Musicians And the Road Life

Some musicians stay in place. They don't like to travel, and they only do local gigs I know musicians like that. The band I used to play with is like that. We only took about one trip a year.

But other bands are on the road all of the time. Every week is a different city or more, and many different music venues.

With road trips, there is always the problem of transporting the equipment. Guitars, drums, amps,
behringer mixer x1832usb, this and that--all have to get loaded on the bus and unloaded, again and again. And in the right place on the stage.

But all of the travel and packing and unpacking is worth it when on stage and looking at all the people who have come out to see you.

Am I getting CO2 Poisoning From My Car?

For the last week I have been having some weird symptoms--feeling tired, run down, achy, sort of like the flu. And then, having a little bit of vertigo. That is not bad, but it worries me, as I don't want it to get worse. Vertigo mainly when I lie down and when I get back up. I was concerned but was hoping it was only temporary.

Then today, I was driving two friends around in my car. They both said they smelled car exhaust inside my car. I feel like I had smelled it some, but not really. Don't know why I didn't smell it. But it did seem like something was swirling around inside.

I came home and looked up car exhaust fumes. Sure enough, the exhaust causes some of the symptoms I have been experiencing. I am going to get my car checked out pronto. This is not something you want to mess around with.

Looking Pretty For Homecoming

I have never gotten hair extensions, but my niece likes to change her hair, and she has often used them. She was invited to go to homecoming with a boy from another school, and wanted to do something special with her hair. She thought about it for a while and then decided to try one of those
clip in human hair extensions. She also got her hair colored. She looked so nice in her new dress and shoes. I saw the photos from homecoming, and I thought she was the prettiest. Of course, I am biased!

Please Get The Government Up And Running Again!

Well, it is day 5 in the government shutdown, and all I can say is "Enough Already!" I don't remember the 1995 shutdown at all. Of course, I was not tied into the federal government then. But currently, I am indirectly tied into it. I am not employed by the federal government, but as a Social Security Disability lawyer now, it will affect me. Apparently, the hearings that are already scheduled will still be held (thank goodness). But no new hearings are going to be scheduled. So I am OK for a little while.

But it is worrisome immediately for the federal workers who are furloughed, and also for those who are awaiting for their disability hearings to be scheduled. The claimants have already had to wait for more than a year, sometimes multiple years, to get to this point. And now the scheduling is on the back burner.

Enough already! Let's get this show back on the road.

Cigars Can Be Sexy

I do not believe in smoking. Oh my no! Too many people in my family have died from lung cancer. But still, I think cigars are sexy. A friend of mine from law school occasionally smokes one, and I think he is sexy. So, there you go! I once asked him what kind he smokes, and he mentioned a bunch of kinds, including swisher .
Now that we have graduated, I never see him anymore. And I do miss that, and law school too to some degree.

I Love, But Hate Technology

I love technology, because it is fun, optimistic, and exciting. I hate it when I can't get it to work. Which is more than I care to think about. I bought a new printer--a four-in-one--printer, copier, scanner, and fax. I can do all of that except fax. Now I know some are saying the fax is going the way of the dinosaur, but I don't think so. I know a lot of fax machines are humming away. People say they scan now. But why would you spend hours scanning a hundred page document, when it would take a few minutes to fax? Except, when you don't know how to fax. A technician came to my house to set it up and show me how to work it. When he was talking, it sounded easy of course. But after he left, I couldn't get the fax to work. And I have to as I have multiple 100-page documents to send. If I do it at Office Depot, it would be several hundred dollars to fax. I need to figure it out!

I Love The Lineup at AMC

Ok, I am a TV junkie. At least as much as I can be. One of my favorite channels now is AMC. I love, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Mad Men, and The Killing. I could never get into The Killing last season, but I am on board this year. And boy does it draw you in. Can't wait till Breaking Bad starts again. I wish there were more quality show like this on TV.

I Am Eyeing Those Rental Bikes In Town

I see people driving all around with those hitch bike racks on the back of their cars and am sort of jealous. I would love to do leisurely, or active, bike rides for that matter. But I don't have a bike, and I sure don't have a bike rack. I have great visions of bike riding, but one of the last times I rode, I almost killed myself. When my bike hit a pebble on the trial and fell down, and i fell on top of the bike. The outcome was not good! Now I am seeing all of those rental bikes around town, and I am wanting to do that sometime. Maybe I will get the nerve sometime soon?

Should I Join The NRA?

First of all, I am a liberal. Second, I don't own a gun and don't want to. I want at least some gun control. I am tired of gun proliferation. And all the talk about gun shows, gun nuts, and the stupid talk about guns. And I am definitely tired of all the mass and other shootings.

I am thinking I should join teh NRA though. Why? To help dilute their membership and bring some balance to their nuttiness. I need to look into it. Care to join me?

Budget Travel Is The Way To Go

As I have mentioned--but in no great detail--I have a new job. It is my dream job. I will work from home, travel a number of times a month, make more money, and have more flex time. Now, who wouldn't want that job!

I am excited about the travel. The company will reimburse me for my travel expenses, and I want to be a good steward of their money. But it is the flex time and freedom of schedule that I am excited about. Not only will it help me be more organized, a better housekeeper (I hope), but I also will be able to do more personal travel. I see more personal travel in my future. I need to increase my world travel. And I always love to travel to see family and friends.

What is important for me in my personal travel is affordability. I am a budget traveler! Therefore I look for cheap airfares, cheap hotel rooms, and the like. This allows me to stretch my travel dollars and go to more places and stay longer. That is not to say that I don't like my occasional splash of luxury. But cheap airfares and hotel rooms are important. After all, most of the time the focus of the trip is the travel experience itself and not just the hotel room. Here's to more travel in 2013. Bon Voyage!

Yesterday Was Bad Customer Service Day

I have been through a lot lately, but I also have a lot to be grateful for. I am out of a bad job situation and into a fabulous one. I have a lot of good friends, I have good health, and a good spirit. I am happy with life. But yesterday I felt out of sorts. Why? I am not sure! The only thing that comes to mind is poor customer service. Not once, but twice.

First, I need to replace my dryer lint screen. It has a tear in it, which enables the lint to escape. That of course is not safe. I called a parts warehouse, and a woman told me to come on out--that they have lots of these on hand. So, I drive out there to an inconvenient location. My goal was to come back home with a new lint screen. 

Well, the guy behind the counter takes the screen from me and goes out into the warehouse. He comes back minutes later, saying they don't have any. What? I say. The woman earlier told me you always have those on hand. She doesn't know what she is talking about. You must call back with the serial number off of the dryer, he says. That pains me, as the dryer is in a bad location, and it is hard to kneel down to see that number.

I go back home, get the number and call back. Talk to a different person. Oh, yes, we have these out here. What? I say. The guy earlier told me you didn't. Well, I am more familiar with the warehouse, the other guy says. So I will troop back out there and hope that I come home with a new lint screen.

My other bad customer service experience will be fodder for another post.

Outdoor Furniture

I was in a store the other day, looking for something in particular, when I noticed all of the really neat outdoor furniture and colorful patio furniture cushions. Some of them were waterproof outdoor cushions and some of them weren't. But they were all really colorful and made me wish I had a patio or a balcony, so i could buy some of them.

I am hoping to buy a house in the next few years. One of the things I am looking forward to is having a yard. That will be good for my dog and for me. I want to sit outside on some of that furniture.

I Start My New Job Tomorrow

Can't believe it--I am delivered from the worst boss of all time. Tomorrow I start my new job. I have my new health insurance in place. I am spending my first night on the road in a hotel for my appointment tomorrow morning. I am thrilled. I am starting my new life. It is a breath of fresh air. There will be many posts about this to follow.

Haven't Given My Notice Yet

In my last post, I said I got a new job. Yay! But I haven't given notice yet, so I am still at my old job. It is such a weird feelings. You probably know what I mean. You know you are leaving and that you won't be there much longer. But no one else knows. You are walking around with this secret knowledge. You feel powerful!

Today at work was just another day. I was at my desk doing my thing. The people on the plant floor were doing their thing--running the machines, draging equipment and supplies around using aluminum machine handles, cleaning up etc. I am walking around feeling secretly pleased that I won't be there much longer. And also a little sad. There were be a lot of people I hate to say goodbye to.

I Got A New Job!

Breaking News! I got a new job. I am living up to my career changer moniker. I don't have time to go into details now. But just understand that I am excited. And relieved. I was afraid I was going to lose my job. And here I am--a baby boomer in a bad economy. Too many minuses in my direction. But I did it! I beat the odds and got a job. And one I love, to boot. Not only one I love, but one but one that is perfect for me. How great is that?

Cleaning Out My Jewelry Boxes

I am spending a lot of time here and there clearing things out and organizing at home. It is a long time in coming. I haven't done this in a long time, and my condo shows that. Too many things in too many places. Just don't have enough to do it all, so I am doing it when I can.

One of the things I have been doing is cleaning out my jewelry boxes. I have several. I don't wear jewelry much, so I don't get in the jewelry boxes much. And I have quite a collection in there! Jewelry from when I was a child, craft jewelry, masonic jewelry, and even notes from old boyfriends. Those were so interesting to reread after all of these years!

Jewelry boxes this week; clothes in the closet next week. Slowly and surely, I will get through everything and have a neater, nicer condo to show for it.

Lots Of Building Going On In My Neighborhood

I love living in my neighborhood. Not only is it hip and trendy, and convenient to absolutely everything, but it is also growing. More and more condos are going up. Which makes the neighborhood more trendy and hip and increases the property values. I am all for that!

There was a tacky and rundown building right next to mine. It was kind of creepy and creepy people lived there. I was glad when it was torn down and a new modern condo building was built. Now a matching building is going up across the street. And down the street. And up the street. Looking forward to more neat people, trendy restaurants, and fun boutiques.

The construction workers have been working overtime to get the building across the street and down the street up. Even working Sundays. There is equipment all over the place and also boxes with such names on it like ICF. I made a good buy when I bought my condo. It has more than tripled in price. Can't beat that!

I Made A PotRoast Tonight!

Making a potroast is not breaking news, but it is important to me, as it is the first time I have really cooked in a long time. I used to cook a lot, but then dropped off. I started eating a lot of salads and pasta, and sometimes that seems like not really cooking. I have felt "less than a woman" by not cooking recently, so I am making a concerted effort. I got an easy recipe for a potroast from a friend, and I made it tonight. It was delicious! I also shared some with a neighbor friend. Maybe this will start me cooking and entertaining more.

In Praise Of Best Girlfriends

I don't use the acronyn BFF, because I no longer have one. What I mean is that I can't narrow down a best girlfriend to just one. At this point in my life, I have a number of girlfriends who could be a BFF. And that is very comforting to me. I have such a dysfunctional family, I can no longer count on them, and can't trust them. I had made strides before in making friends family, and then I let my guard down. I trusted my family again, only to be let down at a very vulnerable time. I can't forget or forgive this time. I will start rebuilding my life with friends as my family again. And I am sure I will be happier.

It Is Fun To See The Cruisewear On A Cruise

I was on a cruise a few weeks ago, and it was obviously fun. It is like being in a little creative bubble away from the troubles of the world. Some people don't like cruises, but not me. I like them a lot. Not only are they easy, they force you to relax. I love the activities on the ship, but I also love to sit on a deck chair and stare at the ocean. I can do that for a very long time. It makes me feel strong. And wonderful.

The other fun thing is to look at all the cruisewear. People wear the darndest things. Like Budweiser shorts and plaid shirts. Really???? There was one guy who never took off his Straw Cowboy Hat. Other people would wear mardi gras outfits. It was just really fun. I can't wait to go again next year.

So Much To Watch On Sunday Night!

Why are all the good shows now on Sunday night? Not only has Downton Abbey started up again, but there is Girls, and Enlightened. I love all of those shows. They are all so creative. It is just hard to keep up with it all. Some of my male facebook friends have said they can't stand Girls, but I told them that is because they are men. If they had even been a young twenty-something female, they might like the show. It is a difficult time of life, and the show captures the angst pretty well. I would not want to be that age again!

It's Always Good To Find A Fellow Traveler

I was on a cruise recently and met a guy that I liked. The cruise was wonderful too, but meeting someone is a bonus. Don't know if it will go anywhere, but I hope so. In addition to both liking the cruise, we also realized that we love to do other kinds of travel. We really connected on that point. That is exciting, because so many men don't really like to travel. We discovered we had both been to Argentina--he had spent all of his time in Buenos Aries. I spent a little time there, but had spent most of my time in Patagonia. We exchanged Argentina stories for a while, which connected us even more. Later, when I got back home, I ran into a patagonia down sweater sale at one of the stores in my town. I didn't get a sweater, but I still might. I actually would love to go on a trip sometime with my new friend. Fingers crossed!

Claire Danes Wins At The Golden Globes!

Every year, I seem to miss the Golden Globe Awards, so I made sure to watch it tonight. It helped that all week, a banner ad for the show appeared in the corner of the TV scree to remind me. I have really enjoyed watching it. I was thrilled when Claire Danes won, because I love the show Homeland so much. I am really looking forward to the new season starting. Now that the terror suspect has moved to Canada, is he still going to play a part? I hope so. It was so nail biting. Is he really a terrorist or not? It seems like it would be hard to change gears on that in the 3rd season. Can't wait!