Why Me?

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that I may or may not be on the computer for a day or two. I think I may have had a reaction to the antibiotic I'm on. I've never been on this one before and my right leg blew up...swollen, red, tight and in extreme pain. So I'm not sure if it is an allergic reaction or something else. My hubby is taking me to the ER because I will get a quicker response there. So just in case of anything...like you not seeing me for a day or two, I didn't want you to think I fell off the face of the earth.

I will keep in touch with Sue (Coffee Slut) and keep her posted just in case they decide to keep me. I'm sure they won't, but just in case.

Back At Work, High On Caffeine

Today I am feeling alot better! Thank God! I'm assuming the antibiotics are starting to work. Plus the 3hrs sleep I had is much better than the lack of sleep the two nights prior. That is with the Ambien sleeping pill. I fell asleep at 11pm and woke up at 1:07am. I stared at the walls until 5am. It is SO weird!

Today is also my first day back at work. I have to say, it is so weird being back. It actually felt like I never left. I just picked back up where I left off. I guess that is a good thing.

Tonight into tomorrow we are going to get some "change-over" weather. We may have ice or sleet or icy rain or snow? I feel like we a playing a card game "pick a weather pattern, any weather pattern." Anything to keep us guessing. Whatever the case may be, I'm sure I will be "white-knuckling" it all the way home.

I must show you all a present my in-laws got me for Christmas. It is the best invention since the wheel. Seriously folks. It is for serious coffee drinkers who don't mind not having a full pot of coffee. It is a single cup coffee maker. It is the Keurig B70 Platinum Elite coffee maker. On the left where is appears to be a blueish tinge. That is the water reservoir. It holds up to 60 ounces of water. You can choose the size cup you want. They have 4 settings - 5 1/2 oz, 7 1/2oz, 9 1/2 oz or a travel mug size 11 1/2oz. They even have an iced coffee setting. (I hear an echo...Hallelujah) See the metal bar, that lifts up, and you insert a "K-cup" which is an airtight cup that holds whatever flavor of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa anyone could want. There are 200 varieties!!! (You could see a few pictured on the right side) The most popular brand names are Green Mountain Coffee, Timothy's, Gloria Jean's, Newman's Own, Bellachino, Caribou, Tully's, and Diedrich. (To name a few off the top of my head) Did I mention that I'm in love with this machine? Just in case you were wondering. Does anyone have one or know someone that has one?

Image credit: Talkaboutcoffee.com

Update

WOW, what a day! Actually what a night last night. I had such high fevers. At one point, my fever was up to 103.5. I averaged 101.1 to 102.9 throughout the night. It finally broke about 12:30pm this afternoon. I wound up not going to work. My boss actually was very good about it. I guess since he laid me off for Christmas and New Year's week, he really didn't want to question me. Besides, this morning, I sounded like death warmed over so he knew I wasn't playing around.

I went to the doctor at 2pm. Well I should say 2:50pm by the time I was called. My hubby came with me because he was afraid for me to drive myself since I hadn't slept in 2 nights and my head felt like it was being tightened with a vice.

Diagnosis - Sinus infection with the beginning stages of bronchitis. He also said it could be a bit of the flu as well. But the way my lungs sounded (I'm asthmatic) he knew it was an infection. I left with a prescription for Avelox antibiotic and refills for my inhaler. He also wants me to take Mucinex-D over-the-counter. He also gave me Ambien CR so I could sleep. I've been having such trouble sleeping for the past month or so. Very weird.

Anyway, thank you all who posted comments and for your concern. You guys are awesome as always!!! I may take an Ambien & head off to bed. Hopefully I can sleep!!!

Sunday Stealing: The New Year Meme

You can play along here

1. Looking back on 2008, what might your theme song have been?
Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne. LOL!

2. If 2008 was a movie, who would play you?
I would like for Catherine Zeta-Jones to play me because she is SO pretty. We have the fact that we are brunette in common so it works for me.

3. What was your greatest gift of 2008?
That my cat Harley's test results all came back negative & that he is healthy thank God at 15yrs old. I also made new friends whom I cherish.

4. What is your New Year Resolution, or, what are you committing to this year?
I don't "do" resolutions.

5. If January could be represented by one song, what would it be?
I have no idea.....hoping for peace so "Imagine" ?

6. What do you wish for your body in 2009?
Less pain and more thinness

7. Name one new thing you would love to try in the New Year.
???

8. What do you long for 2009 to bring?
Happiness, good health, and stability for all my family, friends, and pets.

9. If that happened, how would you feel?
Nothing would make me happier

10. Where would you love to vacation in 2009 if money were no object?
Graceland (I mean really, did ya have to ask?)

11. What would you like the theme of 2009 to be?
Happiness, Contentment, and Peace

12. If 2009 was a book, and the title was 5 words or less, what might the title be?
Another Year, Another Try

Saturday 9: Dying To Know

You can play along here

1. What do you believe happens when we die?
I believe our soul goes to either Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. (I was raised Catholic)

2. Do you consider yourself religious?
Yes

3. Do you believe in ghosts?
I'd like to say no because the thought of them kinda scare me.

4. Do you believe that people live on other planets?
No

5. Have you ever seen something abnormal?
No

6. Do you believe in reincarnation?
No

7. Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
No, but I have had them happen around me like the births of my nephews & nieces, people getting healed from diseases, etc. Those are miracles to me.

8. Is there a person living or dead that influences your philosophies?
Jesus

9. Is there a work of fiction that closely matches your spiritual beliefs?
Oh No!! Not another book question...LOL! No, there isn't a fiction book that matches my beliefs and in case you were wondering, there isn't a book that has changed my life either...(Regulars will get that...LOL)

I Got Sucked Right In

I did it again! Yesterday I got sucked right into it. The "Rocky" Marathon on AMC. I don't know how it happened. It just did. Actually, it was my hubby's fault. He was channel surfing and I was getting tired of it because the way men do it is SO annoying. They go by the channels so fast that you barely have time to see what is on. I tried hard to focus during each click so I could find something I may want to watch.

And there they were.

Rocky and Adrian in the pet store. I screamed STOP! to my hubby so he would stop pushing that damn button. He knew what would happen so he quickly went past the channel. I then had to threaten his life. He knew it was inevitable so he sighed and put the channel back on. What normally happens - happened. I got sucked right in.

I don't know what it is, but I love the Rocky movies. I'm not sure if it is the boyish innocence of Rocky in the first two movies or the accent or even the Italian thing. I just adore Rocky Balboa.

In Rocky (one) I love the courtship between Rocky and Adrian. They didn't have any money but were rich in so many other ways. I thought it was so funny how she hid behind the door on their first date and Rocky was talking to her through the door. How he would say "It's me, Rocky." I love how he took her ice skating and jogged by her side on the ice. When they got back to his apartment I drooled when he took his sweater off and held his hands up on the bar in his apartment wearing that white tank top. Holy Moly. The white tank top, the black jeans, the muscles - I don't know what it is but man I loved that part. Rocky just had this boyish innocence about him. I can't explain it. Some might call him being dumb, but I think he was just being him. If that makes sense.

Examples:
"I just want to say hi to my girlfriend, OK? Yo, Adrian! It's me, Rocky."
"Yeah, that's me when I was eight years old, that's the Italian Stallion when he was a baby."
"I wanna kiss ya-ya don't have to kiss me back if ya don't feel like it."
"I think we make a real sharp couple of coconuts - I'm dumb, you're shy, whaddaya think, huh?"

In Rocky 2, I thought it was so cute how Rocky proposed to Adrian. "I was wonderin' if, uh, you wouldn't mind marryin' me very much." Then after the wedding how he carried her all the way home to his apartment. "If I knew you was this light, I'd have carried you everywhere." Being the mush that I am, I got emotionally involved. For example, I was pissed at Adrian when she wouldn't support him. I cried along side Rocky when Adrian is in the coma and Mickey waits the entire time with him. My heart broke as he read to her and would fall asleep holding her hand leaning on the bed. I thought it was bittersweet how he wanted to wait to see his son for the first time so they "could see him together." I'm throwing my fist in the air when Adrian says "I want you to win" after she comes out of the coma. How he kept telling her "you done good Adrian, you did all the work," after they saw their son for the first time.

I have to say that the first two Rockys are my favorite.

Now onto my third favorite Rocky and this may be a shock to alot of people. I absolutely loved Rocky Balboa (#6) . That movie really was excellent. I cried for maybe the entire movie. All I will say is this. When Rocky promised he would love Adrian forever, he really meant it. I won't give it away if any of you haven't seen it and plan to, I don't want to ruin it. It really is worth the view. My opinion of course. Has anyone seen it or does anyone else out there share my love for Rocky Balboa??

The good news for my husband was I shut the TV off after Rocky 2. I wasn't in the mood for Mr.T or that mean Russian man. I was happy seeing my two favorites.

Happy New Year 2009!!!

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope everyone had a nice time last night.

We stayed in where it was nice and warm. We watched FOX last night because David Cook was performing along with Daughtry and Scott Weiland. Also Robbie Knievel was doing a motorcycle jump over The Mirage's Volcano pit. Normally we watch Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve but forgive me...I just can't put up with Ryan Seacrest anymore. (Sorry Beej!!) It is bad enough I have to deal with him during American Idol, I can't watch him on New Year's Eve too. He is everywhere these days!

Today my hubby actually has off of work so we are going to get to spend the day together.

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Years Day. I also wish only the best of health, happiness and love to all of you in 2009.

New Year's Eve

This completes a full 5 months of posting everyday and 10 full months of blogging. Holy Moly. Do I have alot to say? Ok, don't answer that.

I cannot believe that today is New Year's Eve. This year went by so fast. I didn't know any of you this time last year. Now I feel like I can call so many of you friend. I think that is awesome how the blogosphere can bring so many people together. We've shared a year together filled with good and bad, trials and triumph.

As for this evening, we are staying put. We got a bunch of hors d'eouvres and a bottle of Baileys (love it iced) and we are going to stay in where it is nice and warm. Everybody always asks me why I don't go to Times Square when I live so close. My answer is I don't want to freeze my butt off. I had pneumonia once in my life and never want to repeat that again, especially being asthmatic. It was not a fun experience.

May 2009 bring all of us good health, happiness, security, peace, friendship, and most importantly - love.

Thank you to all my blogging friends for sharing on my journey through most of 2008. I look forward to sharing 2009 right along with you .

Double Yeah!

I've had such a wonderful day! I have double good news! I FINALLY got through to unemployment AND I got my final exam results back already - 100% !!! I am SO incredibly happy right now.

Last night I worked on my final exam for 4 hours. The hard work paid off. I got my results back and I aced it. I can't even believe it.

Today, thank God I went up to my in-laws to use their landline since all we have are cell phones. I've literally exhausted all my cell minutes until Jan 12th! Can you believe that? I can only use it nights and weekends. Grrrr!

I lucked out with one of my phone calls. I knew something was different when they answered. The on-hold music was different and the messages that was in between the prompts was different. I tried for two hours straight before I got through. Then when I got through they said my hold time was "approximately" 20 minutes. Well, try almost 2 more hours!!! If I had used my cell it would have cost me "approximately" a million dollars in overage charges. When the man answered I LITERALLY said to him "God bless you and keep you safe, I am so glad to talk to you." He started to laugh and was SO nice to me. I couldn't go off on him for how RIDICULOUS the system is because he already knew. The only comment I made to him was "How many people do you have working with you?" and he replied, "Not nearly enough!" I couldn't holler at him because it wasn't his fault, he probably is very frustrated. He liked me so much after I God blessed him that he worked my whole claim through and said he is sending out my first check already! The second week I have to claim on January 14th. The sad part is that at that point I will be back to work two weeks already. Funny how this system works huh?

I really feel so sorry for the people who are laid off permanently and cannot still get through. I'm SO thankful I got through. He was happy I had a recall date of Jan 5th to go back to work. He said the majority of all his calls are for people permanently laid off. How very sad. Hopefully in 2009 things will change with Obama taking office. It has to be better than this. Right?

I STAND CORRECTED :) - LOL!
"If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done." ~ Bud Weiser

Monday Hello

Today was another unsuccessful attempt at getting through to unemployment. I was told that the volume is so high that they are going by social security numbers. By the last digit of mine, I was told to call back tomorrow.

Promising? No.

The same thing was said to me last Monday. To no avail, I couldn't get through last Tuesday. I'm praying I will be able to get through tomorrow. We shall see. I cannot believe the trouble I am having just to collect for two weeks. I feel SO sorry for those who are permanently laid-off that cannot get through. The system is horrible. I'm crossing my fingers. I think I should do a novena to St. Joseph. He is the patron saint of workers. I'm grasping at straws here.

Let's see, today I actually left the house. This evening my hubby and I went to pick up Harley's prescription vet food. After that we went to Chilis for dinner. Our friends gave us a gift card for Christmas so it was nice to have dinner almost for free. Right now, that is a good thing.

Tonight I am going to try to end my procrastinating ways. I really need to do my final exam for my writing class I am taking. It is due Friday. I've had it over a week already. I really am such a procrastinator. I need to work on that. Maybe in the coming year.

"If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done." ~Author Unknown

Sunday Stealing: The TV Meme

You can play here

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
The Odd Couple

2. Name a show you can't miss:
LOST

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
Josh Holloway who plays "Sawyer" on LOST

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Charlie Sheen

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from:
LOST or The Odd Couple

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:
Anna Nicole Smith Show (RIP!)

7. Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:
The Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, Diff'rent Strokes, All In The Family

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
LOST of course

9. Name a TV series you own:
It is probably easier to list one I don't own. I don't watch regular TV anymore besides Lost, American Idol and now Secret Millionaire. DVD's I own of TV series are The Odd Couple, King of Queens, Facts of Life, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Silver Spoons, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Partridge Family, Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, Golden Girls, Roseanne, Sanford & Son, and of course all 4 seasons of LOST.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:
Will Smith


11. What is your favorite episode of your favorite series?
LOST - Any Hurley-centric episode. Hurley rocks. Here is one of my favorite scenes when Hurley sings to baby Aaron. "Dude, that's all I got" - funny as hell, worth the view (52 seconds)

Odd Couple - When Felix went to court and said the phrase below (17 seconds only):


12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet:
Brothers & Sisters

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
Can't think of one now.

14. Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:
Little House on The Prairie & Secret Millionaire

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?
Anything...mostly dinner (I know, it is SO bad but we do it all the time)

16. How often do you watch TV?
The only new shows I watch are LOST and American Idol. I also just watched the six episode series of Secret Millionaire. Other than that, we watch series DVDs.

17. What's the last TV show you watched?
The series DVD of "The Magic Garden". When I was a child, this show was on TV in the NJ/NY/CT tri-state area. They don't make children's shows like this anymore. My hubby just bought me the DVD they put out. It is sad to say they only have a few episodes of the show because the TV station caught fire and their masters were lost in the fire. The shows they have are courtesy of fans and their own collection. They only managed to save 10 episodes which is SO sad. Have any of you ever seen this show? I LOVED it SOOOOOOOOO much. I got to meet Carole & Paula (the hosts) about 5 years ago and I was in my glory. They were amazing. They gave a concert and it was a bunch of people in their 30s and 40s singing along with them and their own kids looking at us all like we were nuts. Too funny. Below I'll post a clip to see if you all remember this or have seen it.

When I was a kid, I wanted to go live in the Magic Garden. They never said my name during the Hello song, but they rectified that when I met them 5yrs ago. LOL! They screamed it in the middle of the mall that they did a concert in. Too funny!

18. What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV?
Comedy/sitcom

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
The Magic Garden when I was a kid. I also loved Sesame Street and Mister Rogers. Then came the crush on Fonzie. (Yes, I loved the Fonz..LOL)

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?
The Bachelor

21. What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?
Anna Nicole Smith show & The Osbournes

22. What TV show scared you the most?
The Twilight Zone & The Hitchiker

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
The Odd Couple

Saturday 9: Crazy Sam's Last Meme of 2008

You can play here

1. What was the best thing that happened to you personally in 2008?

Alot of different things happened that were good. Having Harley's test results come back negative for any type of illnesses was a great thing. Meeting all of my bloggy friends this past year has been a blessing.


2. What was the worst thing that happened to you personally in 2008?

When Harley got sick and we didn't know what was wrong with him. Also, it isn't me personally, but my sister not feeling well this year has made me very sad. I hate to see anyone I love suffer. I feel helpless because there is nothing that I can do for her besides be there for her. Also, being laid off for two weeks during Christmas & New Years was kinda sucky..especially being told 4 days before. But I won't go there again. LOL

3. What was the best thing to happen to all of us in 2008?

An election that promises that George W. Bush won't be our President for too much longer.

4. What was the worst thing to happen to all of us in 2008?

The economy crisis I think has affected all of us.

5. What was the best gift you received during the ’08 holidays?

Alot of wonderful things from DVDs of the shows that I love like LOST, Family Guy, According to Jim, and a show that people in the tri-state area know about...The Magic Garden. Has anyone ever heard of the show or seen it? It was on in the 1970s. Other gifts that I loved that I received was an Elvis travel mug and a beautiful angel holding a cat Willow Tree Angel statue entitled "I Love Our Friendship", from Sue (plus other beautiful gifts).


6. What was the best gift (most appropriate or best received) you gave during the ’08 holidays?

The most appropriate gift I gave was to my friend (and nail lady) Joyce. The backstory is that she is a born again Christian who lives a chaotic life. She is overwhelmed because she works 2 jobs, does alot of volunteering for her church and takes care of her kids and house while her husband is away on business 3 weeks out of a month. She loves to read the Bible in what little spare time she has. So I found her a bible study book on Amazon (God I love that store) called "The Frazzled Female: Finding God's Peace In Your Daily Chaos".

7. Do you have any regrets about what you did in 2008?

No I don't like to live with regrets. I feel everything happens for a reason.

8. Do you have any regrets about what you didn’t do in 2008?

See #7

9. Did you meet anyone that became important to you in 2008?

Yes, I sure did. I made alot of wonderful friendships this year through blogging. All of my regular readers that I correspond through blogland with are very dear to me. But, I have formed a very special friendship outside blogland with Sue. God knew I needed to find a friend like her! She is such a blessing to me, she is an angel of a friend. I am so very thankful for our friendship. You all can't imagine how alike we really are! She has a heart of gold, a love for family and a love for animals. I wish we lived a little closer. Luckily we aren't that far away. So meeting her was very special for my 2008 for sure.

I also adore Scriber! Shout out to you my friend. Thank you for your friendship and all the encouragement you give me with my writing. You are hysterical!!

Blogland people are the best! Bud, you are awesome, hysterical & and such a nice guy! They broke the mold with you my friend! Meeting you is definitely a highlight of my 2008. Debbie you are SO funny..may 2009 be f-tard free! Beej you are love, there is no other word to describe you! Gavin, you are SO funny. I love your honesty especially in your "open letter to" posts! Linda my dear, you are a sister in Christ and you started me on this journey. Brenda thank you for all your wonderful inspiring posts. Steph, you are a sweetheart and you are going to be a wonderful Mom to Skylar! Lyn, you are SOOO funny - thanks for all the great posts and making me laugh...and encouraging me with my writing. Ballerina Girl (one day hopefully I can call you by your real name LOL) - Thank you for all the wonderful posts and the light you always leave as comments! NurseExec - you are so funny girl. I love your honesty. Tab - Thank you for all your beautiful writings and your encouragement for my writing. You are SO talented! Ashley, you are a sweetheart..thank you for all your inspiring posts and for helping me find my sponsor child Juan. Amber - thank you so much for all the beautiful comments. Marina - you are a sweetheart and thank you for all the concern you've shown this past year. Berleen and Kimber, you two are so funny...hopefully you guys will get to meet soon! Lisa, you are SO twisted..LOL and so funny!! Keep it up girl! If I left anyone out, I am SO sorry...it wasn't intentional..it was the fact that it is before 7am on a Saturday that did it.

Happy Friday To All

I can't believe Christmas is over. I hate to say it, but I am glad. Christmas is always a sad time for me because it makes me miss my mother even more. She will be dead 18yrs come this May, but is just never gets easier. It is strange to me because she was only alive for 18yrs of my life and now in May she will be gone as many. Weird.

Anyway, onto brighter, more happy things. Above is a picture of my Harley on Christmas. He was a ham for the camera this year. My hubby and I had a very nice day at home. It was just us & Harley. Christmas Eve we went to his parents. Again, very nice.
The above picture is Harley sleeping on top of one of the three toy mice he received. He loved them so much. He looked so comfortable. He sleeps every night on top of that blanket that Auntie Dianne got him. (thank you again!!) Sue, he is is still loving that toy you got him and that cat mat..I think he is still stoned from it. He is high on catnip. LOL! Thank you again SO much!

The above picture I had to show you all. I think I may have mentioned that Harley sleeps "in a ball". This is what I'm talking about. How cute is this. He has one nostril exposed. I always worry about him breathing OK when he is in this position. I'm sure if he couldn't breathe he would adjust himself, but I'm still a worry-wart.

Jenny came over on Christmas Eve to visit us. I took a better picture of her tattoo. The other one was with a camera phone. Isn't it beautiful? I just want to share with everyone...this is Jenny's calf (the middle of it no less)! I told her she may have the skinniest legs I've ever seen.

The above is her hand with a Kanji Japanese symbol for STRENGTH. My sister is the strongest person I know so this tattoo is perfect for her.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

That is all for my pictures. I just wanted to share a little bit of the past few days with you all. Nothing new to report. I still have not gotten in touch with NJ Unemployment. I can't even believe it. A whole week I've been laid off. Thank God this is only for two weeks. I can't even imagine if it was a permanent lay-off. I feel SO sorry for the people who are permanently laid off & cannot reach unemployment. It is very sad that our government is like this. Our Governor sucks. The end of his term can't come soon enough.

OK, on that note, I will close this post. I apologize for my little tangent, but I get so frustrated just thinking about it. Like I said in a previous post. It is what it is. I will make the best of it. Everyone, have a wonderful Friday!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

The above video is Harley's reactions to one of his toys that he got for Christmas. He LOVED it as you will be able to tell. He definitely was spoiled this year as was his Mommy. My hubby went overboard as usual. We had a very nice day today. Last night was very nice at my in-laws as well.

I hope that you all are enjoying Christmas for those of you who celebrate the holiday. Know that I'm thinking of all of my bloggy friends & hoping you all are making special memories!! Enjoy your evening everyone!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!! I can't believe it is here so fast. Tonight we are going to my in-laws once my hubby gets home from work. Earlier in the morning we had an ice storm. Alot of the roads were closed too. Later it is supposed to be somewhere around 50 degrees. How bizarre huh? I'm praying that it melts some of this ice we have built up from each of the storms that we had. We didn't have any warm weather to melt any of it and it just keep getting packed down on top of the last one.

To my friends who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a wonderful & peaceful Christmas Eve.

Finally Done Plus A Tiny Rant

Having off does have its advantages. I got all my presents wrapped today for my hubby, my family & my in-laws. I don't want to look at another package. I'm so glad it is done, everything is sorted. Now, to enjoy the holiday for what it really is all about. Getting together with family and friends.

Today was my hubby's normal day off. He went out to do some errands for his Mom and during that time, I got the wrapping done AND did one of my assignments. I feel so good to get it done because it was an important one. I had to submit 1000 words of "long form" story in three different points of view - first person, third person limited, and omniscient. Both the teacher and I agreed the story is best told in the first person. Actually, that is how I write most comfortably. So it felt good to get that observation from him as well.

Tomorrow we will be going up to my in-laws once my hubby comes home from work. In the daytime Jenny is going to come here for awhile for a visit and let me use her cell to call unemployment because I still haven't gotten through. I've been trying for 3 days now and have pretty much exhausted my cell minutes. We do not have a landline. This is just to do a two week claim.

I am SO thankful that I have a recall date for my job. Worse case scenario, once I go back to work I will call from there since he is the one that put me in this predicament. I don't care if it takes me all damn day. If on January 5th when I go back to work and I haven't reached them, that is what I'm going to do. It is so sad how many people that haven't worked in months are still trying to get through. What a pathetic system NJ has. People aren't able to pay their mortgages/rents/utilities. The newspapers reported people trying to get through to file their claims for two months! What happens is this, you go through 8 minutes worth of prompts with information you have to enter. (I.E. your social security number, phone info, zip code and all this other information) Then after 8 minutes, it says "please hold and a representative will be with you." Then you hear horrible on hold music. Two minutes later, a recording comes on and says "We're sorry, due to the high number of calls, we cannot take your call right now, please try your call again later." So in turn 10 minutes gone each time. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it is. I want to scream. I want to throw things. I want to cry. What we have is three numbers to call to file a claim for the entire state. We can do it online, but there is something wrong with it and has some sort of glitch. No one fixes it. There isn't a number to call or an email address for someone to help.

We have the worst Governor right now in NJ's history. His approval rating is a disgrace. He raises taxes, raised our state tax from 6% to 7%, and raised our tolls on our highways. They will gradually go up too in increments over the next 5 years. So it will only get worse. You know what that is for - to build another tunnel or bridge to connect NJ with Manhattan. Something I never use. Our state also has a 6% unemployment rate. It is a disgrace. I don't know how John Corzine sleeps at night.

My Very Favorite Christmas Song

No matter what kind of mood someone is in, this song can always brighten up someone's day. If you guys haven't heard this, please listen all the way through so you can see how happy it makes you! Let me know what you think.

Picture Sunday & Nominations!!

The above picture was taken yesterday before I left to go out with my sister. I put the blanket that was a present from Auntie Dianne (Sue's sister) on him for Christmas. Harley sleeps on top of it every night. He usually doesn't like to be covered so I grabbed the cell phone to take the picture of him under the blanket. He kept it on him for about 10 minutes!
This is a picture of Harley playing with a toy that his Auntie Sue bought for him. He is in LOVE with this toy, as you can tell by the photo!! Too cute for words. Here is a picture of another present from Auntie Sue. Harley got stoned on this catnip filled pad. He was hysterically funny. The whole thing was saturated because he kept licking it. LOL!

THANK YOU AUNTIE SUE & DIANNE!!!

This is a picture of ONE of the tattoos my sister Jenny got yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? Jed (our tattoo artist) is amazing. The other tattoo she got was a Kanji Japanese symbol for strength on her hand. It came out great. I didn't get a photo of it because he put the bandage over it too quick. This is what it looks like though.

Now for the NOMINATIONS portion. Ladies & Gentlemen, I have been graciously nominated for this coming year's 2009 Blogger Choice Awards!! I was nominated in two categories

• The Blogitzer (for writing)
• Best Blog About Stuff

Thank you so much to my friend Scriber over at Scriber's Web for the nominations. I am both honored and humbled by them. Thank you.

If anyone would like to vote for me, you can click on the links on the top right of my sidebar under the followers. Both categories are up there. I thank you in advance if you do it.

Saturday 9: Holiday Cheer

You can play here

1. Does the holiday season stress you out? If yes, how do you cope?
Not really. I just go with the flow. I try to start my shopping early.

2. Are you ever so busy in December that you have to force yourself to chill?
No

3. Do you sleep well at this time of year?
I don't sleep well anytime of the year. Seriously.

4. Have you ever taken a sleigh ride? If yes, tell us about it.
No

5. Do you live close to the parts of your family you spend the holidays with?
Luckily everyone lives within 25 miles or so

6. What will you have for Christmas dinner?
Chinese food

7. Do you diet after the holidays?
Nope

8. What’s the best part of the season for you?
Spending time with family and friends

9. How many generations of your family get together during the holidays?
Two generations.

It Is What It Is

Today began my first day of what I will call a "forced vacation". The true terminology is seasonal layoff. Part of my bad day on Monday was being told I will be laid off for two weeks: the week of Christmas and the Week of New Years. I've had many mixed emotions. Many include and are in no particular order: anger, frustration, bitterness, worry and hurt. But I've now accepted it and am thankful that it is just a seasonal layoff. I have a restart date of January 5, 2009. I am still employed. Some hundreds Thousands are not as fortunate. So I really am trying to accept this as an "it is what it is" situation. Will it be tough not to have a paycheck coming in for two straight weeks right over the holidays? Yes. Will I be able to get unemployment? Yes. That is if I could get them on the phone. Their lines have been busy ALL day long. I imagine there are SO many people in my similar situation so that is why I'm not going to flip out about it. The only thing is I will probably not see a check until the end of January. So will it be hard? Yes.

This too shall pass.