I feel really, really bad today because of something that happened yesterday.  I destroyed not one life, but two.  That’s right – I killed a dove accidentally.  I was driving and it was just sitting in the road and didn’t move as I approached.  So I tried to straddle it with my car, but it must have flown up because I heard a thump.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, there were white feathers flying everywhere.   And you know that doves mate for life, right?  So somewhere out there is another dove that’s in mourning for its lost mate.  Again, I feel really, really bad.  I feel like I need to go adopt an animal at the shelter just to make things right with karma again.  I have actually been thinking about getting a dog – my step-brother Mark likes dogs.  And when Mark finally gets a job and moves out one day, he can take the dog with him.  I’m sure not sure how Supreme Cat 1 (Neville) and Supreme Cat 2 (Hagrid) would feel about a dog in the house.  Well, I already know that Hagrid would love a dog because Hagrid loves everyone.  But I’m not so sure about Neville.

I visited my eye doctor for the third time this year yesterday.  I just can’t get comfortable with my contacts.  It really sucks because I can no longer compensate for my vision correction for distance in order to be able to see up close.   So basically I’m just stuck wearing readers.  I already have several pairs around my house and at work.  The thing is that I can’t see my computer very well with the readers on, so I have to have them perched on the end of my nose to see the spreadsheets in front of me, and then when I look up they are not in my way to see the computer screen.  So yes, I look like the prototypical bookkeeper or librarian or grandmother. 

I worked out yesterday for the second day in a row – yeah!  It’s practically a habit now.  I have quickly figured out that I want to try and get on a cardio machine on the right side of the room instead of the left.  The left side of the room is tuned to Fox News which as everyone knows is slanted to the right.  So I pick a machine on the right side so that I can watch ESPN.  Now if I could only figure out how to read the TV screen and not fall off of the elliptical trainer at the same time.

But there is a problem with working out after work – I have so much energy in the evening now that I can’t get to sleep!   Seems like that energy could be put to better use during the day, so I’m actually considering getting up early and going to work out around 5:30.  I know, that’s just crazy talk especially considering how much I hate to get up in the morning.   And I know how I am – I’ll set the alarm for 5:15 and then when it goes off I will lay there and debate with myself and finally push the snooze button and fall back asleep.  I tried to get up early this morning to get into work earlier – my alarm was set for 5:00.  And what time did I get up?  6:15.  I am very adept at pushing that snooze button.

I just read the most bizarre thing on the Houston Chronicle website.  Tom Delay, the former congressman who represented the Sugar Land area and resigned due to scandal, is going to be on Dancing with the Stars.  Tom Delay – the neo conservative who has to be the whitest white boy who ever lived – is going to try and dance.  I’m generally not a fan of DWTS, but I just might have to catch the next season.  The producers of DWTS must be really desperate although from what I can see on the Internet, there are plenty of B-list, C-list, D-list and so on celebrities embarrassing themselves out there. Hmmm – I wonder who else is going to be on with Tom.  Let’s see, Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne, Kathy Ireland, and Michael Irvin are the most notable of the group.  The rest of the group sound vaguely familiar or I have never heard of them.  My parents watch this show religiously, so maybe I’ll just let them tell me about it.

In my last blog I talked about how I had joined a gym.  Have I been yet?  No.  Do I have my gym clothes with me today?  Yes.  Am I actually going to go to the gym?  That’s anyone’s guess.  I’ve been debating with myself for the past hour.   And it’s not just a matter of putting my gym clothes on before I leave work.  Then I actually have to drive to the gym because I am certainly capable of putting my gym clothes on and then just wearing them home.  The last time I worked out successfully at a gym, I was using a personal trainer.  I met with him Monday-Thursday for 30 minutes each day.  I think I kept that schedule up for 4 months which was pretty amazing for me.  And I did lose about 20 lbs. That was back in 2003.  I have gained that weight back, of course.  Plus more (as is always the case).  I’m not sure if I can afford a personal trainer right now, but it would certainly make me more diligent about going to work out.  And I REALLY need to lose some weight before the end of the year rolls around – you know how difficult it is to lose weight what with all that candy at Halloween and all that turkey and dressing at Thanksgiving and then all the sweets and other snacks during December.  You know that as soon as the stores sell all their school supplies, they are going to roll out the Halloween candy.  That’s just evil, pure evil.

I won a contest this past weekend which was pretty exciting.  Remember how I posted a picture a few weeks ago of the pumpkin doll I had made?  Well, I went back to the website where I had purchased the original pattern and purchased another couple of patterns.  So I was automatically entered in their contest and actually won.  So I get 25 patterns free of charge.  That is going to be a lot of work making all those dolls.  Most of the free patterns I’m getting are Halloween-related since I’m such a Halloween fan (some ghost patterns, a vampire pattern, a Jack the Ripper pattern and a few witch patterns).  But I also selected some snowmen patterns for Christmas/Winter and some bunny patterns for Easter.  I need to get busy.  Besides the 25 patterns I just won, I currently have a witch doll I need to make, plus I have a pattern for a Day of the Dead doll (it’s basically a skeleton). 

Saturday night I went to Laff Stop and saw a really funny comedian named Vince Morris.  He was incredibly good-looking and very topical in a funny kind of way.  But mainly he was good-looking.  I could have sat and listened to him read a dictionary for a couple of hours.

It’s almost time for me to leave work (yes, I blog at the end of the day when I get bored with work), so I think I’m going to put on my gym clothes.  I know you will be waiting in breathless anticipation to find out whether I actually made it to the gym.

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything here.  I get busy at work and then when I get home all I want to do on the computer is tend my farm on Facebook.  I have gotten way too involved in Farm Town on FB as evidenced by my creating a spreadsheet last night showing me which crops give the best return on investment.  And for any FB farmers out there, strawberries offer the best return.

So earlier this year I wrote about how I lost both of my doctors – one moved out of town and the other closed her practice completely.  And being the excellent procrastinator that I am, I waited until I was almost out of my medications (with no refills, of course) before deciding to try and make an appointment with new doctors.  And what I found out is that doctors are really busy this time of year with last minute back-to-school appointments (see, there are lots of procrastinators out there).

So instead of trying to find a new doctor in Katy, I decided to call the old practice in Sugar Land.   Even though my regular doctor moved, there are at least 10 other doctors in that practice I could go to.  And usually it’s very easy to get an appointment at the last minute.  So I started calling on Monday, and the phone was always busy.  Okay, I thought, everyone is calling in to make appointments for the week.  I’ll just try on Tuesday.  So I called on Tuesday – still always busy.  So I went ahead and submitted the refill online through the Walgreen’s website so that they could worry about getting hold of one of the other doctors in the practice for approval.  But as of Thursday morning, Walgreen’s still had not been able to reach anyone at the practice either.  And of course, the office number was still busy.

So I did some research on the Internet hoping to find a different number to call for the practice and thankfully found an article written by some local newspaper in Sugar Land describing how the practice had abruptly shut down two months ago.  Well, that explains a lot.  No wonder the phone line was always busy, although you would think they would have set up a message or disconnected the number or something.  The article listed where most of the doctors had gone to, so I was able to call Methodist Hospital in Sugar Land and actually got an appointment the same day with one of the doctors that had moved from the old practice. Methodist Hospital had snagged three of the doctors from the old practice and formed a new practice just for them.  The new practice is very multi-cultural as one doctor is Asian, one is Hispanic and the other (my new doctor) is Russian. 

I met with Dr. Finkelshteyn yesterday afternoon (that doesn’t really sound Russian, does it?).  And she was just the nicest person in the world.  And because all of her existing patients are still trying to catch up to her, her schedule is currently light and she actually had time to talk to me like a real human being.  It turns out that my previous doctor had been giving me a blood pressure medication that is supposed to be taken twice a day to work effectively, yet he had only been having me take it once a day.  No wonder my blood pressure was high yesterday.  So Dr. F is putting me on a stronger dosage.  And then she had to switch me to a new cholesterol medication because my insurance company is getting petty about paying for my current medication.  No problem, the generic is fine, and it will be cheaper too.

I did discover that I had gained 5 lbs which is never a good thing.  I guess I had been just ignoring the fact that my clothes were fitting a bit tighter.  So after I left the doctor’s office and drove back to Katy, I promptly stopped at Fitness 19 and joined.  It’s a small, no-frills gym off of Fry Rd.  They have a ton of cardio machines, weight machines and free weights (but no extra stuff like classes or saunas or pools or such).  And it’s only $9 a month with no contract!  Of course, the gym does me absolutely no good unless (1) I actually go and (2) I start watching my diet.  This means it’s time for a reassessment of my eating habits – I’m thinking all the cheese and the bag of Bugles in bed at night are going to have to go.

I did get an appointment made for a new gynecologist in Katy for mid-September.  So that will take care of my second doctor.  And I’m going next week to see my eye doctor and to get my teeth cleaned.  By mid-September, I should be all good on the doctor front at least for the next six months.  It’s challenging when you work in Brookshire and have one doctor in Sugar Land and a dentist in Bellaire.  But such is life in the Houston area, I guess.

The Texans play their first pre-season game this weekend on Saturday evening!  Pre-season is pretty worthless because they are putting in all their players trying to figure out who will make the team.  The point is that FOOTBALL IS STARTING AGAIN!!!  Can you tell I’m excited?  The Aggies' first game is on Saturday, September 5 vs. New Mexico.  Gig’em! 

I was training with one of my employees this week, and my boss (whom I happen to like very much) came into the office to chat.  Somehow the conversation turned to politics, and of course the bombs started flying in criticism of President Obama.  I just sat there and cringed as I’m not very good at political debate and I don’t often have enough factual information to launch a solid defense.  But it’s been bugging me all week, so I did some research on the Internet today.  I’m a big supporter of President Obama, and I guess I feel compelled to try and defend the President.  Following is some information I pulled from the internet:

Obama's stimulus package of tax cuts and increased government spending provided some support to second-quarter economic activity. But it will have more impact through the second half of this year and will carry a bigger punch in 2010, economists said.

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The budget Obama submitted shows considerable political courage in the midst of a highly precarious environment, the crashing demands of which could have cowed the new administration into a defensive, crisis-management mode. The crisis would have easily provided political cover for the President to shelve the rest of the ambitious agenda upon which he was voted in office just four months ago.

Obama's budget not only rises to the unprecedented, combined challenges posed by a severe recession and a financial system in disarray but also incorporates the key elements that fulfill his pre-election commitments to those who elected him. Essentially, he is being attacked for doing what he said he would do, under economic conditions that were already clear on election day.

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Obama’s initial poll numbers were 69%.  Only one U.S. president has had higher numbers in his first six months of office, and that was John F. Kennedy at 72%.  His poll numbers have come back to earth a bit, but he still enjoys an approval rating of 54%.  His disapproval rating is currently 12%, much lower than his two previous predecessors – George W. Bush (25% disapproval) and Bill Clinton (20% disapproval).  And one could argue (since I am a Clinton supporter, after all) that Clinton’s disapproval ratings had more to do with morality than with the actual job he was doing as president.

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Obama’s health care reform is the most ambitious social program overhaul since the social programs enacted by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.

Obama:  We must fix a broken health care system to do what's right for America and renew our economy -- individuals and businesses can no longer afford the crippling cost of health coverage, and millions of Americans have no coverage at all. Health insurance must work for people and businesses, not just insurance and drug companies.

He’s only been president for six months, and he took office at a time when one could say that there were huge problems in EVERY area of American life.  Give the man time to put his plans into action, and don’t crucify him for being ambitious.  At least he has the courage to try and change things. 

This has been a long-a** day, probably because I had to go into work at 7:00 a.m. in order to continue training on processing payroll.  It just seems like this day has taken forever to be over.  And to top it all off, I just found out that my brother Mark locked his keys in his car earlier today and accidentally busted out a back seat window in an effort to get in with a coat hanger.  Arghh!

I also found out today that one of the company managers doesn’t like me.  That’s actually cool.  Of course, he didn’t like the last accounting supervisor, so it’s not really me – it’s the position.  Apparently he takes offense when accounting pushes back a bit and insists that his admin employee be responsible for the job responsibilities for which she is being paid.  Go figure!  The cool thing is that my boss is completely on my side and has basically told this manager that a definite problem exists with the admin employee. 

I think the accounting department is used to just letting some groups walk over them at times in order to maintain the peace.  I believe in playing nice, but within reason.  So since I started working here, the accounting group has been diligent about enforcing policies and deadlines which in turn has ruffled a few feathers.  And I’m generally a non-confrontational type of person, so I’m even perplexed at how I’ve been able to stand up in support of best practices.  I guess as long as I know that my boss is behind me and that my staff is with me, I’m good.

This weekend I’m going to a coin show in Bellaire with Anne’s husband, Kevin.  Exciting stuff, I know.  Last year at this same coin show I scored some paper currency from Rhode Island from around the 1780’s.  It is specifically colonial money which is very cool!  I got it for a steal apparently as any other colonial money I’ve seen at other coin shows has been priced 2-3 times what I paid for the Rhode Island piece.  My goal is to collect paper currency from every state that was an original colony.  For those of you that didn’t excel in history, that means I have twelve more states to acquire.

Today’s trivia:  Name the 13 original colonies.

My boss commented today that Governor Rick Perry is mouthing off again about seceding from the United States.  That is really disconcerting to me because I really like my job and living near friends and family and such, but if I have to, I’m moving to a different state because I am not seceding from the U.S.!!!  I told my boss that I should go ahead and move to Canada since I’m part socialist anyways.  At the very least I need to move to one of those states in the northeast that typically votes for the blue party.  Yes, that’s right – one of the original 13 colonies.  That must be our theme today.

I read yesterday that the police arrested a former employee of Gallery Furniture who they believe is responsible for setting the blaze that destroyed $20-25 million in furniture.  Man, it would suck to be that person.  

And please, I don’t want to hear any more interviews with LaToya or Tito Jackson!!  I’m really sad that Michael died, but let’s move on, okay?

Trivia answer:  Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia

Well, I haven’t written anything in a while as a friend pointed out to me today.  I’m not sure why – I guess because nothing exciting has happened to me.   So I’m forced to discuss the mundane happenings of my life.

I’ve been working at WEST Engineering for seven weeks now.  And they still like me – yea!  It does get boring sometime.  I’m so used to such a fast-paced environment, and there is nothing fast-paced about life at WEST currently.  Management does expect business to pick up in the fourth quarter of the year.  But in the meantime, I have had plenty of time to finish account reconciliations, write policies and work on special projects for my boss.  Hey – I warned you that my life is rather mundane right now.

I did finish my incredibly cute pumpkin man this past weekend – the picture is posted below.  Let me tell you – he was a lot of work!  I understand why these things are priced so high at shops at Old Town Spring – they are very labor intensive!  I have a witch pattern to work on now, but I hope it won’t take me so long since I somewhat understand the process now of making one of these dolls.  Only two more months until I can put up my Halloween decorations – yea!  I’ll be glad to make anyone that is interested their own pumpkin man, but I would have to charge at least $50.

Have I mentioned that I wrote out something of a last will and gave it to my parents last weekend?  It’s not really an official will – it’s just a listing of all my bank/savings/retirement accounts with relevant log-in and password information.  Just in case.  My step-brother says I’m being morbid, but I believe I’m just being realistic.  I informed my parents that I wanted to be cremated – I’m glad I have it in writing now because my parents are not exactly comfortable with the idea.  And I think I’m going to go ahead and prepay my funeral arrangements (memorial service – no visitation) so no one has to deal with that when the time comes.  I told my parents that they just should combine my ashes with those of my late cat Pandora and then scatter us either in Hawaii, at A&M or in Target.  I’m thinking Target is not going to be too keen on having ashes scattered in one of their stores, but that is one of my most favorite places!  Of course part of my instructions dealt with finding someone to take care of my two cats, Neville and Hagrid.  I did tell my mother that I would come back and haunt her if she dared to take either of my cats to a shelter.  I’m still traumatized by the fact that she took all of my pets to the city pound not longer after she married my father (although she insists that I’m making this up).

Well, this week got off to a banner start after I turned over in bed this morning and realized it was almost 7:00 meaning obviously I slept through my alarm.  Thank God I washed my hair yesterday so it was reasonably clean which meant it got put up in a twist since I obviously didn’t have time for the whole wash and extensive hair drying process.  Yes, I look very stylish today.  I actually made it out of the house a little early and had time to stop by McDonald’s and get my $1 fountain drink.  That’s a current special they are running - $1 for a drink no matter the size.  I usually just get medium because there’s no way I can drink a large before the ice starts melting.  And who wants to drink watered- down soda?  Not me.

Things have been going reasonably well at work.  My staff and I share some of the same insensibilities, so we spent last Friday afternoon decorating this non-functioning light fixture that is oddly out of place in our office.  A picture is attached below.  Hopefully you can tell that we have a hula girl.  Prior to this it was Uncle Sam for the 4^th of July.  Yes, we are a creative bunch.  And no, this is not a waste of company time.  This is team-building.

Even with team-building activities I finished closing the books last Friday and finalized the reports this morning.  My boss was very happy and actually sent me an email telling me that I was doing great.  Amazing!  I’m still in shock a little bit to be working for a company that is actually appreciative of its employees.

I started working on a Halloween project this weekend, and it is turning out really cute.  I bought this pattern about a year and a half ago, and I’m just getting around to working on it.  It is definitely taking some time as I worked on it most of the weekend and am not finished.  It is a pumpkin hobglobin doll.  I promise I’ll attach a picture when I’m done (provided I ever learn how to download pictures from my camera).  But basically I had to make a doll out of muslin fabric.  It has a pumpkin head which is a lot easier to create than you would imagine.  Yes, a sewing machine was involved.  And then there was painting and drying in the oven.  And then a mixture was made of coffee, cinnamon and cocoa which was then spread all over the doll to “grunge” it up (and make it smell good, too).  Then more drying in the oven.  The hat has been made, and now I’m ready to make the actual clothes.  I saw some dolls like the one I am making at Thad’s at Old Town Spring during the Halloween season in 2007, and they were priced well over $100 each.  So I just decided to find a pattern and make my own.  Of course, after seeing all the time involved, I’d probably charge $100 if I made one for someone else.

I am really psyched about the next Harry Potter movie coming out this Wednesday – “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”.  It’s been forever since I actually read the book that I don’t actually remember most of what happens in the story.  But I do remember what happens at the end.  So I’ll be surprised throughout the movie, and then at the end of the movie I’ll just be sad.  Yes, someone dies, as you probably know.  And in case you don’t know, I’m not going to ruin it for anyone.

I know it’s only July, but I’m so sick of this hot weather that I’m already looking forward to the fall and all the fun stuff that comes with it.  Like Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I am so ready to start decorating my house for the holidays.  I have on occasion brought out all my fall decorations and put them up the first weekend in September, but I haven’t done that lately because it’s usually too darn hot and just doesn’t feel like fall.  Lately I just wait until the first weekend in October and then put up my fall and Halloween decorations at the same time.  That way I get to enjoy my fall decorations during October and November.  Last year I bought some new Halloween decorations – mainly lights and stuff for outside and then got so busy with work that I never put anything up!  But it will be different this year (as I say to myself every year).  But it really will this year because my brother is living with me now, so I can put him in charge of all outside decorations.

I’ve also had my department at work put in all their vacation requests for the remainder of the year.  When you have five women working for you, it’s best to get all the vacations scheduled as soon as possible so that they don’t all get mad at each other in December because one wants off the same week that another wants off.  This way they all get mad at each other in July, and then they get over it!

I’m also trying to figure out what to make for my staff for Christmas gifts.  Once before when I had a staff of 7 women and 1 guy, I made them all fleece throws (the no-sew kind where you cut strips around the edges and tie them together).  I got everyone their favorite color.  And then another year I made homemade cocoa and flavored coffee and got these cute bags from The Container Store and cute labels from a country printing site online.  My homemade gifts do tend to have a country theme which I understand doesn’t really go with everyone’s taste.  But that theme might work just fine this year considering I am working in a cotton gin after all.  Well, technically the accounting department is out in the ice house, but same thing.

And then I have to decide what I’m doing with Christmas cards this year.  Last year they were all homemade (yes, I do aspire to be Martha Stewart as I’ve said before).  I would like to make homemade cards again this year, but maybe with a theme.  Like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  That is my absolute favorite story, so I’ve been searching for clip art and other ideas online.  I haven’t figured it all out, but I will soon.  Hopefully.  Well, I absolutely have to because soon it will be time to think about …

CHRISTMAS COOKIES!!  Probably in late September I’ll decide what kinds of cookies I’m baking this year and then start baking and freezing in early November.  I’ll have to look for other flourless cookie recipes because those peanut butter cookies I discovered this year are (1) awesome and (2) easy to make.  I usually decide to make some kind of multi-step intense cookie and then decide on just plain chocolate chip when it comes down to actually making them.  Because do I really want to roll out cookies or squeeze them out through this tube into some wreath shape and then have to decorate them considering I’m usually trying to make 70-80 dozen?  No, I think not.

I do think I’m going to be very brave this year and actually try and put up my fake Christmas tree.  My brother will have to help me anchor it to the wall because I am sure that as soon as it goes up I’ll have either a white cat or a tabby cat tree topper.  And considering how much that tabby cat weighs (he doesn’t look fat – he’s just solid), that tree is going to tumble right on over.

I know, you are thinking to yourself “Enough about Christmas”!  And you are right.  I need to focus on this lovely time of year where I am able to get into my car at the end of every work day and enjoy temperatures of 100+ degrees.   I guess I should be thankful that I work in an air-conditioned building (although it’s not as chilly as the name “ice house” implies).  I have a friend that is a pipe-fitter, and he just started a job out in Hockley where he is working in a warehouse with no air-conditioning.  Fun stuff.

So, this has been a painful and expensive week.

Yesterday morning was my scheduled root canal.  Then another two teeth had to have cavities filled (yes, I am a little delinquent with my scheduled teeth cleanings).  One of the cavities turned out to take up half the tooth which meant that it had to be crowned.  Yes, I am now the proud owner of a temporary crown which looks remarkably like my old tooth.  I left the dentist office feeling a little bruised and battered and definitely not looking forward to going back to work.  At work that afternoon I had a few problems with that whole area that had been worked on - it looked like I was auditioning for a role in the next Twilight movie (vampire?  blood?  get it?).  So I got to leave work a little early.  My regular time to leave is 5:30, and I left at 5:00 - woo hoo.

I spent the next hour at home laying on my bed with a wad of gauze crammed into my mouth.  But it did the trick.  As did the two Excedrin PM I took when I went to bed that night.  Today all is better, although my tooth with the root canal and related gums look like they came out on the losing end of a fight.

However, even though this was a painful experience, I do have to say I love my dentist.  He doesn't use gas (liabilities issues, he says), but he is just the nicest guy in the world, and if I so much as flinch, he will stop and ask me if I'm okay.  He made sure that he deadened the area completely so I really didn't experience any pain during the procedure - it was just all the battery to my gums that did me in later in the day.  His name is Joe Hutchins, and he practices in Bellaire.  But even though I seem to always live on the outskirts of town, he is always worth the drive.  And his whole office staff is excessively nice.

Tomorrow is Thursday - yea!  The maids are coming - double yea!  I love coming home to a clean house and fresh sheets on the bed.   It's definitely worth the $65 I pay every two weeks.  Of course the house doesn't seem to stay clean very long, especially  not with two cats and various amounts of cat hair swirling about the house.  And my brother making coffee every morning and spilling coffee grounds on the counter top in the kitchen.  Thank goodness I don't have white Corian counters like I did in my last house.  Those things absorbed every stain.

This Friday is my scheduled day off, but I might end up working because it's month-end close time.  I would really like another three day weekend (another perfect opportunity to be a total slug for 72 hours), but I'll have to see how much work I get done tomorrow.

Oh, remember the guy I wrote about the other day who had cancelled two dates and was looking for some way to work me into his life?  After assuring me for two days that he was working on freeing up some time, he finally said he didn't think it was going to work out.  By that time I had figured out that he had to be hiding something from me, so I told him that was fine and to please go take a hike.  Which was a very gratifying feeling!

I got on Facebook this morning to tend my farm (I think I'm up to level 7 or 8), and I went to my list of friends in order to send a message to someone that I used to work with.  And she wasn't on my list of friends anymore!  That was a little unsettling - to know that someone had deleted me as her friend.  Of course, it's not like we were really friends.  We just used to work together and kept in contact occasionally through Facebook.  But still, it's not exactly a good feeling to find out that you have been deleted.

Of course, I currently have 123 friends on Facebook, so I got to wondering how many of them are really my friends (as in I talk to them on a regular basis and celebrate their birthdays and so forth). So I decided to conduct some statistical research.  And here are the results I came up with:

• Friends that I used to work with:  48 (okay, I'm surprised that number is not a little bit higher
• Friends that I used to work with that I have actually spoken to in the last month: 1
• Friends that I have never met: 2 - the first is some guy that sent me a friend request when I first joined Facebook.  The second is a close friend of my close friend.
• Friends that I see at least once a month:  8
• Friends that I see at least quarterly:  17
• Friends that I send Christmas cards (which means I actually have their address):  25
• Friends that I used to date: 3
• Friends that are family: 10

So what does all this prove?  Well, nothing, really.  Except that alot of my friends on Facebook are really just acquaintances.  Which is okay, I suppose.  We meet so many people in this journey through life - Facebook gives us a way to keep up with them without having to make a serious commitment to friendship.  And I am extremely grateful for the 17 friends that I see at least quarterly - I wish that schedules allowed me to see them more often.

Oh, I do have a few close friends that aren't on Facebook.  Hard to believe, isn't it?  I know you are reading this blog, Stacey Brown!  Get your butt on Facebook!      :-)