Drivin' 55

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If I have learned one thing it is that we are not in charge. God is in charge. And ...oh how true that statement really is. Here goes. Arriving at the job fair a little after 10:00 this morning, my estimation is there were approximately 3,000 professional men and women all over the age of 35. And let me say that one phase that I am ready to see retired is the shaved bald head. There is nothing wrong with the natural bald headed guys, after all, I have one of my own. But guys, stop shaving the head already. Move on. One more people watching observation and then back to the job fair. Perhaps the oldest woman in the crowd made a very definite impression on not only me, but every other person at the fair. Let me just say that she is younger than Cloris Leachman but older than me. In she struts with a very nice standard issue interview suit. Dark color. Everything matchy matchy. And then there was the hair. Yes...she had dreadlocks. Can you imagine Cloris Leachman in dreadlocks? OK, back t

On Wednesday, I will attend a job fair in Atlanta in hopes that someone will find my experience and stellar personality intriguing and feel compelled to offer me a job with pay equal to my prior job (yippee!), limited hours (11:00 am - 2:00 pm), long lunches (from 11:15 - 1:45), a large expense account, fabulous benefits (health insurance yea!!! ...mammogram here I come), a corner office with a view and of course, a bang up staff! I mean, hey, why wouldn't someone want to hire this babe? OK, I think I may be a little tipsy from the fresh cold glass of milk I happen to be sipping at the moment. My guess is there will be thousands and thousands of qualified people all vying for a handful of jobs. Where will I fit into this room full of other eager, desperate people? Well, I suppose right in the middle. There's nothing worse than being unemployed. The truth of the matter is, I miss my old job so very much. So much, in fact, that I dream about my old job once every two t

In my email today, I received this from a dear friend of my daughter's who recently suffered a family tragedy of her own. I found it compelling that she can pick herself up and find some inspiration to trudge ahead in life. God Bless! IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer). I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have shared more of the responsibility carri

Monday equals lack of blogging inspiration. Let's see...Georgia Bulldogs won big against LSU. Jimmy Johnson came in second at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Next Saturday big rival game between Georgia & Florida...hmm... Tonight we will have our first freeze...yikes...need more blankets. Georgia Senate race is really ugly...lots of negative compaigns. I wish it were over already. Here's my little pumpkin, Jack!

Blavod vodka...it's black! Wouldn't this be great with an orange liquor and a slice of fresh orange? Here's what they say about this new vodka. Blavod (blah-VOD) is a premium quality vodka from the U.K. The only difference from regular vodkas is that it is black. The black color is 100% natural and come from a little-known Burmese herb by the name of Black Catcheu. Like regular vodkas Blavod has no smell or taste, and even if it is black it will not stain your tongue, teeth, or clothing. Can't wait to try this!

Romantic sunset in Lahaina off our balcony in 2006. Go! Behold many of the sky scenes from all around the world on the official SkyWatchFriday website !

This past Thursday, I drove down to the county I am registered in to do my civic duty and vote in the 2008 presidential election. Much to my surprise, there were about 4o people who had the same idea as I did. As reported in the news, over 825,000 voters have cast absentee ballots. Here is my question. When are these votes actually tallied? In the 2004 election, we learned that the Florida absentee ballots were not tallied until weeks after the election. We all know how that election turned out. Don't forget to vote and if you live in a state that allows early voting, do it! Do it NOW.

So as I made my fresh pot of coffee this morning, I reached for my coffee mug. There are mornings I reach for the black mug from Cheyenne, WO and other days I reach for the Disney mug and yet others that I reach for the Hawaiian mug. ...and it got me thinking...do I subconsciously set the mood for the day by the cup I select? Do you have a favorite mug you always gravitate to? Or do you bounce around from mug to mug?

Last night, my daughter and I had a girl's night out to see the movie, The Secret Lives of Bees. With our free popcorn coupons in hand, we headed toward the nearby AMC to enjoy a few hours together. As we took our seats, I counted approximately 39 women and 1 elderly man. My guess is his daughter said, "Dad, ya wanna go to a movie tonight?" and Dad said "Sure, honey", not knowing what he was getting himself into. Since I read the book, I didn't have high expectations for the movie version as so many times I am disappointed with Hollywood's adaptation of a good novel. After all, we create our own version of the characters and images of the words we read as we process and digest the words we read. I set the bar to be unimpressed. I completely fell into 1964 within the first 5 minutes. Lily Owen, played by Dakota Fanning, is an amazing young talent. How has she remained so untouched by Hollywood is a credit to her parents. The collected cast of The Secret L

A trip to the local pumpkin patch, a.k.a., farm stand, proved well worth the trip. My hubby asked why was I taking photos of cherry tomatoes and hot peppers. I told him because they were pretty and colorful and I was going to blog them. He rolled his eyes! Aren't' they pretty? I did not purchase any of these, but managed to get lots of other fresh veggies for the week. This little pumpkin was $40 bucks. Tell me, who would want to carve this unique pumpkin? Finally, the best for last. Here's Jack who 5 minutes earlier he was fast asleep. Somehow, he wasn't that into the pumpkin patch pictures. He was all about the sleeping.

Here he is...the king of our family, having his lunch of fresh carrots made by his super mom, my daughter! Like all babies, as soon as he sees the spoon, he is in the ready stage. Mouth opens. Arms flail. Sometimes little noises in hopes that it speeds the spoon. Open wide for Mommy, Jack! As the family calls me, The Grama Paparazzi, Jack flashes a look over to his adoring public. I love carrots, Mommy! He melts my heart! His little smile could stop a cold war or give reason for politicians to stop and smile. These eyes have the entire world to discover through the love of his family.

The sun came out this morning and bestowed a simply beautiful day. I made sure I had my camera on the seat next to me. I am rather proud that I snapped over 160 photos, not all scenery. These are several of the ones I wanted to share with my peeps. Today's gentle breeze disturbed the water just enough to minimize the reflection from the trees. Doesn't it look as though someone painted the lake. The fall colors drip into the foreground. This very happy weeping willow gets sufficient water supply and thrives. The horizontal line in the background is a walk way separating the two lakes. Proudly, I am pleased to say that neither of these photos were altered in any way. It is all God's beautiful gift to me.

So it was supposed to be a glorious sunny, cool morning. I even rose at 9:00 am today, downed a cup of coffee and peered out the window. What I saw didn't make me happy. Clouds. Overcast. Dreary. Drab. Now what do I do? I was going to go down to the lake and take some shots of the glorious fall colors reflecting in the lake, but not now! So out of the archives, thanks to Google, I found this lovely photo of what I wanted to see today here in Georgia. Can you see me there? Walking down the path, gently tugging my new beagle puppy on her leash? Way down the road off to the left there? Yeah, I got nothing either. Looks like I will go over to my daughter's to watch the Georgia vs Vandy game. Both are 5 - 1 and should present to be a good game. In my fantasy Saturday land, Georgia beats Vandy 45 - 3 and rises to #5 in the college rankings!

Here's an interesting little horoscope blurb for me today. Your horoscope for October 17, 2008 You might discover a hidden talent for writing, or, if you already knew this, you may find that the depths to your skills are greater than even you expected. At some point during the day you're likely to get a little frazzled, but this will pass. Get your work done and enjoy your day. The frazzled part of my day may have occurred when driving the 80 miles home in the rain on a slippery interstate. (oh, I invited myself to spend the night at my friend's house because I already racked in 160 miles on Thursday. some wine...some long talks...felt really good!) Immediately, I altered my speed down to 50 miles per hour and got my butt over to the outside lane. Hmm...my sister has been telling me that I should write a book about a close family member in hopes for a therapeutic resolution. My little sister thinks I hung the moon. She has always been my champion. Funny, I think she i

Here's a thought before I begin my driving marathon today... No matter which man wins the Presidency, the winner should put Joe the Plumber on the White House staff. He will be the only man in America that has heard all the crap during the campaign and then would be in charge of disposing of it. I know...that was really bad...but somebody was going to say it so it should be me.

Not much time for me today as I am driving 80 miles to pick up mother to drive 40 miles to her eye doctor, then another 40 miles to take her home and then get on the highway just in time to hit Atlanta traffic and finish my road trip 80 miles home. Glad gas is down to $2.99 a gallon. Do I get frequent flyer miles for this?

When I start blogging about my errands, you know I've hit a wall. Let's see...post office first...then to pick up hubby's meds...add another stop at the grocery store that will top off dinner tonight. That's it...I got nothing! I'll take along my camera. Who knows? I may find some inspiration.

Anderson Cooper - Emmy award winning journalist, author and newsman. He is known for his astounding ability to report the news by observing rather than imposing his personal opinion upon his audience. Aside from being a well respected newsman, he often shows a softer side. I love Anderson Cooper. And when he co-hosts on Regis and Kelly, I get my extra large mug of coffee and shut the phones off so that I can dedicate the next 60 minute to watching Anderson. On Regis and Kelly, you see a completely different side of Anderson. His smile is infectious and his laugh...well, not many people laugh the way Anderson Cooper anymore. Rumors have surfaced regarding his persuasion, but that doesn't bother me at all. We could still be best buds. Wouldn't it be a delightful evening to converse current events with AC? He is such a cutie!

Fungus, baby...it's everywhere! I fell in love with the color of the moss and lichen on the base of this tree. Mind you, I do not have a macro lens. I realize it lacks the defined edges, but I will keep practicing. Loblolly Pine trees run rampant here in Georgia. The trees reach a height of 30-35. Pine cones litter the grounds and we use the needles to mulch our flower beds. We have copious amounts of pine cones. Any decent dog will use the pine cones as a chew toy resulting in bleeding gums. Now, it may be a Southern thing but these acorns are not shiny. If you visit Chronicles of a Country Girl , you will note that acorns in her neck of the woods are shiny. I have yet to find a shiny nut. (giggle...excuse me...I just have to chuckle) Now I ask you, what do you see in this malformed tree? Should Goldie Locks beckon for Papa Bear? Or is the a gorilla in the woods? You tell me!

This entry will be politically charged so there, you have been warned. But, after all, it is my blog and I can write whatever my little heart desires. Since the Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution was ratified to standardize the voting age to 18, I counted the days until I could register. I am proud to say that I have never missed a Presidential election, even when I was 8.5 months pregnant with my first child, I stood in line with the rest of them. Well, to be honest, the kind poll workers got me a chair to rest my swollen feet and my husband stood in line, but hey, I was there. Being born in Chicago, what other party affiliation could I possible be? But that doesn't mean I have always voted straight party line, there were years that I voted for the other guy because I believed he was the better choice for our country. In recent weeks, I found the temperature of the political ads to be escalating to a level of embarrassment. The McCain campaign is grasping for any dirty tac

It's true, I just cannot help myself. I like to change things around. Let me be honest, I have been known to change the furniture around in every room of the house in one day. Believe me, I had the bruises to prove it. But now that we live in our RV, which was our commitment to do so for one year, I cannot change anything! And let me tell you...it is exasperating! Oh, I can change out the towels. Move the throw rugs around. Switch my comforter from the floral side to the plaid side, but honestly, that's it. So, dear readers, you have that element of surprise each day not knowing what Deb changed since your last visit. Arriving onto Drivin' 55 each day may just boost your visual spirits. I cannot say that I am 100% satisfied with this new layout. But let me tell you it was very easy to do. Just take a visit over at The Cutest Blog On The Block and behold all of the options at your typing fingertips! Follow the instructions and you will transform your blogging life! Happy B

Here's a little deal for all of you to take part in. Kate over at Chronicles of a Country Girl is having an amazing contest through Sunday. She's giving away some of her fabulous photography. Trust me, she's a great photographer and you will drool over her work of art...and fall in love with her dog, George!

I missed last week's Skywatch mainly because I spent the night looking for my daughter's lost cat, Charlie. As of right now, Charlie is still running rampant in the neighborhood. However, I have hope still that he will return home. For some unknown reason, I love arbors, trellises, gazebos, pergolas and other wood structures that open up to the sky above. This photo was taken in May at the San Diego pier. The sky was so clear and bright it almost didn't look real. A perfect day. Go! Behold many more sky scenes from around the world on the official SkyWatchFriday website !

Last week, I believe, I was tagged by dlyn with this meme (don't hate me Jo!) and actually found it difficult to list all of these topics. In some regard, it is like updating your life plan or at the very least, sharing little intimate secrets with ya'll. (I may be from Chicago but I am a Southern lady now!) So here are the little boring details of my life...at least those I care to share...because those of you that know me in real life know I build walls to hide behind them. 7 Things I plan to do before I die Go on a Mediterranean cruise Own a home again Visit all 50 States (after traveling almost a year in the RV, we have only 10 to go) Improve my photography Snow ski down a mountain once Spoil all of my grandchildren (currently only have 1 so Kids, get busy!) Get another dog...a beagle puppy...just for me 7 Things I can do Create a warm and homey environment Decorate my little heart out Host a fantastic dinner party Rescue stray kitty cats Plan a wedding in 6 weeks (it

Ahh...it's raining in Georgia. I love it when it rains. The rain is dancing on the roof. If only my headache would get the heck out of my head so that I could enjoy the rain on the roof. Anyone have any ideas to end this headache?

It's crazy, I know. Don't these "shoes" (and I use this word lightly) remind you of an anteater? Ok, I know this is usually Mental P Mama's forte.... But I just had too....

Meet one of the faces of the Greed on Wall Street Richard Fuld Richard Fuld goes before Congressional hearing today. Read the story from ABC News. You will be appalled. Lehman Brothers Boss Defends $484 Million in Salary & Bonus

I am in the midst of writing a post which will probably be over the top, dripping with strong political views. Trying to make some sense regarding my once radical views takes time. This intense reaction was prompted by the weekend's recent mud slinging by the winkin', cutesy (if I acted like that in corporate America, I would have immediately been shanghaied back to the 1950's) , childlike, governor from the state commonly called “The Last Frontier” or “Land of the Midnight Sun”. While all that takes place behind the scenes, let me post something sweet and dear to my heart. My Jack, trying cereal sans the bottle for the first time. He's now mastered the technique of grunting, quite loudly when there is an interruption in the food supply.

After watching the Sunday morning political shows, one word stuck out. Yes, more than "Maverick". More than "Change". The word that I had to actually look up was....kerfuffle! kerfuffle - a disorderly outburst or tumult; commotion, hoo-ha, disruption, disturbance, a public disturbance. Kerfuffle makes me giggle. Hoo-ha makes me giggle, too. I used that word several weeks ago in church. My migraine has made my brain turn to mush. My migraine caused a kerfuffle in my brain.

Passwords. We need them in order to access everything in our lives. Log onto computers either work or sometimes home Access your money in multiple accounts Cell phone messages Pay bills online Log into your multiple email accounts Access medical records Obtain information over phone Order a movie on cable or satellite I'm sure I left several hundred out. How does one keep track of all this information? I have a system, but that system isn't transferable to all accounts. Some passwords are simple...just 4 numbers. Others want numerical and alpha characters, and here's when it becomes dicey. Do they want 6 characters or 8characters? Sometimes lower and upper case, numerical and alpha's are the worst. I developed a system in order remember my series of required passwords. It is very simple. No birthdays or children's names. I memorized an account number and break up the numbers here and there. If one knows the name of the account, one would have the window to my

This week, I've been staying with my daughter while her husband is out of town. I've helped with laundry, dishes, cooking, whatever I could to make myself useful. But that means nothing considering I lost their youngest cat, Charlie. Because I suffer for the ill effects of heat waves, I try to get a bit of a breeze and fresh air by opening the sliding glass doors. After a quick shower, I notice the screen is slightly open. Charlie is on the patio. Oh crap! Just as I step outside, the neighbor's dog comes barreling around the corner. The combination of the dog and I'm sure my hair still wrapped in a turban towel, Charlie jumps 6 feet into the air and takes off. Now, I'm 54...I don't jump fences or railings, heck, I don't run! Charlie escapes and I am up a creek. After getting the food and cup, I try to mimic the sounds of "dinner time" chow bell, but Charlie is not buying this scheme. Having to break down, I called my daughter to tell her what I

I found my cell phone...although the cats didn't talk, I know it was one of them Today is an animal print pantie kind of day Finally found the nerve to step on the scale...I was sure I gained back every pound lost on WW (which was 18), much to my relief..I only gained 5 back Cleaned out my purse, looking for my cell phone, everything is organized...at least for the next 52 minutes Whoever wrote the post on how to include Twitter on your blog, will you please tell me so I can find the instructions...I am lost After cooking all week...I have no inspiration for this evening Am I a germ phobe? After cleaning the sink and toilet, I must wash my hands 38 times I need a pedicure really bad... but that leads to selecting a color and I shutter...what is the big deal? Need to strip my bed and wash all the linens...ahh...maybe tomorrow I believe I am a blogging fool Does anyone else receive an email and you find a glaring mispelled word and email them back to tell them about it?

You can say I may have had a senior moment. Or perhaps it was the fact that my Chicago Cubs lost to the Dodgers. Maybe it was the crisp cool air that blanketed the North Georgia state that just completely cleared my head. I just don't know. I have misplaced my cell phone. That little rascal has abandoned me! I retraced my steps. Emptied my purse on the bed. Checked my jean's pockets. Nothing. Behind the bed. On the floor. Nope. Excuse me while I go interrogate the cats.