HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hello Lovelies! Have you missed me?!! I know, I've missed you too. I hope each of you had a brilliant and fantastic Christmas/New Year or whatever holiday you may celebrate (if any). And are ready to rip the shit out of the new year!!

It's 2013 already, and midway through the first month. Can you believe it??? My Christmas was quite possibly the BEST one I have had in years. I was relaxed, calm, and not anxious and nervous at all - which was completely foreign but it was sheer bliss. My New Years was quiet, and spent in bed. No, it wasn't romantic...I was sick, and so was hubby. Kinda sucked actually.

HOWEVER, my youngest daughter got me the most wonderful spa day as a gift with her and my older daughter as a Christmas gift, so that was absolute heaven.

I've learned my Dad reads my blog entries from time to time (Hi Dad, if you're reading this one!!) so that's exciting. I've told my Dad that I'm writing a book, which was NERVE WRACKING. It's kind of like telling your Dad your pregnant or you know been arrested for possession. It is nerve wracking - you don't want your Dad to think (or anyone for that matter) that you're completely out to lunch, but you want them to be happy for you too. I think he is happy for me and knows what I'm getting into. We will see. I think it's going well...

Lots of exciting, anticipatory things on the horizon for me this year I think. I've got lots of good mojo brewing and feel really positive about the direction my life and writing is going. If ONLY I could get the hell out of this townhouse complex and move into my new house. But soon enough that will come and I will be excited about that.

Yes, I'm looking to move. A pain in the ass, but what a joy it is to find that 'perfect' house. I'm just in the starting stages of this planned move...figuring out what I'm looking for, where we want to be located, what we can afford, etc, etc. But I know the house of my dreams (for now) is out there, and we'll get something we really like. I would (honestly) rather stay where I am than settle for something that is "alright" and that I really am not in love or 'obsessed with' to use a more popular turn of phrase.

As I said before, I'm really breezing along in my writing, which to be honest is why I've been so woefully neglectful of you my dear readers, I do hope you will forgive but trust me when I say the ends will (hopefully) justify the means. But, only time will tell. I'd love to say I'll be done the first draft of my first book sometime this year -- but we'll see. That may be a little preemptive and early to say.

What else can I tell you? I've been spinning a lot of vinyl lately here at home. As I've said before I LOVE the crackle that comes over the speakers when the needle hits the vinyl. Sheer. Bliss. I gave Alan a bunch of albums for Christmas, and received a couple myself. Frickin' awesome.

 If you're looking for an awesome review of concerts, albums, and just general fucking kick ass music...check out tattoosandguyliner.com . These ladies are fantastic. You can find them on Twitter: @tattoosguyliner or on Facebook: facebook.com/TattoosandGuyliner . And yes...that was a plug...but seriously...you won't be disappointed. Check them out.


Hrmmm what else...Oh yes... Duran is back in the studio come March...but chances are, you already know that. I don't expect we'll see them on tour this year, but who knows...stranger things have happened. I could only wish I guess. But hey, at least I'll have something to look forward to in 2014 right?

A girl's gotta have goals.

One Last Glimpse,

~K

Not Quite Right: Night Before Christmas...

T'was the night post apocalypse,
And all through the land,
My house fuckin' shook,
Snowmageddon at hand!
 
The windows they rattled,
The trees bent and bowed,
I hope my hubby's toasty,
My toes...they be froze!

Final shoppings and mailings,
Of cards, gifts and such,
The pressure, such pressure,
To post them - a MUST!

The week had flown by,
With hellacious clammer and clatter, 
The car is now acting off,
Flat tire's what's the matter!

When what to my wandering eyes,
Should appear?
But a UPS truck,
Another package! Oh dear!

From near, and from far,
Wrapped parcels so merry,
Ripped open delightfully,
To see what they carry. 

Last gifts to be buying, 
Then to wrap them up nice,
While watching Duran playing,
What can I say? Its my vice.

To Rach, T&G, to Kirsten, and Tracey,
To my Glamazon Girls,
And of course,
dear sweet JT.

Have a wonderful Christmas,
To all of y'all,
Now open your pressies,
So you can look at them all!

On this final note,
I will bid you adieu,
The Mayans might not have made it,
But hey! We made it through!!

One Last Glimpse,
Happy Christmas to you all...
I love you.

~K

PS. Yes, I wrote it....last night before bed. If your name isn't mentioned specifically it does NOT mean this is any less meant towards you. I only had so much room and had to get it to rhyme.
xoxo
~K

Dinner out with my two best guys

So two of my children (my daughters) went to my youngest sister in law's this evening for a few hours to cat sit (one of my sister in law's cats had just been neutered earlier today and so she wanted someone to sit with him in case there were any problems while he was still under medication). For dinner this evening it was my son, my husband and myself. A rarity.

Alan (my husband) asked our son Adam where he would like to go to dinner. He said he wanted sushi. Alan and I have been eyeballing a new restaurant between our house and work that just happened to open a week or so ago. We pulled up, the place was packed. Always a good sign. We were right, the food is really good.

We get our seat after a little bit of a wait (no biggie), and we're sitting there enjoying our food, and the music (GREAT playlist while we were there... Bowie, The Clash, Chic, Roxy Music, Guns and Roses, Def Leppard, The Cars, Queen, Amy Winehouse, Nirvana, and (Alan literally dropped his California Roll at this one when he realized what was playing) Duran Duran. "Do they follow you???" Yes. Yes they do. I carry them here, in my pocket....John keeps squirming...*grin*.

The place is a ALL YOU CAN EAT place...21.95$ Flat. Period. End of sentence. It advertizes that it is a BUFFET on the damn building, On the front sign. On the awning. It's everywhere you look that it's an all you can eat joint. No mistaking it.  You know where I'm going with this, so I won't belabor the point.

These two chicks get sat behind Alan, they order their food whatever it was. And it gets brought to them. I don't know if it was when they got the bill or what. But at some point, they realized they were going to *GASP* have to pay 21.95$ for their single sushi roll that each of them ate and felt how UNJUST that was (they had grabbed a 'take out' menu - which also says on it there is no a la carte menu in house). Okay yea sure...that would be fine IF IT HADN'T BEEN EVERYWHERE that it was a bloody BUFFET restaurant.

So after much arguing (quite loudly) with the manager who had a packed to the tits restaurant, they left. I don't know what (if anything) they ended up paying for their sushi rolls. I DO know though that the manager was not a happy camper dealing with these two, they were rude and ignorant to this guy. I felt badly for him. It could not have been any plainer the sort of place it was if it had been tattooed to the inside of their eyelids.

Other people's stupidity astounds me sometime. Something as simple as reading! HELLO??! Pay attention to your surroundings!! I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this by now...but I think I still have some foolish notion and faith left that the world isn't going to hell in a hand cart. Perhaps what the world needs is for us people who AREN'T daft monkeys to rise up and have a revolution to shake up the joint. Right the wrongs. Get your shit together or get out of the pool!

Who's with me??

Vive La Revolution! 

One Last Glimpse,

~K

At a loss for words

Sometimes, at times like this, I boggle at where the human race is headed. As if the normal everyday war torn rage isn't enough. Someone goes and does this. To what end? What is the purpose for such a horrific act? It's not justified or help advance we as a being and get us further ahead. It just doesn't make any sense.

Those poor children and families will never have a future. Never have a chance to change the world with their potential. Nothing left but grief, sadness and mourning for their senseless passing for those left behind. Questions. Pain. Why? Senseless.

To you and yours my dear and gentle readers I send peace and love.  No matter where you are, right in this instant reading this message, know that you are loved. Keep that in your heart and pass that love onto others.

With peace I remain yours...

One Last Glimpse,

~K

Of tunnels and castles

Okay....I have a serious confession to make. And if someone can figure this out as to WHY please...by all means... let me know.

For the last...I don't know how long, for as long as I can remember I guess I have been fixated on abandoned castles/mansions and subway stations. Why were they abandoned? Who would leave such glorious places untouched, unused, unwanted? Why?? For something better?? Better than what??

I've had dreams in the last where I'm walking through abandoned places like this, looking for someone not sure who or why. But I'm not scared, it's not ominous or foreboding, it just is. I have no idea what it is I'm looking for or who I'm looking for, but I'm always searching.

Some of the majesty of these buildings and stations is seriously staggering. The architecture and craftsmanship that was involved in making these places is truly and seriously breathtaking. But then to just...up and abandon it? Baffling.

 

It's odd because I've seen some of the 'newer' and 'better' ones (subway stations). They're not really. In some cases (for a subway) they've just gone to a lower level or an above level and rebuilt. Why? What for? What was wrong with the perfectly good subway you just had built that is in perfectly pristine condition? Mind blowing.

 

Castles abandoned, why? Divide and conquer? I took over a bigger and better place so I don't need this one anymore? But no one buys them up (in modern times), and no one lives there. Why??

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Can someone explain it? And if anyone happens to have a castle in semi good state that they have laying around, I'm willing to take it off your hands. Somewhere near South Wraxall would be nice. I'm JUST sayin.

One Last Glimpse,

~K

Tales of a Gasbar Glamazon: Music soothes the savage beast

I know I bitch a lot about the people that frequent my work. I often talk about what idiots they are, and how much they annoy and piss me off. But this entry dear readers, my lovelies is a horse of a different colour.

Where I work I get almost an even ratio of men to women come in for gas but also for beverages, ciggies and what have you. I almost always have music playing: Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Savage Garden (Darren Hayes), David Bowie, Sixx Am, Poison, Amy Winehouse, Adele and the like. Occasionally there have been some people commenting and such on my music. But none have conjured quite a response like Duran Duran.

I have had people in with varying responses to their music (all good) with different levels of enthusiasm. I had one gentleman (debit was being particularly slow) and he burst into random counter and air drumming with a Duran song. he got right into it. Singing along and everything.

I had an asian woman come in who speaks only enough english to let me know which pump she is at. But boy let me tell you she knows who Duran Duran are! The Reflex came on one afternoon and she went completely bananas. She began yelling "JAN JAN!" pointing wildly at my MP3 player with a big smile follwed by "Ta nana na!" right along with the music.

I understand their enthusiasm, I appreciate it. They are after all, in their own words: "The band designed to make you party". And speaking from experience they have done just that. Not just with Duran but also music on the whole. However to me their music is infectious and my outlet...my very own personal Mozart.

I had a gentleman make me turn "The Chauffeur" up one afternoon declaring it "one of the greatest songs ever written and produced". In my personal opinion he wasn't wrong of course. I quite enthusiastically agree.

The reason for this blog entry today was a gentleman who came in today in fact. I was listening to "New Moon on Monday" and in came this large (6'5") burly line backer of a man, stopping in for cigarettes as he often does on his way home. He was head to toe in paint and drywall dust when I saw a smile creep across his face. "I remember this video" he said with a smile "Isn't this the one where they were dancing around staging some revolt or something". More of a statement of fact than a question. I nodded in agreement and said "I do believe it is yes!". His smile grew as he said on his way out the door "They're not very good dancers...hell of a band...but not very good dancers".

Somedays I honestly love my job and my customers.

One Last Glimpse,

~K

Movember

So here we are... remember, remember the month of Movember....

No kids, that's not a typo. Movember was prostate cancer support month. So, if you've seen more than a few caterpillars under the noses of men lately or perhaps even a little midgen of dirt... that's why. Either that or it's a mass resergence of the 1970's Burt Reynolds Smokey and the Bandit, Cannonball Run,  porn-stache in which case, screw the zompocolypse (Zombie apocolypse) and the Mayan calendar.... the end is upon us NOW. RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!

All kidding aside, it's a worthy cause to be sure, showing your support for such a thing.  I'm sure there are even a few women out there who are sporting a moustache for the cause. Actually, I work with one (OUCH!!!)  Okay she's not REALLY sporting a moustache....but she could. Hey, I'm just tryin to keep it real folks!

So, as you're shaving those mustaches off gentlemen know that you've done a good thing. You should be proud of yourselves. And if I could grow a mustache I totally would, I'd likely grow one of those Snidely Whiplash ones...

 

One Last Glimpse,

~K