Maxine Monday

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Merry Christmas!

I wish you love and joy on Christmas - and throughout the coming year.

Merry Christmas!

Maxine Monday

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Best recipe ever!

.. or.. best Weight Watcher's recipe ever!

Just take this stuff and mix it together.  To DIE for!

Pineapple chunks, mandarin orange slices, and sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding.

I pour the juice in first and stir in the pudding to make sure there are no lumps.  Then dump in the fruit and there you go!

I actually don't use all of the juice, but that's up to you. I do use most of it.

I found the recipe here - and have been eating it at least a few times a week - every week - since I found it.  Doesn't matter that it's a "diet" recipe, you would never know.  YUMMY!!!

Maxine Monday

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When I got nothin'

.. and really don't want to post 2 Maxines in a row ..

Just sayin' ..

Maxine Monday

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Maxine Monday

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.. and then there were two.

Riley lived a good, long life.  But with the recent diagnosis of bladder cancer and the discomfort it was causing, it was time to say goodbye.

Riley was 20 years old and I will miss him every. single. day.

I love you old man.

Maxine Monday

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Tales From the Road

Tap! Tap! Tap!  Is this thing on?

I apologize.  I haven't been here, haven't been answering the door. It's that roller coaster blogging you know, up and then down ...

So.  This is an official blog post.

*clears throat*

*cracks knuckles*

What's wrong with people these days?  I will admit I can have a heavy foot on the road.  People driving slowly in the passing lane make me crazy, as do people who tailgate.  I yell at people in my car, I whine and moan and complain.  Oh yes, and swear.  But I do not purposefully do nasty retaliatory things to other drivers.  The most I do is throw my arms up like "HEY".  Other than that, I'm all talk inside my own car.  But lately there have been 2 incidents that really gave me pause.

Is it dangerous out there?  Are these people crazy?

Driving home from work I came to a point where traffic was backed up to where if I crossed the
intersection where there was a green light, I would have been blocking cross traffic if the light turned red.  Which could earn me a ticket, by the way.  So I stopped at the side street and waited.  Either the traffic would start to move and I would cross the intersection right away, or it would turn red and I would have to wait for the next green light.  Such is driving home in traffic.

When I stopped, the car behind me beeped his horn and when I didn't immediately take his subtle suggestion to move forward and block the intersection - he laid on the horn.  It wasn't just beeeeeeeeeeeeep or even beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, it was beeeeee-until-the-light-turned-red-and-all-the-way-until-the-light-turned-green-again-eeeeeep!!

Seriously.  He laid on it and did not let up until the light turned green again and I moved forward.  Then he pulled around as soon as he could so he could drive along side me and do God knows what - I don't know what he did because I didn't look at him.  Man!  Too much coffee??  Bad day at the office???

Tonight, again driving home from work - this time on the highway, traffic was jam packed which isn't unusual and somehow makes me a little zen knowing there isn't anything any of us can do about it so let's all go 25 mph until we can go faster.

About a mile from my exit I needed to move into the right lane and when a car on my right moved forward and then switched lanes to get in front of me - I saw my chance, put my turn signal on and moved to the right.  Well apparently the car that had been behind the car that got in front of me (c'mon, keep up!) had decided to make up ground at warp speed and as soon as the car wasn't in front of him anymore - he sped up really fast, just as I was moving over.  So HE laid on the horn.  But I was already in the lane so I did the sad little hand wave with the bowed head to say I was sorry.

That was that, right?

You jest.

This guy immediately got up on my tail and turned on some handy dandy spotlight he had, and aimed it directly into my side mirror - and my eyes.  At first I thought it was just his headlights because he was driving a pickup truck that was higher than my car, but no.  When my exit came the pickup driver moved to the left and out of the 'exit only' lane he had been driving in, and I saw him turn the spotlight off.  The man purposely got as close as he could to me and shone an intensely bright light into my eyes for at least a half a mile and as far as I can tell, only stopped because I took the off-ramp!!

If I cut the man off - it was not intentional.  I apologized the only way I could from my car.  But apparently my error was egregious enough to retaliate against me in a spiteful and dangerous way.

What the hell?  Really?

I'm 54 years old. I've gotten a few tickets in my life - for speeding.  The only accident I ever had involved only me, no other drivers or cars.  So I can't be that bad when it comes to driving!  I can only assume that people out there are completely deranged, unhinged and totally unpredictable and I should always be aware of that while on the road.

Or maybe I should start taking the train.  Sheesh!

Maxine Monday

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Maxine Monday

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Maxine Monday

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When I got nothin'

Just sayin'.

Maxine Monday

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Sigh-h-h-h ..

I came home from work last night to find that one of the cats appeared to be peeing blood.  I was thinking it was probably Riley but wasn't sure until this morning when I took the chance and took him to the vet.  Yep, it was him, poor baby.

Since Jakie died I have been spoiling Riley like crazy, always aware of his age and condition.  I'm glad I've been doing that because he is closer to his time than I knew.

So - I will continue to let him sit on me, sleep on my bed, and eat hot dogs.  He seems relatively happy and not too uncomfortable. Monday will tell us more but I am unwilling to put him through too much at this point beyond making sure he is happy and not in pain.  The rest - well - I am watching him carefully so he can tell me when it's time.

Maxine Monday

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Maxine Monday

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.. but there's an airport in the way!

Does anybody know how big O'Hare International Airport is?  Some people say 7610 acres, others say 7700, so it's very likely somewhere around 12 square miles. That's pretty big.  And when something that size stands between you and your job every day, it becomes an adversary you want to conquer.  Other things can be gone over, but no roads can go over an airport.  The only option is to go around.

When you live where I and a bunch of other people behind the blue line live in relation to my job - you have a choice.

Which way do I want to go around the airport?  But one thing is clear, there are no straight lines here.

My favorite quote about trying to get to work has been - 'you can't get there from here'.

Lately, my usual choice of routes has involved construction at a particularly funnel like intersection that includes a set of railroad tracks, a viaduct, and is heavily traveled by 18 wheelers.  Aint we got fun?  So I decided to go onto Mapquest and see what it recommended for alternate routes.  The message I got - proved my point.

I really CAN'T get there from here!

Maxine Monday

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For real!

I WANT to blog, write about what's happening, how I feel about it, draw crazy conclusions and foist them upon you.  But I'm just so doggone tired and by the time I get home from work my brain has checked out and gone to it's (secret) home too.  Somebody tell me if you find out where it lives during it's off hours.  I mean - I can tell you what my cats are doing, and how badly my house needs cleaning, and how I'm going to try the newest HEALTHY diet thing (CHIA SEEDS!) but really, who cares?

Since coming here to write this evening was without a plan or thought in my head I will leave you with this:

Because you know, I DO tend to over-share.  File this under - nonsense.

Maxine Monday

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.. and I was SO comfortable!

I was asleep on the couch and woke with a start.  I quickly glanced to my right at the clock and was all "holy

crap!  7:45!  I'm supposed to be walking out the door right now - I am gonna be SO late!"  I was about to fly from the couch like a ninja (heh) but first glanced in the other direction out the window - dark. Registering ... night. Wait.  It's not morning, it's evening.  I'm not late for work at all. However, I may have had a small heart attack instead.  Sheesh.

I hate it when that happens.

Maxine Monday

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A Letter From Fred - *OFFICIAL DOCUMENTARY* Oh Sweet Lorraine

.. an amazing tribute to a wonderful couple.

I think I'm pretty jaded about some things, and have pretty much concluded that this kind of love is so rare that very few ever experience it.  Maybe that's why it moves me so - when I see it.  The real deal.

Tissues, anyone?

I had to post. Now I'm off to iTunes.

Maxine Monday

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Slippin' one in ..

What my cookies were supposed
to look like.

.. I always feel bad when I have Maxine Monday posts back to back.  I just haven't had a whole lot going
on. Tired all the time, and I know it's because of my diet, too many carbs and too much sugar.  Puts me to sleep, literally.

This weekend I made quinoa with spinach, garlic and feta cheese.  Made cauliflower mashed "potatoes" and baked chicken.  Definitely not a cook but every once in a while I have the urge.  Usually it's not quite as healthy.

Ended up changing my mind about the cauliflower recipe and had egg whites leftover so I decided to try my hand at meringue cookies.
Turns out I was supposed to whip the meringue for 15 minutes or longer until it was stiff - heh - I didn't.  The recipe just said to whip until stiff - after 7 or 8 minutes, I thought hell - I guess I'm calling this stiff because I cannot imagine having to whip it longer.  Guess I should have read up a bit before I made them but it was a spur of the moment decision.

What they really looked like.

When they were done - I asked my son if he wanted to try one of my skinny white hockey pucks and after doing so his review was - "tastes like what I imagine paint chips taste like.  But thicker.  But probably with the same lead content."

It's good to have kids, isn't it?

Maxine Monday

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Scratching my head ..

.. why don't I want to go to bed at night .. when I hate getting out of bed in the morning?

Just asking.

Maxine Monday

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The truth is not always appreciated

There are many things I write about here, starting originally with the intention of promoting my jewelry, all the way through talking about depression, my journey of being a caretaker and my mother's passing, to my cats, my kids, and the occasional rant.  My writing is simple, the way I speak, and admittedly grammatically incorrect with poor sentence structure.  But very few people have ever accused me of not being able to get

my point across.

This is a strange point in my life, I feel somewhat unsteady on my feet, self-confident but not, in control but spiraling out of it.  And oh my gosh I hate to even say this because it sounds so ridiculous but I feel misunderstood.

For many years I have prided myself on admitting mistakes (of which there are many), taking responsibility, and have been a strong believer in being open.  In fact - sometimes I think - too open.  Applying for the job I have now it's one thing I repeated to several people - with me, what you see is what you get.  I don't play games, I say what I mean and I'm not one to say what I think people want to hear. That's not to say I just say anything - I recognize there is a time and a place for everything.

So .. what to do when it seems other influences would like me to change the very essence of myself?  Because I don't know how to be anything but real.  And grammatically correct or not, communication has always been one of my strengths.

You look in the mirror every day and you see yourself a certain way.  It's disorienting when others don't recognize that person - is you.  Or maybe they recognize that person - they just don't like who they see.

That is entirely possible.

Not sure there is a single thing I can do about that.

You may think I'm crazy, but .. at least think.

You may have read some posts where I wrote about stopping at Walgreen's .. it's a frequent thing for me.
 Even though I moved a year ago, there is a Walgreen's right on my way home from work, quick to run in to pick up makeup remover towelettes, etc.  Recently they started a rewards program, ala grocery stores .. use your card, get discounts.  So of course I signed up.  Today - I gave the card back.  The clerk looked at me like I had 3 heads and when I asked if she knew of anyone who had done that she said no.  Her look was quizzical when I briefly explained.  She left the card on the counter after I had paid and wished her a good rest of the day.

We live in an age of information.  My job is all about - information.  Much of my free time is spent on the Internet and my smart phone.  Over-sharing here on my blog is one thing.  I get to pick what I share and what I do not and from now on I am going to choose more carefully what I share and with whom.  Like *Google - I use Bing now because I find Google to be too intrusive.  And because they got rid of iGoogle and Google Reader and made me mad, but that's a whole different issue.  With the NSA scandal and Obama care looming and the IRS being involved well - I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any stretch of the imagination.  But - I'm simply starting to feel uncomfortable about how much of my information is going to be available to different agencies and I've just decided I am not going to frivolously give that information away simply to save a bit of money.  It's not just Walgreen's - but Walgreen's does have access to information my grocery store does not.  Here is what I wrote to the store this evening:

I turned in my rewards card today.  I've always known that cards such as these track your purchases and that's fine.  But when you start mixing prescription tracking and health and fitness tracking - that's too much of my private information being tracked.  I have gone to Walgreen's for my prescription needs for well over 30 years.  I have never felt like my personal information was at risk until I realized that the information Walgreen's has - can all be tied together under the guise of cost savings.  I just don't think a pharmacy should be doing that.  If you want to save me money - have normal sales.

So, look at me funny like the clerk did, think I'm slipping off some crazy slope if you want.  I just think all of us should be more careful about the forms we fill out, and the information we supply to all kinds of places. Walgreen's is where I put my foot down.

*I am aware of the irony - this is a Google application, this blog.  And if I find something better to replace it with - you betcha I will.

Maxine Monday

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Can I say I was asleep when I did it?

This is new to me, being on-call for work, and not particularly welcome.  Monday night (Tuesday morning) I received a phone call at 2:30am which led to my being awake until 4:00am.  ARGH!!!  Try to go to sleep after that, knowing that you have to get up in 2 hours.

Last night, I had to call an important client at 12:20am to make sure the issues they were experiencing that had been resolved earlier in the day - had not reoccurred. Can you imagine the feeling of wanting to sleep so badly - and talking to really chipper people on the phone who were the reason you weren't in bed?  Heh.

Afterwards I had to notify 2 different people that the client was still good and after that came the documentation.  My head hit the pillow at about 1:00 am.

Can you say - I think I'm too old for this crap?!

Please pray for the person who wakes me up tonight.

If I didn't have bad luck ...

10 packets per box, 6 boxes per .. box, 4 boxes .. that's
math, forget it.  It will have to last.  *sniff*

I am an all around jinx, apparently.  Things I like go away, get discontinued, go out of fashion.  Yes, it has happened again.  The ONLY good part is that I realized before the entire supply was gone, but it's not being made anymore, that I have verified.

It's Ocean Spray Cran- drink mixes. You know, the individual packets you mix with your bottled water.  I LOVE the stuff.  I was buying it on a regular basis and then - it was gone.

Here's how bad it is - I seriously thought about not posting this in case someone else who loves it might see it and start searching for the limited supply too!  MINE!  MINE!  Maybe this is one time I'm glad I'm not one of those mega-popular-get-their-own-TV-show bloggers.

Only 5 calories and it tastes great.

Sigh-h-h.  I'm not recommending it to you though.  Leave me alone with my addiction.  Please.

Maxine Monday

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This old man ...

.. weighs 10 lbs!!  At the vet tonight the vet tech said - at 20 years old, to be gaining weight like this - just doesn't happen!  Whatever you're doing, keep doing it because he's doing great!

Only time in my life I have been praised for providing a diet of junk food!  Well, copious amounts of good, healthy cat food, supplemented by cheeseburgers and hot dogs.  Turns out this kitty loves hot dogs.  :)  

Who knew?

Maxine Monday

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People I don't follow on Instagram

• Boys whose entire feed consists of pictures of themselves looking in the mirror.
• 
  
• Men whose entire feed consists of pictures of themselves looking in the mirror.
• 
  
• Girls whose entire feed consists of pictures of themselves looking in the mirror.
• 
  
• Women whose entire feed consists of pictures of themselves looking in the mirror.

Wait - I'm sensing a pattern here ..

• Anyone who posts pictures of their weed.
• 
  
• Pictures that put guns and money in the same photo.
• 
  
• People who put major profanity on every other photo.

Hmm... 

• Men who take pictures in front of the mirror grabbing their crotch.
• 
  
• Women who take pictures from above, looking down at their heaving bosoms.

I will almost always follow:

• Cats
• 
  
• French Bulldogs 
• 
  
• Pretty pictures.

Yes, on Instagram I indulge my "show me cute or pretty" inner self.

And even though I am a cat person through and through - I have fallen head over heals for Frank.  Oh take a peek, you know you want to. He is more adorable than an animal has a right to be.  He has an older brother named Manny who is also quite cute, but I've always had a thing for the younger ones.

Enjoy!

** Edited to add - Some jerk hacked Frank's account on Instagram and all his pictures were lost.  I am SO sad about this!  There will be a new account but many photos were lost.  What do hackers get out of this?  I don't get it.  Here's the new link to see how cute Frank is!

Maxine Monday

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Someone broke into my house ...

... and dropped stuff on every flat surface!

I mean, how else does THIS happen??

I mean really, who keeps everything from a chamber pot to a crock pot on their kitchen island??

Really need to check the locks.

Maxine Monday

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Maxine Monday

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