Black Friday sale?

I admit it. I was one of those people who went shopping on Black Friday. In my defense, I only go after 6:30pm. I've been going at this time for about 5 years now. The stores are open until 11pm or midnight, but by dinnertime, most of the crowds are long gone, parking is easy and there are no lines at the check-out counters. Most of the sales associates are friendlier and chattier because they aren't so harried by that point. Christmas spirit abounds--and the big sales and deep discounts last until the store closes for the day. This year the mall was busier than in the past few years, but not enough to be annoying. Hopefully, it's a good sign that increased consumer confidence bodes well for a better 2011. So, I buy a few Xmas gifts, and I'm home before 8:30pm. The next day I realized I bought something for my aunt in a large--she wears a medium. I must have been distracted and picked up the wrong size when I was debating which color to buy. Dang it! Knowing I don't have the patience for the mall on a weekend, I decided I'd go back Monday morning at 10am and switch it out for the smaller size. No crowds, in and out, easy. It was easy--it was also 25% cheaper than on Friday! I mean, I'm not complaining about getting it for less money, but Black Friday is supposed to be the great sale day. Huge discounts, right? And they offer better discounts 3 days later?? What the heck is up with that?? I may have to rethink my shopping strategy next year.

Windy weather

I know I've mentioned it before but I really, really, really hate wind. We've had gale-force gusts for a few weeks now. It happens every year, and I hate it every year. I have a few large planters on my patio. They have been toppled over every day. And they are 4-foot tall trees in 5-gallon buckets! I keep rocks on top of the dirt to prevent the squirrels from digging in them and burying nuts. The squirrels are messy little critters and I got tired of sweeping up after them, hence the rocks--it pisses them off. But now when these plants blow over, the rocks get scattered all over the porch and it is a pain in the ass to pick them up every day. My neighbors stopped by on Thanksgiving to ask if someone was throwing rocks at my windows. Then today I was in the dining room when I heard that familiar crashing sound, and everything blew over in one huge gust of wind. So I'm out there early this morning in my pajamas and robe, swearing, out loud, all by myself. Kicking the rocks out of the way, SWEARING, and moving all the plants. And even though I want calm, still weather, at least the wind chimes sound pretty.

The Bandwagon Effect

Ever since the Browns came back 10 years ago, I have been a member of the Southern California Brownsbackers Club. Every Sunday morning during football season you can find me at my local Brownsbackers bar, religiously. There is a small, faithful group of us who have shown up every week, win or lose. We look forward to seeing each other, having a few beers, and watching the Browns play. We have our seats--we're a superstitious lot, so when we win, we wear the same shirt and sit in the same seat every week. If someone doesn't show up, and we win, they can't come back the next week as we won't take a chance and upset the balance of the universe. We understand that our actions out here directly affect what happens on a field 3000 miles away, and we accept that responsibility. The Browns beat the Saints and the Patriots the last two games, and every freakin' bandwagoner showed up at OUR bar today! I don't like it. None of us did. People we've never seen before crowded into our seats. I think we lost because two of the guys were not in their regular seats! Bad karma. To make matters worse, the really loud annoying guy who stands up on every play and desperately needs some kind of medication was there. We thought he'd been permanently eighty-sixed last season. After a full period of overtime, and a lucky touchdown as time ran out, most of us had the same thought: hopefully the bandwagoners will jump off and we can get our bar back next week. Go Browns!!

Sheer boredom

I have finally reached my limit on what I can do while unemployed. I am way beyond bored. Yes, I have basic things to do everyday. I go to the gym, read the paper, walk at the beach, or go for a run, and the house is pretty clean, but I am antsy and restless all the time now. I used to love doing crossword puzzles. I do at least 3 or 4 every day and I'm starting to hate them, but I can't stop. It's like a horrible addiction I can't shake. And I don't know of any Crosswords Anonymous meetings I could attend! I'm sitting at the computer just to avoid that crossword puzzles book that is sitting on my coffee table. I guess I could read a book since I just went to the library the other day, but I feel too antsy to sit still much longer. I could go for a walk, although I've already been to the gym today, and it's 90 freakin' degrees outside--on November 3rd! What's up with that?? The bottom line is that I'm open to suggestions on combatting sheer boredom. I've run out of ideas.

Plastic Bags

California has considered proposing a law to ban plastic bags at all grocery and retail outlets. Some cities have already enacted this legislation. I love this idea--it needs to be statewide, and eventually nationwide. California needs to lead the way, just like we did with smoking bans. According to info on the Internet, Americans use at least 380 BILLION plastic bags a year, and only 1 % are recycled. Plastic lives forever. It pollutes our land and waterways, harms animals and fish, and can cause outages and even fires if it gets hung up on power lines. It's been windy and rainy here lately and I've seen a ton of plastic bags blowing around outside this week. I always take reusable canvas bags to the grocery store with me. I just have one suggestion: train the clerks and baggers to fill the canvas bags properly. I stop at the front of the store on my way out, rebag my groceries, and dump the extra plastic bags in the handy recycling bin before I even leave the store. Putting 3 or 4 items in my canvas bags is ridiculous. Fill them up! Canvas is a lot stronger than plastic. Reusable bags can take it! Many clerks won't bag certain items together. It's not like stuff is unwrapped. Meat comes in its own separate, sealed package, and I wash all my veggies when I get them home anyhow--so throw them all in the same canvas bag. I hope that if this legislation ever comes to pass, that we can learn to fill the bags correctly. Reusable bags are a great idea, and banning plastic bags saves money and helps the environment. A win-win situation!

paint and carpet

I am so excited--I'm getting a fresh coat of paint and new carpet at my place this week! I've put it off for years, so it's way overdue. It's a hassle taking all the pictures down, and packing up all the knick-knacks, but I will be very happy when it's all over. And everything will be super clean since I'll be polishing and washing everything before it gets put back in place. I started boxing up stuff today and realized why my friends sneeze at my house--I am not a good duster! I hate dusting! Hate, hate, hate it!! I love swiffering the floors, but I hate moving stuff to dust, so I don't do it very often. Everyone who knows me, knows that my house is usually neat and tidy, but you just can't see the dust I miss, on purpose. Moving everything off the shelves exposes it all. And believe me, there's a lot! Right now, the place smells like Endust, lemony fresh! I know more dust will be created when they rip the carpet up, but with nothing on the bookshelves, hutch or entertainment center, it will be easy to clean. I'll probably get allergies now since it'll be spotless. I'm sure I've built up immunities to it all over the years. I'm looking forward to the fresh start, maybe it'll spill over into other aspects of my life, too!

The Tillman Story

I finally went to see The Tillman Story today. It's the documentary about the friendly-fire death of Pat Tillman, the NFLer-turned-Army Ranger. I've read all the accounts in the news and I knew the movie would make my liberal heart even madder once I saw it. I was right--I was pissed off about 10 seconds into the film. It brought back all the anger I have about the US being in a stupid, senseless war. It brought back all the sadness of attending the funeral of my friend's son, who was killed in Iraq a few months after Pat Tillman died. Why is it so hard, in the military, in government, in business; why is it so fucking hard to tell the truth? All the Tillman family wants is for someone to admit the truth. Why is it so damn easy to blame someone else, then cross your fingers and hope it all blows over? Why can't someone man-up and say "Oh my God, we really fucked up. We're responsible. We can't change the outcome but we'll work hard to prevent it from happening again." And I applaud the Tillman family for not backing down, for continuing to ask the hard questions, because that's what democracy is about, that's why Pat Tillman joined up, that's what our founding fathers envisioned for America. We should be grateful to those who stand up and question authority. Blind allegiance to a leader is irresponsible. We should question, research, and learn the facts, not the rhetoric. Too many leaders abuse their power, lose sight of what is important, and the power itself becomes the end-all. And that is a very dangerous thing.

Food Trucks

The food truck craze is huge in Los Angeles. No longer the 'roach coach' days of old, these are gourmet restaurants on wheels. And, finally, my little corner of Orange County has gotten in on all the rage. Food Truck Fare Thursdays happens every week at the fairgrounds, just around the corner from my house. I went this week. Told my friends I felt really hip doing it! I started off with the spicy pork taco from the Korean/Mexican fusion truck. Oh my God--it was excellent! Really flavorful, and only $2! After that, it was the caprese empanada from the South American truck. Mozzarella, basil and tomato with an awesome herb dipping spread. It was also only two bucks. A great deal for great food. Didn't check out the Dogzilla truck but their hot dogs and sausages smelled really good. Different trucks are going to be there each week, but I hope ChunknChip comes back. I need to try their rocky road ice cream brownie sandwich. It looked wonderfully decadent, and I'm not averse to doing ice cream for lunch! The Greek truck is on my list too, and I hope they're on the schedule soon, since I'll be back every Thursday. So, count me among the food truck aficionados. I'm happy to be with the crowd!

Yoga

My yoga instructor is hilarious. I know that's not how you would normally describe yoga instructors. They're supposed to be spiritual, calming, zen-like. Not her. She's funny. She even refers to herself as a goofball. It cracks me up when she says "Be careful on this move. A lot of people break their nose on this one." On other moves, its arms or legs that get broken. If she asks how we're doing and no one answers, she threatens us with push-ups, so we all answer then. The thing is--she's a great instructor. Everyone loves her class and it's an awesome workout. I've been trying to fight off a late summer cold. I just got home from class and I feel better than I have for days. This centuries-old practice has a little twist in her class (no pun intended.) It's beneficial, it's fun, and I can't wait for the next class.

horoscope

My horoscope in today's paper reads as follows: "The problem with being as conscientious as you are is that there are times when your head spins with so many responsibilities and possibilities that you don't know what to do. Empty it all onto paper." That totally sums up how I feel about my life right now, and why I decided to start blogging. Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed in looking for a job. I am so bored by not being able to spend money or do things I like. I miss going to the movies, and buying crap at Target! And the news is very depressing--unemployment went UP again last month in California. A local hospital is opening a new medical center nearby. They have 900 openings for which they received 100,000 applications! I feel sorry for the HR people who have to process all of those resumes. A restaurant opened and had 100 positions available. They received nearly 1500 applications--for minimum wage restaurant jobs! My friends tell me to stop reading the paper, but I can't --I'm a news freak. I have to know what is going on in the world! I guess I'll heed my horoscope and keep blogging.

travel and tennis

I just got home from a long weekend in Ohio. If you've read my blog, you are aware of my bad luck with airline travel. Naturally, I thought I'd have a good story to tell everyone after this trip. NOTHING went wrong! Nada! Zilch! No delays, no cancellations. No drunks being kicked off during boarding, no INS officers storming the plane on arrival, no sheriffs waiting to arrest people for joining the mile high club. Not even a single screaming baby! There was a little issue with the landing nose gear in Columbus, but they fixed it quickly and we made up the time in the air so all four legs of my flights were on time, even a little early. I even got to stow my roller bag in the overhead instead of under the seat in front of me. I had leg room! Best of all, there was a rain delay at the US Open. Instead of being on a plane, I was sitting at a friends house watching the final two sets as Nadal beat Djokovic. I got to see tennis history, live, not taped. A perfect travel experience for Maggie Gallagher??? It was like a miracle! Maybe my luck is changing. I can only hope.

Scrabble

When I was in 5th Grade our teacher, Mrs Buck, would play Scrabble with my friend Sharon and me almost every day. It was a great way to teach us spelling and keep us from being bored in study hall or during recess when it was raining outside. It also made me love Scrabble. I used to play with my Mom all the time, too. I could never get enough of it. So, last week when my golf buddy Karen said, "Let's golf then you guys can come over for steak on the grill and a few games of Scrabble", I was all over it! What a great way to spend a day. Golfing buddy Judy told me "Karen is really good at Scrabble." I thought, Hell, so am I! No big deal. Good God! She's freakin' professional! She claims her sister, who is coming to visit in October, is even better. Did you know there are 101 2-letter words in the English language? We printed out the list--very helpful in a game of Scrabble. Qi. Don't know what it means but it got Karen 46 points in Scrabble. Judy and I are scheduling Scrabble practice sessions. We don't care which of us wins--we just want to beat Karen!

Zumba Class

I finally caved in to the hype and took my first Zumba class at the gym tonight. What took me so long? It was a great class! Loved it. The hour went by so fast--and I was drenched in sweat. I must have dropped a few pounds! Everyone else seemed to be enjoying it too. How often does everyone smile through a workout? Very cool. It was non-stop and had fun music, too. Usually I think the music at the classes is way too loud, but I was OK with it tonight. And the steps are easy to follow. I've been to some other classes where I get so turned around with the steps that I'm too frustrated to get any good out of it. And I think I'm pretty coordinated! Zumba suits my style a lot better. I'll be going back on Wednesday. Note to self: take LARGE water bottle next time!!

Too Busy

It's been 11 days since I last blogged. I can't believe it's been that long. I guess I've been way too busy to write lately. The question is--what the heck have I been doing? I can't recall anything that has been very productive, just life getting in the way! I've gone for runs, golfed, played tennis and done yoga. Had lunch a few times with friends. A couple birthdays which included pedicures, parties and dinners. I even went to the orthopedic surgeon, again, for my skiing-injured shoulder, and got a cortisone shot. I thought cortisone was supposed to be this miracle thing and I'd be better. Wrong. The doc said it would kick in after 48hours. It's been 96 and there is only minimal improvement. My favorite yoga position is reverse namaste--and I still can't do it. Twisting my left arm behind my back is excruciating! I'm considering acupuncture. I will be very unhappy if I can't ever do reverse namaste again! Anyhow, those are my excuses for not blogging. Pretty lame. I wish I had a better excuse like I got a job or won the lottery. Maybe that'll happen this week and I'll write about it!

Cars

Cars. Unfortunately, we can't live without them here in Southern California.

Whenever I think I'm going to get ahead and have some extra money to blow on important stuff, like shoes, something happens to my car. Something expensive! A few months after I got laid off, I had to take the car in for this horrid high-pitched squealing noise it made. Do you know what an Ignition Coil is? I'll tell you--it's a pricey, tiny, little thing that, when it goes bad, makes a horrid high-pitched squealing noise. A really embarrassing noise especially when you are driving a luxury car out of a high-end golf course. Thank God for dark sunglasses! Of course, they also discover that my brakes and rotors are bad. They cost even more than an ignition coil! I call my friends and try not to cry. Then I fork over the MasterCard and move on with life.

So a few months pass. I'm thinking about buying shoes again. I'm hanging out this week with a couple friends at the beach, who think there is a burning smell when we exit my car. So I make a visit to Robert and Adam--my 'first-name-basis-buddies', also known as my mechanics. I walk in the door to "Hi Maggie. How's it going?" Like we're long-lost friends. This time it's the radiator. Shockingly even more expensive than ignition coils, brakes and rotors! I think I'm going to buy shoes anyhow.

Airlines & Luggage

I LOVE to travel. Can't get enough of it. I dream of seeing the world. The problem is that I also dream of having my luggage travel with me. The world's airlines don't share that particular dream. My bags have been lost 11 times. I am not a travelling salesperson, so it's not like I'm on a plane every week. Eleven times is excessive when you only fly 5 - 8 times a year!

I remember the first time. I was coming home from Xmas in Ohio. My friend Mike was picking me up at the airport. There's nothing quite so pathetic as standing at the baggage carousel alone--everyone else got their suitcases, left the airport, and the carousel slowly stopped. No more bags. Mike finally had to come into the airport to see what was taking so long. He found me in the bag claim office, near hysteria. After filling out the forms, we went home. He called his wife and said "Honey, Maggie didn't get her suitcase. She's hysterical. I'm gonna sit here and have a beer with her." She understood. Thank God for good friends. My bag arrived hours later, at 1am.

The most memorable time it happened was in Athens, Greece. I flew there directly from Dublin, Ireland. No layovers. Nowhere to misplace a freakin' bag. No reason except the incredible incompetency of the baggage personnel in Athens. There were a lot of us without luggage that day. They don't speak English at the airport in Athens. I don't speak Greek. Neither did the other passengers. So everyone just talked a lot LOUDER. Basically everyone was screaming at each other. But it worked. British Airlines dropped my suitcase off the following day at the hotel as I was drinking wine atop the Acropolis.

The worst time was on Delta. Don't fly Delta. I never will again. As President of my alumni chapter, I flew into Cincinnati for a leadership conference at Miami University. Hadn't been there for a while and was looking forward to being back on campus. My bag had been lost one month earlier, on Delta, via Atlanta on a business trip to Hartford. I figured there was no way they could do it to me twice in a month at the same layover. I was wrong. It was finally the straw that broke the camels back. I was beyond hysterical--especially after my bag arrived at the hotel at 2am and I discovered things had been stolen from it. I called Delta in the morning. I won't go into details here but all the call center clerk in India kept saying was "Ma'am, there's no reason for profanity." Oh yes, there was.

I've flown since, but haven't checked a bag. I certainly couldn't chance it flying with my bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding, or going back to Ohio with Christmas gifts. Kind of afraid to go on a ski or golf trip now. If my beloved X-Scream skis or King Cobra and Taylormade clubs didn't show up, I'd kill someone.

I have many more stories about standing alone at baggage carousels. I'll post them here every so often. It'll be the basis for the travel book I should write someday.

I'm getting on a plane again in a few weeks--with my carry-on bag.

Cellphones at the gym

I genuinely hate people who talk on their cellphones at the gym. Why are you there anyhow--to gab or to workout? You can't do both at the same time. The problem is that people on cellphones at the gym talk really, really loud. The ambient noise: fans, music, the whir of machines, heavy breathing--all make people think the person on the phone can't hear them, so they talk louder. Everyone can hear their conversation. Makes me crazy. If I turn my iPod up any louder, in order to drown out your conversation, I'll blow my eardrums out. Not an option. I'm too old to listen to music that loud anymore. Then there are those people who sit on the weight bench, gabbing away, when I'd like to use the damn thing. They really infuriate me! Have the courtesy not to lounge on the equipment if you aren't using it. Here's an idea: Leave the phone at home. Concentrate on your routine, your breathing, your form. You'll get a better workout, and I won't go deaf.

Movies

I always used to go to the movies. Love the movies. Never missed a single one that was nominated for an Oscar. OK, I admit I didn't see all of the shorts, animated films or documentaries, but I've seen every single movie in all the major categories for years. Actor, Actress, Picture, Director, Cinematography, Sound, Music, Screenplay--all of them! But, without a paycheck, I stopped going so much. Even matinees are pricey at $9.50 a pop! And I miss movies. Renting them or watching On Demand isn't the same as being in a big theatre. So, guess what I found? There are 4 discount movie theatres within 15 minutes of my house. One shows new movies for $6 before 6pm every day, $5 before noon. And on Tuesdays another shows all films for $1! One measly little dollar. You can't beat that! So, Andrea and I went to see Letters to Juliet today. Yes, it's a chick flick, and we're chicks, so we loved it. It was a really cute movie. Especially for a buck. It takes place in Italy: nice scenery, good looking men, lots if vino. And that was the problem: it takes place in Italy! Now we both want to head to LAX and hop on the next flight out, which is considerably more than a buck. In reality, we're just going to head back to the theatre next week.

The weather

I should have been a meteorologist. I LOVE weather! Well, most of it. I hate wind. It messes up my hair and gets dust in my eyes, but always comes in handy as a good excuse for a bad golf game! I do miss rain sometimes. Went to Ireland last winter just to see rain. They had 8 straight days of flawless sunshine. I can't win! I really miss thunder. We never get that here. Growing up, I used to sit on the porch during storms and just listen to the thunder. It's awesome what Mother Nature can do. I watch the Weather Channel all the time. Tornadoes and hurricanes are fascinating, although I don't want to be in one. The problem right now is that I like summer, but we haven't had it here yet. I haven't even been to the beach this season (a 5-minute drive) because the thick, unrelenting marine layer keeps it cloudy all day. It's depressing. I'm used to June Gloom's marine layer, but by July
4th, we wake up to endless sunshine. Not this year. I can't recall such a bad summer in the 20+ years I've been here. I guess I should look at the positive side: I'll save my skin from not being in the sun too much, my morning runs are a lot cooler, and I have more time to sit at the computer and blog!

The Library

So, I was at the pool the other day, with all of my other unemployed neighbors, and we were talking about books and what we were reading. Lindsay mentioned that she got her book at the library. I'd forgotten about the library. Growing up, my Mom, my brother John, and I would walk to our local library branch at least every other week. I can still picture the complete layout of that place. Coming home with stacks of books was so cool. I loved it! One summer, they sponsored a Naturalist Series. Mom enrolled John and me. A Naturalist came in every week for a month with wild animals and taught all us kids about them. It was the first time I got to hold a snake. She also brought in raccoons and owls but we weren't allowed to pet them. I figure they didn't like kids! I remember thinking "I'm going to be a Naturalist when I grow up." Whatever happened to that dream--I should have stuck with it.

Anyhow, after Lindsay's suggestion, I went to the library the following morning. Oh My God--what joy! FREE Books! Tons of free books. I was so happy. I wanted everything! I've wasted a lot of damn money over the years at Barnes & Noble, Borders and even the cheap books at Costco. No more! You can even get on a wait list for brand new books. I'll be signing up for that when I return my books and grab another stack!!

Grocery Store Ads

I never, ever, ever used to read grocery store weekly ads--until I got laid off. What a great idea! Who knew? I peruse them every week now. What bargains! Think of all the damn money I wasted over the years! King Crab Legs, Tri-Tip, fresh fruit and veggies--all on my shopping list now. And all on sale! I've become a price comparison shopper. Bagels are cheaper at Target, my favorite herb tea is a whopping $1.50 less at Trader Joe's, and Bud Lite was on sale this week for $6.99 a 12-pack!! I'd almost given up beer due to not having a paycheck anymore. Thank God for those ads! A while back I was buying blackberries. Got them at Growers Direct (for those who don't live here, it's like a permanent farmers market) for $1.19. They were $3.99 at TJ's and $5.99 at the grocery store--all on the same day. Gees, what a huge price difference. Cereal sustains me--I eat it every day for breakfast, and it can be dang expensive. Wheat Chex usually sells for $5.99 a box, but last week's ad had it on sale for $2.50. If it weren't for that ad, I wouldn't have had Wheat Chex for breakfast today. And any day with Wheat Chex is a good day!

Sports Fan

I have to admit 2010 has been a good year to be unemployed if you're a sports fanatic.

February brought us the Winter Olympics. I am a Curling freak! Love it! Of course, living in Southern California, Curling is hard to find. I always had to go to Canada. It's on in all the bars there. But, I didn't miss a single Curling match the entire Olympics! How awesome is that? Wish the USA would have done a little better but, as they say, there's always next time! This year, since I had plenty of time to watch the Olympics, I became enamored with Biathlon. What an amazing test of endurance and skill. To ski your ass off, then stand, kneel or lay down, and hit a target the size of a pea that is a football field away sounds impossible to me! I'm hooked! It was also fun trying to pick out the condo I used to rent at Whistler as the downhill skiers raced by it. It was hard to see since they ski a little faster down that run than I used to.

April brought the Masters. I spent most of my viewing time trying to spot my friends, Judy and Karen, in the crowds. Never did see them--although they had an awesome time there. Phil's shot from behind the tree was inspiring. Unfortunately, when I try that same shot, I hit the tree and have to duck as the ball ricochets back at me.

Next was French Open Tennis. The 8-hour time difference meant I could only watch on weekends when I had a job. Way better watching on my TV than that little 5-inch square of the live feed on the computer screen at work. Studying Venus, Serena, Rafa and Roger, then heading to the tennis courts really helped my game! Having a black lace tennis dress would probably make my game even better.

Finally, the grand-daddy of them all: World Cup! I only missed a few of the 4am games. Saw all the other games! Lounging in my pajamas with a cup of tea watching Deigo Forlan was absolutely heavenly. Watching France crash and burn was perfect karma for all of us Irish folk. Hanging out with my friends, or sending texts back and forth during games made it feel like we were watching the games together. Listening to my neighbors cheer at every goal was funny. Crying when Landon Donovan scored in the 91st minute to send us to the 2nd round was fantastic!! Of course, I could go into a rant about the refs, but I think FIFA will fix it by Brazil 2014. And I can't wait for 2014!

First Post

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging. Now that I have time--hence the blog title--I thought I'd give it a go. I was laid off after 15 1/2 years from a huge global corporation. It was a good thing. The job was uninteresting, my career was stagnant, and I think my brain was atrophying! Not that it was a bad place. On the contrary. I made some great friends there who enhance my life by being part of it now. And the company provided me with a lifestyle that I enjoyed: trips to Europe, shopping, wine-tasting, golf, skiing. In fact, everything I wanted! But now, without an income, I have to alter my ways. And you know what? I've learned a lot. How to live well on less. I have to think, and discover, and search out different ways to do things and still have fun. And my brain is working again! That's what this blog will be about. A diary of my new life. I hope you'll stick around to see how it goes!