Monday, October 27, 2008

The Daily Grind

WARNING - THIS BLOG CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT!!!!

After being out most of last week, it was more difficult than usual to get up and go to work today. My job isn't very exciting by most people's standards (including mine). I'm a Customer Service Supervisor. The company I work for manufactures what is normally described as "barrier protection products." (Yawn). There are a few different divisions; I'm a CS supervisor for 2 divisions, one that manufactures surgical and exam gloves and the other division is our condom division. Our customers here are various retail chains, like CVS, Walmart and the "adult entertainment" industry. Every time I tell someone that, they always laugh, either because they think it's funny or they get uncomfortable. I've spoken to my share of porn actresses who are looking to buy condoms in bulk because their producers have stopped supplying them. Lining the walls of one of our foyers are copies of various condom ads. I currently have a poster in my office (ok, how best to describe this) it shows a young lady just from the top of her thighs to just below her breasts; she is only wearing underwear; she has her thumb stuck in the front of her panties pulling them slightly down and holding a packaged condom in her hands. The tag line is "Here's Your Ticket To Ride." We have a joke that it's impossible to be charged with sexual harassment because you can just say you were talking business. A few months ago, we received an email from our CEO that had a video attached of an ad we were airing in markets outside the US, ie. France, Australia, with his suggestion that we all check it out. Well, you could tell who was watching it by the gales of laughter and the repeated "Oh My Gods" that were heard around the office. I've attached it here for your viewing. First, please keep in mind that they are much more open about sex in most other countries. Americans are considered quite prudish by the rest of the world.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS:
1. Don't watch this at work unless you have a very liberal workplace. Remember, they can check what you've been watching at any time.
2. If you're watching at home, please make sure the kiddies aren't around unless you're prepared to begin your child's sex education today.
3. Make sure your audio is on. I think it adds to the whole experience. Those of you in the NY area - You will never be able to watch the Shop-Rite Can-Can sale commercials ever again and not think of sex,instead of the great price on canned peas.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Supporting The Economy

After hearing over and over on the news how bad the economy is, I felt it was my patriotic duty to help, so I went shopping!! I went a little overboard, but what the hell. I rationalized that I had a rough week, so I deserved it.
So, I'm calling on my fellow Americans to do their patriotic duty and shop, shop, shop!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Church of Baseball


While officially it's still baseball season (although my season ended 9/28), I thought I would write about baseball in my life. A good part of the reason I refer to Mike as my LSH (long-suffering husband) is due to baseball.


I grew up with 2 older brothers and a dad who loved baseball. Oldest brother was huge Yankee fan (although, he switched loyalties when he met his 2nd wife and now is a Red Sox fan; said he hated Steinbrenner. Who doesn't)? My other brother was, and is forever, a Dodger fan. Even when Walter O'Malley broke a million hearts moving the team to LA, my bro never waivered. That's loyalty. I decided that the Mets would be MY team.


When the Mets won the '69 World Series, I won $10 from a guy I went to school with. He wasn't a very gracious loser; he paid me with a 1000 pennies in an old, dirty gym sock.


I continued to follow my team through the 80's. However, in the 90's, I admit, I lost my way and turned my back on The Church of Baseball, all baseball, not just the Mets. All I can say is that life got in the way, so to speak.
In the spring of 05, I was flipping channels and came upon a Mets game. For whatever reason, I started to watch and by the time the game was over, I was hooked once again. Now, I always like to have one player on the team that I particularly watch and root for and I don't make this decision lightly. I continued to watch several more games to get to know the team. The only things I learned about the players were whatever Gary, Keith and Ron would say. When I made my decision, I called my brother (the Dodger fan) to announce my selection.

ME: Well, I made my pick.
BRO: Oh, I can't wait.
ME: I have chosen (drumroll please) David Wright.

BRO: Oh, surprise, surprise. You and 1/2 the females in NY.

ME: What are you talking about?
BRO: Oh, c'mon. You only picked him because "ooh, he's soooooooo cute."


ME: I've never really looked closely at him. Honest. I chose him because he's just starting his career, so it will be fun to follow him from the beginning. At GK&R say he and Reyes are the Mets' future, so I assume he's gonna be around NY for awhile.
Well, needless to say, my brother never believed me. But, once we hung up, my curiosity was definitely aroused and I went to the computer. Needless to say, I was VERY pleased with my choice. I loved his background and he definitely wasn't hard on the eyes.

However, I must make one thing clear. As I'm old enough to be his mom, my interest in him is STRICTLY maternal. Honest.

How does this relate to the LSH? We met during my self-imposed exile from baseball, so he had no idea of my "baseball past." He was never a baseball fan, to begin with. You can imagine his surprise when he discovered that baseball had become my passion once again. He has been a real trouper, from going to spring training with me twice, attending I don't know how many games both at Shea and away, even making signs for me. I actually believe he likes baseball now, although he won't admit it. I've even caught him reading the sports page.

One cute story - not far from Tradition Field, there's an ice cream/convenience store called Mets Mart, I think. We passed there and the LSH said very innocently - "Do you want me to stop there? You could ask for a "David" cone." I burst out laughing. He had no idea what he had said. Of course, I've had to tell this story to friends and family and they never let him forget it.





Friday, October 24, 2008

I'm In a Jersey State of Mind

Being from Jersey comes with its own stereotypes - one of which is that we pronounce "Jersey" as "Joisey." In my entire life, I have never heard anyone from Jersey pronounce it "Joisey" except as a joke.
Once, when I was flying back to NJ from Southern California, the woman sitting next to me and I started a conversation. She asked me if I was going to NYC after we arrived at EWR. I said no, I was headed down the shore. She said she knew then that I was from NJ; no one anywhere else refers to being at the beach as "down the shore."
Anyway, below are some things that anyone from Jersey can relate to. Thanks to NJAttitude.com for this great list:


You Know You're from NJ If....

1. You don't think of fruit when people mention "The Oranges."
2. You know that it's called "Great Adventure", not Six Flags.
3. A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.
4. You have known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.
5. Have eaten at a Diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 a.m.
6. At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen and know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.
7. Know what a "jug handle" is.
8. Know that WaWa is a convenience store.
9. Know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey there's "The Shore". And you don't go "to the shore", you go "down the Shore". And when you are there, you're not "at the shore", you are "down the Shore".
10. Even your school cafeteria made good Italian subs. And it's a Sub, not a submarine sandwich or worse yet, a hoagie, a hero, or a grinder.
11. You know how to properly navigate a Circle.
12. You knew that the above sentence had to do with driving.
13. You know that this is the only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it (like, try .Mexico . . . Yor . . . .,...Hampshire - doesn't work, does it?)
14.. You don't think "What exit" is very funny.
15. You know that people from the 609 area code are "a little "different".
16. You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton - that's for out-of-staters.
17. The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar.
18. You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls.
19. You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.
20. Every year, you had a least one kid in your class named Tony, Joey, or Johnny.
21. You know the location of every clip shown in the Sopranos opening credits.
22. You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.
23. You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights, and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood. It can be no other way.
24. You were not raised in New Jersey. You were raised in either North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey.
25. You don't consider Newark or Camden to actually be part of the state.
26. You remember the stores Korvette's, Two Guys, Rickel's, Channel, Bamburger's and Orbach's.
27. You've had a Boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries and/or Boardwalk sausage with peopers and onions and a fresh squezzed lemonade.
28. You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February.
29. When you say you're going to Englishtown you mean you're going to the flea market, not the town.
And finally...
30. You NEVER, NEVER pump your own gas. (we're not allowed to).

Thursday, October 23, 2008

In Sickness and In Health

I never planned on letting 4 days go by between blogs, but I have a good excuse. I had an unplanned trip to the ER on Tuesday afternoon and just was released today. (Have you ever been transported to the hospital by ambulance? If not, give it a try, especially if you like to make a grand entrance; arriving by ambulance gets you much more immediate attention than just walking in on your own power, no matter how much you're moaning. Being wheeled in on a stretcher surrounded by a few EMTs/paramedics is so much more dramatic). Anyway, after being poked, prodded, x-rayed, cat-scanned, and ultra-sounded, it was determined that my problem probably can be controlled by medication. I was very pleased with that decision, as the word "surgery" had come up more than a few times during my stay.

How your partner handles your illnesses can tell you alot about them. For those of you who may be thinking of marriage, get yourself sick for a few days, even better, get hospitalized (nothing serious, please) and watch how your partner behaves. When I say get hospitalized, vanity surgery, ie. facelift, implants, etc. doesn't count. Must be something you didn't want.

I was married to my ex when I was diagnosed with breast cancer the second time. Let me tell you, if I wasn't thinking of leaving him before that, this experience helped me make up my mind. I'll just give you one example of something a loving partner SHOULDN'T do. I initially was in the hospital for almost two weeks (had some complications) and my husband had never spoken once to the doctor directly. The doctor kept telling me that he was available any time if my ex had any questions. Well, Sunday afternoon the ex was there as well as my bro and sis-in-law. My ex's Sunday ritual was to do the NY Times crossword puzzle, so he was doing the puzzle when the doctor stopped in. The doctor asked my husband if he had any questions, and the ex replied: "Yeah, what's a 9 letter word for enemy?" You'd think he was joking, but he wasn't. The doctor laughed weakly and asked if he had any other questions, which he didn't. I actually can laugh about this now, but it's obviously a moment I'll never forget.



This was my first hospitalization since I've been married to the LSH. It was a totally different experience. He stayed with me, except when I sent him home to take care of the dog. Believe me, it can be torture just sitting bedside and waiting. He was with me during every test. At least, I could fall asleep. But he never complained and was constantly fixing up my bed, making sure I was comfortable. He also brought me a pic of my baby, my sheepdog, Bailey, to watch over me.



So, observe your SO next time you're sick, even if you're just home in bed with a bad cold. How they respond/act is very telling.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Weekend End

Sunday night, just washed my hair, have the ALCS final game on. Go Rays!

I don't know what in the world got into me today, but I was motivated to do some major cleaning around the house today. Very unlike me. I actually steam cleaned all the floors!
LSH was out all day learning how to be a boat handler for the EMS. He's the captain of one of our town's First Aid Squads and the dive team is in need of handlers, so, good guy that he is, he took a class today.
Just 2 weeks ago, he spent his Saturday heading up the EMS command for an annual charity fundraiser, Timmy's Tour de Shore. People raise money by biking from Sandy Hook to, I think Long Branch. The event is in honor of a young boy who died a few years ago from a brain tumor and the money goes to childhood cancer research.
Anyway, yesterday I did my share of trying to help our economy by going shopping. I splurged and bought boots; they normally were $250, on sale for $150. What true bargain shopper could resist that? I was proud I saved $100. Of course, LSH says I could have saved $150 if I hadn't bought the boots in the first place. Men! They have no clue what's important in life.
Another work week looms ahead. Hope it's drama- free for all!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Pink Ribbon

I know we're already 1/2 way through October and it would be hard to find someone who doesn't know that it's Breast Cancer Awareness month. I think the Susan G. Komen organization and others have done a phenomenal job spreading the word and becoming one of the top charities in the world.
As a two-time breast cancer survivor, obviously this cause is near and dear to my heart. There are a few websites I'd like to tell you about that I particularly like. The first one is the Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon Shop. Breast Cancer has touched the lives of so many - it seems that everyone knows someone with breast cancer. By wearing PinkRibbonShop.com merchandise, you are helping to spread the word and increase awareness about breast cancer. You are showing those you know with breast cancer that you care. You are also helping to support breast cancer research, because a portion of the proceeds from every item is donated to breast cancer organizations.
This next site is so cool. It's a virtual walk to raise funds for Stage IV breast cancer patients. Please check it out and if you want to join me, my team is called "Kathy's Crew." The website will explain it all. It costs as little as $5 to join and the only thing you need to exercise are your fingers. Please check it out: Gal to Gal Virtual Walk. You guys are invited too!!
And, last, but not least, ladies:

DON'T DELAY GETTING YOUR
MAMMOGRAMS!

It can save your life. It did for me.

Friday, October 17, 2008

TGIF

It's Friday night and I'm beat, as usual. There's GOT to be a better way! God, when I was young and single, Friday night was the night to go clubbing and dancing with my friends. Now, it's a good night if I'm still up at 10PM. Especially now that there's no more baseball to watch. (I know that there are still a few teams playing, but I don't get any enjoyment watching them. I'm a National League fan all the way, but I'm going to be rooting either for Tampa or Boston to sweep the Phils; hope it's Tampa).
To any of my family and friends who have tried to leave a comment, but were blocked, I apologize. I had the blog accidentally set up to only allow comments from other bloggers on this site. It's fixed now, so I hope you're still stopping by and feel free to comment anytime.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sleepy Time Gal

I haven't been feeling up to par for awhile.....no energy at all, just very, very tired. So the doctor sent me for a sleep study at the local hospital Tuesday night.

The hospital had sent me a brochure, telling about what to expect and saying the bedrooms were especially decorated to make you feel like home and not in a hospital. I don't know about you, but putting a bedspread on a hospital bed didn't make me feel at home. The best thing about the room was that it had a nice flat screen tv.

Got there, put my pjs on and spent 45 minutes while the technician applied all these electrodes on my head, face, chest and ankles. Then added these two belts above and over my abdomen. Now, these all had wires that were inserted into this box which had a cable which was inserted into another box which transmitted information to a computer. Trying to sleep without getting tangled up in all these wires is not the easiest thing to do. Then, as usual, I woke up around 2AM to use the bathroom. I had to call the technician to unhook me from all these monitoring devices just so I could go.

It was a very strange experience. I mean, here I am in my sleepwear, sittiing on the bed, all alone with the male and he's putting these things all over my body. There weren't any other hospital staff around. I mean, when I go to most male doctors now, they normally make sure there is another female in the room to protect themselves from being accused of improprieties and here I am with this strange man in a bedroom setting and no one else around.

I haven't heard about if, and what, they found. I doubt very much. I was very happy to be home in my own bed last night.

Let's Try This One More Time

Hopefully, the Blog Gods will be good to me and let me send this one.

Monday was our 7th wedding anniversary. I admit Mike isn't my first husband, but he IS my favorite. Normally when I refer to Mike in emails and sometimes in introductions, I refer to him as my LSH, meaning "long suffering husband." You'll probably get to understand why I call him that as I tell more in future blogs.

We had reservations at 7PM at the place where we were married. It's a great restaurant on the Navesink River called the Salt Creek Grille. We were married outside at 5PM and Mother Nature rewarded us with an amazing sunset.

Now LSH isn't normally the type to pace around looking at his watch if I'm running a little late, but he was very hyper this night. He kept saying "but our reservations are for 7PM; we're gonna be late." I replied that it was Monday night and there would be plenty of tables. Then I added "You're acting like we're meeting people." We walked into the restaurant and I spot our best man, Dave, & his wife, Patty, who we don't get to see very often. After some hugs, I jokingly said "What, you didn't invite Candy (my best friend and maid of honor)? Just as I finished my sentence, who walks in the door but Candy! What a great surprise. At the table, there was a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers for me and 2 smaller ones for Patty & Candy. We drank champagne, ate too much and had a lot of laughs. We topped off our meal with the SCG's famous Chocolate Souffle. I overindulged that night, but it was worth it.

I found out that Mike had contacted them in August to make sure they would be available. Isn't he the best?!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I'm Not Happy Right Now

I just spent 45 minutes writing a post and when I pressed the publish button, I got a error message and it doesn't look like it got saved, although I had saved it.

How often does this happen????

So this is my post for Wednesday, just to let anyone who might be reading this, that I haven't abandoned my blog already.

As Scarlett O'Hara said "After all, tomorrow IS another day."

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Jersey Girl

As you can see, my blog title is "Forever A Jersey Girl."
I was raised and I live in Jersey (true, I was born in Rockville Centre, NY and lived in Valley Stream for awhile, but we moved when I was 4, so I don't think it counts).


Dictionary.com's definition of girl is:

1. a female child, from birth to full growth. I pass the test on this one.

2. a young, immature woman, esp. formerly, an unmarried one. Well, I've definitely been called immature, but I' m married and young wouldn't be the first word people would use to describe me.

3. a daughter: My wife and I have two girls. Ok here, I am someone's daughter.

I guess the issue might be with definition #2. Physically, my body is not young. I'm old enough to have a Jersey girl myself (hell, I'm old enough to have a Jersey granddaughter!) But, I tell myself, being a Jersey girl is a state of mind.

Now, why would I care about this? After all, being considered a Jersey girl often doesn't warrant a lot of respect.

"What's the difference between trash and a Jersey girl?"

At least trash gets picked up once in awhile.

Now you might think I'd take offense to that "joke." But, actually, my reaction is completely the opposite. I want to say "thank you" to the genius who thought that one up. I mean, what do you think of if guy says "Yeah, I "picked up" this babe last night." You're thinking "wow, he got lucky and she's a tramp." So, I take no offense to this joke at all.

How many other states are famous for their girls? (Okay, California, but that's a whole other subject). Would Tom Waits write a song about Illinois or Missouri girls? Just doesn't have the same panache, so to speak.
Where I get in trouble with my fellow Jersey girls is my strict geographical qualifier to be a true Jersey girl. You MUST live in a coastal NJ county from Monmouth south. Going "down the shore" to the rental you share in Belmar with a few dozen people (most of whom you don't even know) & hanging at Bar A or The Osprey (is that even there anymore?) does not make you a Jersey girl. My sisters in North Jersy will fight me on this, but Jersey girl is synonymous with the beach. Just visiting doesn't count.

So, here's to all Jersey Girls, whatever age you may be. See you on the boardwalk.


b

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Under Construction

Okay. I'm a little nervous. I've never done this before. Blog, I mean. As you can see, I haven't finished setting up my page; I haven't finished completing all my personal info. I don't know how you do half the things you need to do on a blog, like show links to websites, post pix, and what the heck is a favicon?
Writing a blog is like talking to yourself (which I do all the time; yes, out loud). You're saying things that you think and feel, but no one is really listening. But, so what? I feel better for saying it.
I've been looking at a lot of the other blogs and I don't see how I'm going to compete. So, if by some chance, someone is out there taking the time to read this, please bear with me. This may not turn out to be the prettiest blog on the internet, but it's all mine.