Happy New Year: 9:20pm

December 31st, 2010....The residents of MicroWorld enjoyed the movie, "Knight & Day", while enjoying popcorn, candy, and Christmas cookies and punch. After the movie, everyone hugged and kissed and wished one another "happy new year".  Moments later, the living room was empty.  I cleaned up, locked all the doors, turned out the lights, and went to my own apartment.  My husband was in bed sleeping. It was 8:25pm.  What the????!!!!!
The bottle of champagne I bought earlier today was chilling in the refrigerator, and the assortment of smoked cheeses were waiting patiently alongside.  Sometimes you just have to make your own fun.  I lit several candles, slipped into my black satin lounge pants and cute black and white complimenting top, fixed an attractive holiday plate of goodies, opened the champagne and as soon as I have finished having "my say" about the party poopers of MicroWorld, I'll get down to the business of welcoming in the new year in proper fashion......later tomorrow I'll get philosophical and think about "resolutions" for about 30 seconds and say something irreverant before going back to sleep.  Happy New Year to all of you who really know.

Kudos to Connecticut snow warriers

I've lived in California, Colorado, Missouri, Georgia, Connecticut and Rhode Island.  I have physically been in 41 of our 50 states and several foreign countries.  I've seen amazing sights and awe-inspiring scenery that left me breathless.  But snow removable in the northeast part of this country will leave you speechless.  It's jaw dropping and yet the local residents think it's commonplace.  For your edification let me describe the view from my window yesterday on the day of "THE BLIZZARD OF 2010" (local newspaper headline).  I awoke at 6:00am and looked out my window but could see very little.  It was snowing and the 50 mile an hour winds were blowing the snow in terrifying gales.  I understood in an instant the term, "snowblind".  I fearfully wondered if my staff would even attempt to come in to work.  I expected the phone to start ringing with apologies and I imagined the wretched time I would have trying to cook and serve breakfast to 37 elderly and fussy people.  A thunderous roar snapped me out of my musings as a huge snow plow drove by.  Maybe there is hope, I whimpered.  I hurried to get dressed and unlock the building for the day.  Employees streamed in, gaily exchanging "good mornings" to each other.  It was just another day. The mail arrived on time and by afternoon, the snow had stopped.  The plows, however, continued their rounds until evening.  This morning I looked out my window at 6:00 am again.  A truck was parked in front of our building and unloading 2 snowblowers.  Three men began re-clearing our walkways.  The third man carried a five gallon bucket filled with rock salt.  By noon today the roads were quite clear and by this evening the roads were now black asphalt without of trace of snow or ice.  How could this be?  These New Englanders take their snow seriously, very seriously.  They don't wring their hands, wonder how much snow will fall and when will the storm be over.  If the snow is falling, they're plowing and they don't stop til they see black top. Wow.  My hat is off to them (figuratively speaking...after all it's 18 degrees here!)

Gone, Bingo, Gone or How Sweet It Is

The "Blizzard of 2010" is now old news and everyone in MicroWorld is a lot more interested in  "Wheel of Fortune". There was also a heated debate after supper in regards to the Thursday afternoon Bingo game.  A nasty rumor was afloat that this sacred activity had been canceled because of the "Holiday".  "Both of you are correct, I sweetly conjoled, Thursday Bingo will take place as usual, but the Saturday night session will be canceled because it's New Year's Day."  The comments hit the proverbial fan after that utterance.  Why absolutely nothing was going on around here on New Year's Day....our Holiday Open House was being held Sunday afternoon, and Saturday night Bingo is held at NIGHT!!!! How could it possibly be canceled!!! "I don't know, I hopelessly shrugged, it just is; I'm so sorry, I know how much you enjoy it."   Hee, Hee, Hee.....if they only knew it was I who pulled the plug on this weekly ritual of boredom and occasional mayhem.  Did I say Mayhem??  When someone is accused of taking more candy from the prize basket than he or she is entitled to, there is usually a loud outcry of protest.  I'm describing the scene politely, but it sometimes gets ugly....but that's for another blog.  Right now I'm gloating over the fact that I'm off the hook for Bingo and in Jackie Gleason's immortal words, "How sweet it is!" A Saturday night in the recliner, feet up, video in, and a glass of wine in hand.  Sometimes a plan comes together and those are moments to truly savor.  WHAT?!!! You think I'm a bore?  Well, you haven't seen the video or met the guests who will be visiting Saturday night......but's that's for another blog....how sweet it is....like sugar, baby

House or car?

I'm old enough to remeber when nice homes sold for $30,000. Average working-class people bought houses for $17,000.  Nowadays that is entry level for the purchase of a new vehicle.  I've been pre-shopping online for a new car.  I want something sexy, sporty, sleek---everything I'm not.  At my age it might be the last car I'll buy, so I really want to buy something special.  Today it is snowing and the media can't contain their glee....calling it the "Blizzard of 2010".  That got me thinking about my Dad, who was born and raised in the northern most tip of Maine.  He would laugh at Connecticut snow storms and tell us tall tales of taller snow.  Snow that covered the telephone wires and reached the roof tops.  Why you had to stand on your roof to shovel yourself out.  I wondered how Maine was doing today....well, one thing led to another....you know how web surfing is....and before you knew it I was real estate shopping in my Dad's hometown.  Holy Bejolies!!! hold the phone!  I can buy a 5 bedroom farm house on 2 acres, complete with a beam and post contructed barn for $25,000.  Was it a misprint?  I feverishly scanned more ads.  It was all true. Real estate with real old fashioned prices.  Cars suddenly seemed so unimportant, even frivolous.  My husband brought me back to earth with the  question, "How are you going to heat a 10 room, 2-story house that most likely is not well insulated?, and do you REALLY want to live in Maine in the winter?"  Hmmm...you know, I was thinking that the 2011 Mustang looks really great in black, but do you think I really need 8 cylinders and a 5.0 liter engine?

Escape Artist

 If you're wondering why Granny Ray has not had anything to say since December 5, it's because I hate the bruhaha of holidays (and Christmas in Microworld has more bruhaha than you can shake a stick at).  So in the interest of self-preservation, I escaped. I sent checks to all the kids and grandchildren, drove away in a blinding snowstorm, boarded a cruiseship, and sailed of to the Caribbean for two weeks.  You can call me Scoorge, a coward, a self-centered shallow person, etc., etc., but I know that you are as green as the Grinch with envy.  Who hasn't wanted to just get away from all the shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, school plays, church programs, obligatory office parties, and charity events?  What was it like you wonder.....while you were circling the mall parking lot for the third time hopelessly trying to find a parking spot before the stores closed, I was sitting in a hot tub on the ship's pool deck sipping a bloody Mary.  This should definitely be a new holiday tradition.  Now that I'm back home, it's snowing again....well, you can't have everything.  I'm shopping on-line for more vacations.  Escape is just a click away.  PS: Don't expect postcards...it's just too hard to hold a pen and a drink in the same hand.

plagerism rolls on and on...

I have nothing against plagerism....in fact it was my constant companion in college and I practically owe my degree to it...BUT when I found my own plagerized work featured in someone's facebook post.....hey! give credit where it's due, dude!  ok..you must have so totally identified with it that it resonated to your very core and the sound just had to be heard!!! I get it,  really I do.  Now I'll discuss something that is truly original...just the thoughts that float in and out of my semi-consciousness.  We use the phrase "spend your Life" as if it were something like money.  Think about it. Spending your life watching TV and in the end having nothing to show for your life. Or...spending your life doing something for others and having a legacy to leave behind. A life really "well spent".  Here in Micro World it is so evident.  Some people are wonderful and amazing, and others are self-centered, and sometimes just caustic...a real irritant.  I realize that "old age" has nothing to do with their personalities.  The selfish prima donas were probably selfish all their lives and the wonderful people were always super people.  It all comes down to how you 'spent' your life.  Now let Granny get preachy now and then....that's what we old timers are best at. By the way, there is a little plagerism in this, but I'll never tell where it is.  By the way, I'm heading out to sea tomorrow on another cruise and even though it is snowing as I post this, I'll be sunning under a palm tree on a white sandy beach in a couple of days.  I won't be back to Micro World until Dec. 20th.  I'm giving you fair warning:  You are on your own for the next two weeks.  Enjoy the malls, the Santas, the bell ringers outside every store, and the insessant Christmas carolling. I raise my glass of (insert drink of choice) to you...."Nibblin' on sponge cake, watching the sun bake, all those tourists covered in oil........:

Musing about a "real man"...hmmmm......

A real man is a woman's best friend.  He will never stand her up and never let her down.  He will reassure her when she feels insecure and comfort her after a bad day.  He will inspire her to do things she never thought she could do; to live without fear and forget regret.  He will enable her to express her deepest emotions and give in to her most intimate desires.  He will make sure she always feels as though she's the most beautiful woman in the room and will enable her to be the most confident, sexy, seductive, and invincible......No wait....Sorry....I'm thinking of wine.  Never mind.