I'm Still Here Honest

I have had problems with the computer and wasn't able to access much on line. I got the machine back on Tuesday and have been trying to reinstall all of my software ever sense. Being an artist I have tons of software that has to be put back on. The hard drive gave up the ghost but fortunately I learned a long time ago to put my data on a second physical drive so that I wouldn't lose any of my art work. Now all I have to do is try and get all the Christmas pictures and cards done.

A MacGyver Moment

I think I've mentioned that my brother is hopeless in the repair department. The towel rack in the upstairs bathroom was coming off the wall so I took it apart to see what I could do. The wall is just simply flimsy wallboard with no lumber backing in that spot. The wall had a hole in it and nothing to stick repair gunk onto. It appears that the towel rack had been moved at one time and Mike had pulled on it making the hole worse. The butterfly clips that would hold the bracket up had nothing to hold on to in the wall since what it was holding onto had crumbled away. So I took heavy duty spackling and made a patch to hold the butterfly clips to hold the bracket. Since the remaining wall was uneven the holder needed help. I realized I would have to glue the holder to the wall since the bracket couldn't support it completely. Unfortunately with this particular holder the rod had to be in place before I could try and fasten the it. Well, that was too much weight for the thing to stay up and not feeling like staying up all night holding the blasted thing until it dried I looked for another solution. Well, there happens to be a flat basket with flowers hanging on the wall right over the towel rack. The nail that held it up was centered over the towel rack. Aha! Mac moment! I took dental floss and tied it to the nail and strung it down to the towel rack and tied it to the center of the bar. Viola! Enough support to hold the towel rack and brackets in place until the glue dried. And since the wall is so weak I decided to leave the floss in place since the arrangement hides almost all of it and you really can't see the floss around the bar because of the towels.

Feeling Good

It is amazing how much better I feel now that I am away from my old job and working for mature people who appreciate my talents. The stress of having to deal with a talentless person who was promoted above her level of competence and decide to persecute me for her failings was really causing the stress level in my life to be so severe that I was constantly ill. Since I started my new job and moved to Indiana I haven't had any health problems. Even though I can't take my regular asthma medicine until I get health coverage next month I haven't had a single asthma attack.

On the kitty front Merlin is growing a real thick winter coat and keeps making a "nest" out of the throw on the bed. I think he is trying to tell me that glaciers are coming down this winter. ;-)

 

Warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warning never use United Van Lines if you have to move. I made the mistake of using them and there has been nothing but problems ever since. I have missing items and broken items. I was socked with charges I didn't authorize. Their people will not return phone calls. I have given them until Thursday to correct their mistakes or I'm turning them over to the State Attorney General for prosecution.

 

Yeah!!!!!!

I got the job I applied for! Yeah!

Now the only thing that I need to get fixed up is a problem with the movers. Hopefully that will all be resolved in the next couple of days.

I need to make one more trip to clean the apartment and turn in keys and I'll be all through with Illinois and only have to get things squared away in the house here in Indiana.

 

Oh Boy!

I got back to the apartment late this afternoon. I need to go through everything tonight and clean out a lot of stuff. I have to get boxes tomorrow and pack and on Friday the movers come. I still need to clean the place up although since I have to pay through October 25th I think I will just take my time. I'm going to go back to Indiana on Saturday and hopefully take the computer with me since it really looks like I may start work on Monday. I'll come back here on a weekend and finish up. I'll still have a couch here I can sleep on until I get Salvation Army out to pick it up. It is going to be too crazy to try and get everything done by this weekend.

Merlin is staying with his Grandmother. Mom decided that he would just be in my way and she wanted to take care of him. I think a certain cat has someone wrapped around his little paw. ;-)

Very Busy

I have a very good chance at a job at the Hospital where my mother works. I'll know for sure by Tuesday. The interviewer said that she couldn't think of any reason why they wouldn't hire me. I just hope that it comes through. Unemployment denied my benefits and I need the money coming in. What I have saved in my 401K won't last too long.

Remember how we all thought Mom should get a pet? Well we don't need to worry about that now. She has adopted Merlin. I'm back here in Chicagoland packing stuff up and Merlin is with his Grandmother at her insistence. Mom decided that he really shouldn't have to travel in the car back here if I was returning to Indiana on the weekend. In fact she doesn't think he should have to come back here at all since I will be packing and he would "just be in the way." Hmm think the fact that the little monkey goes down and sits by the door waiting for her to come home from work and then rubs against her might have something to do with it? ;-)

Away for a While

I have a job interview in Indiana on Tuesday so I'm taking off tomorrow morning to go and visit my Mom. We are going to have thunderstorms so it should be an interesting trip. While there I'll check and see what I want to bring with me when I move and what I want to store. I plan on living with my Mom for a few months just until I’m settled with a new job and find a place of my own. I also want to make sure that she is going to be alright. She has a very bad heart and one of my reasons for moving from the Chicago area to Indiana is to make sure I’m close enough to take care of her.

I have a new recipe that I'll try when there. It is my version on Chili Con Queso.

                             Chili Con Queso

Recipe By     :Michele Wilson
Serving Size  : 16   
Preparation Time :0:05
Start to Finish Time: 0:20

Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------      ------------       --------------------------------
  1          cup              four-cheese Mexican-style shredded cheese
  1          cup              cheddar cheese, lowfat
  2          cloves          garlic -- minced
  1          small           onion -- minced
  4          ounces         LaVictoria diced green chilies -- drained
  14 1/2   ounces         canned tomatoes with green pepper & onion -- drained
  1/2        teaspoon      cumin
  1/8        teaspoon      Tabasco sauce
  1           teaspoon      Worcestershire sauce
  1/4        cup              fat-free evaporated milk

Add everything except cheese and milk. Heat on low heat for 10 minutes.

Add cheeses a little at a time and stir until melted. Add milk after all of the cheese has melted. Heat on low for 5 minutes.

Description:
  "A kicked up cheese dip from the Southwest."
Source:
  "Healthy Food That Tastes So Good!"
Copyright:
  "Michele Wilson © 2004"
                                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 50 Calories; 2g Fat (43.5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 225mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

 

Just Unwinding

One of my big loves is musical theatre. I actually have a degree in theatre and I love to sing. Michael Crawford is one of my favorite performers hence the music I’m listening to.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. I have a phone interview with the unemployment people to try and convince them that I should get unemployment even though I quit my job. I have very good reasons to leave the job and according to their own rules if you leave because of health reasons which I did you are eligible. Also I did have another job lined up which turned out to be for a company when I did some research on had questionable business practices. I’ll be glad when the interview is over and things are decided once and for all.

I also have moving companies coming in tomorrow and Friday to give estimates. I want to get down to Indiana by mid-October before the weather turns rotten.

Busy

I have been going through a few years worth of papers and trying to get all the financial stuff on Quicken so I can eliminate the paperwork. Sheesh! What a job. I must admit that Quicken is a wonderful life saver though.

I finished a new picture last night. That makes four since I quit my job. I am also doing a new story. It seems that now that I am out from under the strain that the job caused me the creative juices are really flowing.

Julia Child

It is no secret that I love to cook. I have been working on an original recipe cookbook for about five years. It currently has 141 recipes. I have 12 that I need to refine and take original pictures of the finished product. I love watching cooking shows and always have. Like many people the first cooking show that I watched was the French Chef with Julia Child. She made a big mess, would drop chickens on the floor, crack jokes and showed just how much fun cooking could be. She had a voice you could never mistake for anyone else. By all of us who learned to love to cook by watching this woman she will be missed. Cooking has lost one of its brightest stars. Rest in peace Julia and thank you.

Good Days, Bad Days

"There will be good days and bad days. Be gentle with yourself on bad days." The past couple of weeks have been very bad. I was forced to leave a job I loved by a jealous person who made my life a living hell with her harassment. The man who recruited me for a new job lied. I will be making a life change and move to the town where my mother lives. Her health is very precarious and I want to be there to take care of her. I keep reminding myself that life will get better. These two pictures go with my quote from above and are called "Good Days" and "Bad Days." I still find solace in creating art.

 

 

Ouch!

The doctor has given me some Vicoden to help with the pain caused by a lung infection. With a little luck I'll be able to sleep tonight. It has been a real rough couple of weeks. He has me putting heat on the sore places which at night turns out to be 15 1/2 pounds of very spoiled kitty who allows me to have a little bit of the bed. Of course if I have to get up for any reason during the night Merlin takes up most of the bed and I have to shove him over when I come back to bed.

I wonder if I should amend my resume to read "Merlin's Mommy" as a job description? ;-)

Welcome to My World

My baby brother has been blogging for quite a while so I thought I may as well give it a crack too. You will find Jerry under the diecast dude Journal entries.

Rather than write a book about myself I figure that the easiest starting place for me is my web site http://members.aol.com/michelewln/

As is true for most people my life has had its ups and downs but I think the ups far out weigh the downs. I love to laugh, I cry at sad movies, I read constantly, I enjoy my friends, and I over indulge my cat, Merlin. I have strong opinions, wear my heart on my sleeve, and have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.