Nysie's News A Year of Doing Nothing?

Catch A Glimpse Of The Space Station

2009-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Have you heard? This month (weather permitting) you can see the International Space Station with the naked eye! How cool is that? The action starts this weekend! Here is a link to the page on Nasa Science News where you can click on your state, find your city, and get a timetable on what time of day it will be passing through your area.

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States

In some locations on certain dates it will be visible four times in one day! The time table also tells you how long it will be visible in the sky, as well as the degree of elevation. So, if weather doesn't work in your favor one day there will be plenty of others for the next couple of weeks when it may.

For those of you who want to read the article about why we can see the Space Station so clearly right now check out this link from Nasa Science News...

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/03jul_sightings.htm?list1323969

I hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend! Come back soon for a silly little ditty I'll be posting in the next few days. I'm sure it'll at least make you smile if not laugh out loud. Also, thanks to all of you who posted your thoughts of encouragement and support after my last posting.

Bait and Switch, Part I

2009-06-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Bait and Switch...You think about it when it comes to used car salesmen, or ads for one thing and when you get to the store the sales person tries to sell you something else, something more expensive than the item in the ad. But, how many of you think about it when it comes to spouses?

I guess some of us are a lot more luckier than others when it comes to choosing spouses. Maybe some of you took more time in choosing your one and only to the point you really knew he or she was the one when you walked down the aisle. Others knew in an instant this was the man or woman you had been waiting for your entire life. Then there are people like me who think "this is the one", only to discover somewhere along the line that your dream man is instead a nightmare from hell. After that it is all a matter of how much you are willing to put up with before you finally decide you've had enough and you walk out.

Sometimes being an eternal optimist isn't quite what it is cracked up to be. You think things will work out. You think people will change, or won't change, or that the change you see in them is only a temporary one. Then one day you finally realize you've been taken for a ride, that the person you are married to only pretended to be a certain way until you took the bait, and as soon as you fell, hook, line, and sinker, this person begins reverting back to his or or same old self. The only thing is you never knew that "same old self" during the courting days. You only saw the best side. Now you're seeing the worst side, and everyday it gets worse. Is it that I am so unbending, or has the wool been pulled over my eyes once again?

I can't believe I fell for all the "poor me" lines. I should have known better. It wasn't his fault he was flat broke. It was always someone elses fault. He got cheated out of money he claims was rightfully his. According to him she "cooked" the books and stole all his money. Now I'm sure he is telling everyone in town I did the same thing. Funny thing is I went up there with more money than I'd ever had at any point in my life, and five years later I left penniless. Not only that, but he's making it virtually impossible for me to retrieve the vast majority of the belongings I brought with me.

In retrospect, had I had any sense at all, I should have walked out the day after we got married. Back then I blamed his behavior on the intensity of the fishing season. I was upset because his friends came into OUR house and treated it as if it were their own with no regard for me whatsoever. He explained to me his friends were used to coming in and taking over while they were there. I told him now that I'm living there that they should have more consideration of me since I was his wife. He basically told me I was being too sensitive. Although, when I think back on it now, there were earlier signs I blew off that I should not have. Live and learn...the hard way.

Graduations, Birthdays, and Fathers' Day

2009-06-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year once again where children of all ages are graduating from all sorts of institutions around the country, and lots of people are celebrating birthdays, and don't forget Fathers' Day is just around the corner.

One of my brother's friends just celebrated a milestone, birthday #60, and his daughter graduated kindergarten the next day. Another couple my brother knows celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. Their son graduated high school a week ago, and their daughter graduates from UC Santa Cruz on Sunday. Talk about life changes!

I attended the party for Zach's high school graduation. It was a simple, buffet, for close friends and family, just six of us including the Graduate. Mom was able to find a caterer at the last minute to make up three large trays of all sorts of delicious and unpronounceable (to me) goodies, a lot of Middle Eastern stuff. A great time was had by all.

I enjoyed watching sister tease brother about dating college girls in the fall, and he whispered to her he was already dating a college girl. I laughed so hard when "big sister" then went into a rant that her little brother better be watching out for the types of college girls he's dating. She's now the expert and told him to beware of the college girls with the unsavory reputations! I'm being polite and not repeating her sisterly tirade, but it was hilarious to listen to her carry on.

Two weeks earlier my brother and I helped Zach's sister Taylor transport a trunk load of homemade food from Santa Cruz to her parents' home in San Francisco. She and her brother had planned a surprise party for their parent's 25th Wedding Anniversary, and Taylor's job was bringing the food. We arrived Saturday evening and kept Taylor and her friend Meg company while they worked on getting everything ready for the next day. There were chicken pieces to be skewered and marinated in a peanut sauce. There was already a pepper soup simmering on the stove. A cucumber and red onion salad was also prepared. Zach stayed in The City with plans to make an angelfood cake Sunday morning at a friend's house. We made the girls take a break for dinner at a little burger joint before finishing up for the night. Neue and I were both sound asleep by the time Taylor finally called it a night.

The next morning I was up early and walked to the local coffee shop for a mocha. I have to admit it's really nice to be able to walk to a place like that without it turning into a five mile hike! There are definite advantages to living in the city! When Neue woke up I walked back to the coffee shop to get him a cup of coffee. The girls had run out of coffee in the house the morning before. Meg showed up, the cars were packed, and we headed up to San Francisco. Zach's job for the morning was to give his parents' tickets to a movie, to get them out of the house so we could set up and be ready for them when they returned.

Taylor still needed to stop and get some cheeses, but every deli we went to was closed. After all, it was Sunday morning. As we drove through the narrow city streets I thought at first there was a long line of cars waiting to make a left hand turn at the corner. As we drove past them all Neue explained to me that on Sundays the church-goers are allowed to park in the center lane while attending church! Imagine that! Block, after block, after block of cars parked right in the middle of the street! We never did find an open deli, and Neue and I split from Taylor and Meg to get something to eat, so I have no idea where Taylor finally found her cheese. We caught back up with each other later and headed to the house to set up. By this time the parents should be at the movie theater.

Well, we got there and the parents' cars were still in the driveway. So much for our "big" surprise. Mom's back was acting up and she just couldn't sit through a movie, so they decided at the last minute not to go. They were still surprised to see all of us, and to watch all the food come in, and to be told their job was to simply sit down and relax. Mom was very surprised Taylor was able to keep the surprise a secret for so long. She quizzed us all about how much we knew and when we knew it. She just couldn't believe she never once caught on.

Tomorrow Taylor will graduate from college, and the family will hold yet another celebration. I'm not sure of the exact plans yet. At first there was going to be a party in Santa Cruz. Then I think I heard we'd all drive back up to San Francisco for the party. I guess I'll find out later today what will be going on. I do believe we'll caravan there.

Now, there's Neue's friend Joe, who just turned 60 a few days ago. His birthday celebration actually began a week earlier when two of his older sisters flew in from out of state to surprise him. Another sister who lives in Emeryville had already planned a small dinner for him with a few friends, so he was prepared for that. He was not prepared to see two of his sisters come walking out of the kitchen when he came through the door. The food, family, and hospitality were great!

During our dinner party one of Joe's sisters announced that his "estranged" would not be able to make it to the annual trip to the Russian river that weekend so Neue could now attend...and me too! The sisters were so excited Neue could go instead of having to spend the weekend with Joe's "estranged". Joe's daughter was also able to come with her daddy. A mutual friend owns a house on the river, and that was our destination.

What a wonderful weekend! Great weather! Fantastic company! The local youth park was having a carnival that weekend, and whenever there's a child in the mix the carnival is a must-see! So, Neue and I met everyone at the carnival. Nothing spectacular, like any little small-town event. A few rides, a small midway, a small crafts aisle, and of course lots of food and beer.

Saturday evening we all walked down to a neighbor's house for cocktails where we caught up with some other people we met at the carnival. Then we headed back to Dorothy's house for dinner. One of the men was in charge of grilling the chicken while the ladies worked on everything else. I found it easier to just stay out of the way of all the whirling dirvishes in the kitchen. Dessert for the evening was Joe's second birthday cake in almost as many days, complete with a candle that plays Happy Birthday when you light it.

Sunday, Joe was up and at it early, working on a couple of electrical projects for Dorothy. Brunch was planned for 11 a.m. with everyone from the night before getting together again on Dorothy's patio, plus a few more people who couldn't make it the night before. Joe and Neue worked long and hard at moving an exterior light to cast light on the stairs from her front patio, and then installing an new photo cell operated light over her garage. They were just about finished with those projects when one of Joe's sisters tried to get him to come up and be sociable. Oh well. She was polite about it, but you could hear the slight nagging tone. She later told me she thought it was rude how Joe kept on working while guests were arriving. Funny thing was Joe had just told me he was myopic and his friends understood that so he'd socialize when he finished his projects. Mainly, he was just trying to stay out of this particular sister's way.

Anyway, we all still had a great time. We had vegetarian frittatas for brunch. Interesting, and good. Joe's daughter had been lucky enough all weekend to have the company of two young girls to play with, and on Sunday also added a young boy to the mix for a while. So for the most parts, the munchkins all had a good time. The two little girls had to leave early on Sunday, so they didn't get to go down to the river, but later in the day Joe's daughter and the little boy went down with some of the other adults. Joe, Neue and I remained behind and the two of them worked on installing another light fixture for Dorothy's lower patio where all the barbecuing takes place.

There's one more birthday yet to celebrate, Neue's (aka Howard, or Ho). He will turn 64 on the 17th of this month. Originally, he and Joe wanted to have a combined celebration, calling it the Ho-Joe Birthday Party. However, even at this late date they are having difficulties finding a place to have it.

Adjusting To A New Life

2009-06-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

In my mind's eye I quit being a resident of Alaska on 2/1/09 when I ran away from home. Now I have a new home in a new location, though it is a temporary arrangement until I can get to a point where I can make it on my own.

I've decided I no longer wish to be an office worker. I spent too many years stuck behind a desk just to make a living and I told myself many years ago I'd never again work for anyone else in that capicity. So now I'm trying to capitalize on my other strong points to make a living. That means starting from square one, but I'd have to do that in the office world after such a long absence. Try putting together a resume when you haven't written one in over 20 years and all the companies you've worked for are no longer in existence or were bought out years ago by another company. Not easy!

I consider myself lucky to be living in an area where I can put my other skills to use. It's not easy, but I'm slowly making progress. I've discovered "word of mouth" is a wonderful thing. Over the course of the next few months I hope to put together a nice list of references so I can advertise my talents to others who won't be afraid to take a chance on an unknown.

More important than anything else is I am finally having fun again, connecting with people, and more relaxed than I have been in years. It is so nice to feel "normal" without having to take medication. It's nice to be able to get a good night's sleep on a regular basis. It's really nice to be able to come and go as I please without having to account for my whereabouts every minute of the day. There are a lot of nice things about my new life, but I'll stop here for the moment.

I'm expecting a phone call today from a woman I met last night about a part-time job. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I can use the money!

Denyse

I Am Alive And Well

2009-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I know many of you have been curious as to my goings-on since I first advised you of my new email address way back in January, the one with the word "Grandma" in it. First of all, let me apologize to everyone for not taking the time until now to fill you in on all the details. I chose the new email address in anticipation of the birth of my first granddaughter, Madeline Ann Marie Smith. She was born on March 16, 2009, weighing in at a whopping 6 lbs. 4 ounces, and with more hair than her daddy! This is Maddie just shortly after birth. She looks so peaceful.

Prior to Maddie's birth I left Alaska and once again reside in California, but a few of you already know that. Again, I apologize to everyone else for not taking the time to fill all of you in. I still haven't updated my email list, and I've also been bad about replying to some of your emails. To put it mildly, I have been busy with all sorts of things, including a two-week return to Alaska during the month of April to spend time with my son and his new family.

So, now I am back in California and starting my life over once again...certainly seems to be a recurring theme in my life, but I've done it before so I know I can do it again. This phoenix will rise from the ashes or die trying! Of course I could not have picked a better (worse) time to start over again, but I know I will find something eventually.

After having spent almost 5 years in Alaska I have to say that moving back to California is an interesting experience. Believe it or not, I think I actually missed all the noise and excitement of city life. More than that I missed the variety of foods and restaurants. I certainly missed all that blooms in this state, and all the aromas. I had someone ask me if I noticed all the smog and I have to say I did not notice it at all.

Alaska is a beautiful place, with beautiful scenery, and more bald eagles than a person can imagine. I would've loved to have stayed, but the circumstances just wouldn't allow it. At least I can say I gave it my best shot and I survived to tell the story.

I'll be posting more as the weeks and months go by so please save this site to your Favorites and check back often.

Denyse