#387 Monday, Sexy Shoes

 

Let's see - what did I do today?

I got a call from Piper re investments.  He pretty much repeated some stuff he'd said before, then suggested lunch "sometime" to go over some stuff.  Ok.  You can't date your doctor.  Can you date your financial advisor?  Oops - not a date.  Business. 
 
I went for a walk, again a couple of miles.  I've got a particular circle I like that's very safe to walk alone, mostly pretty flat, with a shortcut across the middle, nice things to look at, and a deli to get something to drink at the start/end point.  One full circuit is 1.7 miles, one plus another with the shortcut is a little over 2.5, and two full is 3.4.  How much I do depends on the time, weather, and how my hips feel.

I was striding along today and was looking at some cattails on the side of the road and stepped right on a snake.  I did some really fast stepping then!  Turned out it was a rubber snake - it had "made in China" on its belly - but I was more careful after that.

Then a friend called.  I don't know how long we talked, maybe an hour or so, maybe more, didn't look at a clock, it didn't feel like that long, but I was feeling a little down and there were a lot of long silences, I think I was waiting for him to say something he wasn't saying, and that might be a problem, I'm feeling pretty down about the whole thing, but anyhow....

I mentioned to him that I am being overrun by shoes.  When I counted them for a journal entry a while back there were something like 104, or 114, don't remember.  After Hawaii there are three more.  107.  117?  Maybe more.  Many are ancient.  Many have been repaired so many times they're half Shoe Goop.  Many hurt my feet.  I still have all the high heels I wore when I was working, and after I retired a decade ago I decided I would never wear high heels again!, so they haven't been worn or even looked at in years.

So I decided to clean them out, tonight.  My walk circuit goes right past a Goodwill drop bin, so I could just take a load of those that are still decent and drop them off on my walk tomorrow.

I'm making three piles in the closet.  Keep, Donate, and Trash.  So far, most of the shoes are in the Keep pile.  Man, I've got some gorgeous sexy shoes!  And they still fit!  I'm sitting here right now in a pair of tan and bronze Brazilian-made tooled leather ankle-strapped 4-inch stacked wooden spike heels, and I'd forgotten how sexy they look and feel!  Four inches, by the way, is as high as I can wear, because my foot is so small.  Four inches on me is like six inches on a larger foot.

Um.  I'm gonna have to start wearing all these shoes again.  Too bad I can't walk far in them.   They make my behind stick out and sway ... um ... interestingly. 

So much for my short-term I-ain't-gonna-suffer-for-sexy-no-more rebellion.

~~Silk

#386 Saturday Crafts & Sunday Blahs

Wow!  I somehow missed the Saturday entry.  Daughter, howcum the EMTs aren't here?  On the other hand, Hercules checked in by phone on his way to Nana's, so I guess that's almost the same thing.

I went to the Rhinebeck Craft Fair yesterday.  The wares at those fairs are getting more and more manufactured looking (even though I'm sure they are handmade) and more and more expensive - although I did overhear a woman from NYC complaining to one of the ($1,000+ jewelry) vendors that "... so much of what's here is so amateur looking it's almost not worth the trip up here...."  I didn't think so. 

I am proud that for the first time ever, I didn't buy any jewelry.  I did buy a birthday gift for Daughter, and some solid perfume, and three clumps of wrought-iron cattails for the front yard.  And I seem to remember a small white bag, but durn if I can remember what was in it.  Ahah!  I remember!  A glass paperweight.

Today I walked a few miles and threw out some paper.  And that's pretty much it.

*******  As I was writing this, Daughter called.  I AM cared for!
  
~~Silk

#385 Weekend Assignment #79 - Chicago

The Weekend Assignment from John Scalzi at "By The Way...":

Chicago! It's a toddlin' town. Share some of your favorite things about the City of Big Shoulders. If you've ever been to Chicago, memories of your visit would be a topic. If you live in or near Chicago, some hometown favorite things would be good. If you've never been, share your favorite Chicago-related thing, from the Jordan-era Bulls to the Blues Brothers to Ferris Bueller. As long as it's tangentially related to Chicago, it's all good.

In the early 70s I worked in St. Louis, as a Programming Support Rep in the Field Engineering Division of The Company.  We had to keep current on all the new (big iron) computer hardware and software, so we spent a good one third of our time in 2 to 4 week classes, and the Field Engineering education center was in Chicago.  As the lowest in seniority in my department, I got last choice on the schedule, so I always ended up spending most of every December, January, and February in Chicago. 

The classes were held in a building right on the river, a block or two from the lake, across the river from the Wrigley Building (the one that looks like it's made of Chicklets).  The Company always put us up in nice hotels, but everyone would immediately go on per diem and move into really cheap residential hotels ("hooker hotels") on State Street, so we could cook/pack our own breakfast and lunch and save money to take home.  

Cold.  Cold, cold, cold.  The wind off  the lake was brutal, especially when it was full of snow and sleet, which was usually.  Snow always "fell" parallel to the street.  I wore an ankle length hooded wool coat all those winters, and sometimes the wind was so strong the coat would turn into a sail, and, at 4'10" and 104 lb. I couldn't walk into the wind, or stay upright walking with the wind.  I spent much of my outdoor time in Chicago leaning at a 45 degree angle.  I was usually the only female in the class, so the guys took good care of me.  I often had one man on each arm, towing me along through the wind.

What I remember of the Chicago of the 70s is wind, sleet, hookers, many great bars with fantastic live music, and the pizza.  Best in the country.

Extra Credit: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza -- the best pizza ever? Your thoughts.
Everybody keeps mentioning Gino's East.  In the 70's, they came in third in deep dish.  First was Uno's, second was Due's (pronounced Do-ways).  I don't know if Uno's and Due's are still around.

There does exist something even better than deep dish!  Across the street from the site of the famous Valentine's Day Massacre there was (and may still be) a place called The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Factory.  (An oven grinder is a roasted sub or hoagie.)  They served an upside-down pizza, which I have never seen anywhere else.

They take a large dish about 2 inches deep, and put cheese in the bottom, then layer the rest of the deep-dish-style fixings up to the top, cover it with the crust, which overlaps a bit, and bake the whole thing.  When they bring it to the table, it looks like a traditional apple pie with a flat top.  Then they flip it upside-down onto a large plate and lift off the dish, and the cheese spreads out, and it's absolutely wonderful!  Baked inside the crust on top, the flavors mix, the crust stays crispy, and the cheese is softly melted but not browned.  Yummy perfection.

~~Silk
Link in this entry:
http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/4837

#384 You Might Be From A Small Town...

Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

               _______________________________________________

This cracked me up.  I've lived in many small towns, and it's ALL TRUE!

                             You might be from a small town if...

1. You can name everyone you graduated with.
2. You know what 4-H is.
3. You ever went to a party that was held about 20 miles down a deserted dirt road.
4. You used to drag "main."
5. You said the 'F' word and your parents knew within an hour.
6. You schedule parties around the schedule of different police officers since you know
which ones would bust you.
7. You ever went or thought about going cow-tipping.
8. School gets canceled for a sports team going to State
9. You could never buy cigarettes cause all the store clerks knew how old you were.
10. When you did find someone old enough to buy smokes for you, you had to drive
down country back roads to smoke them.
11. You never missed a Homecoming parade.
12. You still go home for Homecoming.
13. It was cool to date someone from a neighboring town.
14. You had a senior skip day.
15. The whole school went to the same party after graduation.
16. You can't help but date a friend's ex.
17. Your car is always filthy from the dirt back roads.
18. You think that kids who ride skateboards are weird.
19. The town next to you is considered "trashy" or "snotty" when it is just like your town.
20. Getting paid minimum wage is considered a raise.
21. You refer to anyone with a house newer than 1980 as the "rich people."
22. The people in the big city dress funny then you pick up on the cool new trend two
years later.
23. You bragged to your friends because you got pipes on your truck for your birthday.
24. On Fridays, anyone you want to find can be found at Main Street or the local
restaurants.
25. Weekend excitement involves a trip to Wal-Mart
26. Even the ugly people enter beauty contests.
27. You decide to walk for exercise and 5 people pull over and ask you if you need a ride.
28. Your teachers call you by your older sibling's name.
29. The closest "cool stores" are at least 45 miles away.
30. You laugh your head off reading this because you know it's true and then forward it to everyone in your address book, which is actually half your town.

~~Silk

#383 Paying the Piper

My back went out while I was cleaning Thunder's litter pan yesterday morning.  I was holding the full pan with one hand, bent over a bit, pouring the contents into a plastic bag, and I felt a bone shift, just above the coccyx.  I can still move, but I have to be careful or it will bite me.

I visited with a friend yesterday - afternoon, evening, into late night, so this morning I was creeping, bent over slightly, yawning up a storm, and my hair was completely destroyed.  Very unattractive, but very contented.  

I spent four plus hours with Piper going over my investments, starting at 11 am today.  (And one of the first things he said to me was "Your hair is different."  Ouch!  What else might he have noticed?)  I didn't want to make any drastic changes, just wanted to balance things a bit and move some equity into fixed income for safety.  Piper has spent many hours on my problem, and the scheme he has come up with is drastic, to say the least, but it makes a lot of sense.  For tax purposes, we won't make any changes until after the first few days of 2006, so I've got some time to do some research and get used to the idea. 

One of the things Piper said concerned my 401K.  He said that he has noticed that for some odd reason, former employees of The Company don't seem to consider that money "real".  He's right.  He said that if I want to be ultra-aggressive in some area of my investments, since I don't consider that real money, that's where I should fly high and take the risks.  He recommended moving the 401K into the foreign funds or whatever looks exciting.  

The Angel went over last years' tax returns, and projected the 2005 and 2006 taxes based on the capital gains I'd realize.  I was impressed with his speed and acumen.  He found an error in my previous tax man's calculation of my estimated tax for this year without more than glancing at the first page.   I have to send an additional $1500 with the December payment! 

The plan Piper showed me included his management fee, so we are now clear on that.

It had rained very hard all during the meeting, but then the sun broke through and the world dried quickly, so Piper and I walked to the inn for a late (2:00 pm) lunch.  That went ok, too.  No awkward vibes.  If anything, I felt like a pampered client, which was exactly the right tone.

The Inn is open under new management, they've just reopened the kitchen, so this was checking the place out.  Right after we sat down, before we even ordered, the waitress brought a complimentary cup of pea soup, "Because it's so chilly out there".  I hate peas.  I hate pea soup.  I took a taste anyway, just to check whether I still hate it, and I finished the whole cup.  It was really good.  Not "peasy" at all.  I ordered the quiche and salad, and it was exceptional, and the price was reasonable, much lower than expected given the fancy setting.  All around a very good morning and early afternoon.

When I got home from lunch with Piper, Daughter called and we talked for a long time - nice because she has been so busy with three jobs and school that chatting has been difficult.

Now, if my back would only behave, life would be good.
~~Silk

#382 No, You Can't Borrow Him!

Jaime, at ChaseNKids, writes: "I am petitioning for a good looking half naked male gardener...... you know, for the art aspect."

I understand fully.  The art aspect.  Um. 

But you still can't have my Hairless Hunk, Jaime!

~~Silk

Link in this entry:
http://journals.aol.com/chasenkids/CHASENKIDS/entries/1775

#381 What I will go to jail for ...

You will go to jail for:

Accidentally finding area 51

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

 

Stolen from The Gypsy.