I'm not dead!

For those of you that actually visit my blog on any sort of regular basis and have been wondering if I'm still alive. . . I am!!!

I've been busy getting ready for a vacation and that takes a lot of my free time when I get home from work.  I sure hope to have some good stories to tell when I get back though!

I know you are thinking, "Why doesn't she blog from work then?"  I've been working my ass off!  I sort of wish that was literal.  Well, I don't really want to be "ass less" as it would hurt to sit down without one.  But I wouldn't mind if it was a bit smaller.

Anyway, don't go away.  Keep checking. . . I'm here.  I'll get back to you with some stories or observations as soon as my life slows down a bit.

Meanwhile, I plan to drink a lot of these tonight:



I'll be drinking glasses, not pitchers!!

 

And this last month or so at work may cause me to have a few of these too:

Be careful. Very, very careful.

And since it's Friday, look at these cute baby animals and feel happy!





    

If this picture doesn't make you smile you have a cold, cold heart.





Yes, squirrels are rats with fuzzy tails but BABY squirrels are adorable!



Who doesn't love puppies?

I'm tired of drugs!!

Sorry everyone but I've got to put the "word verification" back onto my comment section.

I took it off because many people told me that they couldn't get it to work right and couldn't leave a comment.

Those of us that blog are attention whores and want need comments to make us feel important.  OK, maybe not all bloggers but I do!

I took the verification off but now I'm getting about 100 spam comments a day about drugs (legal ones!).  I'm not interested in Viagra and other junk like that.

So, I apologize if you are having problems commenting.  I'd like to see everyone's thoughts and ideas about my blog but can't stand the druggies that are sending spam to me!!

What's in a row?

Pat over at A View From the Edge always does a "Thursday's Things in a Row" blog.  It's a great idea and so much fun to see what she's taken pictures of!!

I decided to take a rare lunch break today and walked to a nearby mall.  It's accessible from my building by using a sky walk (which is great in the Winter!).  I took some 'in a row' pictures to follow in Pat's footsteps.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery don't ya know.

This picture has a lot of things in a row!  Skylights, rails, chandeliers, columns, and arches to name a few.

Here are some sugary treats in a nice row to help you along if you feel fatigued while shopping.  I think I'd pick my favorite color if I was to have some.

Walking through the mall I saw a store with lots of t-shirts for sale, all displayed in rows.

I was distracted by the shiny things in one of the stores!  Lots of bracelets in rows to choose from.  I didn't buy any though.  I did get a strange look from the person at the counter while I snapped the photo with my phone.  Maybe she thought I was casing the joint?  Really lady, I'm not stealing anything.  I'm blogging.

 

 

The same store had some Green Bay Packer shirts.  Go Pack Go!!

 

On the way back to my office building I stopped at a produce stand.  Look at all the yummy stuff in rows here.  I bought some avocados (five for $1!!).

Walking back through the sky walk I noticed the flags along the bridge (over the Milwaukee River).  Very patriotic and the flags looked beautiful blowing in the wind.

At last I needed to get back to work so I used the elevator (I'm not taking 24 floors worth of stairs even if they allowed me in the stairwell).  All the buttons are in two neat rows.

I got some exercise and had fun taking pictures.  And, I got some healthy avocados for dinner tonight.  My shopping trip cost me $1.  Not too bad for a shopaholic.  Right?

Hope you enjoyed shopping along with me!



 

 

 

 

 

What's that smell?

I think I've told you that I work in a 'high rise' building (33 floors is as good as it gets though).  The building has many employees of its own.  There are security people, cleaning people, maintenance people . . . you get the idea.

There is one guy that has worked here for a long time.  I see him in the parking garage and those elevators all the time.

He works very hard doing menial tasks.  He sweeps up the garbage (even stuff like this) in the parking structure.  He empties garbage cans.  He wipes the door handles (waxing them so they shine pretty) and other miscellaneous things.  He does a good job.  When he's on duty, things are clean and tidy.

He has a terrible body odor.  It's so bad that you have to hold your breath if you are riding in an elevator with him.  If he's been in and out of an elevator, you can smell the BO for quite a long time afterwards.

I worry about him a bit.  He's quite large.  I'd guess around 300 pounds.  He never speaks, smiles, or even nods a hello.  I wonder if he has a mental disability and just doesn't bathe as he should.  Or does he have a physical ailment that makes him smell so bad?  Maybe it's something related to his body size?  I hope he's OK.  If I'd see him smile once and a while I'd probably feel better.

Now, I've been in elevators with people that wear too much perfume or aftershave.  His body odor isn't really any different that that.  I have to hold my breath with them too!

Shit! I almost forgot to post for NIAFPHFPPW today!

Don't forget that it's still "National Irritate a Food Pic Hater Food Pic Posting Week" or "NIAFPHFPPW" for short.  Bloggers unit!  Blog about your food (with pictures since that's the point) and enter Yabu's contest over at Bad Bad Juju.

Here's something I whipped up last Winter.

It's my Split Pea Soup.  That's not pee soup people; you couldn't split pee if you tried.

You put your split peas, water, carrots, onions, hock(s), and seasonings of your choice into a crock pot.  Note that I did not say "celery."  I do NOT use celery.  Read why here.

No, that's not a volcano in the middle; that's the hock!

Put the lid on and slow cook the hell of out of the concoction.  The hardest part is cutting all the yummy, porky goodness from the hock bone but it is worth all the effort (which in reality, isn't that much effort at all).

The beauty that appears many hours later looks like this:

You can't tell from the picture but there is NO celery in there.  And guess what. It's still delicious!

I've just now realized that I've blogged about this exact batch of soup before.  You can read more about my thoughts on peas if you are so inclined.

This will probably be my last post for the haters during NIAFPHFPPW Week.  I have 9 million (literally) errands this weekend and a wedding to attend.  No time for blogging when real life takes over.