slo’s Neighborhood

Well, it has been an interesting two weeks around this place, that's for sure. I seem to have gotten into the habit of the bulleted post again. Maybe this would be a good point to stop that and just use the standard paragraph. I think I could make that work. First, I'd like to say I hope you all had a wonderful and Merry Christmas. I know there were a few neighbors who experienced some really tragic things and to them, I would like to send out an especially warm (((HUG))) and hope that they can find peace.

Christmas time is also the time that my employer is doing it's maintenance shutdown work. Which means that I ended up working a whole lot just before and right after Christmas. Before Christmas I was setting up projects, making sure that everything was lined up for all the projects we have scheduled to complete. Someone has to help allocate money, people and line up parts for the work. Not to mention all the risk assessment stuff we've been doing lately. After Christmas is the one week period where we have to get all of the actual work completed. So this weekend has been one of hustle and bustle. Tracking project timelines, adjusting schedules and prioritizing work. There is always more work to be done than we can do, so it's a matter of starting with the high priority stuff and working down.

Good news to all the working is that every day worked is paid as triple time, plant holiday pay plus double time. In my case, I have the option to defer the holiday pay and take it as another paid day off later in the year. That means by working this week, I will add another week to my vacation and still make double time doing so. Awesome end to the year. Woohoo. But, in the middle of all that, I needed to shop for Christmas, pay all the year end bills, clean the house, do the baking and cooking adn everythign else. Whew. I made probably upwards of a gross of cookies and still haven't gotten the sugar cookies, the macaroons and the gingerbread stuff out of the fridge. I made the doughs up Christmas Eve, so tonight, the cookies get baked. I'll have pictures to share hopefully soon.

Got the new freezer, but still haven't gotten its new home set yet. The laundry room needs a thorough cleaning before it goes in there. until then, it's still in the corner of the Lego room. And no, I didn't buy that semi truck load of bricks. It's amazing what temptations having money sitting in the bank will bring. Even though I know it's supposed to go for paying bills, I still wanted to buy that stuff. Shame on me. Instead, bills will be paid and paid off. The New year will come in with much less debt than this year had. Almost every credit card will be paid in full too. Now that's a great accomplishment. Of course, knowing the credit card companies, they will lower my limits and/or cancel the accounts which, instead of helping my credit with no balances, will screw it up with closed accounts. Did I mention that I hate credit card companies? Yeah. I do. Like a dog hates a vaccuum cleaner.

Besides all that running around and going crazy, it's been pretty quiet actually, except for the huge piles of snow everywhere. Like Springtime in Chicago, only here in Kansas City. People here have a hard time driving in snow too. Maybe it's just me, but there are a lot of people in the ditch lately. Slow down and increase your distance between you. Seriously folks. Just do it. Or better yet, stay home. There, I feel better now. Alrighty, clock says it's time to go, there's an oven with my name on it, just waiting to bake some more cookies. In case I get tied up before the end of the year, I wanted to wish for every one of you to have a wonderful and happy New Year. Keep your underwear on and remain in the (semi?) upright position, at least if you are going to be out in public. Peace, Joy and Hope for the new year.

It might not be in the holiday spirit, but we want to know anyway: What's the best present you received this year?

See this post.

Apparently my daughter has a hidden talent:  "What goes ha ha, thud?  Laughing your head off."

I don't know how I missed the fact that Oral Roberts died last week.  I mostly know the televangelist from the controversy that occurred in 1987 when Roberts revealed that Jesus was holding him for ransom.  During a fundraising drive, he stated that if he didn't raise $8 million by March, God would "call him home."  People laughed, but Roberts raised the money and didn't die, thereby proving that he was right.

Oral Roberts