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In Memory of Doug
Remembering 16 years of
fond memories with you, Doug,
W.C.
Fields
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JANUARY 2005
I rang in the new year over at JR's. We had a nice, pleasant little get-together with a small bonfire, snacks and a little beer. Float your mouse over the thumbnails in the picture below for comments...
Meanwhile, back at the house, Skip was putting my new desk together...
Spent the day on the computer, doing much of nothing. My stomach has been a disaster all weekend. I just hope I can deal with work tomorrow! I have only eaten soup all day.
We had a rain storm today. I took some very interesting shots!
Had more soup for supper. I have been having spells of vertigo today that are just bringing me down!
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Birthday
en Memoriem for Douglas Edward Cross Jan 3, 1955 - Mar 31, 1996 |
12:22a – Wow... Doug would be 49 years old today if he were alive. He died almost nine years ago! It sure does not seem like that long. I still miss him so much.
7:55a – 50° – It continue to rain this morning. The walk to the bus stop promises to be dismal.
8:15a – Arrived at the bus stop. I was the only one out there today. The weather was not as bad as I thought it would be. The rain had stopped and it was not too cold. I decided to not carry my satchel today.
I am feeling so spacey and dizzy this morning. I really don't feel well at all. I haven't felt very good all weekend.
I had the strangest, most amusing dream last night. It kept changing as it went and did not maintain its sequential integrity (as dreams are wont to do). It started off with me chatting on line with RD, but then I was standing on a street corner. Instead of a monitor, my words were displayed on some kind of a street light. I was telling her about this and about how common they are here in the US, and she did not know what I was talking about. Then one of her daughters were there with me with "the ButterCam" and I suggested she take a picture of me next to the "terminal post" (or whatever it might be called). Then it was RD taking my picture rather than her daughter, but the daughter re-entered the dream and offered to take our picture together under the post. We sat down on the ground and the daughter took our picture. The illogic of the sequence of events was becoming so obvious that even my dream-self was starting to wonder why we were taking a picture of something she could not see... when was right there with me! Then I found myself in a parking lot, somewhere in England. I am not sure whom I was with, but I was leading some little boy (about 4 or 5 years old) around by the hand. A red and white bus pulled into the parking lot. The driver was a woman. I stepped into the bus, wondering how much it would cost, and pulled out my (St. Louis) bus pass and asked her (jokingly) if she could accept an Orlando bus pass? What a strange dream!
It was raining at lunch. I walked across the street and found out the hard way. I picked up a bowl of chili and a side order of corn and walked back through the indoor link.
Book VI of the Tales of Alvin Maker series arrived and was in my mail slot this morning. I am currently page 349 of book IV. This entire book has been mostly a court trial, but it has been interesting.
I still have 2 more items on order. My new tripod and a new water dish for Kira.
6:34p – Still at work. It has been a long slow day. I really need to focus on getting a car soon so I can salvage some of my day.
6:38p – Time to start closing shop and head home. I hope the rain has stopped.
The rain did stop. One small mercy. I felt so exhausted this evening. I just came home, check some email, fixed some soup and went to bed by 10:30p. Unfortunately, I don't think I actually went to sleep until after 1:00a, though not for lack of trying.
7:38a – 39° – It's a lot cooler out this morning than it has been the last few days, but still warm for January I think.
The bus was running late today. Skip called me around 7:26a from the bus stop. His 7:02 bus was still not there. I will hope for the best.
I called MetroLink. The bus was delayed by a train.
8:47a – The 8:18 bus is just arriving! I hope I make it to work on time.
Got off the bus and the train was not long in coming. Thankfully. I think I have about 21 minutes until I need to be at work.
9:33a – I just made it! I skipped breakfast and nearly sprinted to the office. Later I learned that Skip was a half hour late getting in, his co-worker who lives here in Cahokia was late, his Director (also lives out here) was late. LZ that I work with was (like me) 3 minutes late. Apparently there was a long train blocking all the roads for a long time and all of Cahokia was blocked off as a result! I was lucky I had a buffer zone (this time) that allowed me to make it in only 3 minutes late!
Skip came by the office around 1:00p and we walked over to Olin Hall and had lunch. I just had a bowl of chili and a side of green beans. He got their chicken noodle soup, which is commented was mostly devoid of chicken. My new tripod arrived today. I can't wait to take it home and experiment with it!
Experimented with the tripod and also found there is a "white balance" setting in the presets for incandescent lighting. It helps keep the photos from coming out so ORANGE with no flash indoors. I learn something new every day!
7:44a – 40° – It is warmer than I expected today. Still raining. I have my review today (finally). I will be glad to get it over with.
8:15p – I am standing in the rain, waiting for the bus. What a dismal day.
At least the bus in on schedule this morning, even though, due to all the rain, he is having to take a detour to get to 5th & Mo. He got there just as the train was pulling in. I only got to read a few pages of my book. I am almost to the end. I think I only have 2 or 3 pages left of the final chapter.
11:22a – I have a lower right molar that has been causing me some pain lately. I may have to have it looked at soon. I have not been to a dentist in about 15 years though!
2:45p – The eval is over... it went okay. I got a "2" on a 4 scale, mostly due to "attendance." No problems with my job performance, except as affected by attendance (yet they stress this has nothing to do with my FMLA status) ... I guess this will mean a 2% increase in pay, which all I was hoping for. At least I should see a little back pay come in on the next pay check.
3:07p – I just finished scarfing down a taco salad that I picked up at the cafeteria before my eval meeting. I did not want to go into the meeting on a full stomach.
5:50p – Time for me to begin shutting down. I suppose its still raining out there. It had been nasty all day. I think I will walk down to LZ for a drink before going home.
I was so tired when I got home. I feel worn out. I just warmed up some leftovers for supper and went to bed early.
I slept even more fitfully than usual. Tonight I dreamed about Lisa K. (in Atlanta). I was with some other guy (not sure who) and we were at her apartment (yet she lives in a beautiful home in Atlanta). She was wearing a burgundy coloured outfit and came to her own front door to find me. The unknown "guy" I was with was (I think) fixing a meal in her kitchen, but she told me to "hurry" and "let's go" ... we were supposed to be going to some high-class, ritzy place to have supper. I was feeling very awkward, since my friend was using her kitchen to fix a meal which apparently we would not be eating...
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I felt awful when I woke up this morning. I decided it would be a FMLA day. I tried calling in and was on hold for ever. After about 45 minutes of trying to reach someone, I got LZ and she had to put me to DM's voicemail. Later, I was able to reach DM on her cell phone. I slept for about 3 hours and finally got up, thinking I would feel better. I think I felt worse! But the nausea had subsided and I was just having major spells of vertigo. It was snowing slightly on my way to the bus stop. By the time I got to CWE, it was coming down thick, but the sun was still shining. It was very pretty. I should have brought my camera. |
I logged in at work at 1:15p. I felt awful for a while, but eventually it wore off and I started to feel fairly good.
I stopped in at LZ after work and had a couple of Bloody Mary's. It is COLD out tonight!! But the little bit of snow is all gone.
Clara sent me pictures from her place in Virginia. The snow is 13" deep!
Oh no... I found a wet spot on the carpet and Skip tracked it down to a leak in the kitchen plumbing!
This sucks....
7:18a – 23° – I feel awful this morning. I am so glad it is Friday. It is going to be a struggle getting through this day, but I missed 3 hours yesterday. I will just make it some how.
As expected, it was indeed a long day, but I survived. It was snowing when I got off the bus.
Skip picked up new sink bend (pipe) to fix the leak. Later in the evening, GE brought over an extractor for us to use in cleaning up. Skip got the part installed, but we are going to wait until tomorrow to tackle the carpet.
We had plenty of snow on the ground this morning. I felt cruddy all day though and did not enjoy it much. I did managed to get this great pictures of the Cardinal and his mate. I call him Dotsuwa (ᏙᏧᎠ). Around 4pm Skip and I walked over to the dollar store and bought an extension cord, then to Schnuck's for some groceries. We came home and went to work on cleaning the carpet. Skip did most of it of course (that's his specialty). I assisted, but I was feeling so dizzy and groggy, I kept having to sit down.
The snow is already starting to melt. It is not all that cold out really. The last three of these four pictures above I took while outside with no shirt on!
We got the carpet cleaned. Not the entire floor, but the bad area. There were a lot of problems, but we managed to work around them. The main problem was the the hose did not fit to the connector on the kitchen sink. So... we ended up just pouring water on the carpet and extracting it.
I put some chicken leg quarters on to cook, but ended up going to bed and not eating any of them!
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I felt cruddy again today... and I forgot to take my pills last night, which makes matters worse! I got up around 5:00a and realized I never ate supper, so I got one of the chicken leg quarters to eat. It was way to greasy. I went back to bed and finally got up around 9:00a. I should not have had those shots of spiced rum on top of the beer last night. I knew better. It wasn't that much really, but it was just enough to make me wish I hadn't! Took some pictures of the melting snow and birds and such in the backyard today. I was playing around with the zoom features. By combining the 4X optical zoom with the 3.5X digital zoom, one gets what they call "14X Seamless Zoom." |
12:16a – 36° – I've been watching the Sopranos with Skip, folding laundry, and filling Chad's mailbox up with photos. I am not even sleepy, but I need to get to bed.
7:30a – 36° – I feel much better this morning, though I could have slept more.
8:29a – 36° – Y'istm' iith' usb' izth' ornmeingne! Y'aasw' aalyostm' uut' iith' aapste nwe ch'entw' aib' aache iithe 8:15a. Ch'utsh' og' aib' aach' iithe 8:18a. Y'aadh' uut' og' om' uut' eitw' orf' iith' eksn' aanwe.
I did not go to bed until after 2:00a this morning! I was cleaning in the kitchen, doing laundry. That is all well and good, but I am going to regret it in the morning.
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I do indeed regret it this morning. I could barely get up. Only slept four hours, at best. This has been an unbelievably hectic day! (Just what I needed!). At least it kept me awake. I finished "The Tales of Alvin Maker: Heartfire" (book #5) today and started in on book #6. "The Tales of Alvin Maker: The Crystal City" I sent Chad some pictures this evening, made some soup, and went to bed. |
7:29a – 58° – I can't believe how warm it is for this time of year! I slept pretty good last night. Woke up about three times. Once I was awakened by a dream in which Nikki was standing behind me tickling the back of my head. I was sitting at some sort of computer console. I felt very awkward... and woke up. Can't remember the rest of that dream. In another dream, people were celebrating my birthday and this little fat boy gave me a big marble for a gift. I promised him I would treasure it with all my special mementos. I have know idea who he was (or may have represented). In yet another of my myriad of dreams, I was at a wedding. It started raining and there was some kind of "fairy" girl who said there was something evil coming in the clouds. The silvery rain clouds started to turn dark, and I sensed what she said was true... and I tried to get back inside, but I was trapped on a roof and could not reach the ladder. I was debating on whether I could leap for the latter when I awoke.
I took some outside night shots this evening that came out pretty good.
9:00p – I felt awful this morning and had to call in. I intended on going in later since I usually feel better if I wait a couple of hours, but it is 9pm and I still feel rotten; better than I did this morning though. They are really going to think bad of me at work; I just know they are. This is awful. I have been having reactions to my medicine more than normal ever since the beginning of the year. I think part of it is due to stress after being subjected to the that awful suspension in Nov/Dec. However, I must get to bed early, take my vitamins, whatever it takes to not miss any more time. I know it causes problems at work. But what can I do? It's very upsetting (which, of course, adds to my stress).
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It snowed again today! I took one of many naps and it was raining. When I awoke, snow was coming down and the ground was white. |
I just entered my change into WheresGeorge and checked my ranking. I am now at position #93
You
have entered 1,971 Bills worth $13,513 Bills with hits: 222 Total hits: 257 Hit rate: 11.26% Slugging Percentage: 13.04% (total hits/total bills) George Score: 830.73 Your rank (based on George Score) is #2,504 (out of 11,720 current users with a George Score. [78.6 Percentile]) Your State Rank in Illinois is: 93 out of 2,673 [96.5] |
What a long day. I thought it would never end, but it finally did. I stopped by the Zone before going home and had a couple of cocktails. Went home, drank some beers, and went to bed.
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I got up late. Fed the birds. Took pictures. Bathed Kira. Then around 4:00pm, Skip and I walked to the store. There is still snow on the ground and it is COLD out there! I recorded my walk to the store... but I did not realize the sound was not on!
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CLICK
PICTURE to see video! |
The snow is still on the ground and despite the sunshine, it is still very cold out. Around 10°F. This morning I got pictures of not only Dotsuwa the Cardinal, but a Bluejay and Sawoli the squirrel. Ruby Dancingmoon joined my photographs together in this composite image. Later in the day, I took a walk over to the Duck Pond, which was totally frozen over. I got some great shots with the winter sun shinning on the snow through the trees. |
After my jaunt through the frozen tundra I call "the duck pond," I slung my tripod back over my shoulder and tromped off to Wal-Mart. I had intentions of buying Kira some kind of protective garb to give her some more protection against the cold. She does not seem to be all that cold, but her coat is not as think as it has been in previous years. In fact, her poor tail is starting to look like a rat-tail. I did not find anything appropriate for her though. The largest item they had looked to small (though it was called "Jumbo"). Also, it only came in a foo-foo pink and was just thin cotton. I don't think it would give her much added protection and she would look absolutely foolish in it!
Meanwhile, back in England, RD went on a nature walk with her daughter's and Prula (her dog). Here are some pictures of here nature walk.
This evening, I spent time putting the keyboard tray on my new desk, with Skip's help. I did some rearranging, and things are still falling into place in my office. Slowly, but surely. I discovered that I have room on my desk now for my Yamaha keyboard if I want! I made some cabbage and chicken for supper and Skip made some chili. I dumped a couple of ladles of his chili over my cabbage & chicken and it actually was not too bad. |
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I woke up around 5am this morning and lay in bed watching TV until about 7:30a. I got up with the intention of giving K-dog her pills & letting her out, taking my pills, checking email, fixing a bite to eat and then I was going to go back to bed. Oh ... today is a holiday, so we don't have to go to work. I ended up staying up a couple of hours, then lay down and took a fitful nap with X-Files playing in the background. I was able to get my midi interface reconnected finally and it is working again. See the short video clip for a sample (click the VIDEO button, above). |
Today is Martin Luther King day, but I would like to take this time to recognize all the many Native Americans who gave theirs lives and contributed to this country for thousands of years before white men or black men arrived here. Yet there is not ONE single holiday honoring a person of indigenous ancestry. I consider this to be a slap in the face to those of us who honor and remember their Native American ancestry.
I put a turkey breast in the crock-pot tonight; frozen. I will turn it on in the morning.
7:19a – 9°F – I slept fairly well last night, only waking up 2 or 3 times. Of course, I was in a nice, solid and deep sleep when the alarm went off.
8:17a – I just arrived at the bus stop. I hope the bus wasn't early this morning! Someone else just joined me at the bu stop. If I missed it, at least I am not alone.
Oh... here it comes. That's a relief.
Skip took a vacation day today.
9:52a – My new water dish arrived. The box looks small. I hope it is at least as big as the one I already have.
12:02p – I just looked at the water dish. It looks like it is the same size. That's good.
4:11p – I dropped CD's in the mail for Calisa this afternoon, about 1:40p. Then I head over to see Terri and get my hair cut. Unfortunately, she had a prior engagement, so I could not get a haircut today.
5:52p – I just got through making a little "office tour" video for José. I am quite bored!
I got home and let Kira out, fed her and opened up her new water dish (she could care less, of course). The
11:41p – The turkey was delicious. I responded to an email tonight to José which dealt with his involvement in D&D, and an email from my cousin Debbie (L) P. My tongue still hurts from scalding it with hot oil last night when I made deep fried chicken strips.
11:44p – Time to go to bed... and to let Kira in.
I felt fairly good today, and the weather was much warmer than expected.
Tonight I called Devon on the way home. When I got home I ordered plane a ticket to OKC. It was only $178.00, yet Skip's bus ticket in December was $188.00! How odd. So, I will fly down on the 29th at 4:30p and return on Monday, the 31st. I am taking that Tuesday off as well, just to have recuperation time.
I also ordered a new 512Mb xD card, a barrel lens adapter, and a deluxe filter kit for the camera. I hope it all arrives before my flight out!
My other medicines arrived, but NOT the one that I have run out of (of course!).
I felt absolutely AWFUL this morning! I thought I was going to pass out or throw up off and on until noon. I got some eggs and bacon with grits for breakfast as I often do. I pour the grits over the eggs & crumbled up bacon, but something look different about the grits. Upon closer inspection, I realize they had made Cream of Wheat (or Malto Meal?) instead of grits! They should put a sign up. I ate it, but ... ugh... gross!
My medicine still has not arrived! I will not be able to take them tonight. This is going to mess me up.
W2 form arrived today. I can do my taxes!
I thought this day would never end!. I got home, took care of some chores, made some pork soup for supper, (which was excellent), and then went to bed. I was asleep before 11:00pm!
FRIDAY
– January 21, 2005
One
month after Judy Marie's Birthday!
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7:44a – 30°F – I feel great this morning! So well rested! This was a good day, and RD's "storyboard" came in today too. I was so bemused by her efforts on my part! What dear person she is. I am so lucky to have made her acquaintance, and I sure hope that we can meet IN PERSON some day! Also today, on a sad note, I called Uncle Sheno's place outside of Eagle Lake, TX. He has been given 1 to 2 days to live, at best. I am so sad about this of course. |
Uncle Jesse just passed last month. Now my only other uncle is dying. I spoke to his sister Paulita, and she put me on the phone with him. I could not understand a word he said, unfortunately; but I think he could understand me. I think he knew who I was. I hope he did. I got tears in my eyes (as I do now) and choked up. I did not think that would happen. However, I realize I have known him all my life. I used to go on dates with him and Marlene when I was only 4-5 years old (I was the unknowing chaperone).
Still more happened today! I also got an email address for my cousin Judy Marie. Well, "cousin" is how I have known her most of my life, but in reality, she is my half-sister! Her father is my father; her mother is my Aunt. I am okay with it, but it is still strange!
On a more mundane level, I had an appointment with Dr. P. today. Not much to mention. I just had blood taken. We will see how the numbers come out in a couple of weeks. However, I should mention that I DID lose 6 pounds since my last visit!! That good. It gives me hope and maybe I can lose more. I could still stand to lose 70-80 pounds!!
10:29p – 31°F – I suppose I need to be thinking about going to bed. I am supposed to get up early in the morning and go to HamFest 2005 with Marty in the morning. I need to eat first. I mat a Chuck roast with a rice pilaf side dish for supper.
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12:28p – 16°F – I wok up about 5:00a and finally got up about 7:10a. I noticed the temperature was 35°. By the time Marty got here it was starting to snow, the wind was whipping, and the temperature had already dropped to 29°. It had gone down to 16° now! The HAM Radio Operator's Swap Meet (or "WinterFest") seem busier than it was last year. I took a lot of pictures, though it was hard to get enthusiastic about it. It was good to get out of the house, but after looking at everything several times, it started to lose my interest. I hope some of the pictures came out interesting. I have yet to look at them. I got in touch with Judy Marie tonight and we had a long voice chat on Yahoo tonight. Also, cousin Artie sent me a lot of new pictures. These things seem to come in spells. Alyose, yaatge iiyelm' aamfre Chad aanje ch'aaswe orrnpone. Iih' aasky' iim' uut' ends' aams' akb' uut' ime, aanje Y'ide (afyert' ey' uufy' irsbe!). Y'ond' iibiifle Y'ide che! Y'ope ch'uzdench' umkyaakbe uut' aant' iime! |
11:11a – 20°F – I slept in until about 9:00a this morning. Checked email. Y'ond' aave nyeiningth' aamfre Chad eche. Y'ond' on' aatw' iihe sh'ogeingy' uut' ese...
I made a pot of soup with Italian sausage, alphabet pasta, in sort of a Cantonese style.
My package still did not arrive with
my new memory card and filters. This has been a typically boring day.
Got to work on time, left on time. Short lunch. Etc. Stopped by the
LZ for drink before going home. Nothing much out of the
ordinary to report.
That package still has not arrived! I hope it makes it before I leave on Thursday!
The toilet broke tonight. We have to take the lid off the tank and flush it manually by sticking our had in the water and pulling the flapper up. Not very pleasant.
Darn, the package STILL did not arrive! Maybe it will come in early tomorrow before I leave. I haven't even started packing yet.
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Skip went in an hour late this morning, so I got to see him before I left. I finally got started packing at the last minute; as usual. I was packed and ready in plenty of time. Unfortunately, my new camera equipment never arrived. Oh well, I will manage okay with what I have, but I really wanted to have the extra memory card. I caught the 12:18p bus (which
was running about 3 minutes early). I got to the airport in
plenty of time, check in on the self server terminal, then walked
over to Burger King and got a light lunch. I went through security
with no I was met by Darlene, Devon
and Bill at the airport. It was sprinkling a little and chilly,
but not too cold out. We left the airport and went to Wal-Mart.
I decided to break down and splurge for a new memory card. I
got a 1 gigabyte Later, Devon and I walked down to the video store and picked up "Cat Woman" to watch. I am glad we did. It was a very good movie! I enjoyed it immensely. About this time, I was headed to bed. I met Tammy's son, Keri, briefly. |
The bed was small and sloping, so
it took forever for me to get to sleep. I kept thinking I was going
to roll off the bed! I ended up knocking my camera & tripod over
with my foot (in the dark). I could not see and had to find my way
carefully in the dark to the light switch. Since I have the BPPV condition,
I must have visual references for balance, so it was very hard for
me to stay on my feet.
The camera was (thankfully!) okay,
though it took quite a fall. I removed it from the tripod (as I had
intended to do earlier) and set it on the dresser and moved the tripod
to a safer location. I went back to bed and eventually got to
sleep, though I woke up a lot during the night.
I got up this morning around 8:30a (I think) and ... it was WHITE outside! We had several inches of snow during the night. Once I was able to wake up some, we walked down to to see the horses. One (of the many) dogs accompanied us along with the huge black & white cat, Goofy. I took my camera along, of course.
| 6:01p – We just got back from an outing to OKC a bit ago. First we went to get Devon's dress out of lay-a-way, then we went downtown. I took a lot of pictures down in "Bricktown" (as they call it). We went into the NA store and I bought myself a Kokopelli candle holder and a couple of bumper stickers for me and RD. Then we went over to the Morrow Memorial. Devon and I went for a walk around the memorial and took a bunch more pictures. From there we headed out to see Bill's property where the new "Willis" family is going to be moving. However, a tire started to sound funny, plus it started to get VERY foggy and visibility was dropping so we turned around and headed back. |  Devon and I pose for each other at the OKC Bombing Memorial |
 Me & my sister Darlene pose in front of a "Bricktown" advertising horse in OKC. |
The fog stayed bad and the tire was getting worse. We pulled in to a station and determined that it was the back right tire which was losing its tread. After some debate, we decided to head on to the house where Tammy was supposed to be getting some used tires ... four for the price of one. Fortunately we made it home. 6:20p – I think I am going to get Bill to take me to the store shortly and we will get some chuck roast & such. oops... time to go now! 7:57p – Darlene & Bill are off getting the tire fixed. Meanwhile, I have been at the house preparing chuck roast and mashed potatoes. I also took the liberty of cleaning up in Tammy's kitchen some (I hope that was not inappropriate, but it was in dire need!). |
11:33p – Supper was
good. I've been sitting here in the living room with Tammy's daughter,
Shalisa, watching "White Chicks." Bill has gone over to
his brother's to spend the night since (according to custom) he is
not supposed to see the
bride on their wedding day until the wedding. Shalisa is doing Darlene's
nails now and I am thinking of either getting another snack or going
to bed. I don't know how much food (if any) is left.
My poor stomach was doing bad things to me earlier. I think it has finally settled down. At least I know it was not beer responsible, since I have not had any since Wednesday night.
7:27a – Just got up and am still half asleep . I thought they were going to get me up at 6:30a, but it looks like I was allowed a little more sleep than expected. That's good, since I have not been able to sleep very well in Devon's daybed. I am afraid I will fall off of it!
I have not taken a bath since Thursday morning, so I really MUST see about doing so THIS morning. I feel more than a bit scuzzy after two days of wearing the same clothes and not bathing.
I don't even know what I am going to wear this morning. I need to get myself oriented & organized. When I wake up.
8:12a – Ahh... took a shower and feel much more "human" again. At least, until I immediately stepped in dog poop with both feet! There are way too many pooches running around unattended and untrained. Oh well... it should all be over soon.
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8:14a – Darlene is ranting & raving about her fingernail polish. She even asked me if I had any with me! (of course... I don't). 9:46a – Cousin (brother!) Billy arrived a little while ago. I am getting ready to ride out with him to the wedding. How strange... after all these years! 2:28p – The wedding went well, and I took LOTS of pictures. The reception was great. I must remember to send pictures to Dotty. I got her email address in my wallet. We are going to exchange pictures. Billy and I are going to get a motel room tonight (maybe I can sleep!). |
We got a room at an Econo Lodge for just $22 apiece. It was adequate for our needs. We ordered a pizza and had some beers and chatted into the night about family and our lives and where we had been, what we had done. I was very impressed by Billy's adventures which made my life seem a bit paltry.
The pizza we ordered had jalapeños on it and I woke up in the middle of the night REALLY wishing I had not eaten them; three times. I was surprised that I did not wake Billy.
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Happy
Birthday to Marty Koirtyohann |
Billy and I went out for breakfast the next morning. First, we stopped by a Wal-Mart so he could pick up some money and buy a new pair of boots. I picked up some arch supports while I was there.
We went to a truckstop, which is Billy's "home turf" since he is a truck driver. I was surprised to learn that when he was staying with with my Dad, Frank Lewis (actually my step-father), he was inspired by Daddy's stories of truck driving and this led him to his career today. He has own his own trucking company and has been involved in big bucks. Today he is trying to retire and has sold off most of his trucks, keeping only one which is currently being driven by his wife, Jackie.
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We both ordered a "medium" order of Biscuits & Gravy which turned out to be SIX biscuits halves smothered in gravy (a bit thin and not enough meat in it). I also ordered 2 eggs over easy and a sausage patty, so I had a massive breakfast! Neither of us finished off all of our biscuits & gravy. Billy covered the meal, but then we went to a gas station in Minco, and I put in some diesel fuel in his camper-truck. From there we went back to Tammy's place and, on the spur of the moment, decided to go on a road trip. We picked up Devon, who was home alone, and took off for Anadarko, OK. We had a great time and it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. The last time I went to Anadarko was in 1977 when I took leave and went to visit Daddy, Calisa, and Skip. I think they were living in Pocassett at that time. Now, 28 years later, I revisited "Indian City USA" in Anadarko with my cousin/brother, Billy and my dear niece, Devon. |
It was wonderful excursion and I shall cherish it all my remaining life. The sad thing was how "commercial" the place had become. I liked it better before they had paved the parking lot and things seemed much more authentic. Oh... I had to make SOME kind of purchase to remember my 2005 trip to Anadarko, so I purchased a set of Kokopelli earrings, and an arrowhead pendant. We headed home and dropped off Devon. Billy and I went out looking at possible homes in the area. I don't think he was impressed, and the foul weather did not help. It started snowing again, Snow, then hail, then rain... it kept alternating. Just basically nasty. Billy dropped me off again at Tammy's and headed back to the Motel where he figured he would rent a room for another night. I sat and watched TV (no cable, not satellite, poor reception) for a while. Then Devon made supper which consisted of baked chicken, pasta in butter sauce and candied carrots. |
 In front of the Welcoming mural at Anadarko's "Indian City USA" |
How odd that my little Devon is cooking my supper! I wish Doug could be here to share the experience with me! He would be so proud of her. <sigh> These thoughts become a bit painful...
After eating, I went to lay down (I was feeling kind of feverish and sickly), leaving instruction with Devon to wake me when Tammy got home. I am still not sure how I would get to the airport in the morning. Tammy's Dad, Raymond, was supposed to give me a ride, but he (at the last moment) said he couldn't do it due to not having insurance or some such. That seemed like a lame excuse to me, but... whatever. I did not really know him well anyway.
I got up at Devon's prompting shortly after Tammy got home. She said she would be taking me to the airport in the morning. Once Devon finished getting her laundry together, I went back to bed in her room. She had her Mom's room to sleep in since her and Bill were off on their Honeymoon!
I lay in bed watching TV until about midnight. Including an episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" ... which I have not seen in ages.
I got up early, around 7am and was able to give Devon a big hug before she left for school. I got packed and Tammy and I left at about 9:30a. We stopped on the way to the airport so Tammy could get some coffee. I got a croissant with bacon and some milk. We got to the airport and I was able to get checked in for flight 5762 on American Airlines to St. Louis as planned. We parted at the security entrances and I gave her a big hug, then another hug for Darlene, and yet another for Devon. I passed through security and still had about an hour before my flight. I decided to stop at the bar and have a drink. It was about 10:45a at this time, so I had a couple of Bloody Mary's. The bartender was a mature Phillipino lady and I (of course) had to impress her with my simple abilities with speaking Tagalog. Itsaengy' aany' aim' eftle, aasw' ey' erveirr' uutkye 'ungy' aanme ny' ey' owkobiiy'aatche. Iih' aasw' os' aathe! After my drinks, I wandered around and took a few pictures.
My flight went well. I did not partake of the in-flight drink & snack. I arrived in St. Louis without incident, and had to wait and wait as usual for my baggage. This time I found a seat and waited. I have learned that STL has a very long wait time for baggage!
1:45p – I caught the MetroLink home and called Skip on the way to see if he could tell me when the next Cahokia bus left 5th&Mo. His phone did not answer, so I called MetroLink. The next Cahokia bus was scheduled to leave at 2:59p. That would be about an hour, so I decided to ride the train several stops past 5th&Mo and then catch a train back. Unfortunately, I miscalculated and did not get back to 5th&Mo until about 3:10p. The next Cahokia bus would not run for more than an hour. So I decided to go on to the East Riverfront station and go down to the Casino Queen to catch a cab. I called Riverbend Taxi over & over and kept getting a busy signal. Finally, after I was already off the train and walking up to the Casino Queen valet parking area, I was able to reach someone.
I sat and waited a bit and finally the cab arrived. The time was now about 3:30p and I had not eaten since the croissant this morning and was feeling quite spacey. The Riverbend cab finally arrived; the driver, Sheila, was a festive and chatty black girl who I took a liking too right away. Sheila was a very nice person and I got her cell phone number. I may call her in the future to give me and Kira a ride to the vet. She said she would charge $25.
YAY! Home at last. Sheila dropped me off and I was home. Kira was very happy to see me, and I was happy to see her too. I got organized and then was ready to head off to the store. This is when I discovered my wallet was missing! I searched frantically, but could not find it. I called the taxi driver, Sheila, on her cell phone and told her that I suspected that I had left my wallet in her cab. She pulled over and checked, and sure enough she found it. The $20 I had in it was gone, but she said it appeared that all my card & ID's were still there. Nevertheless, I was sick over it and worried to death. She said she would drop off my wallet sometime this evening.
Meanwhile, I had planned on going to Schnuck's and picking up some stuff for a pot of Hot & Sour soup. I decided to take some coins from my coin collection and go get some beer & other items, but then I remember the "Coin Star" system over at Schnucks. So I went back and got $65 in coins and cashed them in for $59.xx. I used the cash to buy supper.
7:40p – I heard a HONK! HONK! and knew it had to be Shiela. I flicked the light switch (to let her know I had heard her), and ran to throw on a shirt. She was such a dear, a very nice person. My ID, Visa, and (very importantly) my bus pass(es) were all present!
My Hot & Sour soup was excellent.
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HAPPY
Cheryl
Jost
Carrie
Ives
Richard
Dean
Tom
Selleck
Ann
Jillian
John
Forsythe
Oprah
Winfrey
Greg
Louganis
Donna
Daniel
Marty Koirtyhohann
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January 19, 1967
