Most of you know them as IT but we refer to them in the Corps as IM (Information Management) 

I have been trying to finish up getting my name changes. You never realize how many things you need to change when you get married. The last thing I needed to do was to get my name changed with the Corps. It sounded simple at first but has turned into a nightmare.

First I needed to do what is called and RPA (Request for Personnel Action). So I did that and sent along a copy of my new license and a certified copy of my marriage license. Once that was complete and they gave me my SF 50 I was suppose then notify our IM department so they could make the changed in the email system.

Over a month ago I called IM to let them know that everything with personnel had gone through and I needed IM to do their magic. They informed me that I needed to get a new CAC card first. Unlike the district folks we here in the field need to go to the National Guard Depot to get new cards. We have to make appointments which is always a pain because usually only has slots open two weeks after you need them. Every time I have been there, there has never  been anyone else waiting.  So I made an appointment and drove over to the National Guard Unit to get my card. When I got there I was about 20 minutes early and the guy made me wait in the hall while he read the newspaper until they clock struck 11. Then he called me in and told me that the machine was broken. What you couldn’t tell me that when I walked in? So he sent me away and told me to come back in two days which I did. This time apparently I needed to have a form signed by my supervisor so they sent me away again. I was getting very aggrevated by this point. Then I found out that our security office was going to be making a trip up here with there CAC machine and that they would take care of me then. So I emailed IM to let them know what was going on.

So that brings us to today. I came in this morning and was first in line to get my new card. It went smoothly except for the fact that they kept wanting to put a “p” in my last name. With my new card in hand I called IM to tell them that I have my new card. This is our conversation.

IM: IM Help Desk This is Barry

ME: Hey Barry its Rebecca…I have my new card.

IM: (sounding a little confused) Okay?

ME: Barry you told me to call you when I got my new card with my name change on it.

IM: (still confused) UmmmOkaaaay?

ME: I emailed you like a month ago about the fact that I got married and needed to get my name changed. You told me to call you when I had my new card.

IM: Is this your first card?

ME: Barry I have worked for the Corps for 4 years now.

IM: So this isn’t your first?

ME: (sigh) No this is not my first card.

IM: Well what is it you want us to do?

ME: Change my name in they system.

IM: Well you need to send me an email with the information.

ME: I sent you an email over a month ago.

IM: Who did you send it to.

ME: I sent it through Ann and she sent it to you.

IM: Well you need to send it to me. Ann has been out of the office all week.

ME: No I sent it a month ago.

IM: Okay? Well I will let them know but you will need to send me an email.

ME: Barry I can’t send it again because I can’t log onto my computer. I have a new card and need you to change the name in the system so when I log on the names will match.

IM: Oh that’s right. Okay hold on.

ME: (I wait as he types some things on the computer.)

IM: Okay you should be able to log in. What is your new name?

ME: Thomson without a “P”

Barry: No “P”

ME: Yeah it is T-H-O-M-S-O-N

IM: T-H-O-M-P

ME: No there no P

IM: Gotcha! We’ll take care of it.

So I hung up the phone and waited about an hour or so then logged into Outlook to see if the name change had been done. What did I see?

Rebecca G. Thompson

SCREAMMMMM!!!!!

I called IM Back.

IM: IM Help Desk. This is Barry.

ME: Yes Barry it Rebecca again

IM: Uh huh What can I do now?

ME: You spelled my name wrong

IM: Let me see (pulls it up on his screen) Rebecca Thompson. Is there two “b’s” in Rebecca?

ME: No the first name is right. You put a “p” in my last name

IM: There is no “P” in Thompson.

ME: No it should be T-H-O-M-S-O-N. It should read Rebecca G. Thomson SAW

IM: Okay I will fix it.

So I hung up and waited about an hour and re-checked. This time the first and last name is right but they forgot my middle initial and my District code. So I call IM back.

IM: IM Hel…

ME: (interrupted) Barry it Rebecca. It still isn’t right. You forgot my middle initial and the district code. (See without the District code I get lost in the global address book and district notices won’t show up in my box).

IM: Huh? Oh yeah I see now. (He tries some things) Yeah I am going to have to work in it.

He then hangs up the phone. While at lunch I get a call from him stating that someone is working on it and it will be fixed tomorrow. Tomorrow? So what am I suppose to do till then? I called him back and discussed some option and asked him about forwarding my mail which I know can be done because they did it for people who move to other districts. He wasn’t sure how to set that up. So now I have to wait till tomorrow to have email access. I have already been yelled at about not responding to 3 urgent emails this morning.

Our IM department was taken over by contractors (Lockeed Martin) about a year ago and we were promised that things will be much better. They have actually gotten worse. I don’t’ know where they find these IT people. I have gotten so mad at 2 of them that I went off and made one of them cry. They now refuse to talk to me. We have 3 computers that need to be fixed and have been after them to come and fix them. They called me two weeks ago and asked if someone could load them up and bring them to Wilmington on their next trip. First of all…it isn’t my job to disconnect and haul computers. Secondly…Wilmington is 2.5 hours away and we don’t have anyone going down there for awhile. They said they don’t have a budge to travel. They are contractors…they don’t need a budge to travel. They do the work and charge the Corps. I am just so frustrated I could spit.

I am not a computer expert but I could do their job better than they do. There have been a few times when I have fixed some computers here in the office because the staff hasn’t gotten any help from the District. Next time I fix something I need to ask for a charge number so I can get paid for my time.

Tanya….Steve Jones just walked into the office.

Mood:  hungry

I got a lot accomplished this weekend but still have tons to do. I managed to clean the house and did accomplish to do a bit of spring cleaning. Still need to do the windows. I started to get the outside cleaned up. I cleared everything off the patio and hosed it all down to try to get the pollen off. There is still a tinge of yellow here and there but at least I am able to sit outside without being grossed out.

While outside I devised a plan to redo my flower garden. Last year Lennie and I Put in a plastic border which the directions said would be easy to install. The ground was so hard that we weren’t able to install it the way I wanted to. I was very unhappy with the final product. So this year I plan to rip it out and place landscaping timbers down instead. It won’t have the way pattern I had hoped for but I think in the end it will look great. It is going to take some hard work and some measuring which you all know is not something I do well. By using the timbers it will hopefully create sort of a raised bed which should help with some erosion issues I have.

Now for the flowers. Spring Hills Nursery (and online establishment) sent me a catalog and a 50% off each item coupon. How could I pass up not using it? So I order what would have been over $250 worth of flowers but with the coupon it was only around $123.00, SWEET! I paid more than that last year at Lowes and didn’t get as many flowers as I got with this deal. I order three complete garden packs which equals about 66 plants. One pack that I am excited about is the butterfly/hummingbird garden which is what I wanted last year but I had waited too long in the season and Lowes wanted a ton of money for a full grown butterfly bush. The plants should arrive in May so I have to get cracking on building the beds.

I also went out to Mulch Masters on Saturday to talk to them about getting 2 to 3 cubic yards of mulch delivered. It turns out to be way cheaper that buying bagged mulch at Lowes. Yes I know I can get mulch really cheap from the city but I don’t have Lennie’s truck to pick it up. The guys at MM were very nice and got a big kick out of me. When they asked me how much mulch I needed I shrugged and then proceeded to show them on the floor of the store just how big my flower beds would be. Yeah I know I am such a girl.  I will also need to mulch the front yard so I am hoping the extra I order will help with that.

I had hoped to go to the Wine Festival in Cary this weekend but by the time I finished my chores it started to rain. So I stayed in curled up on the couch and watch two really good movies…Water Horse and Greenfingers. If you haven’t seen either I highly recommend them. The Water Horse is a cute movie about the Loch Ness Monster and Greenfingers is about a Prison Gang in England that takes up gardening.

Well I should get some work done I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I don’t know how much posting I will do this week. I am working on a training program to train my staff to do their own travel vouchers which will probably consume my time.

Mood:  bright

I was mowing my lawn Wednesday night and I can to some wood debris that I had left over from my patio. I went to move it out of the way so that I could mow but when I flipped it over I had a surprise waiting for me…a huge female black widow spider. YUK!!!! Now my friend Bryan would be totally stoked and would be collected it to show his school kids (he is a science teacher) but what did I do…knocked her off the board…stepped on her…and then ran her over with my mower. Yeah I know the mower part was a bit over kill but just wanted to make sure she was dead. 

I don’t really know why I have this fear when it comes to spiders. Reading about them and seeing pictures of them I am actually rather fascinated by them. But when I see them in person, the way they scamper, for some reason really freaks me out and the fear part of my brain kicks in and tells me to KILL IT!!!! I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.

Today I haven’t been able to get much work done. It seems that my official duties today consist of being a snake wrangler. We have had a black racer sunning itself on the patio. I have moved it twice (I am one of the only ones in the office that isn’t afraid to touch them) but it keeps coming back. I don’t want to move it too far because I am pretty sure its home is in a crevice in the stone wall. If I could just get it away from the top of the steps. My fear is that someone will walk up the steps and see it there and fall backwards. They pose no harm to humans but Black Racers are a tad bit different than your ordinary Black Rat Snake. First off they are more streamlined so then tend to be very quick (hence the name racer). Secondly they tend to have a pissy attitude. Most black rat snakes will hiss if disturbed but seldom every bite but racers have no problem giving you a strike or two. Luckily they don’t have any venom to back it up but it still hurts like hell. This snake appeared not to mind human interaction that much. It may have just enjoyed the fact that my hands were warm. So since my desk I located close to the patio I am instructed to keep an eye out for our little friend and move him out of the way of visitors.

On a very bright note…I saw 3 loons today. I was getting the morning report when I saw what at first I thought were mallard ducks. When I looked closer I saw they had a more streamlined structure and a bright white patch on the front then I observed them dive under the water. When the male surfaced, he called out and it filled my morning with such joy. I have never seen a loon in the wild and they make the more beautiful sound. I would have gotten pictures but didn’t want to spoke them off. Chances are I won’t see them again seeing as May will soon be here and they will move further out to the coast but it was definitely a highlight to my week.

I don’t’ have a big weekend planned. I do need to clean the house and get some laundry done. It is supposed to rain Saturday and Sunday so I will more than likely be confined inside.

Hope every has a great weekend!!!

Mood:  hungry

It has been a fairly quiet week although I am still swamped at work. Most everyone is on travel this week so there are only two of us in the office. I have restarted my gym routine which makes me feel so much better. I had taken a week off to pack up Lennie’s things so that I could move them out of the house. During my break from the gym, my trainer Olo got hired on by a new gym. This really sucks because we had really gotten a good routine down. He was a tough trainer but also knew how to keep me motivated. He usually let me work out on my own because he knew with Lennie being in Iraq I couldn’t afford to pay his trainer fees. So from time to time he would take my work out sheet and change it up a bit and if he noticed me struggling he would yell to me from across the room that I could do it and don’t give up. I will miss him. One of the other trainers confronted me about signing up with him but I think for now I will just work out on my own. I think I have enough notes form Olo that I will be just fine. I also had a workout partner but she has had to change her workout days and times so I am truly on my own now.

I didn’t get much rest this past weekend. Saturday we had our 1^st annual Falls Lake Festival and I agreed to help out. I don’t know why I feel the need to always volunteer. I guess I know that if I don’t then Dana would probably have to do it all herself. It was suppose to run from 11 to 4 but most of the people showed up at 10. We had a great turn out until the rain started at 1:30. The event was such a huge success that we plan to do it again next year.

Sunday I was up at 6AM to go back over to Lennie’s and finish up some packing. I had tried to do it Friday but ran out of packing tape and then Saturday I had the rain to deal with. I didn’t have much left to do. I just needed to get his storage shed cleaned out and pack up his tools. The Navy folks showed up at 10 and we started loading stuff up. I got a little aggravated because every time I would lift something one of them would come over and take it from my hand saying not to worry with this stuff…they would do it. We were all packed up and on our way to the storage unit within an hour. Unloading went just a quick and I think they were a little upset that it didn’t take longer because it meant they had to go back to the base. LOL Everything except the furniture is safe and secure and I now have to get the alarm system installed and the house cleaned. Eric left it in such a mess.

I got some news from my sister Monday night. It appears that I was right…she is having a girl…Naomi Gayle. There were apparently several people who thought it was going to be a boy but I just knew that she was carrying a girl. See when Anne first told me that she was pregnant, I had a dream that she and Jimmy came to visit and Anne was holding a little girl. Now I am not saying I have prophetic dreams but I just think my mind knew or hoped that it was a girl.

In closing….This morning I got an email from a friend who knows how much I love the movie Labyrinth.  We have always talked about dressing up for Halloween as characters from the movie. While scanning EBay for Labyrinth costumes he came across this doll of Hoggle. I would LOVE to have that doll. He looks so real. Too Cute.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Mood:  don't ask

Last night before I left work my boss stopped me to make sure I was planning to come to work on Friday. I was a little unsure why he would be asking because I rarely ever take time off and if I do I usually let him know way in advance. I told him that yes I would definitely be at work. With the Festival coming on Saturday, there was so much that needed to be done. My boss said, “Good, well I need you to come see me as soon as you get in.”  And with that I got in my car and drove off.

As I was driving home I wondered what it was that Tom wanted to talk to me about. Then it hit me…he is going to offer me the job. I was so excited and wanted to call everyone I know but didn’t want to jinx it. I didn’t sleep last night because the excitement was just too much and I had all these questions running through my mind.

So I got up this morning and drove to the office and headed straight to Tom’s office. I was a little nervous and was running through my acceptance speech in my head. Tom asked me to have a seat. He then pulled out some paper work and the nerves started to get worse…OMG here it comes. “You have been selected….(OMG OMG OMG)….to take a random drug test.” WHAT!?! A drug test? Didn’t I just have one of these a few months ago?  You can’t understand the disappointment I felt when I heard drug test instead of a job offer. I grabbed my paperwork and grabbed Dana (she was randomly selected as well) and we headed over to the clinic.

We entered the clinic and filled out our paperwork and proceeded to sit there for an hour. I drank way too much coffee this morning and had to go soooooo bad. The nurse finally called our names but it wasn’t to take us back for the test it was instead to tell us that they didn’t have our Chain of Consent forms and that we were going to have to come back on Monday. Are you kidding me? So needless to say I have started out my morning in a very pissy mood.

Mood:  happy

This won’t be a long post because I have two eagle nests to inspect today and I need to get on the road but something happened last night that put me in a better mood than I have been in quite sometime.

I was over at Lennie’s again last night trying to get his stuff packed up. Yesterday it was all about his office. He has a bunch of work and army manuals that need to go into storage. As I cleared off one of the bookshelves I noticed a greeting card sitting on an empty shelf. Upon further inspection I realized it was the very first card I had given Lennie.

It was a Valentine’s Day card. I went for humorous since we aren’t really sappy people. The card had a couple on the front having a picnic and the woman says, “Dan, tell me your dreams.” Dan replies, “They start out differently but they all pretty much end with you naked.”  This was appropriate for Lennie because he always talk about in Lennie Land (his mind) I am wearing a French maid’s outfit. LOL

On the inside of the card I wrote about how for the first time in a very long time I was looking forward to Valentine’s Day and was hoping he could finally break the curse. Which he did.  I was so touched that he kept the card and that he had it displayed on its very own shelf for all the world to see.

My husband is not an overly romantic man but there are times when he does little things like this to make me realize just how lucky I really am to have him in my life. It all made me miss his badly.

Sorry I haven’t updated everyone on the weekend’s activities but I have been swamped at work.

I had a great visit with Marie. She came in town Saturday night and after visiting for a bit we headed out to Taverna Agora for some Greek food and to watch some belly dancing. Yeah I know belly dancing isn’t Greek but no one really seemed to be concerned with that.

After dinner we headed down to Hi5 for a bit of drinking and dancing. I totally forgot that the basketball game was on and instead of dancers crowding the bar we had a plethora of UNC (I think that was the school…I am not a sport nut) fans. We had one drink there and then headed upstairs to Bogart’s. They had the game playing there too but we only had to wait 10 minutes for it to end and for the DJ to set up. At first the DJ started playing some great songs. Mostly from the late 80’s but we quickly realized that he was only playing about the first 2 minutes of each song. Then he went into some R&B and rap music that I just wasn’t into. We hung out till about midnight and headed home.

We got up Sunday morning and I made waffles and then we got into our costumes and headed down to the faire. It was rather chilly and the rain from the day before caused the whole place to be one big mud pit. Usually this place is packed with vendors but I guess since it has rained every day of the faire, most vendors decided to pack up and head home. We stayed long enough to watch a joust and the NC State Pipers and then we headed to our cars. Marie had driven herself and left to go back to Charlotte right from the faire. I got home to find that Marie had left her jacket at the house and that Potter decided to take a liking to it. He was sound asleep on top of it and had at one point chewed through one of the pockets. BAD PUPPY!!! I feel so bad and I hope Marie will let me replace it. My $13 dog is starting to cost me a lot of money. This is the first time he has gone for a jacket. Normally it is just shoes and purses.

Anyway I have included a picture of my outfit. It was Tartan Day at the faire so I wore my husband’s tartans sash. I know it doesn’t really match the outfit but it came in handy to help to stay warm. Plus it was like Lennie was there with me.

Monday morning when I came into work I had 4 strange voicemail messages on my phone. They were all from this guy named Herbert Oberson Jr. He claims that we was kidnapped as a child and say at one point that he is George Bush’s son, then says he is Herbie Hancock’s son then back to George Bush. He says that he appears to be black but in fact he is white and claims that when he was kidnapped they covered him in brown putty. He thinks I am someone named Ms. Smith and says that he needs to come in and give me his finger prints and foot prints. He claims that he is 32 but that he looks older because he is trying to conceal his identity. He said the communist are trying to kill him and someone named Jim and he thinks they are also after the Queens of Great Britain (I didn’t know they had more than one Queen). He thinks I am a Blood (as in a member of the street gang) and that the Crypts and the Chinese Koreans are working for Obama to start the new war and that he alone is trying to preserve the white race. He claims to be a Republican, Democratic, Libertarian (wow I didn’t know you could be all those at once) but that he is first and foremost a Republican and that he worships the ground his father (George Bush) walks on. He does mention in his last message that he is Paranoid Schizophrenic (really? I couldn’t tell) and that he is staying at a homeless shelter in Raleigh.

When the messages ended I notified the Sherriff’s office. I wasn’t too concerned that he would show up here but worried that in his paranoid state that he might try to hurt someone. I wasn’t at all pleased with the response I got from the officer who took the call. He tried to make it sound like I was over reacting…stating that most of the guys at the shelter have some sort of mental disorder. I said that that may be true but those other guys didn’t call me and that I would not be able to live with myself if I heard that he had done something to someone and I had not reported what I knew about him. I told the officer that I have had experiences with someone who was Paranoid Schizophrenic and they really should be taken seriously. I informed the officer that I had done my part and now the ball was in his court. If he chose to do nothing then if something happened the blame would be on him. That last statement got a little more action from the officer. He called the shelter and they stated that they knew the guy and that he had come in to use the phone several times. They stated they would tell him not to call me anymore. But once again that wasn’t my concern. These people just don’t get it and I truly do hope this guy doesn’t harm anyone. I wish I could find a way to let you all hear the messages. I tried to record them onto my computer but the government disabled the microphone.

This week I am busy packing up Lennie’s house. His Navy friends are coming over Sunday to take everything to the storage place. We have our Falls Lake Festival on Saturday so I will be tied up with that most of the day. I don’t know if I will have a chance to post anymore this week so I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Well Spring is here and I know that not by the fact that it is April but the fact that everything is covered in pine pollen. My friends in the North don’t understand this phenomenon because in the North they have mostly hardwoods. Oh don’t get me wrong they will get a light dusting of pollen here and there but it is nothing like the mess you get down here. You can wash your car and in the span of 30 minutes, you car will be covered again. You don’t dare leave your windows open because before you know it, everything in your house is covered in yellow-green dust.  The pollen coats everything. It even lays on top of the water causing it to look like some sort of chemical spill.

I went out and mowed my lawn the other day (well attempted to mow…I need a new blade which I hope will not be a big deal to replace.) when I came inside I was covered from head to toe in pollen. Yuk!

The good news about pine pollen is that it does not cause seasonal allergies. According to my doctor my stuffy head and itchy eyes are caused by pollen from grass and other plants. This deluge of pollen should end in about a month and I am hoping by then it will still be cool enough to open the windows again. I miss the way my house smells when I open it up and let the fresh air in.

There is a lot going on this weekend and I am not sure if I will make it to everything but thought I would tell you all about it incase you were in Raleigh this weekend and looking for something to do.

Tonight at Tir Na Nog, Davey Morrison (From Albannach) will be performing. I have gotten several emails from people telling me that Albannach will be performing at the pub. I hate to break it to everyone but no the whole band is not performing just Davey. It looks like so far Albannach’s only gig here in NC will be the Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain in July. But head out and see Davey perform from 7 to 9. He will also be brining some of his artwork with him. Then stick around afterward because Seven Nations will take the stage at 10:30. You might see me down there. I have a lot of running around to do but hope I can be done to stop down for a bit.

This weekend is also Tartan Day at the Renaissance Faire. It is like St. Paddy’s day for the Scots. My friend Marie is coming in from Charlotte to go and we had plan to go Saturday but they are calling for some nasty rain all day. So the plan now is that she will come Saturday evening and we will head out for some dinner and then go out to celebrate her engagement. Then Sunday we will head to the faire. I finished my dress and can't wait to try it out. It ended up being more like a slutty peasant than a gypsy. LOL

It you have never been to a Ren. Faire before you should go at least once in your life. You don’t need to have a costume. I enjoy going in costume because it gives me a chance to practice my sewing skills. They always have some great food and performers. For those of you in MD…don’t worry you have a Ren Faire of your own starting in August. and running through October. http://www.rennfest.com

On the job front…I have gotten a ton of emails from you guys wanting to know about whether or not I got that job that I applied for. Well there are some unusual things going on at the moment and once I get it all figured out I will let everyone know. I think at the moment there is a major mix-up in communication.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mood:  bright

I recently watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I LOVED it!!!! Much better than the first. What made it better was Clive Owens portrayal of Sir Walter Raleigh. I have seen other movies with Clive Owen but for some reason he hadn’t really struck me until now. Don’t worry I still have an undying affection for Gerard but I can squeeze Clive in there somewhere. ;)

He has a way of acting that you don’t often see. He is subtle and uses his face to establish the mood more so than his body. There was one scene in the movie where he stands on a ship and looks out at the battle on the sea. You know in reality he is standing in a studio on just part of ship with probably a green screen in the background. But in that instance…when you look at him…you feel as if he is really on the sea. There was just something about his facial expression in the shot that got me. There were also the scenes with Elizabeth when he would give that oh so subtle smile that just made him so irresistible.

Picture provided by Clive-Owen.com

The night after watching Elizabeth, King Arthur came on TV. I had forgotten that Clive was the lead in that film. Although I am not a huge fan of the movie (I prefer the TH White version of the Arthur Legend) I must admit that Mr. Owen was a very sexy Arthur.

I am sure I have seen many other movies starring Clive Owen but like I stated before he just never made my radar…until now.

In searching for pictures of Clive I came across this BMW short film/commercial with Clive Owen and Madonna. It made me laugh. Just look at some of the facial expressions on Clive's Face. It will give you a better idea of what I mean when I say he acts with his face. *sorry..I tried to embed the video but wouldn't work*

BMW-STAR COMMERICAL

Mood:  chillin'

It is that time of year again. Time for our annual bald eagle monitoring. Actually it started a few months ago but I forgot to mention it. LOL This year we have had some exciting news. We have discovered a 4^th eagle nest on the lake. It is unfortunate though that this nest is in a location only accessible by canoe or kayak. Our current canoe is in a horrible state so I am pushing for a new one.

In other eagle news I have been monitoring the Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Eagle nest from the web again this year. The eagles moved to a new tree and NGB have set up a new camera with night vision. Very cool. You can check out the nest here. Norfolk Botanical Gardens There has been some drama this year with the mating pair but all seems to be going well and they have successfully laid 2 eggs. A new feature this year is some snap shots of the days monitoring as well as some night shots. One of which was the squirrel incident mentioned in the title line.

I was amazed when I saw imagines of the little squirrels and wondered if these squirrels were either very smart of very dumb. In the first picture below taken from the website you can see the squirrel building its nest just below the eagle nest. What is it thinking? Does it not realize that eagles eat squirrels? Granted they are not part of the Eagle’s main diet but they will do in a pinch. And how convenient for the eagles. If they are in the mood for a night time snack all they need to do is reach down below the nest and grab a squirrel. Maybe the squirrel is betting on the fact that an eagle would think that a squirrel wouldn’t be stupid enough to live right under the nest so they may never realize they are there.

In the second photo you can see the squirrel taking advantage of the eagles feeding time by scavenging the nest for down feathers so that they can line their own nest. Once again not a smart move. Eagle are very protective of their nests and don’t often fly far for fear that that another eagle might move in. To risk this move you would have to be on constant guard.

I haven’t noticed the squirrels moving below the nest. They could be really good and slipping out unnoticed or the eagles could have discovered their new “neighbors” and invited them over for dinner. Or the squirrel figured it just wasn’t worth the price of getting caught and have moved on. But in any case…it is neat to watch.

It was a very quiet weekend at the Thomson house. I didn’t answer my phone unless it was family or the hubby. I didn’t want to take the chance that I might get called into work. I spent most of the day on Saturday cleaning the house. I got a lot accomplished but still need to do the windows. It was such a gorgeous day that after the chores had been completed I decided to take Potter to the dog park. Everyone must have had the same idea because it was packed. Potter played with a Staffy Mix and his good friend Dottie the Dalmatian for a good hour. When he finally tired it went over to this poor guy sitting in a lawn chair and made the guy pet him for 20 minutes or so before I stepped in. I figured when the guy tired, he would just push Potter away, but he didn’t. I went over and apologized for Potter being such an attention hog. The guy laughed and said he was in love with my dog. His dog is usually more interested in other dogs and not people so he was enjoying spoiling Potter. Potter was enjoying it as well

Sunday morning Potter got me up at 7:30 AM. I tried to sleep in but the neighbors had hidden candy outside for the kids to find so Potter ran from window to window as the kids ran around screaming. I got up and ate breakfast and then took Potter back over to the dog park. It was a little quiet which was good because I could work with him on his fetch.  I guess everyone else got to sleep in. We came home and I managed to finish the bodice to my dress and then I made a quick call to the family to wish them all a Happy Easter and then it was time to prepare the lamb.

I love lamb but I haven’t prepared it before. I found a really easy recipe and all the online reviews said it was the best lamb recipe EVER. It called for a boneless Leg of Lamb but unfortunately all I could find was a butterflied leg of lamb. Luckily with a couple feet of kitchen twine, I was able to put it back together. The recipe was great but of course I must change it up a bit. I decided that garlic and lamb go really well together so I made a few slits in the lamb and inserted some sliced garlic in the holes. I topped it with the rosemary, thyme, bread crumbs, and olive oil crust and popped it in the oven. It smelled so good cooking and only managed to take about an hour which is good because I was STARVING. I carved off a few pieces and it seemed tender I just hoped it tasted as good as it looked. I fixed my plate and went over and popped in a movie. I then took my first bite. OMG!!!! It melted in my mouth. It was so tender and juicy. I had used the pan dripping, which wasn’t just lamb juice but also contained chicken broth and white wine, to make some gravy and I practically licked the plate clean. The lamb was so yummy that I woke up in the middle of the night craving it. But I was good I left it in the fridge. I have brought some for my lunch today and I can’t wait till noon so I can eat it. YUMMMMMM!!!!

On a sadder note…Tomorrow is Andrew’s memorial service and Tom has agreed to let me take the afternoon off so that I can attend. There is a really great article in the Raleigh Chronicle which talked about Andrew’s life and his many accomplishments. Famous Spy Novelist Dies Suddenly Check it out if you get a chance. I still can’t believe he is gone. It is indeed a very tragic loss. He will be missed.

I hope everyone had a good Easter. I am busy this week so I don’t know if I will be posting much.

Mood:  hungry

It sucks that the Government doesn’t give us off for Good Friday. I am trying to remember if we got 59 minutes off last year. I highly doubt it. I don’t have big plans for the weekend. For once I don’t’ have to work so I will likely spend it working on my dress and taking Potter to the dog park.

I have been invited to several places for Easter dinner but I think I am just gong to stay home. I have been feeling very tired lately and just want to have some time to myself. I have been so busy lately that my house is starting to suffer. It is suppose to be in the 70’s on Saturday so some minor spring cleaning and open windows should do my soul some good.

I wasn’t planning to make anything for dinner on Sunday. Lennie isn’t here and unlike in the past I don’t have a bunch of friends stuck in town so I figured why make all that food for just me. Well last night while flipping through the channel I came across a cooking show and they were making leg of lamb. Now that is all I have been craving. So I looked up the recipe online and I plan to make that, some steamed red potatoes, green beans and maybe some dinner rolls. My mouth is watering as I type this. I have never cooked lamb before so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out. I figured I could use the left over lamb to make Gyros. I was going to make my famous pie but I think that is on my diet list of what I am not supposed to eat.

Speaking of diets…I had my monthly evaluation at the gym. I always have to laugh because they try so hard to get you to sign up with a personal trainer and at $60 an hour that is just not an option for me. Most of the trainers know that my husband is in Iraq and that we don’t have a lot of money so they don’t press the issue too hard. But they have this new guy and he took all my measurements and we came into the office and inputted the results into the computer. They ask you a bunch of question like do you smoke, drink, have high blood pressure, etc. and then an image of what your body looks like from when you started and what it looks like now which is cool because you can see your progress. What also pops up is your age and what age your body is. Mine comes up that I am 33 in a 29 year old body. The poor new trainer just didn’t know what to do. Normally it is reversed for most people. Like you are 33 in a 55 year old body. This would be the point where they would say, “well if you hired one of our trainers, you could reverse that and look and feel young again.” With me I got, “That’s interesting…(pause) you could probably do better with a personal trainer.” I just looked at him, smiled and said, “No thanks”. The weight isn’t pouring off like I thought it would but my BMI has decrease a lot. I notice that I am toner. I talked to one of the trainers and he reassured me that I am on track and that I am increasing muscle which weighs more that fat and with my added workout routine I should start noticing a bigger loss. We will see.

There is this older black woman named Ida who I often work out with because we use some of the same machines. We were talking in the locker room before I headed back out to do my cardio (I had come back in to grab my MP3 player). She told me that they have a Salsa workout Saturday mornings now and wants me to try it out. We will see.

Well I should get back to work. I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Mood:  lucky

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

It was a fairly relaxing weekend which is good because I needed some time to just veg.

Saturday morning I went into work for a bit and came home about 10:30. Some of Lennie’s Navy buddies came over at 11AM to fix the expansion tank on my hot water heater. They were originally going to just look at it to see if it could wait to be replaced. But when poking around the rust their screw driver broke the surface and went right up into the tank. Had I waited it probably would have blown soon. So they ran to Home Depot and bought me a new tank and installed it. They only charged me for the tank not their labor. I guess I will owe them a beer soon. We also discussed moving Lennie’s stuff out of his house. We decided to do it on a drill weekend so they would have all the guys there to help. This made Lennie mad. He stated that he didn’t want all those guys up in his business. My answer was to get over it. I am super busy with work, trying to prepare for Marie’s visit in April, dealing with the animals and now I have to move all of Lennie’s crap. It has all been really stressful for me. Having a slew of Navy people at the house to move would make it a lot easier on me and would make the whole thing going very quickly. If he has a problem with it, he can get his ass home and move it his damn self. He is just going to have to let me do this my way.

The rest of the day Saturday I worked on my new outfit for the Renaissance Faire. My friend Marie is coming in from Charlotte to go and we decided to both make new costumes. We were supposed to go as gypsies but I think mine will be more along the line of peasant. The hardest part of any costume is cutting out the pattern. I actually find the sewing part pretty easy. But sewing would have to wait till Sunday.

I got a call Saturday evening from a friend who was in town for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. He wanted to meet up for dinner to congratulate me on some news he had heard. I am not going to mention it yet because right now it is just a rumor and I don’t want to jinx it. But if it is true it would be really really good for me.

Sunday I worked on my costume. I only have two weeks to get it done. I was able to find an EXTREMELY easy pattern. Sewing in the boning casings took forever though. I decided to use bias tape instead of the casing that came with the boning because it is much easier to sew. I got to the sleeve install and decided to stop for the day. If I work too long I ended up all hunch backed and sore. I also got a pattern for a 4 gore peasant skirt that also looks simple. Hopefully I will be able to start on that this weekend.

Between work, the gym, and my costume, I have to find time to pack up Lennie’s stuff. I am so not looking forward to it. I told Lennie my theory about his getting me to move his stuff. I told him that I moved the stuff from my apartment myself and now I am having to move his stuff on my own. He stated that he helped me move. I laughed because his memory was not that clear. All the boxes I moved down 3 flights of stairs on my own with NO help from him. The night before the furniture move he was supposed to meet me at the apartment to help take about the bed and carry it to the dumpster. Instead he went for a beer with Scott and didn’t show up till I had everything apart and most of it was in the dumpster. Then the morning of the furniture move he said he had to run a quick errand and he would meet us at the apartment. When he finally showed up my sister, Kate, and I along with my boss, his son and a neighbor had everything loaded. He is anxious to move into a new house when he comes home. Well when it comes time to move he can do it all. I will be the one that gets to sit back and relax.

Well I better end it here. I hope everyone had a good weekend and that you got your fill of green beer for the year.

Mood:  hungry

Some of you have had the honor of meeting my cat Fenwick. More than likely you were met with a snub as he tends not to be very social. He has been known on occasion to even growl and hiss at unwanted strangers. He has always been sort of aloof and very rarely comes to me for attention (unless I have food). Well lately that has change. Only with me though…he still hates strangers.

For the past couple of days he has been glued to me. He has been following me into every room, sitting on my lap as I type on the computer, and meowing at the bathroom door if I lock him out. He has even taken to sleeping with me at night which is totally new. Most nights when Potter and I retire to the bedroom, Fenwick sprawls himself out on the ottoman and that is where he will stay until morning. He has, in the past, come back and gotten up on the bed to growl at Potter but he has never slept there. Now he insists on being right up next to my head where he will purr for what seems like an hour. Finally he will fall asleep and then I move and he gets up to be closer to me and starts purring again. It is starting to get so bad that I think I am suffering from sleep deprivation. I don’t want to kick him out of bed because I love the fact that he is being more affectionate but we need to find away to both get want we want.

This sudden need for affection has freaked me out a little because it is so unlike him. I called the vet to see if maybe she thought that I should bring him in. She laughed at me and told me that the affection is probably caused by jealousy of the dog and wanting his top spot back. She told me just to enjoy it.  She said more than likely he will slip back into the old Fenwick I have grown to know and love.

Update on the job front. A lot of you have been asking about whether or not I got the job that I wrote about back in Feb. I didn’t post anything about it because there wasn’t anything to post. After the interview I didn’t hear anymore about it. I did over here a co-worker ask my assistant manager if the job had been filled and she replied that they were checking references. Which worried me a little that I had indeed not been chosen because why would they need to check references if they were hiring me. I found out though that if they interview they must check all references.

Well in our staff meeting this morning some of the staff brought up that next month we start opening on the weekends and that we need to get a schedule out and it would be nice to know when the new person would start. See right now I am in the duty rotation but because I do contracting and purchasing I have to be here Mon through Fri. When we go to weekend work I will then go off the schedule which only leaves 3 people to rotate and that means more weekend work for them. It would be nice to have that 4^th person on board so that they will only have to work 1 weekend a month. Well my boss finally admitted that they announcement would be coming this week. As he said it neither he nor my assistant supervisor looked at me. I know that doesn’t mean anything but it still worries me. Everyone has said I am a shoe in but I just don’t think so. I guess I will just have to wait and see. But I will let everyone know one way or the other.

Mood:  lucky

Friday I had taken the day off to get some of my final name change stuff done. First it was off to the DMV to change my title and then back to the bank since I now had my new license. It all seemed to go smoothly which makes me a bit worried. In the afternoon I took Potter over to the groomer. He was starting to smell like dog and his nails were way too long. He loves to go over there because they give him tons of treats but he HATES having a bath and hates the dryer even more. But he is all fluffy now and smells good. This should last until our next visit to the dog park where I am sure he will run right over and roll in the mud. It rained all day on Friday which was a big help to the drought.

Friday night I had a horrible dream that my hot water heater exploded and water was gushing everywhere and I couldn’t get it turned off. In the middle of my dream a phone started ringing and I heard a man’s voice. I assumed it was just part of my dream until I woke up the next morning and saw I had a message on my machine. Then a panic set in…had my hot water heater actually exploded? I deduced that had the water heater exploded I probably wouldn’t have gone back to sleep so I was pretty sure that part had been a dream. I listened to the message and it was Eric (the guy living in Lennie’s house). He had called at 1AM to tell me that someone had broken into Lennie’s house again. I called him back to find out that this time they came in through an unlocked window and had only stolen a few DVD’s. The police did get fingerprints this time but chances are it is just kids and they probably don’t have prints on file. Eric says he has had enough and is moving out. Lennie wants me to put his stuff into storage and install a security system. So I guess now I need to find boxes. *Sigh* I am not looking forward to moving all that stuff. Lennie is going to owe me so big when he gets home. I better get something sparkly out of this. I moved most of my stuff to my house on my own last year without much help from Lennie and now I have to move all of his stuff. I am starting to see a pattern here.

Saturday I ran a few last minute errands for Maria. She was hosting a St. Paddy’s Day Party at her house and her car refused to start. I ran and picked up some flowers, napkins, and some O’Doul’s for a few people who don’t drink. Do you know how embarrassing it is to buy non-alcoholic beer? I noticed that people were staring at me and I felt the need to explain myself to the cashier. “This isn’t for me. I was asked to bring this to a party tonight.” I just wanted to make it clear to everyone that I was indeed an alcoholic and I would never in my life touch O’Doul’s if I wasn’t asked to buy it for someone else. I dropped the stuff off to Maria, went home to change and then came back over for the party. I had a great time. There was a good turn out and so much food. I totally blew my diet. My little pies seemed to go over well as did the chocolate covered strawberries.  Maria had invited some musicians to perform Irish folk songs for the evening. It was great to be at an Irish Party listening to live Irish music. I headed home about 10:30 and immediately passed out in bed. Forgetting to set my clock ahead an hour.

I woke up Sunday morning thinking it was 8:30 then it hit me that in fact it was 9:30. My morning had slipped by. I got up and ran around trying to get things done. In the afternoon I headed down to the pub for a book signing. I mentioned the book on the community blog but somehow I forgot about you guys. Andrew Britton’s 3^rd book has just been releases. It is call The Invisible and continues with CIA agent Ryan Keely from the first two books. If you haven’t read the first two, you can now pick them up in paperback. I thoroughly enjoyed them! You can check out the books at http://www.andrewbrittonbooks.com .

Sunday night I headed back over to Lennie’s to get a key from Eric and to take a look around at what I had to deal with. I didn’t think that Lennie owned that much but there is a lot of stuff in closets and drawers I just didn’t notice before. I came home and crashed on the couch and tried to pull a plan together. I was just too tired to come up with much. I need to be working on my costume for the Renaissance Fair and finishing my scrapbook. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. I think I might take myself out to dinner this week. I haven’t been out to eat since Mom and Anne were here and I have been really good about my diet. I deserve a treat.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

** some people emailed me to tell me that the comment link at the bottom of the entries wasn't working. It must have just been over the weekend because it seems to be working fine now. Let me know if the comment page still wont pop up for you. Thanks!

I am such a creature of habit. Being in law enforcement and having previous had a few stalkers I know that I should vary my routine, but having specific things I do every day make me feel comfortable. Messing up my routine makes me very grumpy.

My weekday morning routine is always that same. I get up, shower, walk Potter, make coffee, feed Potter, feed Merlin, do my yoga, check email, eat breakfast, get ready and leave for work

My work routine is always the same. When I get in I check my work email, I then pay any bills sitting on my desk and enter any purchase requests I might have. When that is done, I then catch up on everyone’s blog and write an update to my blog if I have one.

My lunch routine rarely ever changes unless when have a visiting VIP. But it usually works out that I go to Subway every Wednesday and order the exact same sandwich. Turkey and provolone on wheat with lettuce, black olives and mayo with sweet tea and 2 chocolate chip cookies. I have ordered this so much that they don’t even ask me anymore what I want. They see my car pull up and start making my sandwich. I actually get aggravated when they have someone new working behind the counter that doesn’t know my order by heart.

My afternoons are pretty much the same. I enter timesheets if they are due. Next I open the mail and pay any bills that have come it. Then I go and check on my eagle nests or patrol that dam. Then I come back and catch up on emails and phone calls/  

When I come home I walk Potter and then go to the gym (3 days a week). Mon, Tues, and Wed’s are TV free nights because there isn’t anything good on. This allows me to either work on my scrapbook, a sewing project or read. I walk Potter again and then I am in bed by 10.

Other things that are routine for me…or maybe it verges on the brink of being OCD related. You decide

I order pizza once a month. Usually around the 20^th. It is always a small with mushrooms, black olives, and sausage. I changed my order once and freaked out the delivery guy. When I answered the door he looked concerned and stated that the hot wings and breadsticks were not my typical order.

When I go downtown to the pub I park in the same place and get upset if someone has taken “my spot”.

When I go to a restaurant I will find one thing on the menu I like and I will always order that. For instance when I go to Firebirds I always get the blue cheese filet, loaded baked potato, and mixed green salad, At the Olive Garden I always get the stuffed Chicken Marsala,

At the Mall I always park by the same store no mater what store I need to go to. It doesn’t even matter if the store I want is on the other side of the mall. I will walk.

When I drive into West Virginia I must drive on the side of the road that goes right under the “Welcome to West Virginia” sign. I don’t really know why this is important but I it gives me a sense of well being for some reason.

Lennie often laughs at me because I don’t like change. He is concerned that since he has been gone I have developed a strict routine and that he will mess it up when he gets back. I laughed and told him he will just have to adjust.

I am curious…does anyone out there have an odd little thing they do often?

About 3 years ago I went out with this guy named Scott who works for the City of Raleigh. We had talked a couple of times when he would come out to the park and he seemed like a decent guy. Our first date ended up being out last. It was a cold rainy evening and he called to see if I wanted to go out. I informed him that I was in my PJ’s and wasn’t going anywhere. He then asked if he could grab a bottle of wine and come over to watch a movie. He showed up at my apartment later that evening wearing a blue polo, khaki pants and….white sneakers. Okay I will pause with the story for a second to explain to those who don’t already know that I have a strong dislike for men wearing white sneakers. Especially when they wear them with khaki pants. I know this is strange but in my mind I associate men in white sneakers to perverts, psychos and/or gropers. Two of the men in my past who ended up being stalkers wore white sneakers. I have talked to some other women about this and they have looked back at the men they have dated and agreed that there was something unusual about the men they went out with who wore white sneakers. I know not all men who wear white sneakers are pervs but in my mind it is just a turn off for me.

Okay so back to my story. When he walked in the door I just got a strange feeling. I thought maybe it was just my aversion to the white sneakers. I would find out later that it wasn’t. I opened the bottle of wine and poured us each a glass and then popped a movie into the DVD player (It was Hidalgo incase you wondered). I sat down on the couch and Scott grabbed a hold of my wine glass and took it from me setting it down on the coffee table. He then grabbed me and started to try to kiss me and then I felt his hand trying to go up my shirt. I pushed him away and asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. He said that he figured since he brought a bottle of wine that he should get something for his effort. I told him it was time for him to leave.

The next day he called to say that he had a great time and wanted to know if he could see me again. WHAT!?! A good date to this guy apparently meant that the girl kicked him out 10 minutes after he arrived. I rehashed the evening for him and told him that I wasn’t interested in seeing him again. He said he was sorry but that I was just too beautiful that he just couldn’t control himself. No I think it was more like you were horny and thought I was the type of girl you could get drunk and take advantage of. I am not that kind of girl. I told him again I wasn’t interested and hung up the phone. He tried to call back a few times but I didn’t answer the phone. I thought I would never hear from him again.

Well about a year later after I had broken up with this guy named Brent, Scott called to say he had heard through a friend that I was single again and wondered if I would give him another shot. He said we could take things slow if that is what I wanted. I informed him that I was in fact NOT single that I was been dating someone since the night Brent and I broke up.  He said maybe at the very least we could be friends. He said he knew that I walked out at Shelly Lake almost every night and maybe he could join me. I asked him how he knew I walked out there and he got quiet. I told him that I wasn’t interested in having any kid of relationship with him and was frankly freaked out that it appeared he was stalking me and hung up the phone. I didn’t hear from him again until last night.

I went out to the mall after work to get a few things and as I was heading out to my car I heard someone call my name. I turned to see Scott running towards me in the parking lot. He asked me how I was doing and that he hadn’t seen me in awhile. I told him that I moved about a year ago. He then made some idle chit chat the whole time I am trying to move closer to my car. He then asked me if I was seeing anyone and I said that no I was not dating some one when he cut me off and said, “Great let’s go grab some dinner.” He then told me that he has long thought I was the great girl who had gotten away and he thought about me often. I told him that he didn’t let me finish what I was saying. I told him that it is true that I wasn’t dating anyone but that I was in fact was now married. I could see his whole demeanor change from very happy to very angry. He asked if my husband was the guy I had met after Brent. I informed him that no Lennie and I met after that guy and had been dating about a year before we took the plunge. Scott’s face turned red and I turned to go to my car. He then started to yell at me that I hadn’t even given him a chance and wanted to know why. I told him that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression and he asked me what I meant by that. I rehashed the night at my apartment and he said he had apologized for that.  I said that it was something that I couldn’t get past and that I was with the person I was meant to be with. As I got into my car I heard him say, “You F*****G women are unbelievable!!!” And with that I drove away.

This morning I get the following email from him:

Rebecca,

I don’t know if this is still your email address. I guess we will see if I get this back. I just couldn’t get you out of my mind and what you said to me. I was so shocked by your news I wasn’t able to express to you how hurt I was. You know that I have liked you for a long time. I am sorry again about that night when you say I basically attacked you. I didn’t attack you I may have stretched some boundaries.  It was just when you opened that door and I saw how cute you looked I just couldn’t help myself. But I guess apologies are not enough for you. You have labeled me and there is no way I can change that. You said there were things about me that you just didn’t like well I have news for you sweetheart you are not perfect. You are not even close to being perfect. I was able to look past your faults I hope your husband knows what kind of women he married. You’re a tease who plays with hearts. I even offered you friendship and you through that back in my face. I guess you did me a favor. I hope you have a nice life. I am done with this game. You will not have me to run back to when your life crashes.

Scott

I don’t even know how to respond to that email. I won’t have him to run back to? I never ran to him in the first place. I guess my theory of men in white shoes still stands. LOL

Well it wasn’t an overly exciting weekend which is good. I needed some time to get things done. I didn’t accomplish everything but that is okay. I am thinking about taking off on Friday. I still have some name change stuff to do and I can’t get that done on the weekend.

I did step on the scale Friday and I have lost 2lbs.  Part of me was excited the other part of me was disappointed that it wasn’t more. But I didn’t gain all this weight in 2 weeks so it is going to take longer than 2 weeks to lose it. Only 18 more pounds to go. I am hoping I can keep myself motivated.

I looked back at what I eat and for the most part I am not an unhealthy eater. I RARELY eat fast food and usually that is an Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich. I don’t drink soda (haven’t for years) and I don’t eat a lot of white bread. I do have a few weaknesses like shortbread cookies and ice cream but I am trying to force myself to grab and apple or yogurt instead. When my mom was here she bought some Blue Bunny Banana Split Ice Cream which is my Favorite and it sits in the freezer mocking me. A smart person would through it in the trash but I kind of like having the temptation and feel proud of myself when I resist and eat something healthy instead.

Saturday I cleaned the house and then ran a few errands. I came home in the afternoon and grabbed Potter  to go to  the dog park. It was such a lovely afternoon. It was warm and sunny with a slight breeze. We stayed at the park for almost 2 hours Potter was having so much fun playing with a little boxer puppy, I just hated to break it up. At one point Potter went over to play with a black lab. They were getting along well and were not playing rough at all. They would run with each other and then stop and take turns knocking the other over and standing on them. Everyone thought it was cute except for the owner of the lab. Every time Potter would knock her dog down she would quickly run over to separate the two. She then started yelling at Potter to stay away and to stop picking on her dog. WTH!!! They are just playing. I walked over to get Potter and smiled and said that her dog wasn’t hurting Potter. They were just playing. She said, “That type of play isn’t appropriate!”  She then eluded to Potter being a tad aggressive. Potter aggressive? Are we talking about the same dog? He doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. I pulled him away got his attention on something else. Her dog attempted to play with two other dogs and she had the same reaction. I guess it just became too much for her in the end because she left quickly. She had everyone talking about how neurotic she was and how sorry we felt for the dog. People bring their dogs to the park to play with other dogs. It isn’t just so they can run around without a leash. Potter often gets playing with a dog and I normally just let him go I figure he will let me know he has had enough. The only time I will step in is if I see he is being ganged up on by several dogs.

Sunday morning I got up and went over to the gym. I didn’t do much…just the elliptical machine. I came home and grabbed a shower and was about to get ready to go out and do some shopping when Maria called and asked if Potter and I wanted to try the dog park downtown. I met up with Maria and Dempsey at 2PM and we headed to Oakwood. Maria took her dog to the small dog side and Potter of course went in with the big dogs. He seems to be freaked out by trees. He just can’t seem to get the lay of the land. He walked around a bit but no one really wanted to play with him. He then spotted Maria and Dempsey on the other side of the fence and demanded that they join us. Once Dempsey came over it seemed to give Potter the courage to explore more. We stayed about an hour or so until poor little Dempsey got sick. We headed back to Maria’s and let the dogs out in the back yard so they could run. Potter just loves to have open space. He and Dempsey chased the ball for awhile until I saw he was getting tired so I loaded him up and went home.

Don’t really have too much exciting planned for this week. Maria and Todd are having a St. Paddy’s Day Party on Saturday and I have been asked to make mini versions of my famous red, white and blueberry pie. So I guess I will have to start looking for the berries. .

Mood:  hungry

I rushed home last night so that I could change, walk Potter and get to my doctor’s appointment on time. If I missed this appointment I would have to wait till April. The appointment itself was quick but I had to wait 2 hours to get my prescription filled. I got home around 8PM and noticed that the house was a tad chilly. I went to increase the thermostat when I saw that it was set to 70 but read 63. I turned off the system and turned it back on but nothing happened. My heart sank. My HVAC repair guy is in Iraq, what the hell was I going to do?

I crawled up in the attic and looked at the big metal box in the middle of the room. After searching for a few minutes I found the pilot light and noticed it wasn’t lit. I also didn’t smell any gas coming out. Not wanting to mess with something I knew nothing about (my luck I would blow up the house) I called the gas company to see what they had to say. They had a man come and check to make sure the gas was indeed on. It was so he gave me the number of a guy he knows that might be able to help me. He was a really sweet Hispanic guy with a strange name I can’t remember. He worked on it for two hours and said that unfortunately he would need a part to fix it and he couldn’t get it till morning. The temps were suppose to dip into the 20’s last night so I moved all the animals into my room and set up a space heater I bought from Target just incase something like this happened.

The guy was supposed to call me this morning at work to let me know when he got to the house so that I could come and let him in. I haven’t heard from him yet. I am starting to get a little worried. I don’t want to have to go another night without heat.

Lennie called this morning and I told him the situation. I contemplated whether I should tell him about the heat becasue I knew he would worry but I had gotten on him for not telling me and his family things so I went ahead and told him. He feels helpless that he isn’t here to take care of it but I tried to reassure him that I was handling it and it would all be fixed…I hope.

Don’t have major plans for this weekend. It is suppose to be back up in the upper 60’s this weekend so it is likely I will spend a lot of time at the dog park with Potter. All I really want to do though is stay in my pj’s and lay on the couch. I have such bad cramps that I just want to curl up in a little ball and cry. I forgot to take my Midol this morning. *sigh*

***UPDATE Well the guy called and I went over to let him in. He was there 30 miutes and had it fixed. I did have to laugh though because for some reason Fenwick the cat decided he wasn't going to like the repair man today (he got along great with him yesterday). Fenwick hide under the kitchen table and growled and hissed at the poor man in the next room. At point point I noticed it got very queit. Then I hear this "Mrs. Thomson?" from the attic. Fenwick had moved to the bottom of the ladder and the repair guy was afraid to come down. Made me giggle that a gorwn man was afriad of my little kitty. Fenwick is much more of a guard dog and Potter is. Potter wanted to play and have the man pet him all day. Spolied puppy!!!!