There's a light at the end of the tunnel..Oh, Lord, please don't let it be a train

Sara and Vernon went to Salisbury to the attorney's office for a conference call with the attorney for MOSHA this week. They explained why they felt the Easton office was incorrect and I must say, I'm thrilled to announce the attorney for MOSHA (who seems much brighter than the folks in Easton) also felt the people in the Easton office must be smoking some funny weed as they were fining me under 2 names for the same accident which he also felt was double dipping, and several of the other charges made no sense as well. We had the proof that some of what they said was just wrong, wrong, wrong. Plus we had our "guy" there to refute the fine and we had our elevator guy on tap in case we needed him. So the attorney is writing up his report to MOSHA and it seems to be in our favorite at the moment. Instead of $22,000, we're instantly down to $11,000 just cutting out the double dipping. Then he crossed off a few of the fines, reduced some of the fines and in the end Sara felt we are going to be left with approx. $5,000 in fines, which may seem steep, but when you figure we started at $22,000 it's not so bad. I realized early on that fines would be given I just wanted to keep them as low as possible...so I'm satisfied with this. Today we got the call and I can accept the fines at this point or go to court in Baltimore. They got the fines down to $4400 so I'm settling...otherwise attorney's fees, etc., well I'd end up paying in fees what I might win back in fines. I'm cutting my loses. I'm not happy since they are still saying the private elevator is commercial, but I'm finished. Call it whatever you want...I don't give a damn. To celebrate I decided I'd suffered from my foolish ebay purchase long enough and just had to take home the limited edition Needle Books from the French Needle Maid Series. They just came in today and they are so pretty. Along with those I also snagged the Sirens of the Sea silk kit and the Counting Bats silk kit for the Just Nan pieces (we don't even have this chart in yet so I'm ahead of the game)...oh, yes, my tote is having a jolly good evening. And someone called to see if I had the new Blue Ribbon designs in and I couldn't get on their web site fast enough to see what she was talking about. On their blog they have broken the piece down into smalls and the Halloween piece as well as the sampler piece are just too cute. If you have a chance go onto their site and take a look. I can't wait, unfortunately they aren't shipping these until September. Gives me something to drool over. It's still hotter than hell down here. It's like an oven if you aren't in air-conditioning. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have it...I do know I'd move! The crowds are gone from Ocean City, so while we still have plenty of people still visiting it just isn't that crowded which makes it a little nicer when you have to move around the streets. Oh, whoppee...hats and horns time people...I finished another Blackbird stocking. Yes, I'm still behind but at least I have 14 done. So tonight I start on my 15th stocking. I am never going to win the race on this project, but I'm still hoping to have 36 done by the end of the year. I'll do the Halloween stockings as well, but I'm just shooting for 36 this year. Update on the freight elevator...I could have built this thing faster. You'll going to love this...they got the lift in, finally, started it up and it ran beautifully....that is until they put luggage on it. It seems the braintrust that are putting this in ordered a motor which would hold 600 pounds. The only problem with that is the freight lift itself, which the motor has to hoist, is 600 pounds. So as long as we just want to hoist the empty lift up and down...this thing is useless. So we're waiting once again for a new motor. Honestly, I've never seen anything to beat this...ridiculous. And they still haven't finished the personal elevator repairs (although we are able to use it) and I'm still holding their notorized bill which states they finished the work on this. People this is no way to run a railroad. I firmly believe they should be fined by me and my bill reduced...but we all know this isn't going to happen. I have written them a letter though telling them what I thought of the job they were doing, or not doing according to some of us. But we move on. Mary's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks so I thought I'd purchase a nice pair of maternity jeans for her. People...have you looked at the price of a nice pair of Jeans....$258 or in the neighborhood of that on a lot of web sites. I about died...jeans, we're not talking a cocktail dress....we're talking jeans. Well I have to say, I don't know who is wearing these jeans, and may I say you probably look lovely, but Mary won't be. I told her what I had wanted to do, the price of the jeans, and she agreed that was too much. So she went on-line and found a very nice pair reduced to $59.00 from $110. $110 for jeans, are you kidding me. I guess I've been shopping at Walmart too long. Jeans...$110...I can't go there. $59 I'm willing to go. I did compensate by ordering her a top that was $145...and I'm telling you I almost choked on that, but I bit the bullet and did it. Back in the day I made my maternity clothes...I may just be getting out the machine again...yeah, like that's going to happen. I'll just spend the money and forget it. But I think of all the projects I could buy...oh, my..wish I hadn't. I've got to end this dribble and concentrate on work. Talk to you later. Hope your summer is ending well...the heat is killing me...come on cool air. Have a great weekend.

Did you hear about the toilet paper shortage?

Let me first say that I have a toilet paper fetish...I always have about 3 of the Sam's Club size packages at my house for fear of just that sort of event so when I went on the internet today and saw "shortage of toilet paper" I knew I was doing the right thing by hording it. Of course I then read the article and it's happening in Cuba. (O.K., it may spread to the United States in which case I'll be considered a genius for the forethought.) I love the response from Castro...he tells everyone to use 1 ply instead of 2...use less sheets...or use cigar leaves? What the hell...you just know he has plenty of tissues in his bathroom but expects the rest of Cuba to use Tobacco leaves...that should take cigars out of the marketplace. Just like a man to come up with that solution. You have to feel sorry for the Cubans..stuck with a leader who suggests wiping your ass on leaves..honestly...what will he suggest next? I'm not sure, but since Tobacco is a cancer hazard, does this mean you could get ass cancer? Wow, I need to make a run to Walmart to load up on Toilet Tissue...don't come to me when there's a shortage... Aside from that stupidity, it's too hot down here to function. Honestly, I feel naucous from the heat and I'm in air-conditioning. My body was certainly not made for 95 degrees not counting the humidity, in fact the temp. registered 110 when the humidity factor was added in. Stepping out into the hallway, which is not air-conditioned is like walking into an oven. And folks, you can stick a fork in me as I'm done! With Renee out helping to deliver her 4th grandchild, I've been working overtime....and frankly Salty Yarns is the coolest place in the building so I really don't mind. Having to put up with non-stitchers is sometimes a pain in the ass, but for the a/c I'm willing to put up with it. With the Drunk asshole gone..oh, did I tell you his parting words to Sara. The jackass had walked past her again the night before he left holding the cigarette cupped in his hand so she couldn't really see it, but she could smell it, so she was going to let him have it on the way out. He comes down the stairs the day he left, walks by her and says, "See ya Babe," which so freaked her out she wouldn't go anywhere near him. So the tenants who had asked her for a bucket of ice had to wait until he was out of the building before she would go back and get it for fear he'd touch her. It sure is fun running a small little hotel in Ocean City. We thought the Drunken Asshole's leaving would end the drama for Sara....but we were so wrong. But let me give you a little back history...because we are small, 53 units...most of which are apartments...we get a lot of family reunions. Once such group comes with over 20 people taking up several apartments. They've been coming for years. About 5 years ago added to the group was one of the sons who brought his wife and his 2 children. However, when he called for the reservation he said he wanted the small efficiency, Ocean Front, with the balcony overlooking the boardwalk for 2. Of course we were outside when he arrived and Sara had the look of a deer caught in headlights and when I asked what was wrong she said, "That man with the wife & 2 kids is suppose to be going into the efficiency for 2." So I said, "Well someone has to break it to them that they can't have that apartment because it has only 1 bed and fire regulations won't allow us to put more than 2 in it." So she goes over and he says, "Oh, the kids are staying with my father in his unit." Which we all knew was a bold faced lie, but until we saw that we couldn't refute it. However, his father decided to go back to the city early and left on Thursday. So I asked housekeeping to let me know if anyone went into that apartment...which they didn't...which meant the kids were with the parents in the efficiency. ( how comfortable could that have been. Small unit, one double bed and 2 adults and 2 kids with no room to play I might add) We let it go with a note that we were going to let them know at the end of the week that they would not be allowed to rent something that small again. So we tell them as they check out (nicely of course), and when this schmuck gets home he writes the owner, (me) a letter telling me how he should not have to pay for the week because the unit was too small for his family and the plug in air freshener (which in all honesty I didn't even know was in there...must have been put in by a former tenant as we don't put them in the units) was hot to the touch so it was a fire hazard. He said he had a miserable week (I guess so asshole with 4 people in a space for 2). He also said, if I didn't refund his money none of his other relatives would be staying here in the future. And he signed it as if it came from a law firm. First of all...the letterhead was computer generated on a home computer, and I'm pretty sure every law firm has their letter head printed professionally and second of all the guy is an idiot. So I write to each of the family members who rented at the same time as he did, telling them how sorry I was they would no longer be returning as reported by this jackass and how we appreciated their business over the years. Those letters went out and I'm telling you the minute those were opened we got calls from his relatives telling us they all wanted their units back and what an asshole this kid was. So needless to say...I got the last word (and isn't that what's most important). Anyway, Sara was out back after her Drunken "Crackhead" asshole left and she sees this guy drive in with his wife and children. She's freakin out once again and comes running in to tell me he got back in somehow. Well, he didn't get back in...he was here with members of his family who always rented. I told her there was nothing I could do about that, but found it amazing that he would actually show his face again. So Sara has spent the week kicking him off the parking lot (his car was over the allotted amount for that apartment which gave her some satisfaction) and generally keeping her eagle eye on him. She wears me out with all the tenants she keeps an eye on. As I was leaving the other night she always walks me out, and we saw 3 teenage boys hanging around the back of the "dollhouse" (we give employees houseing in this building) and they were really acting funny. When they saw we weren't going to move they dropped what they had and went in the back of the hotel. So Sara goes over and finds that what they dropped was a slingshot for water balloons and of course a supply of water balloons. We threw their stash in the dumpster and I went home. Next day, C.J., comes in and announces that water balloons are being thrown off the Condor porch. So I call that jackass and he says, "Oh, I don't know anything about that." So I said, "Go out and tell your grandsons to stop it now or I will be kicking them out." We haven't had a balloon sail past for the past 24 hours. Honestly, people is it too much to ask that you act like civilized people when you are on vacation? Do you just loose what sense you have? Honest to God...these people just wear me down. I feel like I've done nothing but fight all summer, IRS, Town, elevator people...and may I say we still don't have a working lift. They've been here working on it solid for 9 days, but still no action. Each time they come they find something else they need Vernon to do before they do what they have to do. And this weekend we slow down so the boys downstairs won't be working so hard starting this weekend anyway...naturally. I'm so over this elevator business I can't tell you how much. Today, it's now Thursday, I'm in Sea Trader and this gives me just too much to look at. The counter is right in front of the windows without any obstructions so I get to people watch. Good Lord have people decided they don't need to do a last minute check before they walk out the door. A woman just came into the shop and I swear it looks like she has a cupcake with a cherry on top sitting on top of her head. I swear it does. Now why would anyone decide that the best place to stick their "bun" was in the center of their head? That doesn't look good on anyone. I found this so distracting I could barely wait on her. I kept wanting to ask if she actually realized the hair was sitting there. Then I looked at her daughter who's hair was also pulled up, but it was sitting correctly on her head so I then refocused on the mother. Yep, she had a cupcake of hair sitting squarely on top of her head. Good Job though, it was in the center. Then I wondered why neither her husband or her daughter told her she looked stupid. I guess it was so they could look so much better...sort of takes the focus off of them. And the tatoos on women...honestly I find that so distracting as well. Big tatoos all over everywhere...I can't figure out what the point is here. An expression of what? And I have to tell you...many of them aren't good tatoos. While I am no expert on this particular thing...I can tell you whether someone has drawn well or not, and a lot of these are not. Ladies, please resist the urge...not a good look. And then I wonder...what will they look like in a beautiful gown...not a pretty look either...wedding day...oh, my God...definitely not a good look. Ladies put them where they aren't visible. That's the answer..put them where I can't see them, because as we all know....it's all about me! Kathy K. has been here all week with her children and she came over to stitch last night. I think she put in about 3 stitches and spent the rest of the time talking a customer into buying a kit. Good for you Kathy....that's just what I need...volunteers to talk people into things. But she has gotten a lot accomplished here on vacation. She finished at least 3 projects in the 5 days she's been here so far. That's a good thing. Did I tell you Renee is a grandmother again for the 4th time and it's another girl, Elizabeth. That's 4 girls for her. I have the 2 boys, with another on the way I'm sure. I'm dying for a little granddaughter, but God seems to think I need the boys. They are so different from girls...but that's O.K., I'm getting pretty good at laying down tracks for trains and cars. O.K., I'm distracted again. A woman, rather tall, incredibly skinny just walked in with her baby and mother. She has on short short shorts and yes, when she turned around there were her ass checks showing below the short. Is this necessary? Did I want to see her ass? I can tell you I did not. Oh, my God, this will be going on all day since it's an overcast day...I'm not sure I can stand it...my head may explode. And I have a new pet peeve I should tell you about. When ever anyone asks me the price of our DMC and I say .54 , nine times out of ten they come back with ".54 " cents? Now, it's floss people, would it be $54? No, so what else is there beside cents. It can't be Euro...we're in America...It can't be Yen...so what the hell else would it be? I don't know why this aggravates me so much, it just does. Perhaps it's because I've been asked it every single night all summer by at least 1 person per night. Well I'm going to post this now since I haven't posted in a while. I'll keep you posted though as the day wears on and the aggravation overtakes my calm. Have a great day and stay dry...because you know it's going to rain.

Will this nightmare ever end?

O.K., we are still dealing with the crack whore in court...October right before Jamboree...don't think I won't have a few stories about this. Anyway, last night as I'm working in the shop Sara appears frothing at the mouth like a mad dog with steam coming out of her ears and her eyes bugged out of her head. And then the rant....apparently we have a "crack daddy" as she loves to refer to the man, when in actuality he is a drunk...just a worn out, trashy drunk who is visiting with his mother...yes this idiot is in a room with his mother who is not a trashy drunk, but apparently since the man is at least in his 30's or 40's (it's hard to tell when they are drunks because they let themselves go...ya think?). Anyway, last night she sees him coming down the steps with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and goes up and says (she said sweetly), "Excuse me sir but we are a smoke free hotel so you cannot smoke inside, but you are welcome to smoke outside on the deck." He mumbled something with his mother hurrying behind him and went outside. She was downstairs with Michael riding scooters in the alley (a safe environment in the summer with cars whizzing by doing 70mph.)...when the "Crack Daddy" or from now on I will refer to him as "Drunken Asshole" comes off the parking lot carrying a bag from McDonalds (obviously taking his mother out to dinner to the finest restaurants) and with the cigarette hanging once again out of his mouth. He walks his mother to the back steps, and then he turns around and goes back to the car while his mother goes in. He then comes back, looks around and throws the McDonalds bag on the ground near our side steps so Sara hurrys over to speak to him yet once again about throwing trash on the property (he had to pass the dumpster to get to the stairs) and as he was going inside she told him once again we did not allow smoking in the hotel and he then flicked the lit cigarette at her. So she was a screaming manic and came over to tell me she was giving him one more chance and then she was kicking his drunken ass out, and his mother as well. Yes, we have 3 days of this to look forward to. The "drunken asshole" appeared this morning so drunk he almost fell backwards down the stairs (where did this person come from and how do they all find our hotel?). Anyway, one of the other guests asked Mary if he stayed drunk as he watched him on the porch yesterday after the drunk asked him where he could get French Fries (first clue the drunk is drunk since they sell them right on our property). So the guest pointed toward Thrashers and the drunk goes and gets fries, falls down flat on the ramp coming back...the fries go flying out of the cup all over the boardwalk, the drunk scrapes them up off the boardwalk, puts them back in his cup, comes back to the porch sits on the rocker and proceeds to eat them. I'm telling you birds have pooped on the ramp, people are walking on that ramp...it's not sterile by any means. Kind of makes you wonder what the floors at his house look like. Good God, people...this is almost too much for me. God knows what today will bring. Our guests love the front porch because of the entertainment (free...I should charge) they get. 2 nights ago our front desk clerk called me in the shop looking for Sara. I said she was with Michael and asked what the problem was and he said, "Someone fell down a step from the front porch"....lawsuit time I thought...so we got Sara and she went out and handled it initially...then I went out to make sure she wasn't freaking out and a guest stopped me to say, "I saw the entire thing...she missed a step because she's blind." I asked him who she was with and she was with 2 other blind people. This is clearly a case of the blind leading the blind. The two with canes forgot to mention to the one without a cane that there were 3 steps not 2, hence she fell. I have to ask you people...is this our fault? I say no. I can't be responsible for you finding stairs if you are blind. Responsibility people...take some. Anyway, a taxi was called to get the 3 of them to the medical center...they weren't even staying with us they were staying next door at the Paradise. I'm getting it from all sides. Meanwhile Sara handled it like a pro but was a nervous wreck afterward. Poor thing...this has definitely been the summer from hell. You know I think I prefer the squatters peeing in the parking lot rather than what I've put up with this summer! Anyway, I have seen a few stitchers this week...Thank God, as it's the only thing keeping me sane! Lois M. was in and brought me a goodie bag....a cooler bag loaded with Margarita's...Ole...now we can get drunk and join the drunken asshole smoking on the front porch. Maybe then he won't seem so bad. Anyway, a big thank you to Lois...you know the way to my heart...and Sara's... since I have promised to share. We've found the way to make it through the summer...drink! Pretty soon I will be joining Sara's favorite tenant of the week...Drunk asshole...who as I was at the front door keeping a watchful eye on him took both his dentures out and they are now resting comfortably in his hands...yes he's lovely to look at now with no teeth, but he has refrained from smoking for a couple of minutes so that's a good sign, but everytime he gets up he's so shaky he looks like he's going to fall flat on his face...and he probably will. Honestly why is this man here...surely he'd be more comfortable at home drinking and sleeping on his front porch. Why us Lord, oh why us? Well,enough of that...we have other fish to fry.... have you tried calling Comcast lately? All the calls are routed through their call centers so even if you think you are calling locally...you get routed. So far today we've been routed through Florida and Delaware and still haven't gotten an answer to the question. Last year Vernon took some of the bad cable boxes which couldn't be zapped up to the office to exchange them for good boxes. He was told never to do that...he was to call first because they would need time to get the new boxes ready. (They walk in the back and pick them up..but apparently that need advance notice that they are going to have to get up out of their chairs). Anyway, so today we started trying to call them. I called 3 times and each time got routed. So I asked, on the third call, how I was suppose to call the Ocean City office directly. The young man gave me the number...which I advised him led me right back to him....which he couldn't understand so he said, hold on...I'll call them for you....when he came back on he said, "Well, apparently you are right because the call came back to me." I love it when a plan works. So he decides that giving me a CR # will be good idea because then when I go into Comcast (and when I say I, I mean Vernon) he can show them the number to prove we tried calling (like who has time for this shit)...so Vernon goes up to Comcast...gives them the number and they said, "Oh, just ignore what you were told last year...just bring the boxes in." This is what I call busy work Comcast...and I'm not into busy work so stop making up rules to follow and changing the damn things. Speaking of jackasses... Delaware Elevator showed up for the 3rd day in a row. I honestly think they are going to keep working on this darn thing until it's finished...for which the poor young men who have run the stairs all summer with crap from tenants will be forever grateful. One family last week brought about 8 cases of water which apparently had to be taken upstairs all at once. Sara felt so sorry for the guys that she was helping as was Michael, my 8 year old grandson (and guess who got the tip). Now you know they could have cut the guys some lack and let them take up 2 every day...but no...all at once. Somebody better be tipping these guys and I mean well. Some of this is slepped up 2 flights of stairs...3 really from the ground floor. And people bring everything but the kitchen sink. One family who has around 10 people bring food, which they make at home for every meal, tucked in huge rubbermaid bins. I've never seen so much food in my life premade. It's a great idea if you think about it. They save money on eating out and yet don't have to do anything but pop it in the oven when they are ready for dinner. But mercy...I'm talking multiply bins...and I mean perhaps 10 huge bins. And they aren't alone in that. I'm not sure but rubbermaid must be the new luggage because I've passed the Americana in the morning coming to work twice and saw people pushing the luggage cart loaded down with bins rather than luggage filled with cloths. Is that the new luggage? God I'm so far behind the times. They must travel in trucks or vans...you'd never get all that in a car. Well, I've got to get ready for work. Like Comcast I need time to rise from my chair...meditate and pray for an easy night in the shop. So I'll sign off and pray for a good night for us all.