Nice evening here.

Listening to some Stevie Wonder and eating some salmon. BRAIN FOOD because my brain is lame lately!

Is it the moon? The heat? Old age? Sex? What?

I had a cool weekend.

Geeze when I am not feeling so so sorry for myself  (oh poor pitiful me...) I am doing fun things.

My daughter was in town and I hooked up with her and her pal Jamaica for dinner at one of my favorite Midtown places to eat.

Joc got us Leo girls jewelry for our brfday!

I have not seen Joc for a few weeks and Jamaica has been in NYC doing that internet fashion reality thing. She is actually moving there but took some time to come home for her brfday. No wonder I love my Leo Sistah!

The Killer Clown Posse ride (in yo face)

Joc and her boyfriend just bought a used car. They have been having car troubles too. Yeck to that.

City on wheels

Jamaica lives in NYC and a car just spells trouble. East coast public transport makes the rest of the US hang it's head in shame. Although, I hear Washington state is pretty cool.

Jocelyn showered us birthday girls with presents AND bought our meal! WHAT? My child is buying ME dinner! Whoa! Life is sweet. She got me beautiful earrings. My girls knows that I loves jewelry.

My weekend was productive but I must admit that I dipped into some very very economical retail therapy. I scored some cute stuff at a neighbors yard sale, hit up the SPCA Thrift in town and got fantastic work shoes (you can NEVER have too many pairs of black shoes, ever!) and bought some cd shelves on craigslist for super cheap. Yes, I am so retro I still have cds. And they are out of control. I did in fact put them on the shelves and cleaned but they are very much out of order.

      

  The current show is called Small Pieces,the ceramic camera is done by my friend Charlie

Also, went by the gallery and bought art.

Yes! I am a patron of the arts. I should have taken a photo of the piece, but promise that I will when I pick it up. It is a ceramic well priced piece and I am quite excited about bringing it home. And I can hug my beautiful friend Stephanie who works there. I love that place.

The old bf is still on the scene. I have no idea what this is about.

Went to counseling tonight after over a month of not. The whole car sitch really screwed things up for me. I am nearly out of the free sessions but can see, after this eve, that continuing might be very helpful to my sad and scared current state of being.

So there that is.

How is my xanga neighborhood doing these days? I certainly catch up with quite a number of you on facebook, which I enjoy.

Tell me what is new and exciting? I really enjoy the young lady that is renting a room from me. Her name is Gloria. She is a mechanical engineer student. She is beautiful, smart and has quite a bit of moxy. I am glad to have her here!

I could have written poop instead of blog and it would have meant the same thing, yeah?

So's anyhoo...how are you xanga-team? I am rolling around the hood trying to keep up, I am.

I just had the most dog awful day at work today. Good grief. Ack.

Brain...Looks just like the poop

Tonite I am making myself some fish for dinner. Brain food they say. If that gives you a clue as to what kind of day it was.

Hating the television

I believe I have mentioned before that I do not watch television. I have not for years. I use to. Hill Street Blues, Welcome Back Carter, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Twin Peaks, kind of a calvacade of my favorite viewing treasures way back when. They are all from years past.

I have enjoyed the Jon Stewart program from time to time. And Stephen Colbert. My daughter turned me on to those. I just cannot stand the noise and rapid fire of television any more.

The cast of Concrete and Cashmere

But, I am currently hooked on an internet reality deal. It is called Concrete and Cashmere. It is a reality fashion show that pits a number of unknown fashionista's from kind of safe neighborhoods in a real life/time design contests until ONE final scrappy fashion maven takes it all. It is supported by some alcohol company called ALIZE'.

They put them all up in New York and introduce them to a kind of sweeping array of judges and off the wall challenges. Example; making a one of a kind t-shirt that represents the spirit of the alcohol that is supporting said show, creating a cool accessorie at a hard ware store, painting a look on a naked model, designing a line. Kind of stretching their limits, fair or not fair at all.

I like how all the kids interact. For good and evil.

Here is the deal: My daughter's friend Jamaica (her line is called Sapphire and Cordial) is on this internet program. I have watched every episode. I know how it ends according to my daughter, but no details. I am on episode ten, right before the final decision.

Jamaica is fabulous in every way. I suggest you watch all the episdoes. I do. She will blow you away. She is darling, talented and really sets herself apart by being herself through out the entire challenge. And this is a lovely example of why I adore my kids and all their friends in every way.

And have a cocktail. Or two.

Cheers.

Yeah, stuff is going on but nothing worth really commiting to a blog just yet.

xo Cassi

You decide.

I spent the weekend cleaning up my place and hanging out with an old BF.

Things have been interesting. Very interesting.

No details to share at the moment. Good or bad, I have not decided yet. It is still in process.

Kind of watching to see what unfolds.

Have not been up to any kind of hijinx.

My son pops in about weekly. My daughter seems to be fine.

I officially have a room renter. This should spell relief on my finances.

Work is good and busy.

My mom is in good spirits and doing well.

The eight hundred dollar vice grip equipped auto is still running.

So, there you have it. When things get a little more exciting I will provide photos.

My friend Bridgette wrote me this poem for my birfday:

if I could know you still in twenty years
I'd start saving up stories and wine
to share with you

and if I could know you still in ten years
I'd bottle up my laughter
and we'd drink that shit down

and if I could see you tomorrow
I'd run through the streets right now
like a wild woman, grinning

happy birthday, cassi

That just made my day!

Just keep buying them...

I should not be negative. No no no.

I bought yet another car. A girl has to go to work

So she can afford to fix her other cars, for darn sakes!

People at work really kicked it down. I am blessed and grateful.

In fact, my ride pal is taking me tomorrow even though I officially have wheels. Awesome!

I actually found a working and smogged vehicle for eight hundred clams. No shit!

Look at all those bells and whistles!

I have also been out to see some amazing music.

I guess I will post this and maybe write something more later.

Cheers!

The little guy starts each morning. And he warms up in less than his usual twenty minutes.

So far.

It has been unseasonably cool around here this week. A little too chilly in a convertible. In the mornings I am bundled up in sweat shirt, socks and little glovies for the drive over the causeway to work. The drive home in the afternoon is wonderful though. Sun shining on my skin. We are best friends all the way home.

This morning the little guy was smoking. I pulled over and checked under the hood. I noted that the oil was a quart low. One quart. Talk about being needy. I popped a quart into his greedy little engine and got back on the freeway.

I realize how Italian this guy is. He is running like this because he is needed. The German has let me down, he tells me. He is Italian so he notices that she is beautiful, but is very noisy about her lack knowing what is important (family, friends, drinking). Hey, the Fiats words not mine.

So, he is being a wonderful hero for me this week. I don't know how long he will be interested in this though. He grows weary of being chased down by big rigs and cut off by shiny slippery Lexus' that early in the morning.

Edit: This evening after working late I am craving a roast chicken and green beans as I shift into fifth onto the less clustered freeway. I am gonna eat some roasted chicken and drink some cold cold bubbly water, I tell myself in my haid, when I get home. And go to bed early. I may go out tomorrow. I shift down for the bit of traffic in downtown.

Finally clear of the intestinal interchanges of downtown, I shift back into fifth to make my dreams come true. Sun on my skin, money in my pocket, dinner on my mind...

The cruise begins to sputter. SPUT SPUT. I shift down. Smooth again. Shit, the transmission. SPUT SPUT. I am so close to home. I get into the furthest lane. Still moving.

Shift down again, driving at 40mph on the freeway...sput sput...I am on the causeway. Like 5 miles from home.

Sput sput sput sput sput sput...I hafta pull barely off the road.

My dashing prince...in sputters.

I climb out and begin to walk down the bike path towards home. The well after rush hour traffic crashing by. I am down. Down. DOWN. Schumpl-ED over as I walk the bike path over the causeway. WHY did I move to DAVIS. With no friends. What am I doing here. Who can I call. Nobody loves me. Why can't things go right. What is the point of all this PAIN... I am staring down at the path way as I trudge along towards home.

I look up momentarily to catch site of a speeeeeeding black big rig with the logo

painted down it's side.

I was just wonder struck for a sec. I thought to myself, well YEAH, it ain't raining. I can call friends. It is good to be walking.

I called my very very busy friend Debi and she answered. She said wait right there. She and her sis ( my hero way to many times! ) showed up with gasoline and that little Italian convertible started right up. Thank you! That was all it was.

Lucky indeed!

I love you so much Debi and Cheryl - heart heart heart - only in Italian! Kapeesh????

Well, my long weekend started out one way and ended up another way.

I drove up to Placerville on my Friday off to visit my mom and spend the night at my friend Kim's place.

I thought I would also try to visit my daughter and see mom on the fourth on my way home.

That was my plan.

Things started out ok. I stopped and picked up necessities for my evening over at Kim's. She thought a tequila theme was a good idea. I concurred. Traffic was light. I had a nice visit with my mom and my brother. Mom got to see my car. They were impressed. It is a shiny pretty Mercedes.

I headed over to Kim's place. We made margaritas and guacamole. We caught up and filled each other in on what was new. She has been unemployed and starts a temp job on Monday. Things are looking up we agreed.

We drunk facebooked. Silly silly girls! Kim also thought I should get laid this month, since it is my birthday month. Oh I know, how bawdy are we??? But tequila was involved.

Kim had bought a bunch of clothes for the new job, so she did fashion show. She told me the story about the stolen hot dog. Names have been changed to protect the innocent...

Said stolen hot dog making friends and influencing the innocent

The next morning I thought taking a cruise up to Pollock Pines, my old stomping grounds, sounded like a great idea.  Her daughter and son both live up there, so we did a quick visit. Her kids went to school with my kids.

Jacquline, Michael with proud mom, Kim

We cruised the camp ground, made new friends. Made our way to visit her daughter Jacqueline. Her son Michael showed up too. We were getting hungry, Jacqueline thought it would be fun to drive to Kirkwood (a cute ski resort) for lunch. Ok, lets go! We started our cruise further up the hill.

We got to the resort restaurant we had in mind. The place was hopping but the drive up was really nice. No traffic at all. We had adult libations and ordered up some food. I was starving by this time!

Our silly wonderful waitress got into the act!

Everything was wonderful. The day was beautiful. Neither of us had a care in the world.

   As we were leaving Kim ran into a guy that she use to work with. He and his friend were sitting at the bar. His friend was very very cute. Kim let them know that it was my birthday month and that I needed to get laid. Chris, the cute guy, said he would be happy to offer his services. I gave him my phone number. Then Kim and I said hour goodbyes to the guys and we left.

The cute guy with tow truck driver number one (what? Number one???), and said cute guy geared up for his cycle ride home

Or at least tried to leave. The Mercedes would not get out of reverse. We called a tow truck and the guy seemed to have fixed the problem. The cute guy came out and was looking the car over, then he and his friend were on their way. We did leave this time,too.

For a couple of miles at least...

Tow truck driver number two with stolen hot dog

About half way back to Pollock Pines the car gave up the ghost. It just stopped. We called AAA again, thank goodness Kim had her AAA card. This time the Mercedes and I were towed all the way back to Davis.

Yep, it sure did look all pretty and shiny on the back of that tow truck...