Living In the World, Not on It

I took a shift today to cover for a friend, and thinking I would boost my call numbers for January, having missed the first two weeks of riding. Especially since I was supposed to ride the full 12 hour shifts the first two weeks in January. Ironically, there were no calls to make up for... turns out the Thursday night crew had no calls the first two weeks in January. Not so much the first weekend shift - that was 2 and 3 January - we ran three calls in the darkness of night; one in the late morning on Sunday. But nothing happened the 7th and 14th. So today we took three calls - or was it four? and I boosted my numbers - by those three or four calls that I could have lived without. Although one person actually signed a TRO - a nice change. I can't tell you the number of abuse calls where no one will give the perp up. SIGN IT! This is to save you from having another individual do this AGAIN! So I would have to say that this was satisfying. Having one sign off and one cancellation was...

I love these books. There are buckets of them - Presidential trivia, New Jersey facts, etc. These are a nonstop source of weird and interesting factoids and tidbits. And if you are wondering about the name, these books are designed for the loo. That's right - why load up your bathroom with periodicals when you can put one 675 page book with one-page, two-page or more sections. I believe four pages is the maximum for any given topic, but they will break up bigger ones into different areas of the book. Before you wrinkle your nose at the idea of people reading in the loo, stop. Most of us do. I do - for the more, uh, time-consuming trips and only at home. Unless I'm lucky enough to find reading material in other homes, which even then, one tries never to do that in other homes. (The only thing that I really hate in other homes is when there is no spray. We all want to think that we won't stink up another's loo but inevitably if one has to defecate, it will stink. Provide...

I never did post images while I was in Montana - but Sunday, 28 June 2009 was one of the LONGEST days I'd every had and I was not on call! And here it is, a bit late, but it is never too late for the best things in life! It was just one day , but what a day! It was the best day, the most incredible day. It was the third day of my Montana trip - granted, it wasn't in Montana for the most part. It was, in fact, a three-state day - Montana, Wyoming and Idaho (although we were so late coming out of Yellowstone that only the tiniest amount of time was spent in Idaho. David and I woke up around 0300, left the house at 0430 and arrived at the North Entrance in Montana around 0800. There I am standing in front of the North Entrance. It was gorgeous - the mountainous landscape, the crisp, clean air, it was nothing like New Jersey. Late June here is hot and often humid. There was not a bit of humidity and early in the morning, the temperature was just about 60 F/17 C. We drove through in...

Last night I walked out to the mailbox, looked up into the night sky and saw planets and sta rs, and my old friend, Orion. I love the night sky and I needed to see it. Orion's belt - and Orion - is only visible in the autumn and winter. Orion is comprised of Beteguese, Rigel, Bellatrix, Mintaka, Alnilam, Alnitak and Saiph - also known as Alpha Orionis, Beta Orionis, Gamma Orionis, Delta Orionis, Epsilon Orionis, Zeta Orionis and Kappa Orionis. The middle "star" of Orion is not a star but really the Orion Nebula. I love Orion and I whispered, "Hello, Orion, my old friend." I've been looking up into the night sky for years seeing Orion rise in the autumn and set in the late winter. And of course, there are always planets to see as well as the constellations - Jupiter is delightfully visible and has been for months. Venus will reappear as the Evening Star in a couple of months. In my lifetime I've seen a total solar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse, Halley...

...in the world, who would he or she be? In the early 80s it had to be Harrison Ford. Everyone raved about Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) but I thought Han Solo was the hottest thing around. And he was. Harrison Ford is quite a bit older but still very good-looking. But if I had my pick of the pack, I would have to spend time with Colin Firth. He is really charming, attractive and was wonderful in Bridget Jones' Diary and Shakespeare in Love , a movie to which I can recite the lines. I know he was a wanker in that movie, but still - what a wanker! And he's been in many other movies: he was in Valmont, which was no where near the quality that Dangerous Liaisons was, but Colin made the movie. As in was very good. (Oh, yay... a call has gone but not to us!) Mel Gibson was kinda hot... but not so much after finding that one, he is stupendously religious and two, a rabid practical joker. Practical jokes are never funny to me and I would hate meeting him. I have a super low opinion o...

More People Magazine fodder: In Passages , they list: It's a boy for country star John Rich nad his wife, Joan , who welcomed their first child, Cash - yes, Cash Rich - in Nashville Jan. 10. Country singer Clay walker , and wife, Jessica , had their second child together, daughter Mary-Elizabeth , in Houston Dec. 27. The couple have son William Clayton , and Clay has two girls, MaClay DeLayne and Skylor ClayAnne from a previous marriage. (It's good to see the current wife put her foot down on the ruinous ego trip that Clay has with putting his name into all of his childrens' names.) So let's see what other nightmare names have been given to unwitting children in 2009... and past. Here's one: "On November 19, a couple welcomed their baby girl into the world. They then decided to name their baby after the unusual place of her birth -- her parents' car. Tony Richardson and Samantha Smyth had originally planned to name their child Tilly, but changed their ...

If it were ten people, each of whom had one plastic surgery that day, I would shiver a bit and then leave it alone. If it were something like having a mole or a birthmark that one did not like, I would not even shiver. I have had moles removed for health risk reasons, and I can certainly understand being self conscious about something right on one's face that either makes the owner uncomfortable about or that others ask about. OK, then this is the right thing to do. I mean one person having ten totally ego-driven surgeries in ONE DAY. My weekly sleaze, People Magazine , had in it as the main article a woman named Heidi Montag. I've never heard of her. Having now heard of her, I wish I hadn't. There is something really psychologically wrong with this woman. I am not a fan of my face and I know no one will offer me an opportunity to be in a movie or on the telly or certainly as a model. I have a Jay Leno chin (look at my drivers license or any image of me), a long face, etc. ...

It was not all that and a bag of chips. Too much hype, not a great plot (your standard human greed theme) and the volume contributed to its getting only a mediocre review from me. We decided to go to the 23:40 showing. It was 22:45 when we got there and got on the line waiting for the movie. The 20:15 showing was not out yet, and we estimated that with a 2:50 running time and the usual insult of watching adverts for upcoming movies it would be 23:10 - 23:25 before the previous showing would get out? Then the cleaning staff would whip in and do their thing and we'd be able to sit. Standing in line was its own trial and I won't bore with the details of it. The story was as weak as I had read, and the graphics were amazing - the first of the kind. Seeing the scenes on the planet, where they bond with and ride six-legged horses, winged creatures and with the tree of life is incredible. The darkened forest with the glowing areas is stunning. It was hard not to raptly watch the chara...

Okay, so I'm tacly and avaricious! I can live with that. I'll be 42 on Tuesday, 26 January, which should be a national holiday! I love my birthday. It's good to be me - most people hate his or her birthday because he or she is aging. Bad attitude. Sure, you are aging. Life means aging. I have no problem. Aging means I'm alive and being alive is great! So here is my list and if you wish to get me something on it, you cannot imagine how much I will appreciate and love it! Updated 3 January 2010; 12:52 1. DVDs: Watership Down Princess Diaries 2 (I have the first one) Drop Dead Dive Season 1 (may not be available yet) 2. National Geogrphic Magazine: Info: Key: 9H4H295; 888.225.5647; http://www.shopng.org/ a. Silver and Garnet Mandala Earrings (72059 - $35.00) and Necklace (1072689 - $75.00) - Set - $95.00 b. Santiago Travel Boots (1072595) $229.00 (size 39 (European size for US 8) c. Scottish Walking Wool Sweater (1074882 - BU burgundy ) $159.00 d. Stellarscope star finder ...

20 December 2009 My friend Joe, How are you? What's new in your world? You won't write back, or at least you haven't, but hey, you never know. Maybe the fates will allow me the pleasure of a response. You need not give me any gory details (although "gory" won't bother me) but it would be nice to know you are doing well. How old your kids are, it's been a really long time. The usual pleasantries. Since you are mum, however, I will supply the details for now. Of course, you remember our working days at PNY Technologies. Those were fun times! And I learned a few things... like never keep my back to the door. When I first began my current position, my desk was tucked back away from the door... I don't know how to describe it. People walked in and startled me all the time, just like you used to. Even Rey could never quite sneak up on me the way you and your little cat feet did. (I did throw that ream of paper at you after I threw it onto my cubicle desk th...