Healthy Living Thread

[deegee]

Marcy-yay! More ring shopping! This ring is still pretty solid, although not like before. I definitely do not like the thin bands for me because I am so hard on everything. If my ering was on a wider band, I think the channel band would have been just fine. I think I'm done with jewelry for a while and need to turn my attention to decorating my empty house or researching my next car. Apparently I can only focus on one thing at a time! Is Marty getting used to being back home? I hope he stays for a while. Matt has a day trip this week. I think I can handle that. Sorry to hear of the anniversary of your dad's passing. Hugs to you.

Dee*Jay-one of my most favorite meals ever is hotdogs, tater tots and a vanilla milkshake. Yummmmmm. Be careful in all of that snow! Can you stay in? Luckily it has been too warm for snow here, but we've had lots of rain. I never remember to wear my earrings so I have never scratched up my phone with them. You must be on your phone a lot during the day. I think I use my phone as a phone maybe 2 times a week.

Rid-I hope your future SIL and brother's rings turn out great. How exciting! The cobalt chrome ring sounds really cool! Glad to hear you had a good time. I have been really homesick this year. We moved farther away last year and don't get back home every weekend like we used to. We go about once a month, which isn't bad, but the older I get the more of a homebody I become!

We had a few friends over tonight to watch the worst super bowl ever! GRRR! Even though the cleaners were here Thursday, we cleaned the downstairs again and thoroughly vacuumed the sectional. My animals she'd like crazy. We must have done a good job because the person who is allergic didn't sneeze once all night. I brought my laptop home but didn't turn it on once. It's so hard to work on the weekends! I worked 52 hrs last week so I got my time in and Matt won't let me feel guilty about having a slacker weekend. I'm off to bed early. Have a great Monday!

 

[deegee]

Hi skippy! I've wondered where you were! I bet you are incredibly busy with your boys, and I bet you are enjoying every minute you have with them!!

 

[Rod]

Thanks for popping in my dear dear Skippy! Your bud.......Rod

 

[marcy]

Someone's bound to blink!

Have a great day.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Hello Skippy! I am firmly back in Chicago! Although after this weekend's weather I would consider another location at this point... !

Deegee, you did not have a slacker weekend -- you had a NORMAL weekend! And you deserved it!

Curby, I'll be interested to to hear which of them blink first!

Rod, I hate to even ask this, but what's the weather like down there... ?

This is looking at my front door this morning... You can't tell from this pic but there is a sidewalk between the big mound and my door and it had been shoveled by the time I left for work so I was able to walk out of the parking lot without have to wade out through the snow. Ack.

 

[Rod]

Don't Read IF You Are Cold And Shivering Up North:

DeeJay........it was chilly today. High of 72 degrees, brrrrrrrrrrrr!

But it is going to get colder tonight with lows in the upper 40s. Tomorrow, it's only going to make it to the mid-60s. A veritable cold spell may hit next week.

 

[marcy]

Marty says the bear blinked first. The Bears say the rabbit blinked first then went crazy and tried to bite off the Bear's head.

 

[marcy]

Happy Monday!

Hi Skippy! How are you doing? I bet your boys are adorable and keep you very busy. Yes, Curby is my nickname because I am always driving my wheels in to curbs. If Wyoming allowed 5 letters on personalized plates I’d have that on my car.

Deegee, Marty did point out that if I want to change my ering sometime I should wait and see what band I like with it. It’s not like I don’t have something pretty to wear. I am so glad the thinner band is perfect for you. Marty seems pretty happy to be home. Matt’s day trip won’t be too bad. Shopping for your house or a car will be fun too. The best part of the Super Bowl was the brawl towards the end. You are not a slacker, you worked 52 hours last week. That is plenty!

Dee Jay, you are certainly getting the snow there. That’s a lot of snow built up on the sidewalk and cars. Good deal you were able to get to your car without wading through the snow. I got a card for 4 Marquis by Waterford flute glasses if I spend $200 or more at Jareds. I mentioned it to Marty. He just ignored me.

Rod, your weather sounds pretty nice to me. We have chilly wind with temps in the 30’s and 40’s. But we are definitely not deep in snow like Dee Jay.

LOL, I just noticed you can see the shadows of the 4 rabbits on the banister.

Marty got up in the middle of the night to work Romania hours. He was sound asleep in the basement when I got home about 5:30. I made tacos for supper. I am kind of surprised he’s still awake right now.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay- your picture makes me want to cry. Is your car buried around there somewhere? Stay safe!

Rod-show off! It was 41 when I left the house this morning at 8 and 20 when I left work at 6pm. We had rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow all in one day. We're not buried like Dee*Jay though!

Marcy-I thought for sure that was going to end in a stalemate. Should have known the killer rabbit would win. You better rush to Jareds so you can get those free glasses! So far the BMW X3 is at the top of my list with the Audi Q5 or SQ5 right behind it. That is the size I want to zip around town and to be able to fit in a parking spot at work.

So after work again today, I baby stepped it down the street to my car to find it iced over. It was easier to get into this time but took a few minutes for the ice on the windshield to melt so I could get going. Food today-fruit smoothie for breakfast, frozen meal for lunch (nuked to perfection), and I made spaghetti for dinner. One of my vendor coworkers just returned from a month in India and she said she could tell I had lost weight. I told her I was on a forced diet from being sick. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[marcy]

Deegee, you definitely need to get a car that you can park close to your office. I hate to hear you walk so far on ice and then have to de-ice your car. Noooooooooooo!!! Naturally Marty is going to make sure the Killer Rabbit is going to win. Has your reflux been behaving?

Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Rod, it's a good thing I lurve you or I'd be really mad right now!

Curby, unfortunately the Waterford wine glasses I want are the regular line and not the Marquis or I'd be driving you to Jared's myself to cash in on that deal, ha ha!

Deegee, the CB pulled my car outside the parking lot the night before the big snow, which was good because then they plowed my spots, but bad becuase I had to contend with getting out of a snow mound on a city street. No good answer...

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Rod, it's a good thing I lurve you or I'd be really mad right now!

Curby, unfortunately the Waterford wine glasses I want are the regular line and not the Marquis or I'd be driving you to Jared's myself to cash in on that deal, ha ha!

Deegee, the CB pulled my car outside the parking lot the night before the big snow, which was good because then they plowed my spots, but bad becuase I had to contend with getting out of a snow mound on a city street. No good answer...

ETA: Not sure what just happened there -- my post "submitted itself" so I'm continuing now..

Anyway, last night we had split pea soup for dinner and then the CB froze the rest, enough for two full meals, because I'm kind of souped out at this point. The I worked for about 2-1/2 hours, but it was a very productive 2-1/2 hours so I didn't mind so much!

This morning I can barely turn my head. I had a migraine on Sunday that has worked its way down to my neck and shoulder and man is it killing me today! Oh well, I stopped at the liquor store last night and got some Templeton Rye and Bulleit Burbon and sweet vermouth and real maraschino (sp?) cherries and I'm going to have me a medicinal manhatten tonight! Maybe two! (You'll notice the absence of bitters on that list... oops, I forgot... I guess I'll either have to go back to the store or do without.)

 

[Dee*Jay]

And now my original post has duplicated itself AND added the extra stuff I typed at the end in the second version... WTF?

 

[marcy]

Happy Tuesday!

Dee Jay, how are you feeling tonight? Your migraine and stiff neck sound awful. Hopefully a medicinal cocktail or two helped. Is it still snowing in Chicago? We’ve got about 6” coming our way tonight through tomorrow. Plus wind, of course. It’s Wyoming after all! I doubt that Jared’s would be amused if we went shopping there just for the Waterford crystal glasses. We could drink first so it would be more fun. Hopefully your parking spot was still cleaned off when you got home.

Deegee, I think I am going to leave my ring the way it is. As Marty pointed out to me I keep talking about changing my ering so I should wait until I decide what I am doing with that first.

I went to work today and Marty went shopping in Denver. I had shopping envy. He picked up his watch (it’s been in for a missing screw since before Thanksgiving but he hasn’t been home to go get it) and bought us some exercise stuff for the man cave. He got a weight station, system whatever it’s called and a recumbent bike. It will get delivered and installed on the 12th. There goes the man cave furniture for now. Oh well he will enjoy it and I plan on learning to use it. I hope the bike works okay with my knees. We’ll see. I can definitely do some arm stuff with weights.

Marty ate at PF Changs on the way home so I fixed a Kraft dinner for supper and had fruit with it. I like easy suppers.

If it’s snowy in the morning I’ll have my chauffer take me to work. Ha!

Have a great evening.

Marcy / Curby

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-I have never tasted a good Manhattan. The last one I tried was so bitter I couldn't drink it. I'm not sure what it should taste like. Did you order a panel? Did you tell us and I missed it? (Probably)

Marcy- the thought crossed my mind today while I was in a meeting to take a pic of my hand a little further out so you could see more of a realistic view on the ring. (Funny where my mind goes during a meeting!) I think it is a tad wider than 3mm because my ering is 3mm in the back according to the cad, and the band is a smidge wider. If you're contemplating a new ering setting, I wouldn't touch it either! And I agree about the walk from the building to my car. It was all fine and dandy during the summer and fall, but now it's the pits! My next car will have the remote start feature. Good luck with the exercise equipment. Matt is running on the treadmill in the man room while watching basketball right now. I don't have knee problems, but the treadmill makes them hurt so it is for sure a no-go. My reflux is better, although I'm afraid to eat! I still have 23 days to go on my medicine.

I had a relatively short day at work today. I woke up with Dee*Jay's headache so I went in 2.5 hours late. I only went in because I had an afternoon meeting scheduled, and rescheduling and getting all of the right people there again would have been a pain. I left 15 minutes early to get across town for my 4-week color and trim. Can't miss that! I schedule them in January for the whole year and it's tough to get back in at the time I need if I have to cancel. I love the way she dried it, but I can never get the same result. Oooh..and my excitement for the day. The black waterproof Teva boots I ordered from Zappos yesterday came today. Gotta love Zappos! And no, I didn't really need another pair of black boots. I just love them so! Food today-a bowl of rice topped with grilled chicken for lunch, and chicken & noodles for dinner. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, I think the recumbant (sp?) bike might work well for you! There is really no pressure on your knees (unless you ratchet up the tension, which is totally under your control so if it's too much you can dial back down) and you can always watch TV or read a book while you do it. Or cruise PS on your ipad... !

Deegee, I wonder if you didn't like the bitterness of the Manhatten because of the bitters? You could always try one without the bitters, so basically it would be bourbon or rye and sweet vermouth, and maybe you would like that more. And not only didn't I order one of the panels yet, I completely lost my mind yesterday and ordered TWO other things instead... and then I went home, looked at the space, and canceled both of them. I need to make a decision...

Nothing exciting to report. I have a bit of a cold so I didn't sleep much at all last night. Surprisingly I don't feel that bad today, but I'm sure it will catch up with me by afternoon.

 

[Rod]

Popping in to say hey. Nothing exciting to report. Sleep, get up, have a fruit smoothy, take my vitamins, go to work, work, have carrots, celery and a protein drink for lunch, work some more, come home, have dinner, catch up on things and surf the net, sleep.

God, I sound boring.........

Hope life's a bit exciting where you are!

Hope you're feeling better DeeJay!

Marcy, the recumbent bike should be great for you. When I hurt my back a few years ago and couldn't use the elliptical, the recumbent bike was my go to device.

 

[deegee]

Dee*jay-the vendor people who live in or come through Chicago to get to WV finally made it this afternoon after 2 days of cancelled/rescheduled flights. Some of them chose not to come at all because they are usually only here through Thursday, and that's not exactly worth the trip. One guy was determined to get here on time so he stayed with a relative who lives a block from the L, but when he got to the airport, everything was cancelled. You had some serious snow!

Hi Rod! Isn't it funny how we settle so comfortably in routines. Same thing, different day. I feel like I work, get home late, eat, surf for a while, then bed.

Marcy-did you get your earring problem taken care of? I hate to think of you not wearing your beautiful earrings!

Not much to report today. I left the house at 8 this morning and got home at 8 this evening. Boo. I hate walking down the street to my car in the dark. There is an unfortunate long row of hedges between my building and where I park, and I half fear someone jumping out from behind them one night. Tonight the guard was doing his parking lot rounds, so he walked with me. Food today-oats and blueberries for breakfast, leftover spaghetti for lunch, and pork roast, couscous and broccoli for dinner. I'm drinking a decaf coffee with a nice shot of Bailey's vanilla cinnamon as a snack. For some reason, the only alcohol that doesn't hurt right now is Bailey's, and I'm making myself stick to no more than one Dee sized serving in a day. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!

 

[marcy]

Happy Wednesday!

Deegee, I completely understand your mind wandering during meetings and especially enjoying your rings during a meeting. I’d love a picture from more of a distance. I was actually playing with my box of rings last night trying different thickness combinations with rings and bands. I think a remote start for a car right by the building is a great idea! It was so icy here today I was very glad Marty was in town and could drive me to work. He said the drive home this morning was awful. I hope I can ride the bike okay. Good luck with your medicine. I hope it get rids of your reflux. I hope your headache is better. Do you like your new hairdo? Glad you like your new Teva boots.

Dee Jay, I am anxious to try the bike. I am approaching it with a positive attitude. I am confident when you decide what is right for your room you will figure out what to order. I hope that cold doesn’t get any worse and you had time for a nap today. Is the snow starting to melt?

Rod, there is absolutely nothing in the world wrong with a boring life. I’ll take my boring life over the drama, stress and strife I hear other people go through every day. Marty is pretty excited for the bench, weights, gym thing but I sure plan on using the bike. I hope you are enjoying some beautiful, nice weather for me.

We had about 4” of snow by the time we got up so I had Marty take me to work. It was pretty icy. We’ll be above freezing early tomorrow so I’ll probably drive tomorrow.

Marty bought some rubber floor tiles and put together in the unfinished section of the basement for our gym. He’s been getting up about 4. I kind of wake up when he gets up but eventually go back to sleep.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy / Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy middle of the night kids!

I just got BACK in bed after spending an hour moving my car around the parking lot so the guys who showed up with bobcats -- you know, heavy equipment that beeps like a mo' fo' whenever it backs up? -- could clear the snow out of my spaces. They were actually clearing the whole lot, but (a) I made them hot chocolate (baby, it's colllllld outside!) and (b) I stood there "supervising" the whole time so they were eager to get mine done so I would go back inside!

Seriously, can't this stuff get done in the DAY?!? Now I'm cold and wide awake...

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-they came at night with noisy equipment to work on the parking lot? That's so wrong, but at least it got done! When Matt and I first moved to WV, we lived in a townhouse directly across from a country club. The dumpsters behind the country club were emptied promptly at 3am on Mondays. Nice.

Marcy-I do like what she did with my hair. I also ordered, upon recommendation from a friend, a ridiculously expensive (in my world) hair product ($40 for 5oz) that keeps frizz away. I have naturally curly hair that has had some very strong straighteners over the years. It's mostly straight now, but tends not to be real smooth. This stuff really seems to help. I might end up buying the whole ridiculously expensive line of shampoo, cream rinse, and whatever else.

I'm trying my hardest to stay awake until 10, and lemme tell you I'm struggling! It's 10 degrees outside and I'm on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, by the fire of course. Work today-meetings and stuff to do. I need to bring my laptop home to work on some things over the weekend, but I really don't want to. Maybe I'll bring it home half charged without the power cord, and when it's done, I'm done. Food today-oats and blueberries for breakfast, I drank a cup of soup in between meetings, I shoved in a peanut butter sandwich during a break, and we had leftover pork roast made into pork barbecue for dinner. I've been surfing HOUZZ tonight getting some ideas. Another exciting day! Have a wonderful Friday!!

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, I'm sorry they chose the middle of the night to plow. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I have a great deal of difficulty going back to sleep, so I'm betting your very tired tonight.

I'm so frustrated at work. They just don't care about us anymore. When I say that, I mean us "older" more experienced folks. They're hiring 20 somethings in droves. In fact, they just demoted my boss and they're replacing him with a 27 year old with 3 years of experience. I don't think I'm going to be able to work for someone who has so little experience.

I'm putting my job search in high gear. It's time to move on. It's funny that out of the blue, a company I know in the area asked me to go to lunch the week after next. We'll see if there's any interest.

I keep trying to win the lottery, but it's not working out too well.

I know it's gotten very cold up north. It's even going to be chilly in Florida. Stay warm and safe everyone.

 

[marcy]

Happy Thursday!

Dee Jay, that’s great you got your parking place done first while supervising the plowing last night. I bet those guys appreciated the hot chocolate. Bobcats do make a lot of noise; I can’t believe they would be clearing the parking lot in the middle of the night. Our lawn service shovels our walks too and they’ll come at 11 pm or later sometimes. I don’t hear them in this house but I did at our old place and it used to scare the crap out of me. I hope you got back to sleep okay.

Deegee, I can’t imagine how noisy that was having dumpsters emptied early in the morning. That’s great you like your haircut. As long as your new shampoo and conditioner work with your hair they’ll be worth every penny. It’s hard to stay awake when you are snuggled up on the couch, by the fire and relaxing. If your work laptop is anything like mine it won’t last very long if it’s not fully charged. Heck mine doesn’t last long if it is fully charged. I frequently ask for a Mac but sadly the IT guys just laugh at me.

Rod, I really hate to hear about the influx of younger employees at your job. How frustrating and worrisome they replaced your boss with a younger and less experienced person. How interesting another company wants to meet with you, maybe they’ll have something there that will be a better fit for you. It does sound like it’s probably a good time to brush up your resume and start looking elsewhere. That reminds me I really need to take time and actually set up my linked inn page. I have been thinking of asking Marty’s old boss (he’s a VP) if there is anything open at work that doesn’t involve me having employees.

I did drive myself to work today. The main roads were mostly clear. My kids weren’t quite as well behaved today but there weren’t any fights that I know about so I’d say that’s better than bad.

I didn’t buy much in the way of groceries last week so I was down to a hot pocket for lunch today. It wasn’t too bad. I had some meatballs in the freezer so I made some pasta, sauce and meatballs for supper. I have a London broil we can have tomorrow so at least we can make it to the weekend. As you know, grocery shopping is my least favorite task anymore. Since Marty’s in town I can at least get him to go with me. The best part of that is he can get everything in the house in one to two trips. As for me with my t-rex arms and short legs it takes me about 6 to 8 trips.

Yes, it’s true I get teased about being a T-Rex. When a group of us used to play hearts at lunch I could never reach the center of the table and thus began the T-Rex jokes. Half the group was so obnoxious they’d pretend to be helping me and move the cards a half inch the other direction.

Tomorrow is Friday Yippee!!!! Marty is going to start working regular hours. One of the killer rabbits is missing. That makes me nervous.

Marcy / Curby

 

[marcy]

Happy Weekend!

My day at work was pleasantly broken up by meeting Marty and some friends of ours for lunch. I left supper cooking in the crock pot so we had a quick supper, picked up a little bit and Marty is playing poker with some of his friends. They didn't try to organize it until last night so only 3 people came to play cards but it sounds like they are having fun.

Since Marty was going to the store to buy snacks for poker I handed him my shopping list so I'm off the hook for a few days.

Our weather is going to be great this weekend. I have no idea what we will be doing though.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Marcy / Curby

 

[Rod]

Happy Weekend Ladies!

I'm so glad to have the next couple days off. Everyone on my team is so frustrated at work. I think everyone is looking for a new job. We all have the same desire to be gone before the new child manager shows up in early March.

We started the weekend off as usual by meeting the same couple we've had sushi with every Friday night for the last several years. It's funny how after all these years, we enjoy our Friday night date. They're a bit older than us and they'll be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in March. They are a great couple and it's clear they love each other a lot. The weekend after Charlie and I get married, we're going to a wonderful new restaurant together on a Saturday night to celebrate our marriage and their wedding anniversary.

Tomorrow night, we're going to a birthday party for a friend hosted by his wife for his 60th birthday.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[deegee]

Rod-I'm so sorry to hear about work. It would be hard to stomach working for someone so young with such little experience. And it seems like those are the people who come in with the attitude that they need to prove something, and that's hard to deal with. Do you know the person? I wish you the best in a job search if you decide to go that route. It's great you enjoy Friday date nights! It's a nice evening to look forward to, I'm sure.

Marcy-yay for getting rid of your grocery list! We did a quick grocery stop tonight and kept it to one little basket. So they won't get you a Mac at work, huh? I have an HP tablet PC that is wonderful, but the battery only lasts about 5 hours max. Matt and I are getting new phones this weekend, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to trade my iPad mini for a Samsung tablet. Decisions, decisions. I hope you go do something exciting while you have nice weather! After 8 degrees yesterday, tomorrow is supposed to be 60. Are you able to wear your earrings? I don't blame you at all if you looked for a job with no direct reports. Even though this project isn't what I wanted to do and I'm working a bunch, it's been wonderful not having to deal with employees!

I woke up this (Friday) morning with every achy joint in my body telling me to stay home and stay warm. I listened! I worked 45 hours this week without today. And since I didn't bring my laptop home Thursday night, there will be no work this weekend. Yay! We're heading to KY to visit tomorrow and to take my parents out to dinner. My 15 yr old niece Alexis has her first fancy dance tomorrow, and I'm excited to see her in formal wear instead of her usual weekend attire of sweats, Tshirt, flip flops and ponytail. I shared a peanut butter sandwich with Lily for lunch (or rather, she helped herself to half of my sandwich while I had my head turned), and Matt and I went to the Outback for steak/salad/broccoli for dinner. Have a wonderful, restful Saturday!

 

[Rod]

Deegee, we don't know the new child wonder. It's interesting what our company is doing. They hired another child wonder to manage a different group in our office and the new wonder is a friend of his. The guy who's already in our office is the type of guy who only wears suits (high end ones) to work, when the company dress code is casual Friday attire 5 days a week (jeans). He's so into being the appropriately dressed business executive. It doesn't make him more successful. No it doesn't.

 

[marcy]

Happy Saturday!

Rod, I can imagine how frustrating it is for all of you at work to deal with the youngsters coming in and taking over. I am sure everyone is polishing up the old resumes this weekend. I definitely agree wearing a high price suit doesn't mean you are successful. I remember your Friday night sushi dates. Dinner with that couple this spring to celebrate your wedding and their anniversary will be a very special time. It’s nice to have good friends like that. How was the birthday party?

Deegee, I tried a Windows tablet (don’t remember the brand) at work but quickly decided I’d rather at least have a laptop. A touch screen is kind of hard to use on most of the programs I use. Is your Tablet PC something that has a detachable keyboard so it can be a laptop or a tablet? We are both ahead of the grocery shopping for the weekend. Sweet. Did you get new phones and a new tablet? I have been wearing my earrings but trying not to wear them every day. I think if I switch the setting I might go for dangle lever backs. When the posts start to itch I spin them and it helps for a few hours. Good idea to stay home after working 45 hours already this week. I hope you feel less achy today. I am sure your niece looked terrific for her first fancy dance. I hope you have a nice visit your parents this weekend. How are they doing?

Dee Jay, has all that snow melted yet?

Marty got up again about 4. I slept until about 7:30. I made us hash browns, toast, bacon and eggs for breakfast. I didn’t get hungry again until after 2 so I decided to make beef stroganoff out of leftover London Broil. I just kind of made up the recipe based on what I had. I used a gravy mix, canned mushrooms, onions and sour cream and noodles of course. It tasted pretty good. Of course I made the mistake of telling Marty before he tasted it I have no idea how it will taste; since I just made up the recipe. Every bite he’s setting there acting like he’s about to get sick. Then when he dished up seconds I asked him why he was going to eat more if it was so bad? He said he didn’t want someone else to have to eat it. He even had one of the bunnies smell it and pretend to gag too. He’s too funny. As my mom always said, life is never dull with Marcy and Marty around.

The highlight of the day was seeing a huge filament on the Sun. We have a little solar telescope. I like stargazing in daylight when it’s warmer.

I made Marty his oatmeal cookies today. They turned out absolutely awful. They are going in the trash. I hadn’t used this recipe for over 15 years. They were oatmeal, butterscotch and were so sweet I still have that awful taste in my mouth. The recipe called for margarine and I used unsalted butter, I wonder if they aren’t salty enough. Anyway, they won’t tempt me because they are going to be in the trash. I did try to get a friend of mine to take them.

Take care
Marcy / Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday kids!

Warning: long involved Dee-centric post ahead…

So I’m in Aspen. That part’s good… except I don’t know how I’m going to get home from Aspen because somehow somewhere between dinner last night and coming back to the hotel I lost my driver’s license. I had money, my Am Ex, DL, debit card, and room key in my back pocket but when I got home only the money and Am Ex were still there. NO IDEA where the other things went but I’m on hold with United right now trying to figure out how to get on a plane with no ID. I have also checked my account several times and there have been no charges made with my card so I am thinking (HOPING!!!) that maybe my other stuff fell out at the restaurant. They don’t open until 5:30 but I’m sure there will be someone there earlier so I’ll keep calling to see. It’s very strange though because nothing has ever fallen out of my pocket before so I really can’t imagine what happened…

And now for something else new and thrilling: When I was waiting to board my flight at O’Hare last week the painter who did some work on the second phase of my project right before I moved in May called me and said that he had never been paid on the job and that the general contractor told all the subcontractors (including the painter) that I have totally stiffed him and never paid him for the job. I called the electrician, but then I remembered that I had paid him directly myself because the electrical work was a late add-on and wasn’t written into the original contract. The electrician did say that the GC owed him for other work he did for him after my project though and that he wouldn’t work for him any more. Then I called the carpenter and he said the same thing the painter did – never paid and the GC said I stiffed him on the job. I don’t have the numbers for the tile guy, drywaller or HVAC guys, but I might be able to find them in my files somewhere when I get home.

Putting all that aside for a second, before I did the final payout to the GC (which was about $7,500 of the $22,000ish) I got notarized subcontractor waivers from him for all the trades. This is exactly the reason why you do that – if a GC for whatever reason doesn’t pay the subs the subs can’t lien your property if you’ve got waivers. BUT the waivers in this case are all forged! And the notary either knowingly notarized falsified documents or he/she failed to verify the identity of the people whose signatures were being notarized because the person either has to present identification or be personally known to the notary. So the notary is in trouble either way too.

Another twist is that the GC worked for a larger contracting company at the time and he did this as a side job, and he said that the principals of the firm he worked for knew about this side biz (and maybe they did, I don’t really know all of what went on with that). Well the CB called the contracting company on Friday and talked to the principals and they said the fired the GC for theft! They didn’t elaborate (theft in this universe could take many forms—money, materials, manpower, etc) but when the CB gave them my address they both said they know it for some reason and will look up their records and get back to us next week. Really, they would have no reason to know the address unless the job ran through their books (which shouldn't have been the case if this was a side job) so I’ll be curious to hear what’s going on with that.

There’s an added element here in that the guy’s mother is an agent at the real estate firm I work for but that part is too complex to go into. It is also somewhat contingent on the waivers, so if that part becomes relevant I’ll do my best to explain.

From a legal standpoint, at a minimum the GC has committed defamation, which is a civil offense, and forgery and falsification of documents, fraud and theft, all of which are criminal offenses. I am so fvcking mad I could strangle this guy with my bare hands. The instant I get home I’m going to get my file out and look at everything. Of course I’ve got proof that all the invoices were paid but still, the fact that he told people—several people—that I didn’t pay up is absolutely infuriating to me. I have plenty of faults in life, but no paying what I owe is not one of them. This guy picked the wrong person to do this to. I have the means, the ability and the absolute desire to make him sorry, and I fully intend to do that.

Apologies for the me-centric post but I wanted to let you guys know that I was out of town and what was going on.

Rod, I love that you still have a Friday night date with that couple! Have a little spicy tuna for me!

Deegee, I’m glad you got a little down time and I really hope the next phase of your project is much better than the last one.

Curby, I’m not sure what the snow status is in Chicgo at this point but it’s absolutely perfect here in Aspen—as always!!!

 

[marcy]

Happy Sunday!

Holy CRAP, Dee Jay! What a hassle for you - both your ID, debit card and your GC being a thief. I hope the restaurant found your ID and debit card. I can't believe that contractor did that to you. Marty was explaining how things work in Romania and it is just like that - a lot of corruption. I am glad you'll have your receipts and everything but still you don't want those sub-contractors thing you stiffed them for payment. Make that GC PAY in more ways than one.

Ours day so far: we ate breakfast at Perkins, shopped at Barnes and Noble and are just hanging out and reading.

Have a great week.
Marcy