Happy Friday the 13th!

What a great day! it really is a great day, isn't it? The big ol' bright sun isn't glaring in my eyes, and the colder weather is keeping the aroma from that dead skunk in the road from getting too bad. And we haven't had enough snow yet this year; hearing there's more on the way is nice. I just finished doing our taxes and we owe a little bit, so no refund, but it could be worse, right? I don't know why we ended up having to pay in this year but it's a lesson learned for next year. I'll just have more deducted from my paycheck voluntarily. I sure love knowing that I'm helping my government, by letting them use my hard-earned money to fund all those necessary and important programs, don't you? Seriously, we'd never know just how damaging cow methane really is otherwise, and learning is half the battle. Oh, my husband is in the hospital, but that's okay too. He's getting his gall bladder removed. We didn't know there was anything wrong with it until this week, so it's a good thing they're taking it out! He might have had another attack later, like after he signed his official papers for his permanent state job and secured his health benefits. That was supposed to happen in 2 weeks, but he can't work for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I'm sure they'll hold the position for him. All those people waiting to get in, like he did, certainly know how hard it is to get a good state job and I know they'll be happy to wait just a little longer while he recovers. People are inherently good, you know. I'll be off work for a few days too, taking care of hubby when he comes home next week. Missing two days so far, and having to buy gas to go back and forth to the hospital, is eating into our finances but I'm not worried. Nothing matters but knowing he is going to be okay. And he will, of course, because it's Friday the 13th, and that is a lucky day! It always has been. Ask my grandfather, who said until his dying day that it was lucky. He died on a Friday the 13th. How fortunate is that, going on your lucky day! Wow. Just can't get any better around here, so I'm going to go back to bed. I hear Saturday the 14th isn't too bad either.

Excuse me, where is the lieu?

ARGH!

You know how I am about misspelled words, especially from a business standpoint. (Right now there is a sign on the main office door at work that begins "During the peek season, please use this office for office-related duties only." Um, okay, so that means... no photocopying your butt in case someone's peeking?)

That isn't what I'm going off about today, however. Today it's my otherwise-intelligent, college-educated boss's continuous misuse of the phrase "in lieu of." No less than three times a day (that I personally hear, so it could be more often) he will say a variation of the following:

"In lieu of the fact that the sun is shining, you should plan on watering all the petunias."

Not "in view of" or "considering" or "due to the fact" but instead of... which makes zero sense. Today he said "In lieu of what you have planned to water today, please keep an eye on the water level." I wanted to ask him "So... if I'm not using the water, you really think it'll go down?" Sadly, he wouldn't get it and I'd have to explain and I'd be the one looking like a nitpick for correcting him on a triviality in the first place. But it drives me crazy!

This is just one of many common words or phrases that get mangled on a daily basis. I might use a few myself, but in most cases it's deliberate and spoken with a wink. My boss, as I said, is a very smart, knowledgeable guy; it bothers me to see him inadvertently demean his intelligence in front of his superiors. It also bothers me to think that someone is peaking at me when I'm making copies...

It's the last Saturday in March.

Already!

Random observations:

• I want to adopt a Greyhound! Maybe two or three. I thought they were one-way dogs but after getting the chance to love up on one at an outdoor expo, it turns out they aren't. Their fur is softer than I expected, and -get this- they're LAZY. The woman running the booth called them "45-MPH couch potatoes" because they'd rather lay on the couch and sleep all day than go running around chasing things. I've wanted a Greyhound for years; oddly, this was the first time I took the opportunity to learn more about them.
• Britney Spears articles are a waste of media. However, props to FedEx for somehow managing to come off smelling like a rose. Sure, it's a Fresno rose, which has an underlying aroma of cow manure, but overall he's being lauded as a good guy. Stranger things have happened, I suppose.
  
• Speaking of stranger things... Michael Jackson made an appearance during daylight hours and without a veil, dashing rumors that he was once again attempting immortality not by way of a hyperbaric chamber this time but via vampirism.
  
• Many years ago I got my left ear pierced. I didn't want to do both in case I didn't like it; easier to get it done than undone, and I could always go back for the other one. (I'd always heard that if you didn't wear the earring or piercing stud the hole would close over. Here it is, fifteen years later, and although I've worn an earring for an hour or two perhaps five times total, the piercing never did close or give me any trouble whatsoever.) Last night I finally got the right one done, for a matched set. Never let it be said that I make hasty decisions.
• My husband received an inheritance from a family member's estate. He spent it on the complete set of Dukes of Hazzard DVDs.
  

If you're surfing over from Branded in the 80s, thanks for dropping by. Shawn was nice enough to give a shout-out... he also came up with much more information about my stickers than I ever knew or would have even thought about researching. Totally awesome, dude!

Wearin' O' The... White?

We had a white Valentine's Day and now a white St. Patrick's Day is coming... a white Easter is never out of the question, either.

A storm came through today and it's currently in the process of dumping 4 to 10 inches of snow upon us. After work, I was cleaning off the truck and dreading the slippery drive home... glanced at the road to see how bad it was... and there, in the middle of the road, hunched over, with his feathers puffed out and a very annoyed expression on his face, was a robin. No doubt he was disgruntled due to the sudden weather change from the warm temps we enjoyed last week. I saw what was surely this bird's brother back in February, the day after the Valentine's storm subsided, perched on a tiny tuft of grass surrounded by snow and looking just as pissed-off as the one today.

Of course, robins look angry all year round. They're the pompous jerks of the bird world. The one in the road most likely thought to his little bird self, "Oh, that is IT! I have HAD it with this weather and it better change RIGHT NOW because I am SO not getting that nest built for Matilda until it warms up and if she doesn't get a nest I will NEVER hear the end of her squawking about it. I am protesting RIGHT here RIGHT now and I will STOP TRAFFIC until the sun comes out!!!"
vroooom *AWK!*
"...I will sit over HERE and GLARE at traffic until the sun comes out. Ahem. Don't want to get my feet muddy, you know."


Image by Richard Bradbury,
www.rsbp.org.uk

Smells like... adhesive?

Today I was linkhopping and came across Branded in the 80s, a great nostalgia site. There's a section on 8os-era stickers; most of the ones showcased weren't ones I collected (although the name Panini brings back semi-fond memories) until I read the Scratch n' Sniff posts. I *loved* scratch n' sniffs. After viewing the pictures on that site I did some surfing and found more... all those "smells" came flooding back, almost as if I had my sticker books in front of me.

For the past few months I've been wondering how to capture a scent to sniff later... not creating it like perfume, but saving the smell of an early mountain morning or the vinyl interior of a vintage VW beetle or the aroma from a certain pizza parlor. These are scents I want to keep and re-smell, but it just isn't practical (or sane!) to fly 3,000 miles to sniff some pizza, or to visit a junkyard and ask the proprietor if you can smell his Bugs. I'm sure there's a way to do it, right? Maybe not a cost-effective, simple, or reasonable way, but if someone can make stickers that still smell like pickles and cotton candy 25 years later, surely it can't be impossible!

January, my foot!

Wow, was my last post ever off! It is not cold. (Yet.)

I'm outside today and I'm seeing ground. Dirt. Grass. BIRDS!

I'm seeing the head guy in my department come to work in shorts. I'm scrounging around in my bag for my sunglasses. I'm watching my new winter coat gathering dust while I wear sweaters... and sweat in them. And, of all things, I'm opening the kitchen window during the day to let air in because it's stuffy! This past week I was hanging out of that window, feeding the birds below me.

It's January.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, we should have been knee-deep in winter by now. Instead we've had some rain, three snowflakes, and a lot of crisp, bright days that feel more like late April than early January. I know it will get here though... we're going to have a slushy, mushy spring and snow for Easter, I betcha.

Another error in my prior post: Believe it or not, I have been upright AND conscious for both sunrise and sunset for two weeks. I have photos to prove it, for those of you who know me well enough not to believe me. The powers-that-be at work wanted everyone coming in at the same time instead of staggered like we were, and sunrise was hitting its peak colors just before 7 AM, so... there you go. Or there I went. After the first day and the first blood-red sunrise, I hustled out of the house not so much to get to work on time, but because if I was running late I wouldn't see the skyshow. How's that for incentive?

The twin nieces are healthy and beautiful. They're fraternal and have different personalities already. I was unable to visit over the holidays, due to work, but I sure hope to see them and my older niece and nephew soon! Everyone lives too far away and none of us want to move. :-P

New post at Alter Ego, link to the right --->

Finally, I said I had photos... here's one from this morning of a nice sun pillar. It was also the last photo I took with my camera before the battery-cover hinge broke.

In Brief

No, that does not mean I'm sitting here in my underwear. Oh wait... maybe it does... never mind. On with it...

• I'm an aunt to new twins. :-)
  
• Hubby got the PennDOT position and is in class this week. He'll be taking the operator test next week. He's liking the job so far.
• Step-sister just moved here! Haven't seen her since 1995. This could be fun.
  
• My job has been nonstop busy. It's that time of year!
• Lots of rain here, had some flooding on Thursday. Now it's getting cold; I broke out the heavy blankets and got 'em ready. Sleeping is so nice when the air's cold on your face but your comforter is nice and toasty underneath!
• Anyone see the Leonid meteor shower last night? (Continues this weekend) It's supposed to be a very active one this time, but it was too cloudy here last night to see anything.
• Speaking of looking UP, this is a great time of year for spectacular sunrises and sunsets! I took some nice sunset shots (what, you think I'm actually up for sunrise? HA!) over the lake and got a few more rainbows in my collection as well.

Sting Forum

I just realized it was down when I came home tonight... the Webmaster might be moving us to the new server tonight.

NO viruses, NO hackers, just routine stuff. If your web address or bookmark doesn't work later, try www.stingforum.com

Mellow

It's Friday the 13th.
I'm sitting in front of the computer, wearing a flannel union suit (jammies) and feeling a bit chilly. But pleasantly so. There was frost on the car windows this morning and it's supposed to be cold again tonight. There is absolutely nothing going on at our house right now... I have some nice soul/bluesy tunes playing quietly in the background (do not ask me if it's possible to play blues quietly. It just is, okay?) Candles burning, husband dozing on the couch, everything's peaceful tonight. It's a good time to think of random little things.

• A man whose name is Frank Burns and who also looks like Pete Rose is just waaaay tooo confusing for me. I keep wanting to call him Major and ask him who he favors for the Series...
• How does one get the smell of burnt popcorn out of the microwave? I have spritzed and scrubbed and stuck lemon in there and the smell still hits me.
  
• I wish these jammies had feet. Then they'd be perfect.
  
• I want my own pumpkin patch. A sincere one!
  
• Jack Palance (the actor) is having an auction near here tomorrow... I feel kinda guilty because for 30 seconds or so I actually thought about skipping a good friend's wedding reception to go to the auction. Of course we'll be at the ceremony and the reception, but the brief thought was there. I wonder what he's selling besides that '59 Cadillac?
  
• I smell bacon. Baconbaconbacon... ah, my husband got up to make a grilled cheese n' bacon sandwich. That smell is SO not working with the popcorn odor. I think I'll light another candle or three. Pretty soon I'll be rubbing lemon juice under my nose.
  
• Speaking of hubby, he starts his new job on Monday. Yay! The six-month-mayhem begins.
• Cherry crumb pie or strawberry shortcake for the boss's birthday? Hmmm.

It's still Friday the 13th, and I'm still here random-ing away. I think I'll go do something even less strenuous, like lounging in boneless cat mode on the other end of the sofa. :-D

(Happy Lucky Day, Pop!)

October Already...

My favorite time of year is here! This is when I see the world through pumpkin-colored glasses, reflecting moonbeams and slightly fogged by crisp autumn air.

For many, this is the downward slope into winter, the last handhold on nice days before the restricting weather sets in. This is the step before seasonal depression and the long, agonizing countown until spring brings its healing promise.

I am rather the opposite. Autumn is my season of rejuvenation, not spring. I feel so much more alive when the weather first drops below 50 degrees, when that little bite is in the air along with a hint of woodsmoke from the house down the road. When apple cider cravings overcome me; when the subliminal feeling to "rush, rush, get it done before the snow!" becomes more prevalent than the laid-back attitude of summer; when the days are shorter and the nights are custom-made for curling up under a quilt with a good book... this is when the world is perfect to me. When all around is hibernating and drying up and blowing away, I am dancing in the leaves with sparkly eyes, a pocketful of candy corn, and an itch to go, to do, to be spontaneous!

Oh, let Fall be long this year
In colors red and brown
Let orange leaves lie underfoot
Instead of snowy ground!

Oh, let Fall be long this year
A season to remember
Let a harvest moon shine bright
Well into December!

Scrapping out a liveing

Have I ranted on this before? I'm sure I have. No matter, I'm going to do it again.

Subject: Business Typos

A few days ago, someone in the office at work (meaning someone who makes more money than I do, and supposedly has education and experience befitting her position) typed out a memo for all employees. She left a copy next to the mailboxes. I read it and cringed. We're doing inventory right now, and we cannot move or throw out (scrap) any items until they have been counted. In large, bold letters, her flyer said "NO MOVING, NO SCRAPING!"
Scraping. NOT scrapping. Her demand sounded more like a grade-school teacher's classroom admonition on test day. "Scrappage" and its variants are (unfortunately, from a business standpoint) some of the most commonly-used words at my workplace. The back of my company hat says "Goal: 0% SCRAP." (Hey, it was free!) And yet, nobody else caught the typo until the memo was plastered on every flat surface in all three plants. It is seriously bugging me.

Typos drive me crazy. Not so much on internet forums, blogs, chat, etc. where a more conversational tone is accepted by most and acronyms, abbreviations and "txt spk" are the norm. I don't follow strict writing criteria here and I don't expect anyone else to. I'll end sentences with prepositions, use too many commas and pauses, and write using colloquialisms or current slang. However, even taking liberties such as those, I hate misspelling a word. I hate it more in the following circumstances:

If I see an official release on company letterhead or browse a business website, and there are glaring typos, something in me just clicks and sets me off. Sometimes I cannot read past the error. (I do this with published novels too, as does my mom. A typo just derails the train of mental engagement with the story.) My own company has issued quarterly reports, public notices, and so forth with typos that make me want to demand proof of educational credentials from the higher-ups who wrote said letters. Or at the least, volunteer to proofread important documents for them. I find it very unprofessional to have misspelled words on job applications, company descriptions, mission statements, and employee handbooks, among other things. How does that project a good image? In my opinion, it doesn't. It projects slackness, disinterest, and lower education, none of which I want to see from the managers/owners of a potential employer or investment opportunity.

I went to a website not long ago for a product I was researching. I didn't get past the main page of the website. The product description had no less than three misspelled words and the company info was wrong (commas in the wrong place and some proper words not capitalized). This was supposed to be a million-dollar business. You'd think, with such a slick web design that obviously set the advertising budget back a few dollars, someone would have proofread the content. I can't be the only one out there who immediately loses interest in purchasing anything from a company that can't even spell their own product name the same way on the same page! Ugh.

I just can't get past this, I really can't. I've started carrying a black marker around with me at work and changing all the scraping to scrapping. Also leaving commentary: "We can't scrape?" "Scrape what?" "We all scrape by. Is this no longer allowed?" "Pay me more and I won't have to scrape." etc. etc. ad nauseaum... I'm an ass. :-D

5 Years

*Moment of silence for the victims of 9/11/01 and their families*

Reading in Reading

• Breaking News: Steve Irwin "Crocodile Hunter" was killed by a stingray today while filming an underwater documentary at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. RIP. (Yahoo News)

Back to our semi-regularly-scheduled post:
Today Hubby and I went to view the PostSecret exhibit at the Reading Public Museum. It was great, although I think I got more out of it than he did. I noticed the majority of the visitors (and there were quite a few, for a Sunday afternoon on a holiday weekend) were younger females. There was a pretty steady line of people reading the postcards on display though. A table was set up nearby, with a can of colored pencils on it and chairs all around. Next to it was a full-size mailbox that seemed to be made out of clear stretch-wrap or tape. (Really neat!) A note said to take a card and write your secret, put it in the box, and the author would collect them at the end of the exhibit's run. Unfortunately there were no blank cards to be found; I didn't have anything to say anyway. Several of the postcards on display already said what I would have written had I thought about it.

Secrets... I'm not sure I have any of my own, just those I keep for others. Fears, concerns, inspirations, dreams... yes, I have all those. I also have a big mouth and vocalize those things quite well. ;-P

This is the only one I photographed. It made me laugh, and can be applied to pretty much everyone that's near and dear to me:

Wiki gone Wacky

Hey Muppet-lovers!

Gael at PCJM just linked to Muppet Wiki, as well as the "Muppets eating other Muppets" section. I thought Trekkers were obsessed... er, obsessive... either way there is a lot of Muppet minutiae on that site. If you can still sing the long version of the theme song word-for-word, occasionally yell out PIGS IN SPAAAAACE for no reason, consider Swedish Pig-Latin a bona-fide language (as Klingon is to the Trekkers) and can't cook without adding a few vocal "bork-bork-borks," and once had wallpaper featuring the entire cast of the Muppet Show in your bedroom... not that I ever did any of those things, of course *ahem* but if you did... check the site out.

Here's your Obsessive/Nostalgic Clip of the Month: Most-Requested Muppet Skit.

Happy Birthday To Me

It's my birthday. But more importantly, it's 7 years to the day since my first date with my hubby. Best. Present. Ever! The gift that keeps on giving...

As for the day, since it's supposed to rain I wanted to stay in bed with a good Book and listen to the raindrops on the tin roof. Then Dad said they were coming over, so I have to actually get up in the A.M., get dressed, and make sure the house is presentable. We didn't go out tonight, both of us worked and we're too tired (and too broke) to make the effort.

So, tonight I played some old tunes, ate a burrito and cleaned off my desk. Whee. I haven't played my Birthday Song yet... "Happy Birthday" by Concrete Blonde... it became a kind of tradition when I lived in California, so I'll have to dig it out later. Otherwise, looks like it's going to be just another day around here. I hope somebody brings cake. Caaaake!

I Wanna Rock!

Our planned full trek through Rickett's Glen tomorrow has been postponed. It's supposed to rain again, and anyway we don't need/want to spend any more than necessary on gasoline right now. It's a ways away. Sure is a pretty place, though. I hope we get to go another time!

Another Work Post

My boss had his interview for the head grower position today. We're all pulling for him, although we really like working for him the way it is now. If he gets the position (and we're fairly sure he will) he'll move up the ladder and we'll be left without a plant manager (or whatever the company is calling that position now. It seems to change every 6 months or so).

That means his job will be open. I've spoken to a few people at work about who would be the best person for our plant, and whether they'll hire an outsider, or if they'll even hire anyone at all knowing that the site will be sold relatively soon. Surprisingly, like everyone assumes my boss is going to get the head position, they also assume a certain person will take his place.

That person is me.

Whoa.

Okay... I guess it makes sense, since I've been his backup/fill-in/weekend manager for a few years. But I usually focused on keeping the wheels turning, solving personnel and planning issues, scheduling, and dealing with the many mini-crises that occur in day-to-day operations. There is a LOT I don't know. For example, I don't have the horticultural background that others do; the chemistry and scientific nitty-gritty like knowing the ideal temperature ranges for each stage of X plant's growth, or the optimum Klux for said plant. This is one area in which I'm more hands-on than book-smart. Horticulture was never a field I'd considered, therefore I didn't pursue further education on the subject. Or any at all, for that matter.

On the other hand, I have several years' experience at this same plant. My boss thinks I could do it. Other people think I could do it. I think I could do it, too. Thing is, I don't believe I want to. These past couple of weeks have been stressful. Without getting into a lot of detail, I'll just say it's been manic. There is *no way* I can continue doing my own job plus take on all the additional responsibilities of managing our plant and crew full-time. I've been doing that lately, with my boss handling the technical stuff, and even with the two of us sharing the workload it's too much. Something will have to give... unfortunately, we're all stretched so tight now that if something did give we'd be in a world of backlash. Plus, the last person who took this position at another plant didn't get a raise. I'm underpaid NOW; I sure as heck ain't doing more for the same pay. "But it's an opportunity!" Yeah, an opportunity for the company to expect even more than they do without compensating me for it. What they expect now has already pushed my limits to the point where I don't want to do it anymore. A challenge is one thing, but taking full advantage of someone and doing so knowing full well that the person has to go along with it or quit is another thing entirely. And quite a few long-time employees have had enough and quit. I may not be the next one, but if they make it any more difficult I'll be on the short-timer list. I'm sucked dry, y'all. I have to ask myself if it's worth it, and if I am offered the position and decline, how that will affect my current status.

The *only* reason I'd consider it, at this point, is knowing we will have new owners within a few months and I may want to grab it while I can. It will look good on my next resume. ;-)

Creamsicle, ew!

I used to love Creamsicles. You know, those orange popsicles with vanilla ice cream inside. After today, I'm not sure I want another one for a good long time.

I had to go in for a couple of CAT scans today. I don't have a cat, and I couldn't catch one of the strays out back (suckers are quiiiick*) so I went empty-handed. One empty hand soon held a cup of orange sludge. I'd heard from other people that the dye solution or whatever the heck it is tasted nasty, so I was surprised to find that it looked and tasted just like a giant melted Creamsicle. I hadn't eaten anything since the night before (had to fast for X hours) so it was kinda nice getting to suck down something thick and halfway decent. Like those orange cream milkshakes that Arby's has now.

Anyway, the nice part was short-lived, since as soon as I finished the sludge I was given a second large cup of it. That one was a bit harder to get down. It coated my mouth and I wasn't supposed to have water or anything to cut the film (I always like having a glass of water after ice cream). But I finished it and it still wasn't awful, just a bit heavy. Went back to the prep room and lo and behold, a third cup of sludge awaited me. I chugged it to get it out of the way. Then I got to get an IV hooked up. I was a bit ticked now... I hadn't been told I was getting an IV; I'd thought it was one of those little dye packs they stick in the back of your hand. Nope. The sludge experience was forgotten and I managed to not pass out through the IV process, though there was a tense moment when I had to remind myself out loud to breathe. Thank the Lord I'm not diabetic or anything else that requires daily injections. I'd be a basket case.

After that it was easy. I never have been one of those people who freak out for MRIs; in fact I usually relax to the point of dozing off in the tunnel. The hammer noises are almost hypnotic to me. (I'm one who has fallen asleep in Row 8 at a NASCAR race, without earplugs, so MRI noise is a breeze.) This CAT machine, though, was an open tube and the scans went so quickly I barely had time to snooze. The tech did ask me once if I was asleep. I said yes. ;-P

So... an hour of drinking melted orange cream, five minutes of convincing myself not to go yell at my doctor for not warning me about the IV, and twenty minutes of kicking back in a machine, and I was done. Well, almost. I get the results from one scan at the end of the month and the others whenever my doc looks at them and calls me. I wanna see them too. That's probably the only really cool thing about having almost one's entire body scanned at one point or another. I get to see what I look like on the inside! One of these days I'm going to request copies of everything and make a collage by piecing all the parts together. "Self-Portrait" indeed!

*nod to Foxworthy

The Truth Comes Out

This morning started out like any other. I got up and went to work, with a growers' meeting on my agenda followed by working in the poinsettias and doing the usual routine stuff. I know I mentioned our head grower left us; my supervisor has shouldered the majority of his responsibilities, so I've been picking up the daily ops at our plant until our new grower is hired/announced.
Anyway, I got to work this morning to find a note pinned to the office door. It said, in one gal's handwriting, for my boss to be at the 8:30 meeting. In another gal's writing below it was "He won't be in today. E, please meet at Plant 1 breakroom 8:30." I thought we'd just moved the growers' meeting over there for some reason, so off I went.
All the employees were there, along with the site manager and company counselor. We were informed that the northeast division of our company was on the market and they hoped to have a buyer by the end of the year. We'd been hearing rumors, but apparently no one could confirm it until after the shareholders meeting. Our CEO made the official announcement last night after that meeting.

So. We're for sale again. Last time, it was a privately-owned business bought by a large company and merged with other sites to form the regional division. That's when we "went public" and the shareholders came into play. Now, it's one of the largest horticulture companies trying to unload four sites at once. We were told if they couldn't sell it as a package deal, each site would be sold individually. It's all about the bottom line.

Am I worried? On the contrary; I'm optimistic and a bit excited. I think it's about time we get some new blood in there, someone who can revamp the business and sales models and expand our customer base. Maybe fix our benefits so we aren't paying out the nose for them, or have more than just an HMO to choose from. Someone willing to invest not just in materials and equipment, but in the employees as well. Morale is the lowest I've seen in 7 years. We need change, we need incentive, we need a reason to be happy about going to work again. We DON'T want to see the results of our butt-busting hard work going into dumpsters by the truckload. There are some darn good employees (myself included, if I may be so bold) who would be more than willing to continue on provided we don't feel like we're building houses of cards in the eye of a hurricane. And that's what it's been like... just one thing after another, most of it out of our realm of influence. It's so frustrating seeing it happen and not being able to do a thing about it! Maybe the new owners will give us more of a voice... I doubt it, but it could happen. At any rate, I hope they realize the value of our input and (what's left of) our dedication and keep our tight crews together.

If not, I get a six-month paid vacation. Wee!

What's Around the Corner?