Almost Random....

This is going to be one very random post. I'm tired, a bit cranky and have many things running through my head that just don't connect to each other very well.

First things first... the Durango turned 100,000 miles this morning on the way to work. This is the second time I've done that. The first time Dad was very mad at me. You see, it was his Honda that I was driving in high school. I had made it home with about 5 miles to spare, but, unfortunately, Jon stayed late at work and needed me to pick him up. I can point to exactly where we were when the car turned. I can't with the truck... I was too engrossed in the radio and paying attention to where I was going. The picture is from when I got to work. (If you're a total geek, you could say that there are only 35 miles on the truck... and yes... I am that geek.)

Anyhow, that's probably the most random bit of the post. Work's been a bear this week. Not only is it reporting month, and not only were all our contractually committed reports due by yesterday, but we were without phones from about 10:30 Tuesday morning until about 9:00 this morning. That's probably what has me both tired and cranky.

Oh, I just figured out how to get to the next thing I wanted to say...

Remember about a month or so ago I said we'd gotten below a certain number of open cases? Well, the business manager promised us a celebration for it. We finally went last night. Yes, I know, in the middle of reporting month when we've got some of the worst numbers in months. Don't you like the irony? I do.

Anyhow, we went to a place called the William Penn Inn. It's a very nice place that lots of groups use for banquets and the like as well as a very nice restaurant and it is even still an Inn. Well, it was a little odd for me to be there. You see, the last time I was there I was about 17 or 18 and was there for some Girl Scout function or another. I felt like I was wearing the totally wrong outfit and kept waiting for Eunice to come over tsk-ing at me and attempting to straighten my tie (I never could get that silly thing to behave...). Anyhow, it was a very good evening.

Oh... another built in segue!

Speaking of Girl Scouts, Kat and I are thinking of going to the GS of Eastern PA (GSEPA) alumnae weekend next month. For $50 we get to go spend two nights at Tweedale with a bunch of other women and sing songs, make s'mores and do all kinds of fun things. They don't have a schedule together yet, but hey, it's camp... it'll be fun. (Just no "Johnny Appleseed" grace... I don't need to get wet... other than in the pool. Anyhow, we're just in the "hey let's go" stage, we haven't actually done anything about it yet. I'll keep you posted.

I have no way to get to this next set of thoughts that keep bumping around in my head. You see, Gak and I got some sad news over the weekend. His best friend from college, a guy who I hung out with as well the semester I was there, isn't doing so well. He's been living with diabetes for years. He seemed to have it under control. Well, sometime back in January he lost his sight from it. And he's in kidney failure. I can't begin to tell you how much this bites. He's not even 40 yet (I don't think... like Gak, he was in the Navy before going to school...) He's got a young son (under 10 at any rate...) who is autistic. I don't know if his wife is working now or what, I never actually met her. He was working as a chemist, but I'm guessing without his sight he isn't able to. (There are tons of things you can do blind... but being an experimental chemist wouldn't be one of the easiest.... or most fulfilling to have someone else be your eyes for you if you've been doing it yourself for so long.) I keep thinking of the look he would give me whenever we were working on O-chem homework. (I was taking 2nd semester O-chem and he was in 1st semester.) That look where I knew what I'd just said probably sounded like the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. And about 99% of the time I deserved it. Just having him around to bounce stuff off of though really helped me finally nail that course. (That and the fact that it was a lot easier than the course I'd been taking at my school... ACS accredited vs. not ACS accredited...)

Anyhow, that's obviously been on my mind a lot. I've wished he lived closer for a long time now, and now wonder if we'll ever get to see him again. He usually made it down to Ada from Kansas the last several times we've been out west.

Bah, this is a depressing train of thought and I want off.

On to happier things... I'll just let that simmer in the back of my brain for now.

This weekend looks like it should be fun. I'm still very excited about Mel coming to visit for the weekend. It's not like she lives that far away, but it's far enough that it's hard to call up Joan and say "hey, do you and the kids want to go out for pizza tonight?" I have no idea what we're doing, but I'm sure we'll have fun.

I think I'm going to wrap this post up here.

Peace to all and may the news be good, the vehicles last, and the oppertunities fun.