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Last One Speaks
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Musings of a complicated woman with simple tastes

Saturday, November 15, 2008
Cloudy, windy and warm

Crazy day here in the south. The winds aloft must be howling. The low clouds are moving so fast that it almost makes me seasick to watch them. The wind on the ground is pretty stiff too but it's a warm wind. Warm enough to have the windows open. That always make me feel better.

I wanted to get some short video this morning when the trailing edge of the thick clouds started rolling in. It was so beautiful. The top layer was bright blue sky with really white cumulus clouds standing still. The second layer was slightly less bright cumulus puffs moving right along. And then there was the low layer of wispy grey just ripping by at top speed, clawing at the treetops.

Unfortunately by the time I got the camera out, the low cloud cover had already closed in and it wasn't so interesting anymore. Maybe next time.
  

Libby 1:06 PM Permalink
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Friday, November 14, 2008
Hired

Well someone finally hired me for something. I got a gig yesterday to house/dog sit for six days at the end of the month. Nice neighborhood about 20 minutes from here. It's even more remote than this place but it's closer to the big city and the dog is really sweet. He's a 13 year old Jack Russell, the short kind so he's really tiny. We bonded instantly.

The couple are very nice people. It occurred to me on the way home I didn't even get their last name but they were thrilled to find me. They picked me out of 100 people who called. Hired me on a handshake on the spot. They don't even care about checking my references. That's the reaction I'm used to getting when I try to find work.

So it's not much of a job but it was good for my self-esteem and it's a start. Who knows, maybe it will turn into a business. The last time I started with one gig like this and half the neighborhood ending up wanting to hire me. I got so many offers I had to turn some down. One lives in hope...
  

Libby 8:15 AM Permalink
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
On the bright side

I don't know how many miles it is, but it's about a 35 minute drive to my dentist. Luckily my car is fuel efficient and it doesn't cost too much in gas to get there and gas is much cheaper in the big city. I paid $2.19 and the going rate around here is about $2.39. Usually it's a bigger difference, as much as 30 or 40 cents.

But what really pays for the trip is the day old bread store. They carry the same high fiber bread I was paying almost four bucks a loaf for at the grocery store really cheap. Last time I hit on the daily special and got 2 loaves of nearly fresh bread for a dollar. The deal wasn't so good yesterday but still I scored a couple of loaves, which was all I could fit in the freezer anyway, for $1.39. What I save in sandwich costs pays for the gas and then some. So there's that.
  

Libby 2:21 PM Permalink
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Waiting for the sun

Well, I'm in my annual meltdown over the time change. I've been falling asleep before 9:00, waking up at 3:00am, tossing and turning for hour or two and then waking up at 7:00am cranky and groggy. It feels like a long way to the solstice.

Meanwhile, I'm still getting the dental work done. I'm freaking out about going into debt for it but I'll never get any job without better teeth so I'm just trusting the universe to carry me through somehow at this point. At least I was able to score a new credit card with a 0% APR for a year to carry the balance. That helps.

It doesn't help that I've been set back a couple of times on the timeline. I got the crown done yesterday that will anchor the partial but for reasons too complicated to explain I ended up with the temporary cap for so long it irritated my gum so now I have to wait another two weeks before they can take the impression or else the plate won't fit.

It's always something. I just hope something really good is waiting at the end of this dark tunnel. I suppose if nothing else it will be good to be able to chew again. Not that I've been eating steaks or anything anyway but I figure it will improve my digestion and I'll be able to eat crunchy vegetables again. That will be an improvement.

Otherwise, I'm trying to look on the bright side. As I always said, nothing bad lasts forever and I'll really appreciate the change when my luck finally turns.
 

Libby 1:53 PM Permalink
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thanks


Somehow I've never been comfortable saying Happy Veteran's Day because it's really a sad occassion. But for all the veterans who died in our wars and their families who mourn their loss, thank you for your sacrifice. And for all those who lived through their tours and those currently on active duty, thank you for your service to our country.

Update: I'm late in adding this but since I haven't blogged all week anyway, this would seem to be the most appropriate place to point you to Survivor Corps, an organization that provides services to returning military service people. I googled them and there doesn't appear to be any complaints on the internets about them and a charity rating group gives them a 64% efficiency rating, which amounts to four stars. So any rich people reading this who need to off some money at the end of the year for tax purposes, might want to consider donating some to them. From what I can see they appear to do good work and certainly our soldiers deserve the help.
 

Libby 9:17 AM Permalink
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The autumn leaves...


The leaves went fast here this year. This is only shot I got before the rains came and took them all down. What's left is rust and dinghy yellow. But they were pretty for a week or two.

Meanwhile, for your viewing pleasure, here's a beautiful photo essay of Central Slovakia and Marcellina always has some gorgeous shots of Austria. If you've never been to her blog, scroll down through her archives.
 

Libby 9:10 AM Permalink
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