December 16

Finally, I am able to log onto my blog from my work computer. Whatever block was placed on Blogger.com seems to have been lifted. I've finished my Christmas shopping, what there was of it, and am looking forward to the holiday. Of course we all miss my Grandmother, but Thanksgiving wasn't as sad as I thought it would be, and I'm sure everyone will be in good spirits. I've downloaded some new Christmas music, and there will be plenty of comfort food on hand.

I finally went to the doctor about the nasty headaches I've been getting every month and was given some prescription pain killers, specifically for headaches, I think they're like Tylenol. Usually I try to avoid pain killers, but these headaches have ruined too many of my weekends. I just hope I don't become dependant on them.

November 25

It's been a while since I posted, probably because I no longer have internet at home. My free wi-fi disappeared. Too bad, because I'm sure as hell not paying for it. I can afford either cable or internet and I get free internet at work. I just bought this cute little tablet, looks like an Ipad but it's a Japanese knock-off called a Mai-pad, it was cheap and still gets wi-fi. I'm hanging out at the family's house in Kentucky, having eaten way too much yesterday. My Grandfather's laptop is WAY nicer than mine, that's how I'm blogging now. Thanksgiving wasn't as depressing as I thought it would be without my Grandmother, it just wasn't the same. We all got together like we always do, and ate & watched tv. I don't think I was the only one who pretended she was asleep in her room or listening to the country station in her bedroom. I'm going to head back to Atlanta here pretty soon, there are several hungry animals waiting for me to come home and pay attention to them. Those idiot student loan people screwed up everything and my loan adjustment wasn't ready in time, so I had to remove myself from automatic bill pay, which might make my interest go up. This is frustrating. What I wouldn't give to be able to pay those things off once & for all.

September 5

Labor Day! I love having an extra day off from work. I think I'll drive out to the Red Cross office, donate blood and then go to see The Green Lantern at the cheap theater. Recently, I was talking & texting this girl I met at the gym, it seemed like we had a lot in common and were hitting it off, but then she just disappeared and I haven't heard from her. Why do people do that? If she reconnected with an ex or something she could have just told me. My new cat Raphael is settling into the family just fine, her & Lucifer have gotten used to each other, they chase each other around the condo and sit nose to nose on the couch. I need to get some photos of her downloaded, she's a beautiful grey cat.

July 9

I am finally getting a new cell phone. The one I've been using for the past year and 3 months is crap. I should have known, back in the 80's Sanyo made crappy Walkmans, now they make crappy cell phones. My new phone is a Samsong slider model, much nicer, I just had to resign my contract with Credo. I have also signed up for the rosetto stone language course on cd rom, learn Spanish in 3 months. I tried the demo and found it to be pretty effective, already I've learned more Spanish than when I was working at Steak n' shake where English is a second language. It might come in handy. Today I will be helping a friend with some painting at a house she's trying to flip. Should be fun.

June 24

How is it legal to charge 22.9% interest rate on a credit card? If that isn't highway robbery I don't know what is. I need to find a second job to pay down this $2000 balance I've aquired. Perhaps making pizzas weekends. I'm not above washing dishes, mopping floors or whatever else I need to do to make a little extra cash. I'm glad the weekend is finally here, it's been a long week. Tomorrow I've got an appointment to donate blood and then I'm heading over to a block party type thing in the park down the street. Not sure how to get there, I guess I'll have to Mapquest it. It is currently thundering & lightning outside, if this keeps up, I might have to stay home.

June 2

Summer has come early here in Atlanta! Thank goodness for my window unit AC. I set the timer yesterday morning to come on at 2:00 in the afternoon and walked into a nice cool condo in the evening. I am loving having a new washer & dryer that my friends gave me, since they have new energy efficient models and didn't need these anymore. They work great, no more trips to the Laundromat every Sunday. I have also decided to invest in a stove that works, since my old broken stove is ugly and antiquated on top of not working. I found a great Memorial day sale on gas ovens, and it's being delivered this weekend. Maybe I'll do some baking. Looking forward to the weekend.

May 1

This is the third time I've tried to post this blog, my computer keeps freezing up on me. It's been one week since my Lasik procedure and it seems to have gone off without a hitch. I can see pretty well, and the dryness isn't as bad as it was at first. It's pretty surreal being able to see without glasses or contacts. I'll be glad when the bloodshot effect goes away, I'm going in for my follow up in a week, hopefully by then the redness & dryness will be gone. At least I don't have to wear goggles in the shower any more.

April 9

Two weeks from today, I am having Lasik eye surgery to correct my near-sightedness. No more glasses, no more contacts. I'm nervous but excited. The free consult this morning went well, they told me everything was perfect and I'm an ideal candidate. The procedure costs twice as much as I was expecting, but I got interest free financing, so it's going to be pretty cheap to pay for. After 25 years of contacts, I'm sure I've spent that much already on exams, glasses and new contacts every year. I just hope I don't accidentally rub my eye afterwards and screw up my recovery. I might shower with swimmers goggles just to be safe! No gym, no sauna and no tanning booth for the 4 days after surgery to be safe. ( I should probably lay off the blow & hookers while I'm at it.)

April 2

My friends are amazing, they were so supportive after I came home from the funeral. It's been difficult, to say the least, but I think we'll be okay. I donated blood earlier today, my blood pressure is a little lower than usual and my resting heart rate is a little higher, I suppose the stress of the last month has taken it's toll. I've decided to get a tattoo of my Grandmother's intials on my right calf, not sure where I'm going to get it done yet.

March 12

My Grandmother, the woman who raised me, died Tuesday night rather unexpectedly. We all knew she was in poor health but we weren't expecting this. We hear about people who lose their grandparents and you feel bad for them, but when it happens to you you're never prepared. My grandparents are the only real parents I've ever had; I never knew my father growing up and my mother died when I was young. I don't think the reality of not having her here anymore has sunk in yet. It's easier to pretend she's at home, in her chair listening to her country music station.

February 5

I found a great new gym, close to work. Pretty good selection of free weights, and a great collection of machines. The cardio machines are not the brand I'm used to, but they have a cardio theater, which plays movies on the big screen while you're working out, which is awesome. Sadly, there's no wet area. No sauna, no jacuzzi, but I still have my old membership for a few months, so maybe I'll keep it a while longer, since it will be reduced. Tomorrow night I'm going to see the Nuclear Cowboyz at Phillips Arena, they come to town every winter, it's always a good show. Everyone at work is talking about the Superbowl this Sunday. Whatever; I just watch for the commercials. My boss wants me to cheer for the Packers so I suppose I will. I'm sure not rooting for that Rapistberger or whatever the hell his name is.

January 8

It's been a while since I've posted, since I've lost my free wi-fi connection from home. New Year's was uneventful, I hung out at the sports bar where I play cards and watched the ball drop. Poor Dick Clark. I am officially a full time employee at the insurance company, as of Dec 20, with full benefits, which is great. If my father invites me to Las Vegas with him this year, I won't have to turn him down because I don't have vacation time. Been thinking a lot lately about some people I went to high school with, about how we had a falling out and are no longer friends. On one hand, I'm probably better off, they weren't nice people to begin with, but it still hurts. Sometimes it's nice to be off the grid, no Facebook or any of that nonsense.