There are days when I have so much to do and so little time in which to get it all taken care of. Like today. My to-do list for today is so long that I started working on it yesterday. Is that awful or what? I was able to scratch three things off the list---packages that needed to be mailed, laundry and cleaning the bathroom. The packages saved the most time. Mondays, no matter what time you go to the post office here in town, there's a line. I would guess it's because they have shorter hours on Saturdays and they're closed on Sundays. If you use a credit card and don't mind working the do-it-yourself kiosk you pretty much have the lobby to yourself on Sundays. The downside, at least for yesterday, was that the tumbler and the door in the wall where you mail priority items were locked. I ended up taking them outside to the mail boxes in the back lot and dropping them in so all wasn't lost but......why let folks have the ability to do-it-yourself mail and then shutdown the very boxes where that specific mail is supposed to go?
Still on the list, besides the library where I am now, is Costco. I've been carrying around a Costco list in my purse for a week and a half now. When I've had the time it's been raining or a traditionally swamped and busy day at Costco (Wednesdays thru Sundays). Today it's always slow there so that means no packed aisles or long lines. And it's sunny and bright without a cloud in the sky.
And I have to call my cousin's husband when I get home. HSM and her family have decided to put their house up for sale. While property is still sluggishly moving in the metro Detroit area, it's not quite as sluggish as it has been. Bob, my cousin's husband, is a realtor and he's going to list the house. I hope it sells quickly, before the snows. When it sells I'm thinking of maybe listing my house. I've had the yen to move for awhile now. I wish I'd sold my house a few years ago when property values were inflated.
After that I think my time will be my own. I've borrowed the newest Lee Childs book and I can't wait to read it. And watch the debate tonight. And maybe even watch the episode of Boardwalk I missed last night because I was instead watching the Jon Stewart fund raiser on the Comedy Channel. And tomorrow I want to watch the episode of Homeland I also missed last night.
See what I mean? So much to do...........................(smile)!
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300 tawny_ford@webtv.net
Monday, October 22, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
No More Lemons, Maybe
I'm thinking, wishing, hoping and most defintely praying that there are no more lemonade making lemons in my life, leastwise not like the ones I wrote about in the previous blog. I'm feeling good enough to leave the house and not be, well, nervous about it. The working hypothesis is that the medication the doctor switched me to a month and a half ago, lisinopril with a diuretic in it, is the root of my troubles. I went back to plain old lisinopril this morning. Everything crossed.
So you must have seen the Tigers game yesterday afternoon, right? Or at least read/heard about their win, right? As you can imagine it's the bigbigbig news in the metro Detroit media. And people are walking around with grins from ear to ear, even thought it's a wet, gloomy, sort of icky day. Now if the Tigers can win the World series.....!
Did you hear about one of the latest scandals in Detroit? Isn't it a pity to have to stay 'latest scandal'? There are so many of them and most are ongoing. Anyway, this one was brought to light by Charlie LeDuff, an incredibly brilliant reporter for the metro Detroit local Fox station. An EMS worker was written up on disciplinary charges for giving a blanket to an elderly man who was clad only in his underdrawers as a result of his home just burning to the ground. The supervisor said people can't just be giving away property of the City of Detroit (?). Turns out the blanket the fellow gave to the elderly, almost naked survivor was one of a bunch that had been donated (that means free) to the City to give out to people in need. Turns out the blankets were being used as, hold onto your heart, drop cloths (that's right drop cloths for painting projects). So the story went viral and next thing you knew blankets were pouring in from all over the USA, and the world. The poor people of Africa even sent blankets. You know, the people we usually send aid to. Yet another black eye for the Dave Bing administration.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300 tawnyford@webtv.net
So you must have seen the Tigers game yesterday afternoon, right? Or at least read/heard about their win, right? As you can imagine it's the bigbigbig news in the metro Detroit media. And people are walking around with grins from ear to ear, even thought it's a wet, gloomy, sort of icky day. Now if the Tigers can win the World series.....!
Did you hear about one of the latest scandals in Detroit? Isn't it a pity to have to stay 'latest scandal'? There are so many of them and most are ongoing. Anyway, this one was brought to light by Charlie LeDuff, an incredibly brilliant reporter for the metro Detroit local Fox station. An EMS worker was written up on disciplinary charges for giving a blanket to an elderly man who was clad only in his underdrawers as a result of his home just burning to the ground. The supervisor said people can't just be giving away property of the City of Detroit (?). Turns out the blanket the fellow gave to the elderly, almost naked survivor was one of a bunch that had been donated (that means free) to the City to give out to people in need. Turns out the blankets were being used as, hold onto your heart, drop cloths (that's right drop cloths for painting projects). So the story went viral and next thing you knew blankets were pouring in from all over the USA, and the world. The poor people of Africa even sent blankets. You know, the people we usually send aid to. Yet another black eye for the Dave Bing administration.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300 tawnyford@webtv.net
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
When Life Gives You Lemons...
When life gives you lemons make lemonade, right? Take adversity and make it work for you. Okay. Nice motto and great way to look at things.
Sunday life handed me a gastrointestinal smack--diarrhea. It apparently liked me as it's host so much that it decided to hang around all of Monday, too. And, while I would like to say all is back to normal today, well, I really can't, leastwise not with any authority in my voice.
In the tradition of life/lemonade I stayed home all of Sunday and Monday. Okay, it's not like I did it to rest, I did it because I couldn't leave, chained, as I was, to the commode. But I did get some rest. I napped as much as I could during the day, caught up on my reading, even watched waaay more tv than I normally do.
Foodwise, I'm starving. Not to death. But I'm hungry. Yesterday I ate rice. Plain white rice with a smidge of salt and some crackers. And I drank water. I dream about food now. I smell food where there isn't any. Last night I'd have sworn I could smell a nice rich, beefy, oniony gravy. Common sense said it had to be a nose hallucination because I live alone and I hadn't cooked anything like that.
I haven't eaten anything yet today and it's going on 11am. I wanted to be able to go the library and I wanted to take the least amount of risks that 'something' would happen while I was away from the house.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so who wants to read about this? I hear you. But this is what I chose to write about because 1.) it's what's happening in my life right now, and 2). I'm feeling whiney. I listen to you when you're crabbing and whining so suck it up!
That's it for today. I want to go back home. Hopefully this is the last day of it and life will be back to normal when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny 248-615-1300
Sunday life handed me a gastrointestinal smack--diarrhea. It apparently liked me as it's host so much that it decided to hang around all of Monday, too. And, while I would like to say all is back to normal today, well, I really can't, leastwise not with any authority in my voice.
In the tradition of life/lemonade I stayed home all of Sunday and Monday. Okay, it's not like I did it to rest, I did it because I couldn't leave, chained, as I was, to the commode. But I did get some rest. I napped as much as I could during the day, caught up on my reading, even watched waaay more tv than I normally do.
Foodwise, I'm starving. Not to death. But I'm hungry. Yesterday I ate rice. Plain white rice with a smidge of salt and some crackers. And I drank water. I dream about food now. I smell food where there isn't any. Last night I'd have sworn I could smell a nice rich, beefy, oniony gravy. Common sense said it had to be a nose hallucination because I live alone and I hadn't cooked anything like that.
I haven't eaten anything yet today and it's going on 11am. I wanted to be able to go the library and I wanted to take the least amount of risks that 'something' would happen while I was away from the house.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so who wants to read about this? I hear you. But this is what I chose to write about because 1.) it's what's happening in my life right now, and 2). I'm feeling whiney. I listen to you when you're crabbing and whining so suck it up!
That's it for today. I want to go back home. Hopefully this is the last day of it and life will be back to normal when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny 248-615-1300
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Part Two
Yesterday, as soon as I shut down the computer, I realized I'd forgotten an interesting part of the story I was telling you about Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. Because I was using the library computer, and because someone was impatiently waiting to use it next, I opted to just let it go.
What I neglected to mention was that while Godbee had a top flight unit of Detroit police out in Farmington Hills looking for the police officer who had posted the photo of herself on Twitter with her department issued Glock in her mouth, there were seven shootings in Detroit. Seven shootings. And one of the victims was shot to death.
There aren't anywhere near enough police officers in Detroit. The City has cut their numbers because of lack of funds, and then cut the remaining officers pay so that they now make roughly what a rent-a-cop/security guard makes. But yet Godbee pulled a handful of them off the streets in order to go to Farmington Hills. And he didn't bother to let Farmington Hills police know Detroit was 'on a mission' in their city. Mymymy.
But the real update to this story is that yesterday Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. retired from the Detroit Police Department.
Mayor Dave Bing is now talking about making a rule that says no fraternization (dating/fucking) between City employees, particularly among those in charge with their underlings. Apparently there has never been any such rule amongst City employees. Maybe if their had been, well, this mess with Godbee could have been avoided. And that sex mess with (former) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beaty never would have happened.
Kwame's corruption trial in Federal Court begins again this morning. Yesterday being Columbus Day the Court was closed. I haven't seen a roster of potential witnesses for this week but if it's anything like last week, well, there ought to be some interesting stuff coming to light.
Again and again and again I am ever so thankful that I do not live in the City of Detroit.
And it's not just the scandals, although there have been some whoppers over the years. And it's not just the crime, although the murder rate is through the roof, and there are more shootings than they even bother to report. Shoot, they don't report all the murders either. And it's not just the lack of City services--like prompt (if they even bother to show up) police response, or the fact that the EMS rigs are prone to break down (if they even show up when you call them) as they're rushing people to the hospital, or the pitiful look of the neighborhoods, etc. And it's not even the fact that homeowners and automobile insurance rates are through the roof in Detroit. It's not any one of any of those things.
It's the fact that for all the talk by the City that they're working on things---for example, the abandoned/burned out houses and buildings that they swear they are going to tear down, even though they've been saying this since at least 1989 and all that happens is the numbers increase like bunnies each year---absolutely nothing gets any better. Nothing. And that's why I'm glad I don't live in Detroit. I couldn't stand the nothing.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
What I neglected to mention was that while Godbee had a top flight unit of Detroit police out in Farmington Hills looking for the police officer who had posted the photo of herself on Twitter with her department issued Glock in her mouth, there were seven shootings in Detroit. Seven shootings. And one of the victims was shot to death.
There aren't anywhere near enough police officers in Detroit. The City has cut their numbers because of lack of funds, and then cut the remaining officers pay so that they now make roughly what a rent-a-cop/security guard makes. But yet Godbee pulled a handful of them off the streets in order to go to Farmington Hills. And he didn't bother to let Farmington Hills police know Detroit was 'on a mission' in their city. Mymymy.
But the real update to this story is that yesterday Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. retired from the Detroit Police Department.
Mayor Dave Bing is now talking about making a rule that says no fraternization (dating/fucking) between City employees, particularly among those in charge with their underlings. Apparently there has never been any such rule amongst City employees. Maybe if their had been, well, this mess with Godbee could have been avoided. And that sex mess with (former) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beaty never would have happened.
Kwame's corruption trial in Federal Court begins again this morning. Yesterday being Columbus Day the Court was closed. I haven't seen a roster of potential witnesses for this week but if it's anything like last week, well, there ought to be some interesting stuff coming to light.
Again and again and again I am ever so thankful that I do not live in the City of Detroit.
And it's not just the scandals, although there have been some whoppers over the years. And it's not just the crime, although the murder rate is through the roof, and there are more shootings than they even bother to report. Shoot, they don't report all the murders either. And it's not just the lack of City services--like prompt (if they even bother to show up) police response, or the fact that the EMS rigs are prone to break down (if they even show up when you call them) as they're rushing people to the hospital, or the pitiful look of the neighborhoods, etc. And it's not even the fact that homeowners and automobile insurance rates are through the roof in Detroit. It's not any one of any of those things.
It's the fact that for all the talk by the City that they're working on things---for example, the abandoned/burned out houses and buildings that they swear they are going to tear down, even though they've been saying this since at least 1989 and all that happens is the numbers increase like bunnies each year---absolutely nothing gets any better. Nothing. And that's why I'm glad I don't live in Detroit. I couldn't stand the nothing.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Monday, October 08, 2012
Chilly Columbus Day
This is the chilliest it's been so far this Fall. When I woke up at 7:30am and turned on the local news morning show, the weather person, Ben Bailey, told me it was 33 degrees. And I could easily believe him because my house, according to the Atomic Clock in the kitchen, said it was 52 degrees. No, I haven't turned the furnace on yet. It's only the second week of October. Surely it'll warm up a bit and I can hold off the inevitable wickedly rising gas bill for a few weeks more.
I can tell you where it's not cold. The City of Detroit. Okay, temperature wise they're in the 30's as well this morning. It's not like they suddenly acquired sub tropical temperatures. But I'm talking about in the City offices. The Mayor's office to be exact.
New scandal in Detroit. Just when everyone kind of thought it couldn't get any worse after (former) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his sex text message scandal, and now his trial in Federal Court (along with his father, his best buddy and the former head of the Water Department) under the RICO Act. This is, I think, Week Three for the trial and they anticipate it running until at least January 2013.
This new scandal involves the Chief of Police, Ralph Godbee Jr.
First some background: The former Police Chief was Warren Evans., a single man. He was let go by Mayor Dave Bing (yes, the former basketbal player) almost as soon as Bing was elected. The reasons given were--Evans had been having an ongoing affair with another police officer who was also single, and he had a tv show on the local cable network, and a little girl had been killed by police in a botched attempt to grab up a criminal during a raid on a house. Oh yeah, the raid was being filmed for a show on the Discovery Channel. Those were the reasons given by Bing. But, well, word on the street was that Evans wasn't a yes man and Bing (and the power behind him) wanted a yes man.
So Bing appointed Ralph Godbee Jr. as the new chief. Then it become news that Godbee, a married man, had been having an affair with the same police officer that Evans had been fired for screwing. Oh my. Everyone expected Bing to fire Godbee but he didn't. Hmmmmm.
Two weeks ago or so it was discovered, because of a post on Twitter of a woman with a Glock pistol in her mouth, that Godbee, who filed for divorce in April, was having an affair with a married woman, another police officer, who works in Internal Affairs for the City of Detroit. This woman was pissed because Godbee took another woman, a much younger woman, to California with him as he attended a convention for police chiefs. Scorned woman posted the photo of herself with her City issued Glock in her mouth. Godbee, while in California, with the help of the Detroit Police Department, triangulated her cell phone and sent a posse of Detroit police to Farmington Hills (where she lives) to, what? I don't know, tell her to knock that stuff off. But he forgot to alert Farmington Hills police that they were running a mission in their city. A nononono.
A statement was issued by Godbee that this woman was not a scorned woman, but rather a stalker. That was found to be an untruth when she produced text messages from him to her of, well, not a stalker-type relationship.
Then the woman who had been screwing Evans and Godbee, she came on tv and said yes, she had been having an affair with Godbeee while he was married. That she had traded sex with the Chief in order to get abetter job in the Department! Oh my. And she had text messages to back her story up.
It is anticipated that there are other women out there who dallied with the Chief. Possibly some other police officers
Add to the mix that, as it turns out, Godbee is also a preacher.
Bing, who is never around it seems when shit is flying, issued a statement from somewhere, that Godbee was on a 30-day paid leave while this was all investigated.
It is expected that Godbee will be fired. But who knows. Bing never should have hired him as Chief in the first place given that it was common knowledge that he was married and engaged in an affair.
I am so thankful I don't live in Detroit.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net 248-615-1300
I can tell you where it's not cold. The City of Detroit. Okay, temperature wise they're in the 30's as well this morning. It's not like they suddenly acquired sub tropical temperatures. But I'm talking about in the City offices. The Mayor's office to be exact.
New scandal in Detroit. Just when everyone kind of thought it couldn't get any worse after (former) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his sex text message scandal, and now his trial in Federal Court (along with his father, his best buddy and the former head of the Water Department) under the RICO Act. This is, I think, Week Three for the trial and they anticipate it running until at least January 2013.
This new scandal involves the Chief of Police, Ralph Godbee Jr.
First some background: The former Police Chief was Warren Evans., a single man. He was let go by Mayor Dave Bing (yes, the former basketbal player) almost as soon as Bing was elected. The reasons given were--Evans had been having an ongoing affair with another police officer who was also single, and he had a tv show on the local cable network, and a little girl had been killed by police in a botched attempt to grab up a criminal during a raid on a house. Oh yeah, the raid was being filmed for a show on the Discovery Channel. Those were the reasons given by Bing. But, well, word on the street was that Evans wasn't a yes man and Bing (and the power behind him) wanted a yes man.
So Bing appointed Ralph Godbee Jr. as the new chief. Then it become news that Godbee, a married man, had been having an affair with the same police officer that Evans had been fired for screwing. Oh my. Everyone expected Bing to fire Godbee but he didn't. Hmmmmm.
Two weeks ago or so it was discovered, because of a post on Twitter of a woman with a Glock pistol in her mouth, that Godbee, who filed for divorce in April, was having an affair with a married woman, another police officer, who works in Internal Affairs for the City of Detroit. This woman was pissed because Godbee took another woman, a much younger woman, to California with him as he attended a convention for police chiefs. Scorned woman posted the photo of herself with her City issued Glock in her mouth. Godbee, while in California, with the help of the Detroit Police Department, triangulated her cell phone and sent a posse of Detroit police to Farmington Hills (where she lives) to, what? I don't know, tell her to knock that stuff off. But he forgot to alert Farmington Hills police that they were running a mission in their city. A nononono.
A statement was issued by Godbee that this woman was not a scorned woman, but rather a stalker. That was found to be an untruth when she produced text messages from him to her of, well, not a stalker-type relationship.
Then the woman who had been screwing Evans and Godbee, she came on tv and said yes, she had been having an affair with Godbeee while he was married. That she had traded sex with the Chief in order to get abetter job in the Department! Oh my. And she had text messages to back her story up.
It is anticipated that there are other women out there who dallied with the Chief. Possibly some other police officers
Add to the mix that, as it turns out, Godbee is also a preacher.
Bing, who is never around it seems when shit is flying, issued a statement from somewhere, that Godbee was on a 30-day paid leave while this was all investigated.
It is expected that Godbee will be fired. But who knows. Bing never should have hired him as Chief in the first place given that it was common knowledge that he was married and engaged in an affair.
I am so thankful I don't live in Detroit.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net 248-615-1300
Monday, October 01, 2012
Author! Author!
I think most all of us feel we have a book inside of us just waiting to be written. I know I do. My Mom always said my Grandpa (her dad) and I would write one together but, well, that's out of the question. He passed away some years ago. I've sat down I don't know how many times and tried to crank out a story. In fact, I've got several ideas and none of them have panned out for me. I've even purchased magazines that are geared towards helping people get started and had zero luck with them. I'm starting to think maybe writing a book just isn't in the cards for me.
Now a friend of mine, Paul, not only has he written and published and sold a bazillion copies of his book, he's working on a second, a sequel, as we speak! He's on his second and I can't even get rolling on my first. Plus, he writes an almost daily blog that has followers from all over the world, and he keeps up pretty much incessant chatter on FaceBook and Twitter.
I'm no slouch when it comes to incessant chatter. Geez, you know I can talk your ear off on the phone. No clue why my fingers clam up when it comes to this book thing. Heck, I can even crank out a blog and never run out of topics.
As my library useage will attest, I've even checked out just about every book written by urban authors. That's a really huge market. Okay, the stories are good, they're just not very well written, but they're still incredibly popular. I thought if I read enough of them I'd get the push to write one in my voice. Hasn't happened yet. I'm starting to think I'm shy but I know that's a lie.
My friend, HSM, says the only way she'd ever write a book is if she could be sure it would be of literary value. She says there are way too many poorly written books out there already. She says our minds are what we read. If you spend time reading good stuff your brain will reflect it. If you don't, well, you'll be a mess.
I probably wouldn't be able to write a literary masterpiece. I'm no Charles Dickens. But I have some pretty good life experiences that should translate into an interesting read. Not only have I been a phone sex maven, but I spent years doing volunteer work in the prisons. And I was a bartender once upon a time.
There was an urban writer years ago, Donald Goines, that hailed from Detroit. He wrote a number of very popular books. If you're interested in reading them Amazon is your friend. Goines wrote the stories that he heard the neighborhood gangsters tell and his stories were life-like and rang true. Some people thought he wrote a little too life-like and that led to his untimely demise.
I'm not looking to go out like Goines, nonono. But I am looking to take some of my experiences and put pen to paper. Cross your fingers for me, will you?
In the mean time, if you'd like to read my friend Paul's book, email me and I'll give you his contact information.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net
Now a friend of mine, Paul, not only has he written and published and sold a bazillion copies of his book, he's working on a second, a sequel, as we speak! He's on his second and I can't even get rolling on my first. Plus, he writes an almost daily blog that has followers from all over the world, and he keeps up pretty much incessant chatter on FaceBook and Twitter.
I'm no slouch when it comes to incessant chatter. Geez, you know I can talk your ear off on the phone. No clue why my fingers clam up when it comes to this book thing. Heck, I can even crank out a blog and never run out of topics.
As my library useage will attest, I've even checked out just about every book written by urban authors. That's a really huge market. Okay, the stories are good, they're just not very well written, but they're still incredibly popular. I thought if I read enough of them I'd get the push to write one in my voice. Hasn't happened yet. I'm starting to think I'm shy but I know that's a lie.
My friend, HSM, says the only way she'd ever write a book is if she could be sure it would be of literary value. She says there are way too many poorly written books out there already. She says our minds are what we read. If you spend time reading good stuff your brain will reflect it. If you don't, well, you'll be a mess.
I probably wouldn't be able to write a literary masterpiece. I'm no Charles Dickens. But I have some pretty good life experiences that should translate into an interesting read. Not only have I been a phone sex maven, but I spent years doing volunteer work in the prisons. And I was a bartender once upon a time.
There was an urban writer years ago, Donald Goines, that hailed from Detroit. He wrote a number of very popular books. If you're interested in reading them Amazon is your friend. Goines wrote the stories that he heard the neighborhood gangsters tell and his stories were life-like and rang true. Some people thought he wrote a little too life-like and that led to his untimely demise.
I'm not looking to go out like Goines, nonono. But I am looking to take some of my experiences and put pen to paper. Cross your fingers for me, will you?
In the mean time, if you'd like to read my friend Paul's book, email me and I'll give you his contact information.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net
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