Below are 20 journal entries, after skipping by the 20 most recent ones recorded in amorettea's InsaneJournal:

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Monday, December 1st, 2008
9:22 am	Projects DONE Every year, I assemble some history columns I write and other stuff into a book (well, its comb bound, like an old-fashioned print 'zine) to sell to raise money for historic preservation. Because of the election, I had fewer columns in the local newspaper this year so had to do some serious fluffing to get a lousy 50 pages. I got it all laid out and DONE last night. It is off to be printed this morning. Combination of tension and hunching over the keyboard, I have a terrible stiff neck and shoulders. I could use a good massage but I have to chair a zoning commission meeting at 11 this morning, followed at noon by a presentation to a local service club on flooding. Maybe I'll nap instead of doing the ironing this afternoon. I'm sure the cats would prefer that. Current Mood: sore (Comment on this)
Monday, November 24th, 2008
9:54 pm	And to add to the whole mess The young man who was the shooter had been a private contractor in Iraq. He came back and was suffering from depression but there is no support system for contract workers. He also brought back a very nasty high tech gun that he used in the murder. Got off 14 rounds in a matter of seconds with the impact of a rifle. And my brother's cat, who they adopted when we were in residence waiting for this house to be livable, died unexpectedly last night although he was only 12 years old. He didn't come to dinner last night and when my brother went looking for him later, found him dead. The nieces are devastated. This had better be one damn fabulous Thanksgiving! I need some serious turkey and pie! Current Mood: depressed (Comment on this)
2:36 pm	Life Currently Sucking A very sweet 26-year-old nurse whose mother I know well broke up with her 32-year-old boyfriend. Guess what? Her funeral is Tuesday and his is Wednesday. The young man who was in the parking lot with the nurse was only injured. Men. Alcohol. Firearms. Not a good combo. A person I thought of as a friend has gone out of her way to stab me in the back professionally. I have no idea why. She went so far as to involve my state supervisor, who thinks I'm incompetent already so the 'friend's' assistance didn't help. IF I could find a decent replacement job, I would quit even though I love me job, it isn't worth the rest. Property taxes due the day after Thanksgiving and it will be tight for money for Christmas. Not sending cards since my Christmas letter would be too depressing anyway. Ugh. Current Mood: depressed (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 7th, 2008
10:07 pm	Update The recently neutered cat has been seen. I was beginning to think cutting his balls off made him invisible but I have seen him. My husband petted him. Seymour growled at him but did not attack him. All in all, progress. I am becoming less and less fond of "Sanctuary." If I hadn't been so lazy, I would have abandoned tonight's episode the minute the Gremlins/Tribbles showed up. Wow. Somebody really came up with a fresh plot there. NOT. The boiler died in the theater where I work. They have had no heat or hot water for two days. The plumber swears it will be fixed by Friday so there will be heat when I work Saturday. Knowing there was no heat and it has been chilly here took care of the decision to go or not to go to Madagascar 2. I might risk a movie I really wanted to see with no heat but not one I am so-so on. We have got to clear out the garage so we can clear out the north parlor--where invisible cat has been for the past two days. Anyone want a few restoration projects? I am never going to get that old chest of drawers or that old Hoosier cupboard or that old leather trunk restored so they are going to be tossed if no one wants them. I'll have to post to Craigslist or something. Since I got my red blood cell count up, my fingernails have gotten sturdy again and they are now long enough to be annoying for the first time in a couple of years. Yay. Working on new Christmas book to sell at my office with collected history columns. As close to a muse project as I have had in ages. Sigh. Maybe when I stop taking the hormones for the endometrial hyperplasia and get a libido back, my muse will come with it. Only eight months to go. Current Mood: sleepy (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
11:37 am	I hate recommendations If I hear one more idiot talking head tell me to turn my thermostat down to 68° to save money, I will kill someone. I don't know anyone who has had their thermostat set above 68° since the Carter administration. Mine is at 65°. People who buy $1000 handbags really do not understand those of us who buy one for a buck at a garage sale, own it for years, and only have the one. (Well, I do have a special occasion bag given to my by me ex-sister-in-law more than 20 years ago. And an antique I use for programs on how Victorians dressed but those are rarely used and never for everyday.) If Obama doesn't win. . . Current Mood: angry (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
10:25 pm	30 Years and Counting Copy this sentence into your LiveJournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage (or have been or will be in a heterosexual marriage), and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow. How could letting two consenting adults form a legal union to support and love each other would damage my marriage is beyond me. You religious nut jobs want to "save" marriage--look to fixing all those divorces folks in the Bible Belt states get. The problem is YOURS. Current Mood: annoyed (Comment on this)
Friday, October 24th, 2008
11:22 am	Cough. Cough. LIfe goes on. Saw "Bottle Shock" last night. Hated the blonde girl and romance bits but liked the rest. Especially Alan at the very end, spitting. Have missed several other events I was interested in because I hate attending things when I have a cold and am breathing germs on everyone but I couldn't resist "Bottle Shock." Montana is actually tied between McCain and Obama. Yowsa! Here's hoping . . . Current Mood: apathetic (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
8:01 pm	Curse you, eBay I will be saving money on my postcard collection. eBay is going "paperless." I will NOT use PayPal. Sigh. I suppose I could use a credit card but I hate sending my credit card info to a stranger. I have most of the cards I want anyway. I have started a little Christmas shopping. I will only have a little to spend so I guess that's appropriate. Lots of home-cooked gifts this year. We have apricot jam in the freezer for everybody. Current Mood: cold (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
8:19 pm	Craptastic The year continues to be awful. And now, to top it off, I have a miserable cold that has given me sore throat and is heading into my lungs, I just know it. The hundred bucks I hoped to get selling off my old crystal didn't work out because the "expert" at the replacements place claimed it was cheap fakes. No, it wasn't. I bought it from a very reputable department store over a period of years. So I spent $35 to ship it, one got broken, and I get it back. Crap. Crap. Crap. Current Mood: angry (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, September 26th, 2008
7:24 pm	Mittens 1995-2008 Mittens a.k.a. Sweetiepie a.k.a. She Who Must Be Obeyed is lying peacefully under the wild plum. We both did quite a bit of crying today. Seymour is wandering through the house looking for his boss. The decision was painful but unquestionably the right one. Current Mood: sad (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, September 19th, 2008
9:32 pm	Picked a grave site I had been dreading the conversation with Steve over what to do with Mittens. I had hoped she would last until spring but now I'm thinking, I hope she lasts two weeks until the next vet appointment. Sigh. Tonight, she got up on his lap and looked out the window at the wild plum and he said, his voice all choked up, let's bury her behind the plum tree. She loves to look at it and she will be close. So, that decision is done. Now to decide when. She isn't in pain, just not eating. Still purrs up a storm. I guess we just wait day by day. We didn't have her a long time. We got her when she was about six and have had her about seven years. So, not long in quantity but great in quality was her love. My stomach hurts. Current Mood: sad (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
8:52 pm	Camera meme Boy, am I glad I own neither a camera or a paid account. So you can just all imagine me in my willowy beauty. Heeheeheeehee. Current Mood: amused (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, September 12th, 2008
9:31 pm	Half of a dozen, six of another We have a new furnace, which is good news. Mittens doesn't seem to be getting better but maybe a tiny bit worse. Bad news. I'm now the chairman of the local zoning commission. I have no idea is that is good or bad. Current Mood: sad (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
11:10 am	That first lines thing Sheesh. To get ten I had to grab one unfinished one. I might dig through for more later but I can't see it as terribly interesting. An English major once told me you weren't supposed to start stories with dialogue so I don't but other than that, I don't see a pattern, although I do seem to like to establish where a story takes place much of the time. 1) Severus Snape cursed and threw his quill down, immediately regretting it as ink spattered on to his careful column of accounts. 2) Headmistress McGonagall looked around the table and frowned. 3) Severus Snape was annoyed. 4) Narcissa Malfoy looked slowly around the room, still feeling a bit stunned to be sitting here, in this room. 5) Sniffling. 6) Lucius Malfoy was humming under his breath as he strolled, hands in pockets, lackeys a pace behind, through the halls of the dungeons of Hogwart's on the second day of the new term. 7) Severus Snape grabbed the end of his trunk and gave a tug. 8) Severus Snape did not like surprises so when he was surprised to open his eyes, it immediately put him in a bad mood. 9) Professor Harry Potter, Defense Against the Dark Arts Master at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, flopped gracelessly into his favorite arm chair in the staff lounge, snapped open his fresh copy of "Quidditch Quarterly," and started to read. 10) Professor McGonagall swung the door open as she said, "And this will be your quarters." Current Mood: amused (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, August 31st, 2008
9:55 pm	25 First Lines I write so little, I'd have to go back eight years to stuff I wrote in the Hercules: the Legendary Journeys fandom to get 25. I could do maybe a dozen in HP. One in PotC if I included unfinished stuff. No wonder I never finished my great novel. . screenplay. . .stage play. . .whatever. Current Mood: depressed (Comment on this)
Monday, August 25th, 2008
9:17 pm	And life goes on. . . I got the letter from the old insurance company telling the new insurance company that yes, I met my deductible and my $4,000 out of pocket expenses. Idiot from new insurance company called me today to tell me "he had looked into it and I hadn't met my deductible." Yes, because you only looked back to July 1 and I ran up the huge bills in February and March. I will SO enjoy faxing him the letter saying I MET THE #$@! DEDUCTIBLE and #$(*@!( OUT OF POCKET. Got a brief email from my older brother who visited for a week. When he visited in July, he had a kidney stone attack. One day he took me to the Dr. in an emergency run and two days later, my husband took my brother to the Dr. in an emergency run. I guess the attack was a lot worse this time, including vomiting. He shaved his hideous beard so at least my mother and I have that bit of good news. Cat goes in to the vet to check her blood work next Wednesday and husband goes in for HIS blood work end of the month. Ah, growing older. Of course, we all know the alternative. Last year, I friend I have had since fourth grade turned 50. She promptly spent ten days in the hospital, a week in intensive care, and she has no insurance because she is a hair dresser, with the flesh-eating bacteria. Five separate surgeries. The surgeon told her he won't send her a bill. He did my colonoscopy and he is a nice guy. Cute, too. Then I spent my 50th birthday having my medical crisis. Got a letter a few weeks ago from the third friend from fourth grade. She turned 50 and discovered she had breast cancer. Caught it early, had a lumpectomy and doesn't have to have chemo. So, all of us had MAJOR health crisis for our 50th birthdays but came out all right in the end. So, except for wanting to strangle the jerk at the new insurance company, I am grateful all of us are on the mend. Current Mood: contemplative (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 18th, 2008
10:17 pm	@#!@$! When we were told we were getting a new insurance plan this spring, the company jerk assured us we would not have to start over on meeting our $2,000 deductible if we had met it on the previous plan. So, my first bill comes and the entire $677 has been applied to meet our $2,000 deductible. We ask the head office and are told we must be mistaken. How could we think that the deductible would carry over? The 30+ employees who heard him say that were wrong. Oh, maybe he said it but he was wrong. You are screwed. I have already spent $4,000 out of pocket on my medical expenses, had to borrow against the house to pay the bills, and am starting over July 1 having to meet ANOTHER $2,000 deductible. If I could get away with murder, I would. In a heartbeat. The owner, by the way, inherited his money from his mother, who married rich old men and inherited from them when they died. You can imagine how much he cares about his employees. I am so mad I can hardly see straight! Current Mood: enraged (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
5:03 pm	From the altfriday5: 1. List 5 things which are basic common knowledge in your culture, which people outside are unfamiliar with. This is not about obscurity, but something everyday to you, that others go "bzuh?" at. My culture? I'm of northern European descent, so white my legs glow in the dark. I would guess that I live in a genuine small town, not a suburb of a big city, does baffle people. I walk to work, since it is eight blocks. I also work part time at a classic Art Deco single screen Main Street movie theater which is still a classic Art Deco single screen movie theater. We have very little crime. I walk home from the movie at 9:30 at night and my only concern is tripping over a friendly neighborhood cat in the dark. I truly do know almost everybody and if I don't know them, I know someone they know or they know someone I know. I talk to everyone because if I didn't know them, I do now. None of this averting the eyes stuff. 2. What was the last book you read that was written by a person who is a different race than you? Do you seek out books written by people of other races? Why? Why not?I don't pay attention to authors. I know I should but I couldn't tell you who wrote most of the books I have read recently, except for the Sharpe series. You read a dozen books, you remember the author's name. I don't care what color/gender/religion/shape/age an author is. I care if I find the book interesting. 3. What did you eat at dinner last night? Would you call it ethnic food? Why? Pfft. We ate at my brother's house. His wife likes to bake cookies and pies and cakes but otherwise, isn't much of a cook. We had pork chops my brother cooked on his barbecue, a tossed salad (with fresh garden tomatoes!) and frozen breadsticks stuffed with cheese. About as boring a meal as physically possible outside of gruel. 4. Has your gender presentation changed over the last 5 years? Has this change/lack of change been a deliberate choice on your part?I'm a 50 year old menopausal women. What is there to change? Five years ago, I was a 45 year old perimenopausal woman. I don't buy new clothes but out of absolute necessity. I'm sitting here wearing a shirt and a pair of shorts that are at least 10 years old. I don't change my appearance because I don't see a reason to. 5. Do you discuss race and racism in your livejournal/blog or in person? Why have you made that choice?No. Doesn't come up much. I talk about my sewer main, not big social issues. I don't have anything useful to say on anything beyond my sewer main. 6. Bonus question. Were you aware of International Blog Against Racism Week? Did you choose to participate in it? Why or why not?Vaguely but see above. I know racism is a problem. I live near three Indian reservations. But I don't have anything much to say beyond, Yeah, I notice people's color because most of them near me are white and I am 50. I don't approve of any form of racism but haven't got the chops to articulate any theories on the subject. Boy, this is pretty dull if you are me. I suspect it is aimed at more interesting people. Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
8:12 pm	Not the best end to the day. I hate changing the toner in the copier. Damn good thing I wore all black. Current Mood: irritated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
5:10 pm	One year ago this week I abandoned LJ for IJ. I like IJ. I get many more icons. I gather the current owners of LJ hate their customers less than 6A but I'm still keeping this my posting journal for those rare times I post. Current Mood: listless (4 Comments |Comment on this)