h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was going to go put on my fuzzy socks and curl up in bed, but now I feel the need to update you all on the last few months I've been offline. I'll try not to whine too much (but I'll probably make up for the fact that I've been offline for about 4 months).

I miss this place. I haven't had the opportunity to write ANYTHING in months, online or off. So, what's been going on?

In October junior and I went to Houston for his martial arts tournament. He won a gold in his sparring devision (it was an international competition so he was really excited). I froze to death and had to go buy a jacket at the Mills. We got to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe (which we hadn't been to in years), but now I have a white hoodie that says "Rebel Renegade Must Stay Paid" in red across the front. Everybody asks me what it says, but I don't know what it means. But the hoodie is nice and comfortable and quite warm, so I've actually gotten a lot of wear out of it. Won't be wearing it this week though -

In October we bought some new cookware, too. Ever hear of Saladmaster, Gosho?

Mr B and I hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner in November. It wasn't a disaster. The new cookware appears to work. My sister and I divvied up the holidays this year to keep my 88-year-old grandmother from spending a day in the kitchen cooking for a dozen people, but feeling left out grandma cooked on New Year's anyway.

Christmas was nice. My mother-in-law bought me a full length pink jersey knit nightgown. Mr B said we should give it back to her and have her return it (because she returns everything we buy her), but I'll probably donate it to Goodwill instead.

January first my work schedule changed from CWW (4 days on, 4 days off) to some crazy bullsh!t my "teammates" came up with last year. Work 2, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3, and again. One week I'll work Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, the next week I only work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I hate it. As an added bonus it came with a 2% pay cut - well, not an actual *cut*, just a different calculation of overtime resulting in a flat 2% loss over the previous year. I HATE it. I miss my 4 days off every week.

Last Monday I bought a new car. I traded in my Escape (small SUV) for a Focus (small economical compact). It smells new. I'll get about 10 miles more to the gallon, and it will have a full warranty for the next year and a half or so - the warranty on the Escape had run out in December, I had 102,000 miles on it. It would have been four years old in April).

Then last Friday Mr B got notice from his employer that they are going to a 4-day workweek through at least the end of February, in an effort not to go out of business. So he's only getting 32 hours a week. (In the end, though, the new car will work to our advantage in this).

I'm sure there's lots more stuff I could bore you with, but now I really do need to go put on my fuzzy socks and call it a night. I'll check in soon - promise!

Congratulate Junior for me. That's great. Way to Go!

Your schedule sounds insane. Good grief. How do they dream these things up? But the Escape sounds nice. My brother has one. I love his.

Gosho may not have heard of Saladmaster, but I have. Excellent choice. Did you enjoy doing Thanksgiving, or was it too stressful?

You're right, Hyp, I hadn't heard of Saladmaster, but I know all about it now thanks to Google

I hadn't heard of them either, they were going door to door offering to cook for people and talked my sister into hosting dinner. We were her guests. They come and cook for you, bring all the food, and clean up after themselves. If you have two couples that haven't seen a demo before they give you a salad machine which is really cool, whether your guests buy or not. It's really pretty amazing stuff, I cook way more now than I used to. I just thought Gosho might have heard of them since he's pretty well versed on his kitchen goods.

Thanksgiving wasn't too stressful. Mr B did the turkey which turned out a little bland, probably because we're used to smoked or fried and we just baked it. Our guests brought a few dishes so we didn't have to cook everything. The unfortunate thing is that Mr B's cousin was in town over the holiday at his aunt and uncle's house, and we didn't go because we were cooking. Mr B's mom went to her brother's instead of our house, so it was just my family.

How were the holidays for you guys?

Christmas was just plain busy. We got three new movies on Christmas Day and they all sold out, as did the other films we were already showing, and it pretty much stayed that way until the kids went back to school a week ago. I have never ordered so much wine in all the time I've been head bartender. I'm kind of relieved that it's all gone quiet, and should remain so for a while until the summer.

I'm moving into the apartment directly above me next week - I'm never, ever going to live underneath anyone again after the experience I had with the bloke who was living up there for six months and who moved out at the beginning of December. Who the hell starts working out with weights at midnight and goes on until 5am? He couldn't shut a door without slamming it so hard the entire building shook, and I don't think he walked around the apt - I reckon he bunny-hopped. I though my pictures were going to come off the walls!

I had a trip to Devon in October to visit Skankyrich and an old friend in Exeter. It was nice to get back the old country, but I came to realise that I just don't belong there any more. I felt alien. I don't half miss pubs though Especially now that most of them stay open until midnight

I have a cousin who used to sell Saladmaster. He and his wife together did the dinners. And I babysat their son so they could both be gone in the evenings.

I did Thanksgiving and one of the bearded cousins did Christmas. It's the first Christmas for 40 years that I didn't cook. Wasn't sure quite how to act. Both holidays were a bit gloomy, due to Sis's absence. But not dreadful. Mom did a lot better than I thought she would do. T has been sick all month. The last time he left his house was on New Year's Day when he aNd his sis and BiL came to my house for a duck dinner. He's supposed to come over tonight, but it's so cold that I'll be a bit surprised if he makes it.

Just waiting for spring training to start.

We're doing 4 week-long exhibits at the library. M.C. Escher this week, Immigration with a focus on Ellis Island in February, the Harlem Renaissance in March and global warming in April. Then we'll do our summer reading kickoff in May. I have a really neat guy from Kansas City come down to do the kickoff program for us. Dino O'Dell. Summer reading in June and July. So there is plenty for me to do.

I'm planning to go to the UK in late April/early May. My 60th birthday pressie to myself. T is going with me. We're going to Paris while we're there. And I'm finally making it to Scotland. We'll be there for 3 weeks. I'm starting to get excited about it.

I think that has you caught up.

Well, Hyp should be getting ready to go on vacation now I guess. Are you going late April, or early May? Our vacation budget has evaporated this year, but Mr B said he might like to go to Springfield for a weekend, I've caught up with an old friend there on Facebook.

Elsewhere in broe-land, Mr B's 4-day schedule didn't last more than two or three weeks, then he got his fifth day back, followed shortly by mandatory overtime. To compensate for all the overtime the company is paying out they gave everyone a 7% pay cut. He had just started working 7-day weeks the last week of March. He might still be in the midst of a 20+ day stretch, but my mother died quite suddenly on April 2. He took off several days to help me with the kids while I was helping my dad.

Mom's death was really unexpected. She's gone through a lot already, she survived breast cancer in 1995, then two years ago she had her lower left leg amputated due to a failed arterial bypass from the late '80s. She had fallen last year and hit her eye on the bathroom counter. A week ago Thursday she had a massive 'brain bleed', which I guess is something like an aneurism. She was on life support less than an hour after the onset, and she passed away less than 15 minutes after we took her off. She was 66. My dad is just lost. But I'm also concerned about my grandma, who lost her son in 2001 and has now outlived both her children.

So I'm trying to get back to 'normal'. I've been off work since the 3rd, I go back Wednesday. Broe jr's martial arts tournament is in less than two weeks, along with his final black belt test and his black belt ceremony. Then chunk's 4th birthday a few days after that.

Well, it's something of a bittersweet experience to see you posting again broe. Great to see you here again but sad to hear about your mother Don't know what to say really, and anything I can think of has probably already been said to you. Just glad to hear from you again.

Oh Broe. I'm so sorry, hon. Any death is hard, but it is doubly difficult when it's unexpected like that. Your dad must be feeling lost.

If I've learned anything at all about grieving, it is that there isn't any right or wrong way to react. We all have to find our own way to cope with the situation. These people who try to tell someone that they should feel one way or another or should be at some stupid stage in the grieving process are full of it. It's a personal, individual process. You can't force it into a mold of some kind.

If you do make it to Springfield this year, and if the Springfield Cardinals are at home while you're there, T and I will drive up and treat all of you to an evening at the ballpark. It would be fun to see you again.

I'm leaving for England on the 22nd and flying back home on May 11. Next Monday will be my last work day before my vacation starts. T isn't going with me after all. It's a long story. But, I'm excited about the trip and plan to thoroughly enjoy myself.

Thanks to you both

I'd definitely like to go somewhere this year. We'll have to see how much vacation time Mr B saves up this summer. My parents were planning on taking a vacation in September to Mooresville (I think), North Carolina. Dad still wants to go and has asked Mr B and my brother-in-law to go with him. I think they'll have a good time, and they can bring back more wine from Richard Childress' winery - yum!