The Pig

The Pig

 

Ok, so I work at a small kitchen store & we have had an incident this week that has me baffled. And amazed.  

We have a brand of pan called Staub that makes enameled cookware & one they make is called a "cocotte" which is defined as a "small casserole in which individual portions can be cooked & served".    It also means "prostitute", which is odd & interesting.  And it's $200.  

On Friday, our pig walked out the door in the hands of a shoplifter.  We did not know til Monday when my boss asked us if we'd sold the pig.  She checked with every employee & we had not.  So she went to the tape & saw a large woman wearing scrubs bought a couple of scrubbies, then put a couple of thing into her large pockets & then she picked up the pig & walked right out the front door while the only employee was dealing with other customers. 

We were all heartbroken.  It had little to do with the pig but with the stealing of it.  If we've experienced it before, it's been little things.  We don't seem to have that clientele.  We have a high end & classy store.  But this took not just our pig but our trust as well.

So boss put a still picture & the video up on Facebook, asking for help.  And called the police. 

Yesterday, a man brought the pig & other things back to the store. He said he recognized the picture of his cousin Cindy & went to her house to get them.  He gave the owner his name & his cousin's name, with a sob story about her having mental issues & she took care of her dad & could not go to jail.  So this morning, that's where we stood. Name given to police.

Soooo...this morning, another guy calls to tell us her name.  But he gave us a different name.  We looked her up on Facebook & it was her.  And we were very confused.  The 2nd guy came into the store & I was dealing with customers & trying to keep them out of situation while bending my ears to hear what was going on.  This guy was somehow remotely related to woman & said he's been in her house & she had piles & piles of stuff that she may have also shoplifted.  He even called the guy who returned the pig & put on speakerphone & he admitted he'd given a false name for Cindy so she wouldn't go to jail.  Boss was going to call detective to give new scoop but I had to leave.  I'll have to get the skinny on Friday.  

Basically we had a really decent guy (2nd) & an almost decent guy (1st).  And boss is grateful.  Oh, and dirty low down thief is complaining to both that the video being posted & that it was still up.  So of course, it's going nowhere.  Lesson:  If you don't want the world to know you're a thief, don't be a thief that steals things. 

More to come!

Bunny Butt Pillow

 

I've been waiting for this pillow to go on sale from the first day I saw it. I wanted 50% off but settled for25% off today because I was afraid I'd miss it. I love it!!

Today, I Had Some Kindness...

 I hate to say that simple kindness surprises me sometimes.  And I had some today.

The lady at Lowe's talking to me about blinds was amazingly good at her job, not something I expect from someone at a box store. I was ready to go somewhere else after dealing with the measuring crew's findings & estimate.  But she saved the sale.  

And then I bought a tester of paint & the kid who mixed it was quick & friendly.  And he upsold me! 

Then I went to Groves Library, where I thought the book I reserved last night was there.  But the nice girl found out it was a Mahon...and the team at Mahon had it ready for me when I showed up.

Then, because I was downtown, and it's a rule that if I'm east of University I've earned Fried Cheese Please from Spankys, So I got some.  Yum.  For today & tomorrow.  But I asked the girl behind the counter for a cup of water & she even brought me a 2nd cup because I guess I looked thirsty.  I think she appreciated that I put a tip in her cup instead of on my credit card because I'm convinced that management keeps all the tips put on the card.  So I give up cold hard cash for tips. 

The only unkindness was from my cousin. (See post above).   And that won't happen again.  I'm the only person who has tried to maintain a relationship. And I'm done.  He's not capable & I need to accept that. I don't have it in me to be kind anymore, though I won't be unkind.  Just letting it all go. 

Windows !!!!!!

Before

After

 
I finally have my new windows & they are beautiful!!  My little house was already the cutest house on the block but now it's even cuter.  Still a work in progress for sure. Today, I'm working on shades for my living room & bedroom, the rest to come later as I can afford them.  Just waiting for one more estimate, on Tuesday.  So excited!!

The bad news is next week, I have to pay for them.  😔 I sold part of a mutual fund to pay off.  I was dazzled & signed up with a monthly payment I could afford, financed.  At 6.99% interest.  Then I figured out that I'd be paying about $5800 in interest, a fact that offends me horribly. Thus, the pulling money out of the retirement funds. It's in my savings account til the first of the month, hoping to get a little interest before I send it all off.    

The salesman came by during the installation & he mentioned the interest rate is now 9.99%.  Wow.

 

Same Song 22 Verse

 

I'm here again with the same problem.  I guess I'm the dimmest bulb in the box but I'll never understand.

I was going  downtown to the library & my cousin's office is around the corner.  I called his number to see if he had a few minutes for lunch & a visit. He couldn't hear me & said he'd call me back.  After I finished at the library about 15 minutes later I called again & he said "I didn't call you back".  No shit, Sherlock.  He was too busy for lunch & that's fine.  But I'll say it out loud:  I DON"T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT.  I've found my voice on that issue the last few months.

My cousin was never close with our family because of marriages & divorces, etc but I was a good enough friend to him when he came back to town.  Now he treats me like he does his mentally ill sister.  But I'll say it again, out loud:  I DON"T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT.

I can't give anymore without some return.  I at least deserve respect.  

Old?

One day last August, I woke up 65 years  old.  Gray hair, needs-a-forklift-to-get-me-off-the-floor, medicare eligible.  

Most of the time I don't fully feel it.  I don't think of myself as old but if I wanted a job I couldn't get one.  Age discrimination is alive & well.  For the record, I do have a job...I work part time at a kitchen store.  12 hours a week.  Savings. But I'd hate to find a way to make a living right now. I'm grateful I'm past that time, at least for now.  If we believe the gloom & doom being preached at us now, the October of my life is pretty good. I worry about Steve & Grayson & Layne tho.

I had a nurse come by a couple of weeks ago to do a health evaluation on me & I'm basically in pretty good shape.  All the tests were good.  Her evaluation said my BMI is just under 27 & normal is up to 25.9.  Losing 10 pounds could put me  in that level.  I know I've dropped weight over the last years & I weigh less than I did in high school.  (Always a chubbette)  I can feel it but still think it's not enough.  I still have a Baze belly & doubt that will ever fully go away.  But that number for some reason gave me the most confidence.  I want those 10 pounds gone by the end of the year.  We'll see.  Really, the only other thing she suggested wat talking to doctor about falling.  That's because I fell last year & broke my wrist.  But then I tripped over a raised sidewalk & face planted so I'm not really worried about that.

The thing I am worried about is my diabetes A1C.  It should be below 7 & it was 6.99 last time.  Way too close to the line.  I was taking an injectible med called Trulicity that had me close to 5 but although the Medicare is great for medical, it will not pay for that med.  And it's $800 a month so I can no longer afford.  That's a really annoying thing & I've written to my congressmen (for all the good that does) & requested they look into it.  Yeah, right.  I looked for email addresses for the manufacturing company, Lilly, but they have none on their website.  I looked up company officers & board of directors & they are all hiding very well.  They only have a phone number to call & I'm going to call to see if I can get some email addresses.  

I work with 2 college girls at the store & they make me feel old too.  They are going to Hawaii & Europe over the summer.  I'll be working & staying home.  Something wrong with that picture.  I'm really kidding about that though.  I don't care much for traveling anymore so I'm good being a homebody.   But I still feel old.

I also find as I've gotten older I have less tolerance for a lot of people's BS (like,say, a Beto t shirt, during election season) & politics on my Twitter account & to be fair conservatives preaching the end of the world while wanting us all to pay for a TV site that preaches fair & unbiased when they are just the other side of the liberal mask.  And a lot of noise bugs the snot right out of me. 

I guess old age will suit me.  I'd like a 3 wheel bicycle but don't feel old enough mentally but I'd sure enjoy it I think.  Maybe a little later.  A blue one with a big basket that'll let me ride around the neighborhood & to Walgreens without having to cross any major streets.  I'm truly not sure I can ride a 2 wheeler anymore.

I always say this but I really am trying to do better. I like my job & want to keep it.  That BMI number is the best thing I've read about my weight. And Tuesday I'm meeting with a new doctor, hopefully one who will respect me with time & listen to me & evaluate meds & see what we can do about the diabetes.  I'm ready for warmer weather so I can walk & spring & summer when I eat less. Those 10 pounds are my enemy & must be annihalated.  

Blondies

Before Christmas I found a website that was sending out daily cookie recipes & I subscribed.  Normally, I get ovehrwhelmed with subscription emails & they are gone as fast as they started but this one is not real invasive & I've tried a couple of recipes.  It's called 'Crazy for Crust'.  

This week, they sent out a recipe for blondies, which are basically cookie bars.  The recipe is a butter-sugar base like a chocolate chip cookie recipe but this particular one is different than my chocolate chip recipe in that it uses 2 cups of brown sugar & no white sugar.  It gives it a richer & sweeter taste.  Joanna Gaines uses only brown sugar in her chocolate chip cookie recipes but I like mine better.  These were good tho a little rich but are baked a little thicker like brownies.  They taste good in any case.  You can add lots of different mix-ins besides chocolate chips--nuts,M&Ms,butterscotch chips,toffee,,candy bars.  

It also says to use a 9x13 dish, which gave them a brownie feel.  It says to use foil & spray with Pam but I used parchment paper instead.  They come right out.  I love parchment paper.

Recipe

In mixer, combine til crumbly:

1/2 Cup Butter

2  Cups Brown Sugar

Add:

2 Large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

Mix together & add to above:

2 Cups Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp salt

Then add 2 cups Mix-ins.

Spread into pan.  Bake 22-25 minutes til golden brown. Recipe says to err on the undercooked side--they'll keep baking as they cool & you don't want them to overbake.

Recipe also gives nutritional info but I like living in the dark.  My nutritional advice is don't eat them all at once.

Seabiscuit

I'm trying to watch more movies because I've always loved them.  Less these days because I absolutely hate liberal Hollywood & their stupid obsession with shoving their politics down our throats.  Their egos suck.

I watched a not completely sucky movie earlier this week called 'How Do You Know' with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson,Jack Nicholson & the only person/thing that made it not a complete suck Paul Rudd.  It's not worth reviewing.

 I also watched a made for TV called 'Snow Day'...a new movie but it was a kid thing about kids not wanting to go to school.  Also, not reviewing.

Finally, tonight, I'm watching a movie I've seen before. 'Seabiscuit' is about an "inferior" horse in the 30s & 40s, along with his "inferior" trainer, owner & jockey.  He beat 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral.  Secreteriat was his grandfather.  Jeff Bridges is the owner, Tobey McGuire the jockey, Chris Cooper the trainer.   They are all good guys & easy to root for.  It's a complete feel good movie, something I need more of in my life. 

I saw it at the theater when it first came out with my friend John.  I'd met him at the theater & he was already saving us a seat when I pulled up.  I had my hand in my pocket & found money & decided to get us popcorn & coke to share.  After we were munching, I got the giggles...I remembered it was John's money.  I'd had a garage sale that morning & sold something of his.  I was bringing him his cash...but forgot that part.  We were eating his profits.  Still makes me laugh.

Second Dilemma

 And here's the other dilemma...

I love my Aunt Betty who is 88 years old a whole bunch.  She lives with her daughter & son-in-law in Dallas.  And she's about to have 2 brand new great granddaughters this summer.  So her daughter is having a double baby shower next month in Dallas.  Basically, for me, it means a trip to Dallas,drive or fly, & a hotel room & 2 gifts. And big old family stuff.

Just for background, my Aunt is a angel & I 'd love to see her & I need to make more effort while she's here.  her husband, my Uncle T, was a man who'd like to forget where he came from & always looked down on our family because my dad was a working man.  Never mind that my daddy took care of him when he was a kid when my granddaddy was in a stupor because he lost his wife. I do believe Uncle loved my mom & he always said he respected my dad but all of that was while he was looking down his nose at us.  And Aunt raised all 3 of her kids well but it was always clear they saw us as their poor relatives.  Cousin includes me because of her mom but I have no illusion that when Aunt goes I won't be included again.  I feel like they pity me a little when they see me.

When I talked to Cousin last week, I told her about my niece's new granddaughter & I don't remember exactly what she said but she didn't ask anything about her. Not where or when or who.  It never crossed her mind to try to care.  But I do remember feeling that's just how it goes.

Cousins have always been the haves--rich parents,rich educations,rich careers--and we've been the have nots. I'm proud of what S & I have accomplished but it doesn't stand in the spotlight like their lives. 

So I already know I'm a no on the trip.  And I'm still a maybe on gifts (Amazon delivered to their homes because they are all flying so no real gifts).  Because I love Aunt, I will probably send.  

But ignoring my family still hurts a little. 

Empty Tank

I have an empty tank.  

I've always prided myself in being a generous person.  It's my nature.  Sometimes, some (even me occasionally) see that as either a huge weakness or as a very sucker quality.  People have taken advantage of me, no doubt, but it doesn't happen more than once with that person.

So now I have a couple of dilemas.

Wednesday is my friend J's 65th birthday.  I can't say I usually make a huge deal out of her birthday but I usually take her out for a meal & give her a card for Sonic or the tea store.  But, as with all of my friends, things have changed over the last few years.  She's never taken me  for a meal.  She sends me a text message.  That's it.  And now I haven't heard from since Christmas.  

Her life is a mess & she tends to revolve everything around her & her family, which is the right thing to do.  She asks me to do things for her...come to her job to help her out or sit with her mom & I always do it.  But I've asked her to do 3 things for me in the last year & nada.

1. She bills herself as a color expert. I asked her to come help me match colors.  She agreed but later texted that she'd had a rough day & that the thought of stepping out the door made her want to crawl under her bed.

2. I can't remember the 2nd request but I don't request anything hard or that costs money.  I even told her I was making BLT's for us for lunch.  She called to say her daugher stopped by & brought lunch & they had to work. 

3. Since I broke my wrist in May I have trouble turning things. I needed to change a filter in my refrigherator that called for turning it to release it.  She told me she'd be over the next day.  No show,no call. 

Haven't heard from her since.

I plan on just sending her a birthday text & not doing anything else and I feel horribly guilty.  But my spirit & tanks are empty & nothing is going in. 

I think I've decided & can't do for others if they can't do simple things for me. I think I was pretending to myself that they care & I can't do it any more. 

EDIT:  Got a text today wishing me "Happy heart day from your 💩 friend.  She's not wrong.  I wished her one back.  Could tomorrow be her birthday?  Hmmm.  My heart's not in the right place now.  

I Shredded...& pokes

As I head towards tax season every year I am amazed at how much paper I have in my life.  I am a dinosaur that has a file cabinet & 3 of the 4 drawers have paper in them.  So I go through & take out the old insurance policies & stuff I don't need.  I never seem to make much progress.  And I know I'm too boring for anyone to look at the stuff but I shred it anyway. Today is Super Bowl day & I shredded during the half time show.

Along with the usual junk I put a couple of things through that poked at my heart.  The first is a picture of my friend Donna & I.  Apparently she has dropped me as a friend because of politics but has done it in a cowardly way & not told me.  I just have not heard from her since last May.  I've discussed this before in another post so I won't rehash it. But shredding the picture gave me a poke.

The other is a small book I got as a freshman in college & it's called 'The Nothing Book'.  It's a small paperback that has only blank pages.  The tag line says "Wanna make something of it?".  Basically it's a 70s model journal & it was full of things that would be in a journal or an dream board.  It was basically full of stuff that only meant something to me 50 years ago.  Nothing embarrassing, just 18 year old's thoughts,  but still not something I want others to read.  I went through it & read everything, Then I shredded it too.  Another poke. 

Edit:  Got a message today telling me she "thought about you last night when Tech beat Texas" & happy valentines day.  Wished it back.  Weird timing.

 

2023 Book Page

1.  Where the Crawdads Sing         Delia Owens 

2.  Rewind                                Catherine Ryan Howard

3. The Liar's Girl                      Catherine Ryan Howard  

 

Elvis' Daughter

Lisa Marie & Daddy about 1971

 I did a post on September 4, 2022  on the movie about Elvis & talked a lot about him then.  But things have come up again because this week his only child, Lisa Marie died at age 54 of a heart attack, which killed Elvis at 42 & his mom at 46.  A sad situation.

Lisa seemed to live a complicated life.  She not only lived in the shadow of her dad, arguably the most famous singer of all time.  She was 4 when her parents divorced, 9 when when Elvis died. I can't even imagine. And she quit school during her junior year of high school.  She had a drug problem for a few years.  She had a low level music career of her own. She was married 4x, including Michael Jackson & Nicholas Cage, both with issues of their own. She joined the Hollywood cult called Scientology.  She had 4 children, 2 of which are teenage girls.  She lost one son to suicide a couple of years ago.  I think for all of her very priviledged life & boatloads of money by looking at her, it never appeared she was a happy woman. It seems to me that maybe she had so much heartache that maybe it couldn't go on.  

Friend & I were talking about if despair & depression was hereditry.  Because Elvis' twin brother had died at birth & then he was drafted, his mom was worried about losing her son & became an alcoholic. And Elvis' issues were well known...depression & drugs led to his early death.  And again, I never saw Lisa Marie as a happy person (though certainly no expert here) & can only imagine there were some depression issues. And her son apparently, sadly, had issues too.  Just something to ponder.

I Carried Around A Book Today

 

I've been a reader most of my life.  Granted, I didn't learn til first grade but after that a book has been a constant.  Growing up in my small hometown, there was always a library & we got to go there but my biggest source of books was the little rounder at the grocery store.  There was no organization. I don't think the store placed an order with titles...probably just for 2 boxes of books or something.  They weren't best sellers...just some original pulp fiction & I loved them.  I didn't have money but mom bought me probably 2 a month.  And then of course was the school library where I went through periods of new stuff & classics & the racy stuff in the restricted section.  Read them all.  I had high hopes for the Tech library but it was just mostly research stuff.  What a disappointment.  So I bought books from Walden Books & some other long gone bookstore at the mall.  

Now I don't buy books very often.  Mostly I go to the library to get a book I can hold in my hand or I use my Ipad to Ebook.  Books are expensive!!  I did buy one a few months ago because I was in Barnes & Noble getting a birthday present & it was on display at the counter.  And I loved it...I liked the feel of it in my hands & watching my progress with my bookmark & even the smell of it.  But I went back to the library.

My co-worker Katie gave me a book called 'Where The Crawdads Sing' for Christmas & I've loved reading a few bits at a time & toting it around to read where I can.  I had it in my purse today as I waited for my friend Deb to get to lunch. It's become my teddy bear.  Of course I can do same with my Ipad but right now, this book is what I need. 

I've actually read about 1/3 of the book & it's pretty good & I may review it later.  It will at least make my 2023 book list when I finish.  For now, I'll just carry it around.  And maybe go to the library tomorrow afternoon & sit in a comfortable chair & read it.  It's all part of a book addiction.

Added Jan 19,2023:

I finished the book today & I take back my "pretty good" from before.   It really wasn't.  

'Where the Crawdads Sing' is the story of Kya, a girl in the North Carolina swamps whose parents abandoned her as a child & basically she raised herself.  She's uneducated & amazingly ends up writing books about the marsh & the flowers & animals.  She's unlikable & selfish & untrusting.  She has 2 men falling in love with her for some reason.  And they can't take her out in public.  One of them has a great observation  after he abandoned her too:  I can have Kya or I can have everythig else.  (College,family,life).  

The 2nd man she falls in love with is a sweet talking former high school quarterback who makes her all kinds of promises he doesn't keep.  And he ends up dead.  And Kya is tried & acquitted for his murder & we find out on last page, she did it.

The book has too much background, James Michner travelogue crap.  Too many descriptions of fish & bugs & mushrooms.  Could have knocked 150 pages off book.  And by 100 pages til the end I stopped reading & went to ending because I'd had enough.

This was a big old book club book & I baffled as to why.   One review on Amazon said something like he hoped the author had made enough money on this book so she'never feel like she had to write anything again.  It was painful.

A Movie Today

I don't like Hollywood very much right now.  Their morals are in the toilet.  They produce crap after crap & want our money.  They have no imagination.  How many Marvel movies (never seen,never will) can they make?

Prior to 2017, the content wasn't a lot better, but I did go to the movies about once a week.  But then Hollywood people felt the need to shove their political views down our throats & the Donald Trump hate was rampant.  I don't like Trump but I hate being told how to think even worse.  And they are so smug about it, like they are flying some big morality flag.  I decided but they didn't need my money.

 There is a not great movie called 'The Magestic' which started out good with Jim Carrey (major asshole & crazy as a bedbug) & Martin Landau 😍 who I adore.  It starts with Jim Carrey coming into a small town & he looks just like Martin Landau's son, who was killed in the war.  Dad was never the same after he lost his son & imposter gave him life again.  Dad owned an old time glamour movie theater & he & imposter decide to restore it.  He sas a great line about people coming to theater again, "Why would people stay home & watch a box when they could come here?".   The rest of the movie sucks after that.  But I still love that line.  I used to feel that way but after politics & covid & theaters being closed it's more of a hassle than it's worth.  Plus, I have a bunch of streaming channels & can basically see anything I want, except the really new stuff. But, for some reason, I decided to go out of my house & to the theater.

So, it has changed.  They have an ATM thing to dispense tickets but I had cash so I tried the box office but had to get ticket at concession stand.  I got a reserved seat.  So I ordered water (no soft drink 2023,that's me) & a small popcorn.  He handed me the water & an empty bag.  There is a big old machine that spits popcorn in the bag at the push of a button.  A little girl explained it to me.  Then in the theater, there were only 4 rows & there were only 2 of us.  I did not sit in my reserved seat.  But the seats are lounge chairs, feet up & all & a tray table, like I'm on an airplane.   The experience was nice.

The movie was good   It's called 'The Whale', about a reclusive, obese online teacher who knows he's dying & wants to reconnect with his nasty, big mouthed teenage daughter, for some unknown reason.  I could see someone just pushing her down the stairs & leaving her for dead. But he felt guilty & wanted to get to know her before he died.

Charlie also had a sweet caregiver who was his best friend & we met a missionary who was pointless & got a glimpse of a pizza delivery man who was there to gape at Charlie & his weight, a zoom class he was teaching (class never saw Charlie) who got a final glimpse so they could look shocked & laugh.  Also, we got a glimpse of Charlie's ex-wife who was a drunk & still bitter that Charlie left her for another man & the mother of the she-devil child. All contributed to the story but Charlie was the main story

Charlie's partner Alan had committed suicide after dealing with the missionary's church. And Alan was the caregiver's sister.  He life had deterioriated after Alan's death.  He didn't leave his home.  He ate to cover his pain.  Brendan Fraser is an actor who had been blackballed from Hollywood after reporting a sexual assault & he did a phenomenal job.  You could feel every pain Charlie did. And I cried my eyes out more than once. The ending was indescribable. By that, we don't really know what happened because writers in Hollywood aren't talented enough to write an ending.  I do recommend the movie for Brendan Fraser's performance.  The rest?  Meh.

And I'm not an anti gay person.  I don't care who anyone sleeps with.  But in the world these days, there are no straight people left in the world. So of course Charlie is gay & left his marriage for another man.  It's getting old. 

Food

 

This isn't going to be a typical post from me about food.  As we all know, I have a love/hate relationship but that's not what today is about.

My mom was a great cook.  She learned from her mom who sadly died when mom was 15.  Then she cooked for dad & brothers & then married my dad at 17 & cooked forever.  She wasn't much of a recipe person.  I have a cookbook she had that was kinda beat up & had a couple of recipes she cut from the newspaper but mostly she cooked by instinct instead of a cookbook.

I don't have those cooking instincts.  When I started to learn to cook mom would tell me what to do & I tried writing them down but mostly I depend on cookbooks. Even with mom instructions & cookbooks, I'm not a great cook.  

I have horrible eating habits & my meals are basically unhealthy.  But I would rather have that junk at home than eat out.  And I've reached the point in my life where nothing really tastes good.  Except Schlotskys, which is nowhere near where I live & I only eat once a year.  If I do eat out, I eat at Taco Villa which is around the corner & the same consistant food they've had for 40+ years.  They are my comfort food. 

There is a "save" site called Pinterest where you can find a website & save it to a private board to find later,  Mostly what I have on my Pinterest board are recipes.  I try them usually only once before I abandon them.  But I keep trying.

Today I made a single serving mac & cheese.  Pinterest is not just recipes but it takes you to the original site where it came from. That usually means a food blogger who doesn't just give the recipe but the entire history of macaroni & cheese & every grandmother who ever made it. Basically a recipe I can read in 30 seconds takes longer 3 minutes, mostly trying to find the recipe.

It was pretty mediocre. I don't need to cook it again.