Dear Diary

Dear Diary,
If you listen carefully, you can hear the grandson in the background. Last night we stayed up past midnight to see Ohio State win the national college football championship...my daughter and son-in-law, both Ohio State graduates, honored guests...lots of excitment...but prior to win, lots of harsh words for the coach <grin>.

This was the end of seven days that began in a cabin in Pine Mountain, GA...three couples and a baby.

I see folks have not posted for awhile...

DD,
I see I'm not the only one with issues lately. I want to say I hope things start looking up for everyone else who has had problems.
My daughter had her wallet stolen out of her purse at work two days ago.
We didn't call the credit card company until the next morning, and when we did, we found out someone has already used it six times at gas stations. The good thing is we won't be held responsible the charges.
What a hassle it is to go about replacing everything that was in the wallet
Remember the good ole days when you made a phone call, and a "real" person picked up the line on the other end?

Dear Diary,
I've been going full-speed for at least a month now and don't seem to be getting anywhere. All kinds of unexpected things have happened. It's starting to look like my life might have some semblance of normalcy soon, at least I hope so!

I hope the New Year has started well for all of my diary friends. See you later!

DD
Wow, what a strange night/day etc. I went to bed
early last night because I felt so ill, and I was just
shivering cold...even with the heat on..and I woke
up at 11pm from my right shoulder just throbbing
and it darned near kept me up all night long. I
took my pain pill, I put a heat wrap on it,
3 separate times for 25 min each - and it finally
eased off by around 5am.... of course, that was
why I spent most of the night on A2K... no sleep
again. I am trying to get a nap now, so that I
might be up later for a hoped for chat with
some friends at 10 tonight, Just watch me go
on and sleep through it, good lord... life is not
not not easy on this day.

dlk
I know that feeling. My purse was stolen once and it's a real pain in the neck to have to make all those phone calls. I had 5 credit cards, my bank card, checks, etc... and the feeling is pure panic. I'm so glad that your daughter was not held responsible for the charges though :-)

Babs
I do hope you're feeling better today.

Dear Diary:

Another New Year's Day done and gone. Kids fell asleep before 12 midnight, wife and I ate the "doce uvas" yet again, I've got a big mouth, so more or less managed, hers is smaller so she ended up looking like a hamster, cheeks packed to the gills (not a very good comparison that - people don't have gills, fish don't have cheeks) with previously de-pipped grapes.

Was pissing down the evening of the 5th, but we went into town so as not to miss the Three Kings as they paraded round the centre and showered (attacked) the crowds with thousands of boiled sweets. Real camels this year, too. Mind you, I didn't actually see them myself. As it was pissing down, I dropped the rest of the family off near the Toscano cafetería, then spent three-quarters of an hour going round in circles trying to find somewhere to park. Eventually went almost all the way to India to find somewhere free, phoned my wife about three hundred and seventeen times on her mobile, but got no response, so I had to walk back to Spain from almost India, wet, dishevelled, crabby, and fed up, only to arrive the very minute everything was over.

Still, didn't lose my credit card. (Not that it'd do anyone any good if they *did* try and pay for something at a petrol station.)

Children back to school today. Must find something new to do to get to the end of the month, and maybe broaden horizons too. Still raining, but started thinking of sun and summer. And that's what New Years are all about, really, isn't it?

DD,

It's nice to be through with the holidays. Great fun at the time, but I seem to have less tolerance for the rush and hussle.

Dlk, sorry to hear about your daughter's wallet being stolen. There are few things that cause as much trouble as having to replace all the cards and ID's.

Chatoyant, glad things have settled down, You sound like you need some calm.

Babs, I hope your shoulder is much better and that you'll get some sleep tonight.

Eiohel, what are doce uvas? Sounds yummy!
What a night you had. I hope your family enjoyed the Three Kings Parade and told you all about it after you had to walk all the way back from India to Spain. LOL

DD,

Plans for Mom's 70th birthday are proceeding apace. I need to do some captions for her photo album but otherwise it's falling into place.

Dear Diary,

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.

S-i-g-h-h-h-h-h

Other than that, everything is just fine.

The Spanish have a rather amusing custom for New Year's Eve. They sit round the tele at quarter to twelve, and wait for the clock in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid to ding-dong its way through to the New Year. Whilst each ding rings out, you're supposed to stuff a grape (preferably de-pipped beforehand) into your mouth and eat it before the next ding, until you have managed to consume all 12. This then of course brings you good luck. It also tends to leave you looking like a hamster in the meantime.

So "doce uvas" is "twelve grapes".

My *family* did enjoy the Three Kings parade. *Especially* the telling me about it afterwards!

Dear chatoyant,

I hope things are looking a wee bit brighter for you today.
But I do know how you feel: sometimes it feels like one is trying, trying, trying .. yet getting no place fast! Then ping! >>>> You can wake up the next day feeling better, for no known reason!
Sweet relief!
I really hope this is what's happened to YOU today, chatoyant!

kindest regards,
Olga

Thank you so much msolga. Some days are better than others. Today was better than yesterday, and hopefully tomorrow will be even better! It was so nice of you to comment.

Dear chatoyant

I spoke only because I know how difficult life can be when it's so much struggle. The last 2 years in my life have been rippers! Not ALL the time, of course, but certainly so very much to cope with! ... Sometimes what can get you down is the sheer exhaustion of having to cope day after day, as best you, can in these circumstances ... Thank heavens for good friends at times like this! I hope tomorrow is better for you.

Take very good care,
Olga

Dear msolga,

You are so right about life. But there are also many good times. I hope this year is so good for you that it makes the last two years fade away into a distant memory.

My best to you.

Thank you, chatoyant!

rippers!

Dear Diary,
How soon people forget you. There you are...drifting around in electronic space...just wasting away...I watch Regis with my wife...now it's time to put on the yoga clothes and meet the ladies at the workout center. We are a cross-section with Koreans, Japanese, Mexicans, Russians, red-neck Georgians and one overweight Missouri boy, that's me. This weekend we get to see THE BOY. That's our sixteen month-old grandson. He is really putting his parents through the wringer. Now they have bound the chairs to the table in order to inhibit his climb to great heights. He is persistent.

Mapleleaf, how old is your grandson?

For me, it's about time to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. BigDice cooked last night :-) It was - as always - great. But I just cannot get myself to clean the kitchen the same day.

Just got back from work, checked A2K, will do the dishes and then go to watch The Lord of the Rings. They are showing the English original in our movie theater today. Usually, movies are dubbed in German. I don't want to hear Frolo talking German!

urs53, so good to read you...our grandson is 16 months...we love to take care of him, but not long term. The boy would definitely drive to drink. As my wife says, "That's why God has young people have children; they can keep up with them."

Hello, Mapleleaf!

Nice to see you're back!

So it's yoga to put you into the right, CALM state of mind before the grandson's visit? Very good prepation! You might need to rush to another class adterwards, too!

That sounds like a terrific yoga class! As well as gaining peace & serenity, you could learn a new language as a bonus ... Or imagine if everyone brought food for a meal: A multi-cultural feast! Yum!

Cheers,
Olga