...No luck at all

My mother had a saying, "If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." There is much evidence in my life stories supporting the notion I inherited this trait. Here's one. Enjoy!

I love celebrations. I love parties. I love a good time. Anything can become something to celebrate. So, obviously, birthdays are well worth celebrating in my book. It doesn't matter the #, they are all occasions to be marked as fait acompli! we made it another year! hooray!

I married Mr. Opposite of me (in many ways) especially in the celebrate birthdays arena. He does NOT like celebrating his birthday because he does NOT like the idea of getting old. Even more so than most people. Whatever. I was not happy with the idea that he would be by himself on his birthday with no one in NY to make a fuss for his birthday. The fact that he was probably thrilled with this prospect was of no interest to me.

I set out on a mission to have a favorite dessert secretly delivered to him. After running into difficulties at the hotel getting assistance in this endeavor I resorted to Plan B. The entire time during his stay there he has repeatedly told me of a deli he had lunch at daily. Hubby is nothing if not consistent. Over various conversations, I gleaned that it's across the street from their job site, he went every day with his co-worker who always got the soup of the day, the waitresses already knew them by name and one of them was named Anne. So, how many deli's could there be in this small town where they were working? I googled it and came up with 4 in the general vicinity of where the site was. I wasn't taking him literally when he said across the street (I should have) and I started calling until on the 3rd call I found the one with a waitress named Anne. She got on the phone and we were able to confirm the 2 men did go there every day and which one hubby was. I tell her his birthday is coming up and I wanted to do something special. She put me on with the owner. He didn't know quite what we could get for him because according to the owner hubby doesn't eat much (understatement of the year- if you look up picky eater in the dictionary, its a picture of him). We got a laugh when from Miami I was able to tell him the main meals that he orders over and over, I even got the condiments and the sides right. So, back to dessert. We settled on 4 over sized red velvet cake cupcakes that were also the owners favorites and he assured me they were aMAYZing. I tell him if they want to take a picture, sing him Happy Birthday whatever, they want to embarrass him a little. He assures me that " (they'll) do him good." Perfect.
I tell a few people about it here and of course there were the naysayers predicting he wouldn't eat there that day. Naysayer #1 being our son, 17. Whatever.
I try to get a hold of the co-worker but as I don't have his # because everyone just uses cell phones. The other drawback was I only knew his 1st name, no last name. So I start with the hotel. I called his room on 3 separate occasions, he wasn't there. I call the work office in the city he's originally from and actually make it as far as the division he works in. I tried to get to a secretary or close co-worker to get his cell # but had to leave a message which probably never got delivered and I never got a call back.
So, Bday get here. It's 12:45. I know he goes to lunch 12ish (consistent, remember) so I figure he'll get the cupcakes soon. I call to wish him a happy birthday and he tells me he just got back from lunch. I tell him I was glad I didn't interrupt work and wait...nothing. I think, SOB! he didn't eat there. So, I ask and he tells me all about going to ANOTHER deli that we had gone to when we were up there last year. I started laughing. So, you didn't go across the street. And he actually boasts - in the 2 months I've been here this is only the 3rd time I've been someplace else. I'm still laughing.
Me: Great, babe. Now I need you to go across the street and have dessert.
Him: Huh?
Me: You heard me, go across the street. Thank Anne and Ronnie and have dessert.
Him: What did you do?
Me: Never you mind. Just go.
Him: By myself?
Me: No, take whoever you had lunch with
Him: Ok, - hey co-worker, don't sit down!- I'll call you back.

MIL calls me and asks how the surprise went. I tell her the story and she starts laughing hysterically. So, did he go? He's there now I tell her.

He calls me back. The cupcakes were AMAZING!
At least there's that.

The System

Last Saturday when I made the truffles and the Marmalade Cake and went out to the family gathering to celebrate a birthday, I didn't do the dishes. Sunday morning I got up and made breakfast and then vegged a bit and watched a movie still not doing the dishes.
I was going to do them but Saturday I was busy and then tired and Sunday morning I wanted to be a bit lazy.
I started doing other things and one thing lead to another and well here comes dinner and I still haven't done the dishes. They were piling up. It's not like I have to do them all by hand or anything although there are quite a few things that are not dishwasher safe but the dishwasher was full and so that meant I had to empty that first. Well, you can see that this is leading to a very full kitchen sink.
I have a double sink and frankly both were full. Shameful I know but this isn't an everyday happening it was a one weekend happening. I am sure (read: I truly hope) it has happened to you. I feel obliged at this point to make note that I don't do all the dishes on a regular basis. I cook and hubby does the dishes. That's the deal. Well, as you know hubby isn't here and so I am cooking AND doing dishes. Have I mentioned I don't like doing the dishes. Not that I imagine anyone actually looks forward to doing the dishes but I really don't like doing the dishes. It may have something to do with all the tables I bused and dishes I washed in Freshman year as detention in boarding school but that's another story.
Back to the story, by Monday afternoon when 17 and I got home he actually commented, if dad were here he'd have a heart attack looking at that sink. He's got a system. That's his new nickname - the system. He's got a system for everything, he's always got to follow his system otherwise things go bonkers. The System.
I tried to explain to my loving son that there is something to say for spontaneity and creativity. That everything doesn't have to have a system to get done. Of course this was while I was doing the dishes so I am not sure the point came across very well. Regardless, the dishes got done (that night) and more meals have been made and their dishes have been done and frankly I find it all a bit boring. I like just creating the meal and walking away. It was much more satisfying.

Never assume

There are tons of things that one (read: I) assume people just know. One for example, is not to assume because we all know what happens when you assume.
Black Friday shopping 20 and I witnessed an exchange and he just couldn't believe it. We were at a high end chain patiently waiting at the register. There were more employees in the store than shoppers. There may have been 3 shoppers or maybe 2 of them were together, I don't know and there were at least a dozen employees. No matter we waited at the register while let's call her NH for New Hire asked R (Register employee) for specifics on how to take a suit to the back to another employee to have it steamed for someone coming to pick it up in 1/2 an hour. R simply told her to hang it and take it back. NH didn't know where the hangers were. Did I mention that this was a clothing store? That is ALL they sell no housewares, no personal items just clothes and she didn't know where to get a hanger. R referred her to yet another employee to which NH replied that she had just sent her here. R smiles at us and tells us she will be right with us and walks over to a closet and gives her a suit hanger telling NH that its the only one she has and she needs to return it after it's steamed. I thought to myself, how is this guy taking it home? Is he going to wear it? NH proceeded to hang the jacket as R took our item to ring us up. Then NH asked do I need a hanger for the pants? The picture forming in my head is a la 3 stooges standing there holding the pants up getting them steamed and in the process being steamed themselves. R puts down our item and tells her no, you can hang it here and then shows her how to hang the pants and the jacket on the same hanger. NH's eyebrows hit the top of her hairline as she let out an Ohhhh!

We finally get rung up and walk out of the store as no less than 5 employees thank us for shopping there. I honestly had the urge to tell them to buy some hangers with the money I just gave them but I refrained. Once we made it to the mall 20 asked, "Was that for real? She didn't know how to hang the suit?" We both laughed as we recalled the truly stunned look on her face when she was shown how.

That evening over dinner we retell our story and 20 tells us a story of how he had to show a college buddy how to sweep and mop . We all laughed 17 not understanding what he had to teach and asked what the guy was studying. We all lost it when 20 told us the guy was studying engineering. Too funny!

MAPS still necessary

As you know we just came back from a trip to NY. We fly into NYC and rent a car and drive to Schenectady to visit 19. We've done this before, no biggie.

Hubby drives. I am the "co-pilot". Let it be known that I know how to read a map. I like maps. So does hubby. I also know how to use the Internet and the assorted map resources which are not always 100% accurate. Knowing this I peruse the maps they provide and the 2 most popularly used sites both offer maps to show you where you are going and alternate routes.

Now, I'm not sure if you've picked up on this but hubby and I approach one thing (everything) differently. Since the advent of these Internet map sites hubby has stopped including maps in our trip folders (yes, he puts a folder together). That probably wouldn't be an issue if he were to you know follow the directions that HE printed out that I am reading to him and not change his mind mid trip and go another way. When he does this invariably he will come to a crossroad (figuratively and sometimes literally) where he then asks which way should I go. My smart answer is "Oh, I don't know. Let's check the map but wait we don't have one so flip a coin." Sweet, I know, not one of my finest moments then he gets testy with me. It makes for an oh so fun filled drive. We have turned around more times that I will go into here because this isn't a memoir of wrong turns taken and we need to move on, suffice it to say that one trip (not this one) he chose not to take the bridge I told him and we ended up after almost an hour of driving back at the airport starting over. Honestly, I don't know how I stayed in the car without self combusting but that’s a different story.

Well, this trip wasn't any different. At one service area where in-laws insisted he stop because we were hungry and needed a bathroom break. He did go to the travel kiosk and get a map for NJ (where we were at the time) and new directions. Woo Hoo! We now had a map for me to SEE where we were.

We are back on the road again, I am passing on the kiosk lady’s directions, he’s following them, I’m following along on the map…it’s all good. Then he of course, starts asking me questions, if I stay on this interstate will it take me all the way? It should the sign says Albany and we are going near there, he continues. I tell him that makes sense but I couldn’t say because it’s a NJ map not a NY map and well that’s like asking me if this takes us to Miami…I can’t SEE that on this map.

As we go through all of this, remember my In-laws, who I get along with fabulously, are in the back seat. They start laughing at us and commenting that it’s the same as if they had gone on a trip with hubby’s aunt and uncle. Apparently, this argue with the co-pilot is a hereditary trait. I who am not related seem to be responding like the aunt (normally and rationally) and the in-laws are getting quite a kick out of all of this. I was so happy to be of such entertainment. It almost turned into a game for them. Throughout the rest of the trip they would laugh and say “Look, just like Uncle” or “Look, just like the Aunt”. Honestly, it would make us all laugh and diffuse some high stress moments. At one point over the weekend 19 commented that maybe he should email Aunt and Uncle and thank them for coming. Smartass!

Moral of the story: Have a map, an old-fashioned real map, of the state(s) you will be driving in to be able to SEE the complete picture of where you are going and which way to go.

Wait! It's raining!

As you know I didn't grow up here in South Florida where during the rainy season it rains every afternoon. I grew up in Northern Virginia where you know weather sticks around for a few days and then goes on to harass some other part of the country.



I would visit Miami in December and be told not to wash my hair because it's too cold outside. HUH? Are you crazy? Does that mean that half the world doesn't wash their hair for half the year? In Virginia I could shower, bathe and wash my hair regardless of the temperature outside.



When I moved here way back when and I used to take a bus to work. This was nothing new to me I commuted to high school on public transportation taking 2 buses and a subway. No biggie. One day I am leaving the office and go through the doors of the building to find a mass of people standing there. Just standing there. I thought something had happened, so I patiently waited for maybe 3 minutes. When I couldn't hear anything going on I asked, What happened? It's raining I was told. HUH? And did someone fall? No. What's everyone waiting for? It's raining, I was told again. They were waiting for it to stop. HUH? Now, I realize that we aren't all postal workers or anything that must go on through rain, sleet and snow yadda yadda but people it's water. It's not going to hurt you unless of course you are the Wicked Witch of the West, if that's the case by all means wait inside until the rain passes. I elbowed my way to the front of the crowd and horror of horrors walked in the rain to my bus stop. Imagine. I did not melt or burst into flames.



Now, I told you all that to tell you this. Last night was my coffee night with my girlfriends and only 3 of us showed up. Why? Because it was raining. Here we go again. You aren't walking over, you are driving in your car where you will be inside dry. I understand that maybe you want to wait a few minutes if it got particularly rough in your neighborhood momentarily. I mean I have been living here for +20 years, I've heard the rain excuse before. So, we waited and waited and they didn't show. Amazingly one, God Bless her!, got in her car (remaining dry because she has a porte-cochere) and got @15 blocks when she decided to turn around and go home. She called to tell us that she turned around because it was raining too much and there were puddles everywhere. I had no words. I could only laugh. I doubt we will ever let her live it down. I can hear us 20 years from now when it starts to sprinkle "Be careful with the puddles!"



I've said it before and I will say it again, you can't make this stuff up! I love my friends they add confort and joy to my life even when they don't show up for coffee.

Q: How many things can go wrong with one dinner?

A: As many as possible.

Sunday dinner was supposed to be some favorite Cuban dishes for 19 because he's home and doesn't get to eat this when he's not here. Fine. He's only here for a couple of weeks so I invited some friends (who are like family) over for dinner to make sure they get to see him since schedules are complicated with such a short visit. Fine. So far, so good.

The menu is decided. Boliche (essentially a Cuban Roast), Red beans, and Flan for dessert. Fine. Everyone likes that. It's all good. Well, the snafu is that 16 likes to have baked chicken on Sunday. We have it so often on Sunday that it's been dubbed Sunday chicken when prepared this way. According to him the world alters its rotation when Sunday chicken is not had. Puleeze! It happened once but that was just coincidence. At least until yesterday.

I made the flan on Thursday. I had made 2 one to take to SIls on Friday and one for Sunday. Ahead of the game. Woo Hoo. That's like such a rarity all in itself. I was very proud of myself. Dessert for Sunday was all set. When we tired it on Friday night it was good but not great. The consistency a little off, a tad overcooked. Oh well. Sunday's might be better since it was made in a different mold maybe the cooking time will match up with that mold. We'll see.

It's Saturday. I am going to make the beans. Why so early? Because they beans are always better the next day so, I figure lets make them ahead of time. Fine. It's a slow process. I make my MILs recipe. Hubby and I have a small taste once it's done and it is fabulous. I'm thrilled with the outcome. It has tons of meat and squash in it, its delicious. Great. I put it in the fridge overnight.

So its Sunday. I only have the roast left to make. No problem. I have made it dozens of time. This should be the easy part. I also eventually need to reheat the beans which I take out of the fridge and place on the stove for later. We had bought a large roast. This is made in slices in a pressure cooker. Cooked low and slow to be fall apart yummy. As I put it all together, I tell hubby that I need a bigger pressure cooker that it barely fits in there. I start doing house chores while the roast cooks. Suddenly from the bedroom I smell something. Run to the kitchen. Somehow, magically because I certainly don't remember doing it, the beans were on HIGH and at a rolling boil! OMG! I take it off the stove and they are stuck burnt to the bottom of the pot. Crap! Who did this? Questioning everyone got me no where other than starting 16 on a tirade of I told you to fix Sunday Chicken.

At this point 19 tells me his girlfriend is coming for dinner too. Great. I mean it is great but man do I have dumb luck or what. First, it's only her 2nds time over for dinner and its the exact same menu, down to the dessert. Second, the first time the beans were over cooked and had almost disintegrated this time they are burnt. She's going to think I can only make one thing and I really can't even make that well. Ok. Fine whatever. It will be nice to have her over. More funny stories to look back on later which I am beginning to think may be my purpose on this planet.

When the time came for the roast to be done. I open the pressure cooker and it's not fall apart good. Of course. I think it's because the pot is not big enough and it didn't have enough space to do its thing. I remove the potatoes that are super done. Add some more liquid and turn it up so that it pressurizes again hoping the extra time will do the trick. I won't tell you how many times 16 has said the words: Sunday Chicken and I told you so.

My friends brought Cuban bread and fixins for a salad that I prepped and we set the table. OK. Dinner should be ready now. I am really not happy with it. The beans burned and I know the meat is going to be so so and the flan who knows. Whatever. Dinner is ready! And I screech! The rice! I forgot to make the rice. Everyone starts moaning. (I've done this before.) We're hungry, everything is ready and now we'll have to wait 1/2 hour for the rice. Forget it. I am going to dash to the corner where they sell food-by-the pound and buy white rice. 19s girlfriend is not here yet, we have some time, my girlfriend and I go to the car, 19 stands at the front door shaking his head at us like he can't believe we are ditching them in their hour of need. We park at the place and they are picking up the outdoor set up of tables and chairs. I yell, OMG I think they are closed. I ask the man as we approach. Not yet he tells me. Thank God for small favors, I think. I tell the guy at the counter I need white rice for 10 people. They really don't have that much left. I'll take it all. He packs it up. Then we see the baked chicken. I buy a piece for 16 because, I think it will be funny. We tell the cashier about the dinner snafu as I take the price off the pack so hubby doesn't see how much I paid for rice. Everyone laughs because I clearly exist for their amusement. As we drive back home, I think of my grandmother who used to buy/order the food from the restaurant and put it in her pots and let everyone think she made it. As we pull up to the house girlfriend's car is there. Can't put it in a pot now and let her think I made it when she sees me walk in with it. Failed ya grandma - sorry.
So now we start plating dinner to be served. The burnt beans, the not falling apart roast with a sauce that's not saucy because it has been cooked down so far and over-reduced, the store bought rice and the pretty salad. Whatever. I don't even care anymore. I'm barely even hungry, let's get this over with. The ribbing continues with the kitchen gods not being happy because this isn't Sunday chicken. Add to irony that had I made that girlfriend would have tried something new made by me. We relive that previous fiasco when Sunday chicken was not made. We laugh a lot. The food all tastes pretty good. There's plenty of flavor it's just not right but memorable to say the least. And now for the flan. I flip it onto the plate. And we all agree it's good but slightly overcooked. Shocker! :)
I think we had fun. An instant classic moment. One they will rib me about for many years to come. But I think next Sunday we'll have Sunday chicken. Where's that camera? I promise you, I'm not making it up. Gimme patience!

Lights... Camera... Action!

16 often has said that we need to be a reality TV show. A camera should just be following us. According to him, out lives are much funnier and more interesting that some of the reality shows he sees. I usually think that's just a testament to how much bad TV there is and he's watching it. But sometimes, there are moments that make me want to stop and yell, "Where's the camera?" just like he does.

I mean really. Let me just recap some of the stuff he says are TV worthy and you decide.

Do you make the girlscouts stop packing up their stuff and jump into the back of their pick-up truck to sell you a few (5) boxes of cookies before they leave?

Do you normally throw a surprise birthday dinner party for a friend and the guest of honor and later your son end up getting a haircut right there in your dinning room after Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles?

And isn't it normal to wear sunglasses on top of your prescription glasses? I mean you take off the contacts because your eyes are sore and itching because of a head cold. You don't have prescription sunglasses so, when you are driving you put your sunglasses right on top of the regular glasses. Normal, right?

Have you ever pulled out a load of clothes from the dryer and started folding and hanging them thinking, 'they smell a little funky' , only to realize that you "washed" them in the dryer not the washer. That's right, you basically dried your dirty clothes. I discovered it when I went to turn a shirt right side out and my hand got all full of gooey stuff that was the stain removerl I had applied before I thought I had put them in the washer.

Or have you ever gotten home sick from visiting family in the hospital and looked for the soup you asked hubby to order and think he forgot because you can't find any containers anywhere. You ask him as you serve yourself some juice and he says it's there on the table -not, on the counter? - not. He gets up and checks the fridge thinking your child put it away. But I ordered it, he insists. He opens the garbage- BINGO. There it is. The child who NEVER throws anything away, threw it away. So, you go to give said child a hard time about it and he's mortified and profusely apologizes but then starts laughing. You want to hear the best part?, he asks. Sure, why not can it get any better? When I picked it up to throw it out it was kinda heavy and I thought "Wow, they sent a lot of beans. But I just thought we order so often maybe they were just giving you some extra. (Background: They ordered from a local Cuban restaurant that always send a 'coffee cup' container with beans for the rice with each meal that always gets thrown out at my house because he doesn't eat them.) We laughed so hard, we cried.

And I am sure that when you have gone to see a family member in the hospital, the hospital has lost all their previous records and then as you recreate them the patient starts arguing that you are wrong. They insist they have allergies and you insist they don't. The hospital doesn't know who to believe because the patient is telling them that you are out to kill them for the inheritance. So, they make you sign paperwork waiving you right to sue them should any harm come to you beloved family member while in their care based on any medications they provide her. All this while said beloved person is yelling, "she just wants to kill me, but bad bugs don't die!" in a little sing songy nursery song way.

If these types of things didn't happen to you while you have been sick with a sore throat and the head cold from hell then good for you but that has been a glimpse of my life in the past 2 week.

Tell me all of that is normal...otherwise send over the camera crew. Gimme patience and TGIF!

NaBloPlop!

I didn't even make it though week one. What a loser! Oh, well, that's life.

Remember that terrible day last Thursday? There were two good things that come of it. We got the call that our car was ready and I was invited to a game night at a friends house for Friday. Which the way way my week had been going, was desperately needed.

So, Friday saved the week. The work day was super swamped but we picked up the car and it looks like nothing happened. It came out great. And after going to see my grandmother who is doing well this week I went to game night.

A few of us played charades while we waited for the pizza. I say a few because although everyone was sitting there only 3 of us were acting out things and guessing. No one else wanted to act - such party poopers. After dinner, we played Cranium. That game is always worth a few good laughs and laughing makes the bad stuff melt away even if its only for a little while.
So, Friday ended nice or started the weekend nice, whichever way you want to view it.

Cool Quote

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.


-Yiddish proverb


That thought made me smile. So, here's a laugh to cleanse your soul...


"Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So - if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of shit."

Love and appreciate all the women in your life… or else!

The Best Laid plans...

Have I ever mentioned that hubby loves his job. He's a project accountant which means he spends some time in the office and lots of time at the various projects his company has around the county.

Anyway, today he had a 7:30 meeting and after was going to have time to stop at home to have lunch. Save a few bucks eating leftovers in the comfort of home before heading to the office. And before he actually even went to the office he's stopping by the high school to get the graduation ticket for his mom so she can see 18 get his diploma. Perfect. Life is good.

Our microwave is temperamental shall we say. The screen isn't visible right now. It works. You just have to remember what was where on the screen and hope you are pushing the right thing. So, hubby serves himself a plate of leftover fried rice and hits what he thinks is 2 1/2 minutes (who really knows), goes to the bathroom and the doorbell rings. It's the mailman, he has a certified letter for him to sign for. He does and gets the mail and put it all on the entry table and goes to get his food out. The plate got SO hot he burned his hand because obviously he grabbed it with his bare hand. In an attempt to not drop the whole plate on the stove top he did a juggle thing with both hands and the plate burning more than one finger as he got the plate to the counter. No spillage. Good. The cleaning lady came yesterday and people are coming over tonight. He quickly seeks relief and sticks his hands under some cold running water. OK. Good . Now he gets a glass out to serve himself some water. Opens the fridge and grabs the water pitcher not really looking carefully and as he pulls the pitcher out crash goes the glass bottle of lemon juice all over the kitchen floor. GREAT! There's a dirty towel on the floor from 18s workout yesterday. He grabs that and starts soaking up lemon juice and sweeps up glass and soaks up lemon juice and wets some paper towels and goes over part of the floor that was sticky. Dumps the towel in the washing machine. Fine. Done. So, it smells lemony fresh. Gets his glass of water and plate of food to scarf down lunch at this point because now he's in a hurry AND now his rice is COLD! He ate it cold not wanting to go another round with the microwave.
He called to tell me the story on his way to the office and I was laughing so hard I was in tears. Did I mention I have people coming over and now I gotta hurry home and vacuum up the tiny pieces of glass and mop the kitchen floor. I hope it's not overly lemony smelling. Gimme patience.

ADDED LATER....I just called hubby to ask what the Certified Letter was. He doesn't know. He left it with the rest of the mail and didn't open it! LOL!

The day after...

Maybe you noticed but I was in quite a mood yesterday. It was evident here at the office too. When someone handed me the ginormous stapler that we have asking if I could fix it it had some staples stuck) I proceeded to forcefully bang on the arm (3 times) only causing 3 more staples to jam while I was on the phone. They very quietly took it away from me, got a pair of pliers and removed all the jammed staples themselves. I even told my boss that I didn't want to answer the phone anymore because the info I was giving was apparently all wrong. He had taken a call from someone I had already spoken to 3 times and gave the exact opposite info that I was giving. He came back later to try to tell me that I hadn't done anything wrong, I just hadn't been told where to get the info. But I wasn't having any of that I told him I didn't care and I was working on another client. So, when 5 o'clock finally rolled around and I called out a Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Since I didn't call out the name of the par-time file clerk that we have, the bosses thought it was directed at them. One ran to the other's office and said she's coming tomorrow right?! while the other was yelling out Aren't you coming tomorrow? But I was already out the door and didn't hear a thing. They looked at each other, asked each other what day it was and agreed that they had really pushed me over the edge.

Naturally, I found this out this morning. When one boss told me "I thought you were off today. " "and why would you think that?" "Well, you wished us a Happy Thanksgiving and we thought either she thinks it's Wed or she's taking the day off." "No, silly, that was for -temp-, not you. We won't see her today and so I wished her a Happy Thanksgiving. " "We thought the day had gone so bad that you gave up on us." and I laughed a good laugh from my toes laugh because I couldn't have planned that if I tried. I get all bothered, tell them I don't care and then take off letting them think I'm taking off! LOVE IT! We all enjoyed that one.