The wind chill was about 20 degrees!

Emerald Bay, Memorial Weekend

??@#$%^$$@*$????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shit! We woke up to 2" of snow this morning.

DAMN IT! I already put my warm stuff away. My feet are cold and I'm pissed off about it!

My mom told me that it's 80 degrees in Michigan...and they're drinking beers without me.

Screw this crap, man.

Shaken and Stirred

Do you prefer it raining or pouring?
Shaken or stirred?
On the rocks? Yes Please...

UGH.

These past couple weeks (or 6 months?) have been exciting, nerve racking, stomach sickening, the most fun and best times wrapped with home sickness and wonder.

Life... Man, it isn't easy, is it? I wish that things would fall together just the way that I want them to, but it never works like that. Never...

We moved out here last December. Wile had a job lined up out here already and I had gotten laid off from my job with a transportation company. It was the perfect time to make a change because I was really depressed about losing my job (not to mention that Michigan seems to have a job shortage.) My dad said "Honey, do not worry, this is the best thing that could have happened to you. You hated that place anyway." With that, I found the strength that I needed to do something for myself that I had always wanted to do (yeah, I know, go to California...how original. I can tell you from experience, there is a REASON people come here!) So, we packed up the van and took off on I-80 West.

The initial excitement of being somewhere new after 30 years was really great...but...once my home sickness settled in, I didn't know what to do with myself. There are ups and downs every day. I miss my mom...my friends are forgetting about me...I can't go party with my brother and sister in law whenever I want. Then there's the money side to it. I make a lot more here than back home, but the cost of living is way higher. On top of that, I still own a home in Michigan that has been for sale since last August. The market is bad bad bad. So, we pay every month on that. When we came, I started working for the same contractor that Wy works for and things were very flexible (which one may not understand until you work for Tahoe people! They have powder days where everyone goes skiing instead of working! It's a whole other ball game than what I'm used to!)

As the project has started to wind down, I began to look for a different job. I sent out a million resumes because I'm used to looking for work in Michigan. You might send out 30 and maybe hear back from one! But...it's different here. I must have had 10+ phone calls for interviews. As of right now, I went to 3 and 2 offered me jobs and one wants me to come back for a 2nd interview next week. I have a job running a show room and when he found out I was looking, he didn't want me to quit and offered me a raise and more hours. So, I was thinking about how we should just stay until my house sells and try to save money. Then....I got a call from a furniture company in Grand Rapids today wanting to interview me. With the prospect of actual work at home (!), I'm all in a tizzy right now!

I did a dumb thing and accepted one of the job offers and I'm supposed to start on Tuesday. I thought I had made my decision...then the Grand Rapids job screwed me up big time. The thing is that I'm not really sure that I want to quit the job I have. If I interview with the job in GR, I will be spending all of my "trip home money" on one interview and a few days home and I may not even get the job. I haven't told my boss or the new place that I am planning or not planning to work for them and I may have to cancel on the "new" job so that I can go home to interview. Which will suck for them, because they will get one day notice. I feel bad. Either way, someone or some people are going to be disappointed. Plus, if I was offered the job for the one that wants the second interview, I would surely take that one over em all!

SO!

I feel like I'm playing about ten people right now and I can't shake this sick-to-my-stomach-shit my-pants kind of feeling that I have right now. I hate being me sometimes because I can't just say "fuck 'em."

Any suggestions as to how I might make a choice in this matter? Shhhiiiitttt, man.

These are a few new pieces I've been messing around with

New Wares



So, I'm not the best photographer.



But who really cares?

NEED I SAY MORE?

Blue like my heart

Back home there aren't any jobs...so we migrated west and found plentiful work.

Back home we have a family and friends...out west we have none.

So I ask...is it better to be rich in family and friends and poor in the wallet?

My heart wants family...

GREEN!

Okay, so I like green. I look in my closet and in my drawers and the majority of my clothes are green. I have a green bedspread...green towels...a green pen cup. Any time there is a choice in color, you may as well give me green and at work, I confidently show people samples that are green.

Yesterday I bought some new sheets.........they were BLUE! Wile said that I surely had caused a rift in the time/space continuum. See, this is what happens when I feel a little 'wild.'

I say "hell yeah" to fire!

#7- Man O' War- Anthology

Finally, something I can work with. I don't care if these guys are all volunteer burn victims and have saved the world from nuclear holocaust. This is an assault on the senses. Anthology? Just for the pure joy of it (and because I am stupid), I looked that one up.

Anthology- n. pl- Anthologies

1. A collection of literary pieces, such as poems, short stories, or plays.

2. A miscellany, assortment, or catalog, as of complaints, comments, or ideas: "The Irish love their constitution for what it is: an anthology of the clerical-nationalist ideas of 1936" (Economist).

3. A ripping, burning compilation of metal Excellency created and compiled by several oily homosexual men wearing Speedos and leather devil boots.

Well, who knew? I guess it works. After further research, I found that Man O' War is composed of the surviving members of Orleans. After their upright organ player overdosed on Cadbury Eggs, they all decided to get back into shape and change their image. Viceroy suffered a transposed colon in a "weightlifting" accident, and Julian went on to become a garden gnome, so the remaining members came to the conclusion that they were destined to rock. And rock they did. I mean, look at that album cover. Do you think there should be fire on it? Yeah. Me too.

Want to see more of these awesomely bad album covers?
Check out: Pork Tornado
By the way...I didn't write this caption, I'm not that funny. hee hee

Zee Pacific Coast! ....ahhh....

2/06

We Picked him up on Emmigrant Trail

The Truckee Ninja

You've gotta love a hot pink ninja!

Penny Luck

I went for a walk and I found a bunch of pennies scattered on the road.
I thought to myself..."Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck."

I only took one. There was enough luck there for the whole neighborhood and I think we all need it.

Retraction on Site construction thing....

Okay, so I flirted with the new template thing and it gave me a headache, so I'm going to chill out until I'm much cooooooooool-errrrrr...then try again.

Peace

Site Construction

Hey, I've been surfing and found that my old template was just plain tired...so please forgive me while I play and mold my new one. :) Cheers.

Maples in Nevada!

A day off today!

We lazed around until noon, when we decided we should probably run (our already tardy) mother's day gifts to the post office. Hastily, we got ready, then jumped into the Stomper for a trip into town. My favorite post office lady was working today. You wouldn't believe that there are still real people out there like her. Her name is Ann and she smiles a gap toothed grin....She has puffy curly brown hair and she always wears pearls & make-up. She is so kind; she should be every one's grandma! I swear it.

Wile suggested that we cruise down around South Lake and check it out. We have lived here for 6 months and haven't been down around that end of Lake Tahoe yet. Man...you wouldn't believe how pretty it is around there. The road was winding and hilly and the green moss is growing on the sides of the mountains and rocks all over. We came to a bend in the road where Emerald Bay meets a beautiful mountain water fall. We parked along side the road and climbed up on some rocks to get a better view. Down by the waterfall was a wedding party getting their pictures taken. What a cool thing to have a water fall and the awesomely green waters of Emerald Bay as your back drop!

Our tummies were rumbling, so we hit the road around the rest of the lake. We ended up in South Lake Tahoe and after about one minute of looking, settled on Grand Central Pizza for lunch. The lunch special was good and cheap! $5.99 for the salad bar, a slice of pizza and a pop! I talked Wile into hitting the Pier 1 that I spied on the way into town and he patiently looked around with me. We settled on some new wine stoppers and then we were off. There was a little thrift store a block or two up, so my car veered to the right and we went in. This place was kind of funny. It was well stocked with antique pictures of naked women. In one of the glass cases I found a salt and pepper shaker set that were two individual boobs that sat on a spoon rest shaped like the rest of the body. It was kind of funny and it didn't have any arms or legs...just the "important" parts. lol. We walked out of there empty handed, but Wile found a skate board that is still beckoning to him, so I'm sure we'll be back.

After that, we continued our path around Lake Tahoe. We came to an area known as Cave Rock, where this gigantic rock formation spills into the lake. They have tunnels carved through for the road way and it truly is really cool. There was a small park on the lake side, so we parked there to get a better look. Wile pitched some rocks in the water and I made an alarm sound because people around there are so funny about "Keeping Tahoe Blue." I'm sure if someone had been around, they might have scolded us for simply being alive near the lake.

When we got near Incline Village, we decided to steer away from the lake altogether. We headed down the "hill" toward Carson City (Nevada's State Capital). The town is old and green and there are real trees there like Maples! There were lilacs and irises and old houses. It was a nice departure from Truckee's cedar sided mushroom communities and Reno's stucco neighborhoods. It actually seemed like a town that could be back home; only you can see mountains and it's much warmer! We were so happy to be there that we started driving up and down the streets and we even went and bought a paper to see what the job scene was like. Well...the job scene kind of looks like Michigan's job scene...blah.

We ended our evening with 2 pops and candy bars (a Fast Break and an Almond Joy) and we headed back toward Reno to make our ascent back up the hill to Truckee. After seeing the green of Carson Valley, it was hard to get back to the mountains with it's 3 varieties of plant life and it's cold mountain nights. We can't complain, though, we have a nice place to live and the adventure of coming to California will always be ours.

and there were corpses everywhere!

Ahhhh, I love a good sense of humor. Garage sales are lethal in the greater Truckee area.

I think my blog is STAGNANT!

AAARRRRRGGGHHH!

To Be Honest

So she said that she'd tell me what she told everyone else...

She's packing her bags and heading for who knows where.
She'd call her boys now and then and that's it.

She didn't want to hear from anyone...
and to be honest, she said,
she didn't even want to talk to me
ever again.

"What the hell happened in counseling yesterday?" I asked
"It isn't what happened yesterday, it's what happened today when I went by myself..." She said

She told me that she didn't need anyone and didn't want me to call her again. I told her that it was bull shit... And then she hung up on me.

So she was packing all of her stuff to head out into the world...ALONE.

Can't say I blame her. Lord knows I've been there. But it pains me to see what I'd rather not see.

I put my phone down and let out a sigh...little tears welled up in my eyes. I told her that I was here for her and if she ever needed me that I'd always be here. I guess that's all I can offer.

Friendless once again.

Next time, stay longer!!

World Traveller, Dee C., A.K.A. Sprocketts - lookin' sly, lookin' real sly!

Sometimes best friends find their way to your house.
Thanks for coming 2500 miles to see me!
You're special (special Ed!)

Love yas!