Mark1014

Oh that's bad bad bad. I'll admit that I don't always keep up with the news, I care about the direction of things but it's just too much sometimes.

And these ice cream things are great! Will have to keep them as the occasional treat or it'll show....my metabolism ain't what it used to be.

venuscat

I just saw what you wrote about your daughter's shorts Mark! Laughing here.

Arbor

Oh that is bad. Sorry V.

venuscat

Heading to the chat meeting. Huge hugs for all of you! ♥

Mark1014

I'm absolutely not a night owl, so my day is quickly winding down. I appreciate you guys very much and with your support navigated a little bump in the road quite nicely. Best to all...

venuscat

Mark. We love you! Sleep well.

Arbor

Nice job buddy. Sleep well.

phoebe64

Hi all. We had an early start to go to a different beach today. It was crowded at first and the kids were grumpy about it. We tend to avoid crowds. But ride went out and it was such a nice shallow stretch of gorgeous ocean, and a nice tide pool. by the time we had to go, son was begging to stay! We cannot take 5-6 hours of that bright sun. We spent some time bybthevpool after that(indoor, out of the sun) showered andhad dinner at our favorite spot down here.

We go home early in the morning. 10am checkout. All packed, pretty much. It was a good week.

So, now I am craving potato salad for dinner tomorrow! Rarely make it since my kids don't like it and hubby and I don't need all those carbs. Maybe will make a small batch. I plan to focus on a nice home cooked meal for the 4th. After a week away, I like my own kitchen.

Good on choosing the ice cream run over the next door neighbor's party, Mark. Have to admit I noticed the "guns." You earned them with those 5 am gym trips! So is your trip to NYC next week?

Glad things are better, Briar. The bed and bedding are fun transitions.

V, things are so expensive now. I notice our grocery bills are much more than they were a few years ago. we are not big clothes shoppers here, but even the athletic style clothing my kids wear is so costly. My daughter is sporty, not at all into the Abercrombie thing, Mark! I am grateful for that! She keeps a rash guard on even with indoor swimming. Very modest. We save a lot for now, and hope she does not discover shoes!

Beautiful cookies, Conquest!

Hi Leigh! And hello Dee, Arbor, BD.

venuscat

So glad you had a good week phoebe love!

And I LOVE potato salad!

Mark1014

Good morning gang,

Glad to know that your clan has he a nice time phoebe. And after a time away I agree that even a simple home meal appeals to me very much. Yes our trip is next week. Our hotel suite has a full kitchen and we plan to do at least a little eating in to avoid paying for three meals out each day for the five of us.

So time for a cup of coffee to crank up and then gym time. For me, one huge benefit of no alcohol has been to see the nice gains I've had in my physical self these last few months. It's frivolous I know, but it it does help my attitude and is an outward reminder to me of the more important changes going on inside of me.

Today is biceps, so a little work on the 'guns' is on the agenda. .

venuscat

It's not vaguely frivolous Mark ~ it is a well-earned benefit of your hard work.
Good health, top fitness is a very positive thing.
And looking great is one of the rewards. All good.

Mark1014

Hi V, and good evening to you. About 10:15pm?

venuscat

You're two hours out.... 8.19 right now.

Mark1014

Hey, that's about my bedtime!

Speaking of needing office type clothes V, what's going on in the job search arena for you? Any good leads?

venuscat

All I know is that I have started to apply for jobs.
So I guess it will go from there.
(My game plan is a FT job by late August....I can do that).

And I really want to add...this crazy hard walking job of mine has given me two very good references.
I am one of two people who have ever worked in this job for this long....15 months. My boss may be weird and all, but he appreciates my hard work.

And no.....you can't go to bed this early. Well, I guess if you get up at 4.30. Hmm.

Mark1014

Do you have a specific area of interest?

venuscat

Well, it's a bit difficult.
I am the age I am...and I can't get past that.
I have excellent Customer Service skills and experience, so the best avenue at this point is a call-centre customer service job. There are a lot of them. So I guess have a chance. I have missed my career....all I can hope for now is a decent job.

Mark1014

A step at a time and who knows?

My work is hiring yet another, and my approach this time is to get a candidate that I like (hopefully 30s or older) and give them the technical training they need to succeed. I mostly look for a good work ethic, ability to be trained, and professionalism.

It'll work out V.......so out the door for me. Be back soon.

phoebe64

Good evening, V (and Dee!) and good morning, Mark. Good morning all.

Happy Independance Day!

First one up here. Enjoying quiet coffeetime.

Need to be out in2.5 hours. Only 59 degrees here this morning! Having my coffee inside. We are pretty near ready to load the car and clean out the fridge. I would love to avoid traffic. Hoping that because it is the big summer holiday day, most folks here today are staying here. qe should have a pretty full day at home to unpack, get groceries and still enjoy the holiday with some good food. There are fireworks in our town tonight. Husband often brings daughter. Boy does not like the noise, and mosquitoes adore me, so we hang back. I love fireworks, myself. But not the bugs.

Have a good day/night all.

Mark1014

Safe travels phoebe.....and btw I did book that car service for our airport transfers. For this first trip it's worth it to me to just have someone waiting there for us outside baggage claim. Less thinking about logistics and more relaxing....I hope.

The bluebird babies have gone and now I have my eye on a brown thrasher nest, or more specifically she has her eye on me.....can you see her in the pic? These birds aren't much to look at, but sing beautifully. For someone that can't sing a note I sure enjoy listening to the birds.

About to head to Kroger and sometimes they have lobster at a decent price. If so, I'll have to figure out what to do with one. Steam it I guess, but how to season? I have crab boil I think. You New Englanders got any tips?