Well-Spoken! (Day 1)

Posted on June 13, 2016 by cordeliasmom2012

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Recently, Megs of Midnight Musings with Megs invited me to participate in the Three-Day Quote Challenge (Thank you, Megs!).

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The Rules:

♦  Post one of your favorite quotes (different quote on each day) on three consecutive days. The quote can be from your favorite book, author, or your own.

♦  Nominate three bloggers to challenge them.

♦  Thank the blogger who nominated you.

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It took me awhile to accept, due to (i) recent events, and (ii) the fact that first I needed to find three quotes (it’s so hard, when you don’t read very well …), and (iii) then to write three consecutive posts!  Quite a job!

Anyway, I am now happy to join in the challenge, and I have decided to do so by selecting a quote and then illustrating it with one of my very own photos (the excitement builds, right?), and then perhaps write a few sentences (or more) incorporating or responding to the quote.  There’s no photographic or writing requirement mentioned in the above rules, but I always go a little overboard, don’t I?

To get it out of the way up front, I hereby nominate the following to take part in the Three-Day Quote Challenge, if they so wish (and, of course, I understand if the bloggers named are unable or unwilling to do so – just consider it an honor to have been so nominated):

Jason a/k/a Opinionated Man of Harsh Realty – few are brave enough to challenge him to anything because his blog’s so big, but I decided to step up to the plate, and I really would like to see Jason’s responses.

Alex MarKovich of MarKovich Photo Art – I love Alex’s photography, and I’m willing to bet he can do an absolutely awesome job of pairing quotes with photographs! Are you in, Alex?

Linda of Nutsrok – Most likely, Linda can come up with plenty of quotations from her own somewhat eccentric relatives, unlike the rest of us who have to use Google. Please, Linda?  Or maybe your Mom?  Or both?

It would be cheating a bit to include this last as one as my three nominations, considering who the author of the blog is, so I’m adding a fourth nomination:

Not Cordelia’s Mom  – because I simply can’t resist, knowing her taste in quotes is likely to be different than everyone else’s!

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Now – Challenge Day #1

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Quote: A picture is worth a thousand words.

Author:  Unknown, but according to Wikipedia, it’s an old English idiom.

As a newbie blogger, I was impressed by the sheer number of pictures on Flickr.com which were posted under Creative Commons Licensing, and extremely grateful to those photographers for allowing the use of those photos.

As I grew as a blogger, I began to slip in old family photos and personal drawings (nothing like a little added humor!). Then it occurred to me that maybe I could dabble in actual photography, so asked Santa for a camera for Christmas – and thus, a monster was born.

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Now, I try to use only my own photography or “art work” on my blog (if nothing else, I don’t have to worry about copyright infringement) – and because I’ve convinced myself that I’m not any worse at photography than anyone else, I began publishing my work on Flickr.com.

Imagine my surprise when my photographic work began receiving more daily views than my WordPress writing! Imagine my excitement when serious, talented, well-established photographers began following me on Flickr.com!

I don’t know why, but gaining a follower on Flickr.com means more to me than gaining a follower on WordPress, Facebook or Twitter. I suspect it’s because I’ve always been in such awe of artists.  Pretty much anyone can write, but creating a picture that speaks to others takes a talent I’ve never had, and never will have.  I can only assume my Flickr.com followers have mistaken me for someone else, but hey, I’ll take whatever recognition I can get.

For anyone who’s interested, there’s a link to my Flickr.com photostream on the right side of this page. I’d be honored if you’d view my work.  Just don’t all rush over at the same time and overload the Flickr.com server – ‘cause I know you all want to do that.  See you over there!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Awards, Photography, That's Life | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

YOU’RE INSANE! (Guest Post by Paul Curran)

Posted on June 11, 2016 by cordeliasmom2012

Everyone’s favorite guest poster tells me he wants lots of comments this weekend to give him something to do in is free time.  Go for it, people!

 

Paul Curran, we want to hear from you again.

YOU’RE INSANE!

By Paul Curran

T-2000 Kenworth with One Piece Windshield

 

When I had finished the run and was sitting in the truck completing my paperwork, I took the time to fill out a repair request on the big Kenworth T-2000.  The windshield was cracked from the lower left driver’s corner, all the way across to the upper right passenger’s corner. Unlike most tractor-trailers, the T-2000 had a very expensive one-piece windshield. Every truck inspection station would pull the truck over for a complete roadside inspection when they saw a crack that size – assuming that the truck was not properly maintained. Also, occasionally a large, heavy object like an owl or a large rock or a piece of metal from the road would impact the windshield. If it was already weakened like this one, there was a good chance it would collapse into the driver’s face and potentially cause a loss of control. For that reason, I wrote up a repair request. In fact, over a period of a few months I wrote up the same truck for the same flaw 5 times. No comment and no repairs.

 

Cracked All the Way Across

 

Then came the fateful day when once again I was dispatched on the same truck. Seeing that the windshield still wasn’t fixed, I angrily marched into the terminal manager’s office and demanded to know why. I showed him copies of the five repair requests and said I was tired of writing up this truck. I asked if they intended to replace the windshield. Brian (the manager) was understanding, but he said that he had spoken to the head of maintenance and was told that until spring came the windshield would not be replaced.

Me: Why not?

Brian: Because they say that the salt and sand and gravel used on the roads in the winter pit the glass and that is an expensive windshield.

Me: Not only is that illegal, it is dangerous. What if it gets hit by something heavy like an owl or a rock? It would shatter in the driver’s face and he could lose control.

Brian: Look Paul I just follow orders – I can’t force them to fix anything.

In all fairness this company was usually very good about repairs and this was the first time I had had a repair refused.

Me: That’s bullshit, Brian – you do not have the right to refuse regardless of what they say. You know that at the Nuremburg trials, it was agreed that it was illegal to obey an illegal order. Most legal systems have incorporated that lesson in their legal systems.

 

Nuremburg Trials

 

Brian was sitting on the edge of a dispatch desk now as he had left his office trying to escape my attack. His voiced raised and the office went silent as the dispatchers and administrators all watched.

Brian (loudly): Are you calling me a Nazi!?

Me: If the shoe fits, wear it – you are dispatching me with a truck that is unsafe and you know it.

I was getting angry now and could feel control slipping.

Me: That windshield has no value, it is broken and illegal. I could take a wrecking bar to it and smash it beyond use. Then you’d have to fix it. And you couldn’t charge me with destroying company property because it is worth nothing and is illegal.

Brian (sensing my anger): Would you really do that?

Me: Why not? It could save someone else a serious accident and even if I lost my job, preventing that accident would make it worthwhile.

 

Wrecking Bar

Web Site: http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-3324-18-Inch-Wrecking-Bar/dp/B000NPT684 (use of this photo is for story-line purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement of the product shown)

Wrecking Bar

 

With everyone watching, I left the office and went to my car, where I grabbed a wrecking bar and walked over to the truck. I walked around the truck a few times while I calmed down, and I realized that as much as smashing the windshield would feel great and likely not cause any legal issues, I would lose my job and I would have a hard time getting another job with the reputation as unstable.

As I walked back across the yard to my car, Brian appeared in his car and rolled up to me, winding down his window. He looked at me as if not at all sure what was going to happen as I stood there with the wrecking bar in my hand.

Brian: Did you?

Me: No. It’s not worth it.

Pause.

Me: You know I am sure you think I am crazy Brian, standing here with a wrecking bar in my hand. But just think about this for a minute. What if a driver takes that truck out loaded and while he is driving along, an owl hits the windshield, and with the crack already there, the windshield collapses into his face and he loses control. What if there is a school bus with 50 kids coming the other way and he hits the bus head on and the wreckage ends up in the ditch, where it leaks gas and explodes, killing all the kids, the bus driver and our driver. Imagine then when there is a lawsuit – and there would be – standing in the witness box when the opposing attorney says to you: And were you aware that the windshield was broken before the accident? And then: If you were aware why didn’t you get it repaired? And then: I have here 10 maintenance requests to have that windshield repaired over a period of three months, why was it not repaired? And then: Would you say that you acted with due diligence in executing the responsibilities of your position?

Think about that, Brian, because that is where this can go. Are you comfortable with that? And are you comfortable with 50 charges of criminal negligence causing death? And are you comfortable with the jail time that comes from not doing your job? I can hear their laughter now when you say: My boss said he couldn’t fix that. The response would just be “Guilty as charged.”

 

Courtroom in Session

 

Here I paused and then continued:

Me: If that happened, there would be no question who the world thought was insane, Brian, and it would be you for not doing your job. Breaking the windshield looks pretty good right now doesn’t it?

Brian did not respond to this, and I walked into the office still swinging my wrecking bar. I asked dispatch for another truck, and they assigned me a different unit. I told them that I would not drive the T-2000 until the windshield was repaired.

A few days later, the truck disappeared and when it returned, it had a new windshield installed. I said nothing – just heaved a sigh of relief. Later that week, Brian called me into his office. I was sure I was going to get a lecture on theatrics (not my normal state of mind, believe me) now that the truck was repaired. He asked me to close his door and take a seat – maybe he was going to fire me anyway. I did so and sat waiting for him to speak. He stayed behind his desk but leaned forward and looked directly at me:

Brian: I want you to be my Safety Director. I talked to the owner and he agreed to create a new position for you. Starting salary is negotiable. I would be honored if you took the job.

That is how I ended up as the insane Regional Safety Director for a tanker company.

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Paul Curran and I love to hear from our readers.  You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images are linked back to original source (source identified below image).

Posted in Guest Posters, Paul Curran, Road Trips & Cars, That's Life | Tagged , , , , | 66 Comments

Bodies Beautiful

Posted on June 9, 2016 by cordeliasmom2012

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I’m happy to say that I didn’t cry after all.

As my mother wished, upon her death three years ago, we donated her body to the local medical school – State University of New York at Buffalo (UB).  Every 18 months or so, UB holds a memorial service for the families of all those whose bodies have been used to train new medical students.  Today was the service which included my mother.

You will recall from a recent post that notice of this service hit me hard, but I felt I owed it to Mom to honor her memory.   Although I knew the service would be for more than just my own mother, I expected it to be a rather small ceremony attended by maybe 30 or 40 people.

Last night, we learned there would be around 500 people in attendance!, and I seriously debated the wisdom of attending what I now perceived might be a real circus.  But, again, I owed it to Mom.

As we approached Skinnersville Cemetery on the UB North Campus, traffic became a nightmare as people tried to find parking on both shoulders of the narrow road.  Hubby dropped my daughter and me at the corner and drove off to park in one of the student lots.  Seeing as school is in summer session, and it was the closest lot to the cemetery, we took a chance that no one would object – really, how low would it be for some security person to complain when the parking lot was only half full and people were obviously coming back from the memorial service for their dearly departed?

It was a gorgeous day, sunny and mid-60s.  The service itself was held under a humungous tent.  It was obvious from each and every speech that the staff and students were truly appreciative of the donors (dead people, to be politically incorrect) and that the donors had been treated with kindness, respect and compassion.

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SEE THE BOX THE GIRL IS HOLDING?

After the ceremony, all 500 or so family members walked over to the gravesite.  There, the university chaplain said a short prayer and then turned to several young girls who were holding small cardboard boxes.  My initial thought was those boxes were much too small to hold the ashes of all the donors for the past 18 months – and then I realized the grave was already filled in, so I would assume the ashes had already been buried.  Silly me.  For all I know, the grave was empty (it wasn’t), and I really don’t want to know either way – and for sure, I would not have wanted to stand there watching ashes poured into a grave.

The boxes, we soon discovered, contained butterflies.  It is said that if you whisper your dead loved one’s name to a butterfly, the butterfly will then take your love to that departed person.

Upon receiving the chaplain’s direction, the boxes were opened, and the butterflies …. didn’t do anything.  The poor girls wound up tapping and shaking the boxes to get the traumatized butterflies to take flight.

And then the butterflies flew.

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LOTS OF BUTTERFLY LOVE HERE

Several of them alighted on the lady standing next to me, and one landed on the lady standing behind me.  Not one came to me.  Does that mean my mother is mad at me?

 

Or maybe those other two ladies were simply wearing some sweet-smelling perfume.

Everyone was invited to take a rose from the graveside, and each family member was also given a bag containing a bread board crafted by a local artist, along with a small bottle of oil to preserve the wood.  The boards were commissioned by UB as a thank you to each donor’s family.  Such a sweet way to remember a departed loved one.  Each of my younger daughters took one to remember Grandma, and I took one to give to Cordelia, who was unable to attend due to responsibilities at her new job.

The red rose I kept.

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Teddy Rosalie was there with me, but I didn’t feel it appropriate to include her in the graveside photographs.  I think perhaps I’ll return to U.B. some sunny Sunday in the future and devote some time to photographing the grave, the cemetery and the surrounding area.  Teddy Rosalie will go with me.  I think my Mom would like that.

 

 

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I love to hear from my readers.  You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Relationships, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Roller Coaster Days

Posted on June 7, 2016 by cordeliasmom2012
Thunderbolt

PHOTO BY DANIEL ANTION (https://nofacilities.com/)

When life throws you lemons, learn to juggle.

My youngest recently bought her first home. In the process of helping her, it occurred to me that perhaps it’s time to move away from the loony neighbors and into a house with some space around it so we can have peace.

And so the hunt began. We started off thinking that since we’re so well acquainted with various reputable contractors, we could buy an older home at a lower price and do whatever updating and minor repairs are required.  Then if we found we really didn’t like that neighborhood, we could always re-sell the renovated house – just like the flippers do.  The beauty of the plan was that we would already be in a new home before selling our current home, thereby avoiding the stress of doing a simultaneous sale/purchase.

Makes sense, right?

The first house we looked at would have been perfect – 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, on nearly 3 acres of land. A foreclosure at a very low price.  In an area we’d enjoy.  The online pictures showed a house in livable condition needing some updating.  On inspection, there were some problems – all the utilities, including water, had been shut off for a long time; there was a bird’s nest in the front doorway; the skylight was leaking; a huge hole in the middle of the kitchen floor and an even bigger hole in one of the bedroom walls through which daylight could be seen.  No way did we have enough cash even to bring the house up to code.

We decided that maybe buying a fixer-upper wasn’t such a good idea after all, so the next house we viewed was at the top of our budget. A 3-bedroom cape on nearly 2 acres,  well separated from its neighbors. Again a foreclosure.  As we entered the neighborhood, I was quite impressed with the houses around it – very well maintained and quiet.  [sigh] “Our” house had a 2-foot-deep lake in the basement surrounded by walls of black mold.  (Apparently, the realtor missed a chance to advertise the house as having an “indoor pool” – where’s your creativity, lady?)

Meanwhile, I was working with my bank on pre-qualifying for a mortgage. We decided to suspend our house-hunting until the pre-qualification was in place so we’d know what our true budget would be.  The bank came back and said, sure you can have a mortgage for a new home – but you have to sell your current home first.  Meaning that we could sell on the same day as we purchased, so long as the sale went on record before the purchase.  Ah, the infamous simultaneous sale/purchase – exactly what I didn’t want to do.  But I’m not independently wealthy, so what other choice is there?

Despite our recent renovations, there are still a number of things that need to be done to make our current house marketable. We began pushing the schedule to complete those items, keeping in mind that any expenditures would be viewed by the lender and could impact the mortgage application.

Juggle, people, juggle.

Meanwhile, I continued to peruse the real estate listings. There were a few “possibles” but when we drove around to look at them, they were nowhere near as pictured.  For instance, the “spacious corner lot” turned out to be on a street so narrow I could barely squeeze my Ford Escape down it, and while the front of the property was open, the house itself was bracketed on three sides by the neighboring houses, usually within just a few feet.  Google Maps sure lied on that one!

Summer is approaching quickly – the Loony Tunes Season.  Balls in the yard, 24/7 screaming, naked neighbor sunbathing.  We really need to get out.

Finally, the mortgage pre-approval came through, but it wasn’t for the type of loan I want. So back to the drawing board.

In the process of assembling documentation the bank needs regarding my bankruptcy five years ago, I came across the neighbor’s open bankruptcy file. Being as it’s a matter of public record, I figured I’d see how she’s doing in the eyes of the Court, inasmuch as she never seems to leave the house to go to work.  Came to find out that she has not been making the required mortgage payments under her Chapter 13 plan, despite the fact that her lender changed her payment twice in an effort to accommodate her after she filed her bankruptcy petition.  In fact, she has not made mortgage payments in 15 months – and her lender has filed paperwork with the Bankruptcy Court for relief from the automatic stay so that they can FORECLOSE!

Maybe the neighbors will be gone soon!

And because I’m a nosy sort, I also managed to find out that she owes over $638 in water charges to the Town – although that didn’t prevent her from filling her pool again this year.

(Just a little aside, if I may be so bitchy:  I managed to not only keep my house during my bankruptcy, I also paid all the utility bills on time.  But then, I wasn’t spending all my money on take-out food and expensive toys – like air rifles, new bikes, and hoverboards – instead of paying my  bills.)

Anyway.

Hubby and I discussed it and agreed that we’re likely to have some peace real soon, and that peace will last until the house next door gets sold at foreclosure. That gives us a little time to fix up our own house to make it sale-ready, but since we have no idea who might move in next (and there’s still Psycho Dad across the street), we will continue to look for that house with acreage.

Sounds like a plan, right?

But then I learned that the law firm I’ve worked at for the past 17 years is about to dissolve, and I may or may not have a job in a month or two. My boss has told me that he is 99% sure that he will be able to take me along wherever he goes, and that he is not ready to retire yet.  But who knows?  Probably not a good time to make major changes.

So house hunting is on hold – again.

Meanwhile, stick with me, friends – I’m sure I’m going to have lots of interesting stories over the next few months. The posts might be somewhat sporatic, but they will be worth reading, I promise.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Posted in That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 40 Comments