It's been over a year so obviously I'm no good at this blog stuff. Today, it's cold and rainy. Suits my mood perfectly.

I'm tired. Tired of so much of what I see and hear on the news. Why do I bother watching it? I guess it's good to know what's going on out there but it sometimes sickens me.

I'm tired of hearing about how many people murder each other every night in Detroit.

I'm tired of the fact that now that I have Direct TV, I can only get the Detroit news channels, even though I live 3/10 of a mile from the state line and Toledo, OH. I'm in Toledo a lot each week so it's more practical for me to get the news from there but Direct TV has a contract that says we get Detroit stations. Blah!

I'm tired of politics. I see the right wing Republicans, (who some call themselves Christians, by the way), commit verbal assassination on anyone who doesn't vote or think like they do. They call themselves Christians but they don't act like it. I'm not perfect, by no means. I didn't like Bush at all. But, I didn't announce it to everyone on the Internet. Paul heard my comments and agreed but we kept our comments behind closed doors. It's okay if you don't agree with me. Personally, I don't care. But, if you don't agree, be nice about it. I don't say much about how I feel because I know there are a lot of people I personally know who are Republican and I love them all dearly so I keep my mouth shut. I don't want to hurt their feelings. They mean too much to me.

We're going to go up to see Michael this weekend. I love visiting him. He's very funny and sweet and appreciative of the long drive (6 hours). We stay at Paul's brother's place. Jim and Sheila are wonderful hosts and we always have a great visit with them, which is a sweet bonus. And, since we're not going to be to church, it means that I have to get the breakfast stuff and drop it off before we leave. I think we're out of bagels. Paul and I buy them. It's a little way to say, "I love You!" to our family there. We also promised Phyllis that we'd work on the flower beds this week, but it's been raining so much, we haven't gotten them done. But, today is Tuesday and it's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow so I expect we'll get over there then.

Tonight is the Rhino dinner. We don't eat rhinos. It's the name of our supper club. (Long story). I'm looking forward to getting out of here. Cabin fever has set in and I'm bored to death.

I think I've killed over 50 ants on my window sill in my office, as of this morning. I don't know where they are coming in but they're in the office, the bathroom and the kitchen. They try to sneak by me but I worry that for each one I see, there's dozens hiding somewhere, waiting to run the gauntlet. AH, there's another one! SMUSH! Someone told me that ants don't like cinnamon. I should dust the baseboards. My office would smell good! SMUSH! There's another one. On my hand, no less. Paul's brother suggested we dry them and throw them into Chex mix. His niece suggested we cover them with chocolate and eat them. NO WAY! I love chocolate and I'll eat almost anything if it's covered with chocolate. BUT, not bugs. (SMUSH! There's two more dead!)

I need to go get dressed. Paul left for the union all and the credit union in Rossford and I'm still sitting here in my jamies and robe. He'll be disappointed if he gets back and I'm still not dressed. I'm slower than a dead ant in the mornings.

So, I'm done for today. I will probably write again in another year. But, I might surprise myself and write sooner. I can't say. I don't know. And I'm tired so I won't promise.

I've been putting up with this pain long enough. So, last week I went to the doctor (4/13/09) and talked about how I was feeling. He sent me over to the clinic for x-rays and I later got a call telling me that the arthritis isn't in my hip, like I thought. It's in my spine, the sacrum - to be exact, and the arthritis is on the spot where the pelvis is attached. No wonder I hurt! The pain is radiating outward so that's why I'm so sore after I work-out or walk too much.

In order to maintain my mobility, I've signed up for basic yoga classes at the Y. It should help me get my strength built up in my lower back and it sure would be nice to get all that loose skin tightened up. I have plenty of that hanging around since I've lost all this weight. It might also help me lose the last 40 pounds I need to get rid of.

I'm to go to class on Mondays and Thursdays at 9 am. I have a feeling I'm going to need lots of ibuprophen to start out with but eventually, things should get better. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Hello. My name is Tom.

I was doing one of those silly tests on Facebook the other day - the one that tells you what your nickname should be. Mine is Tom. I thought that was pretty strange but hey, that's me.

I started writing again. Posted chapter 4 of my latest creation and am getting a few good reviews. Well, 3 people are responding (I think) but that's okay. I write for myself. If people like it, good. If not, that's okay, too.

I'm looking forward to the women's retreat next weekend (April 10-12). I need to get away for a few days. Then, on the 14th, I'm going to a Tiger's game in Detroit to see them beat the Chicago White Sox. Then on the 16, Laura and I are going to the Mudhens opener in Toledo. WOOHOO! Another sign of Spring. I hope it's warm. Laura and I nearly froze at the Mudhens opener last year.

I'm tired and hurt all over. Arthritis sucks!

Spring!

Ahhh, springtime in Michigan. I love it. Well, give it a few more weeks when it's a bit warmer and I'll love it even more. The robins showed up in our yard two weeks ago. Paul always marks it on the calendar. It's a big event. The cold nasties are losing their grip. Your nose doesn't freeze shut when you breathe in. You can finally fold up the long-johns and put them away until next year. Which by that time, I hope they'll be too big for me to wear and I'll have to buy new, skinnier ones! The days are longer and a bit sunnier. AND THE BIRDS WAKE ME UP AT 4 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING! Gotta love those sparrows. We're never happy. Soon, we'll be complaining about the heat. Not me. BRING IT ON!

So, after last weeks WW meeting where I found out I gained 2.6 pounds for the previous 2 weeks, I've been very careful about my diet. Until last night. Paul got home from work and he decided that we were going out to El Sueños, a nice little family owned Mexican restaurant in Toledo that we found and like. Oh boy, chips, salsa enchilada, taco, rice and beans. $8. I was stuffed. Tomorrow night we're going out with the Rhino herd to Quatro's, which is an Italian restaurant in Monroe. Not sure I want to go to the meeting Monday night. Well, I'll try to be reasonable and not eat the whole portion and order something that will be healthy. Whatever that is.

And, Paul has been asked to perform the wedding ceremony for his nephew/fiancé on June 6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan which means we'll miss Tim and Renee's wedding. Can't be helped. Brett is so happy that Paul will do it and we're glad he's glad. He's offered to pay our hotel expenses and we might have to do that as we thought about staying at Doug and Shelia's place in Holland but they've got a full house again with Raylene moving back home. We'll see.

The elves are on strike! I just know it!

It was just a matter of time. If they can make shoes for a shoe maker and cookies for a well known baking company, why can't they show up at my house and help me out with the dishes? Especially when my arthritis is acting up and it hurts to move. I sent in a request, filed it in triplicate, had it insured by the FDIC and EVERYTHING! I got a notice telling me that they are demanding union wages with full benefits PLUS seven weeks vacation to be taken at their choice of time. I guess I'll just have to do them myself.