O WHERE O WHERE HAVE THE HOLIDAYS GONE?????

They seemed to come and go in an instant.  Thanksgiving was spent at Mom’s, celebrating her 83^rd birthday on the 25^th. Corrie and I stayed overnight and had Thanksgiving dinner with them.  I cooked.  It’s really hard to come up with a menu for people who don’t eat vegetables.  Every single thing was a carbohydrate: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, gravy, cranberry sauce.  I ate more carbs in one day than I do in a week!

 The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was spent working for the Red Cross and planning the annual “Volunteer Appreciation” event.  Fortunately, I had a helper who was able to get plenty of donations for raffle prizes.  Mostly restaurant certificates, but some nice hotel stays.  The Westin Diplomat gave us two nights.  VERY generous.  Then, a day spa gave us a certificate for a hair wash and blow dry.  What’s that worth??? $5? I was embarrassed to give it away, so I put it together in a prize package.

Frank went with me to the event, even though he had to work that night.  I got a Certificate of Appreciation for my work with Community Disaster Education program and won a couple of raffle prizes – one was a backpack crammed with Red Cross stuff.  Just my luck.  Oh well, I was able to “re-gift” a couple of things, like a Red Cross first aid kit.  Crap – my whole vehicle is one big first aid kit.

On Christmas Eve, Frank and I took off for Markham Park.  It’s a HUGE park located west of Ft. Lauderdale and right next to the Everglades.  We took bikes but no kayaks.  What one must appreciate is that we both drive SUV’s and they were BOTH filled to the gills.  Frank put up the tent, I blew up the mattress and “made the bed”, and Ginger did what she does so well – tangle up the cord on the leash.

We had picked out a recipe for Christmas Eve dinner.  Just a simple pot of corn on the cob, shrimp, Brussels sprouts, garlic and turkey sausage seasoned with Old Bay.  Problem is, I forgot the turkey sausage.  I had bought two pounds of homemade sausage from the Delaware Chicken Farm but it had fallen out of the package and sat overnight in the car.  I threw it out. As I am attempting to boil the water in the bottom of the HUGE stock pot, I realized that the shrimp weren’t getting cooked, so I threw in some olive oil and called it stir fry.

After dinner, Frank made a nice fire and we just enjoyed the outdoors and each others’ company.  Ginger was Ginger.  Bedtime comes early in the Everglades.  The first night was too warm to sleep inside the sleeping bags, so we slept on top.

Christmas morning, we had mimosas with a breakfast of roast beef hash, eggs, toast and fruit.  The park was closed to the public on Christmas Day and we had the whole place to ourselves.  I had stuffed Ginger in to her carrier (that attaches to me), climbed on Frank’s mountain bike and off we went.  Ginger seemed to enjoy having the wind in her ears and we went all through the park. We even went up on top of the levee that separates the park from the Everglades. I was uncomfortable, as there was a lot of loose gravel and my balance was already skewed because of Ginger hanging from my neck, so we stuck to the roads within the park.  We took a two hour bike ride and still didn’t cover all of the park.  

The day was so (literally) short, that we didn’t start dinner until it was almost dark.  I had brought some Matchlight charcoal that Steve probably had for ten years or more and it wouldn’t light.  That is, until we dumped the coals out under a tree and started over.  Then, they turned into beautiful glowing embers, of course.  Frank finally got the charcoal going, thanks to some wood from the fire and we were able to cook dinner – filet mignon, lobster, asparagus and salad.  YUM.

Christmas night was chilly and I was sure glad I packed warm clothes for both me and Ginger.  We had another fire and Frank had a Patron marguerite and I had a couple of Grey Goose martinis. YUM again.

The weather the next day (the day after Christmas) was funny.  It drizzled a little, the sun came out a little, it was cool for a while, then it was warm for a while. After breakfast, we headed out on the bikes again.  We stopped at the dog park, which is HUGE.  They have a giant fenced in area for big dogs and a smaller area for little dogs.  They even have doggy water fountains, structures to climb on, benches for humans and they even provide litter bags.  Of course, Ginger won’t leave my side.  She’s just not interested in socializing with dogs at all.  It was funny, at one point there was a “sniffing train” of about five dogs in a row, all sniffing each others’ butts. It was tons of fun just watching the other dogs.

After a stop at the dog park, we headed to the remote controlled airplane field.  There must have been about 20 planes – all shapes and sizes, even jets. There was also a Christmas tree decorated with airplane parts.  I took a picture for dad – I think he’ll enjoy it.   

We watched the planes for about two hours and struck up conversations with other people.  It was really a fun time.  We should have gone to the remote control boat portion of the lake but just forgot about it.  

When I tried to stuff Ginger back in her carrier, she wanted no part of it.  Frank suggested that we let her run beside us.  Since he was handling the bike much better than I, he took her leash. There we were, us on the bikes and Ginger running beside us on her leash.  One car went by and the occupants yelled “give that dog a skateboard”.  It was hilarious and she loved it.  By the time I went to stuff her into the carrier again, she was pooped and all too happy to get in!  Dinner was Frank’s country style ribs and a salad.  Once again, a nice fire and bedtime.

It took us over two hours to pack up and we were both glad that we didn’t have very far to go to get home.  Frank had to work that night, so he needed to get some sleep.  I think he slept very well.

Would I go again??? YOU BETCHA! Stay tuned for the next adventure.

This and That

As I grow older, it is evident to me that if I don't write stuff down, I don't remember it. Thus - I am going to attempt to keep up with this blog more often. Besides, I have a lot of friends that don't want to sign up to Facebook but would like to know what's happening in my life. So, if you're one of those, enjoy!

Below are some pictures and videos that chronicle the time between when I last wrote and the end of 2009.










 This is the TranSyberian Orchestra concert

An Iguana on a kayak trip

My favorite place to be - Hollywood Beach, right across from the organic market.

 

My second favorite place to be - Ocean Alley on the Broadwalk in Hollywood Beach.  Breakfast, Lunch, Cocktails, Dinner, "hangin' out"m, whatever - it matters not. It's the ambiance and the people watching!

Here's a picture of me on a Disaster Action Call responding to a fire.

And my chronicle wouldn't be complete without some pictures of Ginger.

GINGER IS ON YOUTUBE

The Yorkshire Terrorist of the century is now featured on youtube. If the link doesn't work, you can just search for ginger tuxedo or even yorkshire terrier. Enjoy.

A Visit From Gypsy

I get a call on Monday from Gypsy "I'm coming to visit - TONIGHT" Yikes. I had a class at the Red Cross until 9 and Steve had a meeting, so neither of us were going to be home until late. "No problem" says Gypsy - "I have a friend I can stay with tonight and you can meet me at Haulover in the morning". So, Tuesday morning, I pack a cooler and head to Haulover Beach. (The nude beach) There she was with this big fat ugly guy. I am thinking to myself "what's up with that?". As it turns out, he's a pretty nice guy and he teaches the concealed weapons class. So, I've s"et it up that Max, Jimbo and I can get our CWP's, maybe next week, for $50 each! We had been there a couple of hours when this blond god walks by and says to Gypsy "I like your hat." After he walks by, we say to each other (in girl look language) "this one is NOT getting away". So, she flirts with him when he walks back by, oblivious to poor old George. So, the god stops and talks to us. As he was leaving, he had to put a towel in front of him - it was very obvious that he liked her a lot. Later, after George left, he comes over and spends a couple of hours talking to Gypsy. The outcome is that he took her to The Trapeze that night AND again on Saturday night! He was at the beach on Saturday, as were we. I met so many people that day. Also, Harry & Sonia (two swingers I know from OA) were there and Harry cured my touch deprivation. What was funny was that there were about six couples who were going to Trapeze that night, so Lou knew other people at the club. We went shopping at thrift stores and consignment shops on Wednesday. I got a beautiful georgette dress and a pair of brand new Italian jeans whose original price wads $245! I only paid $11 for them. I bought them to wear to fires, too! They'll look great with my Disaster Action Team tshirt! (for the Red Cross, of course) Thursday, we had lunch with Mo, which was nice. I miss spending time with him. He just got back from Montana and was leaving for Texas the next day. I can't believe it has been a year and a half since we were on his boat. I had so many hopes of time with him. But - business and family come first. I'm nothing more to him than a diversion. On Friday, we went back to Haulover but got chairs and an umbrella this time. Friday night, we rented some movies and I made lamb chops, asparagus and a spinich salad for dinner. Saturday found us back at Haulover and I must say it was the best time I've had at the beach since I've been here. I was sorry to see her go on Sunday, but she had a really good time at Trapeze. I watched "Knowing" again, with Nicolas Cage. Tomorrow, I'm going diving with my cowboy bud, then up to Pompano Beach to have my tanks inspected and refilled. They only charge $14 for the inspection and nitrox fill, AND they will do it while I wait. The other shops wanted me to leave them for 3 to 5 days. How can I do that when I never know when I'm going diving again? Anyway, Cowboy would like to do the Venice megladon tooth dive, so it looks like that will happen soon. I need to make up Saturday night to Max - we were supposed to go to Artwalk in Hollywood, but I was too tired and didn't even call him. Not good. Maybe a nice home cooked dinner would work. Who knows what September will hold? A hurricane, I hope...the Red Cross is really hurting for contributions. (Plus I get to work in the Emergency Operations Center)

End of the Road

The road trip ended abruptly soon after we returned from SC. I visited my mom and dad again on the way back and spent a few days with Lou. Jim was supposed to bring the jet ski to Melbourne Beach, but the A/C went out in his car. I had a really nice visit with Lou and headed home. It's always nice to be back in your own bed! I am not going to be keeping up this blog anymore, as I am now on facebook and it is much easier to update on a regular basis. If I have any extended trips, I may post here but I will let you know. In July, I went with a group of divers off the coast of Venice FL. This is one of only two areas in the world where fossilized shark teeth are found. You can find all kinds of teeth right on the beach, but some of the larger ones, mostly from Megladons are found offshore. The megladon is a gigantic shark that lived about 16 million years ago. I was lucky enough to find a tooth. The picture is of the raw tooth with barnacles, some coral and miscellaneous growth. I will sand it down and it will be shiny black. JET SKI DAY My "man bud" and I took the jet ski up the intercoastal to the Port Everglades channel and spend about forty five minutes jumping waves offshore. Then we took the Haulover channel to a local sandbar where boats pull up and people enjoy the shallow water. After a respite and some liquid refreshment, we went up the intercoastal through Golden Beach, Sunny Isles, Aventura, Hollywood and ended up back at the launch area where we got out and exercised our legs. After a bit, we hopped back on and were headed to Ft. Lauderdale when we got pulled over bo the boat police. Would you believe that Jim got a ticket for speeding - and he was going 14 miles an hour! The cop also ticketed him because my flotation device wasn't zipped. Put a damper on the day. The next day we were both so SORE! I guess I was riding the jet ski like a horse so I wouldn't blow out a disk in my back. Oh well, i guess it was worth it. Neither one of us were really sunburned and we were out for over five hours. I used SPF 4 and Jim used 30. Everyone says you can still get tan with a high SPF but I guess my skin is different. SPF 4 is all I need for a full day in the sun. Enjoy the pics. GINGER'S NEW OUTFIT When we stopped at a Cracker Barrel on the way back from SC, they had a 75% off sale going on. I could absolutely not resist this outfit for Ginger. It was less than $2. Too Cute, yes?

Road Trip 2009 - Part Two

We (Ginger and I) arrived in Atlanta around 4 in the afternoon on Tuesday. We could have made better time, but I stopped about every hour and a half so I wouldn’t be so tired. Barb and Jim’s townhome is just gorgeous! Jim did all the work and you can tell it’s all first rate. Ginger appeared to get along pretty well with the Jack Russell’s – Lily, Sophie and Lucy. The one dog, the Westie named BooBoo, is the one I felt she would bond best with. Such is not the case - she has bonded with no one except Jim. After a delicious steak dinner, we sat up and talked for hours, of course. After going out for an ice cream cone, that is. Wednesday, Barb took me out to breakfast where we ordered a “Dutch Baby” and a sausage and cheese omelet. The Dutch Baby was basically crepes in the shape of a bowl. They serve butter, lemon and powdered sugar with it. It was truly to die for. Afterwards, we hit the consignment stores and Goodwill. I got a backpack purse and an adorable little orange purse with shells and decorations all over it. We also went to a pet store that sold pillows, purses and all kinds of items that feature different breeds of dogs. We threw a chicken Caesar salad together and had shrimp and salad. The next day, Thursday, we were lazy until about 4 in the afternoon. I needed to pick up a bottle of vodka and Barb wanted to check out the bathing suit sale at Macy’s. All was fine until Barb realized she left the pork chops on the stove. Needless to say, we hurried home. Thankfully, the chops weren’t burned but were as tender as could be. After dinner, we headed to Club Broadway to meet up with Barb's ex-husband, whom I had dated when I was a Junior in high school. We really had a blast! He hadn't changed much, except he can dance now. We did a few turns around the dance floor, made a couple of his girlfriends jealous and headed home at a reasonable hour. The trip to her daughter’s house went quickly. Nicole and Scott (and three year old Saylor) live in the most beautiful development just off the Intracoastal, called Cat Island. All the homes are custom and it’s like being in a movie. All the homes are two story “Georgia style” and the yards full of huge laurel oaks and magnolia trees. We took a walk on the golf course where we saw a deer bounding across the fairway. Then we chased the sand crabs that came up from the marsh. There were millions of them! Today is Saturday, June 27th and I’m sitting downstairs while everyone else is napping upstairs. We went to the pool, which was absolutely gorgeous, this morning. They have a kiddie pool, a main pool and a separate pool and Jacuzzi just for adults. Everyone but me has very fair skin, so we could only stay about an hour. It looks like we’re going out for dinner tonight. We’re going to get an early start back to Atlanta tomorrow, so I’m sure we won’t be out late!

Road Trip 2009 - Part One

Since I was taking so many classes with the Red Cross, I didn’t have as much time to pack for my road trip as I would have liked. That meant that I didn’t leave as early as I had wanted to but was able to get away by 4:00. Gypsy was out to dinner with a friend, so I stopped at Longdogger’s and picked up some wings while I waited for her. Of course, girlfriends MUST take up the first few hours of a visit catching up on one another’s lives. Thus, we didn’t venture out. It was so hot the next day that we spent the day IN the pool, versus laying out in the sun. When I got to Charlene’s that afternoon at 5:30, it was 92 degrees in the shade. I had picked up California Pizza Kitchen pizza and ice cream, so dinner was done. When Charlene got home from work, we played bowling on the Wii. I have just GOT to get myself one of those. For the fitness programs, of course. (Yea, right) Today is Saturday and I fixed breakfast for everyone. Charlene went to the office and when she came back we were going to the beach. When she got back, she told everyone how brutally hot it was outside with no breeze. We all agreed that we’d go to the beach later in the afternoon or tomorrow morning. So, here we all were sitting – Charles on a video game, Charlene on her laptop, me on my laptop and Mac watching golf. We’re happily together but doing our own thing. All of a sudden…dead quiet. The TV went off, the air went off and we realized that the power was out. Charlene called FLP & L and found out that the power was out in 1400 homes and wouldn’t be back on for a couple of hours. Honestly, you have never seen four people scramble so fast to get to the beach. Yes, it was hot – 98 degrees. But the water was cool and there was a breeze. On the way back, we drove downtown and found that all of the restaurants and businesses in the area were without power. We concluded that when we got back to the house, we’d sit in the shade and turn on the sprinklers. Thank goodness, the power was on. Tonight, we’re going to have Charlene’s lasagna and play games. We plan on getting up early and heading back to the beach tomorrow. We’ll see – it’s a “play it by ear” kind of thing. PS – guess what?!? Mel Fisher’s boat and crew are offshore, just a few miles south of here. This isn’t called the “Treasure Coast” for nothing. A fun night of GREAT food (her lasagna is to DIE for),family games, a good night’s sleep and then hit the beach again…but only for a couple of hours. Deadly hot again. The temp in the shade? 100 degrees. Leaving late this afternoon (after another helping of Charlene’s wonderful lasagna) to head up to mom & dad’s. Hopefully, I’ll have some pictures to share soon. Sunday, June 22, 2000 Got to the folks place around 8 last night. By the time we chatted for a few minutes, it was bedtime. (For them – not me) Today, the heat is once again brutal. They do nothing but sit on the screened-in porch and read the paper or watch TV – so they can chain smoke, of course. Oh well, no changing the stripes at this stage of the game. Today has been slow. I’m inside, watching the US Open. Ahhhhhh cool. Monday, June 23rd - had a wonderful day with my mom, just laughing and enjoying being together. I trimmed her toenails - they were starting to curl under!!! I fixed turkey, mashed potatoes and peas for dinner. I think that this is the first time my father got a turkey for Father's Day. A turkey for a turkey!!! Get it? On Tuesday morning, my mom got it in her head that I had criticized her housekeeping skills (which I did NOT - nor would I) and told me to go home. We left for Atlanta around 8:30. I believe that Ginger even got wind of the negativity in the air - she sat in the back almost the whole way to Atlanta. She normally sits in the passenger seat and insists on having my hand touching her somewhere. Oh well - another adventure coming up! Part Two next!

It's Dive Season for Sunshine Diva

What a pleasant surprise – I met a really nice guy who just so happens to be a dive Instructor. I’m going to call him “Buddy”. He invited me on a beach dive off Dania Beach at 7:00 a.m. one morning. The water was gorgeous and still. The walk up the beach in full gear was exhausting, but once I was down, I forgot all about it. The dive site is called “EuroJacks”. There are concrete structures, built in WWII to keep out submarines, that resemble giant children’s jacks. Now, of course, it’s a coral reef. The first thing I saw was a sea urchin with spines at least a foot long. I have seen them in different colors, like purple and blue, but never one so big. There were all kinds of fish – angel fish, parrotfish, wrasses, puffers. There was a HUGE porcupine fish that followed us for a while. We encountered a pufferfish that we tried to play with but he was too quick. It was a really, really nice dive. Buddy has the strongest legs I’ve ever seen on a man. He walked around in all his gear like he had nothing on his back. Since diving is his passion like mine – he dives every chance he gets. Now that I know where I can go to do beach dives, I will too! Exiting the water was a bitch. He went up the beach to gather the water that I had so wisely brought and I was left alone to climb out by myself. It wouldn’t have been a problem if I hadn’t lost my balance and ended up on all fours! I couldn’t stand up from that position! The reason was that I had just done an exhaustive lower body workout the day before and my legs were fatigued to begin with. Rather than stay on all fours and wait for help, I took off my gear, which was a mistake. It’s much harder to carry it than to wear it. The next day, I took Jimbo there to snorkel. Of course, he can’t get his lazy butt up until 10:00 and by the time we hit the water, it was choppy and visibility was only about 10 – 12 feet. More legwork. (My quadriceps are going to be like trees soon.) It had been a month or more since we saw one another and it was nice to sit on the beach and talk again. Buddy invited me to dive with him and a couple of students again the next day, so I headed to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The parking lot was empty at 7:30 a.m. and it was a short walk across a slim beach to the water. This, too, was a really nice dive. It’s what I would call a “mini-reef” but full of sea life. Buddy spotted a turtle – a leatherback, I think, and we followed it for a while. We also encountered an eagle ray that we played with a bit. It was supposed to be a two tank dive, but one of the students had to leave and go to work and Buddy had to drive him back across the bridge. I could have waited and done a second dive, but my toe was still bleeding. (Long story of no interest)

Hopefully, I’ll be able to dive with Buddy more in the future. He wants to dive the Vandenburg as much as I do. I’m leaving on my “First Annual Roadtrip” next week, so I won’t be diving for a few weeks. I just hope I keep up my fitness routine while I’m gone so I don’t lose any of the muscle tone I’ve managed to build up since I started going to the gym. - I hope you enjoy the pictures and hearing about my first dives of the year.

In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lion

The bird of paradise (above) is/was just outside my front door. The are everywhere, as well as mango trees, parrots, and big and little iguanas. This April was one of the windiest I can remember. The weather has been beautiful – in the 80’s during the day and upper 60’s at night. Perfect beach weather. However, if you stay too late and the sun starts going down, it gets chilly quickly. I’ve kept a sweatshirt in my car all month. There have been days that it was entirely too windy to sit on the beach. Talk about micro-dermabrasion! Someone gave me an umbrella, but when it’s windy like that, you can’t use it. I’ve been doing lots of reading this month. I keep going back to James Patterson. Every book I read of his seems to be better than the one before. The most recent one I read was called “Quickie”. It was so good, I sat up until 3:00 a.m. to finish reading it. I’ve also discovered another writer, JD Konrath. I thought she was a woman until recently. All of his books are named after cocktails, like “Dirty Martini”, “Rusty Nail”, and the most recent “Fuzzy Navel”. The books all have the same heroine – a detective named Jacqueline Daniels. “Jack Daniels” – get it? If you decide to read them, try to read them in the order in which they were written. Some of the characters from previous stories show up. ESPECIALLY in “Fuzzy Navel”. My social life has been pretty dry this month. Lunches with MO and watching DVDs with Roomie have been the highlights of my social scene. That’s okay, I’ve been able to get a lot done. Everything I own is in boxes or bins and ready to go to storage. All that’s holding me up is Roomie. I keep trying to get him to help me get that huge TV out of storage so I can start piling up boxes. Of course, I’ve only been after him since February. Sheesh – I feel like a nagging old wife sometimes. So –I’ve decided that if he wants to live with boxes in the foyer, so be it. I took on a “project” in February. I met this man, “Techno” through Craigslist. He was looking for a walking partner, so I contacted him. As it turns out, he lives only a few blocks from me. We started walking on a daily basis and what started as a five minute “stroll” has turned into either a 20 minute power walk or an hour long walk at a slower pace. We walk in parks or around his apartment community. I spent Easter week-end with his family and was welcomed with open arms. We’ve kind of adopted each other as family. He has made significant progress, but still has quite a way to go yet. He’s a wonderful guy who has introduced me to the world of “techno” music, which has certainly been an education. He hosts a show over the internet on Friday evenings, and it’s turned into a semi-talk show. I kid him about the music being “noise” and he tells a story about that particular song. It’s kind of a “good cop, bad cop” scenario and lots of fun.

First Quarter 2009

WINNERS AND LOSERS

I have been advised to not use real names in the interest of potential liability. Therefore, all names have been changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty, the winners as well as the losers. If you recognize yourself, don’t blame me. Let’s start with the losers:

Vampire

We had some great times together, especially during Mardi Gras on Hollywood Beach. Standing me up on my birthday wasn’t very nice and the only reason he is on the “losers” list. We dated a few times a year ago and reconnected in February. I was two hours late for a lunch date once last year but he was really sweet about it. I guess he could be either a “dumper” or a “dumpee”.

The Professer The most recent “dumper”. He had so much going for him – looks, personality, intelligence, class. He’s a college professor, professional underwater photographer with works in local galleries, and an “on air personality” with NPR radio. What he didn’t have was tolerance. He’s lived alone most of his life and is looking for perfection. He’s been a bachelor for 45 of his 50 years. We were highly incompatible. On a trip to Key Largo, he informs me that he needs some “personal time”. Fortunately, I had my car and was able to take off. Two problems – I was low on gas (he had offered to buy me a tank of gas), and I didn’t know how to get home. I just kept heading north and east but ended up taking the absolute worst route.

The Trucker

Lunch and only lunch – with our respective pooches, Ginger and Sophia. I find out he’s got a steady girlfriend after chatting and texting for two weeks. Then he forwards stupid jokes to my phone on a regular basis. I had to tell this “Dumpee” to delete my phone number.

The Musician Poor little guy. He couldn’t help it that he was so short and fat. A sweet person who didn’t want to be “just friends”. The day he took me out to lunch at an Israeli restaurant was the next to the last straw. He showed up in sweatpants and bedroom slippers. The last straw was the night he was playing in downtown Hollywood. He insisted in making out on a park bench in plain sight of the entire world. If anyone I knew had seen us, I would have died of mortification. I wish him the best always, though.

AND THE WINNERS FOR THIS QUARTER ARE:

JC Having loved him for almost 20 years, he has been a winner and always will be. Maybe this year will be the one we will see one another again after over 15 years apart. He’ll always have a piece of my heart.

MO Another winner, he has been in my life for over two years and knows me better than my own mother. Some of the best times have been with him and I am proud to call him my friend and…

Gypsy Best girlfriend in Florida. A nudist and a beautiful woman inside and out. We know that we can always count on one another. And boy have we had some adventures! One day we were at Haulover and she went walking with some guy and when she returned, another guy, Ken, was sitting with me. He was clothed and, upon being questioned by Gypsy, admitted that he didn’t want to take off his clothes because of a certain body part being too small. We battered and berated the poor guy to death. I doubt that we’ll ever run into him again but it was so funny. Everything we talked about ended up in him launching into a Frank Sinatra song. (You hadda be there)

Barbie Friends since jr. high school in Charlotte, our bond will never be broken. Although we were out of touch for almost 35 years or so, we have picked up our friendship right where it left off. I love her dearly. We returned to Charlotte for our 40th Myers Park High School reunion. It was held at Myers Park Country Club, which was my summer hangout when I visited my grandparents. We couldn’t believe how many fat, bald men were in attendance. We only knew one other person and she was a shallow snob. And we were best friends! Go figure.

Jimbo My special “man-friend”, we do things together when neither of us has plans with someone else. Unfortunately, he has been extremely lucky in love this quarter and I haven’t seen him since before Christmas. He’s off for a week in April and we plan to get together to make up for lost time. He’s polishing up the jet ski.

Roomie My roommate. Poor guy, he’s in the mortgage and real estate business which is not doing well these days. I talked him into taking social security early, like me. I think he’s glad he did. We get along with each other fairly well. Of course he is a man, that can’t be helped. Thus, the king of the remote control. He’s really good about watching a show when there’s something I want to see, like “House”. I can watch DVDs in my bedroom, so if he has a date, I can disappear. Vice versa.

The Firefighter My hot number from up north. He’s not really a firefighter by profession but he is a volunteer rescue diver. He makes me feel like a million bucks every time we’re together. Oh – and he’s built like a fireman! I forget how old/young he is but I know he’s just a few years older than Charlene.

Looking back, I must admit that the past three months haven’t been very pleasant. The year started with me sick in bed with some kind of bug that took almost three months to shake off! Charlene had her 40th birthday party and the girls all had a great time. She must have grown up when I wasn’t watching. I drowned my camera in a jet ski incident. My laptop crashed and I moved from Miami Beach to Hollywood. Then I lost my job and filed for unemployment and social security. Could things possibly get any worse? I’m happy to know that there’s always a silver lining. And the Laws of Attraction.

Most of January was spent moving and rearranging my priorities. After all, I was unemployed and officially retired. I contacted the Red Cross to get my chapter affiliation changed, I believe that I’ve completed all of my Red Cross Training that’s mandatory. They don’t have a Pet First Aid program here. Maybe I can start one! I also contacted the Pompano Beach Fire Department to see how to get on their CERT team. (Community Emergency Response Team) I’m “graduating” in June where I will receive my badge.

Valentine’s Day was a bit of a bust, although MO took me out for a nice dinner and a club the week-end before and I had Chilean sea bass for the first time. Yum! In March, I went to the Mardi Gras celebrations on Hollywood Beach with Vampire and ate crawfish and corn on the cob. It was so much fun that I went back on Fat Tuesday by myself for more crawfish and corn. The problem was that it was very cold. In March, I went to a club called “Lips” with Vampire. It was a riot – all of the waiters were men dressed up like women. The food was mediocre, at best, but the prices were reasonable and the entertainment was a hoot! Also in March, I helped coach tennis at the Special Olympics Broward County Games.

The weather hasn’t been particularly nice - all three months have been cool and cloudy. There were only a few beach days the whole quarter. Fortunately, Gypsy and I were able to go to Haulover a couple of times and pick up a little color. Of course, it faded quickly as more cool weather prevailed until the end of March. I hooked up with The Firefighter a few times, which is always special. Mmmm Champagne and Chinese! Burgers at Ocean Alley. What a guy! What a body! What a view from his condo!

That pretty brings things up to speed. As I’m writing this, it is the 1st day of April, 2009. I wonder what this next quarter will hold. Charles is coming down to visit me for a couple of weeks this summer, so I should have some exciting pictures to share. I’m getting him a good mask and snorkel for his birthday and will have him breathing from a regulator by the time he leaves. I’m hoping we can get a little place in the Keys for a week. Time will tell. I’ll keep ya posted!

It's 2009 and I'm Doin' Fine

Looking back to the last time I updated this, last year contained many very fine times. The most memorable event seems to be the most embarrassing. Jimbo and I were out on the maiden voyage of his new jet ski when he decided he needed to check the intake pipe for seaweed. We were at the cruise ship terminal with huge cruise ships looming over us and no where to land or even tie up. Jimbo spotted a small pier and we headed over to stop for a minute. Just as we reached the dock, these Cuban guys ran out to us waving their arms and saying “no no no”. We correctly assumed that we weren’t allowed to tie up there, so we backed up when the unthinkable happened…the jet ski started to roll. And roll. And roll. It’s a three person BIG machine and when it rolls, it’s impossible to stop. You guessed it – in the water we go. Jimbo rights it and tells me to climb up the ladder. No problem, right? Except that the bottom rung of the ladder is higher than my shoulder! Plus, there was nothing to hold on to that would enable me to pull myself up. Jimbo says (and not in a polite way) “DO YOU WANT ME TO SHOVE YOU UP BY THE ASS?” I realized it was the only way I was going to get my ass back on, so I said YES! I finally flopped onto the seat and Jimbo climbed on after me, which meant I had to drive the thing. All of a sudden, we hear clapping and cheering from the seawall. There were busloads of cruise ship passengers waiting to board their ships that had witnessed the entire “event”. What else could I do but wave my fuchsia sequined ball cap in celebration? The second time we rolled it, we had been tooling around in Biscayne Bay and were about 30 yards from the dock when, all of a sudden, the damn thing starts rolling again. It truly has a mind of its own. Unfortunately, I was getting comfortable enough to be holding my camera in my hand as we docked. You guessed it. It’s history now. The camera that is. Yes, 2008 was the year that had its ups and downs. Let’s see…here are a few highlights: Getting a job and moving to Miami Beach started the year with a bang! Loving life in my condo with views of Miami Beach, downtown Miami, and the cruise ship terminals. Date with a gigolo and the acquisition of a pair of $150 flip flops just like Paris Hilton’s. Sitting across from the aforementioned Hilton in a restaurant while my dining partner was explaining the origins of the word “F_ _ K”. It really has an honorable beginning. Watching a girlfriend make a fool of herself over Dennis Rodman. He’s a total jerk. Watching polo (with real horses) right smack dab on Miami Beach and cheering for Team Lamborghini. (If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the $40 hat.) Seeing Owen Wilson, the actor, at aforementioned polo match. Becoming a regular at the nude beach. I still prefer to not go by myself, but at least I know a few people there to sit with if I want. Attending the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. I’ve never walked so much in my entire life. I was invited aboard some of the mega-yachts. It’s definitely “invitation only” and you have to remove your shoes before boarding. I was overwhelmingly awed. My only regret is not discovering the food court until the end of the day. There was so much good food – grilled anything you can imagine, including shrimp and lobster, homemade potato chips, fresh lemonade, fruit kabobs. Everything that I love to eat. Of course, the old standbys hotdogs and burgers but who would eat that with all the fresh and healthy stuff so readily available? I also met Guy Harvey. (You can tell I was impressed.) Spending 4th of July in the Keys – diving, water skiing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and parasailing. First time I’ve seen a shark on a night dive. Discovered Kombucha. Taking the cruise ship Discovery to Freeport Bahamas with Gypsy. We had SO much fun. Met some really nice people, worked on our tans. Getting my Master Scuba Diver certification, along with presents from PADI and my “500 Dives” patch. Spending Christmas with my mom. I hadn’t seen her in two years and she is, and always will be, my soulmate. Charlene came up on Christmas Eve and we cooked a turkey dinner together. It was also great seeing my nephews for the first time in about 15 years. Getting tickets to “The Rock Boat” which was a 233 foot yacht turned into a museum that housed jewels from all over the world. The REAL Art Deco jewelry was awe inspiring. Gypsy and I were escorted to the bridge to meet the Captain. (I arranged in advance, of course) He’s just a kid but a nice one. Then Gypsy and I went to the newly reopened and refurbished Fontainebleu Hotel, where we had a cocktail by the “lounging pool” complete with round sofa beds, infinity edge and fiber optic lighting. The $38 bill was a bit of a stunner. For ONE martini and ONE beer! The only downer was spending New Year’s Eve in bed. Even that had it’s “ups”, though. I spent the day at the beach with friends, then went to the Crab House for a martini and some clam chowder. I woke up just before midnight and celebrated the new year standing on the seawall with a cop watching all the different fireworks displays across the bay. We counted to 29 and quit counting. I can’t wait to write about New Year’s Eve 2009 and compare notes. I’m sure there are lots of things I have forgotten, but that just means they can’t be that important. The “losers” from this year are long forgotten and the winners are still in my life.