Umbrellas

I have come to the conclusion that there is an umbrella shortage here in New Jersey and maybe in New York also. For weeks now, we have been having almost daily rain. Today we had another gulley washer. It started while I was still at work. Looking out the window, I noticed many people without umbrellas. I have seen this on many other occasions.

This led me to the conclusion that there must be this shortage. Certainly, intelligent people would know to carry an umbrella with them on a daily basis. How could you not know this? It rains even when none is predicted. We have had a day here and there without any precipitation but they are few and far between.

I have a couple of extra umbrellas. Maybe I can sell them on Craig's list or eBay for a lot of money. Or, I could just put up a sign in my building. Then, with my luck, it will stop raining.

Tuesday

I was off a week ago Tuesday and I started thinking about that particular day of the week. It really has nothing to distinguish it. Monday is dreaded because of coming off the week-end. Wednesday is called hump day because we are on our way to the week-end. Thursday is, well, one day before Friday. And Friday is Friday as in TGIF.

But poor, old Tuesday has no pizazz. The post office says it is the lightest day of the week. I wonder if that is why the 9-11 hijackers picked that day. Did they think that no one would expect anything to happen on a Tuesday?

I guess I'll put my thinking cap on and see if I can come up with something to make Tuesday special. Any suggestions are welcome.

Chop Sticks

A lot of good things have come from the Far East such as gunpowder and Jackie Chan. However, I am not a fan of chop sticks. I have tried a few times to use them to no avail. And why should I? If something from the West is better, why not use that item? I am sure that there are die hards out there who will say that chop sticks are easy to use and better. I say phooey! A knife and fork is so much easier to use. Give it up, chop stick people!

Plus Size Beaches

I like to swim in the ocean but I hate to go to the beach and look at all those size 0 girls in their skimpy bikinis and their fake boobs. It really erodes my self esteem. I know I'll never look like that again (as if I ever did but at least my boobs are real) but I still don't want to be around those women.

I think that we need Plus Size Beaches. Why not; they have special nude beaches. Anyone could go to the Plus Size beach but they would have to look at all our large bodies and accept them. I would feel so much better looking at people whose body shape is similar to mine.

I think I'll write to the governor and ask for a teeny piece of Island Beach State Park. He might just say yes; he's up for re-election.

So, I Went for a Mammogram

I went for my yearly mammogram in May. The next day, my neck was stiff. I thought it was from exercising. Over the next few days, it got worse. The pain was radiating down my arm into my hand and the tip of my left thumb became numb. The more I used a mouse and typed, the worse the pain got. Seeking relief, I went to my PCP. He gave me a prescription and recommended I go to an orthopedist. The PCP also said I needed an echo cardiogram and a colonoscopy.

I go to the orthopedist and they take an X-ray. They don't see anything broken and I am told I need a nerve test. I also get a new prescription because the pain isn't really getting better. Fortunately, that has helped.

I go for the nerve test and the result is I have a pinched nerve in my neck and carpal tunnel. Well, I already knew that from a test I had several years ago. The orthopedist recommends that I have surgery.

All because I went for a mammogram. And it's not even Lent.

40 Years Later

Yesterday, June 12, was the 40th anniversary of my high school graduation.

A few months ago I got a phone call from a former classmate who told me that she and another classmate have been working on finding all of us so we could celebrate this significant milestone in our lives. I was thrilled. There are a couple of friends with whom I have kept in touch but I must sadly admit that I did not really put myself out to see them and did not communicate much.

Soon after, another former classmate called and said she was having a get together at her house. It turns out she literally lves 10 minutes from me! At that gathering, we discovered that many of us all live within 10-15 miles of each other and some not that much farther afield. This led to three more "mini-reunions". I also was asked to work on the planning committee and we have had a couple of "meetings". No, serioiulsy, we did do planning but they were also fun.

What is it like to see people whom you haven't seen in 40 years? Before I answer, let me tell you that I attended a small, Catholic Girls' High School. There were about 65 in our entire class. Even if we didn't hang out with a particular person, we all knew each other and, to the best of my knowledge, got along fairly well.

So, to answer the question: it has been phenomenal. There is only one word I can use to describe how we feel: it is love. There seems to be a bond among us that time has not broken. As we catch up with each other, the memories come back (well, for some of us {chuckle}). It is just a tremendous feeling to reconnect with those with whom we spent the formative years of our lives.

I could go on and on about this experience. Let me just add what I wrote in an email, "We will be now be friends until death do us part".

Who's Ed?

I do this silly little email blast every day called "Today's Excitement". I take something that happened during the day and call it excitement. Sometimes it is actually exciting but mostly it is just something dumb.

Yesterday's excitement contained this phrase "fell in love with a guy named Ed." He was just some guy at a party who had a cute personality which appealed to me. Well, you would not believe how many people have asked me who this guy is. I cannot believe it. Do you really think that if I had met someone who I was truly interested in, do you think I would write it in an email blast? What am I; 10?

So, no I am not in love with a stranger I met yesterday named Ed. Sheesh!