Yo!

Lord, it's been AGES since I've written. I almost feel guilty. Where do I begin? I'll start with today...frickin' AWESOME day, man! Bill & I went to Alfred's reception at the Knapp gallery in Old City - his artwork is absolutely amazing. What an honor it was to be there. Then Bill & I walked around Old City for a while and ate at Nick's Roast Beef (yum!) where we got to see my boy (Cliff Lee) hit a HOMERUN! Shame they didn't win the game though. Then we drove to Dom & Ali's so I could record a couple of songs. We had a fabulous time, laughed our asses off, and actually got the recording done (thanks to Dom and his genius talent!).
Still working at D&Z - super busy and somewhat stressful at times, but I work with a great group of ladies.
Had a fabulous 4th of July hangin' out with Nadina, Colin and a bunch of our friends. Saw the concert up close, thanks to Ray, danced my ass off, got on the news, met Michael McDonald, and had the perfect spot for the fireworks.
Last night I drove to Bethlehem to see The Machine (Pink Floyd tribute band) with Gene...wow...what a fun time (and the band was pretty damn good as well).
I live a charmed life, don't I? Hopefully it won't be another month before I write again...

Mauch Chunk Adventures...

...otherwise known as Jim Thorpe. Went Tues thru Fri with Mom & Tree, and had a frickin' blast! We stayed at the Canalside Guest House, owned by the Mann family - great, great, great people! Rod, Jen, Shaun, Jimmy and the pets are so much fun to be around. We feel so at home when we're there, and that they are our friends, not just "inn keepers."
If you haven't visited this old town, it's really worth the 75 minute drive. The people are super friendly and there are so many fantastic restaurants and shops and cool/historic things to do. Got to hang out with someone I met about a month & a half ago and he really made the trip that much more enjoyable.
We hiked Glen Onoko one day (mom was a bad ass!) - absolutely beautiful, and paddled a raft 18 miles down the Lehigh River another day. We ate our faces off (omg the food is amazing there) and got to experience the local karaoke...quite an experience. Everyone we talked to (shop owners, waitstaff and managers, locals, river guides) was incredibly nice and interesting. One of my greatest pleasures in life is meeting new people.
My new petsitter is a keeper, too! She made everything so easy for me and really put my mind at ease by taking such great care of my boys.
One 'bad' part of our trip was when the call came yesterday morning that my brother in law, Roy, was being taken to the hospital. He collapsed at work and they're doing tests to find out what's wrong (say some prayers, will ya?).
So overall, a fabulous trip, and so far a fantastic weekend...I'm a lucky girl...

Work, PPA, Good Times...

In about that order...
Went back to D&Z on a temp assignment. So far so good, and it was SOOOOOOOO nice to see my friends...what a warm welcome back I received! My 1st day back, however, I had to leave to go to the evil Philadelphia Parking Authority for an appeal of 2 tickets I got last year. I had pictures, etc., but the 'appeal' was a joke. Basically this douchebag of a hearing officer ignored my evidence and said there was nothing I could do but take it one step further to common pleas. Ok, I'll do it...wait, what? It's $189 to take it to common pleas and it's non-refundable? It think not...not for $107 in tickets. Mothereffers!! It's such a racket...my sponsor said I should do a 4th step on the PPA, but I think I want to continue despising them for now!!  LOL!
So the 1st 2 days of work were good...I'm doing payroll/billing/etc. and the people I'm working with are awesome! I think I'll enjoy this more than my last temp gig there.
Last night I got to hang out with some really great people and got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while...a fantastic way to start the weekend! I really love my life...and to quote my girl Christin: "I'm so happy right now!"  :-)

Heads Up

Not much to say today (except boring crap), so I'll give y'all a little heads up. I was in an accident on May 23rd (not serious). The other driver was at fault and there was minimal damage to my car. Several days ago, I got a call from a victims rights organization, warning me that because I was in an accident in Philadelphia, that I would be getting a bunch of calls from 'doctors' offices offering me 'free' services. At first I was skeptical of this group, but I'm so glad I talked to them. I've been INUNDATED with calls from these creeps! So frickin' shady, man. So this is how it works: if you're in an accident in Philadelphia and file a police report, the report goes to the 'roundhouse' (Victims Rights: "Are you familiar with it"; Kathleen: "Um, yes, unfortunately I am") and then it goes to city hall and becomes part of public record. So these creeps can call anyone who was in an accident and harrass them. The report said noone was hurt, but I guess they don't care. I didn't answer any of the calls (except one, who I promptly hung up on after hearing "we can offer you free medical..."), but they were incessant!
So beware, my friends...and be safe!

What Bike Race?

Hola. Jeez, another week has gone by, right? I really need to get on finding an internet provider so I don't have to come to Saxbys...
The past several days have been fab! Got to hang out with Pat & Suzy Wednesday night and had a fantastic time! There's this guy, Matt, who does acoustic songs at Bourbon Blue starting at 9pm...check him out...he's really good!  Had the parents and Tree & the kids over for burgers, dogs, etc. Thursday night. I was running around like a nut preparing, but we had a great dinner and a great time! 'Little' Roy spend the night, all day & night with me Friday, and stayed over again Friday night. Man, that kid is a gem. He was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. He's a fantastic raconteur, and has an incredible imagination. We had a blast. I had to sleep in my guest room Friday night, though, because my face and his feet don't get along too well!  I talked to his big sister a couple of times and she seems to be doing better, but time will only tell if she will remain clean and start doing what she's supposed to be doing.
Saturday afternoon I spent at Rich & Em's for the annual Alex's Lemonade Stand. It was a great day and there was a good turnout. Wound up hanging out with the Lamberts til the bitter end and then grabbing hibachi at Fuji...wow...so good and so fun! I love hanging out with them...they're really amazing and super funny to watch.
Sunday was the infamous bike race. I had a stellar day despite that fact. Walked up Green Lane to catch a ride with Daisy and we picked up Debi and met Erin & Nadina & Colin for brunch at the Trolley Car. It was really nice to get out of town and hang out with these amazing ladies...lots of laughs, great conversation, and great food!  Hung out with Debi for a bit before trecking home through a few drunks to feed Jack. Then went to Dom & Ali's to hang out with the fam for a few hours...what a GREAT time! He has such a nice warm, and hospitable family. His boys are adorable too. So I didn't have to 'suffer' in Manayunk on Sunday! I'm so lucky to have such great friends...tru dat.
Dad & I went to Nadina's for a while today and I got some one-on-one time with Colin...what a good boy...and SO adorable! Then I got some real quality time with dad at the HJ for lunch. I cherish this time I get to spend with him.
And tonight? Going to watch my boy Cliff pitch with Suzy...should be a fun evening.
Do I have the life or what???!! Tomorrow may be a different story, but right now I'm feeling pretty damn blessed...

Holy $#!&!

Wow...so my prayers worked! I asked that my dad would get better at asking his kids for help, and he called me this morning and asked me to help him! Whoohoo! I know how hard it must have been for him, but I am soooooo relieved that he knows he can depend on me (us) for help.
I'm sitting here at Starbucks on South Street trying to get some research done, and enjoying the a/c and the sites! Life is good...I really have it good, man.
I learned/confirmed last night that I still have some 'work' to do on myself as far a a couple of ex-'boyfriends' - I've been holding on to resentments against them and I know it will jam me up if I don't do something about it. I want to continue getting better and happier, so I know this has to be done.
Got a bunch of stuff to look forward to this week: chaperoning my niece Christiane's class trip tomorrow; dinner with a few friends; making my special burgers for the family Thursday night...and of course there's a bit of 'work' throw in there a couple of times. Then the weekend...! Rock on!

Happy Memorial Day...

Well, it's been a really great weekend, with some twists. I feel like I'm in a strange place, but I'm ok. I helped my parents with some yard work (really got a good workout), but my dad finds it hard to ask for help, and he's pretty stubborn and wants to do alot of things himself. It makes me so sad because he's in pain ALL OF THE TIME and I get frustrated that he won't ask for help. Out of my control though, ya know? I just have to try to be persistent in my offering to help.
Another bit of frustrating news...found out that my niece relapsed and left the Salvation Army. She had only 5 weeks until graduation and she f#$%^#ed the whole thing up...and for what??!! A needle and seeming relief from her oh-so-hard life. Such bullshit. I'm sick about it but I've talked (and yelled a bit) to her and it's really important that she knows I'm not giving up on her. I'm trying to talk to her not as her aunt, but as someone in recovery who knows how important a little bit of hope can be. I told her to make a gratitude list every day and read from the 'big book', even if it's only a page a day.
On to more pleasant things...Daisy's birthday party was a rousing success...we had a blast! And the look on her face when she opened 'the gift' was TOTALLY worth it!! Great people...great times.
6809 picnic was fun, and Jack ate lots of good stuff (and some vanilla icecream!). Hung out with Suzy afterwards and had so much fun!
Movies today and a bit of shopping...I really do lead a charmed life and am so grateful for my friends and family.
Ok, I don't want to spend the rest of my afternoon in a coffee shop, so I'm off. Talk soon...