Kentucky Trip

Just got back from the big CAR TRIP to Kentucky! Duane bid on a car on e-bay, but his top bid didn't meet the reserve price, so the auction kind of "sputtered out". He contacted the seller to see if they could work something out, but the guy said that someone else was interested.

Duane left it at "well, if the other deal doesn't work out, call me and we'll talk". The other deal DID fall through, and the guy was eager to get rid of the car, so Duane got a pretty good deal on it. It's a 1978 Buick Riviera, and is black and gray, and REALLY, REALLY big!

So, we flew to Kentucky to pay for, and get the car, and then drove it back to Minnesota...QUITE the long journey, but actually quite fun. The inside of the car is HUGE, with leather seats, and, considering that it's almost 30 years old, in REALLY good condition (see interior photo attached)!

We weren't sure how it would do on the way back, but, except for the engine coolant boiling over because the car only had HALF the antifreeze it was supposed to have, and the glitch in which the wipers started flapping crazily, and then whirring and "thumping" at the base of the window until the fuse was removed, it all went very smoothly. We met some LOVELY mechanics along the way (SHOUT OUT to the guys at Firestone in Indianapolis, Indiana....THANKS for your help!).

On the way back, we stopped in Galena, Illinois for a few days. LOVELY town, and we stayed at a FABULOUS bed and breakfast, but it rained most of the time we were there. The shops were great, and the old buildings and architecture were amazing. I took about 200 photos! I highly recommend the Admiral's Park Avenue B&B. Sharon is a hoot, the beds are REALLY comfortable, and the breakfasts are delightful! I also recommend eating at Fried Green Tomatoes, an upscale DELICIOUS Italian restaurant on Main Street...the garlic bread and salad before the meal are TO DIE FOR!

After one day and two nights (we got in REALLY late on Saturday night after driving through Kentucky, Indiana, and most of Illinois), we continued the drive back to Eagan. We went through Greeley, IA and Strawberry Point, IA so that Duane could see the places that his aunt and uncle and cousin used to live. Got some GREAT photos in both towns, and we ate at a cafe in Strawberry Point called "The Franklin Hotel Coffee Shop". The food was GREAT, but the service wasn't. Didn't take that long, but, by Twin Cities standards, that place wouldn't stay in business a week!

Drove back over some flooded creeks and rivers, but nothing nearly as bad a Minnesota City, and the other parts of South Eastern Minnesota that were recently deluged with rain and floods. My heart goes out to them...what a mess!

I had some reservations about going on this trip...wasn't sure AT ALL that the car would make it, and really wasn't sure WHY Duane wanted another car anyway, but, it's a REALLY NICE car, and we had some REALLY great together time, and it was REALLY great to get out of the cities for awhile!

Hate the Mall!

Was actually contemplating NOT quitting the job at the mall this week, but, after several "incidents" have decided that I can't WAIT to get the heck out of there.

First incident, a very nice woman came in as soon as we opened on Monday and needed FOUR custom gift baskets made up to be delivered around the city. Fine...no problem, except that I work alone for the first hour of the morning, and no one was there to help the OTHER customers that came in the store. NONE of the basket making supplies that I needed were stocked (fill, ribbon, etc.), and I couldn't go to the back room, and leave the floor "unmanned", to get the stuff I needed.

Luckily, Bobbi came in early, and was willing to start early to take care of the other people that came in, and free me up to spend the next hour and a half making, shrink wrapping, addressing, and couriering them out.

Second incident, and the one that REALLY made me ready to quit IMMEDIATELY, was a $@#!& (rhymes with "witch") of an old biddy that came in. Robin and David and the girls stopped in, and were JUST getting ready to go, when Abigail gave me a hug. I was standing near the salsa display, and her hand bumped a jar of salsa and sent it crashing to the floor, where it broke and made a lovely mess.

Abigail is going through a "doesn't handle embarassment very well" phase, and burst into tears. As I'm trying to calm her down, aformentioned $@#!& says "I think HE did it" (referring to me). My back was to her, and I remained focused on Abigail. A few seconds later, $@#!& says "sir, you should turn around and look at this" (referring to the mess). After thinking "butt out...this doesn't concern you", and continuing to focus on Abigail, she says AGAIN "sir, you should take care of this" (or something similarly NOT HER CONCERN, and EQUALLY annoying).

I turned around to see that, YES, there was a jar of salsa broken on the floor. She looked fine, and didn't seem to be splattered or anything, so I went back to Abigail, who was still hysterically crying into Robin's stomach. APPARENTLY, over-priviledged, self-absorbed, biddy wasn't used to not being fawned over, and made a big deal of, so went to Helga (my co-worker), and said something to the effect of "he should be more concerned about his customers, and not worry about a crying child" (among other whiny, "holier than thou" things that I won't go into detail about now)...ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!! What PLANET is she from...the world of "I'm an old crochety woman, who's had her way for WAY too long, and didn't have someone "slap me down" in my formative years to keep me from becoming such a HAG" land??!!

David, the brother-in-law, came over a minute or two later, and said that the $@#!& was "ragging on me" to Helga. I looked at him, and said, "do I seem concerned at all?", which I wasn't (what are they going to do...fire me?!) and saw them calmly out the door.

I'M SURE the hoity toity, rich HAG will be calling corporate to report my "insensitivity to her candy purchasing needs", but, as I mentioned earlier, I DON'T GIVE A RIP. People like that SO annoy me! TRUST ME...if I HAD turned around to talk to her, I probably would have been fired on the spot...the things that I THOUGHT of saying to her were NOT exactly "customer service" friendly... That whole "the customer is always right" BULLSHIT is for the birds. My new motto is "if they're stupid and annoying, let them know that they are stupid and annoying, and REALLY should be focusing their purchasing dollars in another direction" (like education, therapy, or some sort of etiquette classes)(which is ALSO why I need to get out of retail...before I get slapped or arrested by the "customer service" police...).

I CAN'T WAIT to end this STUPID job....I'm REALLY not enjoying it...AT ALL...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bridge Collapse

What a CRAZY last few days this has been! That a 40 year old bridge can just DROP into the river is UNBELIEVALBE (as is watching the video of the bridge actually falling...check out CNN's website for the video)!

We're all fine. Robin had been across the bridge a COUPLE OF TIMES earlier in the day, but was with the family at the mall when it dropped. Duane WAS downtown at a business dinner (which I THANKFULLY didn't know about until later!), but he was on the other side of downtown.

I was working at the mall, and only got bits and pieces from various customers as they came into the store. My first call of the evening came from the manager of the store, who had left to go home about 30 minutes earlier. She doesn't take that route, so was fine. My dad called a little while later to let me know that HE had heard the news from a cousin in San Diego!

I left a couple of messages for Robin and Dave, and for Duane, but only got voice mail. Being a worrier, I started getting a little nervous...especially when no one returned my calls. Finally dad called back to say that he had been in touch with Robin and Dave, and, a few minutes later they stopped in the store. What a relief!

Didn't hear from Duane until about 9:45, and by then I was a little freaked out. I was pretty sure he was just "out and about". but it's not like him to be out all evening, and not to return my call fairly quickly...oy! Had I known he was actually DOWNTOWN at the time, I would TOTALLY have freaked.

Have had some LOVELY calls from old friends checking up on me. Dianne in Birmingham, Pat in Nebraska, Shellie in Des Moines, George in Tingley, Kelly in Seattle, mom and dad...nice to know that people are concerned!

Pray for the people that were NOT so fortunate. Several families, and lots of lives were altered by this HORRIBLE calamity. I can't help but wonder if our "no new taxes" governor is quite as smug these days. Turning down the big transporation bill last year certainly seems like a mistake now...!!!!

Happy Harry Potter Day!

Happy Harry Potter Day! Feeling TOTALLY stupid as I sit here writing this...I'm actually staring out the deck doors watching for the UPS truck to deliver my copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". How lame is that??!! I went to bed last night at 11:30, and SERIOUSLY considered getting dressed and running over to Wal-Mart to buy a copy (they're open all night, and I figured if I waited awhile, all of the "hoopla" would die down pretty quickly, and I could snag a copy and go home). SO too old to do the "standing in line for three hours" thing, but I DID consider it (briefly).

So...the upshot is that I'm sitting here at 8:45 in the morning STRESSING out about how many people have probably already finished the book, and are AT THIS MOMENT blogging up a storm, and giving away the ending as I type this. Can't watch the news or even LOOK at anyone even remotely looking like a "Harry junkie". THAT'LL be tricky!

I can't believe the phenomenon that is Harry Potter started TEN years ago with the publication of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". I remember how, as a children's librarian, I was ENTHRALLED by that book. I read it to "know what my library patrons were reading", but got HOOKED immediately. I really enjoy J.K. Rowling's writing style, and her storytelling skills are AMAZING...such imagination and creativity.

I know that many people have a problem with the whole "witchcraft and wizardry" thing, but it's SO MUCH MORE than just about the "magic"! It's about good triumphing over evil (I think...I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE UPS TRUCK TO GET HERE!), overcoming adversity, building friendships, chivalry, being honest and true to yourself, and COUNTLESS other good qualities and virtues. It's also been AWESOME in getting boys to read (a MAJOR accomplishment), and has paved the way for LOADS of other books that pique guys' interest! (For more great books for guys, go to author Jon Sciezska's website www.guysread.com).

Okay...enough rambling...guess I'll continue tapping my fingers, pacing, and getting a little stressy until I see that big brown truck barrelling down the road with my weekend's activity safely tucked in that WONDERFUL Amazon.com cardboard.

Hope YOU got your copy, and are enjoying (maybe not the right word, as it's rumored TWO main characters are going to die!) your last visit to Howarts. I'm so lame...

Running Around the Cities with My Sister

Met Robin for breakfast at Hell's Kitchen downtown yesterday. What a cool place! I had the lemon ricotta flapjacks with fresh fruit. VERY good! Robin had the porridge and sausage bread. Looked good, but I was too busy cramming the pancakes down to really notice!

Went to "Loft Antiques" and "Hunt and Gather" on 50th in South Minniapolis afterwards. Hunt and Gather is SO COOL! I LOVE "paperabilia", and they have lots of bins of miscellaneous flash cards from the 70's, grocery store sale posters, playing cards, game pieces, school nutrition cutouts...very cool. It's all jumbled together in big bins, so is a little overwhelming, but, if you have the patience to sift through all of it, you can find some AWESOME stuff! They also have oilcloth bags and purses that they've made out of some really campy patterns.

Not a very exciting blog entry, but, it's summer...there's not much happening right now. Robin and I had fun "playing" for the morning!

Worked the last FIVE days in a row at the mall, and TOTALLY remember why I was so excited for school to start again last August. The mall SUCKS! By day THREE of this last "work week", I was ready to SLAP anyone who came through the door. I SERIOUSLY don't know how retail people do this week after week after week after week!!! Add to that the fact that it's "secret shopper" time, and we have a bunch of STUPID things to say that we don't normally say (and which make us sound IDIOTIC and pushy).

I DID give my "soft notice" Monday. I say SOFT, because I told the manager that, with my new job description I'd have to devote WAY more time to job #1, but ALSO that my finances haven't improved any, so living on one income still might not work. I left it so that I could call her a month or so down the line (after my final day of August 18th), and come back if I needed to. She was very understanding, and I felt really bad quitting (especially since Kayla quit last week). Not bad enough to NOT quit, but still bad...

I have today off, and, as usual, have NO IDEA what to do with unstructured time. Maybe I'll go and clean something...!

Happy Tuesday!

IB in Cincinnati

I can't believe it's already JULY!!?? I'd say "where has the summer gone", but I've really only been out of school for a few weeks, so the summer's still YOUNG!!

Just spent a few days in Cincinnati for IB training (for school). Didn't get much out of the training, but DID get to know some staff members at school better, AND met a woman from Dusseldorf, who I clicked with, and now Duane and I have a place to stay when we go and visit in November. I LOVE it when you meet someone that you instantly "click" with, and Susie and I did! She's a teacher at an international school there, and seems like she's GREAT fun (didn't get much "socialization" time what with all the workshopping and stuff!).

Wouldn't necessarily go back to Cincinnati anytime soon, but they DID have some fun restaurants and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is NOT to be missed. Toured the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and, except for the torrential downpour while we were trapped outside, was very nice!

After returning from Cincinnati, I had a day to regroup, then Duane and I headed down to Fairfield for a LONG overdue visit. Tena was in a play, and we COULDN'T not see it! SHE was BRILLIANT...as usual. She has SUCH a commanding presence on stage...such a seasoned pro!

The show was 3 1/2 hours long, and got a little tedious in parts (Tena was only on at the beginning and the end, so, as far as I'm concerned, they could have cut the entire middle part, and just featured her bits!).

It was SO good to be home again. Even after SEVEN years of being away, I still had people running up and giving me hugs. Tena's next door neighbor is the parent of one of the kids that I had in storytime. As soon as I got there, she came over with a post card from her daughter (who is now in film school), and wanted to let me know that her daughter credits ME with being one of her first "storyteller" inspirations for her work. It was NICE to get some positive affirmations! I DON'T necessarily feel like I make much of a difference in my current job...I DO miss being a big fish in a little pond!

Also ran into another "storytimer" while in a cool kitchen store on the square. I walked in, and the girl behind the counter had this "there's Santa Claus"-ish look on her face. I had NO IDEA who she was (everyone has grown up!), but, luckily we were hanging with dear friend Carol, and she said her name, and I was able to punt from there. Previous storytimer has grown into quite a pretty young lady! It was good to see her again!

Was FINALLY able to reconnect with Carol. Let's just say she's not the best at returning phone calls, so, by chance, we were driving down Fillmore, and she and Tim and DeeAnn were out in the yard. We stopped to chat, and ended up making plans to spend most of Saturday with Carol.

I REALLY love Carol. She's got some REAL self-esteem problems from things that have happened in her life, and it's too bad, because she's a WONDERFUL person. I'm hoping that being back in her life will give her some positive energy! Years ago, when she and Duane met, they clicked right away, and it's always nice to see them interact so warmly!

We also got a private tour of the new Stephen Sondheim Center, which will open in October, with a grand gala (Bernadette Peters and Matthew Broderick may be there!) in December. Suzie., an old family friend, has been heading this all up for 10 years, and gave us the tour...it's going to be SO COOL! I'm SO jealous, and SO want to move back, but, have realized for several years now that there's no going back. Duane and I CERTAINLY couldn't be who we are there...sigh...

Had lunch at Revelations (FABBO feta spinach pizza), dinner at Petit Paris (the coq au vin was delightful), and breakfast at the Fairfield Family Diner (a wonderful egg, bacon, and cheese croissant).

The big DOWNER of the weekend was that Tena was so busy with the show, but we DID get to stay up REALLY LATE Saturday night to catch up for awhile, and I'm going to go back in early August, so that we can spend a little more time together. I do so love that girl!

It's been such a CRAZY BUSY week, that I COLLAPSED last night...went to bed at 8:45...how sad is that??!! GREAT week, with lots of interesting things, but I'm looking forward to a few weeks of just being home now!

Happy Monday!

Summer "Vacaction"!!

The last week of school was a TOTAL blur. It always is, but I forget (or block out!) how FRIED the teachers are, and how DONE the students are, when we all come back for that one last week of chaos! Add to that the fact that I had to work all day Sunday (the weekend before) at the mall, two nights that week, and all day Saturday (after it was all over), and I'm COMPLETELY exhausted!

But...it's over, we all survived, and summer is HERE! Whoo hoo! Work A LOT at the mall this week, but at least it's only ONE job (that I'm quitting in about two months...whoo hoo again!), and it's all good!

Had dinner at Kate and Bill's house in the hills around Stillwater Saturday night. It was lovely. Steak on the grill just can't be beat. Brought my (actually Family Circle's) tiramisu bundt cake for dessert. It was DEFINITELY a hit (Duane didn't want to leave the leftovers there...luckily Kate and Bill just took a few slices and sent the rest home...otherwise there WOULD have been trouble!).

Spent Sunday at the car show at the fairgrounds (I know...don't ask...Duane really wanted to go...!), and had dinner at the Italian Pie Shoppe here in Eagan...my FAVORITE pizza ever (pepperoni and green olive, of course!)!

Spent Monday antiquing in Cannon Falls and Rochester with Robin. We took the convertible...it was NICE (actually hot and a little blowy, but you have to expect that...right?!). Found a really cool 50's toy refrigerator with WAY cool graphics inside. I'm thinking of redecorating my kitchen in vintage 50's metal toys now because of it (with all of my "expendible income" you know...ha!).

Robin found some cool vintage suitcases to use to "landscape" the living room. She has one opened on top of the entertainment center with a plant in it, and the others stacked up beside it. They are in dark reds and cream, and look really good. She also has a stack of "normal" sized suitcases stacked up beside the sofa (when the sofa arrives from Pottery Barn, that is), that will be used as sort of an "end table". It's going to look AWESOME!

Had coffee with Pat today. She's leaving for Switzerland to teach for the summer on Thursday. I'm SO going to miss having her around this summer! Who am I going to meet for coffee now??!! Luckily, she'll have e-mail access over there, so we're going to have "virtual coffee" until she gets back.

That pretty much sums up my summer so far. It usually takes a week or two to get into the "summer groove". At this point, I'm feeling a little "discombobulated". Luckily that'll pass soon, and I can settle into the summer "unroutine". Need to start walking and lifting weights again, so that I can lose a little bit of this blubber (the summer shorts aren't fitting as comfortably as they should!).

Will hopefully be better at keeping this blog up to date so that all (one!) of you can keep up on my summer! Hope all is well!

Happy summer!