People. Please. Shut up. I'm VERY CRANKY!

Okay, I'm trapped on the freakin' little bus, not enough room on the seats, everyone's squished together, there's no overhead rack for our bags or coats so there's even less room, the damn Treee Lighting Ceremony is going on at Rockefellor Center so crazy tourists are swarming all over the place and the bus is dragging through traffic.

It's like, an hour-and-a-half ride from midtown to Oakland Gardens, Queens.

Do I HAVE to sit there on top of everything else and listen to your long, loud cell phone conversations? Two days in a row. Cell phones with ringers turned up, people yakking in three seats around me, no one gives a F*** how annoying and irritating that is when most of the bus is quiet (it's not so bad on a normal, regular in-city route where it's already noisy and people are coming and going).

The one day, I was sitting there ready to start screaming. I wanted to read my book. Yes, I had my i-Pod, and was ready to turn it on as a last resort, but to drown out these ignoramuses i would have had to turn it up very loud, it may have given me a headache and I wouldn't have been able to read.

I'm not a complete cell phone nazi. I don't care if you have to make a call on the bus, really. But speak softly, and don't go on and on and on for half an hour, 45 minutes gossipping and talking about sex. For god's sake don't start a sales pitch. I BEG YOU, don't start a sales pitch.

I wonder if I can start some kind of movement. Yes, I realize I'm coming across as Ms. Cranky tonight, but the commute is hellish enough without this. When I feel like I'm sharing the pain with my fellow commuters it's not so bad. When I want to get up and throttle them, it's not so nice.

I have spoken.

One screwed-up Google search

Well, today I am cooking "Rutabaga Casserole" for my brother's Thanksgiving dinner later, and the recipe I cut and pasted yesterday (yeah, when I was supposed to be working) had a typo.

I did a Google search for "Rutabago Casserole" plus "Saltines" because that was one of the ingredients. The THIRD choice that popped up was a white supremicist web site.

Ewwwwwww. In between hanging nooses and burning crosses, it seems they are downright homey and exchange recipes with each other. NOT what I was looking for, thank you very much. I won't post the web site here; I don't need to perpetuate hatred. But if you do the search exactly like I said above, you'll see what I mean.

Here's the recipe I am making: Rutabaga Casserole

Enjoy!

We just want to be loved

Is that so WRONG?

Deliciously sore this morning

We had an audience at paddles last night, and P. took advantage and gave it to me really, really hard. God, it felt good. The usual needy men were lurking about. I can't deal with most of them. Last night, I really didn't want to. Maybe I am judgmental and shallow. But it's so hard to play with someone who turns you off. If a guy wants to be spanked, does he have to be pathetic about it? There are a few who aren't, and I like playing with them.

But, enough about them. I had a good time. P. strapped me for a long time. THEN used the nasty rat tail. THEN paddled me -- hard -- with a wooden paddle. I was yelling out loud when he used that. Mercifully, he only gave me 20 strokes. Then he "just" used his hand to finish me off. Wow.

Perfect end to the day

I came home after my meeting and at 9:30 p.m. there was a parking spot right across the street from the building. Oh, Joy! Could life get any better? It's cold; I was so glad I didn't have to walk all the way from 73rd Avenue. At the meeting we read and discussed the 6th Step. Character defects. Are you ready to have them removed? Ha! I have so many.

P. and I watched last week's episode of The Office, which we'd missed. And had popcorn.

Now, bedtime; back to work tomorrow. It's going to be very busy...

Beautiful, busy day off

I have to admit I have a hard time relaxing. It's something I need to work on -- but in the meantime, there are things to be done. Today I took a personal day, with the idea that I would use it to go over to Social Security office and the Department of Motor Vehicles to officially change my name (in case anyone doesn't know, P. and I got married last December, and till today I hadn't legalized my name change).

Drive to Jamaica, which I am not familiar with. It is a busy area, and I had forgotten quarters for the meter so I drove till I found a free parking place a distance away from Social Security but reasonably close to Motor Vehicles. Social Security was annoying. A long line to wait on, a Chinese girl standing behind me too closely, repeatedly bumping into me as a result. Glares and constant shifting did not get through to her, apparently. I know it's a cultural thing somehow. I need more space to feel comfortable; perhaps she simply needs LESS to feel comfortable.

When my turn came, the employee was less than helpful. Downright surly. Stared at my marriage license, then checked computer screen, then stared at license, then checked screen again, all the while saying nothing to me. I was feeling really uncomfortable, waiting for some bad news that I didn't have "proper" documentation. (What that could have been, I have no idea). Finally he shoved a paper at me through the window opening to sign. I signed it and he didn't say anything else. "Is that it, then?" A surly nod. Okay, then, have a good day. I get new card in about two weeks. He lectured me that I must have our last name on mailbox. OK. Whole visit took, I guess, around 45-50 minutes.

At the NY Department of Motor Vehicles I had a completely opposite experience. All three people I had to deal with were friendly: The information desk lady, the photo lady, and the payment dude. I was second in line to information, she took my form and told me to step around to the photo area. I stepped around, expecting to wait half an hour like in Jersey. No. They took my picture right away, and the lady let me look at the screen to make sure I liked it. Then they said to wait in the other area for my number to be called. I had a seat, again expecting a half-hour wait, but then I looked up at the screen and my number was already up there. I walked over to the window, signed something, gave him my check, and that was it. New license in two weeks. Total amount of time: less than 10 minutes. Unbelievable. I'm very excited about my new name finally being official, by the way!

Between SS and DMV I walked down Jamaica Boulevard. There are tons of discount stores there, and I walked into a fabric shop to check out their prices. While I was browsing I noticed they sold foam rubber. This is one of my many projects to finish -- fixing the couch, which my cats have destroyed, for Paul. I was going to order foam from a Manhattan place, but this was cheaper, and I got more for the price. The guy cut it for me using an electric knife, the kind you carve a turkey with. I bought some muslin to cover it, and I'll pick out upholstery fabric later. (I'll have to bring in a swatch of the old cover to match the color).

Then I had to walk about seven blocks back to the car with this load -- but it was worth it.

After DMV, I went home, did laundry,

then decided to put up the bike hangers that I bought ages ago. The bike needed to be put out of the way.

While I had the drill out, I also put up the first of several closet hangers I'm installing to hold our toys. There wasn't time for anything else, I had to go pick P. up then. We had pork chops and I made "zucchini boats" as a side dish.

Yes, I'm insane. Too much for one day. And I still have my aa meeting later.

Curtains are hung! Valence is done!

I bought curtain rods last week, and took the plunge and put them up yesterday. Took a special drill bit to get through the wall, I think we are right up against a hardwood stud. I had some fabric I'd purchased a while ago, so I made valences for the top (it was a double curtain rod; one in front of the other).

Here is the result. Having never done this before, I think it came out pretty nicely.

I THOUGHT I would have pictures to post today of our newly repainted kitchen cabinets, but we are not done. The color looks nice, but we have some fixing to do on the second coat. Sigh.

I am so tired. Yesterday I also installed an under-counter garbage holder, but this meant sawing off part of the center support so that it would fit. It's not pretty, but it's hidden and looks better than what we were doing, which was hanging a bag over the handle of the stove.

I'm also tired because we went to Paddles last night. I got to play with B., a very hard male bottom, and I really loved whipping him with his own leather belt.

Paul got me good, as well, with hand, belt, strap and nasty rattail. !!!!