I got an invite the other day to join Google Voice!  I immediately logged in and picked a phone number.  Google allows you to search for a  number that spells words or contains a string of numbers.  I tried DONNA, DONNAL, DONNAS, LIBERTY, VILLE, EPEEL, AVENGERS, etc…  Nothing was available.  So I then put in my parents’ phone number and voila!  My number is almost exactly like theirs except my second number is omitted and a 0 is appended to the end.  This makes it easy for them and me!  Unfortunately no one other than me has called my Google Voice number so I can’t exactly report on usage.  All I know is I have called it and left a test message and within seconds I get an email and a text message saying a message was left and when I log into Google Voice the message has been TRANSCRIBED PERFECTLY and as the recorded message plays the transcribed words light up!  It’s awesome.  Some people seem a bit worried that this is yet another invasion of privacy and Google will now have access to our phone coversations as well as our email and searching history.  That could be true.  It doesn’t overly worry me but that could be because I am a tech geek and I am blinded by the shininess of it all.

Turns out I already have a library card!  Last time I used it was about 20 years ago.  The Librarian told me that although the card has expired, she would still have to charge me the “Lost Card” fee.   How insane is that?  I have to pay 3.00 to get a new card.  Just as I was about to tell the woman why it has been 20 years since I last set foot in the library, she told me instead of paying the lost card fee, I could just use my driver’s license to check out books.   I’ll pay the 3.00 for the card, I would have paid it today if I had some cash on me… I just can’t stand the bureaucratic nonsense.

Tomorrow I am thinking about applying for a concealed weapon’s permit.  The problem is it costs 46.00.  Everything costs about 46.00.  15 gallons of gas?  About 46.00.  Two pizzas and a salad?  About 46.00.  Groceries for the week?  About 46.00.  Dry Cleaning for 3 dresses and 1 pair of slacks?  About 46.00 (Luckily I had a 40% discount coupon).  The thing is I need to get into spending freeze mode and I am not sure if I should spend another 46.00 on something.  Especially when I don’t own a gun.  But the thing is right now I have the time to go to the courthouse and fill out the paperwork and do whatever else is needed.  Maybe I should just do it because I can?  Just like how I am kicking myself that I didn’t get a new garage door, shower stall and windows when I was working.

1. Pick up Dry Cleaning (and pray it doesn’t cost so much I might have just bought a new couple dresses) Done!  The price surprised me but thankfully I used a 40% discount coupon so it didn’t kill me.
2. Clean kitchen and fridge… shouldn’t take much time at all.
3. Go to Library and get Library Card.  (I’ve decided I am going to start reading some of the books on my Wishlist and rather than buying them at Amazon I realized I could just borrow them from the local free library– now that’s good thinking!) Ended up renewing the card, whatever, it’s done.
4. Clean bedroom– put away clothes, do some laundry, put on clean bedsheets, etc
5. PREPARE FOR INTERVIEW TOMORROW. CANCELLED!  Turns out the hiring manager quit and now they have to back fill.  Oh well.  Something else will come down the pike I am sure.
6. Financial stuff– check budget, check up on investments, the normal stuff I’ve put off. Didn’t do the budget yet but I did check on my investments… I am down.. but that’s because I thought shorting the market would be a good idea.  How it continues to go up is beyond me.  I am convinced the market is nothing more than a roulette table.
7. Go to grocery store– need eggs and …. other stuff.  Figure that out. Got everything I need– AND I got a great deal: buy any 4 trays of meat for just 19.99!   I love bargains!  Especially on meat.

I had a lovely dream last night.  I dreamt I was having dinner with Mark “Mr. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker” Hamill.  Mark was absolutely lovely and charming and funny.  We decided to have a little Star Wars Trivia Quiz and he asked me, “What phrase was repeated in all three original Star Wars movies?”

I replied, “I have bad feeling about this.”

Mark was justifiably impressed.

An old high school friend joined us.  She was holding a gray kitten.  I immediately scooped up the little cat and started stroking her soft fur.  I had this overwhelming desire to tell my old friend that I would take this kitten home with me… but I couldn’t.  I knew it would claw my furniture to pieces, piss, shed and keep me from taking multi-day trips.  It’s crazy how the reins of responsibility pull me in even in my dreams.

I know why I dreamt of Mark Hamill.  I watched this video right before I went to sleep:

I visited my parents this evening.  My mom had the newspaper out to show me an article she found.

“Look Donna, there was a protest in Doylestown on Friday!”

“I know, Mom.  I was there…. in fact, look– that’s me in the picture accompanying the article.”

Unfortunately the picture didn’t make it into the online edition.  Still, it was pretty funny.

Last night I finally watched, “He’s Just Not That Into You.”  I rented it from Redbox.  It was touted as a comedy, wasn’t it? I only laughed twice.  The first time was when a woman said, “Girl, you better get yourself some ribs and some ice cream because, honey, you’ve been dumped!”   I can’t remember the other line that spurred me to laugh the second time.  Mostly I just felt sick.  In a way it very accurately captured the dating scene.  The constant rejection, wondering why no one seems to like you, the difficulty of putting yourself out there…  Yet outside that little piece of realism all the men were total jerks and all the women were simpering idiots.  I appreciated the whole, “He’s just not that into you” piece of advice back whenever it was original.  Sometimes it’s easy to lose perspective… to a degree.  But this movie made it seem like women had large chunks of their brain missing…. “He hasn’t called in 2 weeks!  I am sure we will soon get married in St Thomas on the beach!”   And thinking back to when I was dating, it wasn’t that I needed to be reminded that “he’s just not that into me” but rather it was the wait time to determine if he was or wasn’t.  I’d finish a good date and then think, “Okay, I got 3 days of waiting  to see if he had a good time too.”  Three days was the typical span of time it took to get a call back.  Those three days were rough.  I’d try to pretend I didn’t care but I did and it was difficult.  And when a call back didn’t occur… oh well, more proof no one wanted me.  Gosh it was hard.  I don’t miss it one bit.

The nice thing is that by renting it at Redbox, I am only out $2.00.  No big whoop.

I love Google’s Picasa.  The face recognition in the online version is amazing.  It’s almost uncanny how it can tag faces with names.  My love for Picasa takes a hit when the face/name recognition match is insulting.

Case in point:

PICASA THINKS I AM CREIGHTON FROM GHOUL A GO GO!!!! 

It’s like I am back in school again and the kids are taking turns teasing me… except instead of snot-nosed brats it’s GOOGLE. 

Wanna feel better about your life?  Go to the hospital.  I just went to visit my doctor to pick up some paperwork and gosh, I have never felt healthier or more lucky!  Just walking from the parking lot into the office building I saw two  women who were obviously going through chemo, a woman dragging an oxygen tank behind her, and a pregnant teenager.  Life suddenly seems pretty good to me right now.

This is a test to see how this thing works and posts

1. Call Doc and get revised prescription. I just picked it up. And she gave me free samples!
2. Clean out car.
3. Call Garage Door people and order new door– also decide if I can get away with 1/2 door or if I must replace the entire thing Opted for full door- let’s do it right!  Down payment is in the mail. Oh, and he gave me a 50.00 discount because I referred someone to him!
4. Alert Community of my pending construction.  Filled out the ACC form. DONE!
5. Take clothes to DRYCLEANER! (really what is wrong with you? This has been on this list for MONTHS!!! DO IT! DID IT!  I did it!  I took my 3 dresses and one pair of pants to the drycleaner!  I get to pick them up on Saturday.
6. Hello!?! LAUNDRY!?! – Got the towels going… Got some coloreds going…
7. Roll over RO1K
8. Sand trim around garage door and prime.  Wait a couple days and then paint.
9. Fix bicycle tire.  It stays flat regardless of air pumped in.
10. Protesting on Friday, must make Protest Sign– something to do about ObamaCare
11. Load new Anti-virus and other security progs as per dad.  Can it be?  Am I truly experiencing improvement???
12. Keep looking for new computer that is affordable
13. Clean out fridge
14. Clean bedroom
15. Clean clothes closet
16. Grocery store- need Silk Milk and makings for dinner
17. Clean out Garage- get rid of all those old VHS Monster movies, books, and crap.
18. Go through mail- pay bills, etc
19. VACUUM! Oh my gosh this is important Sucked up every critter!
20. DUST! Oh my gosh this is also very important