A Blast from the Past

So, Katie being Katie, she pulled a very sneaky move last week. She located her other grandmother's phone number (which my mom has in an ancient Rolodex), called her, and had quite the chat with her. To which Arlene (other grandmother) passed the information on to Doug (Katie's dad) and he called Katie Tuesday night. Katie had told me that her other grandmother had called here "by mistake". Which is probably the worst lie she's ever told, bar none. It was poorly delivered, badly done, you name it. She even went so far as to clear out the caller ID so phone numbers wouldn't show up. So, after freaking out, and calling my best friend, Sandy, on Tuesday night to chat/have a therapy session about Doug being on my answering machine, I called him back, since Katie wasn't at home (at Vanessa's for a sleepover). An hour later, Doug called me back. We talked for 45 minutes, catching up 10 years worth of time. It was very ODD talking to him. It was like no time had passed at all and we were still best friends. He updated me on all his family (because I asked), and himself, to some extent. He asked a bit about Katie, such as what she looked like. He also told me about the phone conversation Katie had with her grandmother. (not so much the details, but the fact that it happened). And, he was also okay with Katie calling him back when she got home last night, which she did. Katie and her father talked for just under 2 hours last night. It was a big "get to know you" phone call, with the both of them asking tons of questions. It seemed like he was very interested in her and was willing to answer all her questions. When we got home and Katie listened to the message he had left, she completely cried. We had talked about the whole thing on the way home from Vanessa's house. I told her I understood why she did things the way she did, that it can't be undone now, so let's just keep moving forward. Do I have fears about this?? TONS. During the conversation I had with Doug, I noticed he was still blaming others for the crappy parts of his life. He had a girlfriend named Terry back when he used to see Katie, and it was UGLY with her...I wasn't allowed any further than the foot of the driveway when I went to pick her up, Doug and I couldn't have any conversations regarding Katie, whatsoever. Not even "Here's the medicine she's on, here's how to give it to her, this is when she took it last, this is when she needs to take it". NOTHING. And, big surprise, she turned out to be a complete mess who apparently embezzled money from her employer. Now, when all of that was happening, and they broke up, I received a phone call from Doug, (a message, actually), stating that he wasn't coming to pick her up that night, as scheduled, and wouldn't be taking her for the holiday on Monday, either (Memorial Day, which was a holiday he pushed to always have her on). And, POOF, that was it. He was gone. He and his mother always had my mother's contact information. I don't know what happened to the stuff his mother had, but, according to him, Terry threw out a bunch of his paperwork, including Katie's contact information. When we talked the other night, I made it CLEAR that he was NOT to hurt her again. He was to do this completely, and not half-assed. That he couldn't just pop in and out of her life whenever it suited him because she really needs her dad. We'll see.

I'm Baaaaaaack!!!

We finally got hooked back up to the universe today!! A 20 minute job turned into an 80 minute job because "The system is down". I feel bad for the technicians that go to people's houses to hook them up. It's not the technician's fault. Their part of the job, running the line in, drilling a hole for the line, connecting it to the box on the side of the house, hooking things up to the computer inside the house, is all their job is, really. Then, they get on their version of the phone (it's kind of a cell phone and a work computer all rolled into one, not like a Blackberry, though), and the wait begins. This particular company does not have a separate call center to handle the technicians calls from the customer calls. So, they use the same number you do when calling and they have to wait for the next available operator, just like a regular customer does. Do you see what's wrong with this picture??? Anyway, I got hooked up. My computer is still acting a titch strangely, ever since that fabulous virus was running around in my system. There's still some glitches to be worked out. I need PaPa Brian to come up here and work his magic to fix things. I've done everything I know to do, I even think I know where it's coming from (which almost never happens), however, this needs someone far more "expert" than I. Work has been busier, of late, which has been nice. A bit more cha-ching in my pocket, thankyouverymuch! On a work-related note (well, kinda), all is not right in Evelyn's world. There's a strong suspicion that her husband, Lester, is cheating on her. Suddenly, she and Les have "date night", they're doing all kinds of things together (according to Evie), blah blah blah. What I see is Evelyn making a whole lot of effort, and Lester reaping the benefits, yet still carrying on with his "shenanigans" behind her back, but not really covering up his tracks a whole lot. It's sad, really. I'm certainly not crowing about it, nor laughing maniacally, or thinking Evelyn is getting her just desserts. When your spouse cheats on you, and you have to face that reality, and the rest of the reality that goes along with it, it SUCKS. Big time. They also have a little boy, who is unbelievably affected by all of this. In other news, KatieKatherine is actually doing well in school! Her bff, Vanessa, has taken over the job of getting her to do her homework and pass it in. Consequently, her grades have improved, tremendously!! I'm very pleased with her work, and have rightly told her so!!! Bulletins, as they happen!! :)

Until Further Notice.....

It's official, we're moving. Which means, all of my spare time (thank GOD I actually have spare time!) will be spent cleaning out and moving!! Here's today's list, to identify and deal with all unnecessary items: KITCHEN: Book case: empty it out, box it up, move it! White plastic shelves: Bring all appliances except toaster and chopper to new apartment. Cabinets: empty out all that isn't necessary to determine how much room is needed for what IS necessary! LIVING ROOM: Brown cabinet:empty out (not much really), bring to apt., put in bathroom Brown book case: pack up all books Video cabinet: pack 'em up, move 'em out! Color drawers: Bring entire unit to apt. FOYER: (yes, I have a foyer. It's pretty cool, actually) Corner bookcase: Empty out photo albums, bring over. Determine if case is actually needed (it's kinda awkward to have, being that it actually fits in a corner) Full length mirrors & wall mirror: take down, bring over. Coat hooks on back of back door: Katie's. Weed out, leave behind what's necessary, bring over the rest. MY BEDROOM: All totes under my bed (mostly quilting fabric projects, sheets, that sort of thing) Old night stand: I've had it since I was 5, it'll hold the phone at the new place. Wicker mirror: hasn't had a home in forever. Will go into the bathroom. Both closets: One has my clothing and some junk in it, the other has all the bedding in totes. Totes will be emptied so I can use them to haul stuff upstairs (yes, I'm still on the second floor) Knitting stuff, small pieces of furniture (tall bureau drawers that will be cleaned out and reappropriated, a small CD cabinet that will hold other things, possibly) Wicker trunk: has sheets and other unnecessary items in it. KATIE'S ROOM: Truly, not too bad. My desk can go Tall lamp in corner Empty out toy box and reappropriate Spare cabinet (for things like paper towels & toilet paper. Cabinet belongs to landlord) Throw out stereo in corner (only the radio works, and it takes up entirely too much space!) BATHROOM: Go through shampoo/hair product cabinet & get rid of stuff that's not used!! Empty out underneath the sink, too! ATTIC: This is the most important space to clear out, and, it actually gets done first, while Katie is at school. There is sooo much CRAP up there, it's pathetic! When I'm done, it will be down to winter things, Christmas stuff, luggage, quilting fabric (if I can pawn some of that onto my mother...), and the gift bag of gift bags. I already know that I'll need to store (someplace else) mine & Katie's bed frames, and the Christmas stuff that's not stored in a gift bag ( I may be able to reappropriate some of my totes when I'm done!) and the bicycles (I'm hoping my landlord will let me park them in the cellar at the new house!) It sounds incredibly un-doable when it's all written down. Most of it can be done fairly quickly, it's a matter of doing it. ANNNNND HERE I GO!!

Color Class

So, I had my first official color class as a practicing hairdresser. Guess what I learned?? That I still don't know diddly squat. I also learned that the educators can sometimes be "snobs" about older methods that should still be in use...for example, a good, old fashioned double process. I got the "that's old-school". Like I was discussing life before the polio vaccine!! The funny thing about the industry I'm in, there are so many different "disciplines" to each phase of this career. Some people agree, some do not. However, Chrissy and I both found some interesting answers to provide the next time we do something that Ginger doesn't want us doing. An example: The color line, Color Sync, (which is a demi permanent color...has no ammonia) is applied to the hair with either a squeeze bottle (kinda like the red & yellow condiment squeeze bottles) or with a bowl & brush (like painting). It is left to process on the hair for 20 minutes, with NO HEAT, according to manufacturer instructions. Ginger, on the other hand, prefers us to apply it either method, then put a cap on their head (so they look like the cafeteria lady) and have them sit under a hood dryer, set on #2 or #3 (medium or high) for 25 minutes. According to the two educators we had today, that is not necessary. It doesn't hurt the hair to introduce heat (since there's no ammonia to swell the cuticle), however, it doesn't really help it, either. I also mentioned good ol' 11A in reference to using it like a high lift color. You should have seen the face the educator made!!! :) She showed us some techniques, however, she focused more of her attention on the two younger girls from JC Penney, and even more to Chrissy than to myself. It was obvious to her that I'm quite a bit older than the rest of the girls in the class. However, she didn't realize (because she didn't know) that I'm just as new to hairdressing as the others are! I do feel I have a slightly better grip on the Matrix color line than I did before. Hopefully, I can take what I've learned and apply it!! :) It also occurred to me that a good majority of my clients are haircut clients, not necessarily color clients. I need to work on that!!

What to blog about....

Sometimes, I don't blog because I've got nothing to say. For those that know me, it's a tad hard to believe, because, well, I don't shut up, most days! While much goes on, I don't always talk about it. There's a possibility we could be moving, too. My landlords (who are FABULOUS people) recently bought the home my father was born in (Mimi, you've been there!), and truly, I want to live there. I'm even willing to live in a smaller apartment (which means downsizing, not a bad thing) to make that happen!! The only problem?? Away from not knowing if it's going to happen (yes, I know...make a phone call, idiot!) is the actual moving process. When I moved from the house I shared with my Mom to my first apartment in my hometown, I used my best friend's suburban and moved most of it myself. She came and helped, and so did my Sister-in-law. It was a cute apartment (also owned by my landlord), but it was a storage unit due to all of my stuff. I had started to downsize when my current apartment became available. We've lived here nearly two years. The rent/bills are a titch of a struggle, and the smaller apartment at the ancestral home would be a small relief, financially ($75 a month cheaper), especially since I need to start looking for another car...the heavy chevy won't be lasting forever, unfortunately... And, it also means less privacy for the child and I...our bedrooms are part of each other (hers would be an alcove off mine), and not necessarily access to the attic space to store the off-season items. So, downsizing is the only option to making it work. If I had the ability to post pictures, I would. My landlords have done an amazing job of cleaning/repairing the ancestral home. Once my family sold it (when my Great Grandmother moved in with my Great Aunt back in the late 60's-early 70's), it pretty much became a slum. And, according to my mom, the apartments have been hacked up, pretty badly. There are walls where they weren't when my parents lived there, stuff like that. However, it's a fabulous home. And, apparently, there are ghosts there, too. More than likely, my family members. The other tenant (that I know) said she's heard party noises, random doors have shut, and she's heard music (not enough to identify the music, just the sound). When my parents lived there, they had quite a few parties (this was before children, obviously). While they weren't "hang off the chandelier" types, they had a good time...I've seen some of the pictures of my parents, pleasantly smashed. And, I have the pictures of my Grandmother (Nana, actually) and my Great Grandmother (Old Nan) with tons of people around, drinking & eating. I'm sure that when my Great Uncle (Eddie) came home on leave (military), they had parties to welcome him home. If nothing else, my family loved to get together and EAT!! (okay, drink, too...) So, that's currently on the horizon. The thought of downsizing is rather daunting, but it's necessary. The other thing I will be doing if the move does happen is GET RID OF MY STATION IN MY HOUSE!! I'm quite tired of doing hair at home. I don't do very much of it, but there are times when I feel taken advantage of. There's sometimes an issue with payment, which would NOT happen if I were doing this person's hair at the salon, which may be happening soon...stay tuned!!

Last week....

I was on vacation. It was great. I got a bunch of things done. Katiekatherine's room got rearranged, and her work station is where I wanted it to be. She now has a work area big enough to accommodate her computer (which doesn't have the internet) as well as work space to do her homework at. There's room for a lamp, there's a small book case at one end and a drawer unit at the other to hold various supplies (paper, folders, etc.) I'd like to resurface the top with something, but I'm not sure what. Right now, it's just plywood. I'm thinking some sort of tile surface. Any ideas?? After the fair, last weekend, we both wound up sick. Katie started on Saturday, and mine kicked in by Tuesday. Because I'm prone to sinus infections, whammo! My sinuses took the hit, and I was on the phone and in the Dr's office by Wednesday afternoon. I've been taking antibiotics, ever since! Katie is finally feeling better, too. (she went to the Dr's on Thursday, and had nothing more than a cold). However, I had a weird week at work. It started off slow...had a regular client completely blow me off...called me at home 2 days later to apologize. Which brings me to this: When it occurs to you, just 24 hours before you're supposed to go to ANY appointment, please actually make the effort to call the place and cancel the damn appointment!! And, DON'T wait two days to buck up the courage to call!! Especially if you've recently complained about someone keeping you waiting at an appointment!! The even bigger kicker of all this?? The salon has an answering machine that you can actually leave a message on, to cancel your appointment. Enough said. Okay...anyway...My week started off slow, and picked up speed. I went in on my day off to take care of a client, and was busy both Friday and Saturday (today). YAY!! I've also noticed, quite regularly, that I'm running ON TIME now, which is very exciting! I still need extra time for new people, and for certain services, but I'm on time more often than not!! :) Out of all my projects, I still didn't get to work on MY bedroom. It currently looks like FEMA needs to be called in and Federal Relief needs to be applied!! However, it will get there. I also managed to walk a total of 50 miles while I was on vacation, which enabled me to lose 2.6 pounds that week!! My first "large" weight loss since I started WW!! Then, this week, I lost another 2.4 lbs!! WOO HOO!! I made my 5% goal!! I did go walking Friday morning, while still feeling rather cruddy. I made sure to not take my MP3, so I wouldn't push myself any further than I was by walking 5 miles in the first place! My walk, which usually takes me 1 hr 20 minutes, took me 2 hours!!! But, like I said, I kept my pace pretty even, and didn't have too difficult a time walking up and down all the hills that I normally do. I just did them slower. So, I'll be back to walking again tomorrow, same as always. I walk, normally, 4 days a week, 5 miles at a time. I'll try sneaking in an extra walk, too, weather permitting, each day that I do walk, just so I can have decent results at weigh in on Wednesday. I'm not expecting another 2+ lbs loss. Any loss will do!!

Oooohhh look....Squirrel!!

Otherwise known as, totally random post!! I'm on vacation this week. The last one of the year. And, it's turned out to be a fabulous week, again! (my last vacation was fabulous, weather-wise, also) What have I accomplished?? Well, let's see................................ Katiekatherine's room has been re-arranged and cleaned all at the same time...just have her stereo (which only the radio portion now works) and the craft corner to deal with. As an aside....I'm also seeking any of my things that she's helped herself to while I've been at work. So far, not too bad, mostly because I've searched her room before. However, nothing has solved the problem of keeping her out of my private things (aka: the things in my room), so more drastic measures WILL be taken.... I've been going to Weight Watchers since July. I've only had one week where I didn't lose anything...it was "That Certain Week", too, so I felt I did well! Anyway....I've been losing it slowly, anywhere from .2 to 1.6 pounds a week. This week, however, I lost a surprising 2.6 pounds!! Woo Hoo!! And, I felt I was really struggling, too... (realize, a week runs from the previous Thursday to the current Wednesday, as WW is on Wednesday nights), So, this week, because of vacation, I've been walking more. Both to and from school, most days. So, I've logged an amazing 32 miles...12 miles more than what I'm used to doing!! I'm definitely feeling it in my lower calves (down around my ankles)...Mama 'Zan showed me how to "rip" some CD's, so I was able to load up my MP3 with fast paced music to walk to. Managed to shave off 10 minutes of my walking time, too!!! Getting my mix of foods down has been tricky, too. WW uses the "points" system, which is okay, except that it doesn't keep track of things like how many carbs you eat, how many calories you're eating, etc. So, sometimes, the points value of what you've eaten may stay the same (say, 25 points), but you've eaten 1200 calories today, 1700 calories tomorrow. All the research I've done (thank you, internet!) has shown me what I need for calories, carbs, fats (including the dreaded saturated fats), fiber, protein to complete my day. Thank goodness, at a health magazine website, you can use their calorie counter and activity counter for FREE...you just have to sign up for some newsletters. Which is okay by me, the more I learn about utilizing my body effectively, the better! So, I keep track in both...keeps me relatively honest. I'm not one of those people who constantly "BLT's" (Bite, lick, taste)...once in a while, but not all the time. I'm a SNACKER who doesn't remember to eat fruits and vegetables!!! So, that's a huge effort for me. But, I'm getting there. My doctor informed me I needed to lose 60 pounds, so I'm working on it. With WW, I've lost 7.4. On my own, I managed to lose 2.4. So.....ten pounds down, 50 more to go!! I've broken it down by pounds and weeks, divided it out, and figured out what the minimum is I need to lose each week. Truly, it's not a lot...1.2 pounds a week. It's making sure I do that every week that's the challenge!! I'll also be incorporating other exercise into my schedule, since I won't be walking 32+ miles a week once I go back to work!! I have put off my color study all summer...not going to lie about that one. However, now that it's fall, I'm getting back to it. The child and I switched work stations (made hers bigger, mine smaller), in an effort to reorganize my stuff (and hers, too!). That being said, I'll be back at it, soon! Tonight, we'll be going to the Franklin County Fair with our friends...should be a blast!!!