Pity Party Being Planned

Almost missed the hummingbird outside of the kitchen window. Saw this movement out of the corner of my eye...what a huge bug...then I focused. It was a green hummingbird hovering at a bush that has no flowers on it. What could it have been feeding on?

Almost missed Michelle Obama's speech, (click on the words for the video) as well. You know it...I was at work and got home just in time to catch the end of her brother's introduction. Loved the look. She did a great job in trying to reassure folks that she and Barrack were cut from the same American cloth. But will it go down as the speech for the ages? Not. The orator in the family is hubby, Obama. However, she held her own and put the critics, who doubted her ability to address such a large crowd, to shame with an almost flawless performance. The kids with the mike were cute...stole his thunder. I admire the patience they show with the munchkins. I would have been snatching the mike and beating them to death. The pundits on Fox--why was I on that channel--split in their assessment of the effectiveness of her speech. The surprise for me was the praise coming from the harshest Black critic alive--Juan Williams. He floored me with his comments. I was truly expecting him to rip her apart. There may be some hope for him after all.

And why is there surprise and shock that someone has been caught with all the necessary paraphernalia to assassinate Obama? Or that it is being dismissed "as not a credible threat." Isn't that the fear that most Black Americans have lived with since the day he announced his candidacy? The more things change--the more they stay the same.

Don't you just love the way that the news people, particularly FOX people, just close down the interview when the person doesn't say what they want to hear? "We're out of time."

Rolled the lawnmower from the shop to the house. It's only three blocks away. Have a very ugly bruise on my thigh from trying to lift it into the trunk so I wasn't trying to lift it again. Got there shortly after they opened. Didn't want the whole county to see me rolling a lawnmower through town square. No, the young man didn't show to mow the lawn. Saw the fellow that does the lawn next door on Saturday and told him that I might need to call him. Sunday afternoon, I heard him moving his mower. By the time I got to the door, he was gone. So, once the lawn dries some--excuse me, we've gone from lawn to field--I'll try to get it done. Had a much needed downpour last night so things are a mite soggy.

Well, that didn't work. Talking about frustration city. Started to have a real pity party. Everything is broken or breaking. Am I repeating myself? Had great plans for these two days off. Mow and paint. In that order. Have spent the day trying the mower intermittently. Saw my neighbor and got the phone number for her person. His line rings busy, busy, busy. On to the paint job. I am so very tired of seeing that grimy mudroom, back porch, whatever you want to call it, with the chewed up linoleum. Aaargh. Locate the Kilz. It's lumpy but I am going to make it work. Get started. If the dogs have to sleep out tonight, so be it.

And how's the training going? Not organized. At all. Due in large measure to my scheduled hours, interruptions, you name it. When I come in, my daily tasks have been done. Which means that I will never learn. Don't even think it. My trainer will be off on this weekend and I will have to run reports and finalize payroll. Now, you that those functions have been done or are underway when I come in at 7 on Sat. mornings. Racing through instructions. Zip, zip, zip. Okay...I've fumbled around in the system enough to understand the different screens and I've located the instructions for completing a lot of the functions that I am expected to know. You know I do not give up easily and definitely am not giving up any reasons to be thought incompetent. I like not busting boxes.

I really understand the frustration that my predecessor felt. He saw the actions in a different light, however, believing that she wanted to be his supervisor. I see it for what it is...she's the shining star. If you give up too much information, there's the possibility that your light might dim. Accepted. Say a prayer for her, however. She's going through a bad divorce after 20+years of marriage. Needed a better lawyer. Somebody whose name ended in "stein."

Well, I'm set to watch the second night of the convention. Repairman is scheduled to fix the refrigerator in the morning. Will he show? We'll see.