Tonight Is The Night

You betcha! Tonight all the little ghoulies and ghosties along with a few witches, cheerleaders, NY Yankee players, black cats, and the assorted mummies will be in search of that sugary energy they crave. You may even catch a few skeletons hanging around if you pay attention!

The front porches are adorned with the everpresent Halloween carved pumpkin... not just the usual Jack-O-Lantern anymore! Since my children are grown adults on their own, I have a permanently carved pumpkin that I can pull out of the closet each year. I thought I had already put it into storage but found it while packing up some other things last night. Whew! It is best not to irritate those critters that may be slinking around outside on this night...

You never know what you might find lurking for you!

Frustration

Well, my cable seems to be working consistently now, but Blogger is giving me problems. It is almost impossible to publish my posts now for some reason! After numerous attempts this morning, I finally got the previous post published. I had originally written it just after midnight last night and could not get Blogger to let me finish publishing it. Being the stubborn sort of person that I am, I redid the post this morning and tried again. It took an hour, but I finally got past the following message:

There were errors. (Details...)

001java.net.ConnectException:
Connectionrefusedblog/12/47/11/rhodent/archives/2006_10_01_rhodent
_archive.html

Eventually, if I keep signing out and coming back, each time trying to publish the post, publishing happens a bit at a time. So now I will attempt to get this post published in the same manner. I wonder how long this one will take? Yes, I am still getting the above message when I try to publish this post!

Preparations

I am finally getting around to thinking about setting out the Halloween decorations. Actually, I have a lot of them in storage, but I do have a couple of things to put out... and I have purchased the obligatory bags of candy.

I have even had my first taste of candy corn for the season... probably also my last! I'm more a fan of Tootsie Roll Pops and Snickers. Normally, I would have the nut bowl out on the coffee table in the livingroom filled with nuts and nutcrackers handy. However, the livingroom is currently housing moving boxes and the coffee table is in storage.

While moving things to boxes and generally cleaning up around the house, I have been plotting and scheming. That trivia game is going to be fun! I will probably have more fun planning it than the kids will have playing, but I can live with that!

Unfortunately, my planned family post is going to have to be put off until after the holidays. I don't have pictures of some family members that I want to include. So, I will attempt to remedy that over Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the meantime, I will continue to select from the pictures that I do have the ones that I want to use. As with the trivia game, I am probably going to have more fun working on the post than you will have reading it and seeing the pictures. I can live with that as well!

Fall Back

For those of you impacted by the pesky daylight savings thing each year, don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight. NOT being a morning person, it is always a difficult adjustment for me when we lose an hour. However, falling back means gaining an hour, so to speak, and that makes me a happy camper for a while... until I have to spring ahead. This rodent does no springing when I lose an hours sleep!

So fall back tonight if you are able... in the spring I will lug my weary carcass out of bed an hour earlier and curse whoever came up with the stupid idea. Why do they want to mess with our biorhythms anyway? Sheesh!

What's Going On?

Where do you think she is?
Ya got me.
That must be some post she's working on since her last one.
Yeah... how big IS her family?
Do you think that cable got fixed yet?
Who knows?
Should we keep waiting?
Huh?
Well, do you think she is coming back?
Ya got me!
Aw, lets give her a couple of days. Ok?
Okay by me.
Got any snacks?

A Bit Of Fun Ahead

I have decided to work on a post about my family with lots of pictures. If I had access to a scanner I could scan some of the pictures of my kids and myself from younger years. That is if I had access to the pictures... they all seem to be packed in boxes in storage at the moment. So you will have to be satisfied with some more recent photos... maybe by Saturday. Right now I am just going through the pictures that I have available to use.

While thinking about family, especially my kids, I have dreamed up a trivia game to play with them over Thanksgiving when everyone is sitting around with tummies full of turkey and pumpkin pie. Each of my offspring will have the opportunity to come up with the answers to each question asked of them. Of course they will not be easy questions. They will be little facts that may be hard to figure out. I'd give you a sample now, but I don't want to give anything away. I have some REALLY good questions for them! Yup, I am going to have a wonderful time with this!

Long Day

Today was a long one for me. I was up early and didn't get home from work until after 7 o'clock tonight. I stayed busy pretty much all day, so it went quickly, but I am brain dead tonight. Therefore I am just gifting you with the above cute picture and then heading to bed. I intend to have wonderful dreams about something romantic or fun. Ta Ta for now... My blankie awaits!

Cable Problems Partially Patched... Perhaps

As you may recall, I have been having serious misgivings about my cable of late. As it is frequently not working, I think I have reason to be skeptical about what happened today...

The cable guy kept the appointment and thoroughly investigated my cable set up. He fiddled with the box and cable. He went outside and fiddled with the cable out there. He checked his meter thingy at least three times in my presence. He did a lot of wrinkled brow and head-shaking mannerisms. He mumbled a bit. He told me I have an older box that I could switch out at the Roadrunner pay station not too far from here. His conclusion? Well...

...it seems that it is an "area problem" of some sort. This conjured up all sorts of images in my mind. Like digging up underground cable lines, or big trucks with cherry pickers driving around. Or perhaps multiple member crews walking up and down the streets with their nifty meter thingys checking out eveyone's amps or voltage or something. Mostly it made me realize that the problem was most likely not going to fixed today. And guess what? I was correct!

I have a temporary fix (see above illustration). The cable guy informed me that he did the best he could to "boost the signal" or something and that I should see a difference in three days by which time the "area problem" should be resolved. It's no wonder that I am often intrigued by shows on the SciFi channel... it's all real!!!

So here I sit, sort of able to have a secure internet connection. At least the outages of service are much more infrequent. I have been able to get this post done. I have been able to pay a few bills on-line. I have been able to read my email. Yes, and all of this in one sitting!

Also of interest (to me, anyway) today... I had another bone fragment finally let loose of my gums. I don't want to say that it may be the last one... don't want to get my hopes up. I figure that sooner or later I will run out of fragments-- or jaw bone.

Another Quickie

You gotta be pretty quick to get something posted around here of late. The cable is still blinking on and off. The Road Runner repair person will be here Monday afternoon to hopefully fix the problem. It's a good thing, too, because I think I am beginning to twitch from the stress!

The weather has been wonderful around here of late. Fall is definitely here... Florida style. My son called me yesterday to let me know that he was lighting his first fire in his fireplace for the season. Obviously he does not live in Florida! Some of my neighbors have been in Toronto for a wedding and have had the pleasure of a few snowfalls while there. Personally, I love the snow... for a visit. I would be clueless about winterizing a home and driving in the cold, snow and ice.

I hope that you all are experiencing and enjoying some nice fall weather. Maybe this week I will start checking on prices for a replacement heater for the hot tub in the back yard. What would Christmas vacation be without some hot tub time!

Cheers!

Yet Again?

Once again my Road Runner cable at home is floundering. It keeps going out intermittantly. It has been doing this for a week. I am at work, so this will be short... I will post again as soon as I can.

Quick Post

Got up this am



Went to church




had brunch out




mouth still hurts

yada yada yada




watched Bucs lose
watched Cowboys lose




played games on computer




watched Desperate Housewives
watched news




read some blogs





going to bed

oops




need to wash some clothes



oh well
I'll get up earlier

Magic Sliders And Sunset Boating

I really slept soundly last night and slept in a bit this morning. I think that yesterday's activities were a good prelude to sound sleep.

I started my Friday by arriving a bit early to work. After following my usual morning routine for a bit, I decided it was time to try out the "Magic Sliders" I has purchased on Wednesday to move the heavy safe in my office. They really do work! One of the maintenance men was originally going to help, but as he was busy and I didn't want to wait, I did it myself. It was really quite easy. I just tipped the safe and cabinet it was sitting on just enough to scoot the sliders under each corner with my big toe. Then I proceeded to slide the unit across the rug to where I thought I wanted it to go. I was quite pleased with myself, and made sure that everyone came into my office to see MY handiwork. Of course, I am a bit sore today, but I won't admit that to anyone at work!

One of my coworkers, Captain Mike, and his wife invited another couple and me out on their boat last night. It was absolutely beautiful! We went out for the sunset, some wine and cheese, and some good company. As the sun was setting in the West, the full moon was rising in the East. We saw huge flocks of seabirds and small schools of fish jumping about of foot or so out of the water because they were being chased by some hungry bigger fish. The weather was absolutely perfect, too. It was pleasantly cool... I didn't even need a sweater!

What a day! What a night! Tomorrow, I will think of some other things that I can move with Magic Sliders. Tonight I will dream of magic boat rides.

Hi There!

The trip to the oral surgeon this morning went as expected. She is surprised at the size of the last bone fragment that surfaced and is still in the dark about why these bone fragments are popping up now. If the trend continues, she will do the surgery to look at the jawbone. She just doesn't want to rush it, so if I am still having problems after two months she will schedule the surgery.

I had dinner out with the gang tonight. Good food and good friends is always fun. We will be going out on one of the couples boat for a sunset cruise on Friday night... wine, cheese, and a beautiful sunset. And I think the weather will be perfect!

Girls' Night Out is tomorrow night. Just a quick dinner at Steak N Shake because we will be hitting the opening of the new Kohls store in town. If it is too crazy, I will head to the mall to avoid the crowds.

So, I should be able to post again on Saturday if I don't post something tomorrow night. I sure hope that you all are having a great week!

Looking Forward

It has been an interesting week. The weather has changed a bit and is giving us a hint of Fall. I probably had my last swim in the pool for this year... unless we get another extended warm spell. I'll miss the pool, but I really look forward each year to the cooler weather. In addition to weather changes I am still dealing with additional bone fragments making their appearance. I figure that I will eventually run out of bone so it has to end at some point!

This past week my son Matthew was in the area for a program class for work. He extended his stay to include the weekend so that he could spend some time with family. It was good seeing him. I got to meet one of the guys he works with at Lockheed Martin in Virginia. The girls, Matt and I along with a few others got to go out for dinner one of the nights to Bern's Steak House which is always a treat. "L" outdid herself with the most expensive meal. Somehow, I think I got a lot more from my steak (at least 2 meals) that she did for her tablespoon of caviar at $65! The lady sure has expensive tastes! Sigh.

Other than that I don't have much else to post about that is new. I am still popping pain pills and penicillin and am looking forward to another visit to the oral surgeon tomorrow morning. As I indicated in my first paragraph, sooner or later I will run out of jaw bone. I will concentrate on looking forward to the fall weather, Halloween, and my next cruise.