Is it just me........

Is it just me is little thing that Miss Hallie does where we blurt out all of those things that come to our minds and we wonder if anyone else thinks the same way. Make sure you go over and see who else has taken off their filters this week.

Is it just me or is slipping into a bed with fresh sheets a glorious thing? I swear I get the best sleep on that first night of clean sheets. I love being enveloped in the crispness.

Is it just me or does it make you cringe a little bit when you hear about someone taking advantage of the system? My co-worker mentioned yesterday that her son's family was on welfare now because they just had a new baby. Mom quit her full-time job and is not going back to work. She is healthy, the baby is healthy but she wants to stay home. I understand that but she can't afford to. She had a well paying job teaching at a college. What about the rest of us who want to stay home but we get up every day and go to a job we may hate just to pay the bills? I know someone else who is a single mother. Her ex-husband set aside enough money to pay for college for their son. She just decided to file for financial aid for him even though it isn't really needed. However, her income is low and because Dad isn't the primary caregiver, his income doesn't really count. She will get money that she really doesn't need. None of this is illegal but it does make me cringe. Anyone else feel the same way? I just think that there is only so much money to go around so the people who really need it are getting less than they should be.

Is it just me or does the weather report saying that the weather is going to be really nice in a few days make you almost giddy? March in Maine has been the rainiest on history but they are saying we will have 70 degree weather on Friday. Yee Haw!

Is it just me or is it time to dash? Here is to Hallie the magnificant!

Twofer Tuesday

Last night, I braved the driving rain and strong winds to head north to Portland. A little (really a lot!) of rain wasn't going to keep me from Girl's Night Out! Really, I have my priorities in order, thank you very much. So, I am pleased to report another Mary Ellen sighting. She showed up - a little late and a little soggy - but in the flesh! She looks absolutely MARVELOUS! She is still very busy but happy. We, plus our other friend Judy, spent the evening talking and eating and talking and teasing and talking. Did I mention that we talked? As always, the years since the days in Androscoggin Hall at the good ole University of Maine just faded away and it was like we were back there again. Back then, we discussed boys and homework and boys and family. Nowadays, we discuss boys (our sons, husbands, ex-husbands and new friends) and family and, yes, health issues. OK. A few things have changed but not everything. I am so lucky to have these wonderful, loving, caring women in my life. I can't wait until Girls' Weekend Away. Stay tuned!

Yesterday, I got a check-in phone call from my son who informed me that the paperwork for class scheduling came out. He informed me that he had questions that he would like my imput on but also reminded me "that the final decision was his". I guess he told me! His big quandry is how to fit in everything he wants to take with everything he needs to take along with taking advantage of the opportunity to "teacher assist" (TA) in the AP Calc class next year. During my long car ride to Portland, I was able to ponder the question and came up with a potential solution. I gave it to him when I got home and got a "hey, that's a good idea!" My response was "really?!?". Is it possible that Mom knows something afterall? I do find it funny that last fall his AP Calc teacher mentioned him assisting her his junior or senior year but she was adament that he be a TA in a calss of younger students. She felt that would be easier for Evan. How times have changed. She is now strongly encouraging him (ie - she went to guidance and got the signoff for it!) to TA the AP Calc class next year. The students will all be a year older than my son. However, she has figured out that he can hold his own. He is excited about the opportunity and I think it will be a great way to reinforce the knowlegde he got this year. He will also be doing the next AP Calc B/C class online. Yup. Another busy year.

That's it for today. Have a great one!

Friday Fragments

It is time for another session of Friday Fragments. FF is where we take all of the bits and pieces of information floating around and use them all. It is like when you clean out all of the leftovers in the refrigerator and assemble them all into a casserole. Make sure you check out Mrs 4444 who is the head chef in this party and all of the other cooks.

I have been a fan of Survivor since the first season. I was excited to see that Boston Rob - one of my favorite all time players - was returning for another season. While he is a snake, I love how he plays the game. This season, I have been particularly impressed with his game play - both physical and mental. I will confess that I searched for spoilers and was very upset to see that Rob was booted fairly early. Each week, I watched in dismay as the player "voted off of the island" followed what the spoiler said. On Wednesday evening, I sat down with some hesitation to watch this week's episode as Rob was on the list to be eliminated. However, THE SPOILER LIST WAS WRONG!!! Boston Rob won individual immunity and remains to play another day. YEAH! Furthermore, the two players voted out (in a rare double elimination) were much further along the list so it throws the entire boot list in question. Perhaps Rob will go further - and perhaps Russell will get elimiated soon!

My son was stage manager for his high school's competition one act play. For the first time since 1986, they qualified for the state competition. The week before states, my son was out sick on day. He soldiered on and went back to school even though he was very tired. He didn't want to miss rehearsal or the play. They were out late Friday night and left our town at 9:00 am Saturday morning. They spent the day at the competition and didn't return until 1:00 am Sunday morning. The school has a tradition of going out to iHOP after competition so they headed over. Unfortunately, because he was so wiped out, he ended up getting sick. I received a phone call from his friend to let me know. Come to find out, my son asked him to call. I think he wanted to make sure that I would be up when he got home. I was and stayed up with him for another hour until he was feeling a little better. Moral of the story: Even at 15, when you are sick, you still want your Mom.

Another woman has come out saying she had an affair with Jesse James. John Edwards' mistress has granted an interview about their relationship. As disgusted with the men involved (including Tiger), I am equally disgusted with the women. They knew these men were married. It takes two to tango as they say. I was particularly dismayed that John Edwards' mistress took the shots at Elizabeth. Beyond the fact that Elizabeth has terminal cancer, there is a child involved. Their children are half siblings. What message is she sending to her daughter who will find the article when she is older? What a lack of class.

The weather here in Maine has been very strange. It was in the 70s last Saturday and is supposed to be in the 30s tomorrow. It is hard to know how to dress each day!

Here's to Friday Fragments and Mrs. 4444!

Monday Morning Musings - small town edition

Boy, I just love living in a small town and here is why:

Last Friday when I was at work, I received a call from my Credit Union. I had dropped my ATM card in the parking lot. Someone had found it and turned it into the town hall close to my office. The people in the town hall called the credit union who checked my file to find out where I worked and called to let me know. I had it back before I even realized it was missing. How cool is that?

We have had several bad wind storms the past month. One caused multiple roads to be closed and many branches in the road. In my journey to work, I drove over a branch at got it stuck under my car. That night, on the way home from work, I decided to stop in at the local coffee shop to see if I could pick up a few goodies for the next morning. I parked my car and went to the back to see what the unholy racket was to discover the branch. Since the parking lot was muddy and wet, I decided to wait until I got home to have my husband remove it. Before I could even walk back around my car, the coffee shop owner's husband was outside asking me if I was having car trouble. I explained that I had a small branch stuck and the next thing I knew, he was lying on the wet parking lot removing it for me.

Of course, it does go both ways. One of the other coffee shop owners lives a very short distance from us. He mentioned - in passing - that he was bummed he had traded in his truck because he had something to take to the dump. The next time my husband went, he stopped by and picked up the item and took it for him. Just so you know, we didn't know these people until they opened the coffee shop. It is just what we do in our small little town. Neighbors help neighbors.

Here's to small town life!

Fragments for Friday

On Fridays, the wonderful, the all-in-one-piece Mrs. 4444 invites us all to join in with her and celebrate the coming weekend by clearing our minds out of the little bits and pieces of this and that. It is sort of a spring cleaning on a weekly basis. Make sure you check out her amazing blog and all of the blogs of everyone else who is joining in.

Our school department had a band concert this week. Grades 5-12 participated. We enjoyed music selection from the beginners band (with lots of eekks and squeaks) and ended with a standing-ovation evoking performance by the high school band. In addition, a local wind ensemble played a couple of songs and then joined with the 7-8 and high school bands for a joint song. What a great time! I, unfortunately, didn't get to really enjoy most of the performances because I was manning the music boosters bake sale table. It was oh, so fun. Well, not totally bad but I don't understand why some parents go to concerts and allow their younger children to RUN WILD. The parents were in the gym enjoying the music while 4, 5 and 6 year old kids were running around, out of their sight, yelling, hooting and hollowing, sliding down the wheelchair ramp, playing in the elevator, etc. The parents had no idea what these kids were up to. The high school principal had to leave the concert to make sure they didn't get hurt or didn't hurt anything.

Other kids were sent to the bake sale table with money clutched tight in their fists. One woman gave her two kids $5. each to spend on cookies, cupcakes etc. One first grader was determined to spend all $5. I was certainly happy he wasn't going home with me that night. He must have been bouncing off of the ceiling with a sugar rush.

We sell the baked goods by "donation". This means we don't set a price. In most cases, this works out fine but we did have two middle school girls who were taking advantage of the situation. To make it worse, they were trying to be sneaky about it. We had decided to shut them off the next time they came up but they must have figured it out (or must have figured out that 10 things each was enough!) because they ended up staying away.

We held a raffle that brought in over $8000. The nice thing was that staff members won 3 of the approximately 10 prizes. That made me smile because you know they get hit up for every fundraiser.

The weather these past few days has been glorious and tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer. I went to a play last night and was walking around at 10:00pm with out a jacket in a short sleeved shirt. This is not typical for March in Maine. I have to say, however, that I am loving it. Of course, if Old Man Winter decides to descend again, I am going to be crushed. I try to tell myself that this won't last but I really want spring to be here.

My son worked on his eagle project yesterday. Yeah - the first step! I didn't get to really discuss it with him but he is heading in the right direction.

That is all I have for today. Thanks, Mrs. 4444 - I feel a lot better.

Here's to Friday Fragments.

Is it just me........

On Wednesdays, I follow the leader and join in with Hallie on something she calls "Is it just me...?" where we throw the filters out the window and post those thoughts where we wonder if everyone or even if anyone thinks the same strange thoughts that we think. Why do I do this you ask? Because Hallie has been on a diet and I don't want to cross her! No, just kiddin', Hallie. Because it is fun! Isn't that what this is all about? Interjecting some fun into our mundane lives?

Is it just me or has anyone else had a hard time motivating themselves lately? I don't know if it is the post-vacation let-down or the yucky weather of the past week or the time change but I just can't seem to get out of my own way. I have thought about blogging but usually can't get myself motivated to put even a few words together. The weather yesterday was nice and the forecast is great for the rest of the week so hopefully I can get myself going.

Is it just me or does it seem like everything happens at once? Between concerts, meetings, karate, more meetings, fundraisers, even more meetings, I haven't had even a few seconds to myself since I got back from vacation. Somehow, that is probably related to the item above.

Is it just me or do you find the reality tv spoilers like a car wreck on the highway? I don't want to look but I can't stop myself. If the Survivor spoilers are true, I am going to be very upset with 1) who is voted off next and 2) who the final three are.

Is it just me but do you hate being suspicious about a co-worker's motivation? My evil co-worker is taking Thursday and Friday off this week (so she can recover from today's St. Patty's day activities) and she started coughing and complaining about 2:30 yesterday that she "didn't feel well". Yup, I predict that she is calling in sick today so she gets three days off for the price of two vacation days. This is the same woman who took off "bereavement" days when her mother passed away. Instead of having a funeral, they went to Foxwoods and gambled.

Is it just me or is it time to go to work? Have a great day everyone and I will try to be back soon - and in a better mood!

Thankful Thursday returns

On Thursdays, I take a moment to reflect on all of the positive things in my life and I invite you all to do the same. On those weeks when it seems like Friday will never get here or the pile of laundry reminds you of Mount Everest, it is helpful to think about how lucky we really are. Think of all of the people who have very few clothes to wash!

This week, I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1) My husband. We just spent a week on vacation together - by OURSELVES - and we had an awesome time. I hear of people who face the "empty nest" and wonder what they will talk about with their spouses now that they don't have a child to run interference and I know I won't have that issue with my husband.

2) My son. We left him home alone for a week while we went on vacation and returned to a relatively clean house, no reports of parties, etc. He made it to school on time every day, got his homework done and was still speaking to his grandmother. No broken bones, no blood, the animals were still alive - yes, it was very successful! I am very grateful that I have a son I can trust.

3) Electricity - before we left on vacation, we lost power from a bad windstorm. Living without power is hard!

4) Parents who care out the students in our schools.

5) My son's friends. Two of his friends provided transportation while we were on vacation. It was nice to know that they were dependable and also that I didn't have to worry about them drinking and driving, etc.

6) A job to come home to. I might not love my job but I am happy to have one.

7) The money to take a vacation. I know I am lucky to be able to go on a cruise. Many people are not that fortunate in this economy.

8) Relatively good health. I may complain about my aches and pains but I am not facing serious issues like many people

What are you thankful for today?

Here's to the good life!

Is it just me.....

Is it just me is a little gig that Hallie (who I will meet sometime soon!) does on Wednesdays where we share all those thoughts where you wonder if there is anyone else in this world that thinks the way you do.

Is it just me but isn't it fun when you are in a meeting and you know that someone else is thinking the EXACT same thing you are? It doesn't happen all that often to me but, strangely enough, it happened twice yesterday. Something happened in the meeting and I made eye contact with a co-worker and realized that we were sharing a brain. The fact that one of the times it happened with my "co-worker from He--" makes it even stranger. Seriously, we have about as much in common as an apple and spinach. So to share the same thought was very strange and, to be honest, kind of scary.

Ia it just me or is taking a vacation with limited internet access hard to do? I really hate to admit that but it is hard to give up blogging and facebook and email. Of course, to add to my angst was coming back to facebook and having to catch up on farmtown, Cafe World and Country Life. Sometimes those games become more of a chore than fun.

Is it just me or is the fact that my son's drama club won their division in the one act competition pretty exciting? First time in over 20 years. What makes it particularly exciting is that I missed the previous performance because I was on vacation so now I get to see the play.

Is it just me or does it make you smile to hear that the drama club goes by TADA? Seriously, their name is Traip Academy Dramatic Arts and it is shortened to TADA. Someone had their thinking cap on that day.

Is it just me or does it piss you off when you are wide awake on those mornings when you can sleep late? Yup, I drag myself out of bed grudgingly most mornings. This morning, I realized I could sleep an extra hour and woke up at the normal time bright eyed and raring to go. Doesn't that just figure?

Is it just me or is this all you have time for today? Make sure you go over and just out what thoughts Hallie and the others are wondering about today. Have a great one!

Here's to Hallie!