H2O alarm clock

I bought a new alarm clock which failed to wake me up,but I just read at Tall Pines that alot of water will get you up in the morning! I have to be at my orientation tomorrow at 8:30 AM. My regular hours will be 10am-6:30 pm,not so bad.

My usual alarm clock is Dan saying,"get up and turn that alarm clock off!"

I was thrilled to learn I should get laid off for the Christmas and New Year's holidays! I hope it's true.I think I'm gonna love this job.

We did our annual 5am Walmart Black Friday trip to get the Grandson's present at $30 less.he wanted a guitar for his PS2 with the game to go with it.It's fun seeing walmart so packed at 5:30 am. Something uniquely festive about it.

It's going to be a crazy week,what with starting the new job and finishing the old one.I have get over to walmart to exchange my alarm clock today.Too bad you can't see how loud they are right in the store.

Happy Holidays

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Not Boomerang, but almost as cute. Squeaky, another dumbo rat.

Boomerang

Sunday I went to our favorite pet store to get a large excerise ball for "Speedy" our pet rat.Normally we have 2 rats at a time,as they are smart and get lonely. Speedy's buddy that we brought him home with died right away,and he's been alone a long while now.

I saw him as soon as I walked in the door! What a little dollface!I told myself we don't need another rat,move along. The shop was out of large balls,so I got a bag of food and was ready to cash out. Waiting in line,I could see him staring at me. The sweetest little rat face I ever saw."Is that rat for sale?" I blurted out."Yes." "I'LL TAKE HIM!"

I got my first rat in the late eighties."Rattus Norvegicus" was his name.I've had many since then. Never have I bought a rat without picking it up first.That's just crazy. As I sit here today my little boomerang (Boomer-as Dan calls him) is happily cleaning his face in my lap.I've had him less than 48 hours and honestly he's the best little rat I've ever had.

Unfortunately, in a somewhat ironic twist, Speedy wants to kill Boomerang. He doesn't like hime one bit.I thought Speedy would be so happy to have a buddy to snuggle with when it gets cold,to run around with and clean each other.Nope. Boomer is definitely my rat,not Speedy's.I have to keep him in a separate cage,and even then,he managed to draw blood from his tail last night somehow.

So, I finally got that tooth out yesterday.All I will say about that is that for once in my life, the level of fear and and anxiety about the incident was,as it turns out,appropriate. Awful. The whole afternoon Boomerang laid on the bed with me watching a dvd of "My name is Earl". We even fell asleep together,and Dan came home from work and woke us up.I need to get some pictures,but I am still pretty worn out from my dental adventure.

I may never eat in public again. This flipper is a nuisance. It's like trying to eat with a poker chip in your mouth. And it comes loose if you get too involved in your eating.(Which I frequently do!)

One more thing about the dentist,you know when you're getting a tooth pulled,and there's no turning back and you're scared to death,and you try to think about happy things? I thought about Montana,the mountains,bears,goats,deers,flowers,huckleberries,the trails,the tourists and our friend Clif.I had a slide show going in my head.It was just long enough that I got through it.All was not pleasant,though. Turns out,my friend could hear me screaming in the waiting room.

Enough whining already. We got some squirrel proof feeders this week,and there's birds-a-plenty outside my window-and it's snowing big fluffy flakes!

Almost forgot, I got a job,I still have to pass the physical and drug test.My appt is 1:30 today.Medical and dental,hot damn!

Will Work For Teeth

I finally went to a dentisit this week.Unfortunately they do not offer a payment plan,and I need extensive work done in my mouth.Would you believe they had the audacity to suggest I take out a loan or open a 0% finance credit card?I would have canceled my upcoming extraction and subsequent "flipper" right then and there,had it not been that I had already forked over $70 to get looked at,and fitted for a "flipper".

I can't help but put "flipper" in parentheses. It seems to me they could come up with a better name for a single tooth replacement. Is it too much to ask? I am already going to be sans a major front tooth. Must I suffer the indignity of having to put a "flipper" in my mouth,also? Why not call it a "single" or a "unit"?

Anyway,for $450, they are going to service my one problem tooth and launch my dental journey and send me on my way,in search of the elusive "dentist with a payment plan".Yesterday at work, someone I told my story to replied with a dolphin sound. If I didn't have a sense of humor,there'd have been hell to pay,as I am still a little mean from quitting smoking 4 months ago. However,I thought it was hysterical,and she actually made me laugh pretty hard.

I am going early next week to the college to see if I can get some sort of entry level job with medical benefits. It occured to me that I could do something else when my friend Clif ran my blog though some sort of test,and it thought I was smart.I graduated high school,and that's it. However,I have always loved to read.And I guess I have a few things on the ball that may help me to a better job.I don't drink or use drugs,I have no record,I have no kids,I don't smoke and I have my own transportation.I can find my way around a computer,and perhaps most importantly....the title "3rd shift Janitor" doesn't frighten me.

It's probably good that this is happening now,pushing me to do something different if I can. One certainly doesn't want to be a waitress when the economy collapses.The college will always be there. The restaurant I work at? Not so much......

75.19

Today's watch

The USD has fallen-and it may not get up

Yesterday I was reading the Stock Market thread and saw it was looking ugly out there,so I went for a lovely walk in the woods,and found a letterbox planted by the DEP.It took my mind off worrying about the economy.I fear that people are going to stop going out to eat.Gas is over $3 again,and the USD is under 76.Gold is over $820 an oz!

The sky is falling.I can't go for a walk today,it's pouring cold rain. It's also election day.Honestly,the way those clowns we elected last November are doing,it's tempting to skip voting.Do nothings.But I'll go.It's still the right thing to do.

I heard a mouse this morning. Time to start up the "Mouse Relocation Program" again,before they get at my coffee and cake mixes! We have little plastic traps called "ice Cubes"-mouse gets in,but it can't get out. We take the box far away and "relocate" them.I'll get a shot of one,soon as I catch one.

The DEP has hidden boxes in all the state forests (32?),so that should keep me busy until spring. There was a lot of uphill climbing yesterday,good thing I was alone. It was beautiful though. At one point the trail ran next to the river,and the sky was blue and there were still a few red and orange leaves,the sun was reflecting sky on the river.......it was nice.

I brought the big backpack,because 2 times now,I have gotten lost and ended up far from where I intended.So I brought water,a lunch ,maps ,my camera and stamping stuff. I ordered a new map,mine is from 1996,and a compass the other night from the DEP store. Hopefully,it will reduce my lost johnny episodes. I don't mind hiking 3 hours,as long as I know where I am, approximately.

Trees and River

The sky is falling

Time to hit the woods.

Tall Pines Ranch photos..

I can't post the slideshow,but I managed to create a link.
Tall Pines Ranch
Finally I got a disc so I can upload some pictures. My computer refuses to communicate with my camera lately,so I am forced to make discs if I want to upload.I am so afraid to invest in a new computer,because I have no clue what to buy,that I keep working around this one's difficulties.

It really is a great computer,it's just old and has a rough time sometimes(I can relate!)

So,some Montana Tall Pines Ranch photos..