When pigs flu…

Am I the only one who thinks this Swine Flu thing is being blown waaaay out of proportion by the media? I think not. In fact, I know not. Most of the people I work with are shaking their heads in disbelief, too.

This afternoon, we got an email from the higher-ups advising us that a case (yes…ONE) has been reported in our county. This information was followed by several paragraphs of instructions as to how to reduce our chances of contracting the disease. This included the usual stuff, such as washing hands, not touching sick people, using hand sanitizer, etc. A few minutes later, a bottle of hand sanitizer actually showed up. The latex gloves are on their way! For real.

Do people not realize that flu strikes this country every year and that thousands of people suffer from it? And, lo! A few people even die from it every year. Every single year! That’s why I never fail to get my flu shot. We are actually being told that Swine Flu responds well to treatment. So…what is the big deal? I…do…not…get…it!

Make no mistake. I don’t want to get the flu – any type of flu. It’s bad stuff, for sure. But, I’m just not going to go off the deep end. And I’m sure as shootin’ not going to wear gloves at work.

If I croak from Swine Flu, you have my permission to quote me and point out my foolhardy ways as a warning to others.

Checking in!

Didja miss me? Probably not, since I don’t post with any regularity these days. But, I’ve been gone. I took a quick four-day jaunt to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City. I was questioning my sanity at one point, but all in all, it was a great trip.

Part of the trip was set aside for family visits. Those were just as you’d imagine. Boring to anybody not in the immediate family. But, good. My sister looked better than she has in years (it’s been nearly 4 years since I had seen her) and she is really doing well in general. So that was good.

On Friday, I had my Big Adventure. I grabbed the train in Trenton and went up to the city…to get my hair cut. I had told everyone I was going to NYC to get a haircut. I love shocking people in silly ways. But, I really DID get a haircut. It just so happens that my niece is a hair dresser in Brooklyn, and she does a super job with my hair. So, I brought her brunch and “let” her give me a new do. I love it. She makes me look so…with it. I am definitely NOT “with it,” but it’s nice to fool some of the people some of the time.

I managed to get lost on my way to the Trenton train station. The Google map in no way resembled the reality of the streets before me. But, I kind of knew where the tracks ran through the city, so I pointed myself in that general direction, and sure enough…I eventually ran into them. It was a snap to find the station after that. I had a generous 15 minutes to spare. We don’t need no stinkin’ map!

Saturday afternoon and night were set aside for catching up with friends. Confession time. I am a major Clay Aiken fan. I’m part of a group of women who met on a website called Lecherous Broads for Clay Aiken. “The Broads,” for short. In recent years, my closest broadly friends have pulled away from the main family of Broads and formed our own “Pennsylvania Broads” group. We’re not all from Pennsylvania, obviously. We reach into Tennessee, Georgia, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia. We are a zany bunch of middle-aged women – and we have a blast when we get together.

We sing and eat… and oh, yeah…enjoy some adult beverages.

We watch lots of videos, and usually dance to the music, even when we’re too lazy to get up off our hineys!

A gift exchange is always part of our get-togethers. Currently, rubber chickens are a major feature of our fandom. (It’s a Spamalot reference.) Joy was the lucky girl who got the chicken. We’re all green with envy!

Finally, about 2:00 in the morning, we aired up our mattresses and spread out all over the house. I slept like a baby! How I hated to come back to the real world the next day. I’m a firm believer that everyone needs a little Crazy in their lives, now and then. Thanks to The Broads, I got my Crazy Batteries charged. I love those gurls!

Easter Surprise!

I never EVER thought I would do this, but…

After church this morning, DD and I went to the Botanic Gardens to take a few photos. She shot me. I shot her. And, then we did the old shutter delay thing and got a few of us together. Those were the most fun – but perhaps not the best pictures.

Anyway…photos of me usually make me cringe and avert my eyes, but there were actually some good ones in this batch. I was absolutely amazed. So, I thought maybe you might like to see what I look like. This picture actually looks like what I THINK I look like, in any event.

And this is my favorite one of DD. She probably won’t like it as much, I’m sure, since it’s not glamorous or anything. It just captured a look I love. Ain’t she purdy?

Church was kind of crazy, what with all the twice-a-year folks and all, but worth it. We were in the jumpseats, but we were there! After our photoshoot, we came home and made a delicious grilled lunch and cleaned our plates. Then we ate chocolate and nuts – the indulgences we had given up for lent. It’s been a great day so far. I hope you’re having as blessed an Easter as we are.

Cross Training

All this walking I’m doing (20 miles so far this week) is making my feet very, very sore. I’m going to a special shoe store this afternoon in search of some help, but that’s another post. Anyway, it occurred to me that a little cross training might be good for what ails me.

Enter The Bike. Or, should I say RE-enter The Bike. My poor bike has led a lonely life since I moved to Tennessee. The single time I saddled up, it ended in disaster. I still don’t know how it happened, but I just flopped over, like that old guy on Laugh In. You know…the one on the tricycle. You don’t remember Laugh In? Oh, well…never mind. It hurt. A lot. That was over 3 years ago, and I hadn’t been back on the bike since.

When I lived in DC, I took advantage of the many bike trails that criss-crossed the entire area. My favorite weekend outing was to take my bike down to the Potomac and ride along the river all afternoon. This isn’t quite as bike-friendly an area. Not by a long shot.

I live in a quiet neighborhood with very little traffic, so I figured the nearby streets would be a good place to get back into riding. I was a bit nervous, in light of my little accident the last time out. But, it went well, in spite of the gale force winds blowing today. I could only handle 10 minutes, however! This biking stuff uses totally different muscles than those used in walking. I dismounted with shaky knees and burning thighs. I must have done some good!

My goal is to bike another 10 minutes several times this week and then bump it up to 15…etc., etc. etc.

Geezers on bikes. What’s next? Rollerblades?

Keeping it Legal

We got a liquor license here at the theater late last year. When appropriate, we have a cash bar before shows and during intermission. We’ve been hiring freelance bartenders and servers and, honestly, our sales volume is so low that we’ve barely made a profit. But, it’s a service our patrons ask for, so we comply.

Recently, however, our bartender failed to arrive. The show must go on! What to do…what to do…??? Knowing full well I was opening a wiggly can of worms, I happened to mention that in my wild and wooly days I waited cocktails and tended bar a bit.

Can you guess who’s the new bartender?

I live in fear that someone is actually going to ask me to make a real drink. But, so far, it’s mostly been wine, various substances on the rocks, and the occasional gin and tonic. I can handle that.

I had 61 days from my first bartending gig in which to complete an alcohol awareness class and apply for a server’s permit. My class was yesterday. It’s all done but the shoutin’, baby! I’m legal!

Five hours. It took FIVE LONG HOURS in class. If we hadn’t had so many “bonding” experiences, we could have been out of there in an hour and a half, but I don’t make the rules. I just endure them.

I did learn something interesting, though. Apparently, there’s a gentleman who has several stuffed dragons that he carries around with him from bar to bar. The dragons share a name, but I can’t recall what it is right now. Anyway, he orders the dragon a drink, and the two of them consume their beverages, with the dragon’s nose being occasionally dipped down into its own glass. If just one of my classmates had related this tale, I would have written him off as a weirdo, but more than one person in the room had served the dragon. It’s for real! I’m kind of hoping the Dragon Man is a lover of the arts, but I have a feeling I’ll never serve the two of them at my bar. I’m almost disappointed.