EXCITING NEWS!!!

Oh. My. God.

I am so excited - - I can hardly stand it!

Here's the scoop - -

Back in January, the Online Support Technician for the College resigned. They posted the job internally near the end of January. This is an area of great interest to me, and I have quite a bit of skill and background in this area. (But I am by NO MEANS an "expert" - - heck, I got LOTS and LOTS to learn!).

ANYWAY - -

I applied for the job. And then started waiting.

And waiting.

AND WAITING . . .

Until FINALLY - - last week - - they contacted me and set up an interview.

I had my interview the past Monday. They offered me the job the past Monday. And I accepted it immediately.

I am SOOOOOO happy! This is the direction I have wanted my career to go for a long time, and now it will be.

Wish me luck!

Rest In Peace, Chief

I'm pissed.

I'm not even a sports fan, and I'm pissed.

This Wednesday will mark the end of an 81 year old tradition. Thanks to Emil Jones (D-Chicago), and pressure from the NCAA, the University of Illinois is "retiring" their mascot, Chief Illiniwek.

I remember the first time I saw the Chief dance. It was such a PROUD dance, done with the utmost respect and honor to the Illiniwek Indian tribe. But according to some whiney-ass "politically correct" individuals, it is a disgrace to the American Indians.

I could see why they would feel that way if the dance was done comically, but the person portraying the Chief always did it with such power, and grace, and most of all, with RESPECT.

BUT - - some people just INSIST ON GETTING THEIR PANTIES IN A KNOT!!

And then everyone else has to pay.

So a long-time tradition has to be stopped.

Therefore, I'm PISSED. (But I think I mentioned that already, didn't I?)

AND ANOTHER THING - -

WHAT IN THE HELL RIGHT DOES EMIL JONES HAVE TO SIT UP IN CHICAGO AND TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO????

Emil Jones, you can kiss my Royal Italian-American ass.

Yeah, I'm pissed . . .

Let It Snow, Let It Snow . . .

First person I hear say "Snow is Beautiful" gets smacked . . . .

And then I'm going to hand them the shovel!!!!

Those are SIX FOOT DRIFTS, folks - -

Nothing "Beautiful" about it to me!

BLIZZARD!!!

We are under a Blizzard Warning until Midnight today.

They are saying we may have 10-15 inches of snow before it's all over with, and the winds have been strong all day, producing white-out conditions.

It took Dear Hubby Steve an hour to make the 5 minute trip home. He was coming up our road, and there was a car off the road, and a tractor pulling it out. He waited until they got clear, and then the guy on the tractor came up to Steve and told him that there were 3 other cars off the road just a little ways up, and the road was blocked. Steve told him he just had about 1/2 mile to go, and they guy told that is where HIS car was stuck!

SO - - Steve turned around and went up Rt. 48 to Oreana, turned West on County 20 (which he said was TOTALLY treacherous!) and then came down our road from the North. He FINALLY made it home, and boy, was I glad to see him!

He couldn't get his truck parked back in his shop, because there is a drift in front of our house, from the front steps - - all the way in front of our garage - - and across the other drive back to the shop, that is AS TALL AS I AM (I'm 5'6").

I tried to let him in the side garage door, but the snow is so high THERE, that the door is blocked shut!

So he has headed out now and gotten the tractor and scoop bucket out of the barn, and is outside playing in the snow now - - I'm not sure how long it will stay plowed out, because the winds are still howling. They have been 20-30 MPH all day, with gusting up to 45 MPH.

I'm glad they closed campus and I could stay home! Hope things die down tonight so I can make it in tomorrow with minimal problems . . .

Stay in and stay warm!

Finally - - Ameren Came Through!

Well, we got our check from AmerenIP today for the claim we filed due to the damages caused by their screw-up in reconnecting our power.

But you wanna hear the REAL "kicker"????

They deducted $40 from our claim amount. Why? Because of the age of the freezer that was damaged due to THEIR screw-up.

HUH?????

Y'know, the freezer may have had a few years on it, but it worked PERFECTLY. NO PROBLEMS, NONE AT ALL.

And they deducted money from our claim because of the AGE of the freezer????

*sigh*

Oh well - - I'm gonna let this one ride - - at least we got almost all what we were asking for.

But it's "pissing contests" like this that frustrate the hell out of me . . .

Preacher Man Travis

My Dear Nephew Travis was in town today, preaching at West Side. Proud Uncle Steve and I went to hear him this morning.

I swear - - that young man has such a calling for this - - he is excellent at getting the Word into people's hearts!

He makes my heart swell with pride . . .

His fiance, Leah, was here also. She's such a sweetie - - I can't wait until this June so we can attend their wedding!

Party Time, Part Deux

WELL - - Jerry is finally going to be able to come over and see our new house!

Weather permitting, of course - - it was Springfield's turn to get smacked by an ice storm. Fortunately, we "dodged a bullet" this time!

SO - - we are having another holiday party! Jerry, Cindy, Curt and Judy, and Jan and Don will be here to help celebrate Jerry's late Christmas with the "Looneys". Should be fun - - I have put up signs on the fireplace telling Jerry "No pissing allowed" (he always threatens to "pee in the fire") (hey, I TRIED to tell you that we were "Looneys" - - you can't say I didn't warn you!). I have made lots of little "snack" for everyone to munch on. We have a "special" Christmas gift for Jerry, which means it is definitely not for mixed company (oh well!).

So it should be a good time!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's the start of a new year . . .

I hope 2006 was a good year for you, and 2007 will be good to you and yours also.

2006 was both good and bad for us - - we got the house of our dreams, but there have been plenty of "bumps" along the way.

Work has been a total bear. And I do mean TOTAL.

I lost an old, dear friend. It's been difficult. But you know, if you don't let friends in to your life and let them get close to you, life would be so empty. So even though it hurts when you lose them, having them close enriches your life so much. So, I'm willing to take that chance.

And I am lucky to have some very dear friends in my life. I cherish them so much.

Steve and I intend to make 2007 our best year yet. So stay tuned - - the ride is just beginning!

Party Time!

Well, it's time for the annual "Looney Time" party at Chez Jackson - - Curt and Judy, Jan and Don, and Cindy will be here. So will our friend Paul from the College. Should be fun, but - -

Unfortunately, Jerry will not be here this year. He has a dear friend with a critically ill family member, and he is driving him to Louisiana to spend time with his family. He is an integral part of our "Looney" group, and will be sorely missed.

But I guess that means that the rest of us will just have to try harder to make up for his absence . . .

You might want to keep bail money handy . . . I'm just sayin'.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Yes, that's right - - I said "Merry Christmas" . . .

I know it may not be "politically correct", but - -

That's what I was raised with, and that's what I feel like saying.

You can say "Happy Holidays" if that is your preference, or you may celebrate Ramadaan, or Kwanzaa, or whatever other holiday tradition you were raised with.

But for me, it's "Merry Christmas", and always will be.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!

Goodbye To A Dear Friend

I lost my dear friend Barb.

Her visitation and funeral was today. I made the trip to Taylorville to pay my respects to her family and make my goodbyes to her.

Dad came over from Pana and met me at the funeral home. He and Mom knew Barb almost as long as I did - -

I can't help but think of all the "mischief" she and I would get into . . . she was such a character, and we would laugh and giggle like lunatic schoolgirls. All those years ago - -

It's amazing - - after all Steve and I have been through with the ice storm, and fighting with AmerenIP and State Farm . . . here it is, almost Christmas, and her husband has lost his wife of over 30 years, and her 3 daughters have lost their mom.

Really puts it all into perspective.

Goodbye, my dear friend Barb. I love you, and will miss you. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

DAMN YOU, STATE FARM!!!!

AmerenIP is not the only company who is going to hear it from me.

Our insurance agent, who shall remain nameless but whom I will refer to by initials (SV), is also on my "list".

I went to our agent's office this afternoon to turn in information about the situation we had just been going through.

I was told that they are "sorry", but - - there is nothing they can do for us.

EXCUSE ME?????

We have paid you literally THOUSANDS of dollars in premium payments over the years, and not turned in any claims to speak of. And now you are telling me that you are NOT THERE FOR US???? That we are in this ALONE????

I'm pissed.

Damn You, State Farm, and Damn You, SV!!!

THIS IS NOT OVER - - NOT AT ALL!!!

DAMN YOU, AMEREN IP!!!!!

Yesterday afternoon, Steve called me after he got home and said the furnace wasn't working. When he went downstairs to check, the wire nuts were blackened and melted to the wires. So he called the furnace guy, who came right out.

WELL - - we had a MAJOR problem.

The furnace guy couldn't figure out why the wires were so hot, and our light bulbs were burning so brightly, and our outside pole light was about twice as bright as it should have been. He asked if we had noticed - - well hell, we had lived there all of SIX DAYS when the ice storm hit, so NO, we had NOT noticed anything unusual, because we didn't know what was supposed to be USUAL!!

When he went to the circuit box to check the feed into the house, he found the problem - - we were getting 276 volts into the house! HELLOOOOOO - - that's THREE PHASE POWER, folks - - which is NOT the SINGLE PHASE that should be coming into a residential unit . . .

He told Steve we were lucky the house had not caught fire (damn!) and recommended the whole house breaker be pulled, which Steve did. He then called Ameren and reported the situation - - they said they would file the report and send someone out.

WELL - - 2 hours later I get home, and there has still been no sign of Ameren, so I called to check on the status. The call center said they had our report, but bumped us up to "Emergency Status - Dangerous Situation", and that they would send someone out.

Two hours later, still no Ameren.

SO - - I went out looking for someone from Ameren to talk to about the situation - - found a guy by the Jasper Street facility and talked with him. He called in to the call center, and yes, they had our report, and no, they did not know when someone would be sent out.

Damn.

Just then, he saw a supervisor. He told me to head back home and get in out of the cold, and he was going to talk to the supervisor and try to plead our case.

Yeah, right. He just wanted to say something to appease the crazy woman who wouldn't leave him alone.

I was wrong.

Thirty minutes later, this same guy pulled up in to our driveway to tell us that he had talked to the supervisor, who was going to try to get a lineman out to our area as soon as he could manage it.

This guy came all the way out to our house just to tell us that! Definitely above and beyond in my book.

We sat up in front of the kerosene heater until Midnight. No Ameren.

SO - - we piled all the couch cushions on the floor by the heater, put on MANY layers of clothing, and tried to get some sleep - - even though it got down to SEVEN DEGREES that night.

Yes - - I said SEVEN DEGREES.

I got up the next morning and went into work, again getting cleaned up and ready in the locker room. Steve stayed home, waiting for Ameren.

They finally showed up at 11:00 a.m.

That's TWENTY HOURS after we reported the problem!

Sorry - - but I think that's a bit much. Especially since it was a problem THEY caused!

Once Ameren got there and the power was back on, Steve called the furnace guy back, who came back out within minutes. (A side note - - this furnace guy also called Steve early this morning, just to check up on us, because he was really worried about us. As far as we are concerned, NO ON ELSE will EVER touch our furnace but this guy - - from this day forward!)

Once the furnace was fixed, Steve went checking out the rest of the house looking for any other problems. He discovered one of our two freezers would not work - - the compressor has bene totally fried. It would cost as much to repair it as it would to replace it, so we will be heading to Lowe's this evening to get a new one.

Steve also discovere that our power strip surge protectors are all fried and need to be replaced. But this is actually a good thing, because that saved all our TV's and computers!

AmerenIP is gonna hear from me about all this - - and it ain't gonna be pretty . . .

I'm pissed!

Good News, Bad News . . .

First the bad news.

My dear friend Barb, whom I have known since I was 18, is gravely ill and in a Springfield hospital. She has had numerous health problems over the past few years, and unfortunately, it is only a matter of time now - - all they can do at this point is try to make her as comfortable as possible until it's over.

I got a call from one of Barb's daughters yesterday morning telling me about her Mom, and that she thought I might want to come to the hospital and see her to make my goodbye's. So after work, Steve and I headed to Springfield to see her.

Oh my God. That was rough.

Have you ever had to say goodbye to an old, dear friend? One who has known you from WAYYYYY back when? And who still loved you anyway?

Trust me, it's tough.

Her daughters have promised me that they will keep me posted. All I can do now is pray.

Now for the GOOD news . . .

We were coming down the road towards our house, and the first thing we saw was the outside pole light - - yes, the OUTSIDE POLE LIGHT IS ON!!!

WE HAVE OUR POWER BACK!!!

Amazing how the good and the bad seem to balance each other out, isn't it?

It was so nice to sleep with HEAT last night, and get up this morning to a warm house and take a nice hot shower, and actually iron my clothes and put on make up and fix my hair in my own bathroom instead of a locker room!!!!

Isn't it funny how the little things mean so much?

Can't wait to get home tonight and fix supper - - I have the GREAT cooktop stove that I'm dying to experiment with - - now maybe I'll have the chance!

BRUTAL WEATHER

We have a VERY serious problem at home.

Last Thursday, Nov. 29th, a major ice storm hit the area. The last one that was this bad was in 1978.

The storm had been building up all day Thursday, and by the time 5:00 got here, things were a big mess. I had to literally chip out my Jeep in order to be able to see through the windows and drive home!

The drive home was nasty - - icy, slick, really treacherous. But I made it home and in to the garage okay.

I was in the process of fixing supper when the lights went out. I looked over towards Steve and said, "This can't be good."

I had no idea how true that statement was going to turn out to be.

We had no power all night. All night long we were awake, hearing crashing sounds as trees and branches fell all during the night. They were so loud! We were scared to death one was going to land on the roof and come through in to the house - - fortunately, none did!

Steve got up the next morning and went in to work, but I stayed home. Ethough I was not able to hear any news (no power for TV, and our battery operated radio was packed . . . SOME DAMN WHERE . . . *sigh*), I figured Campus would be closed.

I sat in the sunroom, all bundled up in layers and layers of clothing, boots, gloves, coat, and watched the storm as it got worse and worse. Steve kept calling and checking on the situation, and it just kept getting worse. He finally got off work at 1:00 and came home. We had no way of heating anything, so we were just basically "stuck" in the situation. Somehow we made it throught the rest of the day and went to bed all bundled up against the cold temperatures.

Our yard looks like a war zone - - HUGE tree limbs down, some split at the trunks. It is very apparent no one had taken care of these trees over the past few years . . . we really have our work cut out for us come springtime!

Saturday morning we went out in search of a battery operated radio, batteries, and anything else that might help us get through this ordeal. We were in Walmart when Steve's cell phone rang - - it was his Aunt and Uncle from Charleston. They had not been affected by the storm, and the Rural King there had 2 kerosene heaters left in stock. Did we want one?

OH HELL YEAH!

They met us halfway and delived into our cold little hands a kerosene heater and jug of kerosene, which was very nice, since the kerosene lines in town were about 2-1/2 hours long!

On the way home, we stopped over by Lovington and checked with Steve's family's farmer, to see if he might have a generator. He did, and Steve's new tractor would run it just fine! So we loaded that up also and headed back to the old(COLD) homestead.

Once we got back, we spent the next couple of hours getting lines ran for the generator and getting the kerosene heater filled and ready to run. We were able to hook up lines for the furnace, the water pump, and the freezers for the generator. We were not able to run them all at the same time, but we could switch off. The first things we hooked up were the freezers, to save all the food we had. While we had that going, we huddled in front of the heater, which felt SO good and warm, and it was SO nice to have some light in the room! Then after a couple of hours, Steve unhooked the freezer and hooked up the furnace and well pump. Ah - - HEAT, even if it just was for a short time. We left it running long enough to take the chill off the house, then shut everything down for the night. We moved the heater into the bedroom to warm up that room before bedtime - - once it was warm, we shut it down and piled down for some sleep.

Sunday we went out by the other house to check it out. Fortunately, there was no damage, just lots of limbs and branches down in the yard. But all the hard work we had put in over the years, trimming, pruning, etc., has really paid off. Damage to the yard is minimal. However, the whole neighborhood out there looks like a war zone!

This morning, Steve got up early, moved the tractor and generator out, and hooked up the furnace and water. At least we can have it on long enough to shower and get ready for work . . .

SO - - that is where things stand for now. Not sure how long this situation is going to last, but there is such extreme damage throughout most of the state, it could definitely be awhile. At least I live close enough to work to go in early and steam out my work clothes in the locker room, fix my hair, and put on some makeup (don't want to scare the students!).

I can't wait for this ordeal to be over . . . .

Closing Day

Pssst . . .

If you haven't been following our latest adventures on my other blog, "Escape From the Money Pit" - - you're missing out on a lot!

Today is CLOSING DAY on our new house!

Check it out . . .

Hug a Veteran Today!

The College had a Veteran's Day ceremony today to honor veterans in the area. Dad came up to take part in it - - he looked so nice in his suit, very distinguished!

The Macon County Honor Guard presented the colors. Then some sixth-grade students from one of the area elementary schools read their essays on "What Veteran's Day Means To Me." One of the College administrators recognized the veterans present by name and military branch. The Honor Guard then demonstrated the folding of the flag, as one of the Guard described what each fold meant. It ended with Taps, and a poem about Veterans.

It was a very nice ceremony!

After the festivities wrapped up, I took Dad to lunch for Veteran's Day. All in all, it was a very nice time!

SO - - please take this chance to thank a Veteran today for all he or she has done to make this country free.

I'm proud to be an American!

Did You Vote Today?

I did - - for what it's worth . . .

It's gotten to the point where all I'm doing is trying to choose the lesser of two evils - -

And although our idiot Governor LOST THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE STATE - - He still pulled off a WIN - - THANKS TO THE CHICAGO AREA - -

*sigh*

I'm not happy - - but that's life . . .

UPDATE To My House Blog

Hey - - slip on over to my other blog, "Escape From the Money Pit" - -

LOTS of good stuff going on . . .

I'm not going to tell you what all is happening - - you need to go over there and see for yourself! :-)

(I'm such a tease, aren't I?)

We Interrupt This Program . . .

We interrupt this blog for a special entry.

Today, September 11, 2006, marks the 5th Anniversary of the World Trade Center disaster at the hands of terrorists.

That was a day from Hell for me. You see, I have a large Italian family in New York City, and a lot of them work or go to school in Manhattan.

I think you can see where this is leading.

I was at work and listening to the local radio talk show when I heard the report of a plane hitting one of the towers. The local host was unsure at the time if it was a small plane that crashed, or what the situation was. Then came the report of the second plane in the second tower.

Uh-oh - - this was not sounding good.

Reports started coming in about another plane smashing into the Pentagon. Then a 4th plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania.

I was worried sick about my family. I called my Mom, who lived about 30 miles south of me, and she told me she had not been able to get through by phone to anyone out there. I told her we probably wouldn't be able to, because I'm sure the whole phone system was gridlocked.

Our office's Field Manager moved the television to the Break Room so we could watch the news coverage. I sat there, worrying and praying, watching the horror unfold.

When the first tower fell, I was stunned beyond belief. I got up and left the room; I could NOT watch any more.

Since we were a State office, the Governor closed all offices in the State. I went home and kept trying to reach someone out East. First my "land line", then my cell phone. I kept trying both of them periodically all day long, hoping one of my calls would eventually make it through. Mom kept trying also, and we kept in touch with each other during the day.

That evening I had a Psychology class out at the College. As I pulled into the parking lot and parked, I decided to try calling out East "one more time". My call went through! As I heard my Cousin Kitty's voice on the phone, I started crying. We were both crying and talking at the same time.

She told me Cousin Eloise, who worked in downtown Manhattan, had been on the Metro, and it had been stopped. She had to get off the train, and walk 2-3 miles through Manhattan, across the bridge back into Brooklyn, where people were using their cars to get them back to Crossbay Blvd. to catch buses and eventually get back home. She made it back home late that afternoon.

She told me Chris' children, who attend a school in Manhattan, were safe. One of their neighbors, a policeman, was able to obtain permission to pick the children up, and was able to get them out of Manhattan and back home to Queens.

Paul and Ginny were out on Long Island and were fine.

Rocky was working for the NYC Street Dept., but was not in the area, and he was fine.

Kitty was fine.

The only one I did not know about was Chris' husband, who was a police officer in Manhattan. With all the reports of the killed and missing police and firefighters, I was a wreck.

But - - it was almost time for class. I gave Mom a quick call to let her know what I had found out, and headed into the building.

Everyone in class was quiet; everyone seemd just - - "stunned" - - including our instructor, who was usually very vocal and upbeat. He spoke to us in a low tone of voice about the tragedy that day, and how he was reacting to it, as he was sure we were all going through it also. He then did something I appreciate to this day - - he said, "I am sure you do not feel like learning today any more than I feel like teaching. Go home." Bless you, Tim!

When I got home, I tried calling out East one more time. This time, Kitty had good news - - Chris' husband was okay!

Now that the last piece of the puzzle was in place, I could relax just a little. My family was okay. I called Mom, let her know the good news, and went to bed.

Not everyone was this lucky - - my Cousin Rocky's neighbor lost his brother on 9/11. He was in the Command Center when the tower fell on it. They never recovered him. May he Rest In Peace.

NEVER FORGET!!!!!