Thursday, May 31, 2012

Weather geeks unite

Not that it'll do anything.  Most of you who read my vamp tales have realized by now I don't have much use for the weather 'forecasters'.  Bob Dale, since passed, used to get up in front of the weather map in his bow ties and tell what could happen.  What he also used to say was don't take his word for it but stick your head out the window and look before you left for work.  He didn't take himself too seriously.  Yet, he was informative.  Unlike the weather bimbos and himbos currently littering the airwaves (cable waves?). 

First off it seems necessary to be newly engaged and sporting a hunk of 'ice' at least 3 karats (who doesn't right?), second the gals have wardrobes straight off South Beach evening attire, third a lovely tan and finally the ability to giggle or cry on demand.  As for the ability to comprehend anything other than cue cards I am not so sure that's a job requirement.  In fact, I think they lose 'Barbie Doll Points' if they are able to do much more than that.  I've surfed the local channels and end up going to the weather channel on the eights or running amok on the Internet looking for satellite images and current charts. 

And no I'll admit that most of the Californian weather folks weren't any better on predicting patterns other than telling surfers to stay out of the ocean after rain fall - something they NEVER do here.  I guess Floridians don't get sick from toxic sludge run off and contamination.  Or it's their way of thinning the herd so they can pretend like those two foot waves are 'huge'.  I still snicker when I watch my neighbors run for the beach with their boards. 

Tomorrow is the official start of the 'hurricane season' and three weeks ago was the official start of the 'raining season'.  The news folks can't make up their minds if we are going to have a hurricane hit or we just are going to have a miserably hot summer.  Given it was 90 degrees yesterday I would think a bit of both probably up for grabs.  The local radio DJs make snide comments about how hurricanes are just marketing ploys for Home Depot and Lowes to sell out plywood and Publix and Winn-Dixie to empty the shelves of canned goods and water.  I'm not naive enough to think that hurricanes don't happen but I can't worry about it.  There is so much more to life than living in fear.  Things we can't change - we can't.  I do have some of the basics but I refuse to get hysterical about the possibilities.  And yes you all can remind me if one hits and I get upset.  But having grown up in the land of shake and bake (earthquakes and fires SoCal style) and living in Nevada and going through a blizzard white-out a time or two then add in the tornadoes I watched in Michigan maybe I am a tad jaded?

But at least the storms bring killer skies. 

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

May nearly faded

So this morning I am listening to 'easy listening music' so as to not offend the locals and not go mad having nothing to hear - and the gal says, "It's 8:31 and 81 degrees".  It struck me as odd.  It's only fricken half past eight am and it's already over 80 degrees.  AND it's only May.

Thunderstorms lining the horizon today as they did last night.  Don't know if I'll be able to log in with the storms coming but I will try to make the writer meeting.  Those slices of 'non normalacy' can keep me sane during the busy week.  And they have been busy. 

I did get to write this weekend.  I also got outside a bit between storms and was relatively unbothered by anyone.  A delightful weekend.  Made the walnut chicken recipe last night with some steamed sticky rice.  All in all the way I like my holidays to go.  Now back to the grind. 

Friday, May 25, 2012

I can see clearly now....

Yes, the rain is gone.  At least for now.  After ten or more days in a row of rain I was starting to wonder if I was supposed to be building a boat in my basement.  And yes, I do have a basement so it's not me being 'literary' or 'silly'.  Okay, I'll give you that I am silly.

Work has been madly chaotic.  Transitions all over with new folks coming into the company and old ones leaving.  My past supervisor when I first started here tendered her resignation Tuesday and is gone as of two or so hours ago.  The department director picked up a couple dozen bagels and a card was passed around.  That was it.  She'd been with the company over five years.  Completely odd to me.  The past few jobs I'd been in when I gave notice it was a big deal.  I had folks give me gifts and parties. 

Writing again.  I never really stop, my brain is constantly doing storylines and zigzag connections for what I want to get into my tale.  Oddly my current work up on Piker Press is about to catch up with actual hurricane season.  Who knows I may be getting some up close and personal experiences to clutter into the tale.  At some point I need to wrap up Jerry's little war and get back to the West Coast vampires.  Heaven only knows what troubles they've gotten into while I have kept my vamps on the East Coast.  Then there's that odd little tale I have a bucket of words in about "Good Morning" picture. 

Neighborhood has been slightly odd lately.  The party crowd that had been ruining my back commons area have kept it down to a reasonable sort but the other neighbor in the other half of that duplex has had the cops at her door at least three times I know about since Sunday.  Sunday when I was out watching a bad Johnny Depp movie (yes, Sand, I saw it but still liked it in that dark guilty pleasure sort of way) and having a late lunch with my gal pals there was an incident.  The neighbor has had homeless folks and a younger guy living with her.  Well the younger guy had a girlfriend when my neighbor decided he was perfect for her.  A month or two later the ex-girlfriend finally stalked them down.  Rocks through windows and mad screaming matches.  Slice of heaven huh?  Middle of Monday/Tuesday (around 1:30 am Tuesday morning) I saw more cops cars and she was yelling at cop who suggested she should kick the new boyfriend to the curb if she wanted to stop the drama.  Naturally she didn't.  So who knows what this long weekend will bring.  Hopefully writing time and some more rain!


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Something is off about me *grin*

Just got the tornado warning over the radio for the next half hour and immediately I had to log into the weather site and see where.  About two miles to four miles from where I live heading this direction.  I naturally checked my battery in my camera.  Seriously. 

But it's all grist for the mill of my brain.  I've seen a few tornadoes and didn't have a camera available to my regret.  I have images in my mind from horrid disasters I've witnessed and it would be nice to have picture proof.  Two of my coworkers pondered if they should hide under their desks. 

Yeah, I know.  I'm not normal.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Moon Madness

I liked the Super Moon the next morning more than the night of the moon.  It's been crazy lately.  Folks in traffic aiming for me and my car.  The drama and traumas with work and around the compound.  I wasn't there but I guess my one neighbor went a bit crazy on Saturday.  She has had a number of folks 'living' with her.  One is a guy who told a good friend of mine that she was his 'meal ticket'.  Yeah, lovely no?  Then another acquaintance who is mooching off her and sleeping outside on the couch in the small patio area that I have to walk by to get to the laundry room.  That wasn't a lovely slice of scenery Saturday morning.  A homeless lady going through withdrawals and her lizard like 'friend' sleeping on the air mattress in her living room.  So I guess it hit some sort of crisis over weekend and I haven't seen any of them. 

I was actually able to get outside and enjoy the backyard this weekend.  The landlord must have heard that I've been looking to move.  They didn't have a huge party on Sunday with a dozen people and half dozen kids so I was able to enjoy the yard and pool with my friends.  It was wonderful!  I'd picked up the ingredients to make Chinese food Sunday but we all ended up nibbling on veggies and fruit instead so last night I cooked.  I had forgot how tasty the dishes are.  I'll get the recipes up on Piker Press sooner or later.  But here's a snap.  Chicken with Walnuts and Chili Shrimp.  White rice and it was a meal.