he had been the ninth kid, I could see where you might run out of names. When he joined the military during WWII, they wouldn't accept just the initials, so he became John Wesley - the name of his grandfather.

During WWII, he served in the infantry and spent almost 4 years fighting in foxholes across Europe. His unit was in Milan in April 1945 where he saw the body of Mussolini hanging following his assassination. It was something he rarely talked about, but he did talk to me about it once when I was working on a school paper about the war. It seemed hard for him to talk about, but he knew my love of history - both world history and our family history - and he wanted me to do well. It was a special feeling to know that he cared about me enough to share such an obviously troubling memory.

Chubby and his wife Lil really doted on my mom and her sister, and I know that they were among Mom's favorites. They were the only relatives other than my grandparents that accompanied my parents when they went to New York for their TV Wedding. Their daughter Susan, 3 at the time, was the flower girl. When my brother was born prematurely and was hospitalized for several months, and again after I was born with several birth defects and had to spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital during the first 3 years of my life, Chubby and Lil would come down from North Georgia and would sit with us at the hospital so that Mom could get out and have a short break once in a while. They also came down and helped my mom and aunt when my grandmother was dying.

(Uncle Chubby, my grandmother Cleo, my great-grandfather Papa, Uncle Tom Jack and me - 1966)

It was always a treat to drive up to North Georgia with Mom and stop for a visit. He loved putting together puzzles, and he always had one in process when we would stop by. I enjoyed helping him out and listening to his silly jokes as we worked.

(Great uncle Chubby and my aunt (and his niece) Charlsie during one of our visits in 1999.)

In spite of his advancing years and bouts with cancer, he was still one of the most vital and alive people I've ever known. He could still drive, and when his younger family members fell ill, he would drive them to the doctor, pick up their groceries, and cut their grass to help out. He was just an all around good guy. I will miss him, but I am thankful to have had him be part of my life.

TiFaux Alert

2008-10-09T00:01:00.005-04:00

My friend and honorary cousin via my real cousin, Faith Salie, will be the guest expert featured on tomorrow's Oprah show. The show is about how to handle life's stickiest situations. Faith is a regular contributor to O magazine. She is both brilliant and funny, so I'm betting that it will be a great show. Please watch if you get a chance.

I also found out today that my bestest (and newly retired) work buddy Glenda and her family will be attending a taping of Oprah next week. I hate that they missed Faith by a week, but I am crossing my fingers that the show they are attending will be one of those Oprah's Favorite Things shows where everyone in the audience gets a ton of free stuff, like a refrigerator with a built in TV, a pair of $500 cashmere socks, and a washing machine that criticizes you like my mother does if you wash the dark clothes with the colors.

Life would be so much easier....

2008-10-01T21:26:00.002-04:00

If I just had some super powers.

Happy Days are here again

2008-09-21T00:46:00.007-04:00

Hapeville's annual Happy Days Festival was this weekend. It is essentially our founder's day celebration - the town is 117 years old. Oddly, it seems as if half the towns in Georgia have a founder's day celebration sometime in mid-September. It is as if all the town founders independently decided around the same time in September "Hey - the weather is not too hot, not too cold - it is just the right time to found a city so that future generations can have a nice anniversary celebration and not sweat to death in the process." So, from the future generation - "Thank you Dr. Samual Hape!"

The festival kicks off on Friday night with a concert and alumni night. Although I didn't go to Hapeville High, my mom and her sister did, my cousins did and my brother taught at the school. So pretty much anyone I come across knows someone in my family (which is sometimes good, and sometimes, not so much.)

The evening was nice, and I met several new Hapevillians, including Heather, a girl who's blog I have been following. She was very sweet and I enjoyed chatting with her and her friends. No photos from the evening as I forgot to take my camera.

On Saturday, they have an assortment of booths with sort of a homemade/home grown theme, as well as a local artists market, games and rides for the kids, a couple of bands, and plenty of good food. Our neighborhood association had a booth where we sold fresh churned ice cream and baked goods. I spent half the night making several dozen cookies, burning myself on the over door in the process. That says a lot about your cooking skills, or lack thereof, when you get injured baking cookies.
Here is Cheryl and Mrs. P. sampling the homemade ice cream - it was a big hit with the crowd.

Here I am with my neighbors Mindy, Katrina and Cheryl. We all worked the early shift at the booth. Looking at the picture, I'm wondering why everyone looks so nice and colorful and festive and I look like I'm still pushing the all black Goth look 20 years later.

This is my friend and former neighbor Dale. He is a wonderful photographer and artist, and I have a number of his beautiful photos adorning my walls. He designs museum displays for a living, but has recently started selling some of his own photography on the side. He had a couple of sales while I was visiting him, which made me really happy for him.

The great thing about living in a community so close to where you grew up is that you often run into people you grew up with. Along with several old high school friends, I ran into Lorrie (above.) Lorrie is the younger sister of one of my high school friends, and she and her twin sister Mary were my and my best friend Traci's "Mini-Me"s when we were younger. Traci and Mary were the sweet, innocent ones, while Lorrie and I were the cool, funny ones.

Well, that is about it for the day, as I headed home not long after the last photo. Since then, I've pretty much been napping. So, all in all, a good weekend.

12 of 12 - September 2008

2008-09-12T23:05:00.010-04:00

Wow - is it the 12th already? Here we go for another round of Chad's 12 of 12.

9:00 a.m. - No prework photos today as I woke up late and threw on my clothes and ran (well, as much as I can run - probably closer to hobbling) out the door to work. So, the first shot of the day is after I'm already at work - it is my 'kiss up' background on my work PC - that is me and the Prez of the company at the unveiling of one of our new aircraft a few months back. Not likely that he will ever be in my office to see my effort at sucking up, but I like to be prepared, just in case.
9:02 a.m. - My birthday card from the team. How long after your birthday must you display the card on your shelf? I've worked with people that keep them up for years. I'm thinking a couple of weeks should be good. Anyone else want to weigh in on the appropriate work birthday card etiquette?

9:04 a.m. - Kind of blurry, but this is a corporate poster from a few years back that I was featured on. (See - I really am the 'Poster Child' for my company.) My Dad had it framed for me and I have it up in my office. Is that braggy? I don't mean it to be braggy.

12:50 p.m. - Leftovers from lunch with the team at Noodle. One of my favorite places.

12:52 p.m. - Railroad/Vegas poster from Noodle. Just sort of liked it.

1:15 p.m. - On the way back to work after lunch we passed by the church that I went to for a while when I was in high school and college.

3:30ish - Been pulling data all day long for an upcoming project, and I needed a break from the tedium for a couple of minutes, so I checked out Twitter for the updates from the Project Rungay guys who were at Bryant Park today for the showing of this seasons collections. These guys are so funny - it was just what I needed before diving back in.

8:00ish - Was invited to a gathering with some of the Hapeville ladies tonight along with neighbor Katie. That is Katie with Linda, the hostess of the gathering.

9:00ish - Still at the gathering. This is Cami. She's one of my favorites from around town. Sweet as can be and very funny. She has recently started focusing on photography, and I want to get her into doing the 12 of 12 as I think she would enjoy it.

9:30 p.m. - This is Zoe - Linda's puppy. I believe that she is thinking, "If you people won't drop some food on the floor for me, would you just please get the hell out of my house, cause you are all making me nervous."
10:20 p.m. - After we left Linda's, Katie and I stopped of at Perk Place Bistro and split a Death by Chocolate. It was yummy. (We were very nice and left a bite for the waitress to finish off.)

10:35 p.m. - I had a Diet Coke to offset the chocolate cake, but Katie had a glass of wine, which gave her what she calls "The Drunk Eye." Drunk Eye is apparently a trait that she inherited from her grandma, where any photo taken of her after she has had a drink (or 2 or 3) results in her left eyelid being almost shut.

OK - I think that is 12. I've counted them 3 times and come up with 11, 13 and finally 12. Sort of hard to focus after all that chocolate - I think I'm having a sugar rush. Anyway, I'm off to watch Best Soup Ever (tm MCB) then hitting the bed. Hope you all enjoy.

Happy Day or Two After my Birthday

2008-09-08T22:23:00.003-04:00

Had a little birthday celebration at my parent's house yesterday.

My sister-in-law had one of her friends make this cake for me - it was sooooo cute. She was so thoughtful to do this for me. The airplane was perfect, and I loved the little fluffy clouds. It was way cooler than the Powerpuff Girls cake I had asked for.

Also took home some good birthday loot. A couple of books and a DVD (all sitting atop the scanner my mom gave me as an early b-day gift.) Can't wait to start reading the Outlander book, as BFF Traci has highly recommended the series.

Glad to know that even in your mid-40s, you can still get presents and fancy cakes.

Cuteness

2008-09-02T23:20:00.002-04:00

Scanned another dozen today - little by little, I will conquer these 10 boxes of photos without giving up the rest of my life in the process.

This was my favorite scan of today - my niece was so little and cute. My sister-in-law too. (And they still are cute 10 years later.)

I believe that they are at the Renaissance Fair - which would explain the flowers wreaths in their hair. Or, it could have just been a fashion statement - you never know.

Who knew???

2008-08-28T19:28:00.002-04:00

....that I could fix a refrigerator all by myself?

I sure as hell didn't know.

But somehow, after spending an hour or two of cleaning up all the water in the floor from the melted ice and running all over my neighborhood storing my frozen food in various neighbor's freezers, I was able to sit down quietly, look over the situation, and figure out that two of the doohickeys with the wires coming out of them that plug into each other had ever so slightly jiggled themselves loose from each other. And, after tightening them just a bit - Presto - freezer starts freezing again.

It was also a wonderful opportunity to toss out everything in the freezer and fridge that were this close to expiring, and that I probably wasn't going to eat anyway.

Too bad the same thing can't happen to my closet, so I could be inspired to toss out those clothes that expired in 1996, or that I have no intention of wearing.

Scan of the Day

2008-08-20T19:01:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to limit myself to 10 a day. At least for now.

So here is my favorite Olan Mills shot of myself at age 4. Not sure if I had freckles, or if the photo is just dirty.

Up and Running

2008-08-19T18:58:00.006-04:00

Neighbor Kirk came over and set up my scanner for me today. (Love neighbor Kirk)

I'm fighting the urge to sit here for the next 72 hours straight scanning every photo that I ever owned (and seeing how it looks in sepia tone) but I am going to fight the urge and try to do something more productive instead. Like eat dinner, take a shower, take out the trash.

But, before I close up shop for the night, I thought I'd share one of the test scans for your viewing enjoyment.

That's me at the Spouting Horn in Kauai in about 1970. I was young, cute, weighed less than 100 pounds and was on an all expenses paid (by my Dad) vacation in frikin Hawaii. Life was good.

Ouch Xs 2

2008-08-14T01:00:00.003-04:00

Excerpts from conversation in Joni's doctor's office this afternoon -

Dr: "Well, if both knees are in such terrible pain since your surgery, we might be able to do some steroid shots to help ease the pain for a few months while we decide what to do."

Me: "If it will give me some relief without being drugged all day and night - OK."

Dr: "Oh, it will help a lot. Most people feel immediate relief."

Cut to moments after first shot goes into left knee...

Me: "Crap! That stings."

Dr: "It should pass in a minute or so."

Shot goes into right knee....

Me: "Oh man, that one is even worse. It feels like it is moving around in both of my knees, like little alien babies are in there and trying to find a way out."

Dr: "Yeah - sometimes you don't get relief right away. Sometimes, it actually makes you feel worse for 2 or 3 days before you start feeling better."

Me (possessed by Chandler Bing): "Gee Doc, do you think that was something you could have mentioned BEFORE you shot cranky alien babies into my knees? Could you BE any more of an ass?"

The End.

12 of 12 - August 2008

2008-08-12T17:07:00.017-04:00

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the suckiest 12 of 12 on record. Or at least it feels that way.

I spent a good portion of the last 24 hours at the hospital - first in the sleep lab, then in the morning having some other assorted tests run. Once I got home, I took no fewer than 3 showers trying to get the gunk from all the electrodes out of my hair. So, since I couldn't take photos during the tests (although, I did manage to slip a few in) and I wasn't taking the camera into one of my many showers (although I came close), I had very limited options to choose from today. But heck, it was still probably better than a day at work. So here we go......

This one is technically a cheat. It was just after arriving at the sleep lab on the 11th. But, they hadn't plugged me in or turned on the cameras yet, so I snapped a quick one. I figured, it was the 12th in England or China or somewhere, and some other 12 of 12er was already snapping pictures, so why not me too?

Sometime in the middle of the night - They don't really have any way for you to know what time it is in the sleep lab. No clocks, and the windows are all blacked out. I felt the call of nature, so I had to call the technician in so that she could unattach me from the big machine. Of course, I still had all the little wires attached to me, and I had to schlep to the bathroom with what is basically a big surge protector with 10,000 wires all plugged into it hanging off my neck. Anyway, again with the sneaky photo opp before she came to plug me back in. It is my pillow and blanket (it was damn cold in that place) and it was the only photo that even remotely came out without using the flash.

Again, no idea what time it is here. I'm gonna go with "early" - They woke me up, had me fill out some paperwork, and now I'm waiting to go for my EEG. More electrodes and paste in my hair - weeee!

A few minutes after "early" - Apple juice. It's what's for breakfast.

Post hospital - A self-portrait - if you look close enough. Finally home and am on my second attempt at getting electrode adhesive out of my hair. I feel like I'm in kindergarten again, and that some mean girl has dumped paste in my hair. Except instead of the mean girl, it was some lab tech that I think was the inspiration for "ZaZu" from the SNL Boston teens skit.

Post shower, pre-nap - I went out to get the mail, and noticed that my crepe myrtle finally started blooming. Maybe it will fill out enough to block the view of all of my dried out, dead azaleas.

Post nap - My (early) birthday gift from my mother, and I still haven't set it up yet. I know that the minute that I do, I will do nothing but scan old family photos for hours on end and never get anything else done ever again.

Oh crap! Speaking of birthday presents reminded me that when I was packing my overnight bag for the hospital yesterday, I found the present that I took all the way to LA for my cousin Bonnie (MCB) last month when I surprised her for her birthday, and then in all the excitement, forgot to give her. Must find a mailing box.

But first, wanted to show off my new curtains for the office area and living room. Next door neighbor Katie made them for me, as well as an ottoman cover from the leftover scraps. The girl is industrious. What I love about the curtains is that sometimes, they just look like your average solid cream colored curtains.

But then the sun comes out, and you get a nice little surprise when the flowers show up.

Later in the evening - Looking over some photos that I took over the weekend when I took my nephew to the art museum. I think that I ended up taking more photos of the building and surrounding architecture than I did of what was actually on display in the museum....

although I did manage to get this picture to help MCB out with the "Great Sofa/Couch Debate of 'Ought 8." According to the art community, this is a "Sofa."

And speaking of sofas, I think I'll adjorn to my own now and catch a little bit if the Olympics (swimming and gymnastics is so much more fun to watch at 3x speed), followed by the Rescue Me minisode and a repeat of The Office on TBS. Tonight is one of my faves - a bat gets loose in the office ("If a vampire bat was in the U.S., it would make sense for it to come to a “sylvania.” Like Penn-sylvania.") and the reactions of the supporting characters is hysterical - Angela actually Stops, Drops, and Rolls. Also, Jim pretends that he was bit by the bat and makes Dwight think that he is turning into a vampire (episode directed by Joss Whedon of Buffy fame, so of course, vampire reference is so very appropriate. and yes, I'm a geek for knowing that.)

So, thank you for taking a trip through my day, suck (leaving that typo in) as it was.

Mission Accomplished

2008-07-29T19:05:00.001-04:00

I swear, I think that half of my company must have had the item, "Drive Joni crazy" on their To Do List today.

100 years ago today.....

2008-07-18T23:23:00.004-04:00

100 years ago on this date, my grandfather Ed was born.

Happy Birthday Popo. Wish that I would have had the chance to have you in my life a little longer than I did.

12 of 12 - July 12

2008-07-12T23:59:00.004-04:00

It's the 12th again, so it is time for the 12 of 12 again. See Chad Darnell's blog for all the rules.

Always glad to have a 12 of 12 fall on a weekend, especially one where I have plans to leave the house. The plan is to go down to the 'decorator district' with my next door neighbor Katie and buy the material for my dining room curtains.

10:23 a.m. - The DOT has been working on the interstate every weekend for the last few months, and they close 3 or 4 the lanes to do the work. So, Katie and I decided to take the one of the back ways to avoid the back up on the highway. Along the way, we passed the Georgia Dome.

10:25 a.m. - Katie doing her best "bringing sexy back" dance while at a red light. She is such a nut - I really enjoy hanging out with her.

11:14 a.m. - Here is the material Katie will be making my curtains out of. It is from the Ralph Lauren collection (swank), but it was in the clearance room, so I could sort of afford it. The colors match my room colors perfectly. The darker red is the color of the dining room walls and the khaki is the color of the living room and the connecting hallway. I can't wait to finally have that room completed.

11:58 a.m. - We next head over to Atlantic Station. This area use to be the old Atlantic Steel Company where my grandfather worked back in the 1950s and 60s. Now, it is a huge mixed use development.

12:02 p.m. - which includes an Ikea (yay!). I can smell the cinnamon rolls from here. It's almost as good as that Krispie Kreme smell. (I said almost.)

12:39 p.m. - Some Ikea light fixtures. I'm sure that they have some wonderful, crazy name like Flarb or Ljorg or something.

12:47 p.m. - Aaahh - a Klimt. The college dorm room staple (well, either that or a Monet.)

1:22 p.m. - Leaving the Ikea, we passed the Atlanta Water Works. Katie is learning how to play this 12 of 12 game, so she slowed down at the top of the little hill so that I could get a clear shot without as many cars in the way.

1:39 p.m. - Back in March, a tornado hit the dowtown Atlanta hotel and business district. The three buildings in the center of this shot (the Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the Georgia Pacific Building, and the Equitable Building) all took a pretty bad hit during the storm and a number of windows were blown out. If you look closely at the Peachtree Plaza, you can see a lot of black squares all down the side where windows were destroyed and still haven't been replaced.

1:55 p.m. - As we got back to Hapeville, we passed by the new Butterfly art installation that the city unveiled last month. There are about 20 of them spread out along our main street and they are really cute. I especially like the Chick-fil-a Butterfly.

2:17 p.m. - On the way home, we stopped for lunch at the Academy Grill. Love their baked sweet potatoes, corn bread and mac and cheese.

9:45 p.m. - My brother got me hooked on this Goodreads website. You basically log all of your books - the ones that you've read, that you are currently reading, that you own but haven't read, etc. You can see what you and your friends have read in common, and also rate and/or review the books you've completed. Here I am rating my cousin Bonnie's books. (I'm not biased - they are all completely worthy of 5 stars!) So far I've added 705 books, and my brother is at 1,288. No matter how many I add, or how fast I add them, he continues to stay at least 500 books ahead of me. And knowing Steve, I may never catch up.

Well, that's it for this month. Hope you enjoyed.

The Longest Day

2008-07-11T23:44:00.010-04:00

I decided to surprise my cousin Bonnie for her birthday by hoping a flight to Los Angeles and showing up unannounced at the closing night of the showcase that she produces. Sounds easy, right?

Yeah - not so much.

It started out fairly easy - I emailed one of her friends, the fabulous Deb McCarthy, to be my co-conspirator, and she was thrilled with the prospect. She added me as an unnamed guest when she sent in her RSVP, and she advised me of the logistics of where I was going and best, least expensive way to get there. Then, I worked the July 4th holiday and some extra hours at the start of the week, so that I was in a good place to be off for the trip. Things are really busy at work lately, and I also knew that I didn't want my visit to be a disruption to Bonnie as she works her butt off on these showcases and would probably be pretty wiped out by the end. So, the plan was for a very short trip - total time in LA to be about 14 hours.

Things started promisingly enough Thursday morning. I woke up at 5:00 am ET and my neighbor Katie dropped me at the airport on her way to work at 6:30. The flight I was standing by for was scheduled to leave at 8:30 am and it had a lot of open seats. Got through security quickly and was at the gate within minutes. Started to get a bagel at the Wall Street Deli, but they only had cinnamon raisin left, so I figured I'd just wait and eat what they had on the plane. I cleared standby with no problems, and boarded with an aisle seat near the front. And hey! Celebrity siting (rapper from ATL that was spoofed hilariously by Dave Chappell) and I'm not even in LA yet.

As I fastened my seat belt and got out my magazine, the pilot comes over the loud speaker and says that we have a problem with a fuel pump and they need to bring over a new plane. So - everybody off the plane. Oh, and the new plane? It has 30 fewer seats, so all standby passengers? Thank you for playing, please try again.

For the next couple of hours, I (and several others) went from gate to gate, hoping to clear. The airport was incredibly crowded and the weather was getting pretty bad. But I was making the best of it and enjoying my new standby friends, including a retired Delta couple that was returning from a 72 day cruise around the world (their 2nd!), a young LA school teacher returning from a 3 week vacation in Chile, and a dumb chick that thought it would would be a smart idea to save the $100 difference between a discounted confirmed ticket and non-confirmed buddy pass instead when she was flying to LA to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding.

Finally, after 4 failed attempts, and another mechanical problem, we were down to my last shot - the 4:00 pm flight. It would arrive in LA at 6:00 and I would have 2 hours to make it to the show. My luck returned and I and my new found standby friends all cleared and started to board. Then a storm hit and they had to suspend boarding for a bit. Once we completed boarding, it looked like we would still leave just a few minutes late, but then they decided to hold the flight for some connecting passengers that arrived late due to the storm. After staring out the window at the returning rain and trying to mentally will the pilot to get started, we finally departed at 5:00 pm.
About that time, I realized that I hadn't eaten a thing all day and none of the meal choices were working for me due to allergies. But I had some Biscoff (yum) so that helped. Things also got better as I won the first round of in-flight Trivia. Yay me!

Arrived in LA at 6:45 pm PT and quickly determined that the only way I would make it in time was a cab ride through LA traffic. Following several 'where are you now?" phone calls to Deb, and the most Expensive! Cab! Ride! Ever! I arrived with 10 whole minutes to spare.

And my baby cousin? Well, when the response you receive from your intended surpise vicitm is 1. Mouth drops open, 2. The word "Holy" combined with a curse word is uttered, and 3. Tears, you figure it was a success.

Bonnie looked great, the showcase was wonderful, and her friends, as usual, embraced me and made me feel so completely welcomed (like Eitan below). I'm so incredibly proud of Bonnie and all she has accomplished, and it is so great to see all of her hard work on display first hand. The even more satisfying part though, was at the after party, when I heard person after person talk about how much they love Bonnie and how much she has helped them.

Unfortunately, by 11:00 pm PT, the party was over for me, and I had to get back to the airport for my return flight. Which was delayed (of course) and allowed all the late arrivals to make the flight, thereby robbing me of a seat. By that time, the early morning flight would be departing within 4 hours anyway, so I ended up spending the night in the airport. There were only about 10 of us, and most found quite corners and fell asleep in the floor or on benches, but I can't sleep sitting up, so I was getting a little giddy. I made a friend with a sweetheart of a guy named Dean, who like me couldn't sleep. He was on his way to Mexico to visit his girlfriend who was there helping to build a medical facility. We stayed entertained with his i-phone for a while, and wandered the terminal until dawn broke and the others woke up.

We all made the 6:00 am PT flight, and I after watching 5 episodes of a Project Runway marathon on the in-flight satellite TV, I was home by 3:00 pm ET - 34 sleepless hours after I had begun.

Yeah - totally worth it all. :-)

A Belated Congratulations

2008-07-06T09:51:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to my friend Laura and her husband Matt on the birth of Parker.

Isn't he cute? :-)

I'm back

2008-07-04T23:09:00.002-04:00

Yes - I'm still alive.

I've been a little out of the loop for the last two weeks. It started out innocently enough - I bought a new surge protector that is supposed to consolidate and hide all the many cords to my computer. So, early last week, I unplugged everything and cleaned my desk from top to bottom. But then I got tired and figured that I'd put the computer back together the following day. Two weeks later, following several busy days at work, multiple power outages caused by thunderstorms, a dead mouse (computer mouse, not the Mickey kind) and then finally, a kidney stone. (Yeah - cause what I really needed in the midst of all of the intermittent numbness, tingling, and nerve pain is a freakin' kidney stone.)

Since we are blocked from using Internet email and MySpace from our work computers, when I finally got plugged back in last night, I had a lot to catch up on. However, instead of doing that, I ended up spending the rest of the evening and way into the wee early morning hours on YouTube looking at 80s music videos and half of the Live Aid concert. This was exceptionally silly of me since I have the whole concert on VHS (from where I taped it live back in 1985) as well as the official DVD version. But, you know how it is with YouTube, you go look up one little Adam and the Ants video and then one related video leads to another and next thing you know, it is 3:45 am and you're bopping through the house to Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go and trying to remember where you stored your Choose Life t-shirt.

The bulk of what I ended up watching were selected individual performances from the 1985 Live Aid Concert. Here are a few things that came to mind as dawn approached...

**Ahhh - 1985. Back when I still thought that George Michael, Freddie Mercury and Elton John were all straight.

**I forgot that Bono use to have a mullet. Yeah - it was a cool Irish rebel mullet, but it was a mullet none the less.

**I had also forgotten how much I was in love with U2's bassist Adam Clayton back in the day. (I had a thing for bass players.) Also forgot how much the drummer looked like my best friend's then boyfriend (now husband) Mark.

**Man, that Bono mullet was really popular in the UK in 85. I've counted at least 7 so far and we haven't even gotten to the US portion of the concert yet.

**Was Elvis Costello ever really young?

**The CSIs have pretty much ruined The Who for me forever.

**I thought that Bananarama performed at this concert. Guess I was wrong.

**No matter how old I get, I can not see Thomas Dolby without shouting "Science!"

**Dang, along with my crushes on Bono and Adam C, we had John Taylor of Duran Duran (see - another bass player) Sting (bass player), David Bowie, Adam Ant, Paul Young, Nik Kershaw, Rick Springfield, Bryan Adams, Adam Ant, and Michael Hutchence. I was in love with them all - no wonder I got up at 6:30 a.m. and camped out in front of the TV for 17 hours that day.

**In 1985, when you talked about the Hooters, you weren't talking about boobs. (Also, more Bono mullets)

**Say what you will about Madonna, but she was able to perform outdoors, in the middle of a hot July day, in a long sleeved brocade jacket and pants (most clothes on Madonna ever!), while dancing her ass off in a choreographed routine where she never misses a step, and she still managed to actually SING! LIVE! IN HER OWN VOICE! and sounded pretty good too. All of today's so called 'artists' who need 'guiding vocals' or have to lip sync a taped, 2 minute, indoor performance - please take note - it can really be done. Well, at least if you have an ounce of singing talent to begin with it can.

**Damnit! No matter how many times I listen to In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, I screw up air drumming the cool part every frickin time.

**Ooohh - Power Station. A double dose of John Taylor!

**Oh, but forgot that this was the "touring" version of Power Station, featuring Michael Des Barres instead of Robert Palmer. So demerit points for that.

**Hold Me Now by the Thompson Twins remains one of my most favorite songs of all time. Alannah Currie on the xylophone - nuff said!

**Do They Know its Christmas kicks We Are the World in the butt every time.

**I remember being so unbelievably inspired by all that went on that year, and knowing in my heart that I could go out an change the world. I made a good stab at it for several years. And then suddenly, I didn't. I don't know where I went wrong along the way, but maybe this detour into the past didn't happen by accident. Maybe I needed to be reminded of who I was and what my dreams were in order to get back on that road.

**God bless Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's little hearts.

Good News, Vague News

2008-06-20T19:36:00.006-04:00

I got call from the neurologist's office today.

The good news - It's not a tumor (she said in her best Arnold Schwarzenegger accent) and there are no visible lesions.

The vague news - everything else. They couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me much else over the phone, other than I have some obvious nerve damage. But the how and why are still a mystery.

I go back week after next for more tests. I was told that it might take months for him to really confirm a diagnosis, so I just need to be patient in the meantime, endure the testing, and hope the symptoms don't get any worse.

So until then, I wait on pins and needles. Or at least, it feels like pins and needles.

Vegas Vacation

2008-06-18T22:28:00.009-04:00

I took a few days off for a short vacation to Vegas with my mother. It ended up being a little shorter than expected, as we came home a day early because I wasn't feeling well. But for the first two days, we had a pretty good time and a little dose of good luck.

We got first class on the flight out

Got the side of the aircraft with the good views of the Grand Canyon, Hoover Damn (below) and Lake Mead

Our room had a nice view of the mountains and the gardens

We were upgraded to one of the Flamingo's new fancy rooms with a flat panel TV in the main room
and another TV in the bathroom

(although truthfully, the West Elm decor was a bit too hot pink and loud for our taste)

Mom even won $160.00 on the penny slots within the first ten minutes of our arrival into the casino (following this shot, I spent the next hour explaining to Mom what a blog is, who reads them and why. I walked away from that conversation more confused than she was.)

Of course, by the next day, our luck started to run out a bit. We started working on returning the $160.00, the outside temp went to 106, and my sinuses dried up and exploded. I did manage to walk outside the hotel just once, and that lasted about 30 seconds before I retreated back to the air-conditioned casino. But here is photographic evidence of my journey to the middle of the sun.

Oh, and as many times as I've been to Vegas, I never noticed their Walk of Fame. This was the star just outside the door I chose. I considered it to be a little inside-joke/shout out to one of my best buds.

We had a touch more luck before we headed home - both in the casino and at the airport, where although there were 80+ standbys for the flight home, we cleared with no problem and even got to sit together.

Just hoping that all that luck will carry over into the next few weeks.

12 of 12 - June 2008

2008-06-12T23:38:00.012-04:00

Is it the 12th already? Looks like it. And that means that it is time for Chad Darnell's 12 of 12. (That's 12 pictures of your day on the 12th.)

Today we have a little bit of airline history, some Joni family history, the opportunity to revisit some dear friends and former coworkers and wish them farewell as they head off to retirement, and finally, at the end of the day, a chance to say a more final goodbye to a friend we lost too soon.

So - here we go.....

8:07 a.m. - Welcome to the mess on my desk. The sad thing is that it has looked this bad for over a week now. I can't seem to get one task finished before something else comes up that is more pressing. So everything else just gets piled up and pushed further down the desk. I'm really hoping to get everything you see finished, filed and forgotten about by the end of the day. (Spoiler alert - I only got about 75% of it done by the end of the day. Those little blue folders in the upper right hand corner still remain.)

11:40 a.m. - I had to run over to the Delta General Offices (The GO) today for a retirement party. Our corporate headquarters - which includes the GO, the maintenance/technical operations facilities, pilot and flight attendant training centers, operations control, Delta Technology, the employee credit union, and the Atlanta Reservations office - takes up most of the area immediately north and east of the Atlanta Airport. This particular building is called, depending on when you went to work for Delta, the A2 building or the old Res Building. I work in the new Res building, which is about 2 blocks away from the GO campus.

11:41 a.m. - The Varsity brings the truck down for a hot dog sale about once a month. Usually, it is tied in with some sort of charity function where all the profits go to something like one of Delta's Habitat for Humanity builds, the Relay for Life, etc. And wherever there is free or cheap food, there will be Delta people. (See the line down the sidewalk?)

11:45 a.m. - The retirement party was in the building connected to Hangars 1 and 2, which house the Delta Heritage Museum. So, since I was a few minutes early, I cut through the museum and snapped a few photos. This is Ship 41, Delta's first DC-3 passenger aircraft used in the 1940s and 50s. It was located and completely restored by a volunteer team of Delta retirees and mechanics over a period of 6 years back in the 90s.

11:46 a.m. - Just next to Ship 41 is the museum store. It is housed in the front half of the fuselage of an old L-1011. You can tour the cockpit of you like. (And I think that there is too much stuff to keep up with on my desk!)

11:48 a.m. - While this picture didn't come out too clear, I still had to include it, since that's my parents. They were featured on the cover of the Delta employee magazine after they were married in 1954 and this particular issue is on display just as you enter the museum store.

11:54 a.m. - This is Ship 102, also known as The Spirit of Delta. It holds a very special place in the hearts of Delta people, as the aircraft was purchased by the employees for the company back in 1982. Ship 102 was retired back in 2006 and my Dad and I were honored to be selected as 2 of the 23 employees and retirees (1 for each year it was in service) to pull the aircraft into its final home here in the museum. The interior has been reconfigured and is now an exhibit of Delta history. In fact, my good friend Dale was the artist that designed and set up the displays.

11:57 a.m. - I've spent way too much time in the museum, and I need to get going, but one last shot if you don't mind. This is a photo of the old Atlanta airport. You may be able to see "Delta Air Lines" on the building in the top middle part of the photo. That is the same hangar that I've been taking all of the above photos in. And the road running down the left hand side of the picture is the same road with all the people lined up for Varsity hot dogs a few shots above, and is also the same road that I live on. My house is in the neighborhood that you can barely see just above and behind the Delta hangar.

12:02 p.m. - I finally make it to the retirement party. (29 people out of 45 from my old department are taking the early retirement packages that Delta recently offered. It makes for a pretty large retirement party.) That's me and my Dad. He always claims he can smell a retirement cake from the highway anytime he passes Delta. Seriously though, the people in my old department loved my Dad. When I left the department, I actually had people say, "We will miss seeing your Dad when he comes up to take you to lunch." But missing me? Not so much.

12:37 p.m. - This is "The Row." Me, Stan, Glenda and Grady. The four of us, and a couple of others that couldn't make the party, at one time all had offices on the same hallway, and over several years, we became the best of friends. Since the glory days of The Row, Glenda was the last one left in the department and she is now retiring. Grady retired in 2001, Kim (not present) left in 2002 after the birth of her 3rd child, Stan transferred to the airport in 2004, and I moved to my current position in 2006, and Renee (also not present) moved to Texas last year. But in spite of no longer working together, we email each other often, meet up for dinner every few months, and get together whenever we have something to celebrate. When you hear people speak of the Delta Family, this is what they are talking about. These people are my Delta Family.

12:43 p.m. - This is my good friend Tammi. She's also retiring and is moving back home to Texas where she started out. She is part of my "Lost" discussion group, a group of former coworkers that spends the better part of the late evening and early morning after each new episode of "Lost" discussing and analyzing what just happened, what it all means, and exactly how hot Sawyer looked without his shirt. You know, important stuff.

5:34 p.m. - After work, I went to the funeral home with some coworkers for visitation for my friend Mechia. She passed away very suddenly this past Sunday morning from an asthma attack. She and I worked together about 10 years ago, and we stayed in touch. When I started my current job, we were happy to find that we were working just down the hall from each other again. I had just seen her on Friday, and we stopped and talked for a few minutes about her youngest daughter who was about to leave for Paris to study at the Cordon Bleu. She was such a proud mother. I'm glad that she had something to be so happy about in what would be her last days. She was a sweet lady and I'll miss her.

Happy Anniversary to me

2008-06-10T18:51:00.004-04:00

12 years ago today I began my career at the Big D.

I sort of got a late start on my career because back in the olden days, Delta had a nepotism policy that prevented immediate family members from working full time at the company. So, I bided my time until Dad finally decided to retire. Then, as they were only hiring for frontline Reservations, I took the leap (and a pay cut) and started as a Res Sales agent.

In the time since then, I've moved up the ladder (and fortunately, the pay scale) and while not every day has been a rosy one (bankruptcy, pay cuts, occasional rude customer), I know that it was a good move for me. I've made some wonderful friends. I've learned more than I ever thought possible about things I never knew existed before getting into the airline business. Oh, and I've flown for free. A lot.

At last count, I've gone on 52 different trips (on my own pass, that is. On Dad's pass - I couldn't begin to hazard a guess, but I'm sure that 100 wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.)

As far as destinations go, Vegas is in the lead with 17, followed by Savannah with 11. I had a friend that lived in Savannah and I use to fly down to see her and her husband for the day every few weeks, and she would pick me up at the airport, we would go see a movie, have dinner, and then I'd fly home. I once had someone ask, "Why fly to Savannah just to see a movie?" My answer - "Because I can!" (Yeah - it was a little snotty, but if you had heard the way this guy asked the question, you would understand.)

I tried to think of one most favorite trip, but there are just too many to single out one.

I've taken the niece and nephew to DC a few times, seen the Grand Canyon with them and roamed British castles with them. Those were definitely among the best.

Going to Memphis to visit Graceland with my Mom was another fun one. And our many trips to Vegas are always great - even if she and her 74 year old self can stay up all night, while I end up crawling back to the room alone by 1:00 a.m.

There were also two trips with just me and my Dad that were especially meaningful. The first was one of my first official trips after I had been with the company for about 8 months. Dad and I flew to London, where we rented a car and drove west (on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road) to the village of Yeovil, England. While there, we visited the home of our ancestral family and visited the churchyard where my 12th great grandfather was buried. It was cool beyond words.

The other trip great trip was when Dad and I flew out to Norfolk on Thanksgiving Day 2003. From Norfolk, we drove down the coast of NC to the town of Kitty Hawk, and early the next morning, we visited the site where the Wright Brothers made the first flight 100 years earlier. As we were there about a week before the actual 100 year anniversary, we were fortunate to be the only people there when the park opened that day. Standing on that hill, alone with my Dad, looking over the spot where history was made and our common careers were born, was one of the best moments of my life. It is and will always be one of my most precious memories. The ability to go there and share the common love of flight with my Dad was worth any pay cut or bad day at work I could ever have had over the last 12 years.

Next week, I'll be heading off on trip #53 with my Mom. Guess where?

I hope my next 12 years are as fulfilling and fun as the first 12 have been.

Where MRI

2008-06-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

The rescheduled Open MRI was today.

The good news - they gave me drugs this time.

The bad news - unlike the closed MRI, which takes about 8 minutes to complete - the Open MRI takes up to 30 minutes to complete due to the different set up.

The technician, trying to be cutesy, first said something like, "and in 5 hours, we are done!" and even in the slight haze created by that second Ativan, I got upset. Then he said he was joking and it was really on 30 minutes. I told him to stop joking, that I knew it was 8 minutes, and that is when he told me that the 30 minutes was not a joke. I felt like I traded off 8 minutes of sober terror for 30 minutes of slightly drugged terror.

I ended up popping the third Ativan and asking for a few more minutes to compose myself. After that, he got me set up and slid me into the machine for about a minute, then brought me out and asked if I thought I could do it. Me, being the 12 year old that I am, asked for a glass of water. (and a story, and my teddy bear, and my blanklee). After the water, I was a little more dopey, so he put me in for real and told me that while I wasn't supposed to move at all, I could move my hand and that if I needed him to stop at any time to wave my right hand and he could see it from his station and would come in and get me out.

I found it was OK if I kept my eyes shut and let myself get hypnotised by the thumping noise the machine made. I was still having issues, but the drugs dulled them enough to help. The only times it was real bad was when the noise would stop and I would think, "Is it over? Why is he not coming to get me out of this contraption?" But then the noise would start back up, and I'd lose myself again. At one point near the end, I felt a little upset, and I tried to wave him down, but my hand and arm had gone numb from another attack, so I couldn't move that whole side of my body. Fortunately, it was over within a minute or two of that anyway.

I'm sort of glad that I had one of those attacks while having the MRI - maybe that will show them what they need to see in order to diagnose me. And hopefully, whatever it is, it won't be that bad. Either way, will keep you guys posted.

Once it was all over, Dad bought me a Chick-fil-a and took me home, where my Mom, God Bless Her Heart, had spent the time we were gone cleaning my house. And the even greater thing - she had done all the jobs that I really hate - like sweeping out the hot garage, vacuuming the stairs, cleaning out the microwave, and scrubbing the bathroom counters and sinks.

At least I don't need a brain scan to know that I have great parents.

Updates

2008-06-03T21:21:00.013-04:00

When last we spoke, I was still recovering from the trauma of trying to deal with the bad MRI.

Today, I talked to my doctor's office and they said that they could either schedule me at a place with an Open MRI or prescribe a sedative for me to go back to the original one. I asked if we could do both. Fortunately, they agreed.

Turns out that the only place on this side of the city with an Open MRI is less than a mile from my house. So, we are all set for next Monday.

more cat pictures

Also, I finally got the kitchen cabinets organized. It really goes fast once you realize that half the stuff is way past expired and can be tossed in the trash.

Panic! at the MRI

2008-06-02T21:29:00.005-04:00

I was scheduled for a brain MRI today. It did not go well.

I don't know why, but over the last year or two, I've developed a bad case of claustrophobia. As a kid, I could wiggle my way into the crawl space under the house, shimmy under the bed, or hide in the cabinet under the sink during a game of hide and seek. But lately, I can't seem to even think about being in an enclosed space without starting to choke or get dizzy.

As I sat in the waiting area, I started to get a little anxious. So, I just started telling myself that this was ridiculous and that I would be fine. And I kept repeating -"You'll be fine" to myself quietly until they came to get me. Then, they made me sit in another waiting area, and I found the lights to be incredibly bright - almost blinding. And so I continued to tell myself that it was all in my mind, that I would be fine, that I was an adult and knew better than to worry, that people did this 1,000s of times a day all over the world and they were all fine. But you know - logic doesn't always work well against anxiety.

Finally, it is my turn, and I started tearing up before I even sat down on the table. The technician asked if I was going to be OK, and I told her that I just had to breathe a few times and I would be OK.

I lied.

The minute my back hit the table and my head went into the holder, I started to choke. It was like my throat was swollen shut. So, I sat back up again. She told me it would only last 8 minutes, and I told myself that 8 minutes was nothing. And so back on the table I went. And the throat thing happened again - only this time accompanied by tunnel vision. I tried to breathe and repeated my "You'll be OK" mantra, but then she snapped the helmet over my face and I completely lost my s***. It was at once the most embarrassing and the most traumatic thing I can recall happening to me in a long time.

Fortunately, the technician was at least sweet about it. She said that I wasn't the first person that this ever happened to. Heck, apparently I wasn't even the first person that had happened to today. But still, I felt like an idiot.

Now I have to call my doctor in the morning to see if he will give the orders to have me sedated for the next attempt. But just thinking about - with drugs or without - makes me start to feel choked, and makes my heart starts pounding. I had hoped that by blogging about it, I would get past it, but so far no.

On the bright side, after I left the MRI lab, I had to go across the street to have my yearly mammogram. After the MRI panic attack, the mammogram was a piece of cake.

Thank God my boobs aren't claustrophobic.

Cleaning House with AADD

2008-05-31T15:36:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning with a desire to organize my kitchen. The cabinets are all in a disarray, and I figured that if I dedicated an hour or so, I could get it all done and feel really good about lazing away the rest of the day.

But as I started to get out of bed, I noticed that I had a lot of dust starting to accumulate on the ceiling fan above my bed. So, I went to get a duster.

When I got into the laundry room where the duster was located, I noticed that I had almost enough whites for a load, but I knew that there were some towels and socks in my bathroom floor that were white and should be added to the wash, so I went to get them.

Once I got in my bathroom, I started realizing that maybe I should take a shower before I did the laundry, since I might not have enough hot water for the shower if I started the laundry first.

But before I took a shower, I knew I should go sweep the front porch before it got too hot outside, and so that if I got dirty sweeping, it would all wash off in the shower. So, I went to get the broom.

As I was about to open the front door, I saw that my neighbor Brian was edging the grass next to the sidewalk in front of my house and his. So I put the broom down and went back to the kitchen to get him a bottle of water to thank him for his hard work.

When I got to the refrigerator, I remembered that I was supposed to be working on my kitchen cabinets. So, I quickly pulled all of the items out of the two lowest shelves and put them on the counter.

Then, I remembered Brian and the water, so I left that all behind and got the bottle of water and started towards the door. But then, I remembered that I hadn't yet brushed my teeth, and I didn't want to offend the neighbor with bad breath, so I went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

On entering the bathroom, I saw the whites that I meant to put in the wash, so I grabbed those up and started back to the laundry room. But I had too much in my hands at that point, so I started dropping stray socks and washcloths down the hallway as I walked, but I knew that if I tried to bend down and pick them up, I would drop it all, including the bottle of water that was probably getting warm tucked under my arm.

So, the items that made it to the laundry room were tossed in the washer, and I went to get a new bottle of colder water for Brian. And since I figured that if I didn't get out there soon, he would be finished and back inside and my small gesture of thanks would be lost. Remembering that I hadn't brushed the teeth, I said to Hell with it, grabbed a peppermint from one of the bags that I had pulled from the cabinet and put on the counter top, popped it in my mouth, prayed it would cover the morning breath, and made it out the door just as he was finishing up and took him the water.

Yay! One thing accomplished.

Of course, then I sat outside and talked to him for about 10 minutes, and by that time I was getting hot and sweaty. I really needed the shower. So, I abandoned the broom and went back inside the house. And a fly followed me in.

I tried to ignore him, figured he'd be dead on his own soon enough, but he kept buzzing around me as I went into the laundry room to pull a clean towel for the shower out of the dryer from the load I did four days ago, but never got around to folding and storing. And there, I see my duster. Which I needed for something, but now don't really remember what.

So, I carry the fresh towel and the duster with me back to my bathroom (where the fly follows me) and I finally swat him down with the duster and daze him enough to finish him off.

After disposing of the carcass, I wash my hands, and I see my toothbrush just as the mint is wearing off, so I brush after washing my hands.

Yay! Two things done.

I start to turn on the water for the shower, but then decide maybe to go back to the kitchen and try to make some more progress on the cabinets - again, if I'm going to get dusty and use cleaning products, it might be best to do it before I shower, so that I won't have to repeat the shower when I'm finished cleaning.

So, I get up on my step ladder to get things out of the higher cabinet shelves, at which point I have a horrible attack of Vertigo (the sickness, not the movie) and fall off the ladder. Luckily, it only has two steps, but still it freaked me out.

At that point, I'm so dizzy that I need to go lie down. So I stumble back into my bedroom and fall back onto the bed.

And as I'm lying there, staring at the ceiling fan, I remember why I needed the duster.

That was the last thing that went through my mind before I fell back asleep.

Needless to say, the day is almost halfway over, and I haven't washed the whites, folded the towels, swept the porch, dusted the fan, or taken a shower and everything in my kitchen is sitting out on the counters.

But at least I have fresh breath.

Memorial Day Remembrance

2008-05-26T18:22:00.003-04:00

Every September, at the start of the school year, my father would give me a little talk about the importance of an education.

Part of the talk would always be where he reminded me that as a citizen of the United States of America, I was entitled to receive a free education. He would explain how not all children around the world had this same opportunity, and how little girls in particular were sometimes denied an education simply because of their sex. Finally, he would let me know that while I would pay nothing for my education, many others had paid dearly over the years for this freedom that I enjoyed. He wanted me to be ever mindful of those that paid the ultimate price for me, and how I should never take my education or other freedoms for granted or do anything that would disrespect the lives lost in protecting our freedom.

Each Memorial Day, I think about Dad's yearly reminder, and I give thanks that so many young men and women have given their all to protect our rights, and to help others around the world have the opportunity to grow up with the same right to an education and freedoms that I enjoyed. My great-uncles who served in the Navy and Infantry during WWII, a number of coworkers and neighbors that served in Korea and Vietnam, some friends from high school that served in the first Gulf War and the husbands and sons of friends that currently serve in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

But while so many I know have returned home safely, not all have been so lucky. My friend and coworker Courtney lost her dear son Antoine on April 10, 2004 when his tent was hit by a mortar round at Balad Air Field in Iraq. Antoine was only 20 years old. He left behind a wife and a one year old daughter. Courtney has often said that he just wanted to help people, and make a difference in this world. I believe that he did, and on this day, I honor him.

Thank you Airman Antoine Holt for giving your all so that others might enjoy freedom.

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Day 30 (for real this time)

2008-05-24T21:59:00.006-04:00

I thought back to when I first started doing this experiment, just one month ago, and what I was feeling that led me to want to participate in the first place. As I've mentioned (ad nauseum) for the past few months, I've been over worked and sick. Those two things combined have tended to deepen my depression and increase my anxiety, and when that happens, I find myself withdrawing from the world, holing up in my house with the shades pulled down and wallowing in it all. And that makes me feel alone. So when I started this, I was deeply depressed and feeling lonelier than I can recall feeling in many years, and I figured that writing down things that I was grateful for once a day would be cheaper than going back to therapy.

Now that I'm on Day 30, I decided to go back over the last 29 days of gratefulness, in part to prevent any more repeats ala the first draft of Day 29, and in part to see if it helped me at all. And when I did, I began to see a trend. You see, more than half of the gratefuls involved the people in my life - family, friends, neighbors, coworkers. People that I love, and people that I know love me.

Day 30 - 24 May

I am grateful that I am not alone.