Mondays and Me

I'll be flying the friendly skies in a few hours.

In advance I thank you for the safe travel wishes.

I hope you and yours have a great week.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #78

This week I challenge you to do something I find easier to say than do.

When you find yourself engaged in a conversation with someone, listen intently.

Give the other person your undivided attention and focus on what they are saying while resisting the urge to speak what's on your mind.

I'm going to have quite a few opportunities this week to challenge myself to do just this and to remember I have two ears and one mouth.

Peace and Love Peeps.

The Time Has Come

The time has come for me to head back out on the open road.

I'm heading down south for a quick two day trip.

I hope to be able to see Ace while I am there but our schedules may not allow for this.

Auntie Fiwa gets a break this week. Auntie Mars will be taking care of the kitty this go around.

Mars, I know she is going to be happy to see you. She was playful this morning so all systems are go for "kickball". I apologize for leaving you with a very hairy carpet to play on. I don't think my neighbors would appreciate me running the Dyson over the carpet at 5:00 AM.

Auntie Fiwa, She's gonna miss you and is looking forward to the next two - three weeks with you.

To you both, Many thanks for taking care of us while I go and do what it is I do. Y'all make it possible for me to be who I am and focus while I am on the road. I love you and am so very thankful to be able to call you sisters by choice.

Peace and Love Peeps. Willie has cued up and the boys (Iggy (iPod), (Pat (iPod converter), Kenny (Kindle 2), and Jack (GPS)) and I are ready to go.

Happy Day

Happy Earth Day to you and yours!

Most people don't get excited about rainy days but I find it fitting for Earth Day. Rain is good for the planet.

Rain is also good for sending bumblebees and yellow jackets on their way.

Have I mentioned I don't care for flying, stinging insects?

I know they serve a purpose but I am fearful of them.

There. I. Said. It.

I am a grown woman who runs and shrieks from said insects.

So imagine how I responded when one found its way in my home yesterday. Not only did it find its way in, it decided to visit my neck while I was taking a half hour nap.

Let me set the scene for you. There I lay in a twilight slumber. Snuggled under my covers. I feel something fluttering about on my neck. I jump up and out of bed and see it. A plump bumblebee crawling across the bed where I was just laying.

I shriek. I panic. I see a glass sitting on top of the dresser across the room.

I think to myself, "Aha, I can trap it!"

I do just that. Then the alarm goes off. Loudly. I am stuck. My hand is over the glass on the side of the bed. I am praying the bee will stop moving.

Finally it does but I know better. It is probably unconscious. I think to myself there is no way it could have gone into the light that quickly.

I look around for something to cover the trap with so I can remove it from my space and set it free outside.

Another aha! I notice my little pottery pot on the bookshelf is the perfect size to put on the top of the glass.

So this is exactly what I do. We make our way to the patio door and as I am intently looking at it up close the little sucker starts making movement in the glass.

I hightail it to the patio. When I notice the yellow jackets, yes plural, hanging out on the wall I, like the scared girl I am, put the glass and pottery pot on the ground and shut the doors.

I'd like to apologize for not setting the bee free. My fear got the best of me.

At dinner last night I learned Fiwa will be my bee savior. She is just a phone call away and thankfully only 8 blocks away. Thanks girlfriend!

I'd rather set an insect free any day of the week than take its life.

So dear internets, do you have a fear you'd like to share with me on this glorious day?

I'm listening.

Peace and Love Peeps.

My Eyes!

Saturday I went to have my eyes checked like any good human with less, and I mean way less, than 20/20 vision does on a yearly basis.

Once I arrive, take my contacts out, and go through the series of the three machines, the assistant thinks she has jokes and says, "Wow, your left eye must be fuzzy."

Um, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. Left eye is buzz kill. My left cornea is the reason I am not a candidate for Lasik.

Moving onward toward the examination room, the doctor thinks he has jokes too. Bless his heart. He tried to make it funny but most of his jokes fell flat, especially when he asked me if I have ever been awarded the white stick award.

Do we need to rub my less than stellar vision in today people is all I could think about this time.

I do have to give him props for knowing what grade I was in when I started to wear corrective lenses without seeing my medical history.

The exam finishes and I discover I have not been crazy for the last year and yes, my vision has been wonky. At my last eye exam either I wasn't told or I misunderstood that when I am wearing my contacts I should also be wearing reading glasses when I am reading, looking at spreadsheets, am on the computer, etc.

Thank god! Oh, and my vision has changed significantly in the last year. My astigmatism has stabilized but my right has degraded by four and my right eye has degraded by five.

I believe I am going to be one happy girl when my new contacts arrive.

Sunday I hit up Walgreens and Rite Aid to find two pairs of reading glasses. One strength is for when I am on the computer and the other is for when I am reading and looking at other stuff other than the computer screen.


Great. Now I get to haul around reading glasses on top of everything else I already carry with me.


In case you're wondering, I will be sporting the +1.25 when not on the computer and +1.00 when I am on the computer.

Good times y'all. Good times.

Don't even get me started on trying to see on one of the sunniest days of the year after my eyes had been dilated.

In the next month or so I will be back in there more times than I would choose to be but at least I get to see the MD on one of the follow ups to determine what options I do have, if any, for surgery to correct this vision I have been blessed with.

I do feel blessed. I know it may not seem like it but I do feel it. I can see, fuzzy and jacked up as it may be. I have the opportunity and means to have my eyes checked and purchase corrective wear. This is more than some of my fellow humans have so I am not complaining.

I'm just going to keep on rolling with it.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Momma Knows Best

I believe I have shared before one of my guilty pleasures is reality TV.

Trashy reality TV is even better.

Tonight is the season finale of one of the shows I watch from time to time - VH1's For the Love of Ray J.

How can you not find this amusing? "I've been in this game a long time... I've been with a lot of women but I'm ready to get out. I want to do this show to find a ride or die chick, a chick that makes me want to get out of the game." - Ray J

I'm thinking Ray J should listen to his momma. She said none of the girls were right for him. I'm not one to judge but keep on looking Ray J. Keep on looking.

Ace and Mars, if VH1 decides to call me for a show y'all are still up first to be my Lil B's (his "advisor" y'all).

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #77

Do you have an item someone lent to you in your possession?

Have you been meaning to return it? To replace it?

If you do have a such an item this week I challenge you to give back what was shared with you.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Yahoo!

So far the weather peeps forecasted correctly.

It was an amazing afternoon yesterday.

This morning has been fantastic.

I'm starting to wonder, has Spring actually arrived in the Pacific Northwest?

Another thought cruising through my mind is do peeps in the rest of the country and world appreciate a beautiful day the way we PacNW'ers do?

I can already feel it. Folks I encounter while I am out and about are gonna be smiling and have an extra spring in their step.

Will you?

I know I will and already do.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Celebration Time

Yesterday the kitty and I finally made our way to the vet's office.

We are in celebration mode around these parts. She has a nekkid neck and a stitch free bootie. Finally!

Her neck is slightly thinner than it was before this ordeal started and she's acting a tad weird. I'm thinking it is because she got so used to having her collar on she needs to readjust.

Her fur is starting to grow back in where she was shaved for both of the procedures. I'm wondering how much grey will fill in and if the fur will grow over her scars.

Any way you look at it, she is on her way to being a healthy kitty and for this I am grateful and so very happy. Praise the Lord.

Another reason we are in celebration mode around these parts is when I arrived home yesterday afternoon to pick her up for the appointment, there were people moving boxes OUT next door.

No more crazy lady. No more chance for a crazy lady to move back in (like she did for one day)as the lease the agency has expires at the end of June. I have been assured it will not be renewed or leased to another agency. If this happens, or I get a funky neighbor this go around, I can break my lease or be moved to another unit without penalty.

Another reason I am celebrating today is the weekend weather is supposed to be fantastic. Warm temps and lots of sun if the forecast is correct. I plan to spend some time out in it. Not only running errands but doing fun stuff too.

Speaking of errands and things to do my weekend is full of things to do and appointments to keep. An adjustment, a massage, a yearly eye appointment, nails, household shopping...yada yada.

I hope you and yours are finding things to celebrate too.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Is This Blog Worthy?

Before we go further, allow me to say the bird was not harmed by us.

When I arrived to my destination for the day (about a month ago) and exited my car I was greeted by this.

Honestly y'all I thought it was not real. I thought it was a stuffed fake bird and not a real one by any means.

Look at this for a moment. Feast your eyes on how it is posed/landed.

Do you see many birds, deceased ones at that, in this position?

Yeah, me either.

I made way in to the building and asked the SBQ6's to join me outside.

I was compelled to ask them if this was a practical joke. They agreed it wasn't.

We looked at the little birdie from various angles and decided the poor thing nose dived and went to the "other side".

We were astonished it "landed" so perfectly.

Then these words were spoken.

"MoW (Mo-Dub) is this blog worthy?", asked the SBQ6s. "Why yes it is", I replied.

Then it hit us. Not only was it blog worthy the situation was practical joke worthy.

Carefully picking it up with a napkin, we decided who would be the receipent of the practical joke.

We were successful in our joke is all I'm gonna say.

Remember, no little birdie was harmed in the course of this day or joke.

May he or she rest in peace.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Wish Us Well

This evening the kitteh and I head back to the vet.

Her plastic surgery stitches are scheduled to come out.

I am not sure she understood me this morning when I told her we were going to see Dr. Craig and her collar should come off...finally...but she did get a happy look and stuck the tip of her tongue out at me.

Wish us well and send the vibes please. We both want this stage of her life to be over.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #76

I'm a big proponent of the 3Rs lifestyle.

I'm the annoying one who will call people out when they don't recycle and could have.

I'm the girl who uses paper more than once in her printer.

I'm the person who saves envelopes and uses them as note pads.

I'm the individual who unplugs things when they are not in use.

I'm the human being who could keep on talking about what she does to embrace the 3Rs as part of her lifestyle but won't continue further.

Instead I'll be the chick who challenges you to start recycling, reducing, and reusing if you already aren't doing so.

It is easier than you think, will reduce the amount of trash added to earth, and will make a difference.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Random is Good

I haven't done this in a while and thought hey, lemme check out the newest feature on my iTunes account.

It's called iTunes DJ and randomly selects the songs like the shuffle option does.

Iggy decided to be all over the place and represent my diverse taste in music instead of selections deriving from one genre primarily.

I dig it.

This morning the first ten songs I was jamming to were

1. Long Way to Happy by Pink

2. Complicated by Robin Thicke

3. Daybreaker by Beth Orton

4. Miss Independent by Ne-Yo

5. One Love by Bob Marley

6. Even Better Than the Real Thing by U2

7. Back Where I Come From by Kenny Chesney

8. Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode

9. Black or White by Michael Jackson

10. 1,2,3,4 by Plain White T's

Random is good. Random is my friend.

Peace and Love Peeps.

I'm Behind

I am behind.

There I said it.

Behind, behind, behind.

I have lots of blogs to read and comment on.

I have lots of entries to create too.

Now I just need to make the time to do so.

I know the world isn't going to stop spinning on its axis if I don't do these things but it has been one of those thoughts in my mind from time to time.

I would love to say I am going to catch up soon but in the spirit of keeping it real, I just don't see this happening for another week or two.

I appreciate you for continuing to stop by and for sending me the love. Keep it coming y'all.

In real life peeps, I thank you for your continued understanding, love, and support.

Soon I will get back to our regularly scheduled program.

For now, I sit in the airport with my standby on my side today. The meeting ended early and instead of heading out at 7:00, I'm on the list for the 2:00 PM flight. Yay for me!

Once I arrive back in town it is off to get a nail fixed that I broke immediately upon my arrival in Portland Monday.

Then I get to pick up the furbaby early.

From there she and I will cuddle for a little while, do a little bit of work, and head to bed as I'll be up and at 'em doing what I do around 3:00 AM Friday.

Stay tuned. I assure you changes are a' coming.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #75

Whoopsie.

I let Sunday and Monday come and go without doing the weekly challenge. I had one in mind. I kept saying in my mind I was gonna post it. Obviously this didn't happen until now.

I had a totally different weekly challenge in mind. I decided to change it based off of some of my experiences yesterday.

With that being said, this week I challenge you to smile at a random stranger. Just because.

Your smile may be the only smile they receive all day.

I'm not talking about one of those fake ones either peeps. I mean a real genuine, heartfelt smile that comes from within.

You never know how much it can brighten a fellow human's day and honestly when you start spreading the love around, I'm pretty sure it will be passed on and will make a difference in how you feel too.

In case you are wondering what inspired this allow me to start with the airport shuttle yesterday at 6:00 AM. My boy Nick saw me pull in and kept a full shuttle waiting for me so I could hop on instead of waiting for the next one to arrive.

Yeah, we're tight like that. As I boarded the shuttle and realized there was no place to sit, I grabbed on to the bars, turned to the gentleman behind me and said, "I'm sorry if I hit you with this. I have no idea how big or far back it goes."

His reply? His reply was to the effect of "I have no comments and I am not going to remark on that statement."

Mmmmkay. I was like whatever dude. I was talking about my backpack on my back and not my bootie. Lighten up already!

I smiled at him until he broke the eye contact and looked away. Three other people on the shuttle laughed right along with me; their laugh was out loud while mine was on the inside.

Arriving at the airport, Nick and I said our goodbyes. He said I made his morning with my smiling self. Aww, how sweet and it got me to thinking.

Then as I passed through the first TSA agent, you know the one who checks your id, I made a little joke about same place, different week and her frown turned upside down. She checked my id last Monday so it was fitting to say.

I just kept it rolling from each checkpoint and interaction I had with folks throughout the day.

The colleague from another part of the country we are working with said we were (work husband) and I were fun to work with. It can be dry subject matter but no reason not to enjoy the time training right? Right.

My smile and "sweet nature" allowed me to make a substitution at dinner that apparently otherwise would have been denied.

When I checked into the hotel and spent a moment asking how the front desk associate's day was going and greeted her with a smile, I could literally see the tension fade away from her face.

Smile y'all. It has the ability to change and influence beyond our awareness.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Today

I can't believe it is Saturday. This week truly flew by. It seems the older I get, the more they run together.

I remember being a kid and asking my mom when the day would end or summer would arrive and she would tell me to just wait until I got older and I would wish for the days to be long.

More than a few years ago I finally "got" what she was talking about.

Today. Today I've got things to do. Today will be too short.
I will be doing all of that but here is my actual list of things I want and need to do today.

7:00: Yoga
10: Adjustment
11:00 Nails
12:30: Pay bills
1:00-4:00: Lunch and Errands with Fiwa and Mars
Evening hours are to chill, do laundry, re-pack suitcase, love on the kitty

I am not sure where we are having lunch but the errands I have to do are

• Impress: return re-inker


• Paper Zone: return pack of envelopes


• Ulta: have points from last week's purchase scanned and pick up some essentials


• Trader Joe's: restock chai tea


• Wal-Mart (if time permits): have new key made (the extra one from last week does not work in the lock)

I am blessed to get to spend some time with some of my crew while doing the mundane. Another nice thing about it all? The sun is already shining and we are supposed to have one of those picture perfect days we are treated to around these parts.

I hope whatever you are doing today finds you happy and productive too.

Peace and Love Peeps.

I Don't Know What I Was Thinking

I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I thought I would be able to have standby on my side.

It is Friday.

It is spring break in these parts.

Portland to Seattle is a very common flight.

I should have slept in, done an extended workout, and leisurely made my way to the airport instead of thinking the earlier I got to the airport the sooner I could be home.

It's all good though. I have gotten a lot of catch up work done and am now sitting down for lunch in anticipation of my normally scheduled flight at 2:30.

Once I arrive home, it will be off the vet I go. I can't wait to see my furbaby. I've been told she is doing very well, which is always good news to my ears.

Thanks for the vibes and prayers.

I intend to spend as much time as possible with her this weekend because guess what y'all?

Come on, guess.

*taps fingers to the side of the computer and wonders, who might get it right*

Give yourself a round of applause if you guessed I fly right back out Monday morning.

Yup, another week living the life as Mo on the Go road warrior style.

Good times y'all. Good times.

Really it is good. I get to do what I do. Each day offers a newness and endless possibilities. I get to see people I normally wouldn't get to. I am never bored and being away from home enhances my appreciation for what I do have when I am there, people and things.

It may not seem like it to some but I do have a work life balance and am grateful to have the love and support from my crew and work team too.

Before I get philosophical and ramble on that point, I'm gonna chow on my green salad and people watch. I really enjoy people watching in general but there are some great observations and airports are one of the best places for this kind of entertainment

Peace and Love Peeps.

Tales from the Road: Dry Cleaning

I believe I have shared this travel trip with you before.

There are occasions I pack dirty clothes (never delicates or socks) from the week before and send them out to be dry cleaned once I arrive at the new destination.

There are times I will wear the same pants a few times in a week since I can send the slacks out from the hotel. Doing so allows me to pack lighter and makes my life easier.

This week I sent out 2 pairs of slacks and a shirt. I picked them up on my way in from dinner last night. Total for this service was $25.00.

Yeah, I about fell out too. This is the highest I have paid for same day service from a hotel before.

I hopped on the elevator, made my way back to my room, and still somewhat seething I looked at the address on the receipt. Wouldn't you know, the dry cleaners was literally one block away?!? I could have dropped off and picked up my own dang clothes had I known this.

I couldn't do anything about the charge so I took a deep breath and let it go.

Fast forward to this morning. My bill was slipped under my door as is usually the case. I quickly reviewed the charges and noticed I hadn't been billed for the dry cleaning service.

This is a good thing I thought because I was going to have to ask them to remove the charge from my bill and let me pay for the service separately. I don't charge the company for my personal efficiency travel/packing tip.

And let me keep it real. For a tiny moment, and I mean tiny, I thought about not saying anything.

But I am better than that. I wouldn't be able to feel good about myself and look in the mirror without knowing I did something wrong so on my way out I stopped by the front desk and let them know I was not charged for the dry cleaning.

The front desk manager then begins to debate with me. She tells me I have been charged. I look at her, smile, and proceed to let her know I indeed have not been charged and would like to pay for the service.

She furiously pounds on the keyboard, looks in a few places, and then argumentatively asked when I received my clothes.

I tell her last night and then all of sudden, she turns to me and says, "You're right."

After she creates a new folio and I hand over my personal debit card, she says, "How refreshing. Most people wouldn't let us know if they were not charged."

I smiled and thought to myself, "Yeah, that's how I roll."

Peace and Love Peeps.

Poor Thing

My poor baby has been violated on so many levels.

First she bursts her anal glands.

Then she gets treatment for them and when they don't heal, has surgery.

While she is under for said surgery, she has her teeth cleaned and ends up having one of them pulled.

Then she comes home only to have parts of her fur shaved and sporting this fine looking collar for weeks on end.

In her quest for a sense of dignity, she gets crafty and removes her collar the day before her stitches are to be removed much to the dismay of her Aunt Fiwa and momma too.

Mom arrives home and stuffs her in the kitty carrier so someone else can look at her bootie.

When Mom is told, "That doesn't look good. Can you bring her back Monday?" she gets stuffed back in the carrier for a drive home and a weekend of exposed muscle and tissue.

Monday arrives and Auntie Fiwa stuffs her back in the carrier for a ride to the vets office.

It is decided the baby needs surgery yet again. This time it is not her anal glands but near the area. Apparently her tail, rather her nub, has been working overtime and is causing a tension spot that tore itself open.

That my friends is some serious nub action.

Surgery was a success and she will be a resident of the vet's hospital until I arrive back in town Friday late afternoon.

And above all, I violated her by taking pictures in her collar and weakened state. Can't you just tell from the look above she is having no part of it?

I couldn't resist though. She cracks me up when she sits like this and to add the collar...a picture had to be snapped.

If you will add a kitteh vibe and prayer for us, I'd be grateful. She's had enough. My checking account has too but you can't put a price on the well being of a fur child that is otherwise healthy and provides me such joy.

Please and Thank You.

Peace and Love Peeps.