Facie’s Ramblings

I learned two lessons in a three-day period. Except I already had "learned" those lessons before; I just chose to ignore conventional wisdom. Or, to put it more bluntly, I did two stupid things. First stupid thing On Thursday morning, I had a dentist appointment, followed very closely by a gynecologist's appointment. Like the majority of women, getting on the scale is one of the most dreaded parts of the appointment (I will let you figure out which part is the most dreaded). About four years ago, I had gained about five or six pounds over a several-month period. Within a month of getting laid off, I had managed to drop that weight. Other than an additional, stress-induced weight loss, and a couple of gained-back pounds, it seemed as if the original five pounds might be gone to stay. Except something happened this past fall during which time I ate more than I normally did. Having seconds became the norm. Working and volunteering in an elementary school do not help. And ...

There is no one thing at the top of my noodle, so here are some random ramblings about things I should probably know more about than I do. I keep vacillating about privatizing the state liquor stores . PA is one of the few (maybe two?) states that operates this way. The prices are high. The selection is minimal, though for someone like me whose buying consists of one box/cube of margaritas every month, I don't notice it as much (well, I have noticed that my usual brand has been MIA the last two times). And the service I have received at my local store is rather lacking. For those reasons, I have supported privatization for years. Yet now that it seems as if we are getting closer, I can't help but think that a year or two after the state gets the initial windfall from selling off the licenses (which you just know will be spent ASAP), PA will be in really bad shape. Won't the state be missing that revenue that comes for all the sales? I don't think the sales tax will b...

To quote a 10,000 Maniacs song above, lately the weather has been freaking me out . I cannot believe the death and destruction in this country as a result of tornadoes and floods. It is jaw-dropping to see pictures of neighborhoods that have been leveled. And it is so sad to think about the lives lost, many of whom went to bed the night before as they always do, never to awaken again. Wow. Two nights ago, while lying in bed, I listened to the wind howling. A few times I closed my eyes tight, hoping the roof would not lift off. My heart was pounding, and I was praying that one of the tall trees in our backyard would not come crashing through the roof (or our year-old windows, for that matter). Fortunately, when I walked around the house the next morning, the only thing I noticed was about a dozen tree branches scattered throughout the yard and our ladder that blew off the side of the house (really wish Brian would put that thing away!). Then last night, after going to bad happy that...

Well, another Penguins season has come to a close. What can I say? A few things, actually. Considering the injuries to players, most notably Sidney Crosby, who is arguably the best hockey player in the word, you have to tip your hat to the Pens for making it to Game 7 of the first round. When you are without Crosby and Malkin, the fact that you can win more games than lose (until this series, anyway) really shows that the others stepped up. Kudos and rah-rahs aside, when your team has a 3 to 1 series edge, it is almost inexcusable to go out and lose the next three games and ultimately the series. That is a tough pill to swallow. They needed to win only one of their last three. How could they not do it?! Last night, the Bolts scored only one goal, and the Pens could never get on the board. The Pens definitely played hard; they played their hearts out, which made it all the more frustrating. But if you can't score a single goal in a Game 7, well, you just don't deserve to win...

I spent most of the day yesterday watching various 9/11 programs on the History Channel. Some I had seen last year, one probably a few years ago, and at least one was new to me. As gripping and harrowing as they were, by 11 p.m., I had, quite simply, OD'ed on 9/11. So tonight I want to think about things that have made me smile the past few days. My family (most especially Jordan and Brian), relatives, and friends make me happy so much more often than not, but I decided not to include them in this list. Not surprisingly, since it is September, quite a few of my happy thoughts revolve around football. :-) Football season. Every year I expect the Steelers to make it to the playoffs, and much more often than not, they don't disappoint. Even though I can't say with a lot of confidence that the Black 'n' Gold will get there this year, there is something exciting about the first game of the season (and, during this unusual year, seeing what a relatively new QB can do)...

We have had our new windows for a couple of months, and I am happy to report that we are very satisfied. I really think it has cut down on the outside noise and has kept the house cooler (and warmer, for those few cold days we had in May and/or June). I hope we are still happy years down the road. But I also hope that we are no longer in this house in another seven years! Which brings me to our next house project: the bathtub. I am assuming it is the original (our house is about 60 years old) or at least very old. The porcelain finish is long gone, though in all fairness, I have to bear some or most of the responsibility for this since I clean the tub with harsh/abrasive cleaners every two to three weeks because it gets so stained (strangely, on the off weeks, I use Simple Green). Our tile is also a mess. Brian replaced some of it a few years ago, but that did not work out so well. Apparently, there are several shades of white, and he ended up buying tile in a different shade without...

Ah, home-ownership. Can someone please remind me what is so great about it? We are estimating our roof is about 30 years old. Our windows are a little older than that. Their old age and condition combined with the crazy snow we had this winter pretty much leaves us no choice but to replace both. When you are under-employed, the thought of spending this kind of money is painful. Well, the price tag would be tough to swallow even if both of us were working full time. When we put our house on the market three summers ago (and then again two summers ago), we knew the windows would be a detriment. Most of them are foggy, having gotten moisture in them some time ago. And when we bought our house eight years ago, the inspector said we should probably replace our roof within a few years. I know I was happy that the furnace guy did not fall through the roof this week when he was putting a cap on (although he did say it was pretty spongy)! So it's time. Because we have been dutifu...